Laptop around 45k · DIGIT-ARC

G

Hi Digit,

I want advise for a multi-purpose laptop.

1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
40k-45k

2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
linux, dev tools, game engine sdk, sap server, movies, browsing, photoshop, youtube, windows games like BF4, AC black flag, nfs, COD etc.

5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
was looking at these:
1. hp pavalion 15 n-204tx : heavily inclined towards it due to body looks and configuration
HP Pavilion 15-n204tx Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 2GB Graph) Rs.42049 Price in India - Buy HP Pavilion 15-n204tx Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 2GB Graph) Imprint Sparkling Black Colour With Micro Dot Pattern Online - HP: Flipk

2. lLenovo Essential G510 with intel hd 4600/amd 8570 version
Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382843) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ DOS/ 2GB Graph) Rs.40500 Price in India - Buy Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382843) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ DOS/ 2GB Graph) Black Online - Lenovo: Flipkart.com
Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382826) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win8) Rs.40300 Price in India - Buy Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382826) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win8) Black Online - Lenovo: Flipkart.com

3. Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop
Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 1GB Graph) Rs.42225 Price in India - Buy Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 1GB Graph) Black Online - Dell: Flipkart.com

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: hp, dell, lenevo ( i am ok with only "black g510 model" but i dont like the looks of silver body z500 or z510 )
b. Dislike: all else

6) Anything else you would like to say?
Screen resolution ( 768p (HD) only this i can get in budget
Battery back up ( normal (3-4hrs) / extended (5-7hrs) ) expect a decent battery backup
Purchase place local

some points:
1. don't want to spend extra money to get a windows OS as I already have it. ubuntu/ DOS laptop will be fine for me.
2. want a ram upgrade slot for upgrading to 8gb in future.
3. want a warranty upgrade to 3 years total, ADP if possible in this budget.
3. have a doubt in graphic cards performance: which is good? nvidia gt740m or intel 4600 or amd 8570m/8670m ? i expect a 128 bit graphics card for a smooth gaming exp. if possible in my budget.

Answers I seek

1. Is Hp 204tx with intel i5 4200u+ 740 gt m better than lenevo g510 i5 4200m+ intel 4600/ amd 8570 or dell i5 4200u + 8670m ?
Also, i am getting 2 GB 740 gt m in hp laptop but 1 gb in dell. 2 gb 8570 memory also in lenevo g510.

2. I have been told by friends to buy from nehru place delhi. Can I get more discount there? otherwise I'll buy in lucknow, UP.

I've specified my requirements in my best way. anything else, pls ask.

Thanks

K

Gamer04 said:
Hi Digit,

I want advise multi-purpose laptop.

1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
40k-45k

2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
linux, dev tools, game engine sdk, sap server, movies, browsing, photoshop, youtube, windows games like BF4, AC black flag, nfs, COD etc.

5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
was looking at these:
1. hp pavalion 15 n-204tx : heavily inclined towards it due to body looks and configuration
HP Pavilion 15-n204tx Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 2GB Graph) Rs.42049 Price in India - Buy HP Pavilion 15-n204tx Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 2GB Graph) Imprint Sparkling Black Colour With Micro Dot Pattern Online - HP: Flipk

2. lLenovo Essential G510 with intel hd 4600/amd 8570 version
Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382843) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ DOS/ 2GB Graph) Rs.40500 Price in India - Buy Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382843) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ DOS/ 2GB Graph) Black Online - Lenovo: Flipkart.com
Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382826) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win8) Rs.40300 Price in India - Buy Lenovo Essential G510 (59-382826) Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Win8) Black Online - Lenovo: Flipkart.com

3. Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop
Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 1GB Graph) Rs.42225 Price in India - Buy Dell Inspiron 15 3537 Laptop (4th Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Ubuntu/ 1GB Graph) Black Online - Dell: Flipkart.com

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: hp, dell, lenevo ( i am ok with only "black g510 model" but i dont like the looks of silver body z500 or z510 )
b. Dislike: all else

6) Anything else you would like to say?
Screen resolution ( 768p (HD) only this i can get in budget
Battery back up ( normal (3-4hrs) / extended (5-7hrs) ) expect a decent battery backup
Purchase place local

some points:
1. don't want to spend extra money to get a windows OS as I already have it. ubuntu/ DOS laptop will be fine for me.
2. want a ram upgrade slot for upgrading to 8gb in future.
3. want a warranty upgrade to 3 years total, ADP if possible in this budget.
3. have a doubt in graphic cards performance: which is good? nvidia gt740m or intel 4600 or amd 8570m/8670m ? i expect a 128 bit graphics card for a smooth gaming exp. if possible in my budget.

