Recommend a 15.6" portable laptop - N56?

[dryphi]

■ Budget: less than $1000
■ Size: 15.6"
■ Resolution: 1080p (1920x1080). Touch screen optional - I don't prefer them but I wouldn't mind it.
■ Portable. Less than 6lbs.
■ Battery: Five hours battery life would be nice
■ Games: Sure. I don't have any specifically in mind, but the option would be great. Medium setting would be fine.
■ Tasks: Everything. Photo editing. MS Office. Basic computing stuff.
■ Storage: At least 750 GB. 7200 RPM would be nice. I'd settle for 5400 rpm with a 1TB drive.
■ Specifics: Considering this bad boy here - http/www.amazon.com/dp/B009M2X8OW/
However I would actually like others in the N56 series, but I can't really find them anymore. I would like prefer Windows 7 to Win 8, but I'll take Win 8 Pro.
■ Longevity: I've had my current laptop 6+ years, so... Put it this way - until the hinge breaks on the monitor.
■ Optical drive: BluRay player would be nice, but not a deal-breaker
■ Brands: I like Asus because the build quality seems great. Lenovo is nice too but I prefer an aluminum case. Not a big fan of HP but no real reason why, never used them to be honest.
■ Country: USA
■ Additional info: Number keys! Because why not?
3rd Gen Intel Core i5 or i7; 6-8GB RAM; >/= 750GB HDD; 15.6 1920x1080; Win7; dedicated GPU; aluminum chassis; +/-BluRay; Bluetooth; WiFi; HDMI; WiDi would be cool.
I'd consider an AMD processor if someone convinced me it were comparable.

seriousgamer: Thanks for the rec. That's a beast of a laptop. Definitely has everything specs-wise I mentioned. However at 6.4lbs, I'm looking for something a little slimmer, more on the ultrabook-side.

 

[seriousgamer]

Haswell - 4th Generation Core processors have been releaseeeeeeeeeed

Aside from the blu-ray the Lenovo Y510 (hasn't been released on Lenovo website yet) is the best choice for you

It should be released in a week or two and the specs are

I7 4700QM
1tb 5400 RPM HDD with 8gb SSD Cache
1920x1080 Glossy
5 Lbs
Win 8
Most likely 5 hours of battery life with light work
GT 750m (You can do Dual (SLI) GT 750m's if you buy another GPU)
DVD player
As far as the build and quality it is very sturdy and would definitely recommend it.



IF you REALLY want blu ray then I suggest you wait (possibly 2-4weeks) for the Lenovo Y580 (or Y590 or what ever they want to call it)

It will most likely have an I7 4700QM with a GTX 765m , Blu ray, FHD, etc all for $850-$950


I will most likely get the Y510 or the new Y580 when it comes out for college. Wait until late July/August to get better prices and deals since lots of new technology is coming out and will be very competitive.



Here is a Lenovo Y510 with DUAL GT 750m's and btw NEW newegg customers can get 15% off their total up to $100 off! So a great deal. I don't think you need too much gaming power so I would wait for a single GT 750m version to come out for $900-$1000 and then get $100 off using the promotion (use a different address- account or credit card if you already have a newegg)

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312792&Tpk=Y510p&IsVirtualParent=1