Dell Inspiron 14 7447 vs Asus K501LX-DM006H

[JMoHaNz]

I may or may not be the first Malaysian to post in this forum, but that's obviously not why I'm here.

http/www.techhypermart.com/dell-inspiron-14-7447-21454g-w8-laptop-notebook-i5-4210h-500gb-4gb-nv-gtx850m-w8-1.html

http/www.techhypermart.com/notebooks/asus-k501lx-dm006h-15-6-laptop-notebook-i5-5200u-4gb-1tb-nv-gtx950m-w8-1.html

These two laptops are the only ones to fit perfectly within my budget of RM3000 (roughly $720). Due to a shortage of time (flying off to the UK in two weeks to finish the final year of my degree programme) I will be getting one or the other some time next week.

Some extra info:
- Not a hardcore gamer. More than happy with the core i5 component so please don't advise me to spend an additional $120++ to up it to a core i7.

- I plan on manually upgrading my RAM to the maximum available capacity and swapping out the HDD for SSD storage outside of my abovementioned budget

- Comparison between the i5-4210H (Dell) and i5-5200U (Asus) processors respectively: http/cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-5200U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4210H#conclusion

I'd greatly appreciate all your opinions on which configuration would be the best bang for my buck.

 

[metalicgeek]

The i5-4210H will be faster, but the i5-5200U will give you better battery life. That's the first consideration. The second is that the Dell is a 14" laptop, while the ASUS is a 15.6" laptop, so if portability is a concern, get the Dell. Note however that the ASUS is actually lighter than the Dell despite being larger. The GTX 850M and GTX 950M graphics cards are nearly identical in performance, so there isn't much to consider in that comparison. Finally, the ASUS has a 1080p display, while the Lenovo only has a 1366x768 display.

Between the two, due to light weight despite larger size, a better screen, and good battery life, I would pick the ASUS. However, if I wanted something smaller and faster, I'd pick the Dell.

 

[JMoHaNz]

Sorry, didn't mean to vote down your answer. Thanks very much for that opinion.

I've looked at my choices again and I've got a couple more questions to ask.

1)I've been unable to find any reviews for the Asus. Closest I ever got to a similar model is the Asus K501LX-EB71. Based on the EB71, I can only up the RAM count to 12GB, but for the Dell I can go up to 16GB. Comparatively speaking, I've been told that the i5-4210H processor is better at supporting more RAM.

Say I go ahead with the Asus laptop and max out whatever I can, will the 2.7 MHz Turbo boost for the i5-5200U be strong enough to handle the extra RAM space and the graphics for a game as intense as saaaayyy Crysis 3?

2)Dell's basic RAM sits in at 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz,oddly enough Asus just mentions its RAM to be 4GB DDR3L. Is there a reason Dell would specifically mention the 1600 Megahertz measurement?

3) Would you also by any chance know anything regarding the quality of their respective customer care services?

 

[metalicgeek]

Sorry, didn't mean to vote down your answer. Thanks very much for that opinion.

I've looked at my choices again and I've got a couple more questions to ask.

1)I've been unable to find any reviews for the Asus. Closest I ever got to a similar model is the Asus K501LX-EB71. Based on the EB71, I can only up the RAM count to 12GB, but for the Dell I can go up to 16GB. Comparatively speaking, I've been told that the i5-4210H processor is better at supporting more RAM.

Say I go ahead with the Asus laptop and max out whatever I can, will the 2.7 MHz Turbo boost for the i5-5200U be strong enough to handle the extra RAM space and the graphics for a game as intense as saaaayyy Crysis 3?

2)Dell's basic RAM sits in at 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz,oddly enough Asus just mentions its RAM to be 4GB DDR3L. Is there a reason Dell would specifically mention the 1600 Megahertz measurement?


3) Would you also by any chance know anything regarding the quality of their respective customer care services?

1) You generally don't need more than 8GB for productivity purposes, really. 12 or 16GB of RAM will really be a lot more than you need.

The i5-5200U should be enough for a game like that, but your graphics card may not be able to really go all-out.

