*sigh* Well, you do get the iLife suite of programs for free with any new Mac, but the gaming consideration still stands. I tried.
Taking Macs out of the equation, I'd go for the Lenovo (formerly IBM) ThinkPad. ThinkPads have earned a reputation for durability and reliability in the real world that is hard to beat, although there is nothing particularly cool or sexy about them. To use a somewhat sexist analogy, a ThinkPad isn't the one you lust after...it's the one you marry.
I've never heard of Averatec, nor have I ever seen one in use. For $800+ of
my money, I've got to hear lots of unbiased testimonials.
