Lenovo IdeaPad y510p

[kneller]

I need a new laptop, and I am seriously considering this one:

http/shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/

specifically the second model listed (with the 1920x1080 monitor).

I'm not sure if this is more computer than I need, though. While I do some gaming, I'm loosing interest in the hobby and generally only play older games, with less intensive system requirements. The only "new" games to which I am looking forward are Wasteland 2 and Torment, both indie games that are unlikely to have high system requirements. Otherwise, the most resource intense game I usually play is Terraria.

This computer is just under $1000. I also use my laptop to watch TV and movies. That's my main reason for the high res monitor. Otherwise, I just do work on the net or use OpenOffice. Considering this, I'm wondering if I'd be better off lowering my budget to around $500 and finding a more cost-effective model with a basic video card and high res monitor. Getting a decent laptop on the cheap is somewhat important, as I wasn't planning to make this purchase until the summer. Do I really need this much laptop considering what I use it for? Thanks.

 

[jaguarskx]

You will have a hard time finding a laptop with a 1920x1080 resolution screen in an inexpensive laptop. For $500 you will likely have to look at used laptops to get a 1080p screen. A 1080p screen is generally only found in more expensive laptop because it is considered a premium option.

That being said, the Lenovo Y510p is a very powerful laptop with a reasonable price. While it may seem to be more than what you need, a similarly priced laptop from other companies may only have a dual core CPU as opposed to a quad core CPU and you may also get a weaker GPU like the GT 740m.

It just looked at HP's website and the most comparable laptop in price and specs to the Lenovo Y510p would be the ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition. Selecting a 1080p screen and a GT 740m (no GT 750m), the price works out to $835.

http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-ENVY/E2E34AV?HP-ENVY-15t-j100-Quad-Edition-Notebook-PC-ENERGY-STAR-

You do save $64 and assuming you find both laptops equally as appealing, then it is worth saving the $64 if playing modern graphics intensive games is not a priority. A hardcore gamer would simply tell you to stop being cheap and just spend the extra $64 for the Y510p.

Of course, you can exclude the GT 740m altogether to shave of $85 from the price tag which brings down the price to $750. The Intel HD 4600 actually provides pretty good performance for an integrated graphics core. There are only two integrated graphic cores that are more powerful, the Radeon HD 8610g and the Radeon HD 8650g. But that will change when AMD releases the Kaveri APU for laptops this year. No announcement date yet for the mobile version of the Kaveri APU, but I would guess sometime in Q2 2014. However, I would recommend that you actually pay the $85 for the GT 740m if you want to play casual games.