Need help! Lenovo Y580 vs Asus N56vz vs Samsung NP700Z5C: at different price points

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RainKing

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Hi, gonna copy/paste what I posted on notebookreview.com since that place is apparently dead....

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Hello to all,

This is my first post here and I'm undecided as to which laptop I should buy for school (programming mainly) / moderate gaming. I'd like to here from people who have bought/tried these out for themselves or just thoughts from anyone who knows quite a bit about laptops. I live in Canada so all prices are from and newegg.ca.

so I can get the Samsung NP700Z5C-S02CA for $1,249.99:
Samsung NP700Z5C-S02CA Intel Core i7 3615QM 8GB 750B GT640M 15.6in Win7 HP Notebook - Samsung - NP700Z5C-S02CA

ASUS N56VZ-DS71 for $1,299.00:
ASUS N56VZ-DS71 Intel Core I7-3610QM GeForce GT 650M 8GB 750GB 15.6in Blu-Ray WIN7HP Notebook Black - ASUS - N56VZ-DS71 (the page mistakenly says it has an i7 2670QM, but that doesn't exist with this model - it's the standard 3610QM)

Lenovo Ideapad Y580 (1080P version) for $1,129.99
Newegg.ca - lenovo IdeaPad Y580 (209942U) Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 1TB HDD 5400rpm Blu-ray RAMBO (Re-writeable) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M

The lenovo is pretty attractive at that price. However, I read many times that the heat during heavy GPU/CPU use is uncomfortable on the touchpad (using a mouse would fix this I guess) and the build looks flimsy to me as well as a fingerprint magnet. But I guess a 100$ price difference and a better GPU than the other two eliminate those flaws. Unless there's other issues worth mentioning which is why would like to hear some thoughts on the better one of the 3 at those price points.

By the way, I'm open to other notebook suggestions but don't recommend me any ugly gaming laptops like basically any alienware, MSI GE60 or asus g55vw (that thing's lid looks like it's modeled after a toddler's toy computer). I'll only settle for discreet looking builds.

Thanks in advance.

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[Bonus answers to standard questions the forums demand if you need help buying a laptop as a guideline to helping you help me]

1) What is your budget? 1000-1300$

2) What size notebook would you prefer? 15.6

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: not particularly
b. Dislike: MSI, alienware, acer

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
no

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
programming, college work, gaming, movies

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
both

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
multiplatform games, 2-3 year old or even older PC games, the odd mainstream PC game every now and then

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
i dont care as long as it doesnt go below 3 while surfing

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
online is fine, I can go see them in person before buying either way by going to a local electronics store

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
none

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? 1920x1080/1200

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
matte but I don't hate glossy as long as the reflection isn't too obstructive

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, this is extremely important

15) When are you buying this laptop?
within 2 weeks

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
2-3 years

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
yes and no, they're still a bit too expensive for me to absolutely demand one. SSD drive is not a priority for me, I don't mind replacing an HDD with an SSD after a while.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
Blu-ray reader/DVD burner combo
 
I got an Asus N56vm a few weeks back and I really like it. Solid build, loads of Aluminium (if a little bit heavy). Best laptop screen I've used. Pretty good sound with the included woofer (surprised how much depth it adds).

I know a lot of people moan about the touchpad, but it's massive and works well (takes a few days to get used to the gestures). Keyboard feels nice to use too, not too soft.

Although mines the duel core version (i5-3210M) and a GT630M, it runs really cool and quite.

*Last laptop was a HP probook 6430b
 
I just got the y580 myself.

I looked at both your other options, would have loved to get the Asus but didn't want to settle for the DDR3 version of the GT 650m it comes with, which is substantially slower than the 660m or the 650m GDDR5. If you don't intend to do much gaming on it the DDR3 650m is just fine though.

I havent felt too much heat on the touchpad during heavy use, but then again when I'm gaming or something I have an external mouse anyway so i'm not feeling it much.
 
I just got the Asus ROG 660m variant (so about the same innards as the Y580) and the thing flies. If you want to game with Skyrim, BF3. etc on high and fast fps, then the Y580 is for you. Be mindful though, a gaming laptop is heavy. My G75 has got to be about 10-12 lbs but I'm not constantly lugging it either so depends if the OP is going to lug it to classes and back. Also mine is 17" and that Lenovo is 15", not sure how much less it weighs. Get a semi-decent backpack and don't crush it :)
 
The y580 apparently weighs 5.95 lbs according to the specs.

