Need new gaming laptop, bad at shopping

I'm looking for a new laptop that will be able to handle modern games (like StarCraft2) with moderate to high video settings and a smooth frame rate. All I really need it to do other than game is run Microsoft Office and surf the internet. I don't really care about how well it plays music or videos.

I will probably only use word-processing and the internet while mobile and will game at home, but I want something mobile enough to take to school on a regular basis.

Through school I get a 7% discount with Dell and about $100 off with Apple. Obviously, I want to spend the least money I can for a good model, but my price range would probably be between $1000 and $1400.

Any advice on where to start looking?

My current is an Acer Aspire 6930 which I bought a few years ago primarily for all around functions but mostly wanted something that would run SolidWorks. I found that there were several things I didn't like:
1) The biggest issue is now the screen flickers periodically and seems to be an issue with wiring or overheating and it can just cripple my ability to work
2) It can't play games well. Wow on low setting runs fluidly enough, but Oblivion and StarCraft 2 won't
3) It was too big to be very portable (I think it is about 16in and wide and weighs over 7 lbs)
4) It runs hot and noisy

I was wondering about Asus.
Would the Dell Studio XPS not be a good choice? I know these things have a tendency to come with a lot of "crap" that I'll never use but am forced to buy anyway.

As far as replacing thermal paste, this is something I've never heard of. I did a little research and it seems fairly straightforward. Is there a big risk of screwing up and losing my Acer altogether? Is this something I shouldn't try until I have my new computer?

Thanks for the advice :-) I think I'll just do some price comparison then and see what I like.

Probably looking at either the Asus G51JX-X3 for $1000 on amazon or Asus N61JQ-A1 for $1100 on amazon. Both seem to have good processors and graphics cards that should give the performance I want in games. The price is what I'm looking for and it is slightly smaller and about the same weight as my Acer. I'd prefer lighter, but it will probably be fine.
I am a little concerned about blue screen issues, overheating, and bad customer support. It didn't seem like too many users had these issues but it was enough to make me concerned. Also a fair number of people seemed to just clean install windows to get rid of the unnecessary software and this seemed to speed up the system.
People also complained about the appearance of the lid and the logo on the G series, but I thought it looked pretty slick and it isn't as noticeable if I were to use it professionally as say an Alienware.
I'm not so familiar with Asus as a brand.

Otherwise I'm still looking at the Dell Studio XPS 16 which will run me about $1300, but I know Dell has good support.

What do you think?

I think I'm going to go with the N82JQ-A1 actually. I think it will be easier to carry around to class and the battery life shouldn't be a concern since there are outlets at the desks. Also issues like glossiness, heat, battery won't be a problem for gaming since I won't be playing on my lap with the touchpad and can always hook up to my external monitor. With the same processor, memory, and a video card which seemed to me to be approximately as powerful, I think I should get the same performance. The price is good and I think I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for the advice qhn!