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There's lots of caveats when giving this type of recommendation but here goes:short answer: Buy a mac laptop and a second monitor for your desk.
It doesn't sound like you need a lot of processing power, don't get bogged down on deciding which chip you should get. (2.1Ghz vs 2.4 vs 2.5...) Get 2GB of memory If you can deal with the small screen, get a macbook (13 inch screen) balance hard drive size with price and your desire for a bigger monitor for your desk.
With a Mac, you can start forgetting all about viruses and virus scanners and the general mess they cause. Macs do not have this issue. If you buy a Mac, it will run windows also -- Though it doesn't seem like you *need* windows. MS Office (word/powerpoint) runs on a Mac too. Note that running windows too is going to raise the price of the hardware you need and the software you'll have to buy. I hate to be so cliche, but Macs really do "feel" better. Have you ever heard of anybody returning their Mac? If you're open to a Mac, go that route, you'll be happy you did.
Are you going to be doing anything else with your new computer? e.g. playing with home movies Do you "travel" enough that you're actually going to use a laptop's portability? Is the size of the laptop (screen size and weight) important to *you*?
Glad I could help. Keep us posted on what you decide (or if you have more questions.)
Without getting into the Mac vs. PC debate (I think there are many good arguments for going with a Mac given what you need), I also think you could get away with just a nice laptop and an extra monitor/keyboard/mouse -- it's rough on the body to use a laptop keyboard/screen for extended periods of time.I would recommend a docking station if you think you'll alternate quite a bit between taking the laptop with you vs. using it with the extra equipment, since it's a pain to plug/unplug all that stuff all the time. And once you have a separate (big) monitor/keyboard for "office" use, you might as well get a smaller, lighter laptop to make it as convenient as possible when you're carrying it around. I've been very happy with my Sony SZ series laptop: Certainly a bit outdated compared to the very latest ultrathin (and ultra-expensive) laptops, but it's relatively thin (1") and light (~4 lbs), and has a very nice screen. It also has been very reliable so far (I've had mine for two years) -- seems to be holding up much better than my previous Dell laptop. I'd say the only downsides are (a) the keyboard, not as nice a feel as a Lenovo. But if you get an extra keyboard for "desk" use it's not that big a deal; and (b) it came with a lot of junky software that I did not want and had to spend a fair amount of time erasing. I ordered it directly from Sony's web site, which worked well. (Get as much RAM as you can!) One caveat: it seems to come only with Vista, the newest version of Windows, which I have not used and has gotten some bad publicity. Maybe someone else has a view on how good/bad Vista really is for casual use...
I just bought the fully-tricked-out MacBook Pro 15". Absolutely love it. It has so much space, I went ahead and loaded Windows onto it too. I shut down in one, and reboot in the other, no problem. I also love the changes they made to the track-pad. Similar to the iPhone. 1-finger moves the mouse, 2 fingers scrolls up, down and around, three fingers does "next" or "previous" selection, etc. I've never used a docking station with it, (I also have the older 17" PowerBook G4 laptop. Don't mind the decrease in screen size at all) but I Do have a full wireless keyboard made by Kensington that I use with it sometimes (to get the extra 10-key buttons, etc.). At work, they use PC apps (aside from Office) so I have to have Windows for that. My new laptop is super fast, excellent graphics, etc. Absolutely no complaints. It even has a longer battery life. Don't know how long this will last, but for now, I can go 5 hours without a charge. Like I said, I got the fully loaded MacBook Pro at a cost of $2500. MSOffice would be an additional purchase, as would Windows (if you needed it). They gave me a free printer with it too (or $100 off a Laser printer) - don't know if that offer is still happening. I work all day on a PC at work and all night on my Mac and the two just don't compare. I LOVE MY MAC!! Good luck!
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