I haven't put it ont he scale myslef, but I guess that should be about right, it's not too bad to carry around.

Weakest part of the Y580 is the 5400 RPM HDD.

I got mine on sale for like 1059 shipped, and bought a 256 GB SSD to use instead. I know you said yo don't care that much, but man does an SSD feel nice.
 
FranklyShankly said:
From what I read the Y580 does have an mSata port, but I haven't tried it out personally to see if they all do ro if it's only certain models.
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The Y580 does indeed have an mSATA port, as does the DV6.

The N56VZ and NP700Z5C do not.
 
I know that you are primarily posting to get feedback on the laptops you mentioned, but I thought I'd pop in and strongly suggest the Thinkpad T530 for your purposes. You have enough of a budget that you can upgrade it to have discrete graphics (and the business type cards should play the games you mention quite well) and still have some leftover.

Otherwise I think the Samsung you linked is similar to the one a friend of mine bought, and he likes the quality/performance. I don't know about the others.
 
I'd add the latest HP Envy 15 to your list. You can watch this video for a comparison with the Samsung Series 7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIGb2EALcME

I have the Envy 17 and it's a beast. There are constant specials on HP. Either $400 or so off or 33% off come up on a regular basis. I purchased mine with the 33% off coupon for right at $1300 including tax and shipping.

The Y580 looks great on paper, but if you go to the forums and read reviews, you'll see it has build quality issues and heat issues.

I'd avoid the HP DV6 as well. It gets really hot when gaming. There's tons of posts on Notebookreview if you care to read more.

The Samsung Series 7 is nice and light. The only real issue is the subpar display. You can read about that on Notebookreview in the owners forum or watch video reviews. Build quality is pretty good and it looks great.

The Asus is kind of chunky and doesn't really have anything special. If you like Asus, then it may be a reason to get one, but other than that I don't see why you'd get one over the Samsung or HP.

The HP Envy has a really good display. The Envy 15 may or may not have an issue with red (some panels make red look more like orange). It's slightly thicker and heavier than the Samsung, but in exchange you get a nicer display, metal construction vs plastic, and a dedicated customer service line (all Envy related calls go to US based reps that only handle Envy customers. This gets you quick response and great customer service as opposed to getting the regularly and usually awful HP customer service experience).

Gaming wise, all these laptops are essentially the same.

Even though I'd lean towards the Envy, for school I'd probably get the Samsung even with it's display issues. It's thinner and lighter. The display also has a matte finish which is nice.
 
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maverick777 said:
I'd add the latest HP Envy 15 to your list. You can watch this video for a comparison with the Samsung Series 7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIGb2EALcME

I have the Envy 17 and it's a beast. There are constant specials on HP. Either $400 or so off or 33% off come up on a regular basis. I purchased mine with the 33% off coupon for right at $1300 including tax and shipping.

The Y580 looks great on paper, but if you go to the forums and read reviews, you'll see it has build quality issues and heat issues.

I'd avoid the HP DV6 as well. It gets really hot when gaming. There's tons of posts on Notebookreview if you care to read more.

The Samsung Series 7 is nice and light. The only real issue is the subpar display. You can read about that on Notebookreview in the owners forum or watch video reviews. Build quality is pretty good and it looks great.

The Asus is kind of chunky and doesn't really have anything special. If you like Asus, then it may be a reason to get one, but other than that I don't see why you'd get one over the Samsung or HP.

The HP Envy has a really good display. The Envy 15 may or may not have an issue with red (some panels make red look more like orange). It's slightly thicker and heavier than the Samsung, but in exchange you get a nicer display, metal construction vs plastic, and a dedicated customer service line (all Envy related calls go to US based reps that only handle Envy customers. This gets you quick response and great customer service as opposed to getting the regularly and usually awful HP customer service experience).

Gaming wise, all these laptops are essentially the same.

