Gaming Lenovo or Acer?

[Mr.Mysterio]

So, I need a new laptop (desktop replacement) since I'm moving to my college this year. Unfortunately, my budget is really low and I have to buy it retail since Newegg (and other sites) don't ship to Qatar. After hours of searching for one that satisfies my needs, it has come down to these two laptops

Lenovo Ideapad Z570
Core i5 2410M
4 GB DDR3 Ram
nVidia Geforce GT525m
15.6" Widescreen

Acer Aspire 5755g
Core i7 2670QM
8 GB DDR3 Ram
nVidia Geforce GT540m/ GT630m
15.6" widescreen

Both of them cost the same and are barely within my budget (Granted, these are available for much less online). I would love to get the more powerful Acer since it gives me more bang for my buck but I have heard some really bad things about Acer's build quality and support whereas Lenovo is supposed to be really reliable. So which should I choose? I am leaning towards the Acer but I don't want to end up getting a laptop that's going to fail on me after a year.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm very anti-Acer, but I think that after my "experiences" with them it's fully justified. I would rather have a laptop with lower specs and know it will not keel over after a year then a beefy laptop made by a company which doesn't particularily know what it's doing. I'd choose the Lenovo, although do look around for ASUS laptops - they're usually as affordable as the Acer ones while being hell of a lot better in terms of quality.

 

[Originality]

I've never had a problem with my Acer laptop, and I've never seen one that has been badly built. It's been what...? 2? 3 years, since I've had it? The only issue I've got is the battery doesn't last very long anymore... More an issue with lithium batteries than Acer specifically.
EDIT: I might as well add, he uses it's Core i5 for chess. That means major number crunching using ALL of the CPUs resources. Now if that can last well for so long under such heavy strain... I can only imagine those with bad experiences with Acer either mistreat their laptops or have had that "1 in 6 bad luck" syndrome (described below). Russian roulette anyone?

That said, you have a 15-25% failure rate (within 3 years) with ANY laptop. Lenovo, HP, Dell, Samsung, Apple, they all have a significant failure rate. Just... Some are better than others. ASUS laptops are among the most reliable, and HP are the worst. Acer was somewhere in the middle, alongside Apple, and Lenovo/DELL (they're the same IIRC) are a little worse at around 22%. These figures are only half remembered from a long time ago, but you get the idea.

If you're worried about failure, there are 2 things to consider. Firstly, set up regular backups. Secondly, ask the retailer in great detail about warranty. If it should ever fail, keep the receipt/invoice and any warranty papers in order to get a fix/replacement. Lastly, buy yourself a damn laptop cooling pad, no matter what laptop you get. Nearly all laptops have insufficient ventilation due to small size, so it's practically expected for you to get a cooling pad to make it breath easier.

 

[Jugarina]

I used to use IBM Thinkpad's that I still own but they are only single cores with small harddrive's and low memory but they still work great today and never had any problems with them. They are built like tanks and at some point IBM changed over to Lenovo.

As far as Acer goes, I never owned anything from them but I have serviced quite a few acer monitors as well as a few of their laptops. I must say your caution with wanting to buy an Acer is justified even though you would be getting a better processor and twice the ram that is not going to help you when the motherboard fails right after the manufacters repair plan run's out and your stuck with a door stop.

Memory is not that expensive anymore and the prices have dropped but harddrives prices have increased.

With laptops, always get the one with the best dedicated graphic's card you can afford as you can't upgrade them later. Processors can be upgraded when you get the money as well as most everything else.

I say If those are your only too choices, go with the Lenvovo and upgrade parts down the road. Too bad you can't afford an Asus, I highly recommend those.

 

[Haloman800]

Spec-wise, Acer cleary wins. I've only owned 1 Acer product (Iconia Tab A500) and I've had absolutely no problems (And it's a refurb).

I'd go with Acer. Never owned Lenovo.

 

[scruffman]

Well if its power u want ,u can go with the Acer, but if u want reliability go with the Lenovo.As Foxi4 said, u can check for a ASUS instead.

 

[Mr.Mysterio]

So, I guess everyone loves ASUS. It's too bad I can't find them anywhere around here. The only ASUS computers I've seen in the shops are Eee PCs and those incredibly thin ultrabooks.

I am pretty careful with all my devices. Already looked into a laptop cooler. Belkin has the best coolers right?

With laptops, always get the one with the best dedicated graphic's card you can afford as you can't upgrade them later. Processors can be upgraded when you get the money as well as most everything else.

See, this is the only thing that's stopping me from getting the Lenovo over the Acer. Sure, the double amount of ram will be nice but I can do with 4 GB. And I can adjust with the i5 too. But, since I want to keep this laptop as my desktop replacement for my college years, I want to get the best GPU available with my budget. Tough luck it had to be an Acer. Does the GT540m give a huge boost over the GT525m?

 

[Foxi4]

So, I guess everyone loves ASUS. It's too bad I can't find them anywhere around here. The only ASUS computers I've seen in the shops are Eee PCs and those incredibly thin ultrabooks.

