TORN between light gaming laptop (Lenovo y580) and ultrabook (Asus Zen

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Usmcpi9504

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Feb 7, 2013
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So i will start off by saying I'm NOT noob when it comes to computers. However, I'm just having a hard time deciding what I want. I have a pretty nice gaming desktop at home (i5-3570k, 560ti, SSD, etc) along with a laptop that I'd like to replace. My current laptop is a Sony Vaio 17" FW series. Core 2 Duo p7450, Radeon 4650, SSD, 1600x900 resolution, Windows 7 ultimate 64bit. I bought it late 2009 and it has help up fine so far, except that I dropped it while plugged in and broke the casing for the DC jack, so its just chilling there by the wires. Also, while it really isn't a super thick laptop, portability is somewhat an issue at 17" when i want to take it to school. It obviously has no problems running word, but I mean it can only run Star Craft 2 at 20FPS...on medium. Pretty bad, considering integrated HD4000 can do better. My Vaio got a 2074 in 3dmark Vantage, the HD 4000 gets ~3000.

So its not like i NEED a new laptop, but my issues are:
Not sure how much longer DC jack will last while dangling
ty gaming performance
Not very mobile

So, i originally wanted to get a semi-gaming laptop and was about to blow $1600 on the Sager 9150 special edition. Realized i didn't have the need to play BF3 while on the go, so I settled for the y580, which is currently on sale for $900 with the 1080P screen. Then I fiddled with the idea of an ultrabook for slightly more portability than the y580. I narrowed it down to the Asus ux32vd. Very portable at less than an inch and 3lbs and should be able to run SC2 pretty decent. Plus I love the looks of it.

So im torn between something with exceptional gaming (at least in terms of SC2, League of legends, and other similar, not super demanding games). My ABSOLUTE must have is a 1080P screen (no, i dont want a 1600x900, no matter how awesome the rest of the laptop is or how cheap it is....also, never had a matte screen, only several glossy, so I don't really care either way) At least least 3+ (preferably 4-5) hours battery life while just web surfing/taking notes in class, etc is preferred.

So for $900 I can get the y580 with 1080p, i7-3630qm quad core, 660m (9000 3D mark Vantage score) and be able to play games at ultra but give up some portability
Or for $1250 I can get the Asus Zenbook with 1080p, i7 dual core, 620m (4500 3D mark Vantage score) and play games decently well, ultra portability, more battery life, but it costs $350 more. Also seems to have better build quality, I tried to bend it in the store and couldn't due to its aluminum frame.
So now you can see why im torn...They both offer the 1080P screen. y580 costs $350 less and has superior processor and GPU but not as mobile. Also not sure if it will do 3+ hours of websurfing. Zenbook is much more portable and longer battery life. Looking for some guiding reasoning here...

PS, i dont care about the hard drives in either machine, i have a brand new in box 256GB SSD waiting to go in either one.

I think I explained everything pretty well, but here is the form:
1. What is your budget?
$1300

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
13-15"

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1080P

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Somewhat portable

5. How much battery life do you need?
3+ hours for websurfing/note taking

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Starcraft 2 and league of legends in High or better

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Nothing really

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
N/A

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
N/A

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
2+ years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Preferably CD/DVD but not a necessity

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
None

13. What country do you live in?
USA

 

schwinn89

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Jan 26, 2013
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That is definitely a hard decision to make. Personally, I would want to consider which one will be the most "future proof" and which one will carry the best resell value. I have a feeling that as far as gaming goes the Y580 will be the most future proof due to the quad core processor and better GPU compared to the dual core processor and 620M in the ultrabook. The Y580 has twice the score for 3D Mark Vantage than the Zen but the Zen does hold its own.

As far as best resell value goes I would think that the Zen would carry a higher resell value due to quality of build and the simple fact that it is an ultrabook. If you think that the 620M is going to meet your particular needs/wants as far as gaming goes then I would most likely go for the ultrabook. Again that is just what I would choose. But, if you think that at any point down the line you are going to want to play on higher settings or more intensive games then I would stick to the Y580. Hopefully this will help you to some degree with your decision. Good luck!
 

Usmcpi9504

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Feb 7, 2013
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As far as resell value goes, i honestly don't give a ***. I still have each and every laptop i have bought since my very first one in 2003-4. That thing cost $3000 new and top of the line in its day. If I try to use it today, i just want to throw it against a wall. Then i have my Dell XPS Gen 2 (which is in pieces cuz i took it apart and then got to lazy to put it back together). Then I got a Dell Studio 15 in 2008, which currently serves as my vent server. Then i got the Vaio i currently use in late 2009.

As far as future proof goes, I can always buy another laptop in 2 years, and hopefully by then they will have better technology and have a 660m+ like GPU in ultrabooks :) I also have my beastly desktop for all my more demanding games, like BF3, which I rarely play anyways. I mainly play games like SC2, League of Legends, Dota 2, etc online with friends.

If there are any middle ground laptops that are still around 1" thick with 640m-650m GPU and the 1080p screen, I'd definitely be interested.
 
G

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From your post you clearly know what you are looking for. I found this whilst looking at ultra books:www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-u500vz-cn032h-15-6-ultrabook-silver-17563650-pdt.html

Unfortunately I think it probably is more than $1300 as it is £1250 in the UK.
 

FST

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Jun 18, 2013
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What about the Asus N56VZ, it packs a Nvidia Geforce GT 650M graphic card which is good for gaming and also has great performance

 
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