GT627-218US or GX620-098US?

I'm going to college in a couple months, and I want a laptop that's not too heavy but good for gaming as well. Searching on Newegg, I saw this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152099

Now for $1300, it has everything I want...but then recently Newegg just added this to their inventory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152119

which looks to be the exact same thing except with a worse graphics card, 6-cell battery instead of 9, and no Blu-Ray drive...for $500 cheaper o.o

Now these are my questions:

Can anyone spot any other differences between the two laptops? How much worse is the 9600m GT than the 9800m GS? See, I could care less about Blu-Ray, but the 9-cell battery is important to me, and it would be nice to have the 9800...is there an MSI laptop that is exactly the same as the first one only without Blu-Ray? That would be just perfect for me.

The first one now does seem to be costing a lot more, I'm not really sure if it's worth the investment when I could get the other one for a lot cheaper... and also, how do I know Newegg won't add another MSI laptop anytime soon like they just did with the GX620-218?

And finally, is there a different brand alternative anyone would recommend? For college I do think a 15.4 inch laptop would be the most suitable, and that really narrowed it down to those two MSI models. But if anyone knows of something more suitable, I would like to hear it.

Thanks~

 

There is quite a difference in performance between the two graphics cards: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Graphic-Cards.130.0.html

If you plan on playing newer games throughout college, the GT627 is definitely more future proof. MSI is releasing an updated version of the GT627 (the GT628) soon which will have a slightly improved graphics card, widening the performance gap a bit more. If you're fine with ordering the barebones version then you'll just have to wait until July: http://www.rkcomputer.net/rkcnotebooks/index.php?l=product_detail&p=153 . That one has the lower resolution screen though so I'd say it'd be worth the $50 to upgrade.

The spare 9-cell does cost an extra $134 though... Supposedly the 6-cell does provide 2.5hrs of life for normal use.

 

There are more 15.4" MSI Gaming Laptops than the two you mentioned, not to mention a line of 17" laptops that are very lightweight for their size, and many say are even better quality than the 15's. Anyhow, here are all five 15.4" models listed on NewEgg.

They are all game-capable, and all well-spec'd for the price, with the best value seeming to be the GX620-098.

I list all changes: CPU, HDD, Optical Drive, Batt, Graphics, Display. All other specs are same.

GX630-028 $699
AMD rig with the 9600GT and standard equipment, outside of a smaller HDD.
AMD Turion X2 2.00GHz, 250GB HDD, DVD-Burner, 6-Cell Batt, 9600GT, 1280x800 Display

GX620-001 $799 after $50 mail-in rebate
Intel rig with latest Montevina Core 2 Duo processor. This is the "business" looking model with silver trim. It's a nice sleeper - business look, games inside. I call this one "the standard" in terms of hardware... these are the most common components, and the entire line revolves around them.
Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, DVD-Burner, 6-Cell Batt, 9600GT, 1280x800 Display

GX620-098 $799 after $100 mail-in rebate
Best value for the money. Slight upgrade to processor and high-res display.
Core 2 Duo P8600 2.40GHz, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, DVD-Burner, 6-Cell Batt, 9600GT, 1680x1050 Display

GT627-216 $1099
Kind of an oddball. The least value for the money, but might fit what you're looking for. Comparison makes it very clear that, when compared with the GX620 (either version) you are paying $300 more for nothing but the graphics card. Particularly noticeable since it drops the faster processor and goes back to the low-res display, when compared to the GX620-216.
Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, DVD-Burner, 6-Cell Batt, 9800GS, 1280x800 Display

GT627-218 $1299
Maxxed out. This one has everything. High-Res display, faster processor, better graphics, and the only one with Blu-Ray and the larger battery (sticks out the back of the machine).
Core 2 Duo P8600 2.40GHz, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, Blu-Ray Rom/DVD-Burner, 9-Cell Batt, 9800GS, 1680x1050 Display

Also, finally, stick with the MSI preconfigured models if you want to take advantage of overclocking. There are lots of "whitebox" versions of their machines available either as barebones machines or being sold by other brands (ie iBuyPower). They all seem to have the EcoDrive button for reducing processing and graphics power to save battery, but they don't have the overclocking button, save one or two exceptions.

If you're not familiar with the overclocking, it's basically a one-button instant overclock of 15-20%. That would turn a P8600 from 2.4GHz to ~2.8GHz!!! It's only available when plugged into power, and it comes with certain risks, but it's a significant boost, and it's extremely rare to find a notebook that OC's, particularly with a one-button solution.