hi guys.. i am new here.. this is my first post.
I happened to see this thread when I was doing my research bit on Asus n56vm vs Dell Inspiron 15R. Although, this thread has different Asus model listed, I thought I will share my experience.
I was looking for a decent multimedia laptop - my gaming needs are not high, but things like video encoding and other stuff (like the OP mentioned) are my needs. I already own a HP Envy 17 (which I got 2 years ago) for 1500USD. Envy 17 is an amazing laptop except for the heat it generates, so I pretty much had to start worrying about finding a portable 15inch. I first came across this amazon link for Asus N56VM and this indepth review from notebookcheck.net for the same series. I was sold on the review, and the price which was under 900 (and amazon increased it by 50$ to 932). But, then I found Dell Inspiron for 850USD on deals site.
Here's my quick take on these laptops:
DELL:
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM processor (6M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz
750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
AMD Radeon™ HD 7730M 2GB
8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
15.6" Full High Definition (1080p) LED Display
Windows 7 Home Premium
ASUS:
Intel Core i7 3610QM 2.3 GHz Processor
6 GB SO-DIMM
750 GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Full-HD LED Screen
Nvidia GT 630M 2GB Graphics
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Notebookcheck.net rates them between 80-85%. ASUS has a marginally brighter display (400cd/m2) vs (300cd/m2) of Dell, almost identical black levels and a slight better contrast ratio (685:533). Other than this, ASUS is on the cooler side on peak load at 40C, while dell heats up to 52C (in some areas). Other than this, I believe, Dell scores over ASUS in all other areas such as total inbuilt RAM, graphics card specs and processor.
I've decided to go with Dell, coz it seems to give me more bang for the buck. I am getting this from USA via a friend who would be carrying it for me. Its a shame that this ASUS model (even the V56NZ series) is not available in India, and even if it were available, it would be a good 10-15k more than the current US market price and it would ship without OS.
Apologies, if you feel that I've hijacked the thread with different model comparison - I wanted to add my experience.