Lenovo y510p - Which model should I buy?

[Silver5827]

Hi,

I am currently facing a laptop-choosing conundrum. It's between this model:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313739,
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313584.

Specs of the first one (Referred to as Model A) $899
-6 gigs RAM
-SLI 755m 2gigs VRAM
-Intel Core i5 4200M (2.5GHz)
-1 TB SSHD Hybrid drive

Specs of the second one (Model B) $999
-8 gigs RAM
-SLI 750m 2gigs VRAM
-Intel Core i7 4700MQ(2.40GHz)
-1 TB HDD and a 8GB SSHD for caching



I've done my research, and apparently the difference in the two Graphics Cards in SLI is nearly nothing. The main difference that i'm focusing on is the CPU. I would like a future-proof laptop (Which is what I see in the y510p for the next 4-6 years), which is why I'm thinking of Model B with the i7. It is quad-core, compared to dual-core in Model A's i5. The extra hundred dollars is definitely an issue - i'm trying to get a cost-effective multimedia/gaming laptop.

What do you guys suggest? Just to give you an idea of what I want, I want to be able to get good frame rates on med-high settings in most games, and have a longer battery life.

Any responses are appreciated- thanks!

PS: I would like a recommendation by this Friday the 14th - that's when i'm planning on ordering it.

 

[themaskofwraith]

Regarding the CPU, from the reviews
with i7 -When more than one core is tasked or the GPU is stressed, the clock speed drops to only 2.4 GHz.

with i5- i cant find anything about the clock speed, but since it is an i5, the clock speed is going to better than i7. Let say 2.6Ghz or 2.7GHz when the two cores are active.

So if you are into gaming, you might already know that two cores is enough for gaming, and since it also have higher clock speeds it will perform better.

But in some games (specially in Multiplayer) (ex: SKYRIM) where there is a need for more CPU power, i7 will perform somewhat better than i5 .

So i will give an edge to i7 over i5. so if you are not on tight budget go with i7 one.

UPDATE

sorry i didnt read the entire post, since you are on tight budget, go with i5, you wont notice the difference.

[out of the context]if i were you, i will look for another lappy than this, as people reported that it drops 40% of FPS while on battery.

 

[themaskofwraith]

i know you are on tight budget, but consider these too

As single 765M gives same performance as 750M SLI, and much power efficient.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198039 999$

MSI has better cooling and build quality.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152406

 

[Silver5827]

Hi,

After doing some 'googly searching', I've found that the FPS on the y510p only drops because it comes with "Power Saver" battery plan defaulted. If you mess with those settings, you'll only loose maybe %10-30 percent when running on battery.

Also, I think I've found what i'm going to get. Its this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313684

For only $100 more that "Model B" from up there, its a big improvement. It's better than both the laptops you have listed up there except for the GPU, which only differs by about 3-6 FPS in most games. I chose this one because it actually comes with an mSATA SSD port, so i'll be able to upgrade it later.

Thanks for the quick response, it sorta solidified my thoughts of getting the y510p 😀

If you happen to find something much better for the same price, make sure to let me know.

Thanks again!

 

[themaskofwraith]

Hi,

After doing some 'googly searching', I've found that the FPS on the y510p only drops because it comes with "Power Saver" battery plan defaulted. If you mess with those settings, you'll only loose maybe %10-30 percent when running on battery.

Also, I think I've found what i'm going to get. Its this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313684

For only $100 more that "Model B" from up there, its a big improvement. It's better than both the laptops you have listed up there except for the GPU, which only differs by about 3-6 FPS in most games. I chose this one because it actually comes with an mSATA SSD port, so i'll be able to upgrade it later.

Thanks for the quick response, it sorta solidified my thoughts of getting the y510p 😀

If you happen to find something much better for the same price, make sure to let me know.

Thanks again!

have look at
http/web.eurocom.com/ec/ec_model_config1(1,238,0)x (copy pase url if clicking dint work)

The base model is 900$, but the thing has lot of options for upgrading in the future. temps are cooler than any other laptops.

 

[Silver5827]

Look interesting, especially this the lower temps, but it's a bit too expensive. To get the same processor and an OS (Going with a Windows, Ubuntu doesn't have enough support yet), it already costs nearly $150 over the one above.

Thanks though, all suggestions are useful

 

[Silver5827]

Alright, after hours of more searching, I've pretty much decided on this new one from Sager:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sm-eta-march-p-6986.html
Yes, it is about $150 more that "Model C" from above, but this thing is a new beast with so much upgradability.
Any comments?

 

[themaskofwraith]

actually i thought of the same thing, but i thought its a little bit out of the budget. But if yu can afford it then its the best thing to go.