Deciding between Samsung 550P5C and Lenovo IdeaPad Z580

roadkillfever

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Mar 12, 2009
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18,510
Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to look at this thread,

Due to changes in laptop usage, I've finally decided to retire my Toshiba Satellite P200-144 after 5 years long service and upgrade. Basically, I travel around alot nowadays, and I need something to use from day-to-day, as well as for more prolonged periods away from my desktop. I'm also looking for a bit of longetivity, just like the Toshiba. I'll be using it for university work, watching movies, playing games every now and again (Total war franchise, Portal 2, ect), and very occasional photo and video editing (if I'm travelling for a few weeks or so) - so I'm not really looking for a £1000 powerhouse!


I've narrowed it down to between the Samsung 550P5C (£695.98 - £100 cashback) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 (£745.95 - £100 cashback)

Both seem like great laptops. The user reviews for the Samsung suggest it is an excellent bit of kit that would cover my needs. However, I'm wondering whether the slightly better specs on the Lenovo are worth the extra £50.

The differences between the two are:-
- The Lenovo has an i7 2.1GHz compared to the Samsung's i5 2.5GHz (although I believe both Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz when gaming).
- Lenovo has 8Gb ram compared to Samsung's 6Gb
- Lenovo has a Glossy screen I believe, while the Samsung has a anti-reflective Matt screen. Although this causes some dulling of the colours, apparently it can be corrected by adjusting the Gamma.
- Lenovo has a Blu-Ray drive, while the Samsung just had dvd (Although as of yet I dont own any blu-rays)
- Samsung has the Nvidia GT650m graphics card, while the Lenovo only has the GT630m. Not quite sure how noticable a performance drop that is realistically - can anyone enlighten me?
- According to some reviews, the audio on the Samsung is extremely good (a big plus for me!), while the Lenovo is relatively average.
- Both have the same number of USB ports, despite what the descriptions say (2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0)
- Also, I've seen the Samsung in-store, and it looks and feels really nice to use

Before I buy, I'll try and find both in-store and try and figure out if some of the issues are worth worrying about to me (Dulling of colours, Audio Quality, aesthetics ect).


Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing your advice and opinions :)
 

roadkillfever

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Mar 12, 2009
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18,510
Just been looking on the forums, and found what looks like a much better deal for a different spec of Lenovo Z580.

This model lacks the blu ray player and i7 CPU of the other Lenovo, making it much similar in spec to the Samsung

However, this one only costs £497.98 after a £50 cashback - thats roughly £150 cheaper than the other Lenovo, and £100 cheaper than the Samsung!

So what do you guys think. Is having an i7 and blu ray player really worth the £150 pricetag?

Please reply soon, because the cashback deal runs out in a few days time!