Inb4 someone tells you to get a PC ;) I have a MSI GE70 and it's pretty sweet; runs ZBrush, max and CryEngine fine, even on high settings. And it's quiet. I picked it up for £900 new, about 8 months ago, which I realise is way over your budget, but you may be able to find it second hand or a lower spec version. I'd…
Depends on the power setting. I would suggest whatever you choose get a Haswell i5. They consume less power and have better graphics than previous generation. Which with your price range, you're going to be stuck with. I also have to agree with Dustin. I initially had the same idea as you when I bought a laptop. $1000…