Laptop Q: Which would you choose?

http://tech.woot.com/offers/asus-13-3-core-i7-zenbook-w-256gb-ssd?utm_medium=affiliate+-+woot.com&utm_source=Commission+Junction+Publisher+-+4068665&utm_campaign=Commission+Junction+-+10836818



13.3"

Intel Core i7-2677M Dual-Core 1.8GHz,

4GB DDR3,

256GB SSD

1600 X 900 resolution

windows 7



refurbished (should I be worried about this?)



OR



http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=59365180&category_id=C5A2E5E9A88AEE0FD6766480F1FD83F7



14"

i7-3537U Processor (3.10GHz 1600MHz 4MB)

8.0GB DDR3 SDRAM

1TB 5400RPM+24GB SSD

1366 X 768 resolution

windows 8





Both retail for over $1000 and are on sale for $699 (ending today)



My main questions:





I don't really do any gaming, so does the 4gb ram vs 8gb ram make a difference?



They both have i7, but the Lenovo's pocessor is faster. If I don't plan on doing any gaming, does that even matter?



How much better is a SSD harddrive compared to a 5400rpm+24GBSSD harddrive. I will NEVER use 1 TB.



I love that the Asus has a higher resolution screen and windows 7. Is windows 8 as bad as I keep hearing? Do you get used to it eventually?



I realize they both have far more performance than I need right now, but I only buy a computer every 5-6 years, so I like to overcompensate a little

I guess I'm just struggling with what compromise I want to make. I love the smaller size, higher screen resolution and SSD of the Asus...but the Lenovo has a better processor and more Ram. I don't have the money to get everything.



Another hang up is that Lenovo's harddrive speed is only 5400rpm. Does that cancel out some its other speed advantages, or does its 24GB SSD make up for that?

That's a tough call.



I bought a very similar ASUS for one of our sales people and she has been very happy with it. It's a nice machine, but everything about it is slightly out of date (2nd gen i7 processer, 4gb ram, etc.) The other machine has the 3rd generation i7, and 8 gb of ram. Ram makes the world go round.



But the resolution on the Lenovo is the only thing holding me back from saying it's a clear cut case for it.



The 24gb SSD is just enough to run the OS, which would make most functions pretty snappy. Things that require a lot of disk reading and writing would slow down, but 5400 RPM is fairly standard for a laptop drive.



As for Windows 8, I think it's fine and after having gotten used to it, I think I prefer it to Windows 7 with one caveat. You have to buy Start8, a $5 program that restores the start menu and makes your computer automatically launch into Desktop mode.



Good luck with your decision.

Hawking iz smart. Mongo iz not.

hawkwing wrote:
That's a tough call.



I bought a very similar ASUS for one of our sales people and she has been very happy with it. It's a nice machine, but everything about it is slightly out of date (2nd gen i7 processer, 4gb ram, etc.) The other machine has the 3rd generation i7, and 8 gb of ram. Ram makes the world go round.



But the resolution on the Lenovo is the only thing holding me back from saying it's a clear cut case for it.



The 24gb SSD is just enough to run the OS, which would make most functions pretty snappy. Things that require a lot of disk reading and writing would slow down, but 5400 RPM is fairly standard for a laptop drive.



As for Windows 8, I think it's fine and after having gotten used to it, I think I prefer it to Windows 7 with one caveat. You have to buy Start8, a $5 program that restores the start menu and makes your computer automatically launch into Desktop mode.



Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for your input. I'm pretty sure I'll get the Lenovo. The higher resolution was really the last thing keeping the Asus on the list. I can get over that though.



The Lenovo being brand new with a factory warranty, and their reputation of reliability won me over. Between carrying it all over the place and having two little kids in the house, my laptops tend to take a beating.

My brother has a Lenovo. He uses it extensively for business. Lots of travel, heavy use. He speaks highly of it. I don't think it's a bad choice.

A little late but just an FYI

I prefer SSD any day over HDD unless I need a lot of storage. The data speeds for HDD are not comparative

SSD uses much less battery, produces much less heat, no noise, no vibration, no arms hitting the platter thus destroying the disk and not subject to a magnet destroying your data. But they are much more expensive. But I wouldn't base my decision on th HD. You can get the HD you want in basically any laptop you want. Depending on use I always looked at durability, proc, memory capacity, OS (yes the second most expensive part of the laptop after the screen). I have bought thousands of laptops for the businesses I have worked for and have usually settled on HP but I did go with think pads once. Both IBM and HP had pretty durable laptops (I will give iBM the edge here though). SSD was pretty new ( and very expensive) when I was involved with evaluating and buying (I used to recommend HW for the billion dollar company I worked for). And back then I personally managed all the "mobile" technology which included phones, fob's, laptops, aircards, and so on. So my suggestion is always to look at what you get that can't be upgraded and quality. Also look into what kind of service plans you can get. I used to get pretty good deals on them ($150-$200) for 5yr extension covering everything including once a year replacement of cracked screens.



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I did end up buying a Lenovo, just not the one in the OP. I got this one:

http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/outlet_us/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=445&Code=59RF0078



Better than the other two in basically every way for $750. After scouring the great expanse of the internet for the past couple weeks or so, I feel like you'd hard pressed a better one for less than $800 (so if you do find a better one, keep it to yourself! I don't know want to know :lol: )



It's my graduation present to myself. Goodbye BYU! Hello graduate school!

Congrats! Nice laptop.

Idiot Hipster: I just bought a new MacBook for $1400. It's soooooooooooooo much better than that $600 Dell I "built" online with the cheapest components they offered. Apple is the best.



Rational Individual: Did you bother comparing it to any Windows based laptops in the $1200-$1600 range to determine how well the Apple really matched up?



http://www.knutsonlivebait.com/images/crickets.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

snoscythe wrote:
Idiot Hipster: I just bought a new MacBook for $1400. It's soooooooooooooo much better than that $600 Dell I "built" online with the cheapest components they offered. Apple is the best.



Rational Individual: Did you bother comparing it to any Windows based laptops in the $1200-$1600 range to determine how well the Apple really matched up?



http://www.knutsonlivebait.com/images/crickets.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Yeah, that's always been my complaint of Macangelists. I can't tell you how many times someone will come and tell me about the Dell laptop that they paid $349 at Walmart and used it for 4 years and it was so slow and a piece of crap, then they got a new MacBook for $1500 and it was so much faster, and how they get a new one every other year. Well, no skeet sherlock, of course a brand new top of the line machine will be faster and better than a very old bottom shelf POS!