Asus v. HP - Need help finding a professional laptop

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countertop4

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Quick laptop question I am hoping the experts here can help out with. I filled out the form below, but after a few weeks of research I think I've more or less narrowed laptop search to two different models. Does anybody have any thoughts on these two?

I mainly need something that is professional looking, lightning fast with multitasking, MS Office, etc., and that can also handle some light gaming (strategy games like Starcraft 2, Civilization 5).

I'd really appreciate any help anyone could provide, thanks!

(1) Asus N73JN-X1
i5 450 (2.4 ghz)
NVIDIA GT335M (1 GB)
4 GB RAM (DDR3)
500 GB (7200 rpm)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220746&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Notebooks-_-ASUS-_-34220746
$999.99

(2) HP DV7T Select Edition
i5 450
ATI Radeon HD 5650 (1GB) switchable
4GB RAM
500 GB (7200 rpm)
customized, no link
$954

(3) ASUS K72JK-A1
i5 430
ATI 5145 (1GB)
4 GB (DDR3)
500GB (5400 rpm)
Amazon.com: ASUS K72JK-A1 17.3-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop - Dark Brown: Computer & Accessories
$954 (- $50 mail in rebate)

I've tried some Asus models out in the stores, and haven't been thrilled with their keyboard (seems to have some flex), but like them overall. The N73 is apparently brand new and I haven't seen this particular model yet. I really like the look and feel of the HP, but the HP owner's thread on this website seems to be full of complaints HP screwing up models, things not working properly, etc. Plus the HP's seem to have a much higher failure rate than Asus generally.


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1_What is your budget?
$1000

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
15-17"

3_What screen resolution do you want?
High, need to compare multiple word documents, see lots of cells in excel spreadsheets

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Mainly a desktop replacement, but it has to be capable of going on the road when I travel on occasion. I am not under the delusion that I would be able to use a 17" on an airplane.

5_How much battery life do you need?
2.5 hours or so when not gaming

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)?
Starcraft 2, Civilization, older Total War games. Preferably high settings for current games, but I'm not trying to make this "future proof" from a gaming perspective.

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) Just MS Office applications, web browsers (multiple of each of these at the same time) and the occasional game.

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
Faster HD more important than storage.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Needs to last >3 years

11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
DVD ROM

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.
Bad experiences with Acer, Gateway, Dell. Has to be professional looking (No MSI, Alienware, Asus models with the blue Gamers logo on it)

13_What country do you live in?
US
 

countertop4

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Is that for performance or reliability reasons?

Also, thanks for the input on the battery life. The battery on the HP is upgradeable, so were all other things equal I could go that route.

Am I missing any other options that you think would be better fits? Thanks so much for your help.
 
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