Dell 5577 vs Prostar Clevo vs Eluktronics Pro (which is the better deal for me?)

[PANDA125]

**Updated info. Scroll down to asterisks**
Hi,

This is my first laptop. I dont have the perspective or experience of a seasoned owner so, im looking for some help in deciding which model will best suit my needs.
It's primary intended use is for Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and some wireframing softwares like Balsomiq in the long run.

I have 2 groups of which Im having trouble moving forward on: First is the New route and the second is the Older system route.

G1 - New Laptops:
New Inspiron 5000 Gaming i5-7300HQ - $849.99 - $50 Promo (Dell.com)
and
Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming -i5-7300HQ - $849.99(Dell.com)

G2 - Old Laptops:
Dell Inspiron i7559-5012GRY 15.6" UHD - $808.95 (Amazon)
Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK 15.6" FHD - $735.96 (Amazon)
Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK 15.6" FHD - $750.90 (Amazon)

General Differences of G1:

• 
  Gfx NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050Ti vs 1050

General Differences of G2:

• 
  Processor:
  5012GRY - i7- 6700HQ 2.6Ghz
  2512BLK - i7 - 6700HQ 2.6Ghz
  763BLK - i5 - 6300HQ 2.3Ghz
  
  Storage:
  5012GRY - 1TB HDD
  2512BLK - 1TB HDD
  763BLK - 256GB SSD
  
  Display:
  5012GRY - UHD 4k
  2512BLK - FHD
  763BLK - FHD IPS

Generally, the differences between G1 and G2 are:
- DDR3 vs DDR4 RAM
- M.2 Storage as default master
- GTX 1050Ti vs 960M
- 6th vs 7th gen Processor
- 1 case of TN vs IPS display.

Im most concerned about the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, and if its good enough to support Cubase Pro 9's newer GUI....but at the same time, i feel like the 1050Ti will be overkill?
In - This Article - it says the Nvidia 940MX is a "Low End Chip" and it wont even help as much in gaming and - this Youtube review - saying not to buy a GTX 960M.
I wont be gaming in this but my guess is that the statement holds true for DAW GUI's as well.

With the price difference in mind, i will additionally be purchasing:
1x 8GB RAM stick 1600MHz DDR3 or 2400Mhz DDR4
*1x 256GB M.2 SSD (depending on model)
1x 500GB 2.5" SSD
making my system 16GB RAM, 1x m.2 and 1x 2.5" SSD.


Extra info:
The min sys requirements for the DAW (Cubase Pro 9) is: https/www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/resources.html:

• 
  64-Bit Windows 7 / 8.x / 10
  64-bit Intel or AMD multi-core processor (Intel i5 or faster recommended)
  4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended)
  18 GB free HD space
  1366 x 768 display resolution (1920 x 1080 recommended)
  Graphics card with DirectX 10 and WDDM 1.1 support (Windows only)
  USB port for USB-eLicenser (license management)

 

[jaslion]

Hi,

This is my first laptop. I dont have the perspective or experience of a seasoned owner so, im looking for some help in deciding which model will best suit my needs.
It's primary intended use is for Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and some wireframing softwares like Balsomiq in the long run.


The two laptops Im having trouble deciding on is:
Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575G-57D4 - $579.99 (Amazon)
and
Acer Laptop Aspire E E5-575-53EJ - $469.99(Newegg) - The sale will end on Thursday.

From what I gathered so far, it seems like the 53EJ model is $110 cheaper because it lacks in

• 
  Back lit keyboard
  Discrete GFX (Nvidia 940MX)
  Optical drive.

Do the lack of these features warrant the $110 price difference or am i better off with the more expensive 57D4?

Out of the three, Im most concerned about the Intel HD Graphics 620 and if its good enough to support Cubase Pro 9's newer GUI.
In -This Article- it says the Nvidia 940MX is a "Low End Chip" and it wont even help as much in gaming. I wont be gaming in this but my guess is that the statement holds true for DAW GUI's as well.

With the price difference in mind, i will additionally be purchasing:
1x 8GB RAM stick (Patriot Signature Line - $52.99)
1x 500GB 2.5" SSD (Crucial MX300 - $149.99)

making my system 16GB ram, 1x m.2 and 1x 2.5" SSD.


