Laptop under $1000 and desktop vs laptop

1. What is your budget?

$699-$999(less is always better). Getting the most out of my money is pretty important to me.

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

I'd like a large screen if possible and something easy on the eyes.

3. What screen resolution do you want?

High as possible

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

This will serve as my only computer.

5. How much battery life do you need?

Long would be nice but not a huge priority for me.

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)?

Best gaming performance possible for the price.

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

Music editing. I don't expect to be able to perform super high end stuff with my budget though.

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

Not a huge priority. I'm ok with using an external drive.

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

Open to suggestion.

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

Preferably 3 years.

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

Nothing special.

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.

I trust tom's community.

13. What country do you live in?

USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

First off, thanks to all of you guys, reading this forum has helped me a lot. With as little knowledge of computers as I have, you guys seem to be able to always help me make good decisions. Really appreciate it.

OK, so I've been considering buying a desktop but I prefer laptops due to the ease of mobility and the extra space they free up around the house. I'm looking for a well made machine that won't fall apart, preferably something with a decent warranty. I'd like to play games for as long as possible without having to replace my machine but I entertain no fantasies of playing brand new games on ultra high with this budget. I also use music programs like Logic and Pro-Tools. Although I don't do anything of professional quality, it's nice to have enough power so that things run smoothly. I also have a few important questions I'm hoping you guys can answer:

Question 1: By buying a laptop instead of a desktop, how much performance/money am I really sacrificing? I know this might be somewhat of a difficult question to answer, but if you guys can give me an idea, even a broad or general one, it would be most enlightening.

Question 2: We're getting close to the holiday season. Does anyone think I'm REALLY better off waiting for something like black friday? This is an option for me, although I'll probably only do it if you guys answer with a resounding YES.

Question 3: How do I go about finding the best deal? I've been watching gaminglaptopsjunky.com and it seems like some amazing deals come around that totally throw out whatever other options I was considering at the time. This might be due to my own ignorance, I'm not sure. What's the best way to find a great deal on something?

Thanks again guys, really look forward to your answers and suggestions.