[Hampshire] Buying new laptops in Hampshire

As I'm now in the market for a new laptop I thought I'd throw it out
to the group for suggestions and recommendations on retailers.

What are the budget brands like E Systems and Advent like?
How do Currys and PC World rate?

I'm looking at spending about £500, would like 2gb of ram, webcam
built in and a Core 2 Duo processor. I'm also happy with any size.
All suggestions are welcome!

Oh, being able to run linux is a must too.

Cheers,

Stuart.