Help me decide between these two very similar Lenovo Y570s

[cargoculture]

Hi Folks,

I am looking at picking up a Y570 while they're super-cheap through the Lenovo outlet. The two models are:

0862XC3: http://outlet.lenovo.com/0862xc3.html

and

0862XD1: http://outlet.lenovo.com/0862xd1.html


The only differences between the two models are that the 0862XD1 has a 5400rpm drive rather than 7200rpm, and the 0862XC3 has switchable integrated HD 3000 graphics as well as the GeForce 555m that's common to both models.


My questions are:

1) Does the drive speed really matter? I'm not super-picky about the drive rpm, but if it's makes a noticeable difference I'd like to know.

2) Does having the integrated graphics alongside a dedicated card help? I know folks switch to the integrated graphics to conserve battery, etc but I also know people have reported non-graphics issues that are somehow related to the switching (USB ports acting wonky, etc).

 

[the great randini]

drive speed does matter, you will notice it if you plan to transfer alot of data to and from the hdd. also most times you will find laptops use the slower speed drives to extend battery life. u did notice they were Refurbished. that price seems a bit high for a second hand product.

 

[po1nted]

I would choose the one with switchable graphics. That is a very nice battery saving feature.

You can always upgrade the hard disk (w/ SSD, etc) if you feel the performance is sub par. You can't add the switchable graphics and using the 555m all the time would really reduce battery life.

I have been switching graphics modes real time every day for the past year and haven't had a single glitch. I think the trade off is well worth it.

Yep, switchable graphics is the better option.

 

[nbelote]

Both Lenovo y570s have the switchable graphics. It's a standard for that model, it's just that whoever typed up the refurb listing didn't do it right.

The short version? Get the one with the 7200rpm drive.

 

[jaguarskx]

Just get the one with the 7200RPM drive since they are the same price. Otherwise, all specs looks to be the same.

The only problem I came across regarding switchable graphics is that the nVidia GT 550m in my Lenovo Y470 "disappeared". Windows 7 could not detect it. The only way to get back use of the GT 550m was to restore Win 7 back to factory settings. Simply re-installing the drivers for the GT 550m did not work.

In the research that I've done, it seems to be an issue with the nVidia GT 5xx series that causes this not very common problem.

 

[cargoculture]

Best answer selected by cargoculture.