Help in deciding what laptop to buy

1_What is your budget? up to around $1,700, preferably $1,500

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.6 - 17.3", prefer 16.4" since I want to be able to fit it in my backpack/bag.

3_What screen resolution do you want? 1920 x 1080

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

5_How much battery life do you need? as much as possible. move around a lot for work. don't need to play movies though

6_Do you want to play games with your laptop? only microsoft flight simulator X (to keep up my currency) not a game person



7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) work stuff. want to be able to have Word, Excel, Outlook, Quick Books, IM's like Skype open and not have my computer slow down. I do A LOT of switching between applications ALL day long.

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need? at least 500 GB; have a external 2 TB hard drive to keep older files on that's accesible via internet

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop? 3-4 years, or longer if that's even possible these days


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? bluray is nice, but not a necessity. I don't watch movies on my laptop. Fast write speed at least 5400 rpm

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. Sony or HP - reputation; other laptop we had was Sony and it's screen was so much brighter.

Don't want Toshiba - had as my last laptop and the screen was not that bright and the battery life was terrible. speakers were marginal

13_What country do you live in?
US


14_Please tell us any additional information if needed. -
-want good speakers to listen to music or use for skype.
-built-in webcam with good microphone; use skype for work calls when traveling abroad
-hdmi output and multiple usb ports
-wireless b/g/n
-don't want something heavy (over 7 lbs.)

PS it's really great that you will help people with these Q's; it's VERY helpful!!!!

FAQ Discussion Thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/50782-35-laptop-faqs

ASUS G51jx would be good