I am pretty careful with all my devices. Already looked into a laptop cooler. Belkin has the best coolers right?

With laptops, always get the one with the best dedicated graphic's card you can afford as you can't upgrade them later. Processors can be upgraded when you get the money as well as most everything else.

See, this is the only thing that's stopping me from getting the Lenovo over the Acer. Sure, the double amount of ram will be nice but I can do with 4 GB. And I can adjust with the i5 too. But, since I want to keep this laptop as my desktop replacement for my college years, I want to get the best GPU available with my budget. Tough luck it had to be an Acer. Does the GT540m give a huge boost over the GT525m?

Have you considered a custom-built Sony laptop? They have an App on their website that allows you to build your own setup, order it (with an Online Discount too!) and pick it up at the nearest Sony Centere for your convinience, they're also quite reliable and affordable. High quality stuff, really.

 

[Mr.Mysterio]

Have you considered a custom-built Sony laptop? They have an App on their website that allows you to build your own setup, order it (with an Online Discount too!) and pick it up at the nearest Sony Centere for your convinience, they're also quite reliable and affordable. High quality stuff, really.

That is very neat. Unfortunately, they don't have this program in the Middle East. And the Sony laptops available in the stores are kinda overpriced even though they offer the same specs as much cheaper models. I guess you do have to pay a price for quality!

I am going to go on a searching trip for ASUS laptops. If I can't find anything, I'll just get the Lenovo. Thanks guys.

 

[Foxi4]

Have you considered a custom-built Sony laptop? They have an App on their website that allows you to build your own setup, order it (with an Online Discount too!) and pick it up at the nearest Sony Centere for your convinience, they're also quite reliable and affordable. High quality stuff, really.

That is very neat. Unfortunately, they don't have this program in the Middle East. And the Sony laptops available in the stores are kinda overpriced even though they offer the same specs as much cheaper models. I guess you do have to pay a price for quality!

I am going to go on a searching trip for ASUS laptops. If I can't find anything, I'll just get the Lenovo. Thanks guys.

You can always get your laptop online, have you considered that? Often you can get really good deals, better then in stores.

 

[Jugarina]

So, I guess everyone loves ASUS. It's too bad I can't find them anywhere around here. The only ASUS computers I've seen in the shops are Eee PCs and those incredibly thin ultrabooks.

I am pretty careful with all my devices. Already looked into a laptop cooler. Belkin has the best coolers right?

With laptops, always get the one with the best dedicated graphic's card you can afford as you can't upgrade them later. Processors can be upgraded when you get the money as well as most everything else.

See, this is the only thing that's stopping me from getting the Lenovo over the Acer. Sure, the double amount of ram will be nice but I can do with 4 GB. And I can adjust with the i5 too. But, since I want to keep this laptop as my desktop replacement for my college years, I want to get the best GPU available with my budget. Tough luck it had to be an Acer. Does the GT540m give a huge boost over the GT525m?

Both of those graphics cards are class 2 with the GT540m being slightly better. Both cards are slower then my 2 year old gaming laptop's class 2 dedicated 512mb 9800 gs/gts. I really don't think you will be happy going into the future with either of those cards as mine is beginning to struggle with the newer games unless I play at medium or lower graphics which defeats the point of playing these newer games. I am looking at another laptop with a class 1 card geforce gtx model as I need to upgrade myself soon to take advantage of the highest graphics as well as side by side rendering of games on my 3D HDTV which requires a strong graphics card as well as a strong processor. I am looking at a Model: Asus G74SX-BBK11

Try to take your time and find some other laptops before you buy. Unfortunitly, technology comes down to money and to find a nice future laptop your gonna need to spend around 1K.

(edit) Then again, It comes down to what your planning on doing with your laptop besides just school work, would be nice to know more about your situation. As far as USB external cooling fans go, I feel they are a waste of money, they only bring down the temperture a few degree's and use up a USB port on you. Most laptops use heat pipes that run to the internal fan or fans. Your best bet when It comes to heat is to find a laptop that has at least two internal fan's with venting to the rear prefered.

 

[lakaiskateboarding]

If you want good build quality and want your laptop to last long you should totally get the Lenovo. I have one here too and it is strong as hell. I love its classic design too.

Plus: do you really need the processing power the Acer has. I use my laptop only for mobility stuff. I do most of my big stuff on a computer which has a big screen as well which really helps. The lenovo's battery will probably last longer too.

 

[Mr.Mysterio]

[You can always get your laptop online, have you considered that? Often you can get really good deals, better then in stores.

I would if I could. Amazon doesn't ship laptops to Qatar. Neither does Newegg. I could try using a parcel forwarder like Aramex or UPS but if I pay for PO Box in the US and then buy the laptop, I would end paying the same as retail.

