Laptop Hunt

Hey everyone! I'm not sure if you already know this, but if you don't, I'm on a laptop hunt!

My laptop right now is not fit for the Sims 3 at all so I'm in the process of looking for a new one.

Of course, I will have to pay for most of it. The stupid economy is really trapping me in a box. I'll find the perfect laptop, and it'll be too expensive and my parents won't approve. Or, I'll find a laptop that's fairly in my budget, and I don't like it. Who knew this would be so hard?

I really had my mind set on the Dell XPS 17.

It meets my needs and is built quite well for gaming. Of course, when I told my parents it was $900, they said there's no way in hell I'm buying it. Which really doesn't make much sense to me considering that I'm paying for most of it. (My parents said they'd help with the cost, but not for a $900 laptop.)

So here's where my question comes in:

What laptop do you use?

How does it work for you?

Thanks, Twilight <3