Yes, both Dell and HP try to compete for service & support for those with a business entity, like my company...hehehe. I like Dell because of the pricing when compared to HP on the same specs. For example, when you buy a Dell laptop + Microsoft Office Pro 2007 + 7200 RPM HDD, the price is cheaper than the one offered by HP (or Lenovo or Acer). Last time I checked with Lenovo for 7200 RPM HDD, they could not offer it.

On Geforce 8400 with DDR3 and Geforce 8600 with DDR2: maybe you should add other two: Geforce 8600 with DDR3 and Geforce 8400 with DDR2. My conclusion will definitely be like below:

8600 + DDR3 > 8600 + DDR2 > 8400 + DDR3 > 8400 + DDR2.

But why does Dell offer like what you stated? It is called pricing strategy and it could be an issue with heat design. On heat issue: If you want to have 8600 with DDR3, you can request Dell sales agent if you want to, but the heat generated will be greater and it could possibly be a problem for 14.1" laptop design. Check on Google the temperature specs between DDR3 and DDR2 (and 8600 and 8400). Maybe, you can check Dell2Direct blog.

So far, I have let my Vostro 1400 active all night long (sometimes when I fall asleep, the movie which I set it in repeat mode, will watch over me...heheh), and it does not have any issue with heat.

Updated: see the link for Differences between "G"DDR2 and "G"DDR3 <a href='http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/168' target='_blank'>http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/168</a>

When I checked Dell online store today 23 March 2008 for Vostro 1500, the offered price is RM2499 with 1GB RAM DDR2. Add up 8600M GT with 256 GDDR2, the price becomes RM3126. But, when you choose 8400 or 8600, you must choose 90W AC adapter. Maybe you can play around with the options there to find the best price:
http://dellstore04.sg.dell.com/public/cart...=169960&sr_no=1

The 90W adapter is a MUST when you opt for a dedicated graphics card model (Nvidia 8400M GS or 8600M GT). Those cards consume a high current to operate reliably and it won't be sufficient without a 90W adapter if you decide to use your laptop for a long duration of time (with or without a battery). In fact, you can't proceed with your order if you forget to include the 90W adapter option when you use those models because Dell online store will warn you.

If it is not so demanding on 3D-graphics, 1GB RAM is sufficient for games like C&C (not Red Alert 3, ok). But, why limit yourself to 1GB RAM when the RAM price is still quite cheap? Anyway, you can buy first 1GB RAM and decide to upgrade your RAM later (either buy the RAM from Dell or from computer shops) when the need arises. It depends on your wise budget.

go for inspiron 1520....graphic card is important...choose the least one for hdd and ram...u can upgrade it urself much cheaper outside...therefore pc fair coming soon...

how about HP? can anyone recommend me any good HP laptops...gaming specs...my budget is around 5K

IINM they also accept manual payment, i.e. bank in directly to their account. Don't worry about the memory, RAMS are dirt cheap nowadays.
Sony = overpriced.
Unless you're getting the high end models.