Help! Gaming Laptop or Ultrabook?

[Brutal-Force]

Hi OCfriends,

I am on a fence. I have already ordered a Lenovo Y50-70 Laptop - 59440654 for $899.00

4th Generation Intel® CoreTM i7-4720HQ Processor (3.60 GHz Turbo, 2.60GHz Base, 1600MHz 6MB)
1TB + 8GB SSSHD / No Optical Drive
15.6" Full HD 1080p IPS (1920 x 1080) Backlight Display with integrated camera
16GB PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB Graphics Card / Dual Band Wireless-AC

On the other hand, for the exact same money, I could get the baseline 2015 Dell XPS 13.


Both have great specifications and reviews for their respective classes, but since they are so different for needs, I fear I will not make the right decision.

A little bit of history. I have had a netbook, I own a Lenova Yoga 2 10.1", and I had a Dell 15.6" laptop that I gifted to my daughter. It had a T4500 and 4 GB of ram and a 720p screen. I am so underwhelmed by the Yoga 2. Its too small to be productive at all, and the Atom processors are just not fast enough to get out of their own way. I loved my Laptop, but my daughter needed one while I was visiting her in Germany, so I gave her mine with plans to upgrade.

So, the Dell XPS 13 that I am looking at has a i5-5200U Processor, 4 GB Ram and a 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge Display, so at a minimum it stacks nicely against what I already had. Benchmarks of the 5200U are well above the T4500 and the Display is more than enough of what I need for regular computer use.

The Lenovo Y50 is overkill for what I need a laptop for. My Main system is top notch and will be for years to come.

My intent. 90% of the use of this laptop would be for the office environment and while traveling. Bang for the Buck, the Lenovo stomps the xps 13 into the ground, however its a matter of what I need vs. getting the most for my money.

Am I crazy for thinking I should just go with the Dell XPS or will I be underwhelmed like with the Netbook and Yoga 2? Please don't tell me I have already made the decision. What I am looking for is someone who has been in the same or similar predicament and whether you have bought one and then gone back to another?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

If you can get an XPS 13 with 8GB I would do that.
I've tried carrying around gaming laptops before, it isn't fun. The XPS will carry much better while still being plenty fast for you.

The i5 in the XPS is leaps and bounds faster than any Atom.

 

[Brutal-Force]

Thanks for the quick response ATM. The 8 GB version is out of my price range. I am also aware that the i5 is faster than the Atom. I am more concerned that I may regret passing on such good specs for a low price laptop. Other sides, if I ended up not liking the XPS I could just resell it to get what I want later?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Yep, it should resell just as well as any laptop.
I think, in the long run, you'll enjoy carrying a smaller and lighter laptop better than you'll like the faster specs for your usage.

 

[Brutal-Force]

Thanks for the reply. Cancelling order and ordering XPS. Fingers Crossed.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Thanks for the reply. Cancelling order and ordering XPS. Fingers Crossed.

Here's to form factor!

 

[Brutal-Force]

I hope so. I was really getting excited about a top notch gaming laptop. But really... when I game... I really only do it on my desktop. I really can't see me gaming on a laptop, at least, not to the extent I do on a desktop.

I am not a video or photo editor. I don't crunch numbers. Primarily Surfing, Videos and such. I think the XPS will be sufficient, although opting for the smaller SDD mSata may be a mistake. But I can upgrade it later. The 4GB of Ram also will not affect me much because I don't do the above mentioned things.

I hope all works out.

 

[Dlaw]

Yea, the XPS is designed to be productive, where that Lenovo is a gaming setup. Gaming laptops are generally much heavier, have a shorter battery life, and frankly aren't much better for gaming than the productivity models, barring that you don't try to play demanding games like Battlefield and Crysis. If you already have a dedicated gamer, no need to deal with the cons. Grab the XPS (one of the best models of laptops from Dell, in my opinion), and leave the real gaming up to your desktop.

