I'm a college student looking at purchasing a laptop for basic programming and some light-mid level gaming. I already have a nice desktop that can run whatever games I throw at it, so gaming isn't a huge must, but I do want a dedicated graphics chip for any multiplayer games I might want to play with friends. I've come down to two different laptops that meet these needs, but that both have their pros and cons.
The first is an ASUS X555UB-NH51.
Here are the specs and price:
http
/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232793R#close
The second is an ASUS K501LX-NH52
Here are the specs and price:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232753R
If I purchase the X555UB, I will likely remove the DVD drive and replace it with an SSD, which will cost just under $100, and put the price difference between the two at $50. Therefore, the lack of an SSD on the former isn't really a big deal.
That leaves me with the main trade offs between the two laptops. The X555UB has a Skylake i5 6200U, whereas the K501LX has a 5200U. However, the X555UB has a 940m, whereas the K501LX has a 950m.
Essentially, I'm looking at that trade off and how it will affect me in real world performance. Like I said, I would likely only be playing games on occasion, and they would probably be games like LoL, Dota, CS Go, etc. However, I could possibly play Battelfront as well.
Also, if I went with the K501LX, I wouldn't have to deal with installing an SSD myself. I feel fairly confident in the process, as I have worked with laptop installation before, but it would be a pain to deal with cloning the hard drive and dealing with driver installation.
Build wise, both are pretty similar. The X555UB is slightly thicker and heavier, but that's really not a big deal to me, as they are so similar, I wouldn't really notice the difference. Lighter and thinner is nicer, of course, but it's no deal breaker by any means.
As for battery life, they appear to have very similar battery lives. I'm hoping for the best battery life possible, so if anybody knows anything I do not about battery life, that would be very helpful.
Would the trade off be worth it? Should I sacrifice $50 for convenience and a slightly slower processor and faster video card, or just go with the 6200U laptop and deal with less video performance and installing an SSD and getting everything to work correctly?
I know it's a long read, but I wanted to be thorough. Thanks for any suggestions!
The first is an ASUS X555UB-NH51.
Here are the specs and price:
http
/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232793R#closeThe second is an ASUS K501LX-NH52
Here are the specs and price:
http
/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232753RIf I purchase the X555UB, I will likely remove the DVD drive and replace it with an SSD, which will cost just under $100, and put the price difference between the two at $50. Therefore, the lack of an SSD on the former isn't really a big deal.
That leaves me with the main trade offs between the two laptops. The X555UB has a Skylake i5 6200U, whereas the K501LX has a 5200U. However, the X555UB has a 940m, whereas the K501LX has a 950m.
Essentially, I'm looking at that trade off and how it will affect me in real world performance. Like I said, I would likely only be playing games on occasion, and they would probably be games like LoL, Dota, CS Go, etc. However, I could possibly play Battelfront as well.
Also, if I went with the K501LX, I wouldn't have to deal with installing an SSD myself. I feel fairly confident in the process, as I have worked with laptop installation before, but it would be a pain to deal with cloning the hard drive and dealing with driver installation.
Build wise, both are pretty similar. The X555UB is slightly thicker and heavier, but that's really not a big deal to me, as they are so similar, I wouldn't really notice the difference. Lighter and thinner is nicer, of course, but it's no deal breaker by any means.
As for battery life, they appear to have very similar battery lives. I'm hoping for the best battery life possible, so if anybody knows anything I do not about battery life, that would be very helpful.
Would the trade off be worth it? Should I sacrifice $50 for convenience and a slightly slower processor and faster video card, or just go with the 6200U laptop and deal with less video performance and installing an SSD and getting everything to work correctly?
I know it's a long read, but I wanted to be thorough. Thanks for any suggestions!
Facebook
Twitter