maybe your problems aren't related to the fact that it's a VAIO....
i just know that they are rather expensive, the sony name i mean. sony does have a lot of software for video and multimedia though.
if it were me with 2k to spend, i'd go for a (you won't hear this a lot from me) emachines. their laptops are actually quite nice, Athlon 64 3000+, 512mb ram, 60gb harddrive, radeon 9600pro graphics, and a dvd burner all for $1550! that's a lot of computer.
someone also mentioned that you won't beat online pricing...well i woudln't be too sure. retail stores offer nice rebates on a lot of stuff, although i haven't actually paid a close attention to the prices. good luck on your lappy
www.emachines.com
oh, also, do you realize that alot of laptop changes are coming very soon? i would wait for new stuff to come out and then decide on what to buy, like pci-express and better graphics systems.