3D modeling and sometimes gaming: Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p or Asus G56JR?

[BlasterX]

HI, I am a teenager which is considering to buy a laptop, for the use of 3D modeling, some gaming (NOT thinking to play GPU intensive ones), and maybe music/video editing. Then it's not just for heavy task, I want to use that for my school work and internet.

I live in Taiwan, and I found that prices are not that low compared to US like Amazon, NewEgg etc. I looked in retail stores and laptop brochures, and the best for me I could find is Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p and very new Asus ROG G56JR ( http/www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/G56JR/ ) , which is similar to N56JR. Both of them have almost or no price difference, about 1300$. Now to note that Asus G56JR isn't available in the North America yet, so it is currently harder to find people with reviews of it.




My problem is, I can't decide beween them!
-Y510p has i7 4700MQ, 8GB, 1TB 5400RPM+24GB SSD, dual GT 750M, 15.6in 1080p glossy LED screen.
-G56JR has i7 4700HQ, 8GB RAM, 750GB 7200RPM, GTX 750M, 15.6in 1080p matte IPS screen and a DVD drive.
For the better graphics performance and SSD, the Y510p is a better value in performance, however, I heard Lenovo has not-so-great customer support, and what I really like from ASUS G56JR, that it has four USB3.0 ports, external sub-woofer, and somehow looks sturdier. In addition, my family has never bought any other notebooks except for ASUS, but I don't put the brand name as a big priority. My guess is, G56JR would have little longer battery life, because it only has 1 GPU, but I can't think by how much.
Though, I take battery life more a priority. 2hrs for Y510p is a bit short. I'd like to have at least 4hrs with normal web-browsing, and I would upgrade the battery to 8-12 cell if there are any battery upgrade options.

What would you suggest? All these details are important for me, not just the performance, like customer support, durability, extras and whatsoever.

#Last: Should I rather wait for Intel's upcoming Broadwell processors, which would have more performance and less power consumption, along when Nvidia's Maxwell GPU get's into mainstream, or should I rather buy something else?

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

I would get a desktop computer for gaming and 3d modeling tasks, and then get something like an Asus Vivobook for schoolwork

 

[BlasterX]

I would get a desktop computer for gaming and 3d modeling tasks, and then get something like an Asus Vivobook for schoolwork

This is useless post for me. When I ask about laptop then I mean a laptop! I hate when people suggest a desktop when someone needs a laptop. Sorry for the rant.
I need to do 3D modeling and video editing off home in class, so desktop is no way, and I would move around my computer at home too, so desktop is no way.

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

Sorry for the answer. I would get something like a MSI GT Series GT60 Dominator as it will be able to handle gaming and 3d modeling extremely well with a gtx 870M GPU. This will allow for both portability and amazing performance. But it is pretty hefty coming in at around 7 pounds. For extreme portability and satisfactory performance, I would go with something like a Razer Blade but it's too expensive. So the MSI will be the best

 

[BlasterX]

It's OK man! The 2 laptops you've shown are over my budget, especially the Razer Blade. But never mind, I've ordered the ASUS G56JR today (which is not available in the U.S.). The MSi laptop you recommended is a very good price, but I heard bad reviews about MSi customer support refusing to repair a flaw even it's only 1 month old laptop, and the computer store clerk (which was very helpful and nice to me), said MSi has not good customer support as well, and yeah, that laptop is TOO heavy. A Gigabyte gaming laptop would be the best for lighweight and has great value (for i7 4710M, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, GTX 860M, 15.6" LED, 2yr warranty, only 1400$)! Because I didn't want to spend all my 1400$, I went with ASUS G56JR, and this has IPS display, subwoofer, not too heavy, and enough horsepower with GTX 760M.

