Thank you for the conversation and recommendations, guys.
John, I had already identified the Core i3 as a good processor choice, and I think 15" is the current sweet-spot for size and value.
I had checked at Newegg; I just don't know which of the many brands might be better reliability-wise. HP, Lenovo, Asus, etc.
I won't have a chance to check at Costco until next week (swim meet the next few days). Our 10% sales tax rate sometimes dampens my enthusiasm for local v. internet purchasing.
Techbargains often has good coupon deals, especially on Dell.
I hate those bastards at BestBuy. I suppose it's not entirely their fault, but I'd just rather not give them business.
Sean, she's not a gamer. So, it's basically academic/business applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.), web browsing, streaming, iPod integration, etc. If I could find one WITHOUT a web cam, that would probably satisfy my parental inclinations.
