Aspire V Nitro (Help me choose?)

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580
Hey guys, I found the Aspire V Nitro Black Edition laptop and I just want to know if you think it's a good idea to buy this laptop with:

15.6" (FHD)
i7-5500U
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GT 940M (2GB DDR3)
1TB HDD
No DVD Drive
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There is another laptop (same brand) but with:

15.6" (FHD)
i7-4720HQ
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GTX 960M (2GB GGDR5)
1TB HDD
No DVD Drive
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It is clear that the second one has an extremely higher performance over the first. Well, I am still not sure which one to buy. I will be using that for school, for AutoCAD drawings, Adobe illustrator, photoshop, documents, and some Internet through Wi-Fi. Also, I won't be gaming with that laptop. My assumption is that the first one is more than enough. I mean, a low-voltage i7 processor, with a not-so-fast, not-so-power-hungry Nvidia GPU. No DVD Drives needed. I really liked the first one because it will definitely last longer on battery.

The ONLY thing that is stopping me from buying the second model is the possibility that it will have a very short battery life. This deciding problem is bugging me for days and I need to get one before this coming week for a major school project.

If I choose the first laptop, I will have a possible slow performance for AutoCAD and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, but it will be able to last longer. But if I choose the second one, and take the higher performance, I am not sure if it will last long enough (5-7 hrs).

There is a 100 USD price difference here in my country PH, the second model being the higher one.
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Please help me. Thanks in advance. Have a good day!
 

ToineF

Estimable
Apr 28, 2014
9
0
4,510
I would get the cheaper one and make sure the laptop is installed with a SSD. that will be a HUGE difference.

If it's impossible for you to get a SSD, I would get the second one as the CPU doesn't change all that much, but you will get better performance with the video card which will be useful if you use 3D softwares. My gf is an architecte and she uses a lot of 3D software like sketchup and 3d Studio Max.
 

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580


I can't find any info about that laptop's hard drive bay capacity. Let's hope it has another bay for an SSD.

I think the CPU on the second laptop is better because of the number of cores, as well as the GPU being a GTX 960M with GDDR5 memory, but both components of the second laptop might drain the battery more quickly than an i7-5500U with GT 940M.

What I would like to know now is if the performance loss of choosing the first one over the second is negligible.
I also want to know if the second laptop will have a very short battery life compared to the first one while I'm doing my stuff. If there is little to no difference at all, I will choose the second one.

Hey, many thanks for the info mate, I'm an architecture student and currently on my 3rd year already. Time's fast.
 

ToineF

Estimable
Apr 28, 2014
9
0
4,510
To be honest, I have no idea for the battery. More powerful specs normally means worse battery time. If that is a huge issue for you check the manufacturer's website for the numbers.

As for the performance, imo you won't really feel a difference between the two. They are very similar.

Like I said, you should change the HDD for a SSD and you will notice a HUGE HUGE difference.

can you link the spec page of both computers?
 

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580


I can't find any official matches on Google, but here's the first one: Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-571G-73ZJ and the second: Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-78SG.

If that's the case, then I would be getting the first laptop, certainly for the battery life. Maybe the second laptop is overkill for me. Hope everybody else reading on the thread voice out their opinions.
 
Personally I would get the second one due to the faster cpu and gpu. It will make a huge difference when using 3d software as the difference in rendering times will be huge. Also for photoshop, the i7 m cpu will help in rendering times as it can use all 4 cores.
 

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580


Thanks, but, aren't you worried of the battery life? Do you think it would last for at least 5 hours without gaming?
 

naturesninja

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
392
0
11,210
I'm familiar with both models of this laptop 573G/V15. First at a $100 difference you wouldn't be doing yourself a favor not getting the quad i7 and gtx 960 combo. The V15 has a m.2 sata port for that specific type of ssd. The other model has a full bay for a dvd or standard 7mm SSD. The i7 5500u isn't really much better than it's i5 5200u counterpart, whereas the i7 4720HQ is in a different league especially for the tasks you want to do. Not running the dedicated GPU will net you the five hours you require on either
 

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580


Hey thanks for the info, but I'm really worried for the battery runtime, not running the 960m will probably give me more than 5 hours, but how's that when doing AutoCAD drawings, which uses the GPU for hardware acceleration?

You're right, not much difference bet. that specific i7 & i5. Also, I am not aware of that m.2 sata port, that's a gem!
 

naturesninja

Honorable
Dec 15, 2013
392
0
11,210
Neither laptop will go 5 hours running the dedicated GPU, if that helps. There are some external battery banks in the 20000mAh to 50000mAH range. The good ones start at about $100 though. I own the Anker Astro Pro2 that I use for my phones, but I have tested it with my wife's i5/940m laptop with the battery removed and it gave it over 9 hours of running scripts to mimic usage with about two extra hours of idle time with screen brightness and audio on medium levels. So I would imagine one would give you at least 2 or 3 more hours. I can try and test it with her GS60(860m) or my GT72(980m) if you want to know more.
 

grimlockPH

Estimable
May 20, 2014
32
0
4,580


Sorry for my late response.

If that's the case, then I'll go with the first laptop. I do want the second one as it was extremely superior over the other, but I think it's a bit overkill for me. AND the battery life dilemna is killing me.

About the battery bank, there are good brands here in PH but they are very expensive and the rest of the unknown brands are an absolute junk. So no hope for me on getting one. You don't need to test it, I appreciate your help.