Solved! Laptop advice

[MrShortround]

1_What is your budget? 700-1k usd

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15-17" no weight requirement

3_What screen resolution do you want? Any

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? portable is better but not a critical issue.

5_How much battery life do you need? 2-3 hours I will be by a power outlet most of the time

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
I will likely be keeping the laptop for 5 years or so and would like to be able to play later releases at lower settings. (I realize this will not be possible for some games) Right now I'm playing civ4, torchlight, and team fortress 2. I'm expecting to play starcraft 2, c&c 4, and diablo 3 on the laptop in the future. All I want are decent graphics, I don't need the highest settings for any of these games.


7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) I'll be watching a fair amount of dvd's on the computer and browsing the net/non intensive stuff.

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need? 200+gb

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
5 years

11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
no preference
13_What country do you live in?
USA

14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.

I've narrowed it down to a few choices and have been unable to decide from specs alone. I'm hoping to get some advice from those who have actually used these machines. (I have never had a non work laptop)
1st choice: HP Pavillion DV6-2144nr http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157046
Sounds like a decent machine for 750$ although I am concerned that it will not be powerful enough to last as long as I want it too. (note that this machine does use ddr3 memory on the vid card, the listed spec is wrong) I am also hesitant to order a laptop from newegg. Am I being overcautious about their dead pixel return policy?

2nd choice: Gateway p-7915u FX http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+FX+Edition+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Centrino%26%23174%3B+2+Processor+Technology/9605365.p?id=1218130485627&skuId=9605365
This would obviously be a more powerful machine, but it is at the max of my budget. (total cost to me after tax and shipping is 1150)
I guess my question for this machine is: is it worth the extra 380$ over choice 1. Would this be overkill for my needs? is it just about right?

3rd choice Asus g60vx http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B2+Duo+Processor+-+Blue/Black/9556072.p?id=1218124204092&skuId=9556072
It's about 70 dollars cheaper than the Gateway after taxes (and I don't have to ship it) but it has a less powerful cpu. I've read that the battery life on this machine is pretty bad, and I'm hoping that the gateway would be slightly better. (gateway has a 9 cell battery) Any thoughts?



Any machine I choose will need to be able to handle a fair amount of use. I would expect to be using the machine around 5 hours a day. How is the warranty service on these machines? Anyone have words of warning for me?

 

[Maziar]

Between those the Gateway is a clear winner for gaming,GTX 260M blows away a GT 230M and its worth it,since you are keeping if for 5 years a powerful GPU is a clear choice