Looking to purchase gaming laptop

I've been looking for the past month or so at purchasing a gaming laptop/desktop replacement. My friends and I usually get together to play MMOs/FPS/etc. Lugging around a laptop (even one of these monstrous gaming laptops) is a lot easier than taking the desktop around.


1_What is your budget? less than 1500 if possible

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.6" or greater; my friends seem to prefer 17" but would like to hear opinions about gaming on 15.6" screens and such

3_What screen resolution do you want? not a major issue for me

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? desktop replacement

5_How much battery life do you need? not a major concern, plan to have it plugged in most of the time

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? preferably High; MMO games, Dragon Age, Modern Warfare, other FPS, etc.

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) watching movies, some low end video editing

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need? Not a major issue, just looking for a 7200rpm drive if possible

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.
Two laptops I'm considering at the moment. The Asus model has been "sold out" for a couple weeks now on Bestbuy.com so that is somewhat frustrating. However, I'm a little concerned that the Toshiba only has a GTS 250m video card. Would love to hear others' opinions.

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q830

Asus G72gx-rbbx09

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop? a few years


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? just need a basic drive, but a Blu Ray drive would be a plus

12_Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.

From previous experiences and reviews I've read, I like Asus and Toshiba.

13_What country do you live in? United States


14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.
I think that sums it up. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've begun to consider some 15.6" laptops, specifically the Asus G51j-a1 from xoticpc.com. Can anyone share his/her experience playing games on this size laptop. Resolution for the asus above is 1920x1080. I have a friend who has been really suggesting getting a 17". Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

I guess he doesn't feel he has enough screen space with the 15.6". Portability is not a huge issue since we usually have them plugged in when we have LAN parties. I just need something that is a whole lot easier to get around rather than lugging around my desktop, but I also want something with adequate screen space.