Choosing between these laptops. Help!

[NEVERwinter]

My Macbook Pro died last week, so I'm looking for a new one. A Windows one.
I can get these laptops in similar price. But since I cannot try each one, I need help to choose. Especially if you have had hands-on experience between these:

MSI PE60 2QE
i7 5700 HQ - 16GB ddr3 - 2GB GTX 960M - 1TB HDD
Ports:HDMI, LAN, 3 x USB3, 1 x USB2, card reader, mini display
Pros: 7200 rpm HDD, IPS screen
Cons: low battery life? slow card reader?

Lenovo Y700 15ISK
i7 6700HQ - 16GB ddr4 - 2GB GTX 950M - 128GB SSD + 500GB HDD
Ports: HDMI, LAN, 2 x USB3, 1 x USB2, card reader
Pros: dual HDD, fast RAM
Cons: looks ugly, mediocre trackpad & buttons?

Asus FX553VD
i7 7700HQ - 8GB ddr4 - 2GB GTX 1050 - 1TB HDD
Ports: HDMI, LAN, 1 x USB2, 2 x UBS3, 1 x USB-C, card reader
Pros: good GPU, latest i7
Cons: TN screen, 5400 rpm HDD

Additional info: Light gaming. Doing minimal audio editing/recording. A responsive and comfortable trackpad is a plus. Cold and quiet would be a big plus

Any reviews and/or other alternatives (if any) would be appreciated.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Asus. The other ones are just flat out too old.

Needs an SSD though.

 

[GoStumpy]

I have an Asus similar to that but with a 1050TI and a SSD / HDD combo... it's absolutely awesome.

You can upgrade the Asus to a 1TB SSD easily enough, I would recommend that one.

 

[fire400]

In terms of performance and pricing, the Lenovo has double the RAM and an SSD, most likely an IPS screen as well (but do not be surprised if it's a crap display as well).
Ugly? You'll get used to it, there are a lot of ugly laptops that people purchase and get used to. If you're not gaming a lot anyway and it's super light gaming, the advanced graphics card is negligible because the Intel gfx card will be the default anyway.

In terms of the Asus, that i7HQ isn't going to feel faster than the Lenovo one by a whole lot, they're still mobile processors, but far beyond the ultra low voltage variants. The poor TN panel doesn't help much either, unless you'll be using an external monitor most of the time. If you can upgrade the unit to 16gb of RAM and install an SSD, that would be fantastic, especially if it can take an NVME SSD. The 1050 graphics card will speak for itself, and by then you'd probably be on a nice, colorful 1080p IPS monitor?

...Cold and quite, they're all going to be loud on full load. Especially the GTX 1050 if it's hot while playing a game and pushing the unit hard, even on "light gaming." Skip the HQ CPU and the nVidia graphics if you want real cool 'n quite, in which case it's not great for gaming.
Recommend another Apple laptop if you're used to the thin chassis and quiter than usual operating performance, and you can still install Windows OS on a Macbook Pro, but Apple's laptop cooling systems when pushed at fully max load, that's a different story altogether.

Skip the MSI laptop completely. That will be 4 generations out as of gen-9 for Intel processors (2019).

If it was truly up to me, I wouldn't get any of those systems mentioned.
Do an Intel gen-8-HQ on Geforce-1060 with NVME. Finance on PayPal with replacement insurance if you don't have the money up front, the investment will pay off eventually.
Not a fan of recommending/pouring money into old hardware that can glitch out if it's a refurb without a warranty, especially if needing to upgrade the RAM and SSD immediately and getting stuck with poor quality, built-in video panels.

 

[ringtail]

One of my (very important) US defense contractor clients literallly physically trashed 100% of the Lenovo computers owned by them, and their Security now forbids use on their business of Lenovo computers owned by employees or consultants (me) or subcontractors.

Regardless pop press-generated controversy over the famous Bloomberg article about Chinese spy stuff embedded in computers, it's a FACT that Lenovo has ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT RED HANDED AT LEAST TWICE by US customers for secreting spy stuff in Chinese-built computers. Lenovo has already "apologized" at least twice for it. US Citizens ought not patronize Lenovo. B A D actor! Yeah they got nice "style" but B A D actor. Your dollar = a vote in favor of Lenovo. Go elsewhere . . .MSI, ASUS, etc. DON'T BUY LENOVO!!!

 

[killster1]

i perfer Lenovo Y700 15ISK,i have bough one and have used for 2 years,everything goes well

wow i didnt know lenovo had the china spyware issues, so sad as i love the build quality for the $ lenovo offered. As far as the lappy for Op i would choose a ryzen 5 series or 8th gen intel with a mx150. (own two 8th gen intel mx150 and the batteries last extremely long)

 

[Bardock]

One of my (very important) US defense contractor clients literallly physically trashed 100% of the Lenovo computers owned by them, and their Security now forbids use on their business of Lenovo computers owned by employees or consultants (me) or subcontractors.

Regardless pop press-generated controversy over the famous Bloomberg article about Chinese spy stuff embedded in computers, it's a FACT that Lenovo has ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT RED HANDED AT LEAST TWICE by US customers for secreting spy stuff in Chinese-built computers. Lenovo has already "apologized" at least twice for it. US Citizens ought not patronize Lenovo. B A D actor! Yeah they got nice "style" but B A D actor. Your dollar = a vote in favor of Lenovo. Go elsewhere . . .MSI, ASUS, etc. DON'T BUY LENOVO!!!

LOL at this. Cisco has been caught backdooring routers for nsa from the factory, its all relative. Maybe unglue from cnn?

Windows 10 has telemetry that's always on, who isn't a bad actor?

smh. The whole idea of a trustworthy corporation is an oxymoron.

 

[fire400]

LOL at this. Cisco has been caught backdooring routers for nsa from the factory, its all relative. Maybe unglue from cnn?

Windows 10 has telemetry that's always on, who isn't a bad actor?

smh. The whole idea of a trustworthy corporation is an oxymoron.

good point.

also, there is leaked video footage of organization(s) intercepting packages and inserting its underground byproduct into them and then resealing the products & packages to send them to the intended carrier/recipients.

 

[Builder1977]

I have the Asus myself. I cant speak about the other models, but im very satisfied with my Asus.