Laptop advice request

[Dainslaif]

Howdy. I'm primarily a desktop builder so I don't know a lot about laptops, but I'm debating between these two so I can play games when I spend weekends at my GF's. I have some coupons for HP so the prices are similar.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...fig_id=7667303
For about $1250 shipped.

Versus
http://www.circuitcity.com/applicati...410&CatId=3998
For about $1210 shipped.

Pros for the HP:
Better processor (2.7 GHz vs 2.4 GHz)
Better hard drive (750GB 7200 Hybrid vs 500GB 5400)
Backup disc (unsure if the ASUS comes with one, but it'd be nice to have around just in case the HD burns out)

Pros for the ASUS:
Full 1080p resolution (1920×1080 vs 1600x900).
Better GPU (GTX 660m vs GT 650m).
More RAM (12GB vs 8GB). Might be a non-issue since my main rig has 16GB and I never get anywhere near maxing it out.

I'm finding on notebookreview.com and Nvidia's site that the 660m should be a bit faster than the 650m, but I don't know if that's more beneficial than the beefier processor (unsure where the bottleneck exists, but I'm assuming it's the GPU, not the proc). I'd also probably replace the HD out of the ASUS one for a hybrid I won this weekend and throw the 500 GB drive in my PS3, or sell the Hybrid I have now if I get the HP. Lastly, I've heard ASUS has better build quality than HP, but that's all heresay, so I'm taking it with a grain of salt.

Ultimately, it's coming down to the better processor and drive vs better GPU. Thoughts/advice? Thanks.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Asus, no question. The difference in cpu speeds won't matter as much in games as does the GPU. Also, there's the better display to consider. And you can always upgrade the drives yourself if need be.

 

[Dainslaif]

Cool, that's what I'd been reading. I'd planned on upgrading the HDD out of the box if I went with the ASUS and have one in hand, so I'm ahead of you there. The higher resolution wasn't as big a deal for me since at the end of the way we're talking a 17" widescreen - it's just going to make the desktop icons look tiny and games look marginally better while running a bit slower, and on a platform where there isn't as much power as my main gaming rig, I want to keep the FPS as high as possible running games like Skyrim, ME3 and GW2.