Buying a laptop for a CS program (portable with adequate gaming)

Alright, so I bought an HP Envy 17 but it turns out this thing is garbage.
Serviced, no better.
At the current rate, I'll likely end up demanding a refund because they just can't seem to fix these numerous problems (that seem to be more by design based on some rants I've seen from other people about it).

I'm doing a CS program in university, where I'm only in first year.
This laptop has to take me through that program, hence the high budget.
Taking some courses that involved game design, multimedia etc, so it needs to have a bit of power to run some things.

Some laptops I'm considering:

Alienware m11x
Asus G51/G73
Dell XPS 15

1) What is your budget?

I spent 1600 on this one so the price generally isn't an issue.


2) What size notebook would you prefer?

I prefer a 15 inch.
I've got a 17 now, but I'd prefer a bit smaller.
I'm willing to go smaller but aside from the Alienware m11x, I doubt there's something smaller than 15 that would suffice.


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

Canada.
I'm willing to buy directly from a manufacturer online if I need to.
I'd more likely be buying from a store if I could, Best Buy/Future Shop, Tiger Direct (I have a store near my house).


4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a.
Like: ASUS, Alienware
b.
Dislike: HP (I can't say enough bad things about this notebook right now, it's full of all sorts of errors, and the service center idiots can't fix it).

I don't dislike Macs, but they won't suffice for what I need.
I intend to run Windows


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

Absolutely not.
With the record I have with electronics, I need to have an iron clad warranty because I always seem to have problems.


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

Programming of all sorts.
Game design, web design, OS design even.
I'm doing a CS specialist program, so I'm taking roughly 28 courses in CS.
I also plan to do some gaming if I can.


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

I'll be taking it to school with me.
Right now, 3-4 times a week, in third or fourth year, I'll be taking it every day I have classes (in 3rd and 4th combined, I'm taking 20 half year classes, only one is non-CS from my projected plan).


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

I do play games on it right now.
Stuff like COD, Fallout, Assassin's Creed, Starcraft.
I've got a lot of games on Steam.
If I have to sacrifice gaming, I'm prepared to, but I'd prefer if I didn't have to sacrifice it entirely.
I don't need to play on max graphics, I'd be OK with running minimum graphics fine.
I suspect that by what I need, I won't have to sacrifice.
I don't intend to game on the battery, I know it won't last long enough.
If I did game on it, it would be low quality games that it wouldn't matter because the resources they use are minimal and really wouldn't be classified in the gaming area.


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

I need a minimum of two using low CPU usage (say 20%).
My current one dies on me during my hour lectures at the end, I'm using a free spare they sent me as well, and it's still combined under two hours.
The more I can get, the better.
nVidia Optimus looks like a better bet (since I have an ATI Radeon 5850 right now that I can't switch off, and I normally don't need much more than the basic stuff during school right now (though I may later)).
I'd also consider buying a spare battery if it seemed like the right decision.


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 would, but I'm willing to buy online regardless.
If I'm sure it's going to be a good notebook and I'm getting a warranty with it that I can trust, then I'll jump and buy online for sure.
Something like th HP warranty or Dell (from what I hear Dell is great).
As long as they sort out my problems fast and do a good job, I'm fine.


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

Windows preferred.
Mac doesn't do all the things I need (some things actually don't run on Snow Leopard and they said to use school desktops to do it instead).
I also game which doesn't go well with a Mac, many of my Steam games won't work.
Also, I may end up putting Linux on it later on (I know we end up doing quite a bit with it, the desktops we use for my labs are actually running Gnome).
Just a small partition for some assignments, not too big.
Thus, two hard drives would work best.

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.
If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like.
You may also wish to take a look at the notebook screen guide for more information.

I'd hope to get something at least 1024x768 in size.
I'd much prefer a better screen resolution though, so if it's better, I'm happier.
I'm using 1600x900 now and I use 1680x1050 on my desktop.


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

It's acceptable either way.
A non-reflective screen (even if I need a screen protector to aid), is preferred.
Mine right now glosses a lot in class and in the library when I'm working with it at school.


Build Quality and Design

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

Yes.
I hate those old black Lenovo that look like garbage.
I don't mind if it's not the nicest looking one, but if it looks like those old chunky black ones from a few years ago, I'd really not be too happy.
If the notebook makes me depressed just looking at it, it won't do good.
Considering what I need, I doubt this is an issue, because at my price range, they usually don't make too many without a nice look.


15) When are you buying this laptop?

I'd buy it as soon a I got a refund.
I send this one back for repairs in under two weeks, I'll get it back probably a week after.
I'm assuming they won't fix my problems, then I'll get a replacement hopefully after that.
And assuming it still isn't any better after that (implying a poor notebook design since many others have the same issues), then I'll be demanding a refund.
I expect within the next two months at the rate we're going.

It's all hinging on the fact that I can get a refund, but if multiple notebooks have the same flaw, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get it.
Their warranty states that they need to replace with a similar functioning model, so the same one is the only one that satisfies since this is the top-line HP manufactures.
If the same one has repeated issues, I think they're going to have to refund me (as refunding is the other option their warranty states for recurring problems).


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

It has to last me four years, which is why I'm buying upscale now.
I'm doing the CS major so I'm doing all sorts of stuff on it.
I am living at home with a desktop (Q6700, 3GB RAM, 9800GT) but I do all my programming on this notebook now and I do a lot at school.


Notebook Components

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

I use a lot of space.
I'd prefer to start at 500GB, or maybe two 320GB drives or something.
I don't need a SSD but it'd be a nice bonus if there was one that also had a decent amount of space total in the notebook.
I already have a full 1.5TB external drive, accompanying a 1TB desktop.
I use a lot of space for things (a lot of it comes from the TV tuner in my desktop that uses a ridiculous format).
I can go smaller if I have to, but again, considering the quality I'm aiming for, I wouldn't expect small sized HD.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

I don't necessarily need one, but I would prefer it.
I think I'd need at least a DVD-ROM because I'd be installing stuff, sometimes games are on DVDs and such.
I'll make do for sure without one though, so don't discard some that don't have it.
The notebook I almost bought was lacking one.



Bottom line is that I need something that I can rely on to do my programming with and take it to school.
It needs to be portable so I can take it to school, which means it can't be too heavy and has to have a decent battery (I'll easily lash out for a big of added weight if it means a significant battery increase).
I also need it to have reliability because my track record with electronics is abysmal, they always have problems (my current notebook, iPod, CD player, first mp3 player, PSP have all had problems that I needed to take it back and get a replacement/service on).


Please note that I'm a rather small guy, so this one I have now is rather heavy.
I take it to school a lot and sometimes I'm standing carrying it in my backpack for 20-30 minutes straight.
This is in addition to other books and such I have with me.
The books decrease as I go on though, I start taking only half year courses next year and then in third and fourth, it's almost all CS courses so most doesn't involve big textbooks I'd bring.
Weight is a bigger issue than it seems because of that.
I don't want to go heavier than this one right now.
My laptop right now is 3.4kg, so I think something like 7lbs would be the limit for it.
I'd seriously consider