Notebooks Tentative gaming laptop ideas

Hi guys,

I've currently got an IBM T42 from work, which just about plays CoD2. I do a lot of CAD work for uni and stuff, and solidworks juuuuuuuuuust about works. Equally, Matlab juuuuuuust about handles decent calculations. So, I'm looking for a laptop to replace it; I've done a fair amount of looking round, but am completely out of the loop for what's good / adequate / etc nowadays, and if there are any "gems" that aren't obvious.

Required specs:
Plays modern CoDs, 3D CAD, general steam games.
Looks normal + square strong chassis. Not really a fan of thin shiny plastic and curvy bits with things sticking out. Equally, a T42 can survive falling off your bonnet at 40mph around a corner and bouncing down the road (HDD came out and landed in the grass )
It'll be plugged in most of the time (esp for games), movies / typing when there's no power (planes etc).
Higher res than 1024 x 768 would be a bonus, but I would use an external screen when at my desk.
I like the size of this one, 14" square screen, but that doesn't seem common any more - it fits in my bag! 15" would be alright, don't really want it too big / too small



TL;DR

Is it possible if people could throw out some suggestions for normal looking (square, no flashing lights, no weird angular bits, no shiny thin plastic) smaller / thinner gaming laptops which are CoD4 / CAD usable please?

I mean, it may not be possible and they don't actually exist, but there's always hope
Budget <$3000 say, I've got a shipping location in vermont (on exchange to McGill...they gave me a scholarship...it's gotta go somewhere )

Many many thanks!!!

 

dell - even my kid hasnt killed mine (though it no longer charges... acutally f dell)

:-0

 

As much as it pains me to put this out there... A Dell Latitude E6410 would probably suite your requirements. You could configure the following for $1943.00. You'll get better components out of an ASUS, but better business support and non-flashiness from a Dell/IBM/HP.

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-640M (2.80GHz, 4M cache) with Turbo Boost Technology
OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64-bit
Memory: 8.0GB, DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
HDD: 500GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
ODD: 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™, no media
WLAN: Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 802.11a/b/g/n and 802.16e Half Mini Card
Display: 14.1" UltraSharp™ WXGA+(1440x900) Anti-Glare LED with Premium Panel Guarantee
GPU: 512MB NVIDIA NVS 3100M discrete graphics with ExpressCard

Check with your University also to see if they have any partnership deals. I went to Drexel University and we always got 10-15% off of Dell or IBM.