Ideapad 330 - ok budget laptop for editing or a terrible idea?

[raphajb]

Hey guys, sorry for the repeated question, but after searching all over the internet and this forum, I`m still completely lost.

Basically, my little faithful Lenovo G400 that has served me well for 4 years is on its deathbed, and I desperatly need a new laptop before my one leaves me for good. Prefrerably, this time, one that can render videos past 720p in less than 10 hours?
I am still distrustful of Acers and HPs as previous ones have quite literally fallen apart or overheated themselves to death...

In short:

A laptop that can handle image and video editing (doesn`t need to be 4K)

Budget: ~600$, give or takeI`m not in the US, that is a compared price. Prices get astronomically higher where I`m at. so small differences in dollars means waaay more to me/
Size: Nothing less than 14", preferably a 15"
Screen: something with good brightness, color and resolution (doesn`t need to be the highest resolution on Earth, just -good)
Good graphics, CPU and GPU - among others, I`ll use the Adobe pack, and it is my understanding need a GPU punch, and good graphics obviously.
Storage: ideally - 1TB HDD. SSD is still lost on me, I`ve never had it, but I definitely need me some good storage space.
Must: DVD R/writer, 2 USB ports side by side (I don`t care which)
Not important: battery life, backlighting


The last one I was seriously looking into was this one:
Lenovo IdeaPad 330 81DJ0003US "15.6
i7-8550U (1.8GHz)
Nvidia GeForce MX150
8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16834850625

The stats at the link are slightly different, I know. Where I live they don`t sell a single laptop over 8GB memory (go figure) and the price is slightly higher (even with less memory).
I was almost convinced it could survive the demands, until I heard the screen really isn`t so good.

Can anybody help a sister out?

 

[jaguarskx]

The problem is that laptop is a budget laptop with a dedicated graphics chip (GPU). Budget laptops (even though it has an i7-8550u) needs to cut corners somewhere and it is usually the screen. In the US the least expensive laptop with a mx150 is one of the Acer laptop models selling for $600 USD and it comes with a TN panel display I can't say how it compares to the TN panel the Lenovo has though because quality can vary depending on the make and model of the display.

For example, I have a 2013 Dell Latitude 3540 laptop which has a TN panel screen, but it is one of the better looking ones that I have seen. Like most other TN panels, it is not really suitable for anything that requires color accuracy, but overall it is fine for the average consumer. The screen is also pretty bright. I think it was measured at around 350nits to 375nits in one review. Nits is basically a measurement of brightness. Most times when I read reviews of modern laptops they have relatively dim screens of between 250nits to 300nits; I think 250nits is pretty dim and not really suitable for use outdoors in direct sunlight. And these are not "inexpensive" laptops either. Viewing angles of the TN panel screen in my Dell laptop is also pretty good since colors do not fade as quickly compared to other laptops with TN panels the more off center I look at the screen.

Basically, if you want a better screen you need to spend a little more money or look for a laptop that does not have a dedicated GPU to keep costs down. Generally speaking IPS panel displays are pretty good, but the quality can vary depending on the make and model as well. For example, the budget gaming Dell G3 15" laptop has an IPS display; colors are decent enough for the average consumer, but the screen itself is not very bright. One review measured the brightness at about 240nits.