Answers I seek

1. Is Hp 204tx with intel i5 4200u+ 740 gt m better than lenevo g510 i5 4200m+ intel 4600/ amd 8570 or dell i5 4200u + 8670m ?
Also, i am getting 2 GB 740 gt m in hp laptop but 1 gb in dell. 2 gb 8570 memory also in lenevo g510.

2. I have been told by friends to buy from nehru place delhi. Can I get more discount there? otherwise I'll buy in lucknow, UP.

I've specified my requirements in my best way. anything else, pls ask.

Thanks

The gt740m is a better card but have a look at the z500 its a great lappie and it fits in ur budget if u get it locally

You can get Lenovo Z10 for upto 48k locally.

G

thanx for suggesting. I'd like to know if the laptops i've chosen are good enough and if that hp n204tx will do the job. I am trying to avoid lenevo z500 or 510 because I personally don't like the looks of it.

X

I've got the exact same query like OP.
Is the 740m in Z510 (48k one) 64bit or 128bit and can we install an SSD in that laptop? Also does it overheat due to the 'M' processor?

And which will give better performance:
i5 4200U + Gt 740m (2GB) OR
i5 4200M + Gt 740m (1GB)

core i5's don't overheat at all. i5 4200M+GT 740m(1 GB) any day.

G

I'd like to know if the laptops i've chosen are good enough and if that hp n204tx will do the job. I am trying to avoid lenevo z500 or 510 because I personally don't like the looks of it.

Gamer04 said:
I'd like to know if the laptops i've chosen are good enough and if that hp n204tx will do the job. I am trying to avoid lenevo z500 or 510 because I personally don't like the looks of it.

Yea it will suffice. Lenovo Z510 is definitely more powerful but this is cheaper too.

Yeah go for z510.

z510 has a good combination of i5-4200M and GT740M 1gb . Moreover it has the new GK208 chip. Under full load it heats upto around 77C but leave it aside for few mins n it will be back to normal. Nice performance beast. No lags till now

77 degrees is not hot. 85 is hot.

G

I'd like to know If warranty in lenevo is upgradable to 3 years or not. hp has mentioned on its site that it'll extend 2 yrs for 3k more but lenevo hasn't mentioned anything about it. if I get it locally around 45k without paying extra for warranty extension i might think for it cuz my budget limit is 45k including accessories.

Also, is the 740m in hp and lenevo laptops is 64 bit or 128 bit?

Lenovo has also got warranty extension. I have mine for 3 years. 1 year adp and 2 years normal there after.

My Lenovo z510 has a GK208 64bit chip

G

tanmaymohan said:
My Lenovo z510 has a GK208 64bit chip

oh well, i was expecting a 128 bit chip. How is the gaming performance? Have you tried latest power hungry games like battlefield 4 COD ghosts etc on your laptop? let me know.

Battlefield 4 runs pretty cool

Around 40fps on everything high(not ultra) at 1366*768 res.

Haven't tried ghosts yet

----Updated-----

NFS Rivals 30fps at ultra high same res.

Yes this laptop can run almost all 2013-14 games on high settings. Ultra can get stuck.

tanmaymohan said:
Battlefield 4 runs pretty cool

Around 40fps on everything high(not ultra) at 1366*768 res.

Haven't tried ghosts yet

----Updated-----

NFS Rivals 30fps at ultra high same res.

Yes this laptop can run almost all 2013-14 games on high settings. Ultra can get stuck.

Are those benchmarks real???
AWESOME!!!
That laptop then easily beats Dell Inspiron 15 with AMD 8850m.

Just a request, do you mind overclocking and benchmarking? Use HW Monitor to monitor temps and MSI After burner to OC. Lenovo cooling should support a little OCing. Don't OC the memory much(+200 max), instead OC the core all the way up(+125).