Extra info:
The min sys requirements for the DAW (Cubase Pro 9) is: https/www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/resources.html:

• 
  64-Bit Windows 7 / 8.x / 10
  64-bit Intel or AMD multi-core processor (Intel i5 or faster recommended)
  4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended)
  18 GB free HD space
  1366 x 768 display resolution (1920 x 1080 recommended)
  Graphics card with DirectX 10 and WDDM 1.1 support (Windows only)
  USB port for USB-eLicenser (license management)
  

Intel hd graphics is fine for your case however I do recommend you look for a pc that has a true quad core cpu in it. The u series are dual cores with ht and will struggle a bit with the software you are using.

 

[PANDA125]

oh no, i didnt know that.

Are there any you can suggestion?
Im assuming the "U" in the processor name is what identifies it as dual core?

Best,

 

[jaslion]

oh no, i didnt know that.

Are there any you can suggestion?
Im assuming the "U" in the processor name is what identifies it as dual core?

Best,

That is indeed assumed correctly. The u is for the power efficient focused cpu's. Generally any non u I7 and hq i5's are quad core. These come in around 550$ starting without a discrete gpu. Most of them will already have 8gb of ram or more.

 

[PANDA125]

updated

 

[jaslion]

updated

All of those are good you will never need the power of the 1050 or 960 for your programs so pick whicever one you like (1050 is a lot better than the 960m but since you aren't gaming this doesn't matter at all).

 

[PANDA125]

Thank you for the response.

Im going to go with the New (released March) 5000 series.
I calculated the sum of the entire Laptop cost and the difference between the i5-7300HQ system to both of their i7-7700HQ is $200.

Additionaly, it seems like many people are complaining about the non-IPS screen on the older models. When i receive the item and i feel the same way, i will want to replace the screen to an IPS (+$80~$100).

With that said, is the $300 difference (i5 to i7 + IPS screen replacement) worth purchasing the higher end i7 5000 series over the i5?

 

[jaslion]

Thank you for the response.

Im going to go with the New (released March) 5000 series.
I calculated the sum of the entire Laptop cost and the difference between the i5-7300HQ system to both of their i7-7700HQ is $200.

Additionaly, it seems like many people are complaining about the non-IPS screen on the older models. When i receive the item and i feel the same way, i will want to replace the screen to an IPS (+$80~$100).

With that said, is the $300 difference (i5 to i7 + IPS screen replacement) worth purchasing the higher end i7 5000 series over the i5?

The ips screen yes. The i7 not.

 

[PANDA125]

*************

Due to some unforeseen personal matters, i wasnt able to purchase the Dell over the weekend.
However, i was presented with two new models today and...wow, the delay might've been serendipitous.
I never heard of these companies until now but these specs + price are very difficult for me to turn my back on.
If anyone has any thoughts or experience with these models, please let me know. Which should i buy?

Prostar Clevo N850HK1: https/www.amazon.com/Prostar-N850HK1-1920x1080-i7-7700HQ-Bluetooth/dp/B01MTELLFM/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8 Ghz, 6MB Smart Cache
15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte IPS Display
16GB DDR4 2400MHz - 2x 8GB
256GB M.2 SSD + 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive
1 Year Premium Warranty

+ Additional purchase: 2.5" 128GB SSD, Ext. Lacie 500GB 7200 HDD.
$1,149 & Free Shipping + Parts ($50 + $69.94) = $1268.94


Eluktronics N850HJ Pro Premium Gaming Laptop: https/flash.newegg.com/product/9SIA8S15HU1734
Processor: Intel® Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core (2.8-3.8GHz TurboBoost, 6MB L3 Cache)
8GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM
15.6" LG® Full HD IPS Anti-Glare Display (1920 x 1080)
256GB Performance Flash M.2 SSD SATA III
1 Year Eluktronics

+ Additional purchase: 8GB DDR4 RAM (Patriot Viper), 2.5" 128GB SSD, Ext. Lacie 500GB 7200 HDD.
Newegg Flash Sale ($899.95) + Parts ($49.99 + $50 + $69.94) = $1,069.88




FYI:
The entirety of the Dell Insprion 5577 with 7th gen i5 option (including Tax, S/H, 1 yr warranty, Replacement IPS, SSDs, etc) is approx $1,100

Misc:
I asked on Amazon if the RGB keys are fully programmable (can program individual keys) or if it can be turned off and if there's accidental coverage.