>=$650 - Yet More Computer Hunting Advice Sought

So I do feel bad posting another one of these considering how high of frequency these threads get started on here.

I'm another one of these souls with limited budget who would like to maximize my performance - gaming. I've decided an A8 (preferably 3510MX and up) is probably perfect for my position.

This is what I've landed on, it's a bit on the high side, but I think it's a champ:
HP dv6z
A8-3550MX
HD 7690M
6GB DDR3
9 cell battery upgrade ($30)
$630 before tax ($679 after a $50 tax, ouch) (with $30 off coupon, $100 instant, and ~$64 student)

I would prefer to be close to the $500 side of things but that drops the 3550MX @ 2.0GHz to a 3500M @1.5GHz, and looses the dedicated graphics card.

Is there anything else comparable ? - Newegg's current A8 lineup is pretty week... as is TigerD
Should I wait a week/2 and see what else turns up or is this probably as good as I'm going to get ?

I've read my brains out over the last few days as I've been out of the market for 4 years now - but I think this is as good as it's going to get, and that the extra $179 will probably be worth it...