Mark,
I got a new Dell Inspiron 17r SE i7 late last year - never looked back. It was about $1250 with a 3 year warranty.
http://www.dell.com/au/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd
They often have deals if you keep a look out
http://www.dell.com/au/p/popular-lap...n&s=dhs&~ck=mn