Remember:Anything below 85 degrees is cool.

- - - Updated - - -

I am never buying AMD mobile GPUs again, they suck.

- - - Updated - - -

or maybe it's the undervolted CPU. :/

Yea they are real

Wait I will post some benchmarks soon. But I personally don't like overclocking.

--updated--

Temps are usually around 78-80c for cpu and 71-73c for gpu when gaming for long hours. It has vents on the left to dissipate heat unlike others which have it on the bottom. For normal use only : it is around 50-60c for both. Btw I don't use a cooling pad yet.

CPU temps are high when they reach 90. 73 for GPU is like very cool. 80 is warm. 85+ is hot.

G

tanmaymohan said:
Battlefield 4 runs pretty cool

Around 40fps on everything high(not ultra) at 1366*768 res.

Haven't tried ghosts yet

----Updated-----

NFS Rivals 30fps at ultra high same res.

Yes this laptop can run almost all 2013-14 games on high settings. Ultra can get stuck.

hello guys you have made me think to go for z510 and now i think although costly, this deal is good than i5 4200u laptop. tanmay i checked on your review on z510 on ur site and its really helpful and awesome.
I am planning to go for it with 2gb graphics and backlit variant, though it'll delay my purchase as its costlier than my budget.

I was surfing about when i found this: *techkalauz.hu/pic/images/fsfsfs.png
TechKalauz - Lenovo IdeaPad Z510 teszt

it shows that 2GB card has lower memory clock than your 1gb card. Is the 100 Mhz diff. much in games? I want you guys to give your reviews on it and suggest me.

Also, how is the battery of it? i have found through surfing that its non replaceable, Is that a concern ? cuz other laptops when battery dies we have the option of buying either a branded or a cheap battery depending on pocket but i dont think i'll be getting this option in this case. Please clarify, thanks

Gamer04 said:
hello guys you have made me think to go for z510 and now i think although costly, this deal is good than i5 4200u laptop. tanmay i checked on your review on z510 on ur site and its really helpful and awesome.
I am planning to go for it with 2gb graphics and backlit variant, though it'll delay my purchase as its costlier than my budget.

I was surfing about when i found this: *techkalauz.hu/pic/images/fsfsfs.png
TechKalauz - Lenovo IdeaPad Z510 teszt

it shows that 2GB card has lower memory clock than your 1gb card. Is the 100 Mhz diff. much in games? I want you guys to give your reviews on it and suggest me.

Also, how is the battery of it? i have found through surfing that its non replaceable, Is that a concern ? cuz other laptops when battery dies we have the option of buying either a branded or a cheap battery depending on pocket but i dont think i'll be getting this option in this case. Please clarify, thanks

You won't even notice 100Mhz difference in games when it's just memory clock. Had it been core, it would have been a different story entirely.

M

seamon said:
You won't even notice 100Mhz difference in games when it's just memory clock. Had it been core, it would have been a different story entirely.

So it would be a better choice to go for 1 GB version than 2 GB graphics card version of i5 and save good 5 grands?

melt said:
So it would be a better choice to go for 1 GB version than 2 GB graphics card version of i5 and save good 5 grands?

2 GB will be required for gaming at higher resolution. Latest games will require 2 GB to play. You can play with 1 GB but there will be a massive hit to performance.

Battery is ok

Gives you 3-4 hours on normal settings(medium brightness, balanced power mode)

But games work only on charger

Only a lenovo technician can change a battery

--updated---
I only play at 1366*768 (native resolution) naa kam naa zyada. So 1gb is ok for me

Its your choice completely.

tanmaymohan said:
Battery is ok

Gives you 3-4 hours on normal settings(medium brightness, balanced power mode)

But games work only on charger

Only a lenovo technician can change a battery

--updated---
I only play at 1366*768 (native resolution) naa kam naa zyada. So 1gb is ok for me

Its your choice completely.

Really? 3-4 hours? That's what I get on my Y500 but it's at least 2.5x better at gaming.

You gonna need more vRAM for games like Dragon Age Inquisition/Witcher 3/Watch Dogs.

I mostly use it for gaming so never exactly checked how much battery hours it gives. I will try that later sure. A complete battery test with battery eater.

