I'm planning on buying a good notebook for college. price ranging from $2,000-$3,000...where should I start looking for the best deals?

Is going straight to the dell site good?

You really don't need to spend that much money on a notebook. If you need a notebook for just typing out term papers, accessing the internet, and such, then buy a dell or gateway laptop. Or find a used one.

If your looking to play games, or movies, on a laptop, then buy an apple powerbook.