I recommend an HP Envy, they are very good! I've grown up with computers for my who life so please take my word. Also I recommend a PC rather than a laptop (alot more power to it, unless you need a laptop for traveling). Please
don't buy Alienware they just seem really fantastic because they have pretty LED, nice design, and because of popularity. The only good laptops they make are the expensive ones, $1,400+.
I have an HP Envy M6 and it cost about $650-700, and it's very reliable, but most games run on Med-Low graphic settings, except for valve games (CS GO, L4D2, they run on max).
Don't buy touchscreen laptops I consultated a Best Buy employee and he said that if it's touchscreen it goes up $100+ easily.
Here are some good laptops (you may have to pay a bit more for some, sorry)
http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-of...C-ENERGY-STAR-
This has a dual core 2.5 - 3.1 GHz Turbo boost Intel CPU, you can customize it anyway you want, but I won't get into too much since it's a bit pricey.
http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-of...C-ENERGY-STAR-
This is similar to my laptop, basically it's definitely going to make your games run at Low settings. Graphics card:??? Doesn't say, probably 712 Mb which is ok..
That's enough for laptops, buying a gaming laptop under $800 is extremely difficult, I'll be more than happy to help you if you find a laptop and aren't sure if it's good or want to know something about it. I'm your guy.
I agree with your facts on the smartphones, it's like having a mini laptop in your pocket.