 

[sobe]

Actually the Y50 is a slim-profile as opposed to it's older Y510 cousin and other gaming laptops from MSI and so on. The difference in height between the XPS and Y50 is 0.2".

You will be happy with the XPS I think, it's a very capable lappy for everyday use.

 

[Brutal-Force]

Well, I just got my Dell XPS in the mail today. Picked it up from Cowboom for $690 with i5, 4GB and 128GB drive. Again, its for work and web browsing, entertainment while on the road. Normally its $899 for the same build on Dell's website, so I am happy.

Its beautiful and every bit as small as I thought it would be. If I end up not liking it, I could easily sell it and get my money back. Thanks for all the help.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Wow, that's a smoking deal!
If you remember to try to update us after you've gotten to use it for a while

 

[Brutal-Force]

Yeah, In the process of cancelling/reordering/price checking/price matching I came across the XPS at Cowboom. It was "Satisfactory". It only came with Charger/Laptop in pristine condition. But TBH, I have gotten used to refurbs/used equipment here in the classified section, so it doesn't really bother me if I can save a few hundred dollars. On this one I saved 200 bucks, so I can't complain.

So far its sexy as hell. The screen is beautiful. At this size there really is no need for the higher resolution. As for the touch screen... if I liked windows 8 it might have mattered, but I can't wait to get away from W8 (just the metro part). I will set classic shell up on this, but I really just want to move on to W10.

I have to figure out this track pad, the buttons are under the trackpad (I am used to tapping the trackpad). I have to figure out right click.

I'll keep you up to date, but so far I love it. I have never been able to buy a cutting edge laptop before, so this is a first for me.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Four days till Windows 10, you don't have long!

Right click should be a two finger click.

 

[Brutal-Force]

Thank you. I figured it out. I also downloaded Classic Shell for now. I still don't like it, but I will be patient.

 

[Brutal-Force]

Well, here is my feedback.

The Good: The Dell XPS 13 is everything I was hoping for. It more than fulfills my wishes and I am glad I didn't go with a full size gaming laptop.

The Bad: As I mentioned earlier, this was a Cowboom purchase and there was a reason it was taken back to Best Buy. The Fan stopped working on it. I did a Diag. in bios and it spit out a code which I called Dell about. Since this is a premium laptop, they sent out a service technician who replaced the fan while I was at work. Took about 30 min. and now it runs like new.

So the moral to this story is, if you are willing to put up with a few head aches, Cowboom managed to save me $200. If saving %25-40 is worth it to you then you definitely want to go there.

As for the XPS, ATMINSIDE hits the nail on the head Form Factor trumps on this device.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Well, here is my feedback.

The Good: The Dell XPS 13 is everything I was hoping for. It more than fulfills my wishes and I am glad I didn't go with a full size gaming laptop.

The Bad: As I mentioned earlier, this was a Cowboom purchase and there was a reason it was taken back to Best Buy. The Fan stopped working on it. I did a Diag. in bios and it spit out a code which I called Dell about. Since this is a premium laptop, they sent out a service technician who replaced the fan while I was at work. Took about 30 min. and now it runs like new.

So the moral to this story is, if you are willing to put up with a few head aches, Cowboom managed to save me $200. If saving %25-40 is worth it to you then you definitely want to go there.

As for the XPS, ATMINSIDE hits the nail on the head Form Factor trumps on this device.

So they came out and fixed the fan for free?

Glad you're enjoying the system!

 

[sobe]

Glad you are happy with your choice

 

[Brutal-Force]

Yup. I called, they ordered the fan. They set up an appointment. The tech called me and came to where I was at and replaced it on-site for free.

Couldn't be happier.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Yup. I called, they ordered the fan. They set up an appointment. The tech called me and came to where I was at and replaced it on-site for free.

Couldn't be happier.

Just another reason to like Dell

You lucked out getting that deal!!!