In that case, wouldn't the asus be better with the ssd? Can't the 960 handle most games on medium settings atleast?

Yes I had a 860m that could play bf4 med settings at close to 60 fps. Ssd is just eye candy. They are nice and if it's in your budget go for it. Asus is who I would recommend for a laptop.

Yeah, I'd most likely go with the ASUS in that case. I'm going through the MSI website now to see if there are any models that have a 970 along with the rest of the ASUS specs (SSD, IPS display, 17 inch, etc)

I did find an MSI 970M with the specs on the ASUS for $1450. What do you guys think about this one? http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-ge72-apache-pro001-p-8579.html

Msi is a good product I just prefer Asus

Yeah I've heard good things about ASUS too, and I just like the look of that ASUS. I'll go with that.. 960 is good enough for me.. Thanks for your opinions, guys!