...a laptop could not burn DVD's? I saw a Sony External DVD±R/±RW Drive (Dual DVD Burner) Drive today that connects using Hi-Speed USB 2.0; and I was thinking of shortly buying a laptop. Would connecting an External USB 2.0 DVD Burner to a Laptop work okay? I mean, wouldn't it be the same as connecting it to a regular Desktop PC so long as the laptop met the system requirements (i.e. SDRAM, Ghz/Mhz, Hard Drive Space)? I'm planning on getting a laptop built that goes pretty well OVER the minimum requirements, though...

get a one of the newer ones with USB 2.0 ports and preferably a Pentium 4 processor and a good video card with lots of dedicated (not shared) video ram

it IS possible for a laptop to burn dvd's - the top of the line iBooks have had 'em for over a year now, but only recently have windows-based laptops become available with them (usually at a steep price disadvantage though)

the problem isn't so much writing the dvd, its having the processing power to handle the video you want to process

Thanks for the response. Would these system specs work? Just tell me any and all that would need to be higher to handle a Dual DVD Burner. These are for a laptop, mind you:

1. Processor - AMD Athlon Processor (You say I should get a Pentium 4?)
2. Processor Speed - 2.5 Ghz (Should this be higher?)
3. Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM (Should I get Western Digital or Maxtor?)
4. Hard Drive Space - 60 GB
5. RAM - 512 MB SDRAM (Should this be higher?)
6. Video Card - ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700 (Will this card provide me with the power I need for good quality video?) http://www.ati.com/products/mobilityradeon9700/features.html
7. Sound Card - No Specifications, though a somewhat new one is preferred.
8. Drives - CD-ROM Drive
9. Ports - (At least) Two Hi-Speed 2.0 USB Ports
10. Modem - 56K Modem, and slot for a card for wireless networking with a router in case I decide to do that.

I only need a CD-ROM drive because I am going to buy an external Dual DVD Burner separately. I'd like to save money and get no built in drive at all, but I don't think the guy can make a machine with NO drive, plus I may need something for any software that may come with the External Dual DVD Burner.