Johnobrucy

I'm pondering selling my current machine to a friend and buying a new one.

This machine will be used for both gaming and computational physics, running Linux code. Because I use OpenGL for visualizations, I need an Nvidia GPU; because I need as much CPU power as possible, I need a dual-core machine. I'd prefer AMD because of 64-bit support (I run 64-bit Linux).

Other priorities are:

--Relatively cheap. I'd like to pay under $1500 if possible.
--GPU power. An Nvidia 7600 should be sufficient, or even a 7400 if it's significantly more power-efficient or cheaper.
--15.4" screen, resolution not that important
--Battery life: 2:30 minimum, 3:30 preferred. Modular battery option is good.
--Reasonably high quality onboard speakers.
--The ability to toggle off ALL chassis LED's. It's annoying having a blue LED in your face when you're watching a movie.
--Screen-mounted webcam a plus, but not terribly important
--Built-in SD card reader, don't care about other formats
--Build quality.

Weight doesn't matter really.

What would you guys recommend? Do Asus or MSI have anything that meets these specs?

Also, what would be a fair asking price for the machine in my sig?