Epping Up the Budget: A Look at Lenovo Y700 and More

We're going to explore three laptops that offer a great balance of performance, portability, and value. Our first look is at the Lenovo Y700, which can be found for $750. What I like about this laptop is that it's well-rounded despite being a gaming laptop. The 14-inch display makes it somewhat portable, but still has plenty of room for gaming. The design is also quite subtle, which sets it apart from other gaming laptops.

Inside, the Y700 packs some powerful specs. It comes with an Intel Core i7-6700HQ quad-core processor, 16 gigabytes of DDR4 memory, and dedicated Radeon R9 370 M graphics. When I jumped into a game like Overwatch, I was able to play on medium settings at 1080p, getting anywhere between 40 to 60 frames per second. This is definitely playable, and the laptop's specs make it a solid choice for both gaming and everyday use.

Another option that caught my eye is the LG gram 13, which can be found for $1,000. The LG gram is hands-down my favorite Ultrabook right now, and for good reason. It's super light, making it incredibly portable, and it also has very small bezels on the display, which makes it look sleek and modern. The 13-inch model comes with a 1080p IPS panel that's perfect for everyday use, and most models also come with a touchscreen feature.

The LG gram is not just aesthetically pleasing; it's also well-specced. It comes with a Core i5-7200U processor, eight gigabytes of RAM, and a 256-gigabyte SSD. This may not be the most powerful laptop, but it's plenty snappy for normal use. And when I put it to the test, I was impressed by its battery life - LG claims it can last up to 15 hours on a charge, which is no lie.

Finally, we have the brand-new Microsoft Surface Pro, which ranges from $800 to much more. At first glance, this might seem like an unusual choice for a laptop, but hear me out. The Surface Pro is essentially a tablet, and it's designed to be portable and flexible. But once you attach the Type Cover and pop up the kickstand, what you're seeing is actually a fully-fledged laptop. It comes in several different configurations, but the one I have here is the mid-spec model with a Core i5 processor, eight gigabytes of RAM, and 256 gigs of SSD storage.

What's particularly cool about this setup is that it comes with a fanless Core i5, which means it's not only quiet but also efficient. And when it comes to battery life, this laptop really shines - LG claims it can last up to 13 and a half hours on a charge, which is incredible. The Surface Pro also comes with some amazing features like facial log-in with Windows Hello and the latest PixelSense display with a 12.3-inch screen size. And of course, you get the whole thing in a tablet package.

Overall, each of these laptops offers something unique and special. Whether you're looking for a gaming laptop, an Ultrabook, or a tablet-laptop hybrid, there's something here for everyone. So which one would I choose? Let me know in the comments below!

