[docscholl]

Three points:

1. iLok
2. PT 7.4
3. laptop

First, the iLok.
Although mine came bundled with the 003 Factory, let me tell you that while it is a PAIN to go through all the license approvals, it is worth it, as it opens up a world of plug-in's that will blow your mind.
Still - the best advice I ever got was: learn the basic plug-in's that come with Pro Tools as they usually will be the most used in your mixing and mastering.

Second, Pro Tools version 7.4.
Definitly worth the $75.00.
Especially with elastic audio.
That is money well spent.

Third - check the laptop features before buying.
A friend recently bought the new MacBook.
It is a sweet machine, but he had one complaint:
It did not have a FireWire 800 port...just a 400.

For the record, I've had zero problems using an external hard drive on FireWire 400.
And you WILL want to purchase a good external drive if you buy a laptop.

As for whether a built-in DVD burner is important or not, that's a personal choice.
Most of us save our data on the external drive and just burn audio CD's with the laptop.

Buy with the least amount of RAM and then go to a third party source (like Crucial.com) and buy addtional RAM to install yourself.

A final suggestion if you don't already have it, get a good set of speakers.