Gaming Laptop for under $1000

[desh]

I'm trying to pick out a gaming laptop for my nephew. I quickly put together an HP dvt7 for $800, but I'm not sure how "future proof" it is:

• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
• 1GB DDRD3 ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
• 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.0 hours of battery life +++
• 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone

Is the Radeon HD 5650 a decent gpu? It's also only 1600x900, and the core i5 is first generation.

Edit: I Think this Sager might be a better deal for $930:

Sager NP5175 / Clevo W170HR
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen (1920x1080)-
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M, 2.3-2.9GHz, (32nm, 3MB L3 cache)
- nVidia GT 555M 2048MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
- ~ 500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera

I'm thinking the battery life might be lower on this one, but I'm not sure.

 

[J Macker]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html
Performance puts the 5650 much slower than the 555M according to this site;

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html

Sager Pros:
Sager is the better brand
2nd Gen i5 (lower power)
higher resolution

HP pros:
more ram
no Geforce chip that will fail in 2 years.

Sorry, I'm still bitter about the dead Geforce 7600 mobile chip that rendered my laptop worthless for 3 years.

 

[desh]

wow, so sager is a better brand than HP? What's so bad about HP?

 

[Mr.Dospod]

sager is known for building gaming laptops, hp is not. Hp is okay their build quality between models is hit and miss from what I have seen the last few years

 

[ghoster]

I would go with the Sager because of the 2nd gen Sandy Bridge CPU alone. There are some quad cores at the same price point check out xotic.