acer swift 3 vs asus vivobook x556

[manlykeweaver465]

im currently looking into buying a laptop to do some programming and college work 

 

i have around 500-700 to spend and i was looking to buy either one of these 

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6729897

 

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/5440555 (there is a typo on the page, this is actually a dual core)

 

if you have any suggestions please tell me

[King_of_Oz]

Get the Asus. More storage, better CPU, and Asus is slightly more reputable than Acer.

[manlykeweaver465]

1 minute ago, King_of_Oz said:

Get the Asus. More storage, better CPU, and Asus is slightly more reputable than Acer.

but people have been saying the laptop gets slow after a while because it doesnt have an ssd but a mechanical instead 

[King_of_Oz]

Just now, manlykeweaver465 said:

but people have been saying the laptop gets slow after a while because it doesnt have an ssd but a mechanical instead 

That will still happpen with an SSD, just they are faster to begin with. Also, worst case scenario you can upgrade the HDD.

[edit1754]

Honestly in this case I would go with the Acer. The Acer has a nicer casing (aluminum) (edit: maybe the ASUS is aluminum too, I'm not sure), a significantly nicer display (both say the same resolution of 1920x1080 but the Acer has an IPS display with wide viewing angles and good contrast, while the ASUS has a TN display -- and not a good TN, a 'cheap' TN with grayish blacks, washed-out colors, and poor viewing angles). I think you'll notice the difference between a good display and a not-so-good display a lot more than the differences between most other specs. 

 

Don't worry about CPU performance. There is a miniscule difference between the two, since the i7-6500U is still dual-core, and actually the i5-7200U in the Acer seems to come out ahead in benchmarks anyway. And if you're interested in light gaming, the Acer's 7th gen CPU has faster integrated Intel HD 620 graphics instead of Intel HD 520. So the Acer's CPU is better anyway

 

The SSD will also make the Acer feel a lot faster, though it is true that you could put a SSD in the ASUS.

 

Either way, if you want 14", that Acer Swift 3 is a nice choice. But if you want 15.6", I would try to get something with at least a better display, such as these:

- http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-510-15-6-laptop-black-10146128-pdt.html (15.6" 1920x1080 IPS. i3 should be fine for normal use. You might opt to install your own SSD)

- https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/80SR00DVUK-Lenovo-Ideapad-510_2063116.html (15.6" 1920x1080 IPS, dedicated GT 940MX GPU if you want to game, you might opt to install your own SSD)

[manlykeweaver465]

 

2 minutes ago, edit1754 said:

Honestly in this case I would go with the Acer. The Acer has a nicer casing (aluminum), a significantly nicer display (both say the same resolution of 1920x1080 but the Acer has an IPS display with wide viewing angles and good contrast, while the ASUS has a TN display -- and not a good TN, a 'cheap' TN with grayish blacks, washed-out colors, and poor viewing angles). I think you'll notice the difference between a good display and a not-so-good display a lot more than the differences between most other specs. 

 

Don't worry about CPU performance. There is a miniscule difference between the two, since the i7-6500U is still dual-core, and actually the i5-7200U in the Acer seems to come out ahead in benchmarks anyway. And if you're interested in light gaming, the Acer's 7th gen CPU has faster integrated Intel HD 620 graphics instead of Intel HD 520. So the Acer's CPU is better anyway

 

The SSD will also make the Acer feel a lot faster, though it is true that you could put a SSD in the ASUS.

 

Either way, if you want 14", that Acer Swift 3 is a nice choice. But if you want 15.6", I would try to get something with at least a better display, such as these:

- http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-510-15-6-laptop-black-10146128-pdt.html (15.6" 1920x1080 IPS. i3 should be fine for normal use. You might opt to install your own SSD)

- https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/80SR00DVUK-Lenovo-Ideapad-510_2063116.html (15.6" 1920x1080 IPS, dedicated GT 940MX GPU if you want to game, you might opt to install your own SSD)

thanks for the detailed response :), would the acer swift be good when it comes to programming (currently using visual basic at college, but will want to learn a new programming language soon)

[edit1754]

Should be! I don't think you would have any particular performance requirements. This review says the keyboard is decent.

 

Also I would recommend checking the display scaling setting when you get it (option in Display Settings, in the desktop right-click menu). Set it to 125%, or 100% if your eyes can take it, so you can get more room onscreen to fit code, or perhaps both code and the running application at the same time. It might be set to 150%, which might make things easier to read but might be more limiting.

[manlykeweaver465]

10 minutes ago, edit1754 said:

Should be! I don't think you would have any particular performance requirements. This review says the keyboard is decent.

 

Also I would recommend checking the display scaling setting when you get it (option in Display Settings, in the desktop right-click menu). Set it to 125%, or 100% if your eyes can take it, so you can get more room onscreen to fit code, or perhaps both code and the running application at the same time. It might be set to 150%, which might make things easier to read but might be more limiting.

thanks for the advice  , i think ill go for this laptop but i might consider the yoga 510 with the i7 if its worth it 

[Ingrid_W]

I bought my ASUS laptop  (not vivobook) in my sophomore year and it works till now about 5 years. Never get problems except for slow speed years ago. I guess I'll vote for ASUS vivobook.