i got an everex amd 64x2 with 17" screen and a real gfx card for 650... only comp i could find with a gaming type gfx card under 1200
it's big and the battery life isn't great, but neither of those things matter to me. i like the big screen, full size keyboard, ability to use it for games, etc
as far as a carrying case, it fits perfectly in my backpack(doesn't wiggle around), so it's easy to take it on trips/airplanes/etc.
as far as vista - just like xp, you can disable all that extra crap and make it look like win2000 or 95. after you've done that and updated it with the latest patches, it's not really any different.