2) Manufacturers differ in how they specify RAM specifications. I've seen manufacturers fail to indicate that they use DDR3L, simply labeling their RAM as DDR3. This is dangerous. You'll be able to figure out your RAM speed via CPU-Z, but that's only after you have received the laptop.

3) Dell and ASUS both have relatively solid customer service quality, but if you're from Malaysia, then as in most SEA countries, the customer service may be outsourced to a local retailer.

 

[JMoHaNz]

Sorry, didn't mean to vote down your answer. Thanks very much for that opinion.

I've looked at my choices again and I've got a couple more questions to ask.

1)I've been unable to find any reviews for the Asus. Closest I ever got to a similar model is the Asus K501LX-EB71. Based on the EB71, I can only up the RAM count to 12GB, but for the Dell I can go up to 16GB. Comparatively speaking, I've been told that the i5-4210H processor is better at supporting more RAM.

Say I go ahead with the Asus laptop and max out whatever I can, will the 2.7 MHz Turbo boost for the i5-5200U be strong enough to handle the extra RAM space and the graphics for a game as intense as saaaayyy Crysis 3?

2)Dell's basic RAM sits in at 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz,oddly enough Asus just mentions its RAM to be 4GB DDR3L. Is there a reason Dell would specifically mention the 1600 Megahertz measurement?


3) Would you also by any chance know anything regarding the quality of their respective customer care services?

1) You generally don't need more than 8GB for productivity purposes, really. 12 or 16GB of RAM will really be a lot more than you need.

The i5-5200U should be enough for a game like that, but your graphics card may not be able to really go all-out.

2) Manufacturers differ in how they specify RAM specifications. I've seen manufacturers fail to indicate that they use DDR3L, simply labeling their RAM as DDR3. This is dangerous. You'll be able to figure out your RAM speed via CPU-Z, but that's only after you have received the laptop.

3) Dell and ASUS both have relatively solid customer service quality, but if you're from Malaysia, then as in most SEA countries, the customer service may be outsourced to a local retailer.

I see I see. Hmm okay.... Another thing, which design would allow for an easier access to upgrade the RAM + storage?

 

[velo3100]

I will need to know what you will be doing in your degree

 

[JMoHaNz]

I will need to know what you will be doing in your degree

Oh. Apologies for not clearing that up earlier.

I'm going to be completing my Law degree. I'm choosing between the two laptops mainly for leisure purposes. I've always wanted a laptop with a good balance between gaming capabilities and productivity. I didn't see the need to go all out for a gaming rig because like I previously mentioned, I'm not a hardcore gamer. As long as I get a suitable laptop to play PC games like Crysis 3, the Arkham Series etc then I'm happy.

 

[velo3100]

I would go with the asus as the gpu is the most important thing for gaming.

 

[JMoHaNz]

I would go with the asus as the gpu is the most important thing for gaming.

Yeah, I'm kinda slowly swinging towards the Asus. One more thing though, I've read a review or two pointing out that the sound for Asus laptops aren't exactly that fantastic?

Granted, I'll probably be using it most of the time with headsets attached, so it'll be okay for me. And I'm not much of a sound person so I know I'll be able to overlook it eventually. But I'd like to hear your opinions on this if you wouldn't mind?

 

[velo3100]

I personally don't know how good the sound of this particular model is as I haven't owned it but the sound of my asus n series is very good. I also use headphone all the time and to me it is good for watching videos or listening to sound effects while gaming. As everyone's hearing is different I would go in store and try the laptop's sound out to see if you like it.

 

[JMoHaNz]

I personally don't know how good the sound of this particular model is as I haven't owned it but the sound of my asus n series is very good. I also use headphone all the time and to me it is good for watching videos or listening to sound effects while gaming. As everyone's hearing is different I would go in store and try the laptop's sound out to see if you like it.

Ugh, just got an update from the retailers, their suppliers don't wanna stock up on the Asus, the ringgit slump is affecting their business. Looks like I'll have to go with the Dell then. Any suggestions for that one?

 

[velo3100]

I can't think of any good gaming laptops for dell that can play crysis 3 except for the alienware range. You could look into the acer v series.