Even though I'd lean towards the Envy, for school I'd probably get the Samsung even with it's display issues. It's thinner and lighter. The display also has a matte finish which is nice.
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Well, the thing about Asus is that they have superior displays, among the best matte displays out there. It's also less chunky than the Envy 17 (1.37 pounds lighter) and about the same weight as the Envy 15 (5.79 lbs on the envy vs 6 lbs on the Asus) but that one has a weaker GPU . Also, I can't find new HP Envys anywhere in Canada, the samsung series 7 with a 650m, nor the new dv6. If I could get my hands on the Envy 17, here in Canada, I wouldn't hesitate but I'm pretty restricted right now as far as options go.
 
RainKing said:
Well, the thing about Asus is that they have superior displays, among the best matte displays out there. It's also less chunky than the Envy 17 (1.37 pounds lighter) and about the same weight as the Envy 15 (5.79 lbs on the envy vs 6 lbs on the Asus) but that one has a weaker GPU . Also, I can't find new HP Envys anywhere in Canada, the samsung series 7 with a 650m, nor the new dv6. If I could get my hands on the Envy 17, here in Canada, I wouldn't hesitate but I'm pretty restricted right now as far as options go.
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Ah, Canada. If you're comparing the Asus or any of the other laptops to the Envy 17, keep in mind that with the additional weight, you get a 2nd hard drive bay and triple monitor output support with Eyefinity.

When gaming, the Envy 17 has better cooling and a more aggressive fan so it keeps the laptop much cooler than the N56.

http://www.mikesquarter.com/asus-n56-review-1694/

"it tends to get hot when running games for a couple of hours. The components can get to about 80-85 degrees Celsius, which is quite high. More importantly though, the top part of the laptop tends to get hot, on the left side of the trackpad, beneath the Z X C keys, exactly the place where you’re going to hold your left hand. And that for me was annoying."

For reference, my Envy 17 gets to 65C after several hours of gaming (Crysis, Skyrim, Dirt 3, etc)

The DV6/DV7 suffer the same issue. They get hot right on the WASD keys.

Based on reviews, it appears the Samsung Series 7 does a good job with heat. But since you care about the screen quality, the Samsung Series 7 might be the right fit.

Also keep in mind the Envy 17 has a 2 year warranty versus 1 year on the others you listed.

Just additional things to keep in mind. It's difficult finding the "perfect" laptop.
 
The Samsung will likely have the best build quality, it also has the best quality screen at highest resolution and biggest battery. It's also quite light and offers the 80% charging, meaning it extends the battery's lifespan tremendously. If you're only going to be doing moderate gaming then I'd opt for the Samsung. The biggest screen res, matte finish, is going to benefit you, particularly for programming.
 
Haha, I wish. I've actually been playing with one recently along with the Asus. Though the Asus is a great laptop, it lacks things I found the Samsung did better. The touchpad on the Samsung was better and the keyboard was easier to type on. The battery life, too, was better on the Samsung and it also had the 80% charge that's incredibly useful if you're going to be using it daily. Last year's SB version of the NP7 had a horrible touchpad that was overly sensitive just like the current Asus one, but they've fixed that. The matte finish is also great and the quality of the screen is better. Here's a review of the Samsung, granted it's the bigger brother of the 15.6", the components are all the same minus the GPU.

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Contrast is very good at 914:1, and when you factor in the other laptops using glossy displays it’s even better—matte LCDs usually give up about 10% of their contrast. The maximum white level is a bit lower than we’d like, registering 283 nits, but again the matte surface will help if you use the notebook in brightly lit environments. Perhaps equally important is that the colors are very good—only the IPS displays in the ASUS UX21A and the Sony VAIO SE deliver lower Delta E results, and if you work in the sRGB color space the Series 7 is just about perfect. I still prefer IPS displays like that in the VAIO SE personally, even if the color space isn’t quite as good, but opinions on that differ.
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The Samsung just offers more for the money, imo. It does lack the mSATA card but that's not something I'd bother with anyway. First upgrade for me is to pull out the optical drive and plug in an SSD so any mSATA cache would be useless.
 
The new Ivy Bridge Vaio S 15 (which replaced the SE mentioned above) has a matte 1080p IPS screen, GT 640M, Aluminum chassis/magnesium lid, only weighs 4.4lbs, and yes...You can get it with the 3612QM.

