Thoughts on the macbook pro 15 i7

So I have an option to buy the i7 version of the macbook pro 15 for $1550 and was wondering if this was a good deal. I just built my own gaming desktop and dont feel the need to lug around a 10 pound gaming laptop anymore. Looking on the apple sight with the government discount it would cost me $1990 which is an outrages price for the specs inside. But at $1550 i would be willing to pay for the extra hours of battery and portability. Basically me questions are is this a good computer for what i am looking for (portability), would anyone recommend it, and how much of a price increase am i paying for this over a comparibly specced asus, dell, or hp.