3

I need some advice on the laptop for design. I'm in between two options, more or less equal in price.

What i use it for

NB: i'm NOT into video/3D graphics editing, neither games

Here are my options:

Lenovo ideapad-320 15IKBN3 900€

  • Intel Core i7-7500U (4MB Cache, 3,5 GHz) 2 Core (here i'm confused: store's label says it's 4, but Intel website only has i7-7500U with 2 Cores. Is that correct?)
  • RAM 12GB DDR3
  • HDD 1TB + SSD 256GB
  • NVIDIA 940MX 4GB

Asus ROG Strix GL553VD-DM078T 750€ (cheap because on sale)

  • Intel Core i7-7700HQ (6M Cache, 2.8GHz to 3.8GHz) 4 Cores
  • RAM 8GB DDR4
  • HDD 1TB
  • NVIDIA GTX 1050 4GB

Now the thing is, I realize that Asus ROG has a more powerful NVIDIA card, but i'm not sure if Lenovo's extra RAM and SSD will eventually balance the difference. Any thoughts?

Then even if Lenovo has 12GB RAM it's DDR3 and 2 Core. Seems like it still can't beat Asus 8GB + 4 Cores?

My problem is that as most of the gaming laps Asus ROG is really big and heavy, literally the most puffy one in the store. Sounds like a minor thing but I often have to carry the machine and gaming lap is not ideal. But I still would choose functionality over design, I just need to make sure Asus ROG is indeed much more powerful.

Do you have any thoughts/advice about the performance of these two? Thanks in advance!!!

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
-1

I think the Lenovo is the obvious choice.

For UI/UX design, you don't really need a lot of GPU power. A 940MX is a capable chip that will be sufficient for the job. RAM is much more important. I work with PSD files over 1Gb and that puts a lot on your RAM. 8 is not enough, but 12 will be more comfortable. There is not much of a difference between DDR3 and DDR4.

i7-7500U is a dual-core CPU, but as long as you don't do video editing and 3D graphics, 2 Cores will be just fine (Quad core will be better though). But the thing that I find most conclusive is the SSD. That alone should help you decide. Don't get a PC without an SSD! It's as simple as that.

So to sum things up:

  • SSD is super important
  • GPU is not a big deal as long as you don't do 3D and video editing
  • A quad-core CPU is always better, but again unless you don't do 3D/video editing, Dual core is enough
  • 8Gb of RAM is not enough, 12Gb is better (RAM is expensive, keep that in mind)

So for me, the choice is obvious. The Lenovo is the better choice.

Improve this answer
2
  • Wait Wait Wait, the U versions of i7 don't even compare to the HQ versions. At such a low price it's almost like robbing the shop, get the ROG, it's 20x more powerful and cheaper anyway @Zem_Su I would personally buy the ROG, I thought my laptop was good when I bought it only to find out the U embedded processors are as great as marketed bling like octacore phone CPUs
    – Edward Nunn
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 18:31
  • @EdwardNunn, thanks for a comment! Yes, seems like U series is light and energy-efficient but won't handle a lot of graphics and intense work. Will do some more research and an actual search of machine ;)
    – Zem_Su
    Commented Mar 26, 2018 at 19:22

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.