K

seamon said:
I am never buying AMD mobile GPUs again, they suck.

they dont suck thats very generalised
ive got both nvidia and amd gpus (both mobile and desktop)
nvidia has better options and tweaks(officially , and amd needs custom drivers/software for such options) overall but amd has the edge in havok games whereas nvidia has the edge in physx games(obviously) they perform equally imho

- - - Updated - - -

tanmaymohan said:
Battery is ok

Gives you 3-4 hours on normal settings(medium brightness, balanced power mode)

But games work only on charger

Only a lenovo technician can change a battery

--updated---
I only play at 1366*768 (native resolution) naa kam naa zyada. So 1gb is ok for me

Its your choice completely.

yeah at that resolution , 2gb is overkill unless an external monitor with a very high resolution is used for gaming otherwise 1gb runs fine with say a full hd tv(tested with my friends z500)

kkn13 said:
they dont suck thats very generalised
ive got both nvidia and amd gpus (both mobile and desktop)
nvidia has better options and tweaks(officially , and amd needs custom drivers/software for such options) overall but amd has the edge in havok games whereas nvidia has the edge in physx games(obviously) they perform equally imho

NFS Rivals refuses to run in AMD one even with custom drivers. Only Dell drivers work well. Direct AMD drivers create various problems. It's so frustrating. Even more than SLI. I am sticking with the green camp.

K

seamon said:
Really? 3-4 hours? That's what I get on my Y500 but it's at least 2.5x better at gaming.
.

whats ur battery size? mines a 6 cell on my 7520 and it doesnt give me above 2-2.5hrs with very high graphic games

kkn13 said:
yeah at that resolution , 2gb is overkill unless an external monitor with a very high resolution is used for gaming otherwise 1gb runs fine with say a full hd tv(tested with my friends z500)

For FHD you need 2 GB. AC IV usually uses 1.7 GB on both cards.

- - - Updated - - -

kkn13 said:
whats ur battery size? mines a 6 cell on my 7520 and it doesnt give me above 2-2.5hrs with very high graphic games

I was talking about general use. On battery GPUs underclock 10 times. From 1080 to 135 MHz :/

K

seamon said:
NFS Rivals refuses to run in AMD one even with custom drivers. Only Dell drivers work well. Direct AMD drivers create various problems. It's so frustrating. Even more than SLI. I am sticking with the green camp.

it works perfect in mine, i use leshcats drivers, havent tried amds drivers but dells drivers suck bad , 1st 6 months of me getting my 7520, i was only using dells drivers and used to hate my laptops performance until i realized the 7730m wasnt being used at all instead it used to only use the hd4000 so i installed leshcat and it works perfect now!!

It's rated 72 Wh.

K

seamon said:
I was talking about general use. On battery GPUs underclock 10 times. From 1080 to 135 MHz :/

ohh general use touches 4hrs easily on mine i assumed u meant gaming
was gonna moan about my laptops battery life otherwise

- - - Updated - - -

seamon said:
For FHD you need 2 GB. AC IV usually uses 1.7 GB on both cards.

thats what i said

1gb is enough for 1366x786
2gb is needed for fhd

kkn13 said:
it works perfect in mine, i use leshcats drivers, havent tried amds drivers but dells drivers suck bad , 1st 6 months of me getting my 7520, i was only using dells drivers and used to hate my laptops performance until i realized the 7730m wasnt being used at all instead it used to only use the hd4000 so i installed leshcat and it works perfect now!!

IDK what happens in Rivals. When GPU usage is 100% I get 30 FPS but then when I get GPU usage drops from 100 to 60% and FPS goes as low as 14. CPU usage is above 80% all the time.
Hmmm.....lemme try to update the game.
This happens on SLI too(100% to 50%) but it's not very noticeable because FPS drops from 30 to 26ish.

- - - Updated - - -

kkn13 said:
ohh general use touches 4hrs easily on mine i assumed u meant gaming
was gonna moan about my laptops battery life otherwise

- - - Updated - - -

thats what i said
1gb is enough for 1366x786
2gb is needed for fhd

Soon games will require 2 GB for HD too, Witcher 3 definitely will.

