New Laptop...Need Advice...Lame, I know.
 

My HP Pavilion dv7 and the charger that came with it have each died once since I bought it last April. Almost two ago I had an "accident" which led it to stop working. Anywho, I sent it in to HP but I've already begun the process of laptop shopping in case it' cheaper to just buy a new one. I don't want an HP, because this laptop has changed from a loyal (almost diehard) HP supporter to an adamant anti-HP protestor. I'm thinking one of these: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....3489022&catId=

I would use it mostly for gaming and web browsing (my most moder game is Modern Warfare 2, which my dv7 ran easily, and both these computers seem to be more powerful.) I would be open to other suggestions, just keep in mind that my budgetary limit is 1300 dollars. Thanks for the help!

Have you looked into Toshiba brand laptops? I am responsible for IT purchases at my work and I am loyal to this brand. I have had bad luck with HP and Dell.

Of the two you selected, I would choose the Sony.

I serve in a similar capacity as the above poster, but there is more to our decision than just quality. I would say as a home user a toshiba would be a great choice. Personally, our solution for the corporate users was IBM thinkpads, they are pretty rugged as our employees travel cross country almost weekly. Not sure though on the prices on thinkpads individually, Im sure it would be cheaper to go toshiba, but with our bulk purchasing and other aspects of the thinkpads, it was the best choice for my company.

Why the sony? I was curious as to the differences/capabilities of the two video cards. That is a big part of my decision. The reason I didn't take to hard a look at toshiba is because their laptops of comparable power are prohibitively expensive.

Simply because the Sony is less of an unknown to me. I have not had to support an ASUS before as it is a brand that the users I support do not choose.

If the components are similar, my bias is to go for a name that has been around awhile that has a good reputation.