Alright It's New Laptop Time

go for the dell, unless you really need OSX for some reason, i think regular macbooks come with integrated gfx, and the pro version comes with the ati x1600, which is probably out of your price range

dell's xps support is much better than their consumer line

the dell choice seems like a no brainer, though you might want to post this in the apple section to get a less one sided suggestion

the macbook pro which i do really like is definately out of your range, it starts at about $2100 from apple, once your at univeristy you can maybe get a better deal depending on where you go (i know at my university i get some good deals on macs). even then though i doubt it will drop the price that much.

that of course leaves you with the base macbook if you really want to go into apple territory, you can get the 2.0ghz base model from the apple.ca website for just under your max price. that computer will not do everything though as its integrated graphics are weak. its a nice computer and has great battery life just it wont have "enough power for basically anything I could throw at it" it will be much more mid range.

the problem you are encountering is actually very much a price limit. your price limit is too small to get a seriously powerful system that really could take anything on. games are a part of what i assume you are speaking of since they are the biggest power hogs out there. if your price range was higher in the 2000 cdn range then you could seriously have some chances of finding what you are seeking. thats still low but its a better starting point.

as it sits i would say that the dell is your best option, the other issue is that you are wanting lots of power in a very small size. the dell xps m1210 is the best machine you can get for its size. even then compared to its big brother the xps m1710 which i have, the xps m1210 is not a powerhouse graphically, that only is true when its compared to others in its size range. if you are wanting top of the line performance you wont find it cheap and you wont find it in a laptop with under a 17 inch screen.

finally one last thing, technology changes so fast that honestly wait till you absolutely need it before you buy because you will feel disappointed when its not top of the line.