Reasonably priced gaming laptop (~$1000 or less)

I am looking to buy a laptop for school and some gaming. I would like it to be as cheap as possible but also last a while (if its worth spending more for a machine that will last me an extra year or two I'm down). I will be going into programming in the fall and want something that will have no problem compiling and also enjoy gaming in my free time (Civilization V, Starcraft II, Diablo III, and anything new that might happen to pop up in the next couple years. I also have a mouse/keyboard/monitor that I would prefer to hook up while at home gaming. Lastly battery life is always nice for school and browsing the web when not at home.


Laptop:

Approximate Purchase Date: now

Budget Range: preferably under $1000 but up to $1250

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, school (compiling programs), web, occasionally photoshop and the like

Parts Not Required: I have an external monitor/mouse/keyboard I would like to use when at home

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: memoryexpress.com is preferred but if others are cheaper then let me know newegg.com, ncix.com etc

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: I lean towards intel but whatever is best

Overclocking: Yes / No / Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes /N o / Maybe

Monitor Resolution: (e.g.: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200)

Additional Comments: a few hours of battery life for low CPU tasks (browsing/typing etc)


Thanks for your help