What laptop should I buy for the remainder of my university studies.

[xhalz]

Hey, a friend is looking to buy a laptop and this is what he told me he wanted. He wants a good laptop that will give him no trouble over the next few years. He doesn't plan on doing anything intense, but gaming occasionally, however when he games he wants it to be smooth and cause no problems. If there is something slightly outside of the price range, but much better please let me know

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
$1000

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

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

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

a. Like: Samsung
b. Dislike: None

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
No
6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

college work, gaming, watching movie, streaming sports games, financial modeling, etc

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

yes

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

diablo iii, sc ii

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

~8 hours

10) 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 fine

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

windows 7...or 8

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

Matte

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

yes

15) When are you buying this laptop?

summer 2012

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

3-4 years

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
320 gb

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

DVD-ROM

[pepper_john]

thinkpad T520 with a display upgrade (max 1080p).