Replying to New laptop

i'm getting a new laptop but i'm not sure what to get. i know this:

no macs (i love macs but for me it makes sense to stick with pc)
256mb nvidia video
2gb ram
7200 rpm hd
fast processor
light-ish weight
$1500-ish or under

I'll be using the laptop for regular internet and stuff, school (college), games (hl2, css, etc.), and LOTS of video editing. Right now i have a dell 600m from like 4 years ago. even though i had a few problems with the laptop, dell was always great with warranty so i think i want to stick with dell, but ive heard good things about hp too. any suggestions would be great. thanks