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey, guys, this is Austin!If you're looking for alaptop for back to school,I have a few options youmight want to consider.Everything from $200 to over a thousand.First off, we have this 14-inch HP laptop.Now, at first glance, it looksjust a little bit old school.However, for a little bit over $200,there's a lot to like here.It has a solid selection of ports,with VGA, Ethernet, HDMI,and three USB ports.Now, what's a littlebit weird with this guyis that it is actually cooled by fan.So a lot of the budgetIntel laptops are fanless.However, this AMD option does have a fan,but thankfully, it's not too loud.This guy is powered by aquad-core AMD E2 processorwith four gigabytes of RAMand 32 gigs of eMMC storage.Now, that processor is not going to beincredibly powerful.It's actually verysimilar to what's insidethe Xbox One and PS4.Although, obviously, in thiscase, a little bit slower.But, the important thing is,it's going to be totally finefor basic usage, and again, this is $200.That AMD processor is a little bit unusualin budget laptops, but it's not that bad.So when it comes to moreheavy usage, such as gaming,it's not going to begreat, but for normal stufflike watching video, it's not bad.Hey, guys, this is Austin!It has been nearly fouryears since the originalNintendo 2DS came out.What's also pretty solid is the display.So, for $220, we're gettinga full 1080p IPS panel.Now, yes, it is not quiteas bright as I would like.However, for this price, thisis about as good as it gets.It might not be a powerhouse,but if you're just lookingfor a budget laptopto get the job done, this isdefinitely worth considering.If you've got a little bitmore budget to work with,you may want to consider pickingup the ASUS VivoBook E403.At just a little bit under$400, while it's not a huge jumpover the HP, there a lot of little thingsthat definitely add up.So I actually did avideo on this last year,but it's still prettymuch totally up to date.And what's nice about this guy is thatfor only a little bit more than the HP,you're getting somethingthat feels a lot nicer.Now, yes, it is still plastic.But it's thinner, it's lighter,and it just feels likea more premium laptop.This guy also has asolid selection of portswith an HDMI, a USB 3,USB Type-C, which is nice.And if you flip it over,we're also going to getan additional USB Type-A aswell as an SD card reader.While this might not bethe most powerful laptopin the world, it candefinitely get the job done.So inside, it's rocking aquad-core Intel Pentium processor,four gigabytes of memory,as well as 128 gigabytes of eMMC storage.You can do a bit of verylight gaming on this guy,but it really is meantfor more normal usage.And for that, it does a good job.So it also has a solid 1080ppanel with good speakers,solid trackpad, keyboard.There's really no one part ofthis laptop that falls apart.Moving on, we have the Lenovo Z50.So this is the middle groundbetween a budget laptopand something that can handle gaming.At $370, this guy's all aboutcramming the maximum amountof specs into the cheapestpossible computer.Of course, you guys want more information.I did a full video on this very recently.In fact, most of theselaptops, I've already donefull videos on, but there'sa lot of interesting quirkswith this guy.This is the biggest laptophere with 15.6-inch display,but that's also probablyit's biggest weakness,as it is only a 1366 by 768 resolution.On such a big screen, itjust doesn't look great.And on top of that, it'sa fairly low-end TN panel,which means the color, andespecially viewing anglesand contrasts, could be a lot better.The upside is that it has anAMD FX-7500 quad-core APU,eight gigabytes of RAM, andRadeon R7 integrated graphics.Now, yes, it's not goingto crush Crysis at 4K,but for $400, you'regoing to be hard-pressedto find a more powerful gaming laptop.With a game like RocketLeague, we're able to getpretty solid performance.So, playing at 768p, whichis the max resolutionof the screen on quality settings,we're getting right between40 to 50 frames per second.I can actually hit the ball.(laughs)I totally just missedthe ball twice on camera.That's totally gotta go in.It's definitely not perfect,but if you're just lookingfor pure bang for the buck performance,you should check it out.Stepping up the budget a little bit,we have the Lenovo Y700 at $750.What I like about this is that even thoughit's a gaming laptop, it'sactually nicely well-rounded.With a 14-inch display, it'sstill somewhat portable,but you have plenty of room for gaming,and I actually really like the look of it.A lot of gaming laptops canbe a little bit over the top,but with this, it's actuallya fairly subtle design.Inside, it has fairly powerful specs.With an Intel Core i7-6700HQquad-core processor,16 gigabytes of DDR4 memory,as well as dedicatedRadeon R9 370 M graphics.Jumping into a game like Overwatch,this is totally playable.So on 1080p, on mediumsettings, we're getting anywherebetween 40 to 60 frames,depending on how much action's going on.But regardless, thisis very much playable.This guy also has a 256-gigabyte M2 SSD,paired with a one-terabyte hard drive.And when you put it all together,not only is this a solidlaptop for taking with youevery day, but it candefinitely handle some gaming.Moving away from gaming, wehave the LG gram 13 at $1,000.So there's a lot to like with this guy.It is hands-down my favoriteUltrabook right now.One of the main reasons for thatis that while it's not only super light,but it also has very, verysmall bezels on the display,making this incredibly portable.The gram comes in 13, 14,and 15 in screen sizes,but regardless, you'regetting a really nice-looking1080p IPS panel.Color, contrast, andespecially viewing anglesare going to be on point.And most of them, this 13-inch included,also come with a touch screen.I've said it a lot of timesbefore, but with Windows 10,a touchscreen laptop just makes sense.Specs are fairly standardfor an Ultrabook.It has a Core i5-7200U processor,eight gigabytes of RAM,and a 256-gigabyte SSD.This, of course, is not a gaming PC,but it's pretty snappy for normal use.Now, on top of the screen being nice,it's also updated with a nice keyboard,and especially a solid trackpadwith Windows Precision drivers.And this model also comeswith a fingerprint sensor.The real star of the showhere, though, is battery life.So, LG claims that it can lastup to 15 hours on a charge,and that's not crazy.With that 60-watt-hourbattery, I have never killed itin a single day.So, if you're looking fora laptop that not only hassolid battery life, butit's also super portable,check out the LG gram.In the same category,we have the brand-newMicrosoft Surface Pro, whichranges anywhere from $800to a lot, lot more.So this might seem like alittle bit of a weird choice,but I actually think the Surfacewould make a lot of sensefor back to school.So, yes, it is definitely a tablet,and because of that, it'sgoing to be nice and portable.But once you put theactual Type Cover on it,this is not a bad laptop replacement.You are getting incrediblynice hardware here.Everything's made out of metal.Especially once youpull out the Type Coverand pop the kickstand,what you're seeing hereis that there's a ton of flexibility.It is really, really well-built.This guy comes in quite afew different configurations,but the one I have hereis the mid-spec modelwith the Core i5, eight gigs of RAM,and 256 gigs of SSD storage.Now, what's cool is, the Core i5 hereis actually going to be fanless.So not only is it goingto be nice and quiet,but on top of that, ithas crazy battery life,13 and a half hours.It also has the best screen herewith a 12.3-inch PixelSense display,which, of course, is not only touchscreen,but it also supports the new Surface pen.And it also has some cool other features,like facial log-in with Windows Hello.And of course, you get thewhole thing in a tablet package.So yes, it can be a little bit pricey,especially once you addthe actual keyboard,which is basically not even an option,but the Surface Pro isdefinitely worth a lookif you're going back to school.As always, I'll have linksto all of these laptopsin the description, and I'vealso done dedicated videoson a lot of them.So feel free to go checkthose out, and I'm curious.Which one of theselaptops would you pick up?Let me know in the comments below,and I will catch you in the next one.