Mid-range laptop with decent graphics - shall I wait?

[sbi85]

Hey guys,

I am reasearching to buy a laptop for my fiance to replace her old(er) Packard-Bell piece. Can you please help with finding the right one?

Here are the criterias:
- larger than 13" but not 17", Full HD screen
- decent battery time 4+ hours (under normal use - films, internet)
- fairly ligthweight (doesn't need to be superlight just not like my 4.5kg rig)
- ok(ish) graphic output. either a higher end integrated card (iris pro maybe?) or dedicated graphics (keep in mind that with dedicated the battery time is much worse and I try to avoid that). It should run things like: Dota 2, Orcs must Die2, Divinity Original Sin
- hybrid hard drive or just SSD
- AC wifi
- cost: max 1000-1100 $ (can be way less of course if there are options)

Now the one I have found so far is a custom made one from XoticPC: http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2740-clevo-w740su-p-6201.html

SAGER NP2740 (Clevo w740SU)
14.1" FHD
i7-4770HQ
Intel® Iris Pro 5200 Graphics
8GB DDR3 1600MHz
4.20 lbs with 6-cell Battery

Can you comment on this and maybe recommend better ones that suit these criterias?

Since the new Broadwells and a bit later the Skylakes are coming out, shall I wait a bit so the prices for 4th gen CPUs get lower or even wait for these new ones? Would it worth it?

Any help is appreciated
Thanks a lot

Balint

 

[plaintuts]

Nah, better not get your hopes too high for the upcoming processors

Your current pick is already decent, unless shes a hardcore gamer or uses it for video editing then, its fine

 

[entropy4money]

Alienware 13. Beautiful laptop for the price. http/www.amazon.com/Alienware-ANW13-2273SLV-13-Inch-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B00SIJG2UW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431096627&sr=8-1&keywords=alienware+13+inch+laptop

 

[sbi85]

Alienware 13. Beautiful laptop for the price. http/www.amazon.com/Alienware-ANW13-2273SLV-13-Inch-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B00SIJG2UW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431096627&sr=8-1&keywords=alienware+13+inch+laptop

This looks cute though I would go for something larger than 13 inch.

The Lenovo Y50-70 looks interesting. Now it is under a 1000 dollars:

http/shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/

i7-4720HQ
15.6" FHD
GeForce GTX 860M 4GB
16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
Hybrid 1TB 5400 RPM+8GB SSHD

for 989$

I'm slightly worried about the battery life though. It says up to 5 hours. Is that believable in real life circumstances?
And overall is this better than the one I've picked for the requirements I have?

 

[entropy4money]

Oh ok, if you are looking for 15inch I would go for MSI laptops. they're really good. Check this out

http/www.amazon.com/MSI-GP60-LEOPARD-010-9S7-16GH11-010-15-6-Inch/dp/B00IQ4E0ZI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1431099836&sr=1-6&keywords=MSI+laptop

No SSD, but they might have an SSD version? I would pick MSI over Lenovo. They usually have very good gaming battery life, I wouldn't trust the "up to 5 hrs" as that could be battery life browsing the web and not gaming. For batttery life I would look at wattage consumption of components, and how big the battery is (cells), and there's also efficiency of the system, battery itself... Again, MSI gaming laptops are known for having efficient batteries. Btw, divinity original sin is an amazing game.

 

[sbi85]

Oh ok, if you are looking for 15inch I would go for MSI laptops. they're really good. Check this out

http/www.amazon.com/MSI-GP60-LEOPARD-010-9S7-16GH11-010-15-6-Inch/dp/B00IQ4E0ZI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1431099836&sr=1-6&keywords=MSI+laptop

No SSD, but they might have an SSD version? I would pick MSI over Lenovo. They usually have very good gaming battery life, I wouldn't trust the "up to 5 hrs" as that could be battery life browsing the web and not gaming. For batttery life I would look at wattage consumption of components, and how big the battery is (cells), and there's also efficiency of the system, battery itself... Again, MSI gaming laptops are known for having efficient batteries. Btw, divinity original sin is an amazing game.

yeah I have read some disappointing things about Lenovo's build quality and support.
This MSI looks decent. Although weight and battery life are still pretty big requirements for my girlfriend even if it's less GPU.
But thanks for suggesting it. I'll put it on the list to discuss.

ps. yeah Divinity is pretty cool but because of laptop performance issues we are really stuck in the beginning of the co-op campaign

 

[entropy4money]

