I haven't been able to keep with up all the laptops that are coming out and whos making the best these days.

Tech support really isn't a big thing for me unless it's a major problem.
I'll be using it for a little bit of gaming nothing that a computer built last year couldn't handle. I'll also be using it for watching movies, music and a little work here and there.

I was thinking about a Dell but not sure how their laptops are doing atm.

Oh I'm also going to go with a 17 inch display at the least and try staying under $800

If anyone has any suggestions please post away.

My wife's old laptop finally seems to be on its last legs after five years, so I did some looking around. I ended up ordering a Dell, because I could get a thoroughly respectable machine for less than anywhere else. The one I got worked out to $814 with a 1680x1050 screen; the best I could find for something comparable elsewhere, even with a lower screen resolution, was about $920. I think Dell has dropped their prices a lot because of the recent power-supply problems, but there's no reason to believe they're really any more prone to those than other manufacturers; they're just the ones who hit the statistical jackpot this time around. If my wife's machine works out, I might well get another of the exact same model for myself.

bought the wife a new 15.4" Dell with the Intel Core Duo processor. Got it with most everything I wanted for about 900 bux. I don't think you'll find a 17" in your price range

only thing I did wrong when ordering it is I got the ultrasharp display, but didn't upgrade the video card :( Small text on web pages aren't shart :( :(

Other then that, it's a great laptop.It has built in wifi, dvd, cdrw, 1gb of mem and a 60 or 80gb hdd. All overkill for what she does (surf the net, email, and tetris :D)

If you want to do a little gaming equivelant to a computer from a year ago, I suggest this one. It's a hell of a deal. :nice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?Item=N82E16834115246

Right now, at this moment in time, for the price range your looking for, I'd have to vote Dell Inspiron or latitude either one. I've got about 45 Dell's I support here and have had VERY good luck with them.

only thing I did wrong when ordering it is I got the ultrasharp display, but didn't upgrade the video card :( Small text on web pages aren't shart :( :(
A different video card won't change your pixel size. I have to admit that text size is a concern with the one I got my wife, but I figure if it's a problem she can just use larger fonts. I've gotten pretty good at writing Proxomitron/Privoxy rules and such to fix bad font choices (e.g. here) so things stay viewable.

maybe I misspoke, but the smaller text just isn't sharp. It's got jagged edges.

maybe I misspoke, but the smaller text just isn't sharp. It's got jagged edges.
Right click on desktop and select properties. Go to the appearance tab, and click effects. Check the box that says "Use the following method to smooth the edges of screen fonts" There are two methods. Choose the one that works best for you.