Unless you really need to be portable i would not recommend a laptop for Maya at all. Yes it's possible to use one but if it's fast enough the price is going to be horrendous.
Are you comfortable building a PC if the answer is yes let me know and i'd be happy to recommend the components for you.
All the best
David
From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"