there are some really sweet gaming laptops (not from alienware...)
that can have dual 200 series vid cards, and quad processing fine.
and the things are thin as hell, but i dont have a clue how that heat is handled.
Efficiently.
No kidding, it just puts it out, and down. So using it only your lap is good for cold days.
Speaking as a man who has an Alienware computer, its fair to say that they do charge hugely on the case. Its simply amazing when you get the big box delivered, but its also far more expensive, which doesn't sound like it fits this guy's needs.
I do think you're right on the extreme laptop from a generic brand though.