Which Lenovo Y500?

[manshiny]

Okay, so I've finally decided which laptop to buy. I was considering the Asus ROG G55, but seeing that this laptop has GT650 SLI, I thought, heck why not? It'll be faster anyway. Seems like a really, REALLY good deal.
There is 3 variations on Amazon (where I will be buying from) and I'm trying decide which to get. Here are the three:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Metal/dp/B00ATANUVM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362018505&sr=8-4&keywords=lenovo+y500

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Metal/dp/B00ATANVLQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362018505&sr=8-3&keywords=lenovo+y500

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Metal/dp/B00ATANUT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362018505&sr=8-1&keywords=lenovo+y500#productDetails

Okay, so as you can see, there's 2 i7 versions and an i5 version.

The i5 version with 6gb ram is valued at $900.
The i7 with 8gb and without SSD is at $1050
and the i7 with the 16gb SSD and 12gb is at $1120

Are there any other differences to look out for?
Also, does the Y500 have 2 Hard drive slots?

I plan on upgrading the HDD anyway, I want to add a WD 750 HDD and a Crucial M4 256gb SSD and have at least 8gb ram (12gb preferable). I may also change to a blu-ray drive. If it's a single slot HDD, I'll get a 512gb SSD instead.

I do computer science related stuff, and it involves a lot of multi-tasking and editing/programming, and I'm also an active gamer/editor with Sony Vegas/Adobe After effects and a little bit of Maya and Photoshop.

So what should I do?

 

[tigerg]

I have to admit, it looks really nice.

So, is it 100% confirmed that the model WITHOUT the mSATA SSD can have one added? That's pretty much my only query
Otherwise it looks like $1050 model is the obvious choice :O

To be clear, I am not confirming it. You need to check. I don't want you to go down that path and find out you can't add it later. But if it is possible to add later, it's the best option.

 

[Pyree]

I am pretty sure there will be a mSATA port on Y500 shipped without mSATA drive and the BIOS will let you add mSATA drive >16GB.

Look at this product:

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=E6CB89FDA5CA7304

 

[manshiny]

Well it looks like the decision has been made. Even if a mSATA SSd larger than 16gb cannot be added, I will still have a 512gb SSD in. So it's not really a problem. Thank you guys heaps Now to pick a best answer.

 

[manshiny]

Best answer selected by manshiny.

 

[tigerg]

Yes, even if you can't add a mSATA for some reason, you can still add a 2.5" SSD in place of the 750GB HDD.

I'm pretty sure the mSATA port will work, they generally only make 1 motherboard and just plug different stuff into it. I can't say for sure, cause I don't know, but I would expect it to work. Good luck!!

 

[whyso]

I do think photoshop and adobe are sensitive to memory performance so a smaller amount of dual channel ram might bet faster than a larger amount of single channel ram.

 

[Brett928S2]

This topic has been closed by Brett928S2