help deciding between laptops

[lettersequel]

Spec-wise, Lenovo E550 is the obvious choice but its appearance is not so spectacular. S41 looks way better and is lighter but that's about it + no review due to it being new release.

In your opinion, is the appearance and portability of laptop enough to trump better battery, cpu, gpu, etc.?

I will carry the laptop around a lot and use it as my main pc for engineering university (not running CAD; school has its own CAD servers)

Also, if anyone has better alternatives, please share (budget can extend up to 900 if necessary)

Lenovo S41 $649.99
- Intel Core i5 5200U (2.20GHz)
- 8GB Memory 1TB HDD 8GB SSD
- Intel HD Graphics 5500
- 1920 x 1080
- 4 hr battery?
- 3.7 pounds + 14"

Lenovo E550 $687.99 or 748.88
- Intel Core i7-5500U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.00 GHz)
- AMD Radeon R7 M260 graphics, 1920x1080 display
- 500GB 7200rpm Hard Drive, 8GB x 1 DDR3L SDRAM
- Fingerprint Reader, Numeric Keypad, Camera 720P, DVD/RW, 6 Cell Battery
- 9 hr battery
- 7.4 pounds? + 15.6"

 

[RageGamingZone]

I would go with the Lenovo E550 and eventually get an SSD drive or get an SSD drive right away, worth the extra $$

 

[BENDOWANDS]

You can get Alot more power if you buy used and spend 900, check eBay for 3rd and 4th generation i7 processors, and get at the lowest an 860m, don't go lower than the 800 series graphics cards, otherwise those cards are running dx11. Here's a couple links

http/m.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Y50-1080P-FHD-Touch-i7-4700HQ-8GB-1TB-8GB-SSD-GTX860M-2GB-Gaming-Laptop-/181836454660?nav=SEARCH

http/m.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y50-i7-4720HQ-FHD-IPS-8GB-1TB-8GB-SSHD-GTX960M-Gaming-Laptop-/252061502016?nav=SEARCH

http/m.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Y50-i7-4720HQ-3840x2160-15-6-in-TOUCH-IPS-16GB-256gb-ssd-GTX860-Wrty-/281774479711?nav=SEARCH

Just some laptops, most have different features,(4K, Touch, 960m vs 860m, etc)

 

[escoroberts]

For me, I'd choose S41. I used to have a Dell laptop with AMD. It easily get super hot and the laptop died after three years. I gave up saving it.