Well, my new laptop is now in my hands and I'm pretty pleased with its performance overall.

While Alienware is normally known for their gaming systems, I am actually using it for everything but. All of my standard 3D apps are loaded on it now and the hardware really makes a difference in their performance.

The laptop is configured with:

Intel Quad-Core Q9000 Processor
Six GB DDR3 Memory
Nvidia GTX 260M gfx board

This represents a semi-decent buildout without going completely crazy on the price.

The only drawbacks would probably be $$$$, weight and battery life. Though, considering the power draw of the hardware, the battery life is expected to be short. Plug it in to see the full potential of this thing. The laptop weighs thirteen pounds and when it is in the bag with my tablet and other assorted goodies, the entire package comes to twenty one pounds. Pretty hefty for a laptop. . . .

I'll eventually update the processor and memory as the prices drop ( right now they are ridiculously high ) and drop in a second 260M board for SLI capability once I can confirm my applications can deal with that setup.