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

The gtx 760M will give you good results running most games on medium to ultra. You made the right choice

 

[Terry Chan]

i've just got my hands on the g56jr, and boy im tellin ya i am lovin the heck out of this laptop! what ever game i threw at it, most of them runs at around 60fps at ultra/high settings (with the help of geforce experience).

so far the games i've tested is
bad company 2 (all highest besides hbao)
arkham asylum (all highest beside ambient occlusion and nvidia physics on normal)
arkham city (all highest besides dx11 features and ambient occlusion)
splinter cell blacklist (at ultra with tessellations ao texture filtering off)
sleeping dogs (at mostly high and extreme)

i turned off AO on all games cuz i know that is a performance killer, unless my card is somewhere at 870 and above. only suffers from sudden frame drops on certain areas, the rest is fine. now im waiting for watch dogs to test this beast out (for this level of price, it is a beast in games)

 

[BlasterX]

So now after 8 days using it, it's really a premium experience! The sound is just truly awesome compared to other laptops. At 30% volume, the G56JR is already loud as a laptop with cheap speakers, and crisper. The the sub-woofer does clearly make a difference when it's plugged in, though, I wish it could been boosted at bass, but as long you sit before the laptop you can hear it very nicely. I love the mulit-touch gestures on the laptop. You can use both fingers to scroll on any direction, which is more comfortable to use than using the scroll wheel on the bulky included mouse. The chassis is matte plastic, which has premium feel, but it can leave you fingerprints with sweaty hands. Keyboard is the same as other Asus laptops around 500$+ , but black with back-lit. I mostly turn the backlit on all the time, because on darker rooms you can't see the red text when off.
The display is GORGEOUS! It's so clear, very good color and viewing angles, which makes people stare into the screen even more!
I didn't play a lot of games on there, just Trials Evolution (unoptimized game) and 2 Win8 3D games, so I didn't really test the power of the notebook, but I will till I get the mood of playing PC games, maybe like upcoming "The Crew" game.

The best part is not about the design or specs, but it's the price & extra stuff that is included, and then the customer support. It only costed 1250$ for me for the package, including gaming mouse and laptop handbag, which has great protection, suspension and lasting material inside. It's defo a deal for entry-level gaming and video/3D editing!

 

[Hafiezy Sidek]

So now after 8 days using it, it's really a premium experience! The sound is just truly awesome compared to other laptops. At 30% volume, the G56JR is already loud as a laptop with cheap speakers, and crisper. The the sub-woofer does clearly make a difference when it's plugged in, though, I wish it could been boosted at bass, but as long you sit before the laptop you can hear it very nicely. I love the mulit-touch gestures on the laptop. You can use both fingers to scroll on any direction, which is more comfortable to use than using the scroll wheel on the bulky included mouse. The chassis is matte plastic, which has premium feel, but it can leave you fingerprints with sweaty hands. Keyboard is the same as other Asus laptops around 500$+ , but black with back-lit. I mostly turn the backlit on all the time, because on darker rooms you can't see the red text when off.
The display is GORGEOUS! It's so clear, very good color and viewing angles, which makes people stare into the screen even more!
I didn't play a lot of games on there, just Trials Evolution (unoptimized game) and 2 Win8 3D games, so I didn't really test the power of the notebook, but I will till I get the mood of playing PC games, maybe like upcoming "The Crew" game.

The best part is not about the design or specs, but it's the price & extra stuff that is included, and then the customer support. It only costed 1250$ for me for the package, including gaming mouse and laptop handbag, which has great protection, suspension and lasting material inside. It's defo a deal for entry-level gaming and video/3D editing!

how abouy the battery life?can this model stand for 4-5 hour if only using internet,music and video?

 

[BlasterX]

how abouy the battery life?can this model stand for 4-5 hour if only using internet,music and video?

When just using internet you can have 4 hours of battery life, up to 4h 30min when you have power saver mode on while listening to a youtube music (with 3% CPU utilization), and up to 7 hours when listening to a music locally on HDD when the display if off and headphones plugged in. When in high-performance mode, you can still get 3 hours 30 minutes of battery life. I don't know, but sometimes the battery time/percentage indicator is weird, but I've tested out the battery life while I was having a long train trip.

 

[saisaisai]

How about the cooling system? I'm planning to buy this model ( or MSI GX70 ). I'm a heavy user in which i play games (Dota 2 / Counter Strike / Loadout / Left4Dead) more than 6 hours per day. Can you give some comments about the cooling system? Thanks =)

 

[BlasterX]

How about the cooling system? I'm planning to buy this model ( or MSI GX70 ). I'm a heavy user in which i play games (Dota 2 / Counter Strike / Loadout / Left4Dead) more than 6 hours per day. Can you give some comments about the cooling system? Thanks =)

*oops, hit the "Best anser" accidently. *

The notebook gets warm on the surface, but doesn't make your palm uncomfortable. When playing games, again, on the palm surface it's still keeping the same, but on the left side where the exhaust is (which much better than the bottom), get hot, and as long you don't touch that side below, it's fine, but it doesn't make you burn your fingers. Not the best cooling, but EVERY gaming notebook gets warm/hot, that's just still not that advanced.

