ask yourself what ur gonna use this laptop for.. if it is going to stay on ur desk most of the time (which im guessing is the case since u opted for the 17inchers) then get a desktop. if u plan to use it semi mobile (eg take it out once a week) then maybe this category is for u.
i dont think you will be using this on your lap tho, so the usage scenario for a large gaming laptop is very narrow.
if u plan to move around abit (2-3 times a week) but still want games and dont mind playing at medium or low settings then get a laptop or ultrabook with dedicated graphics. 740M can power most games smoothly at medium - low settings
if u move around alot (everyday) then hv to go with intel 5000 series graphics or lower end dedicated to balance batt life
aftershock is a good alternative to the mentioned laptops spec-wise but you should check out the design and build quality at their showroom to see if its to your liking.
personally i feel its not very premium (maybe is bcos im bias after i heard that the chassis is a generic off-the-shelf then packaged tgt) but its very plastic feeling and they need more branding. eg put the aftershock logo on the bottom of the screen like all laptop manufacturers do and add some names to the stuff they add (like retina display, trueaudio). its all marketing hype but customers always fall for that so why not give them something to fall for?

they happy everyone happy