Oh ok, if you are looking for 15inch I would go for MSI laptops. they're really good. Check this out

http/www.amazon.com/MSI-GP60-LEOPARD-010-9S7-16GH11-010-15-6-Inch/dp/B00IQ4E0ZI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1431099836&sr=1-6&keywords=MSI+laptop

No SSD, but they might have an SSD version? I would pick MSI over Lenovo. They usually have very good gaming battery life, I wouldn't trust the "up to 5 hrs" as that could be battery life browsing the web and not gaming. For batttery life I would look at wattage consumption of components, and how big the battery is (cells), and there's also efficiency of the system, battery itself... Again, MSI gaming laptops are known for having efficient batteries. Btw, divinity original sin is an amazing game.

yeah I have read some disappointing things about Lenovo's build quality and support.
This MSI looks decent. Although weight and battery life are still pretty big requirements for my girlfriend even if it's less GPU.
But thanks for suggesting it. I'll put it on the list to discuss.

ps. yeah Divinity is pretty cool but because of laptop performance issues we are really stuck in the beginning of the co-op campaign

The best gaming laptops out there are MSI. You will get very good battery life, but good battery life comes at a price which is usually a heavier battery, which adds a lot of weight to the laptop. I would stay away from Lenovo and gigabyte. Gigabyte laptops are good, but if you get a bad one their tech support is the worst (it is a lottery). Alienware is decent, except for the 13 inch which is phenomenal. Have in mind that a bigger screen exponentially decreases battery life. The alienware 13inch will give you the performance you need, the weight you need and the battery life you need. If you want a bigger screen you can always plug to a monitor or TV, and if she is gaming on the go I personally like a 13 inch for a portable gaming device than a 15 inch. I wish my girlfriend played video games , must be REALLY fun to play divinity original sin together.

I have heard good things about Sager, but I can't comment much about it. It looks really good, but I always prefer dedicated graphics. That laptop might fit what you're looking for though.

 

[sbi85]

Oh ok, if you are looking for 15inch I would go for MSI laptops. they're really good. Check this out

http/www.amazon.com/MSI-GP60-LEOPARD-010-9S7-16GH11-010-15-6-Inch/dp/B00IQ4E0ZI/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1431099836&sr=1-6&keywords=MSI+laptop

No SSD, but they might have an SSD version? I would pick MSI over Lenovo. They usually have very good gaming battery life, I wouldn't trust the "up to 5 hrs" as that could be battery life browsing the web and not gaming. For batttery life I would look at wattage consumption of components, and how big the battery is (cells), and there's also efficiency of the system, battery itself... Again, MSI gaming laptops are known for having efficient batteries. Btw, divinity original sin is an amazing game.

yeah I have read some disappointing things about Lenovo's build quality and support.
This MSI looks decent. Although weight and battery life are still pretty big requirements for my girlfriend even if it's less GPU.
But thanks for suggesting it. I'll put it on the list to discuss.

ps. yeah Divinity is pretty cool but because of laptop performance issues we are really stuck in the beginning of the co-op campaign

The best gaming laptops out there are MSI. You will get very good battery life, but good battery life comes at a price which is usually a heavier battery, which adds a lot of weight to the laptop. I would stay away from Lenovo and gigabyte. Gigabyte laptops are good, but if you get a bad one their tech support is the worst (it is a lottery). Alienware is decent, except for the 13 inch which is phenomenal. Have in mind that a bigger screen exponentially decreases battery life. The alienware 13inch will give you the performance you need, the weight you need and the battery life you need. If you want a bigger screen you can always plug to a monitor or TV, and if she is gaming on the go I personally like a 13 inch for a portable gaming device than a 15 inch. I wish my girlfriend played video games , must be REALLY fun to play divinity original sin together.

I have heard good things about Sager, but I can't comment much about it. It looks really good, but I always prefer dedicated graphics. That laptop might fit what you're looking for though.

I have and MSI based gaming laptop (MS-1761) but the battery life is pretty awful. I can watch a 45min episode of a series and its pretty much done from full charge. Though the laptop is 3 years old and it's a 17inch one.

The current ones I am still considering are:

Sager NP2740
Lenovo Y50-70
MSI GP60 LEOPARD-010;9S7-16GH11-010
ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71

 

[velo3100]

The sagar laptop is good enough for what your fiance needs.
The lenovo has issues with the screen I have heard.
The msi I don't know about but I assume it is good as they make good laptops but they tend to be on the louder side.
The asus is another good alternative to the asus and should last just as long.