Almost going the netbook route, but how 'bout a laptop suggestion?

[bigzap]

What is your budget?
425-600

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Netbook (10-inch screen or less)
Ultraportable (11 - 12-inch screen)
Thin and Light (13 - 14-inch screen)
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
Yes

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Video Chat and Conference, Casual Gaming

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places

How many hours of battery life do you need?
3 min. but of course, more the merrier!

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Low Resolution (1024 x 600, 1024 x 576)
Standard Resolution (1366 x 768)
High Resolution (1600 x 900)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Glossy or Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
No

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 05/12/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
2 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
250 GB, but more would be nice!

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Maybe

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
Not mandatory, but would like one, not necessarily high performance.

I'm close to going the netbook route (specifically the Asus 1225B), but am very open minded. I realize the dollar constraints are limiting, but is there a better option? Currently I have an Asus N81VP, and I truly like the Windows 7 64 bit. I'd like more than the current 4Gig of Ram, or at least the capability to upgrade to 4+, and a comparable if not better graphics ability than what I'm using now with the Radeon HD 4670. I truly appreciate any suggestions. Thanks so very much!

[idiot101]

You might be able to get close to the specifications you require for gaming if you could wait for AMD Trinity laptops that will be appearing after the 16th of May(expected announcement around this time). They are supposed to have excellent integrated graphics (a 50% improvement over the existing Llano), higher efficiency processors and better CPU performance. They should be available for the same price as Llano laptops right now. You should also get updated hardware with USB 3.0 support too. All laptops now are capable of taking 8GB of RAM or more. So, you will not have to worry on that front. And there are early tests that show the Trinity integrated GPUs crossing the performance of the discrete GT540m/630m on some slides.

AMD Trinity A10-4600M benchmarks revealed

I would request you to wait for those laptops to hit the market.

[bigzap]

I am grateful for people like you, giving me a little direction in this area. More food for thought, and it is a good option to contemplate. Thanks so very much!

[User Retired 2]

Look for a 12.5" Lenovo X220, Dell E6220, HP 2560P or 13" Toshiba R830, Dell E6320 on ebay/outlets then pair it up with a ~$200 GTX460-768MB DIY eGPU via it's pci-e 2.0 expresscard slot. You get an awesome notebook with stellar battery life and docked gaming performance to put many gaming notebooks to shame. Total price depends on how low you can get the candidate notebook and video card.

If just want a cheap netbook replacement then consider a $400 Samsung Series-3:

Newegg.com - Refurbished: SAMSUNG NP300U1A-A01US Refurbished Notebook Intel Core i3 2357M(1.30GHz) 11.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 320GB HDD 5400rpm Intel HD Graphics 3000

[bigzap]

Wow, even more food for thought! With much sincere appreciation, my hat is off to you for your direction and advice. I'll check it out also......Thank you very much.