keep checking out
www.techbargains.com . They have deals that sometimes only last for a day. Dell sometimes has online coupons that can drop the price on items (including laptops) by up to $500 depending on the system.
Got some amazing deals through this so far.
Also, when you look at laptop hard drives, remember that a lot of the manufacturers will advertise say a 100 gig harddrive but it runs only at 5400 rpm, which they often won't tell you until you read the fine print. That's pretty slow, especially if you're doing anything with video.
Be SURE you get your harddrive at 7200 rpm unless all you do is web surfing, emails or other light work.
Good luck with your search, I know it can be frustrating but I'm sure you'll find exactly what you're looking for.