Don't mess with a Compaq, that's one of the lessons I've learned in the past. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if that Compaq still has parts of the BIOS on harddisk, on a hidden partition, and using partitioning tools could easily kill it. As for a laptop for running PSP and Poser 6: I've heard very good things about the IBM ThinkPad series - but IBM is expensive. I've got an Acer Aspire 1700 portable (17' TFT 1280x1024, P4 2.66 Ghz, 512 MB RAM (2 GB max using standard DDR266/333 DIMMs), 80 GB disk 5400 RPM, DVD/CD-RW, 7.5 kg, not exactly a "laptop"). It even has very decent sound for a portable, and a game like Warcraft III plays fine, even at high video quality settings. Poser 5 runs smooth and fast, it's got a decent graphics chip, although it uses shared memory. The main advantage is that the Aspire 1700 series uses desktop components. So I added a standard 512 MB DIMM, and I could replace the disk with a standard 7200 RPM ATA133 disk. Those desktop components are much cheaper and faster than laptop components. The power consumption is considerable, however, battery lifetime is less than an hour. I bought the machine over a year ago, at 1700, including VAT. The current series has CPUs up to 3 Ghz, larger disks, faster graphics, DVD +/- RW and so on. Prices start at about 1600 including VAT. In short, that Acer gives you the raw power of a high end desktop PC in a portable format. Laptops, either PC or Mac, are usually designed for long battery life and easy portability (low weight), at the cost of raw power. What's best for you depends on your lifestyle.

The pen is mightier than the sword. But if you literally want to have some impact, use a typewriter

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