Been building pc's for the last decade. I think OP is going to be very disappointed when he finally realizes that his price range, game choices, and expectations of level of graphical fidelity are simply not compatible.
You simply will not be able to spend this much money on a laptop and get anything close to what you expect. Sorry dude. Laptops cost more for a reason. Miniaturization. You pay for convenience of being able to lay in bed, etc.
Are your expectations realistic for a desktop? Sure. I usually budget myself 6-700 USD when i make a new desktop, and can usually crush most games on the market for a few years.
Only tip i can give you, since you seem to be stuck in your "needs/wants", is to take the advice of these earlier posters. Your video card (which is usually the most skimped upon part in a laptop, as it generates the most heat, takes up the most space, and is simply the most expensive component in any system) is definitely what you should pay attention to. Do your homework. You wont regret it.
Still don't think you're gonna get anything close to what you expect.
P.S. All these people touting their brand names (Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc) aren't the most educated individuals. All the manufacturers pull from the same product pool when they design their machines to be sold as pre-built. All of the manufacturers could potentially build the exact same computer.
Only differences you're going to get between the manufacturers are Price, build quality (case design, material, screen size, etc) and customer support services.
Other than that, unless the manufacturer has utilized a hybrid proprietary motherboard (which happens from time to time, and is usually listed) ALL OF THESE USE THE SAME PARTS. PICK THE CHEAPEST/WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU. Brand names mean jack shit 99% of the time. Just like a label on your clothes.
Edit #2 : Also, man, QVC? If they have some good deal, great. But make damn well sure you know what you're getting into. Almost any tech distributor has a layaway package allowing you to make payments, and generally QVC buys wholesale to sell retail. Meaning they get the generic mass produced crap that the masses buy. You're not trying to buy a generic computer. you're trying to buy a powerhouse. QVC would not sell to a niche market on a product that devalues on a percentage level daily.
Go shop around.
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The reason I'm coming here to steam instead of going somewhere else is because I don't know of any tech forums. If you know any, feel free to tell me. So I really really want a good gaming computer, one that can handle intense games at high if not maximum graphic levels. I bought this Dell laptop from QVC just a few weeks ago. I honestly wasn't sure how it would handle games, but I thought I would give it a try. It's average, but I was severly and sorely disappointed when I found out that it can't even play Second Life on minimum graphics. So I'm thinking about returning this laptop and get another. Problem is, SG, I don't know much of anything about computers, so will you do me the odd favor of helping me pick out a few high speed laptops that could handle games at high graphics?
http://www.qvc.com/cgen/render.aspx/Computers?qp=class%7c1115&plpb=G|0|24|8&CM_SCID=coll
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