Need a laptop for Medium Gaming and College

[peteyb]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
I want to spend between $1,000 and $1,350

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen (has to be light though)

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: Dell, HP, Sony
b. Dislike: Mac, Toshiba, ASUS

5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Games (COD4, BF2, B&W2, NFS)
Computer and Web Programming
Photoshop
College Related Tasks, Word Processing etc.
Music
IM

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both (Pretty mobile... as I will be in college)

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
Yes, nothing too fancy though, COD4, BF2, B&W2, NFS.

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Hopefully greater than 2.25 hrs.

9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Online is cool, just need to see reviews, etc.

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Vista, Windows 7 (when available)

Screen Specifics

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

I would want an HD screen so I can watch blu-ray discs.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

I don't care.

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Kind of... not too flashy though.

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Want to be able to go future proof. Perhaps a quad core? At least my 4 yrs. of college and perhaps be able to extend into a masters program.


Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

250GB to 500GB is good. Must be at least 7.2k RPM

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

Yes, blu-ray ROM and CD/DVD R/W



Overall, I'm gonna need 4+ GB of RAM for multitasking and editing. CPU power and/or # of cores is a plus. Not sure if I should go higher speed dual or lower speed quad core though, insight appreciated. Here is a notebook I've been looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834147985

I like it, except I'm not sure how good the video card is, and it is low RPM for the HD. Not to mention, it is kind of big.

I appreciate any help.

[neilnat]

That would be your best option for medium gaming with a quad.

For increased portability, better gaming, and faster HDD, but Dual Core, look at the MSI GT627-218US

[SteelersWorship]

Not a quad, but its GPU is better and for less money (the $100 rebate ends today though).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=34-220-483