BTW. Just to say, I've heard people with the GX70 had things loosen or disfunction in just 2 months, and MSi didn't want to replace it. Just to warn you, MSi doesn't have that great rep. And in other hand, the AMD A10 CPU much slower than the Intel i7-4700HQ. It may be the same speed as Core i3 but quad core, and A10 sups more juice aswell, so, for battery time, get the Asus G56JR. However, the A10 may be able to play games like Dota 2 or CS on the integrated GPU, but I don't know by how much.

What I experienced, when the hard drive is in Standby mode, the battery gets up to 5.5hrs, and when hard drive is on, it's like 3.5hrs to 4.5 hrs.

EDIT: There is also an helpful review about the G56JR. Check: http/www.ocdrift.com/review-asus-rog-g56jr-gaming-notebook-pc/ , but the cons on that article may not necessarily all apply depending your region. In Taiwan, it has 750GB 7200RPM HDD instead 1TB 5400RPM, and boot time is 10 seconds with mine, plus 5-8 seconds for log in, and ROG mouse (but not backpack) is included.

 

[Lambo Jie]

How about the cooling system? I'm planning to buy this model ( or MSI GX70 ). I'm a heavy user in which i play games (Dota 2 / Counter Strike / Loadout / Left4Dead) more than 6 hours per day. Can you give some comments about the cooling system? Thanks =)

*oops, hit the "Best anser" accidently. *

The notebook gets warm on the surface, but doesn't make your palm uncomfortable. When playing games, again, on the palm surface it's still keeping the same, but on the left side where the exhaust is (which much better than the bottom), get hot, and as long you don't touch that side below, it's fine, but it doesn't make you burn your fingers. Not the best cooling, but EVERY gaming notebook gets warm/hot, that's just still not that advanced.

BTW. Just to say, I've heard people with the GX70 had things loosen or disfunction in just 2 months, and MSi didn't want to replace it. Just to warn you, MSi doesn't have that great rep. And in other hand, the AMD A10 CPU much slower than the Intel i7-4700HQ. It may be the same speed as Core i3 but quad core, and A10 sups more juice aswell, so, for battery time, get the Asus G56JR. However, the A10 may be able to play games like Dota 2 or CS on the integrated GPU, but I don't know by how much.

What I experienced, when the hard drive is in Standby mode, the battery gets up to 5.5hrs, and when hard drive is on, it's like 3.5hrs to 4.5 hrs.

EDIT: There is also an helpful review about the G56JR. Check: http/www.ocdrift.com/review-asus-rog-g56jr-gaming-notebook-pc/ , but the cons on that article may not necessarily all apply depending your region. In Taiwan, it has 750GB 7200RPM HDD instead 1TB 5400RPM, and boot time is 10 seconds with mine, plus 5-8 seconds for log in, and ROG mouse (but not backpack) is included.

hello may i know whats the difference in between G56 and N56 ? they look visually similar to me except the colour

 

[BlasterX]

[
hello may i know whats the difference in between G56 and N56 ? they look visually similar to me except the colour

There is a little difference:

G56JR (gaming oriented):
Newer, may have less hardware/driver issues.
No touchscreen.
Red LED Asus logo and backlit KB (visual stuff).
2 speakers.
Includes a gaming mouse & bag/backpack (does in most countries).
Has usually more RAM and faster hard drive.

N56JR (multimedia oriented):
Older.
Has touchscreen.
White LED Asus logo and backit KB (again, visual stuff)
QUAD speakers surround.
No gaming mouse or bag/backpack.

image of the mouse:

nomad backpack

 

[dan15ph]

Nice! I'm also planning to buy one next month. By the way, are you in US? May I know where you bought it or is it online? How much is it?

 

[BlasterX]

Nice! I'm also planning to buy one next month. By the way, are you in US? May I know where you bought it or is it online? How much is it?

No, I bought it in a retail store for 1250$ in Asus' homeland Taiwan, that's where I live,. The G56JR is not available in the US, but instead there is a newer almost-similar one, the G550JK.