I'd like to be able to surf the internet and run programs without any wait times. Or as little as possible.

I want to be able to open several tabs while listening to music and playing online poker.
As far as gaming goes, I play a few older games; warcraft3, counter strike: source, and starcraft 2 (when it comes out). None of those new high tech graphic card screaming games.
I have no problem playing on medium settings.

My main concern is speed. I don't want to have to wait for things to load, especially web pages.

BUT at the same time, I don't want to pay an extra $100 just to see a .001% increase in performance.

So what hardware should I look for in laptops that will fit my needs?
any particular laptop brands/models you guys recommend?

What do you think would be 'good enough' for me? Best cost for performance.

i7 vs i5 vs duo 2 core vs duo quad core, which quad core or duo core?
5600 vs 7200 rpm hd?
SSD vs HDD?
2 HDD vs 1 HDD and 1 SSD vs 1 HDD VS 1 SSD
Does the size of the HDD affect performance if xx% is filled? what %?
ddr2 vs ddr3 ?
I noticed there are a few different types of wifi hardwares, Which ones are the best/worst ?

Please explain everything Thanks!

and I'd like to keep the price close to 500-1000
LESS is better though if I can get away with it.

Originally Posted by JesusGotCaught2

and I'd like to keep the price close to 500-1000
LESS is better though if I can get away with it.

My advice would be to go to a custom website

such as http://laptops.overam.com/mirage-cus...om_laptop=2095

Where you can get a rough idea of what it will cost you for the kind of laptop
you require.
Then you've start price to search for better deals

Jim