College Laptop

So, getting ready for college.
I know for sure there will be the epic battle between "Macbook Pro vs the World"

I've already narrowed down my list to the following laptops:
1.
Alienware M15x
2.
Macbook Pro 15"
3.
Lenovo T410

The only other manufacturer I am willing to consider is Toshiba or Asus.
Will not touch anything else.
No HP, no MSI, nothing like that.


The Alienware
I REALLY like the power of the alienware, and for the same price as a mac, it carries triple the power.
However, I know the battery life will be miserable, which will not do for college.

The MBP
The ONLY reason I can ever think of owning a Macbook Pro is battery life.
Supposedly, it gets the best battery life in its class.
But its too weak to use IMO.


The T410
I've grown up on thinkpads, and I think this is the best compromise between the two.
It's also the cheapest.
I'm fairly confident that these are tough rigs that are capable of college life.
However, there just not powerful enough


My main question: can I mod the M15x enough to get battery life close enough to the MBP? I mean like undervolting the CPU, lowering brightness, etc.
Also between the 3, which one should I get? I plan on doing CPU intensive tasks, as well as some gaming.