I'm not opposed to another laptop, but if you're going to make that claim, please find me another laptop with an 8800GTX512MB with comparable hardware/processor for cheaper. Heh, I know you're just tossing advice, so take that with a grain of salt. I know Alienware's rep is known for overcharging...but I haven't found comparable hardware/features for a price that's even close.
Even cyberpower isn't cheaper and I'd also like to note "gimickry" would probably include the fusion feature, where you can turn off your nvidia graphics card and use the on-board intel to increase the life of the battery if you don't need the graphics power. Some have reported 3 hours and that's far better than Macbook Air.