Lenovo Y580 Questions

Hey everyone I have been looking at multiple forums daily for the past 2 months on the Lenovo Y580, but still have questions which I hope can be answered on the thread.

To start out I started looking for a gaming PC when my xbox finally gave up on me after 3 years of use. At first I looked towards a 1000usd gaming desktop since I already have a mouse and monitor (my 720p Samsung TV), but my sister persuaded me by saying a good laptop might be a better idea because the Acer 533 I have right now is only really good for note taking and web browsing. So after a few weeks of searching I came across the Y580 and found the specs to my liking. Also I will be upgrading ram to 16GB off the bat.

I plan on using the Y580 for:

Gaming:
3-5 hours per day (I plan to have the graphics on medium or high depending on the game) mostly from a 720p TV via HDMI cable

Desktop Replacement:
I have used a Dell B110 for the past 7 years and feel I need a replacement, but want something mobile for school for the days I need something a bit stronger whether it be an assignment or a project

Video Camera:
The 720P HD Webcam seems like it would be good for making videos.

Now there are a couple of things I would like to ask of Y580 users because with me I am hyped to get something but a week or two before I start contemplating every little detail to make sure it’s a good buy. Also when I say life of the laptop I mean the laptop as a whole, if its less then 100usd to fix something after a year or more of use then I wont mind too much, but I want to avoid needing to replace something after months of use or that will cost me an arm and leg to repair.

1. I plan on using the Y580 for at least 5 years before feeling a need to get a replacement. I haven’t found much info on how long the Y580 is expected to last, only observations.

2. Should I invest in a cooling pad? I hear that HDD’s don’t last as long when kept at cooler temps, but because I will be gaming for hours at a time which will cause the Y580 to heat up quite a bit I am wondering if a cooling pad might be a good idea and extend the life of the laptop.

3. How is the webcam? I plan on making videos of me talking about subjects, doing reviews of products (lighting isn’t an issue for me) and so on. I am concerned about the lag as seen with webcams where the frame rate resembles a comic book.

4. I currently use a 720p 32in TV that I will connect the Y580 to via HDMI cable. I have been debating between the LCD and FHD screen for weeks now, but still can’t decide. I don’t mind the lower resolution’s text size, how it looks while gaming and how much I can fit on screen, but what worries me the most is the RGB contrast. I know on the laptop monitor it doesn’t look the best but on my LCD TV it will probably look a better? Correct me on that. The only con to the FHD screen I see is price and text size.

5. I found the Y580 on two websites. JR.com and Lenovo. JR.com will get me the Y580 with 2.30ghz, 750gb 7200rpm HDD, and 6GB of RAM for 900usd with a much faster shipping. Compared to from Lenovo that offers 2.40ghz, 1tb 5400rpm HDD (less heat?), and 8GB of RAM for 920usd with a much longer wait time. I am considering ordering from Lenovo due to the faster processor, and more memory, but what where I get stuck is either put in 20-30usd for a much longer wait, better specs, minus the slower HDD with lower temp or cheaper one with a faster HDD with higher temp, lower processor and unknown of how old the model being sent is. Why I don’t get the higher res is because my budget is 1000usd which includes the laptop, shipping, tax and a RAM upgrade.

Thank you to anyone who is willing to read through all of this and help me. I am very critical about my buys especially when they are expensive and want to invest in something that will fit my needs and last me at least 5 years. Also later down the road I will put an SSD to replace the HDD probably a year or two after owning this laptop. I understand a 1000usd desktop would be the better choice, but I need it mobile. 15.6in and 6lbs doesn’t bother me a bit.

 

I plan on using a controller for prolonged gaming and why do you say best of luck on it?

For the camera my dads flipcam is dying and my current acer webcam sucks.

Sadly I dont have the money to upgrade the SDD off the bat due to no job and barely enough money to get the RAM upgrade.

Also any comments on the buying section?

 

I only said best of luck because finding the time to game that long daily isn't very easy unless you are still in high school. I also use a controller and the xbox wireless gaming receiver works just fine although some games like RTS (Sim City 5 is coming out soon, yay!) are useless without the controller.

Here is my advice on the RAM situation.

Hold off on buying the RAM and instead by a 128GB mSata SSD to use as your primary drive. It is LITERALLY $20 bucks more expensive and will give you actual noticeable performance increases. Your OS will boot in literally 10 secs. I'm not kidding, 10 secs. Everything you do inside your OS will have zero lag. Adding 16GB of RAM will change nothing unless like me, you run multiple virtual machines or use CAD software or other RAM intensive apps. No video game in existence needs more than 6GB of system memory. For games, it's all about the GPU memory.


Here is the RAM I installed.

Amazon.com: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10): Computers & Accessories


Here is the 128GB version of the mSata SSD I installed. (I got the 256GB version)

Amazon.com: Crucial 128GB m4 mSATA Internal Solid State Drive (CT128M4SSD3): Computers & Accessories




You can find the best models for the cheapest prices at Barnes and Noble Gold. Just register and look for their coupons. They are usually anywhere from $300-400 off. Just don't expect it ship soon. Mine was delayed for two weeks an took a month to arrive. It was well worth it because of the price. They have the absolute cheapest extended warranties. I was able to buy a 3 years full accidental coverage plan for only $100.

 

So your saying it would be smarter to get an SSD then RAM. I am using this for college as well, but it will stay home 65% - 75% of the time so reliability aside from RAM and the hard drive are my concern.

Is the SSD more reliable then the HDD? If I get the SSD I will just take out the HDD. Also what about SSD heat during a gaming?