Some people think the magnesium lid feels plasticy because magnesium is so light and doesn't feel like other metals they are familiar with. I hear the same complaints about titanium watches (too light, doesn't feel cold when you put it on, feels like plastic). I can only shake my head at these people and sigh.
 
pelo said:
Contrast is very good at 914:1, and when you factor in the other laptops using glossy displays it’s even better—matte LCDs usually give up about 10% of their contrast. The maximum white level is a bit lower than we’d like, registering 283 nits, but again the matte surface will help if you use the notebook in brightly lit environments. Perhaps equally important is that the colors are very good—only the IPS displays in the ASUS UX21A and the Sony VAIO SE deliver lower Delta E results, and if you work in the sRGB color space the Series 7 is just about perfect. I still prefer IPS displays like that in the VAIO SE personally, even if the color space isn’t quite as good, but opinions on that differ.
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The Samsung just offers more for the money, imo. It does lack the mSATA card but that's not something I'd bother with anyway. First upgrade for me is to pull out the optical drive and plug in an SSD so any mSATA cache would be useless.
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While I totally agree with you and think OP should go with the Samsung, you can't quote that bit about the screen from Anand lol. The display on the NP700Z7C is vastly superior to that of the NP700Z5C. I Picked up the older version in the F/S section a month ago, replaced the HDD with a Samsung 830 256GB, and I'm very happy with it. If I were looking to buy now, I'd go with the 17" considering these have much smaller footprints than typical 15.6"/17.3 laptops. Btw, you can't boot off the optical drives sata, so you'll have to use the HDD bay and put the HDD in a caddy.
 
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I thought they use the same screen? minus the resolution and diagonal size, that is (1600x900 and 15.6" respectively).

I know that you've got to use a caddy for an SSD replacement, and that the SSD has to be 7mm and not the typical 9.5mm height due to the slim design of the laptop.

I was actually looking to pick up the NP700Z5A. They float in and out of amazon for a really good price, somewhere in that $650-780 range in "Like new" condition. They currently have 2 of them for $787. I saw the core i5 model for as low as $640 :D
 
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Don't get me wrong, I by no means think the panel in the 15.6" is horrible. I've seen people who owned both 15.6" models, post on notebookreview, and it's the same panel. Outside of vertical viewing angles, it's pretty good, but there are better TN panels out there. This is why I want the 17.3" so bad lol, but I don't feel like going from a 6750m to a 650m is a big enough jump to justify an upgrade. I'll probably pick up a future release with Haswell instead, unless of course we start seeing NP700Z7A models from Amazon Warehouse for under $1k.
 
pelo said:
I thought they use the same screen? minus the resolution and diagonal size, that is (1600x900 and 15.6" respectively).

I know that you've got to use a caddy for an SSD replacement, and that the SSD has to be 7mm and not the typical 9.5mm height due to the slim design of the laptop.

I was actually looking to pick up the NP700Z5A. They float in and out of amazon for a really good price, somewhere in that $650-780 range in "Like new" condition. They currently have 2 of them for $787. I saw the core i5 model for as low as $640 :D
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That's not how screens work. The reviewers even give you the panel serial number so you can check yourself. The panels are not only different but probably from completely different manufacturer. Notebook Check has a review of the Samsung 700Z5A (700Z5C has the same HW ID so one can assume they're using the same panel) with the 1600x900 screen. It's significantly worse than the Anandtech 17" model you posted:

At first glance, Samsung doesn't slip up with the screen. The non-glare screen (LTN156KT068), in a 16:9 aspect ratio, has an LED backlight and a HD+ resolution. 1600x900 pixels are a good compromise in view of the display size and video performance. The automatic brightness control and the "Movie Color Enhancer" make it unnecessary to permanently readjust the screen in every single surrounding.

This euphoria quickly dissolved again after we finished with our measurements. The biggest flaw is likely the high black value of 1.7 cd/m2. Dark picture elements look extremely gray, which is especially noticed in games and movies. The rate would have to be below 0.4 cd/m2 for a saturated black. The contrast is also below-average with 158:1.

