Portable gaming/coding/classwork

[Verahsa]

Hey folks, was hoping someone's on top of the laptop scene, as I've been too devoted to classes to keep up the last couple years.

I've been on google, and manufacturer's websites, for the past few hours, and I'm still running up short.

I'm looking for a laptop that has the following characteristics:

No Optical Drive. It's a complete waste of space, power, and weight. (Alternatively, for those system manufacturers who are obsessed with optical drives, if they offer a hdd 'replacement' for the same port, that's ok). Finding this "feature" alone has been a hassle in my search.

Graphics: At least an nVidia gtx 540m or ATI equivalent. Yes, I know that's in the lower bracket of the upper echelon of mobile graphics.

Proc: intel i7 or i5. It's just a preference.

Keyboard: split keys. I have big hands, which is good for some things, but horrible for typing on laptop keyboards. The split keys of, oh, the Mac Books is the idea of what I'm looking for. Having the directional arrow keys separated would be nice, but not necessary. Having a 10key would be nice, but not even remotely necessary.

Size: I do not want a 10 lb beast if I can help it, I have to carry this thing in a backpack across campus all day. Bigger than 13", but no bigger than 17" (or the 17 inch standard these days). I'm not picky about this part.

Screen: Decent LED backlit, higher the resolution the better. 1920x1200 would be amazing, 1920x1080 is just as good... I'll settle for as low as 1366x768 (which is what I have now).

Hard drive needs to be accessible, I'll end up replacing it with an appropriate SSD, like OCZ or Corsair, depending on mood & prices at the time. Built in, like with the Macbook Air, works, but that's negligible, and I'd prefer putting one in anyways.

Last but not least, Price: Under $1300. That's about the most I can afford to spend.

Given these characteristics, notably the lack of an optical drive, I've been unable to find something to suit my needs (gaming, coding, and classwork). Either the system is $2000 (like the Sony Vaio Z Series), has an optical drive, runs on some dinky intel graphics, or weighs 9+lbs.

Help?

 

[jeremyshaw]

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...parentCategoryID.37826100/categoryID.55981400

13.3" 1600x900 display
HD6630m - can switch using a selector to Intel HD3000 to save power
backlit KB (ambient light sensor may be enabled to controll backlit KB and the display backlight)
has an ODD, but can be user replaced with HDD
3.7lbs (without sheet battery clip on)
4.8? lbs (with the extra sheet battery clipped on)

In my experience with the similar SC (linked is a SA), the battery lasts 5 hours (80% battery to 15% battery - this is a function you may enable to limit charging of the battery to 80%, in my experience, not charging to max does help preserve battery life, in addition to not draining the battery all the way) of web surfing, excel crunching, and powerpoint at auto backlight control. I've been told it can last 10 hours of real useage (maybe different from mine) with the extra sheet battery attached (makes the laptop 35% thicker, or so).
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EDIT: for a cheaper alternative, the new ASUS U31SD and U36SD line (one of them has Optical drive, other one doesn't) can do, too. It's also 13.3", but has an insane battery life (some 9 hours of real useage, according to most user reviews I have found), though has a low 1366x768 resolution (it's okay on a 13.3" display, IMO). Some people have quibbles with it's build quality, however. It's not horrible, just don't expect it to be a tank like the older IBM thinkpads are.