K

seamon said:
IDK what happens in Rivals. When GPU usage is 100% I get 30 FPS but then when I get GPU usage drops from 100 to 60% and FPS goes as low as 14. CPU usage is above 80% all the time.
Hmmm.....lemme try to update the game.
This happens on SLI too(100% to 50%) but it's not very noticeable because FPS drops from 30 to 26ish.

- - - Updated - - -

Soon games will require 2 GB for HD too, Witcher 3 definitely will.

yeah good thing i have 2gb already
btw nfs rivals is poorly optimised its a console port

kkn13 said:
yeah good thing i have 2gb already
btw nfs rivals is poorly optimised its a console port

It didn't even have SLI support out of the box, had to edit stuff.

Mine's is a 4-cell battery

But yes both CPU and gpu get underclocked to save battery without a charger. Games start lagging the moment I plug out the charger . Plug it back again and they are butter smooth again

My CPU is much hotter than the gpu.

seamon said:
It didn't even have SLI support out of the box, had to edit stuff.

so, seamon, what the fps do you get in AC4??
i ordered the game , hopefully it will be delivered by tommorw or day after..
if the performance is even 60% of yours, i will be happy. :-D

rohitshubham said:
so, seamon, what the fps do you get in AC4??
i ordered the game , hopefully it will be delivered by tommorw or day after..
if the performance is even 60% of yours, i will be happy.

AC IV is very poorly optimized. Sometime I cry why is this game torturing me like this giving only 80% GPU usage on both GPUs. Sometimes as bad as 70%.
On an average I get 32 FPS constant during sailing and anywhere between 18-25 in towns and cities.
Settings maxed out with AA set to 4xTXAA and vsync off. Sometimes I lower the settings to make it a little more playable. Sometimes this game give me more FPS when maxed out than when settings are in high. WTH is that!?

- - - Updated - - -

tanmaymohan said:
Mine's is a 4-cell battery

But yes both CPU and gpu get underclocked to save battery without a charger. Games start lagging the moment I plug out the charger . Plug it back again and they are butter smooth again

My CPU is much hotter than the gpu.

First thing happens with every laptop. My CPU is cool though.

K

seamon said:
AC IV is very poorly optimized. Sometime I cry why is this game torturing me like this giving only 80% GPU usage on both GPUs. Sometimes as bad as 70%.
On an average I get 32 FPS constant during sailing and anywhere between 18-25 in towns and cities.
Settings maxed out with AA set to 4xTXAA and vsync off. Sometimes I lower the settings to make it a little more playable. Sometimes this game give me more FPS when maxed out than when settings are in high. WTH is that!?

- - - Updated - - -

First thing happens with every laptop. My CPU is cool though.

what are ur temps,seamon?like gaming and idle?

seamon said:
AC IV is very poorly optimized. Sometime I cry why is this game torturing me like this giving only 80% GPU usage on both GPUs. Sometimes as bad as 70%.
On an average I get 32 FPS constant during sailing and anywhere between 18-25 in towns and cities.
Settings maxed out with AA set to 4xTXAA and vsync off. Sometimes I lower the settings to make it a little more playable. Sometimes this game give me more FPS when maxed out than when settings are in high. WTH is that!?

.

first things first, i am still using ancient 311.27 drivers, gonna update it tonight to 335.23 ; any known issue with these drivers??
which one are you using?
so, you are saying that u get more fps in ultra than high. God, i want that kind of optimization for every game :lol:

.

kkn13 said:
what are ur temps,seamon?like gaming and idle?

When overclocked, GPU 2 reaches as high as 91, GPU 1 stays at 80. When at stock, GPU 1 on 75ish and GPU 2 reaches 83.
Apparently no game utilizes the CPU much so it stays below 75. I have seen as high as 85 when running Prime 95.

- - - Updated - - -

rohitshubham said:
first things first, i am still using ancient 311.27 drivers, gonna update it tonight to 335.23 ; any known issue with these drivers??
which one are you using?
so, you are saying that u get more fps in ultra than high. God, i want that kind of optimization for every game .

None.
Yea in this game higher settings mean more FPS in some cases.

K

tanmaymohan said:
My CPU is much hotter than the gpu.

same here my gpus are at 70c max and cpu touches 90c