I got a new laptop from Dell 2 days ago. I also got one 21 days ago, but that one conked out about half an hour after I turned it on, Dell's next-day tech support took 4 days to arrive (dang that July 4th weekend), they never called back, and the rest of the time was spent calling people in India seeking a replacement computer from Malaysia.

That said, I'm almost completely happy with it, though I may have to replace the video card in a couple years if I really want to stay up-to-date. The one thing that concerns me is that the thing has some major heating problems. The fan works just fine, but it still heats up quite alarmingly if it's on for even 20-30 minutes. Right now, I'm using my dad's old desktop fan from his college years on full blast and a low-tech setup to allow air flow around the underbelly, but it's entirely impractical if I'm on-the-move. I can live like this, I guess, but I'd still like to know if anybody knows about a notebook fan that:

1. does not use too much battery power
2. cools the laptop effectively
3. is not too heavy or bulky
4. doesn't make annoying sounds

pick any 3. 2, even.

I had the same issues with a Dell Inspiron laptop a while back; I got a cooling pad ( http://www.hardwarecooling.com/default. ... op_Cooling ) and it solved the problem quickly. If you want one for on the move, find one that attaches itself to your laptop.