So. . .comparing these two Laptops.

• Yanm wrote on 2011-09-20 16:09
  One more thing...I'm almost sold on that Laptop. This makes me feel stupid for asking, but what do they mean by no 1080p display? *Thinks of Youtube 1080p* :what:
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-09-20 16:59
  1080p refers to vertical resolution of the screen or video, and is sometimes referred to as full HD. Full HD screens on laptops are pretty rare (expensive), so it's not really something you should care about.
• Yanm wrote on 2011-09-20 17:05

  Quote from Yoorah;592919:

  1080p refers to vertical resolution of the screen or video, and is sometimes referred to as full HD. Full HD screens on laptops are pretty rare (expensive), so it's not really something you should care about.

  
  
  I see. So...I'm guessing that the way the game looks on the screen would be crappier compared to a laptop that has 1080p? *Still a bit confused*
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-09-20 17:17
  Technically, yes. Higher resolution = better image quality (and more view-able area). But higher resolution also consumes more processing power from the GPU when playing games. Like I said, 1080p resolution screens are irrelevant to most laptops. :P Some high end models like the T series will allow you to upgrade to an 1080p (1920 x 1080) screen, but then it's a $200 upgrade from an already high res 1600 x 900. The IdeaPads, by comparison, are using an even cheaper 1366 x 768 panel (which is okay for gaming, more res is nice for professional software like PS, CAD, etc).
• Yanm wrote on 2011-09-20 17:45

  Quote from Yoorah;592950:

  Technically, yes. Higher resolution = better image quality (and more view-able area). But higher resolution also consumes more processing power from the GPU when playing games. Like I said, 1080p resolution screens are irrelevant to most laptops. :P Some high end models like the T series will allow you to upgrade to an 1080p (1920 x 1080) screen, but then it's a $200 upgrade from an already high res 1600 x 900. The IdeaPads, by comparison, are using an even cheaper 1366 x 768 panel (which is okay for gaming, more res is nice for professional software like PS, CAD, etc).

  
  
  I see. Okay then, this will be the laptop I'll get. *Makes note to rep people in the thread* Thank you all for your help. You've been extremely helpful :2thumb:
• Rydian wrote on 2011-09-20 19:18

  Quote from Yanm;592781:

  not a huge amount of RAM

  4GB is all you need for what you'll do, more won't give you any performance improvement. Many people are "trained" to think that higher numbers are always better, but they're not (and people tend to think that RAM = speed, which is false).
  
  

  Quote from Yanm;592781:

  Now that second one...it impressed my mom since it's an i7 and is so cheap. Very very VERY tempting.

  You don't need an i7 though, an i5 would do fine.
  
  

  Quote from Yoorah;592811:

  In terms of specs/price, those laptops are indeed impressive. But like I said, I would not trust a "high powered" mobile GPU to have a long life. Maybe 2-3 years, I dunno. Depends on luck. D8

  These are not high-powered GPUs, in fact they're on the lower end of mid-range.
  
  

  Quote from Yoorah;592811:

  And 5400rpm hard drives are indeed quite sluggish, but it's not that bad, I guess. Basically, it will boot a bit slower, update software a bit slower, etc. Ideally, you want a 7200rpm drive, or a SSD.. but that's a luxury. x(

  Most consumers are used to 5,400 RPM drives because damn if you can find anything else in cheap laptops.
  
  

  Quote from Yanm;592932:

  I see. So...I'm guessing that the way the game looks on the screen would be crappier compared to a laptop that has 1080p? *Still a bit confused*

  What's your current display resolution?
  
  The whole "OMG HD" thing is overblown. Computers have been capable of and displaying HD graphics for years and years.
  
  It's TVs that are slow and still playing catch-up.
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-09-20 19:38

  Quote from Rydian;593052:

  These are not high-powered GPUs, in fact they're on the lower end of mid-range.

  
  True enough, looks like the ones used in Lenovos have less cores than other 555s. Maybe Lenovo has some sense even for their consumer line and is trying to control failure rate by reducing performance like that. I would still not take that risk, because it's still a relatively high power chip and laptops suck for gaming either way, and at the same time you're significantly increasing the chance of hardware failure. Laptops can only be wannabes when it comes to performance. xP
  
  

  Quote from Rydian;593052:

  Most consumers are used to 5,400 RPM drives because damn if you can find anything else in cheap laptops.

  
  I know, and I think that's a huge ripoff. But consumers don't know better, so it's free profit. There are 7200 RPM drives to be seen occasionally, but yeah. As we both know, storage is a pretty major bottleneck, so I wouldn't be able to stand an even slower drive. x.x
• Rydian wrote on 2011-09-22 15:03
  Yeah I'd personally love a large-capacity SSD myself, but we have to wait until the technology matures enough...