if you want cheap but good, amd64 with 1gb ram is the way to go (under $800 and it'll do what you need, including games, though mobile gfx cards are a bit dinky). dell only sells intel though :/
if you do video/photoshop/3d rendering etc, than a super laptop with a dual core chip and whatnot would be better (though $1600+).
one of the most important decisions is the quality and size of the screen. higher resolution = more expensive. bigger = heavier and less battery life. Dell let you choose screen quality on most models, which is nice.
oh yeah, get a shitty looking bookbag. keeping a laptop in what appears to be a modern day cloth trash can is the best way to keep it from being pilfered. Be careful with room mates too, laptops are just too easy to steal
