I would think an MSI gaming laptop should keep you within your budget. 

I just noticed something with the moon picture above (really nice shot btw). The moon seems to be peppered with meteor hits in very clustered areas, while other areas seem almost completely missed. I wonder why?

 
@ Nateman-doo - did you find anything? You may have missed this:
 

Nereus
Nice. All the models I'm mentioning have per-key backlit RGB keyboards btw, that's pretty much standard now.
 
There's a Gigabyte Aero 17 - 17.3" 144Hz 1080p IPS with an i7-10750H (2.6GHz~5.0GHz) and RTX 2070 Max-Q for $1,999. Default comes with 512GB NVMe SSD and 16GB ram @ 2666MHz. There is a slot for additional drive too - 2x M.2 SSD slots (Type 2280, supports 1x NVMe PCIe & SATA/ 1x NVMe PCIe). Seems pretty nice.
https://xoticpc.com/colle...e-aero-17-wb-7us1130sh
 
There's an MSI model for the same price that looks to have the much the same components, but 32GB of ram and a 240Hz screen, however it says "IPS-level" monitor, not just "IPS" ... so not sure what that's supposed to mean, lol. The Gigabyte one is IPS, calibrated and certified, so it appears the Gigabyte has a better screen than this MSI one.
https://xoticpc.com/collections/extreme-series-gaming-laptops/products/msi-gs75-stealth-10sf-036
 
If you're like me and my wife, we both really do not like laptop trackpads, so if you want a recommendation for a nice wireless mouse, we both use the following Microsoft wireless 3500, and it's only $20:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PBZNF8
It's compact and doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a full gaming mouse, but it's way better than using the trackpad imo, and reliable.
 
Hmmm.. you've got me thinking about upgrading my laptop now, even though the one I have is perfectly fine. lol.

Looks like Dell is running a deal on their G7 with the RTX 2070 Max-Q for $1612.10.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/member/shop/gaming-laptops/dell-g7-17-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-17-7790-laptop/gn7790dmuks#features_section

I pulled the trigger and got the 17" Gigabyte Aero.  Thank you Nereus for the recommendation!  The screen got such good reviews, and the price point too.  I wasnt happy that it didnt come with a CD drive, but honestly its such a rare thing to use, and I am bringing a laptop with a CD drive anyway.  

nateman_doo
I pulled the trigger and got the 17" Gigabyte Aero.  Thank you Nereus for the recommendation!  The screen got such good reviews, and the price point too.  I wasnt happy that it didnt come with a CD drive, but honestly its such a rare thing to use, and I am bringing a laptop with a CD drive anyway.  

Congrats, nice machine! Very few have CD drives now, but if you want another recommendation, I use the following Dell USB drive with my laptop: 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VWVZ0V0/ 
Rarely need it except when I was first setting up. I've had cheaper ones but they tend to not last very long, this Dell one has been good for a few years now.
Also a small wireless mouse is strongly recommended, unless you're really comfortable with laptop track pads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PBZNF8
Enjoy your new machine!