Both of those graphics cards are class 2 with the GT540m being slightly better. Both cards are slower then my 2 year old gaming laptop's class 2 dedicated 512mb 9800 gs/gts. I really don't think you will be happy going into the future with either of those cards as mine is beginning to struggle with the newer games unless I play at medium or lower graphics which defeats the point of playing these newer games. I am looking at another laptop with a class 1 card geforce gtx model as I need to upgrade myself soon to take advantage of the highest graphics as well as side by side rendering of games on my 3D HDTV which requires a strong graphics card as well as a strong processor. I am looking at a Model: Asus G74SX-BBK11

Try to take your time and find some other laptops before you buy. Unfortunitly, technology comes down to money and to find a nice future laptop your gonna need to spend around 1K.

(edit) Then again, It comes down to what your planning on doing with your laptop besides just school work, would be nice to know more about your situation. As far as USB external cooling fans go, I feel they are a waste of money, they only bring down the temperture a few degree's and use up a USB port on you. Most laptops use heat pipes that run to the internal fan or fans. Your best bet when It comes to heat is to find a laptop that has at least two internal fan's with venting to the rear prefered.

I am not looking for a laptop that can play the latest games maxed out or anything. Just going to use it for mostly school work, a little bit of Photoshop, Video Editing etc etc with a little gaming on the side. I don't want to run the latest games maxed out or anything. Just some older games. I would like to run Portal 2 though! Anyways, the GT 525m is the best I can get with my budget.
Also, that Asus laptop is one of the Asus laptops I was able to find. And it was a whopping $2750 which is like, thrice my budget.

 

[Foxi4]

[You can always get your laptop online, have you considered that? Often you can get really good deals, better then in stores.

I would if I could. Amazon doesn't ship laptops to Qatar. Neither does Newegg. I could try using a parcel forwarder like Aramex or UPS but if I pay for PO Box in the US and then buy the laptop, I would end paying the same as retail.

I didn't mean it like that - I wanted to say that alot of local stores have their websites on which they have "better" deals then what they actually have in-store, so it's always worth checking.

 

[Mr.Mysterio]

I didn't mean it like that - I wanted to say that alot of local stores have their websites on which they have "better" deals then what they actually have in-store, so it's always worth checking.

Checked some of the major stores. There isn't much of a difference and adding the delivery charges, it ends up being slightly more than retail.

(edit) Then again, It comes down to what your planning on doing with your laptop besides just school work, would be nice to know more about your situation. As far as USB external cooling fans go, I feel they are a waste of money, they only bring down the temperture a few degree's and use up a USB port on you. Most laptops use heat pipes that run to the internal fan or fans. Your best bet when It comes to heat is to find a laptop that has at least two internal fan's with venting to the rear prefered.

I had thought of getting a Dell Inspiron 15r (n5110). Its cheaper than the Lenovo and has a Core i7. But turns out, it's got a seriously bad cooling system. The temps spike upto 90 degrees when gaming! So, quickly ditched that. Both of these laptop reach upto 70 degrees which is also kinda high (?), hence why I thought of getting a cooling pad. Also, rear venting as in the MacBooks?

 

[Jugarina]

What I mean about the venting is out the back so the hot air that comes out of the machine doesn't come into contact with your hands. I'd say more important to have more then 1 fan then where the vent is located. If you use your mouse with your right hand then a double vent on the left would be OK also. I would not recommend a Dell, years ago when they started out and for a few years they where well priced and solid machines but Dell knew they where getting great reviews and they knew that many people began to trust and become dedicated to them all at the same time they where losing money or not making enough profit from there computers. What happened is the same thing that happened to Linksys, they changed where their tech was built and used lower quality parts to maximize profits. I never used to get Dell computers back to service but eventually I was getting more Dell's then I knew what to do with, tons of them. I have to go pick up dinner now though, I'll add some more info l8er.

 

[Originality]

DELL known for quality? What alien planet did this come from? Dell are famous for cutting corners to minimise costs, and have been for at least 15 years. As an example, Foxconn are most common brand motherboard they use... And the brand with the highest failure rate (Asrock used to be second but it's been a long time since I've seen one fail so I don't know any more). Their main redeeming feature was their level of customer service... They've seen enough breakdowns to know exactly how to fix them.

At least with Lenovo they've managed to ditch their reputation for cutting corners and making fairly decent builds, but ASUS and Toshiba have always been the most reliable (in Toshibi's case, probably because they never try and cram high end parts into tiny laptops with crappy cooling).

 

[Mr.Mysterio]

Good thing I didn't go with Dell then. And I almost did cause it was so cheap compared to the others! And it had great reviews (which didn't mention the overheating issues ) .

I am going to get the laptop tomorrow. The Z570 seems solid though I wish I could get the Y570 but it's out of my budget, gonna stay away from Acer. Some of the Toshiba laptops here are priced really well and they do have the specs I want but the keyboard felt really cheap (it's not chiclet) and the touch pad buttons were kinda clunky.

 

[rook2King]

Good choice! I recently (4 months ago) got a Lenovo Z570, it works great; there really havn't been any flaws, except that the battery life sucks (i7-2670QM, so i guess justified) and it only has one RAM DIMM . Hope you have a great time with it

 

[Click This]

Great choice with the Lenovo.
Their build quality and design is unparalleled, imo.
Dell makes nice designs, but one push off the desk and it's a goner.