Title pretty much sums it up; I'm looking for a new laptop to replace my aging late 2006 MacBook (1.83GHz C2D, 3GiB, GMA950, 250GB).

Requirements are;
  • 13" (could stretch to 14" but then I'd really want higher than 1280*800/1366*768, e.g. 1440*900)
  • Core i5 processor
  • 4GiB RAM (with support for 8GiB for future upgrades)
  • discrete Nvidia graphics (not for heavy gaming, more for vdpau/cuda, but some SecondLife/OpenSim)
  • matte screen

These requirements are fairly solid. After 3.5 years with my glossy-screen MacBook I will absolutely not consider another glossy screen! ATI graphics aren't an option because their Linux support simply isn't anything compared to Nvidia's.

Contenders that have already been dismissed;
  • Asus U33JC - glossy screen
  • Thinkpad T410 - too expensive for the same spec (lower when considering reduced gaming performance of Quadro NVS 3100 compared to 310M) & questionable quality after the IBM > Lenovo move (no lid roll cage anymore?!)
  • HP Elitebook 8440p/8440w - too expensive

This is leaving me considering the Dell Vostro V3300. With i5-450M, 4GiB 1333MHz DDR3, 320GB disk, 310M, backlit keyboard, standard battery & 3-year next-business-day on-site warranty it comes to £838 delivered, if I order by September 1st (£70-off deal ends then). The machine seems to get fairly solid reviews, the chassis has metal where it counts (the lid to prevent flexing, the edges to take dents rather than shattering) & the warranty looks amazing for the price (£65 to upgrade from standard 1-year to on-site 3-year!).

So, does anybody have experience/opinions with the V3300 or know of something better I should go for?

Also, does anybody have experience of dealing with Dell Small & Medium Business as an 'individual'? Am I right in thinking I will have no problems buying the laptop & no troubles claiming under the warranty? They don't demand that 'on-site' be a single registered business address or anything do they?