Looking for a new laptop that can run the sims 3

I'm looking to buy a new laptop that can run games like skyrim and the sims 3 and all the expansion packs without lag on medium settings or higher, I own a few other computer games but those are the ones I play most.

I am considering the alienware m17x but I don't know if it's good and it's a bit pricy abd I have no idea if it'll do what I want and I want to see if I can find something cheaper.

These are the specs for the one I want( I know nothing about this stuff   )

Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) edit
Memory 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (2DIMMS) edit
Video Card 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M edit
Hard Drive 500GB 7,200 RPM + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD edit
LCD Panel 17.3-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 60Hz WLED edit
Wireless Cards Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 With Bluetooth 4.0 edit
Internal Optical Drive Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)


1. What is your budget?

no higher then $1,500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?

no smaller then 15.6 and preferably no bigger but if it is that's fine

3. What screen resolution do you want?

I like 1366 x 768

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

laptop

5. How much battery life do you need?

a few hours without worry would be nice but I'll always have a charger around anyways

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)?

I would like to play Skyrim, The Sims 3 + expansion packs on medium or high (high is preferred)

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)

nothing really tho I might browse the internet.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?

whatever I need to play The Sims 3 + expansion packs on medium or high

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

depending on the brand availability in my city I might buy from a store but if I have to buy online I would prefer it to be the actual brand sites, bestbuy, or staples.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?

at least three years but more is always better  

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.

preferably HP or Dell but anything is fine as long as it's not mac

13. What country do you live in?

Canada

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

I think that's everything.