[gizmo]

I thought the big top sites still use between 950 to 960 and not beyond this, Also most top sites still use centred fixed width, is this not the standard?

Correct me if I am wrong (Yep most do browse in 1024, but a lot of users still are below that, and this will cause scrollbars...

Like my daughters tiny notebook, sites that don't accommodate for this audience will be put off.

Just take a look at top sites:
BBC
CNN
SKY
CBS
FACEBOOK

And so on.... I personally never used a fixed of 1024. Not yet anyways.