College Laptop

Hello, I'm a new forum member hoping to find insight on buying my first laptop as I go off to school away from home. I welcome any advice as I have only recently figured out the recent parts out for laptops with the 4th gen i7s and Gt7xxm series.

Few questions before the FORM is
- Is a small SSD on the side worth the extra cost at my budget?
- Is 1920x1080 not worth it at my budget?
- Will I have to extend my budget for my needs?

1) What is your budget?
$1000 is around what I want to spend. Cheaper options are welcome and spending a bit more for a much better option is as well.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Will listen to all options

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Most likely not

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Other than taking it around to my classes (battery life probably important for this reason), I am an avid gamer.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
League Of Legends (Prefer higher settings)
Team Fortress 2 (Prefer higher settings)
Guild Wars 2 (Settings not too important as long as its not the lowest ones)
Wouldn't mind running games that require more power like skyrim at mediumish settings (If not, I can live)

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4-5? Wouldn't mind advice from other college students

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Online is fine

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 8 preferred, if not, I'm flexible.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read.

I am leaning towards at least HD+ and 1920x1080 would be nice

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Leaning towards with Matte but this doesn't really concern me.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No, I actually prefer dull, professional looks.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Now - Late July/Early August

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
4 years if possible but if not, at least 2-3 years.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
Anything over 500GB is fine and SSD is not important (If the laptop has one I'll take a look)

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
Probably not? Would a college student need an optical drive? This I'm not too sure.

Source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/724184-college-laptop.html

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