Lenovo Y520-15IKBN vs Asus GL553VD-DM064T, same specs €140 difference

[happygamerz]

Hi,

So as the title says I've got these 2 laptops exact same specs from what I can see. The only difference I guess must be the RGB keyboard on the Asus.

Is Lenovo a good brand, do they have a good build PC? Which would you guys go for? The Lenovo is €140 cheaper than the Asus, should I pocket the difference and go for the Lenovo?

Thanks in advance.

Just to list the specs: i5 7300HQ, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, GTX 1050 4GB

 

[GreyCatz]

This is going to be difficult...

Can I assume that you've found these laptops on pcbox.com (a Spanish site)? And can I further assume that you're either Spanish yourself or speak Spanish?

If yes to the above, then I have the following comments:

The Lenovo Legion Y520 is a very decent and affordable gaming rig. By all accounts you'll get good specs and decent build-quality. However, most users have reported absolutely horrible battery life (30 to 60 minutes of actual gaming).

Lenovo are fairly 'late to the game' in the gaming business, and this may explain why their models are often less expensive than more established gaming brands, such as MSI and ASUS ROG. The Legion models (Y520 and Y720) also suffer from poor heat dissipation design.

In contrast, the ASUS ROG line is a well-established and generally well-respected brand offering the full range of high-end specifications, including 1080 GPUs and IPS panels - you can't get these features in any Legion model.

But take a few minutes and read this notebookcheck review (in Spanish) from March 2017:
https/www.notebookcheck.org/Breve-analisis-del-portatil-Asus-ROG-Strix-GL553VD-7700HQ-FHD-GTX-1050.207244.0.html

NOTE: The model tested features an i7-7700HQ CPU and an IPS panel. The reviewers generally like the ASUS but they also make the same observation as you do about the 'added' 100€ (compared with similar MSIs and Dells).

In your case, the added 140€ might be justified by the 4-cell 48Whr battery which is likely to offer significantly better battery life than the 3-cell 45Whr unit in the Y520. Other than that, I agree that the laptops are basically identical.

If you'd like an opinion as to which one to get, I'd say go for the more established ASUS machine. While I don't know exactly how much battery life you'll get from the ASUS, it's bound to be more than from the Legion.

Happy gaming,
GreyCatz.

 

[happygamerz]

This is going to be difficult...

Can I assume that you've found these laptops on pcbox.com (a Spanish site)? And can I further assume that you're either Spanish yourself or speak Spanish?

If yes to the above, then I have the following comments:

The Lenovo Legion Y520 is a very decent and affordable gaming rig. By all accounts you'll get good specs and decent build-quality. However, most users have reported absolutely horrible battery life (30 to 60 minutes of actual gaming).

Lenovo are fairly 'late to the game' in the gaming business, and this may explain why their models are often less expensive than more established gaming brands, such as MSI and ASUS ROG. The Legion models (Y520 and Y720) also suffer from poor heat dissipation design.

In contrast, the ASUS ROG line is a well-established and generally well-respected brand offering the full range of high-end specifications, including 1080 GPUs and IPS panels - you can't get these features in any Legion model.

But take a few minutes and read this notebookcheck review (in Spanish) from March 2017:
https/www.notebookcheck.org/Breve-analisis-del-portatil-Asus-ROG-Strix-GL553VD-7700HQ-FHD-GTX-1050.207244.0.html

NOTE: The model tested features an i7-7700HQ CPU and an IPS panel. The reviewers generally like the ASUS but they also make the same observation as you do about the 'added' 100€ (compared with similar MSIs and Dells).

In your case, the added 140€ might be justified by the 4-cell 48Whr battery which is likely to offer significantly better battery life than the 3-cell 45Whr unit in the Y520. Other than that, I agree that the laptops are basically identical.

If you'd like an opinion as to which one to get, I'd say go for the more established ASUS machine. While I don't know exactly how much battery life you'll get from the ASUS, it's bound to be more than from the Legion.

Happy gaming,
GreyCatz.

Thanks for your reply GreyCatz.

I didn't find these laptops on that site, nor am I Spanish or even speak the language, but I am in Spain and looking at these laptops in Spain. So you were close.

