Purchasing a laptop for the laptop. Need help choosing

[Marek Wasilczu]

So I've always been a desktop guy. I know all about a tower PC, but I can't really debate AMD vs Intel or compare any desktop part to a laptop because of the different names etc. After some research, http/shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/yoga-laptop-series/yoga-3-14/?sb=:000001C9:000156C6:
this laptop seems like my best choice. It is light weight, the battery seems good, it has a dedicated graphics chip, the processor seems good, and the deal seems good! The problem is that this laptop is exclusive to lenovo's website. I can't find reviews and such for this exact model. So I come here asking, is this a viable choice? I am unaware if this is a good brand, a good processor, a good gpu, etc. What do you think? If you don't think this is a good choice, what would you recommend for around the same price point, maybe up to 1200.

All responses greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[naturesninja]

The Lenovos are usually pretty good, but the link you posted actually has integrated graphics not a dedicated card. It's not really a stand out performance laptop at that price, but it's more of a features laptop (touch screen, ssd, convertible). You can get into a quad core i7 and a dedicated gtx960m for that price point, though it does seem cheaper than other websites like newegg. If those are the features you want, I would say jump on it for the price, but if you want something with a dedicated card, that's not the one.

 

[Marek Wasilczu]

The Lenovos are usually pretty good, but the link you posted actually has integrated graphics not a dedicated card. It's not really a stand out performance laptop at that price, but it's more of a features laptop (touch screen, ssd, convertible). You can get into a quad core i7 and a dedicated gtx960m for that price point, though it does seem cheaper than other websites like newegg. If those are the features you want, I would say jump on it for the price, but if you want something with a dedicated card, that's not the one.

The link I got just links to the cheapest model. I was looking at the 80JH00LRUS Would you recommend it? Is there anything better at the price range?

 

[naturesninja]

That's not too bad, if you want to save $150 you can get it in a 15.6" version with an i5 5200u and a gtx840m. The i7 5500u is only a tiny bit better than it's i5 counterpart. The gtx 940m is the newer version of the gtx840m, and also only a tiny bit better. http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834319103
i5 5200u vs i7 5500u: http/www.ultrabookreview.com/6135-intel-core-i5-5200u-i7-5500u/
gtx940m vs gtx 840m:http/www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=2802&gid2=1955&compare=geforce-940m-2gb-vs-geforce-840m-2gb
Either laptop will suit your needs, and both are so close that it's more of a matter of 14" screen vs 15.6" screen than performance.
Edit: the 15.6" version on Newegg does have a 180GB SSD, but an IPS display.

 

[Marek Wasilczu]

That's not too bad, if you want to save $150 you can get it in a 15.6" version with an i5 5200u and a gtx840m. The i7 5500u is only a tiny bit better than it's i5 counterpart. The gtx 940m is the newer version of the gtx840m, and also only a tiny bit better. http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834319103
i5 5200u vs i7 5500u: http/www.ultrabookreview.com/6135-intel-core-i5-5200u-i7-5500u/
gtx940m vs gtx 840m:http/www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=2802&gid2=1955&compare=geforce-940m-2gb-vs-geforce-840m-2gb
Either laptop will suit your needs, and both are so close that it's more of a matter of 14" screen vs 15.6" screen than performance.
Edit: the 15.6" version on Newegg does have a 180GB SSD, but an IPS display.

Well this is for a college student, so i feel like the 1.5 pounds and 1 inch is superior, but it is 150 difference. How is battery life on lenovos. I know it says like "up to 8 hours" but Im assuming that to mean 8 hours on the dimmest setting soley listening to music or something. Also is there any other computer or brand you think I should consider that would be better than this lenovo for my needs and price point? Thanks for being so helpful

 

[naturesninja]

You are welcome. There are better Performance laptops in that price range, but not better feature laptops. Either is about the best for the buck at the price point. The battery life is solely dependent on how it's used, screen brightness, volume, using the dedicated gpu for gaming, etc... A trick that can help too is to turn off the wifi when it's not being used. If it says 8 hours, I would guess that would be using office, light tasks, etc.. Gaming would be somewhere between 2-4 hours likely, and web browsing or watching movies with the integrated graphics would likely land it somewhere in the middle at 5-6 hours. The i5 5200u and i7 5500u are ultra low voltage cpu's so they would be the best to go with for both performance, and low energy use to get as much time as possible on the battery out of the laptop. The student you're buying it for can use the graphics settings to set whether or not a program uses the GPU or CPU for either power savings or performance when needed.

 

[Marek Wasilczu]

You are welcome. There are better Performance laptops in that price range, but not better feature laptops. Either is about the best for the buck at the price point. The battery life is solely dependent on how it's used, screen brightness, volume, using the dedicated gpu for gaming, etc... A trick that can help too is to turn off the wifi when it's not being used. If it says 8 hours, I would guess that would be using office, light tasks, etc.. Gaming would be somewhere between 2-4 hours likely, and web browsing or watching movies with the integrated graphics would likely land it somewhere in the middle at 5-6 hours. The i5 5200u and i7 5500u are ultra low voltage cpu's so they would be the best to go with for both performance, and low energy use to get as much time as possible on the battery out of the laptop. The student you're buying it for can use the graphics settings to set whether or not a program uses the GPU or CPU for either power savings or performance when needed.

So you think this is the laptop to go with?

 

[naturesninja]

Yes, I don't think you'll find a better deal for one like this currently. If it were my money, I would get the one with the IPS, but if portability is your concern, the 14" model is great and slightly better performance. The Lenovo's have quality chassis' and good features you would be hard pressed to find right now in other brands at the price.

 

[Marek Wasilczu]

Yes, I don't think you'll find a better deal for one like this currently. If it were my money, I would get the one with the IPS, but if portability is your concern, the 14" model is great and slightly better performance. The Lenovo's have quality chassis' and good features you would be hard pressed to find right now in other brands at the price.

Thanks! Last question, is this "FHD LED" any good, or is this just a fancy way of saying TN panel.

 

[jaguarskx]

"FHD" = Full HD = 1920x1080

"LED" = LED backlight instead of the old florescent backlight


Those terms have nothing to do with the LCD technology used in the panel itself like IPS, TN or PLS.

 

[Marek Wasilczu]

"FHD" = Full HD = 1920x1080

"LED" = LED backlight instead of the old florescent backlight


Those terms have nothing to do with the LCD technology used in the panel itself like IPS, TN or PLS.

Oh lol I didn't realze FHD stood for Full HD, I was assuming it was a technology like IPS or OLED, my bad

 

[naturesninja]

Funny enough that the Full HD term has been around for a bit, but now they call 4K Ultra HD. I figure they would have called it Overflowing HD if it was already full... But I'm sure at 14" the 1080p will look pretty good.

 

[naturesninja]

Also, if you are concerned about battery life, I have one of these and can vouch for it: http/www.amazon.com/Anker-20000mAh-Multi-Voltage-Portable-Notebooks/dp/B00B45EOYS/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1441490755&sr=1-2&keywords=laptop+battery+extender&pebp=1441490782627&perid=08B305ATK9H31ADYRSVK I usually use it to keep my phone charged on the go, motorcycle trips, or when camping, but I did test it with one of my laptops (i5/940m) without the battery installed and gave 9-11 hours on it's own in different tests.

 

[naturesninja]

Scratch that, I forgot the Lenovo's have a rectangular shaped charging port, so this wouldn't work, unless they started adding a new adapter in with them. Sorry about that.