The colors can't be called intense. The sRGB spectrum isn't even close to being covered (see screenshot). The picture looks extremely pale and thus it's recommendable to use an external monitor for multimedia consumption. In return, the high luminosity is praiseworthy. We determined an average of 247 cd/m2 - a good result. Note: The measurements were made with i1Display 2. An update made with the more exact Gossen Mavo will follow.
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Everything about this screen screams bargain bin TN panel. You know, your typical low end TN panel with extremely low contrast, bad sRGB colour space coverage, and bad black depth. I'm not sure what MissJ84's standards are but if the screen on the Samsung 700Z5A isn't horrible, then I'd love to know how bad a screen has to be to be considered horrible. Especially if you compare it to other 15" screens: its basically universally worse than the vast majority of 1600x900 or 1920x1080 15" laptop screens.
 
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MissJ84 said:
While I totally agree with you and think OP should go with the Samsung, you can't quote that bit about the screen from Anand lol. The display on the NP700Z7C is vastly superior to that of the NP700Z5C. I Picked up the older version in the F/S section a month ago, replaced the HDD with a Samsung 830 256GB, and I'm very happy with it. If I were looking to buy now, I'd go with the 17" considering these have much smaller footprints than typical 15.6"/17.3 laptops. Btw, you can't boot off the optical drives sata, so you'll have to use the HDD bay and put the HDD in a caddy.
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I think I'm pretty much set on the Asus n56vz (regardless of the heat issues - I never rest my hand on the sides of laptops anyway and it doesn't hinder gaming like the Lenovo Y580 does) or the NP700Z7C if it pops up soon here....Canadian electronics retail companies and international electronics manufacturers, get your shit together please.
 
tommye said:
Everything about this screen screams bargain bin TN panel. You know, your typical low end TN panel with extremely low contrast, bad sRGB colour space coverage, and bad black depth. I'm not sure what MissJ84's standards are but if the screen on the Samsung 700Z5A isn't horrible, then I'd love to know how bad a screen has to be to be considered horrible. Especially if you compare it to other 15" screens: its basically universally worse than the vast majority of 1600x900 or 1920x1080 15" laptop screens.
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LOL! I probably should have said it's far from the best, but I have definitely seen laptop panels with lower contrast & much worse vertical and horizontal viewing angles.

RainKing said:
I think I'm pretty much set on the Asus n56vz (regardless of the heat issues - I never rest my hand on the sides of laptops anyway and it doesn't hinder gaming like the Lenovo Y580 does) or the NP700Z7C if it pops up soon here....Canadian electronics retail companies and international electronics manufacturers, get your shit together please.
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Yeah, if you can't find the NP700Z7C, I'd probably go with the Asus as well. I swear it was on future shop before, but maybe that was the Z5C.
 
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Welsper said:
Seconding the T530. Using the Barnes and Noble store, you can get some decent discounts. I bought a t430 and I saved like 50% iirc off of the listed price.
http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...ovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=barnesnoblegold
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From a build quality standpoint the T530 is heads and shoulders above the laptops the OP listed. But from a gaming standpoint, the T530 is very weak. The 5400m is about 40% of the performance of the 650m.

If the T530 had a 650m in it, I'd recommend it without reservation.

PS: I own a T510 so I'm experienced using the T series.
 
maverick777 said:
From a build quality standpoint the T530 is heads and shoulders above the laptops the OP listed. But from a gaming standpoint, the T530 is very weak. The 5400m is about 40% of the performance of the 650m.

If the T530 had a 650m in it, I'd recommend it without reservation.

PS: I own a T510 so I'm experienced using the T series.
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The T530 has an excellent battery life and connectivity but I wouldn't say it's "heads and shoulders" above the other laptops in build quality when taking into account that it has about the same weight (heavier than the samsung though), has lesser specs and has worse temps than the others (even the y580 performs better in that regard).
If I was looking for a business laptop I'd probably get a T530 though.
 
When I was looking I did look at the T530, but they really do rape you when you select a FHD screen. I saw a deal come up the Asus n56vm and jumped on it. It's a decent laptop and I'm happy with it. In fact I don't think you will be disappointed with any of those listed, just depends what deal you can get.
 
OP have you decided on a laptop? I assume you chose the Asus N56VZ? How is it? I am picking among the same laptops.
 
pelo said:
The Samsung just offers more for the money, imo. It does lack the mSATA card but that's not something I'd bother with anyway. First upgrade for me is to pull out the optical drive and plug in an SSD so any mSATA cache would be useless.
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mSATA is a drive, not a cache.
 
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