Available Now- Lenovo Y50 with GTX 960M graphics and IPS panel now available for order

ASUS recently released a $1000 gaming laptop with the latest GTX 960M mid-range mobile graphics card, which is said to be more power efficient and 10-20% faster than the GTX 860M GPU on older models. Featuring an Intel Core i7-4720HQ,16GB of RAM and a 1 TB 7200 RPM graphics, the latest ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS74 certainly packs a punch for its price. It's closest competitor is the Lenovo Y50- an affordable and very portable gaming laptop which sold like hot cakes last year- primarily because of its under $1000 price tag and a thin and light profile compared to competitors. However, its reputation among the crowd has not been all positive. Last year's Y50 came with a 1080P TN display, which suffered from poor viewing angles compared to the IPS panels on its competitors.

ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 15.6-inch laptop

The Lenovo Y50-70 59440654 15.6-inch laptop

The latest Lenovo Y50-70 59440654 packs similar design and specs as its predecessor but Lenovo has made a vital improvement this time by including a Full HD IPS panel. Other specs are more less the same-why change something that isn't broken, right? Now, the burning question among gamers is obviously- which $1000 gaming laptop should I buy? ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS74 VS the Lenovo Y50 GTX 960M. Well, both of these devices are now equally awesome. Had Lenovo  stuck with the same old TN display, I would've obviously suggested the ASUS ROG laptop, but now these two beasts are neck and neck when it comes to hardware and gaming performance. However, the ASUS ROG does come with a faster 7200 RPM hard drive whereas the Y50 still has the slower 5400 RPM storage, meaning the loading times may be slightly slower in the Y50. Still, the actual gaming performance shouldn't be any different.

Suggestion: If portability is of concern, the new Lenovo Y50 is the better choice because it's thinner and far lighter than the 15.6 inch ASUS ROG GL55JW. If you are okay with a bulky laptop with a built in optical drive, then go for the ASUS ROG. It basically comes down to your design preferences.

The ASUS ROG GL55JW GTX 960M is priced $1099 at Amazon.com.
The Lenovo Y50 -70 GTX 960M is priced $1078 at Lenovo.com