Battery life doesn't matter to me that much as I will most probably be using it plugged in most the time. I think it really comes down to build quality and price. I want a PC to last, I have a Sony Vaio that's nearly 10 years still working great, but obviously it's dated and I need an upgrade.

I actually already have the Asus, I got it about a week ago (still in the box), but was thinking of returning it as I have 15 days to do so. There was a 48h sale at elcortesingles store so got it just in case, it was €740.

I'm also considering waiting and possibly get a good deal in July as the sales will begin.

So just stuck. I'm a sucker for a good deal lol.

 

[GreyCatz]

Well, zero out of three - I've done worse before...

1. If you already have the ASUS in your possession, I think you'd be perfectly OK with this machine - and the Legion isn't going to be a significant improvement. And 740€ actually seems a pretty good deal, certainly better than the ones I found on pcbox.com (800€ to 900€).

2. If you can return the ASUS free-of-charge, and without too much hassle, you might do that and consider an MSI or a Dell. That was the essence of the notebookcheck review - the 'added' 100€ to 140€ simply don't make sense, except if you're really into the ASUS ROG design. Build-quality is always going to be a subjective notion, but the ROG line typically scores high in this area with most reviewers.

NOTE: I haven't been able to find an MSI or a Dell with similar specs in this price range - the closest I got was this MSI running on FreeDOS priced at 900€:
https/www.pcbox.com/productos/msi1468/portatil-msi-gv62-7re-1810xes-core

You get a better CPU but you have add the cost of Windows 10. As you mentioned above, the 740€ ASUS was a special deal.

3. I know battery life is less important with gaming rigs, but it is the only difference that stands out between the ASUS and the Legion (apart from the price, of course).

I'd still recommend staying with the ASUS ROG machine.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[happygamerz]

Well, zero out of three - I've done worse before...

1. If you already have the ASUS in your possession, I think you'd be perfectly OK with this machine - and the Legion isn't going to be a significant improvement. And 740€ actually seems a pretty good deal, certainly better than the ones I found on pcbox.com (800€ to 900€).

2. If you can return the ASUS free-of-charge, and without too much hassle, you might do that and consider an MSI or a Dell. That was the essence of the notebookcheck review - the 'added' 100€ to 140€ simply don't make sense, except if you're really into the ASUS ROG design. Build-quality is always going to be a subjective notion, but the ROG line typically scores high in this area with most reviewers.

NOTE: I haven't been able to find an MSI or a Dell with similar specs in this price range - the closest I got was this MSI running on FreeDOS priced at 900€:
https/www.pcbox.com/productos/msi1468/portatil-msi-gv62-7re-1810xes-core

You get a better CPU but you have add the cost of Windows 10. As you mentioned above, the 740€ ASUS was a special deal.

3. I know battery life is less important with gaming rigs, but it is the only difference that stands out between the ASUS and the Legion (apart from the price, of course).

I'd still recommend staying with the ASUS ROG machine.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

I've noticed Amazon.es have a few good deals. I've found this MSI https/www.amazon.es/dp/B076CXT5FN/ref=psdc_938008031_t2_B079NPFS1R?th=1 and for an extra €40 they have it with the 1050ti (don't know if it's worth getting the ti over the normal 1050). They don't come with Windows, but it's possible to get a Windows key for cheap.

Now this site https/www.pccomponentes.com/acer-nitro-5-an515-51-51a1-intel-core-i5-7300hq-8gb-1tb-128ssd-gtx1050-156 has an Acer with same specs but an extra SDD to go with the HDD (don't hear much about Acer).

I feel as the weeks go by I keep seeing newer deals on laptops.

 

[GreyCatz]

As far as I can see, the Amazon MSI has a mechanical HDD and no OS. The Acer from pccomponentes comes with a 768p screen, which quite frankly seems absurd in this day and age, and it runs on Linux.

If I remember correctly, the ASUS from your opening post (the one you have at home right now) has more or less the same specs as the MSI, except the OS, so the ASUS still comes out as a very good deal.

I'm not a GPU expert and all I know about the mobile GTX 1050 versions is that the TI is slightly more powerful and will yield around 10 per cent more FPS. If you're obsessed with FPS then 40€ is probably worth it - personally I'd choose a 1060 card instead. For 'regular' gaming I doubt it's going to be a noticeable difference.

I guess it all comes down to how long you are willing to 'sit on the fence'.