Looking new laptop for school work and light gaming

[azze19]

Hello,

I just bought a Lenovo Z40 (i5 4200U, Nvidia 820 2gb, 500gb HDD, win 8.1, no touchscreen) which covers all my needs, the TN panel is subpar (1300x780) but I barely notice it and quite frankly I don't care much about that. However the laptop is almost all plastic, save for the top. I am looking for something that has a better build (preferably all aluminum but that isn't a requisite).

My requirements are:

14" or 13" laptop (would consider any 15" that is below the 4.8lb mark)
Nvidia 820m or AMD similar and up(anything that can handle Civ 5 BNW and possibly Civ BE on medium actually)
i5 CPU is more than enough (however I would take an i7 given the chance)
No preference regarding the screen but ideally 1600x900 and above
Touchscreen isn't important
No SSD or HDD preference
.9" thick or less

I am considering the Dell XPS 14 (2013 model), the Lenovo Y40 (I would get this one but it's a pain to get a Lenovo from the US to Mexico, and Lenovo's mexican models suck big time), a Clevo W230SS/Sager NP7338, and an Acer V7482PG-5842, however I am open to suggestions.

I would go for the Dell XPS 14 due to the aluminum and magnesium chassis, but the Nvidia 630 is a turn down. My second option would be the Acer, however I've heard that they aren't as reliable(the brand, not the laptop), apart from that it seems to be a bang for the buck (i5+Nvidia 750m). The Lenovo Y40 except for the billing issue is my first option. The Clevo seems a pretty good laptop too, but its 300~ dollars above the rest. My last option would be a MacBook Air, but it only has integrated graphics (HD 4400 I think).

Budget: 700-1100 USD

Acer
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2O4UMS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RZI1LVJBQ77N&coliid=I2SIYXZP9C9U2W

Dell
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANG3T1S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RZI1LVJBQ77N&coliid=I2DOIOCBIUXB5N

Clevo/Sager
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KXC1YRI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=RZI1LVJBQ77N&coliid=I34NYHX7AYWQL4

Lenovo
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y40/?sb=:000001C9:00012367:

Thanks!

 

[velo3100]

You could try the asus x32ln. Or the lenovo y50.

 

[azze19]

You could try the asus x32ln. Or the lenovo y50.

The Asus looks pretty good, but it's well above my budget :/

 

[velo3100]

Then try the y50.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Just a bit of advise the fastest upgrade to any computer is changing a HD to a SSD. I added a SSD myself on the new laptop and it booted 2 to 3 times faster