UK Student looking to spend no more than £600 on a laptop

[Dzen]

Hi all! I'm a student in the UK looking to buy a laptop for my studies over the coming year and would appreciate any and all advice which you're able offer on the subject. I already own a desktop PC that meets all of my needs *ahem* for gaming and multimedia and so the focus of this laptop is more on doing work away from home. That said, the ability to run games wouldn't go amiss for the odd trip to a friend's or what have you.

Details

1) What is your budget?

No more than £600

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

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

UK

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

Not really, but I've been looking at Samsung.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Probably not, unless it was a fantastic deal.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Primarily word processing and web-browsing, though perhaps the odd game if I take it to see a friend. It's got to have a fantastic keyboard and not run too hot.

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

I will be using it on the go a lot, in lectures, classes, and elsewhere for work.

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

I have a desktop PC that takes care of this, though the ability to play games occasionally wouldn't go amiss given it's much easier to take to a friend's home than my main computer.

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

4-5+ when used for word processing and web browsing.

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?

I'm ok with buying it online without seeing it in person so long as I can have a look at some good reviews for it online first.

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

Windows 7

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.

Absolutely no lower than 1366x768, but ideally it would be more like 1600x900.

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

Anti-glare matte is the only kind I'm after.

Build Quality and Design

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

A little bit, yes. I don't want it to be too chunky or strictly functional looking, but it doesn't have to be a Macbook either.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

I'll be buying this laptop so that I have it delivered prior to the end of September

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

At least 2 years, ideally 3.

Notebook Components

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

SSDs are always lovely, but that's not essential here. Space-wise, 500GB+ is great.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?

I would like an optical drive, though it doesn't have to be able to burn Blu-rays or anything fancy like that.

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I have looked at the option of a Samsung 550P5C 15.6" notebook for £580 with the Samsung discount (Samsung 550P5C 15.6 inch Laptop - Black (Intel Core i5 3210M 2.5GHz, 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD, DVD SuperMulti DL, LAN, WLAN, BT, Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories); is it possible to do any better at that price for what I want?

Thanks so much for your time!

[Dzen]

I'd really appreciate some advice on this, please.