What laptop?

K

Kevin_T

New Member
Hi Guys,
I am going to buy a new Laptop soon and I would need a little help/ advice.
My budget is under $1000 and it should be fast and reliable.
I found 5 Laptops that had good specs:

1. Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 (0646-5KU)
CPU- i5-480M (2.66GHz) 3MB L3 Cache
Memory (RAM)- 6GB DDR3 1066
Graphics- ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
Video Memory- 1GB

2. Lenovo IdeaPad Y560p (4397-23U)
CPU- i7-2630QM (2.0GHz) 6MB L3 Cache
Memory (RAM)- 4GB DDR3 1066
Graphics- ATI Radeon HD 6570M
Video Memory- 1GB

3. Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 (0646-54U)
CPU- i7-740QM (1.73 GHz) 6MB L3 Cache
Memory (RAM)- 4GB DDR3 1066
Graphics- ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
Video Memory- 1GB

4. HP EliteBook 8440p (Refurbished)
CPU- i7 620M (2.66 GHz) 4MB L3 Cache
Memory (RAM)- 4GB DDR3 1333
Graphics- NVIDIA Quadro NVS 3100M
Video Memory- 512 MB

5. Xplorer X6-9500
CPU- i7 2630QM (2.0 GHz) 6MB Intel Smart Cache
Memory (RAM)- 4GB DDR3 1333
Graphics- NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 2GB
Video Memory- 2GB (I think)

Which one is the "best"?
 
If I knew the brand, I would say the last. But I have never heard of it. Other then that, they look fairly similar, the different being the CPU and GFX.
 
i would go for the first lenovo y560, although it has an i5 it is significantly faster than the i7`s, and your getting 6gb of memory.
 
I believe that may actually be a good choice. I think the i5 is better unless you really need the power, because the i7 is more for graphics and the such.
 
All GPU's are comparable so I make that a non factor.

#2 and #5 are the best. They have the 2nd gen i7 Sandy Bridge CPU. It even crushes the first gen i7 740QM.

The comment about the i5 being significantly faster is not correct other than clocks. It is true in a strictly dual threaded app it would perform better than the i7 740QM if you were doing nothing else. But everything is not dual or single threaded. In all others or if doing substantial tasks in the background the i7 740 would dare I say crush the i5. The i5 vs the i7 2nd gen Sandy Bridge I do not think it would win in any application. Do not compare clocks across generations, it does not work.

#5 Xplorer X6-9500 is a rebranded Clevo they are very good machines. They have been making the highest performance gaming notebooks for over 10 years. The main distributer of Clevo's in the US is Sager that sells direct and through many retailers in the US. It is the Clevo W150HN same as Sager NP5160.

Even though not that big of a deal the Xplorer/Clevo has 1333MHz RAM, the others 1066MHz except #4 that lists 1333MHz but since the memory controller only supports 1066MHz it will not run at 1333MHz.

The Xplorer/Clevo has Optimus technology is a bonus. On die GPU will run when high demand not needed saving battery life. I am uncertain about the others.

The Sager version sells for $879 w/OS not sure why explorer sell for $955?

I consider the Sager NP5160 to be the best.

Good luck.
 
Thank you guys!
So what matters the most in terms of power? The CPU right?
Would the 6GB RAM make a big difference compared to the others (4GB)?
Thanks again...
 
Kevin_T said:
Thank you guys!
So what matters the most in terms of power? The CPU right?
Would the 6GB RAM make a big difference compared to the others (4GB)?
Thanks again...
Click to expand...
I don't know what apps you use. That can make a difference. That said you need a balanced system all your selections are balanced so I can set that aside. Being balanced means yes a better CPU is a better CPU.

The Lenovo with the i5 and 6GB RAM does not look best to me. Yea 1066MHz and 1333MHz does not make a great difference to me as the greater latency of the higher clocked puts them closer than clocks would indicate.

Unless you do very specific applications where 4GB is not enough and 6GB is which I doubt. You will see no real world difference. On CPU and that i5 vs i7 I think the i7 will win. Upgrade from 4GB to 8GB can be had on the Sager NP5160 for $70.
 
Okay so i think im going with an i7 then!
because your right i dont use very specific apps i dont even game that much...
 
They are the same. Look at cost and make sure what is included is the same for same cost.

I am new here so don't want to come off as a salesman. That said I would buy a Sager. Several very good resellers. I would recommend buying from a reseller vs Sager direct. The cost is the same. Sager seems to have a greater issue being a notebook MFG. That means with a good reseller you get better customer service?

Like I said don't want to come on here and bash "Cyber Power" "I Buy Power" and Eurocom. Or tell you the first two's nicknames. But Sager is the only Authorized North American repair facility. So as such why buy a private branded unless cost is less. Which it is not.

Do a search for Sager resellers, the two I know best? One in Nebraska the other in Vegas. Check BBB ratings.

PS The Sager and the xplorer are the same. I mean the exact same model. Clevo.
 
Last edited:
Okay so I bought the explorer with a formated HDD without operating system, because i knew i had windows 7 ultimate at home... so after i buy the pc i look for the operatign system and it says upgrade for windows vista only... will it still work? :/
 
Your disk is a Vista upgrade? Or your Ultimate is an upgrade from Vista? Either way you are going to have a problem you need a base OS I believe? Or the full version.
 
So it is an upgrade Disc. You can get a full version of Ultimate for $179.99, link. Or you could look for an unused OEM Vista or Retail version somewhere (ebay). Likely cheaper. Then use your upgrade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top