I want to purchase one of these computers

medwatt

Hello,
I want to purchase one of these computers. I am an ocassioal gamer.

1. ASUS K55 ($720)
i3 processor (2.4ghz)
6gb ddr3, 2 usb 3.0, 2gb Nvidia gforce 610m, 750gb hard drive

1. Lenovo Ideapad v570 ($760)
i5 processor (2.5ghz)
4gb ddr3, 2 usb 2.0, 2gb Nvidia gforce 540m, 750gb hard drive

So which is better for my purpose ??

wuliheron

Without knowing the display resolutions and your personal taste in games it's impossible to make a recommendation. All other things being equal though, if you prefer higher and smoother frame rates for fast paced games the i5 is better and if you prefer more eyecandy the i3 comes with a better graphics card. The i5 is better for other things than the occasional game and will struggle less with some of the more demanding modern games if you are willing to sacrifice some eyecandy.

medwatt

More details:
Asus K55VD
Display 15.6'' (1366x768) LED
Processor Intel Core i3-3110M (2.4 GHz)
ram DDR3 6Gb
hard drive 750 Gb
nVidia GT610MX, 2 Gb
DVD Super Multi
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
High Definition Audio
Operating system Dos
Battery Li-ion 6 cell
2 x USB 3.0 / 1 x USB 2.0 / 1 x VGA / 1 x HDMI / 1 x RJ-45 (LAN) / mic-in / audio-out
Webcam

Lenovo IdeaPad V570A
Display 15.6'' (1366x768) LED
Processor Intel Core i5-2450M (2.5Ghz)
ram DDR3 4Gb
hard drive 750 Gb
nVidia GT540m, 2 Gb
DVD Super Multi
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0
High Definition Audio
No operating system
Battery Li-ion 6 cell
3 x USB 2.0 / 1 x VGA / 1 x HDMI / 1 x RJ-45 (LAN) / mic-in / audio-out
Webcam (2 Mpixels)

ThinkToday

Yea, need more info. Since you aren't a hard core gamer, that opens up a lot of potential systems. Since it appears you want a laptop, which may limit selection. First, what is the primary use, and is battery life important for your main use? If you need to be unplugged for hours on end, system selection is going to drop like a rock and get expensive, if you play graphically demanding games (not solitaire). On the other hand, if you're talking solitaire, pinball, etc., there's no problem. Look at the minimum system configuration for the game(s), usually on the outside of the box, and that's your starting point. Know that minimum is temporal, and one or two patches, updates, expansions, can knock your laptop out of gaming. So, minimum isn't a good idea, IMO.

IMO, get a laptop that will do what you need for school/work, and forget gaming on it. You'll spend less, get great battery life, and it will last you awhile. If you get the gaming bug, go with a desktop down the road that can be upgraded, as needed, which most laptops can't be. Compare an decent Alienware gaming laptop (not the base system) to a standard laptop and decent gaming desktop, and you'll find you can just about get the 2 systems at the same price as a true gaming laptop.

ThinkToday

You sure about that?

Not going to do much gaming with that. Are you planning on going with linux or something else besides Windows? That will seriously limit your gaming selection.

medwatt

I intend to use this for 3-4 years. The specs seem to balance in my opinion. But since I have the money and they are both close in prices I need to squeeze to squeeze the most out of my dollars. So any recommendations will surely help.

medwatt

It means that it does not come with a default operating system meaning that I can instal the one I like. So if part of the price of buy a laptop goes by paying for the operating system, then no money is spent here. Actually this is the way I buy laptops. Why waste money (i.e if default os is being charged by the manufacturer) when I'm going to format it anyway. Funnily speaking I'm still an XP fan and I had already purchased xp 64 bits os.

medwatt

I'm not a die hard game fan. I just like to play footbal (PES/FIFA) but I like a lot to use emulators like N64 emulator (which worked well in my former computer) and also Dolphine (GameCube/Wii) emulator which was dead slow in my last pc.

wuliheron

All those games recommend a core 2 duo and the i3 is equivalent to a top of the line core 2 duo, so it should be fine for those games. The better graphics card that comes with it should help with PES/FIFA.

turbo

Have you looked into the ASUS A53E-ES71? Good specs (ASUS A53E-ES71 Notebook (Black) / 15.6" HD (1366 x 768) / Intel Core i7-2670QM (2.2GHz) / 6GB DDR3 / Intel GMA HD / 500GB 5400RPM / DL DVDRW CDRW / Windows 7 Premium (64bit) / 802.11BGN / 0.3MP Camera / 6 Cell Battery / HDMI Port / 1YR Global/1YR Accidental Damage/30-Day Zero Bright Dot/2-way FREE shipping/24-7 tech support) and less than $750. My wife bought me one with her bonus money earlier this year and the performance is outstanding. I am not a gamer, but this laptop seems to be just as fast as my Dell Studio XPS.