New Laptop..

[basique]

Hey all,
So I want to get a new laptop, for a couple of purposes. I hope to go back to school here in the near future, and also I'd like to get something that should be able to run D3 on at least mid settings. That being said, I don't want to get a strictly gaming rig. As far as laptops go, I'm a fan of ASUS, and HP's, and the HP's seem to be having some pretty good deals going on, giving quite a bit of bang for the buck. I have two machines here I'd like to compare and hopefully get some input. Any help is appreciated!

Candidate #1:

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
Price: $1,230.99
Notebook instant rebate: –$100.00
Notebook instant rebate: –$150.00
Price after savings: $980.99

Candidate #2:

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
Price: $1,249.99
Coupon: –$375.00
Price after savings: $874.99

I understand that they are pretty much the same, aside from screen size. Also, I can upgrade to 2GB Dedicated for like $50 more, but I heard that it wouldn't make much difference. What do you guys think? I Don't know that I could do MUCH better for the price.

[Turnip]

1368x768 is horrible at 15.6', I'd suggest staying away from most wide screen at that size; the lack of vertical space is absolutely intolerable. Also sometimes on gaming laptop the 15.6 are built like a 17 incher anyways making it pointless to have. Also matte screen rules for darker games, its nice to actually be able to see black instead of having a wicked glare matching the light of the room. Tho diablo 3 may not be that dark so you'd have to worry.

[Dentata]

The 3 sites I've heard most often recommended to compare are:
xoticpc
ibuypower
cyberpowerpc

Lots of folks rave about asus or sager. To choose between the 2 you list is mainly how much you want to carry around the bigger form factor. I've started looking for a new laptop myself, but my budget is bigger, so I can't tell you how good those prices are off the top of my head, but a trip to any of those sites should give you an idea if the price is reasonable. Personally, I'm getting a big SSD in mine and have been waiting a bit as prices on those have fallen.

[Siege Valgore]

Also, Don't count of Turbo boost if you aren't going to be able to plug it in every time you use that. Turbo Boost will suck the life out of your batter. 1 1/2 hours game time TOPS.

[SnowSwan]

Desktop and netbook is what I suggest. The desktop is your power user station, while the netbook is meant for mobility and light processing. You shouldn't be playing video games in class anyways.

If you're an Engineering and/or hard sciences related major this is most preferable. You will not need 'high end laptop' for your coursework as everything is supplied in the labs scattered across the campus. Use a USB stick to transfer data to and from said location.

Anyways: Candidate #2. No do not upgrade the VRAM. ASUS has lower DOA/RMA, however, HP is appropriate for your budget.

Additional reference:
http://tinyurl.com/falconguide
http://tinyurl.com/falconlaptopguide [outdated by 4 months]