dell i5 $480:
Dell Inspiron 15 Intel Core i5-3317U ULV 15.6in Laptop (4GB/500GB) $479.99
dell i7 $625:
HP dv6tqe Core i7-3630QM 2.4GHz Quad 15in Laptop (8GB/750GB) $624.99
the i3 i posted above is all you need, and they're doing a lot better as far as the amount of stupid crap they put on the thing.
BIG HINT: when you go to the store to pick it up
-- YOU DO NOT NEED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY
-- YOU DO NOT NEED A COPY OF McAFFEE
-- YOU DO NOT NEED CABLES OR ACCESSORRIES
they try to upsell you them 3 or 4 times, just be confident and don't agree to extras.