Bought mine for around 450 on tigerdirect. It's a HP G42-230us. Ran CS 1.6, CSS, CSS Beta, DOD, DOD Source,Left For Dead, and more perfectly.
Nowadays any new $500 range laptop should run CS 1.6 without any problems. But I recommend you getting any new laptop with any Nvidia or ATI/AMD video card in it. That way you know for sure you will be able to play CS 1.6 and CS:source without any delay.
I just checked Best Buy's website for you. This is the best laptop in your price range that comes with a good video card and also a nice quad core cpu. This laptop will play CS 1.6 perfectly!
Gateway NV55S09U http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+La... If you have anymore questions, just let me know. Update Nov.14- I checked the Lenovo that one of the posters posted. The Lenovo cost you more than $500.00 The Gateway laptop I have linked for you, has a better CPU and also video card than the ASUS that the other guy has posted up.
For the price the Gateway is also better than the Lenovo. All 3 laptops has about the same cpu performance, and a cpu although it does kinda help in games. It will be a very small difference.
Video Card is the most important component for better performance in games.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.