Solved! Affordable gaming laptop

Solution
Among the choices now the gaming related advantages of #2 over #1 are:
Faster CPU: C2D P8700 (2.53GHz) vs C2D P7350 (2. 0GHz)
Larger, higher res LCD: 17 1440x900 vs 15.6 1366x768

Plus the larger HDD (500 vs 320) and more RAM (6GB vs 4GB) probably make the ASUS G71 worth $80 more.
Plus: It's Asus. It has the GTX 260M. It's under $700.
Minus: It's not an i3 or i5 CPU. It's used, but re-certified.
Read NewEgg's Standard Return Policy carefully. You'll have just about 2 weeks to uncover any problems.
Since it's not your primary computer it could be worth your while taking a chance on a re-certified laptop.
 
Among the choices now the gaming related advantages of #2 over #1 are:
Faster CPU: C2D P8700 (2.53GHz) vs C2D P7350 (2. 0GHz)
Larger, higher res LCD: 17 1440x900 vs 15.6 1366x768

Plus the larger HDD (500 vs 320) and more RAM (6GB vs 4GB) probably make the ASUS G71 worth $80 more.
 
Solution