That seems like a decent deal. Be warned that the quality of a thinkpad is much higher than any dell you're going to get. That said, the dell will probably cost half as much, so it's definitly a trade off. If someone else is paying, always spring for the thinkpad.

I didn't realize the 6000 had decent screens, when I looked at it when it came out it had WXGA as the only "option" so I never gave it a seccond look.

Make sure to price it without the ram and see what buying the ram at newegg or your equivalent would cost. I suspect you'll come out ahead. Dell recently had a couple of $750 off $1500 coupons, which was a good deal if you were sticking with a low end system. With a high end system, the percentage off coupons can be better. However, an emailed 30% off isn't actually much for dell, especially when you consider that all the prices listed on the home site are 20% off already at the moment, and percentages don't stack. In addition to the memory, keep in mind that anything you add is overpriced. An 80GB laptop hard drive costs $115, dell wants $100 to upgrade from a 40 to a 80. Most people around here have an empeg that wouldn't mind an extra 40GB for $15. In the same vein, it costs $99 to upgrade to the high capacity battery, and $129 to buy the high capacity battery as a seccond one. $30 for the low capacity battery seems like a good deal.

I've attached the system I think you're configuring. It came out to $2100. The coupon code NSHFXB?R6$BSD2 will get you $750 off, for a total of $1350. You could save $100 on the dvd burner or the extra battery. Add $400 in newegg memory, and you're all set for $1750 plus tax. If you of all people need a decent hard drive, pick up a 7k60 for $150 or so.

Anyways, you're still in the same ballpark either way. The dell pricing game is a complex one, and it's rigged so that the house always wins.

Matthew