newbie help with decision...

i know alot of people ask for help, but it seems no one
really minds helping so heres my situation.
I'm looking to get a laptop for school (like everyone)
but i mainly do motion graphic work which means i
use alot of After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and
well..i use Maya on my desktop. While games are cool
they are not priority. I've been looking at the forums and
seems everyone loves their sager, and I am new so i dont
know which ones and the newer models or which are older.
and which machine i should do with(or even if i should do
another brand?) I was looking either getting a g4 powerbook,
but i've always had pcs, and only use macs sometimes at
school. But any guidance would help, I wanted to get one
this week. I was looking at the 5690 pn PCT with 80gig hd
1 gb ram, 3.2ghz 4x dvd burner, 15.4 UXGA, and wireless 802.11
with bluetooth i believe. I guess the main important things i want
is 1 gig of ram, and within price range of 2500 or less. and
a laptop to last and be powerful. i was looking for something
lightwieght, but if the power is there oh well. and it also
seems i should almost wait to see when the PCIe's are coming
out, but how long will that be?!?! so...thats my situation any
help THANKS in ADVANCE!
James

thanks alot. that really helps. yeah thats the only thing that
i have been kind of worried about was the heat issues on
various laptops. and also battery life, but i should always be
near an outlet so thats that. i wouldnt really be doing much
of 3d on the notebook, mainly just the other stuff i mentioned.
but i guess it looks like i'll just go ahead and scoop up the
5690, and when i get it, i'll be sure to let everyone know
what i think about it. thanks again.

i ordered my 5690 today.
what an amazing and sacry thing it was.
such a hard decision to make. cant wait
to get it.