ASUS v Dell ... $200 savings worth it?

[happ1n3ssis]

Looking at the following:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11614634&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294900030&Mo=8&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11610646&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294967022&Mo=10&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

I'm sold on using Costco/American Express for the added security/warranty of my purchase unless there's a "better bank for the buck" Laptop out there. I'd like something that can handle games on Medium Settings. I prefer the i5-460M chip and a discrete video card. I'd also like a Blu-Ray Player, but it's not a deal breaker. On the other hand, I'd hate to not be able to watch the movies I have that use that format. As I'm a first time poster, please share your thoughts with me. Looking to purchase something soon. I don't mind waiting for the "sandy bridge" technology, but I'm not hard pressed to have it either. My previous Laptop was purchased nearly 6-years ago: a Lance Armstrong Special Edition HP ... Ohhh ... Awww ... Thanks again for your input guys. Happy Holidays!

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Looking at the following:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11614634&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294900030&Mo=8&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11610646&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294967022&Mo=10&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

I'm sold on using Costco/American Express for the added security/warranty of my purchase unless there's a "better bank for the buck" Laptop out there. I'd like something that can handle games on Medium Settings. I prefer the i5-460M chip and a discrete video card. I'd also like a Blu-Ray Player, but it's not a deal breaker. On the other hand, I'd hate to not be able to watch the movies I have that use that format. As I'm a first time poster, please share your thoughts with me. Looking to purchase something soon. I don't mind waiting for the "sandy bridge" technology, but I'm not hard pressed to have it either. My previous Laptop was purchased nearly 6-years ago: a Lance Armstrong Special Edition HP ... Ohhh ... Awww ... Thanks again for your input guys. Happy Holidays!

Hi there,

Both laptops are great choices. Have you checked out the system requirements of the games you are planning to play. I recommend comparing those to the specs of these two laptops. Also, the Dell is a more portable option than the Asus, which is something to consider if you will be carrying it around.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Cheers,
Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[WR2]

Hello happ1n3ssis;

There is a fairly large gap in gaming performance between the GT 425M and the HD 550V
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
Find the two cards on that chart, check the respective boxes and use the Restrict button on the top of the page to look at just the two card together.

This rank order chart also shows you a comparison. Both are mid-range cards (Class 2) but GT 425M ranks at -43% and HD 550V at -28% relative to the class leading graphics performance of the GTX 480M SLI.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.130.0.html

 

[raza715]

neither of them are good choices you can easily get much better Lenovo Y560 configured either with i5 or i7 with much better ATI 5730 for even less. Check it out http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Promos/IdeaPad/weekly-sale/series3