Buying a light-weight gaming laptop by May (Lenovo Y480?)

[videsupra]

Hello,

My current machine (Dell Vostro 1500) has served me dutifully for five years and I would like to get a new one that could at least attempt to do the same. Price is a consideration but at this point I just want to know what I need for "the future" of laptop computing.

After some searching, I've settled on the Lenovo Ideapad Y480. Is there a comporable machine I'm missing? Leaning away from the 580 because of size/weight.

I'm not looking to spend more than $1k (substantially less if possible) and I want a few things:

Power (GPU/RAM/CPU) for games. It doesn't have to be top of the line. But 1gig GPU, 2.4ghz+ (ideally IB processor), and 4+gigs RAM are a must. I want to run Diablo 3 and Skyrim smooth and look good. Also, I have a stand alone monitor setup, so the GPU needs to go to a higher res screen well.

Size doesn't matter to me - smaller is better but I plan to have a dock/monitor output whenever I'm at home so a 14"-15" is probably best.

Weight matters - I want to keep it low. My current beast is a backbreaking 6.5lbs and it's gotten to be a pain to lug around. I'd love to cut that down - the machine I found was ~4.5, already a marked improvement.

No Macs.

As for Lenovo 470/570 owners - I want to hear from you!

I want to know what you think of the box itself.
I'm not interested in the hardware, I want to know things like weight, battery life, heat, keyboard comfort, trackpad, speakers, build, glare, screen, etc.

Give me the details of how you like the machine's day to day functioning - is it a good buy?

Thanks!

 

[po1nted]

I understand that I'm asking a lot, so I'm looking for middle-grounds. The Y480 seems to be the best option so far.

I do check the benchmarks and tests via:

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

and

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

and there seems to be a fair difference between the 5 and 6 series of nVidia cards. Not to mention the 6's are cheaper in the Ivy Bridge machines, at the moment.

I haven't found a price for the y480. Does it fall in the budget range ou are looking at given the new gen GPU and CPU?

The GPUs that are performing better (than their previous flagship 5xx) series probably won't be the price point you are trying to hit, I would bet. They are the flagship products. You might find a higher performing last gen CPU and GPU at a better price point once Ivy Bridge hits the street. More power, less money.

IE, given your purchase criteria you may be better off going with a current gen (last gen, from your standpoint) GPU/CPU combo and getting more playability per dollar out of it.

 

[jacobdrj]

The way I was reading your post, you didn't mind bulky, so long is it was light.

Ok, so something between 13" and 15"... Under 5 lb, battery life doesn't matter, that can game, but only with one of the current video cards, under $1000 before May 20th...

I still think you would be quite surprised and happy with a current offering from an AMD APU based setup. They game quite nicely, and with the money you save ($500) you can buy a much better laptop next year.

 

[po1nted]

I still think you would be quite surprised and happy with a current offering from an AMD APU based setup. They game quite nicely, and with the money you save ($500) you can buy a much better laptop next year.

This is where I am going with my posts. Trying to push the technology envelope on a budget in a laptop platform is sort of like losing the race before you begin. Don't look at the shiny new model numbers assume that it is what you need, you will be throwing money out the window that could be better spent on integral parts of an older model that will perform better. For your gaming needs I would recommend something along the lines of:

proc: i7/i5 Sandy Bridge (or AMD equivalent)
Storage: SSD
Mem: 6-8gb
Vid: 6970m or greater

That would get you pointed in the right direction and provide happy framerates and you might be able to get closer to your pricepoint in a lighter package.

 

[videsupra]

I haven't found a price for the y480. Does it fall in the budget range ou are looking at given the new gen GPU and CPU?

The GPUs that are performing better (than their previous flagship 5xx) series probably won't be the price point you are trying to hit, I would bet. They are the flagship products. You might find a higher performing last gen CPU and GPU at a better price point once Ivy Bridge hits the street. More power, less money.

IE, given your purchase criteria you may be better off going with a current gen (last gen, from your standpoint) GPU/CPU combo and getting more playability per dollar out of it.

Y480 price I've seen is $899-$999 though nothing official yet (pre-order pricing). I'm assuming ~$999-$1100 range.

 

[starlightning8]

Why not go ASUS?

http/usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G74SX/#specifications

G74SX has very good reviews, weighs 4.28 lbs (lighter than the Lenovo) is running a GTX 560M at 17.3". They have great warranties too.

It's 4.28 kg, or 9.4 lbs, so almost twice the weight of the Y480. However ASUS does have some machines that are closer, like the N53 and N55 models. Current gen though. I personally imagine the keyboards on them to be annoying (no gaps between key tops), but I've never used one.