Purchasing a Laptop: HP dv6-6153cl vs. Lenovo Y570

[andrewgk]

Hello! I am currently looking for a laptop to take to college as I believe that studying would be much easier if I had a laptop as opposed to a desktop. I just finished my first quarter and want to go back with a laptop instead of having a desktop there.

Note that I am taking my desktop back home and will only have the laptop there at my dorm.

What I'm looking for is quite frankly performance matched with OK portability. My budget is about $800 more or less. I would love to get an Asus gaming laptop but most of them are over my budget or are too heavy to carry around.

I'm looking to play games such as Battlefield 3 and Skyrim. The graphics don't have to be top of the line, just good enough to get by.

If I purchase the HP, I will be picking it up at a local Costco. If I purchase the Lenovo, I will be ordering it online.

I intend to use these Notebooks with a mouse at minimum. I currently have a Razer Naga and a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate. I prefer to use both when gaming although obviously not needed.

HP Notebook:

Spoiler

Link to the HP notebook: (Note that I am not buying a refurbished one) http/www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11738277&search=hp+dv6&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=hp+dv6&Ntt=hp+dv6&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
HP dv6-6153cl:
Processor: i7-2670QM Processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz
RAM: 8 GB DDR3 (Max supported is 16GB)
Disk: 1TB 5400RPM
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1GB
Audio: Beats Audio
USB: 2 3.0 and 2 2.0
Battery: 6 Hours
Link to graphics card: http/www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6770M.43955.0.html

Lenovo Notebook:

Spoiler

Link to the Lenovo notebook: http/shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=243&Code=08626JU&current-category-id=F41BC8E1656C5F85171FBDB172571912&tab=1
Lenovo Y570:
Processor: i7-2670QM Processor ( 2.2GHz 1333MHz 6MB )
RAM: 8 GB DDR3
Disk: 500GB 7200 RPM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 1GB
Link to graphics card: http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html

I've done some reading around but I still cannot decide which is better. I have a general understanding of computers but I would not consider myself to be completely knowledgeable.

Some general things that I have learned over the internet:
-Many people have reported poor experiences with HP support and hardware. Some people believe that they have fixed many of them with their new aluminum 'dv' and 'dm' series.
-The GT555M and HD6770M are very close to each other. Each one does better in certain games.
-The GT555M in the Lenovo has 96 cores 753MHz (GF108), 128Bit GDDR5 (according to notebookcheck).

Related links comparing the GT 555M with the HD 6770M:
Forum discussion - http/www.overclock.net/t/1023264/6770m-or-555m
Comparison side by side - http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

On a final note, I currently have a Dv7 that I paid around $600 for. The Intel HD 3000 does not cut it for the games that I want to play. I do really like the slightly better quality speakers (compared to most other laptops) on the Dv7 (beats audio) and the fact that it has a fingerprint scanner to log in. As it is right now, I am leaning towards the Dv6 because of its obvious similarities to the Dv7. The only thing keeping me away from going the HP route is the fact that many people have reported bad experiences with HP. I've only had the Dv7 for a little over a week so I cannot say whether I agree with those statements or not. I also cannot decide which laptop will provide better performance.

Thank you for helping me pick! I hope that the links were helpful.
Andrew

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
Both are really good,you can't go wrong with either.But based on customer satisfaction/build quality,I'd say go with the Lenovo one

 

[AntiZig]

They will give you close to identical performance. One thing I have to mention to you, don't expect to play the games you listed on the native resolution, most likely you will need to step it down to 1280x720.

as far as which is better quality wise, I'm with Maziar.

 

[andrewgk]

Best answer selected by andrewgk.