Notebook for College

Asus V6J-C From A-Gear Notebooks & From Power Notebooks

5.1" SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT LCD with Color Shine (Glare Type) & Crystal Shine (high brightness).
Intel Core Duo T2300: 1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB
NVidia GeForce Go7400 128MB; Expendable to 512MB by system RAM w/ TurboCache.
100GB 5,400RPM Ultra DMA Hard Drive
1024MB (2 SODIMM) DDR2-667 Memory. (2 x 512MB)
Super Slim 4x DVD-RW Super Multi Dual Layer Optical Drive
Built-in 4x USB2.0 ports; 1x IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port
Built-in Bluetooth2.0+EDR; Built-in 56k V.90 Fax Modem
Built-in 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 Jack
8 Cell Smart Li-ion Battery.
MS Windows XP Pro w/SP2.
ASUS One Year Global Warranty; Service from Asus directly

Price: $1,899.00 minus $100.00 MIR

OR

PowerPro A 2:24 FORCE Built On ASUS 96J From Power Notebooks

15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) "Color Shine" LCD w/ATi RADEON X1600 w/256MB (Backordered till 6-7-06 the wait doesn't bother me.)
Intel Core Duo T2500 2.0GHz Processor w/ 2048k L2 On-die cache - 667MHz FSB
2048MB (2 SODIMMS) DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory
100GB SATA/150 Hard Drive at 7,200RPM
Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDR Drive w/ Software
Built-in Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11 a/b/g
Built-in Bluetooth V2.0+EDR
6-Cell Smart Li-ion Battery
EXTRA 6-Cell Smart Li-ion Battery
No Operating System (Can Get XP Pro through my School at discount)
Standard Carrying Case
3 Year Warranty - Next Business Day Shipping - Lifetime 24/7 Tech Support

Total 1797.90

I was surprised by how much power I was able to configure with the latter, PowerPro A 2:24 FORCE. Performance wise, it leaves the previous, Asus V6J-C, in the dirt.

Is there a reason, I'm thinking quality, as to why I was able to configure these two computers so far apart performance wise and still have a relatively close price?

Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Anthony