Thanks a lot for the help man!
I could go up to $800-850 if that's what it takes to get a good system, so no worries about being a little over budget, although obviously like all students a deal is better.
I own an ASUS K-50 I will vouch its a great everyday Laptop. Never installed a game on it. It runs all the school required BS like MS Office and it was easy on my student loan at the time