Thanks for the replys guys. I have looked at the mags and Acer are certainly high on the best buy lists.
I would also consider Dell as a friend just got an amazing deal but when I go on their website the price manages to increase between the initial page and the configure page. I have looked to see any default upgrades but just cant figure it out.
I would love to go for Sony but price is a major consideration. £700 is the upper limit and the Sony spec is too low for me in that range.
I have also toyed with a Mac but just dont have the time to play with a new OS and all the possible probs linking files to the home PC.
With my wish list of what I want the machine to do do you think Iit will be possible to achieve on my budget