So I've been on the prowl for a budget minded Machinima friendly laptop, as promised, and I think I've found a good fit: Acer Aspire AS5920-6574 It comes in just over 1,000 bucks, and seems to have enough specs to rock the tools and game engines generally used in Machinima productions. Surely it won't be a desktop replacement, but it seems to have a good bang-for-buck ratio. The only thing I would replace is the HDD for a 7200rpm. Consumer reviews look favorable as well, they usually spot out the use-issues, and this model comes out strong.