Ask Engadget: best desktop replacement laptop?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Cameron, who'd rather buy the most powerful laptop the world has to offer than subject himself to a "desktop PC." If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I'm looking for a desktop replacement laptop. It needs to have at least a Core i3 processor, 3GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive. Of course, more is always better, but I'm not looking to spend a fortune. Recommendations?"

We're going to suggest looking Clevo's way if you'd rather not pay the Alienware label premium, but we've got a feeling some folks in comments may know a few more underground avenues for securing a well-built beast-of-a-laptop. Help a brother out, won't you?

[kenny goo Posted Jul 23rd 2010 4:11PM]

Dell Studio laptops. I'm about to buy one for college. Prices range from around $500 up to a couple thousand depending on what you want. I'm gonna spend a little over $800 to get a Core i5, 4GB of DDR3, a 500GB 7200RPM HDD, and 802.11n & Bluetooth.

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop_studio/ct.aspx?refid=laptop_studio&cs=19&s=dhs

And it's kind of a given, but don't waste your money on a Mac unless you need OS X for some reason (which you probably don't). There's a 3:2 or 2:1 price ratio with Macbooks to PCs when getting the exact same specs. It's kind of disgusting that they get away with scamming people with that crap.

[RebelT Posted Jul 23rd 2010 8:40PM]

Someone may have already said this, but I think the Dell Studio 17 has to be looked at. For specifics on what you can get:

i7-740QM @ 2.93gHz (turbo)
6GB DDR3 @ 1333mhz
500GB HD @ 7200 rpm
1GB ATI Radeon Mobility 4650
wireless-N/bluetooth/9-cell/Soundblaster audio/2-year warranty

$1,199.99 right now. Obviously you can add blu-ray, go to an i7-820, 8GB of memory, 1TB HDs etc, but as far as a fantastic system at a reasonable price, the Studio is a fantastic option. I'm regretting paying as much as I did for mine now that they are a good bit less expensive....