Need advice on a new laptop capable of handling...

To cut a long story short, I am looking to buy a new laptop and I need advice on what exactly to look for as my understanding of computers is laughable.





What I need:


1) For my course I am required to use Microsoft Office and SPSS frequently. Photoshop is also useful to have for posters/presentations, but it is not essential to have this on my laptop.





2) I have a lot of songs and I put most of my CDs onto my laptop to save me carrying dozens of CDs around. I use iTunes so it's pretty much essential that this runs on the laptop. However, I have an external hard drive so there is no desperate need to store my CDs on the laptop itself.





3) I use the internet a lot, often for hours when I have assignments and need to do research (which is often, since my course is heavy on research). So a laptop that is good with Internet Explorer and the net in general is essential. I use a wireless connection, if that helps.





4) I want to play the Sims 2 and hopefully the Sims 3 when it is released (though when 3 comes, 2 will be deleted off the machine), so I'm going to say that a machine that can handle those games is essential.





5) I can't really afford more than 拢500/拢600 for a laptop and would be reluctant to part with more than 拢500 (my old laptop was great while it lasted and was less than 拢500). There are a lot of sales on at the moment, so feel free to mention any ideal laptops that may push this price limit.





What I don't want:


No Macs. I hate Macs. Desktops are also out of the question since I need to be able to carry whatever machine I have around a lot. The laptop needs to be a reasonable weight and compact enough to carry around but also have a decent-sized screen (it is possible, my old Samsung R20 was a perfect size).





I have had my eye on a Sony VAIO NR32M in a sale but I really want to know what would be best before I spend any money.Need advice on a new laptop capable of handling...
well, for one thing, i haven't seen very many laptops under 500... and i don't know much about laptops but my uncle has a dell and he pretty much does everything with it so maybe you should look into something of that brand...and about the price, from what ive seen has been from 500-1000+ sony is good also but when i had mine a few years ago it had a lot of problems when i got it. i hope this helps and good luck!