I think that today one can safely say that a processor\'s frequency by itself doesn\'t really mean anything anymore, AMD has stopped naming its processors after their true speed and Intel has followed suit recently. Processor performance depends on the features packed in it (instruction sets, the amount of L2 cache, the actual design, etc). Also, for laptops, power consumption is a key issue as it affects battery life, the amount of heat and noise produced.
Here\'s an article about the advantages of the Pentium M over the Pentium 4 architecture, a very interesting read.
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050525/index.htmlNow, if you\'re looking for a desktop-replacement (that is if you don\'t really intend to use your laptop on the move), a Pentium 4 system might be the best choice as its cheaper but heavier and more power-hungry than a Pentium M. Don\'t forget AMD. I think their mobile solution, the Turion, is cheaper (not sure). And then there\'s the Athlon64 (desktop-replacement).
Concerning RAM, if you intend to play today\'s games opt for 512MB. Windows XP needs it and with many Linux distros getting bloated, it doesn\'t seem excessive.
You\'ll want to have enough RAM because laptop hard drives are generally slower so you want to minimize any caching on the disk (anyway that\'s applicable to all systems).
Then there\'s the graphics part, for World of Warcraft, the recommended system requirements state 64MB of video RAM. Also, you\'d better get a system with a dedicated graphics chip. And if you really want to play 3D games something like the ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 or above (which come with 64MB VRAM or more).
However, as fken mentionned, I don\'t think $800 will buy you a gaming laptop.
You can always check Dell\'s refurbished systems:
In the US:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/segmenter.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfoThere are really good bargains there but they don\'t stay around very long.
You can get a very decent gaming system (Pentium M 735 (1.7GHz, 2MB L2 cache), 512MB RAM, Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB, 80GB 5400RPM HDD, DVD SuperMulti DL, 15.4\" screen, Wifi and all) for ~1200Euros from street retailers in France now so I guess if you buy online and in dollars it should be around $1000-1100, can\'t really say.
Now on the topic of why laptops are more expensive (though prices have been decreasing drastically these few months):
- As you said, more technological design (reducing power consumption, miniaturization, etc)
- Less materials, yes, but lighter and sturdier ones too (though often that\'s cheap plastic)
- Manufacturing processes are often newer and more complex (have to build new production plants, etc)
- Rejection rate is higher (because of the complexity, it\'s more likely there will be a physical fault, so you pay for what they\'ve not been able to sell)
@fken: buying a gaming laptop is not necessarily a silly thing to do, especially if space is a premium. Though often a small-form-factor system like the Shuttle would be best.
Top of the line laptop graphics chips are now nearly shoulder to shoulder with their desktop counterparts: the NVidia Geforce 6800 Go Ultra sports 256MB of VRAM. [edit] and the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 for that matter [/edit]
