General

@DayServant:
1)the g46 is THE quietest laptop available (laptops > 5 pounds) because it uses the g series' double cooling system.
2) the g46 only weighs 5.5 pounds, the weight of your typical 15.6" laptop. its physical footprint is smaller than a 15.6" laptop since its a 14" laptop, so I don't know where you're getting this idea that its a huge block.
3)i'm not underestimating the gt650m, the one im "underestimating" is the gt650m with ddr3 memory as opposed t0 ddr5, as the ddr3 is leagues below the ddr5 version.
4) its not just about gaming, its about photo and video editing too. and mind you, the 660m isn't going to max out anything either.
5) What is the relevance in mentioning a desktop?

The n56 isn't more suitable because it gets nearly twice as hot, weighs more, has horrible flex on the keyboard, and is 1.2 - 2 times less powerful than the g46 (depending on whether you buy the gt630 or the gt650 version).

Honestly, I find my Macbook pro to be a lot more efficient than any laptop I've ever used... for school specifically.

@DKTostoo: As much as that is true, you still need to factor in noise, heating issues over the chassis, over-clocking (optional ofc), portability, battery efficiency etc. As a college laptop, the g46 would be dreadful to carry around, not to mention bringing it to lectures, do you want to be that one guy that has this huge thing blocking someones view? The gaming power is great, but you're slightly underestimating the power of the gt650m. It is actually quite wonderful, you can play MANY modern games atm, including FC3, Skyrim, BF3 etc. I'm not going to buy a college notebook to play games at the highest settings, that's just a no, Why would you go to school? Might as well invest in a Desktop. The n56 is by far much more suitable to students that love to play new games without dropping any frames and still be less of a hassle to maintain.

[quote=DayServant]Asus N56VZ. The notebook from the heavens.[/quote]

the n56vz uses a gt 650m with ddr3 memory. for the same price (999) you could get the g46vm which has gtx660m ddr5, which is ~10-25% faster depending on the game

OT: for good portability + battery life, at only $650, asus's vivobook line fits your budget the best (obviously its a tradeoff though).

[quote=eskomobob5]Dude, I play maplestory on a macbook pro and it runs so smoothly..... <3[/quote]

So does my 3 year old laptop that was relatively cheap.

Dude, I play maplestory on a macbook pro and it runs so smoothly..... <3

[quote=FreeWii4Mii]it's not that pcs are cheap, it's that macs are expensive[/quote]

Dude...you can get a mac for free. Just take it from someone...

[quote=tiesandbowties]sorry. macbooks are just plain durable.
pcs are cheap.

macbooks are made with some of the best material in my opinion. also it looks better than most pcs. aesthetics is something to consider i guess.[/quote]

it's not that pcs are cheap, it's that macs are expensive

Getting one of the refurbished Asus Zenbook line would probably be right what you're looking for. Not much for gaming, but not terrible at it either.
Windows 7 or 8 would be fine, as 8 isn't actually terrible for gaming, despite Gabe Newell's protests against it.

Perhaps something like a HP Envy 4.

[quote=TinyH]you can go straight to hell[/quote]

sorry. macbooks are just plain durable.
pcs are cheap.

macbooks are made with some of the best material in my opinion. also it looks better than most pcs. aesthetics is something to consider i guess.

Get one of them newfangled ultrabooks

Asus N56VZ. The notebook from the heavens.

[quote=tiesandbowties]macs are the best. no comparison[/quote]

My jimmies are slightly rustled. You win this time.

macs are the best. no comparison