Best Buy g74sx-bbk7 or G53sx-a1???

I'm currently using a 6 (?) year old thinkpad r61 and I'm ready to replace it with BF3 and Elder Scrolls 5 being released soon. Not interested in spending more than $1400, but I want something that will power through those two games on medium-high settings without sacrificing performance.
I've been researching the bestbuy g74sx and also the g53sx-a1. Thoughts on which direction I should go? I'm not really concerned with the size of the screen, although I suppose I would prefer the 15" simply because it is more portable for college (though this is primarily going to be stationary).

 

Do not buy either because they both have the 128bit nerfed/gimped GPU you want to pay a bit extra and get a full G74SX not BBK or a G73JW/SW which are not BST. The only BST that is worth buying is the G73JH which has the 5870M as they did not bother changing that card.

Make sure whatever model you buy it has the 192 bit 460/560M or the 5870M.

 

Both of those options will actually have the 128 bit GPU instead of the 192 bit version that you can find in some of the G74 models (the G74SX-XR1 or G74SX-A1 would be good examples). With that being said, it is still a good GPU, but there may be something else at a similar price point with that better version of the 560M.

Otherwise, if I am not mistaken, that G74 only has the 1600 x 900 screen whereas the G53SX-A1 will have the full 1080p resolution. For me, that would be a deal breaker as I really do prefer the 1080p display. The G53 isn't a great deal smaller, but a little less weight when you're carrying it around always helps.

 

Are there any g74 models with the non-gimped gpu that are in my price range? i.e <1400

The g74 bbk7 is $300 cheaper than the g53 i'm looking at, so I would have to think if I really care about the 1080p res where they both have the gimped gpu anyway. With the g53sx-a1 wouldn't the hd struggle with the 128bit?

 

Get a G53SW instead. The GTX460 is a full 192 bit card. Either that or go for another brand.

 

is that the g53sw-a1? Buy.com - ASUS G53SW-A1 15.6" Notebook, Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0GHz up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost), 8GB DDR3 Memory, 750GB (7200rpm) HDD, DVD Super Multi-Drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

 

The G74SX-XR1 would also be within that $1400 range. The G53SW-A1 will be another good choice, as Morpheus mentioned (and that is the model he was referring to that you have linked). That particular G74 will have the full, 192 bit 560M.