Author Topic: Thinking about buying a new HP laptop (Read 5874 times)

sneakypete · « **on:** January 10, 2020, 06:51:04 am »

I am fairly certain I want a middle-level gaming laptop,and am seriously considering a HP Pavillion Gaming Laptop 17t

Here are the specs I am considering:

Specs

Acid Green

Windows 10 Home 64

IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 9750H (2.6 GHz, up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)+NVIDIAÂ® GeForceÂ® GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5)

8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)

17.3" diagonal FHD 144 Hz IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080)

512 GB IntelÂ® SSD + 32 GB IntelÂ® Optaneâ„¢ memory

$1134.99 price including shipping

Comments?

240B · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2020, 08:00:10 am »

Why a laptop? Are you planning on writing your next novel at StarBucks? Are you in college?
I have a laptop in my closet, but rarely use it. My cellphone can do almost as much as any laptop.
Always on my desktop/tower. So much more powerful.
I know this sounds crazy, so I'll just admit that right now.
8G ram is no good for games these days. You need anywhere from 10-16G ram. I upgraded recently from 8G to 16G and the difference is incredible. Very noticeable improvement in speed and function.
I have 3.2GHz with a 1TB SSD.
300MBps internet.
As far as a monitor, you could simply buy an HD TV 43" or larger if you want and make that your monitor.
I specifically intentionally do not allow any camera or microphone on my computer. Those things are too easy for people to hack into.
But back to the main point. If you do not specifically need a laptop for work or education, then why buy one?
If you buy a desk top you can trick that puppy out any way you want to, like ZZ Top Eliminator.
Change out the CPU, add more RAM, put in a kick ass 350 horsepower Graphics Card or Sound Card, whatever you want.
We might have a clash of philosophy here, but that's my input anyway. You da man, so...carry on.

EdinVA · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2020, 11:03:32 am »

Never had any luck with HP so I went with dell...

Windows Professional is much faster than the Home version so if you can swing the extra $$ I would upgrade.
Dell's all in ones are good but you cannot upgrade easily and I usually replace computers every 5 years or so anyway.

Snarknado · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2020, 01:24:09 pm »

Things are complicated these days. If a laptop can accommodate a HDD then you should be able to get one with a small boot SSD in the M2 slot and still add a cheap SATA SSD like the $100 Samsung 1TB QVO in the drive slot. A cheap USB DVD drive should suffice for the rare occasions when you need one. Another possibility is dedicating one USB 3.1 port to a 3.1 "fit" flash drive. The idea is to have some way to get windows and browser temp file off the boot drive so they don't burn up your write cycles.

Optane with a HDD might be OK - I haven't heard much about it.

The 1650 could be either the mobile or "Max-Q" design; there are significant differences in performance and power usage so make sure you know which you're getting. If you plan to do gaming with an external monitor with higher refresh rates you might want to trade down to an i5 CPU and up to one of the GTX 1660 variations. Ideally you'd want DisplayPort output rather than HDMI so you could use a G-Sync or Freesync monitor. DP can also easily be converted to HDMI or DVI for older monitors, but sync only works with a DP monitor.

I researched some of this stuff last fall while shopping for a desktop, so if you have specific questions I might be able to help.

roamer_1 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:22:34 pm »

That's a NICE box @sneakypete

Let me ask you a fair question: Considering you are stretching to buy it... Do you need all that? I mean, what are you going to be using it for?

This one I am on right now is a few years old, but it is a large form-factor HP Elitebook i7 with 16g of RAM and a 17"monitor... A very solid box, that I paid under 100 bucks for (broken)... Put a SSD drive in her (which was all she needed), loaded her up, and I have been on it a couple years by now...

You don't have to spend that kind of dough to get a decent machine.
I will say that I am almost exclusively an HP house anymore, but I stay in their corporate boxes, so I can't speak to Pavilion... Though that is the top end of their residential stuff.

@240B has a fair point - If you are needing horsepower, a desktop system would be a better way to go... More bang-for-buck, and way easier to jack up... My main whip is a ground pounder that most gamers would drool over.

But, at the same time, I am a laptop guy, and more likely than not, I am running my desktops from the comfort of my LazyBoy, from my laptop, using RDP (Remote Desktop)... I avoid my actual desk like the plague. I like the portability of the laptop around the house. I can bring it with me when I am eating breakfast at the kitchen table, or even take it out on the porch on a nice day, and leave that damnable desk alone.

sneakypete · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:24:48 pm »

@240B

Quote

Why a laptop? Are you planning on writing your next novel at StarBucks? Are you in college?

None of the above,but I seem to be spending more time in hospitals than I used to,and this time doesn't seem to lessen as I get older. A laptop I can play games on might help keep me distracted while serving time in a care facility.

Quote

My cellphone can do almost as much as any laptop.

I have my cell phone for making and receiving calls. I also use it for a GPS while traveling,and reluctantly accept tweets and emails from people I know. The rest of the time I want the damn thing to remain silent and leave me alone.

Quote

8G ram is no good for games these days. You need anywhere from 10-16G ram.

I know this,but I am on a budget and still trying to get caught up on medical bills,and bought one with a 8mb ram stick because it is so easy to install another one when it fits my budget better.

Quote

As far as a monitor, you could simply buy an HD TV 43" or larger if you want and make that your monitor.

I already have a monitor I am using with this computer,as well as another monitor sitting in the floor for a spare if I need it. Plus I have a 58 inch plasma tv I could use as a monitor if I wanted.

The monitor on the laptop I plan on buying has a 144mz refresh rate . It added 100 bucks to the purchase price,but I think it will be worth it.

Quote

I specifically intentionally do not allow any camera or microphone on my computer.

Me,either. That's one of the reasons they make duct tape.

Quote

But back to the main point. If you do not specifically need a laptop for work or education, then why buy one?

Easier to take with me when I go into the hospital than my desktop.

Quote

If you buy a desk top you can trick that puppy out any way you want to, like ZZ Top Eliminator.
Change out the CPU, add more RAM, put in a kick ass 350 horsepower Graphics Card or Sound Card, whatever you want.

You can do a lot of that with the upscale laptops,but I am basically buying a new one that has everything I want already done,except for the additional 8MB RAM stick. I MIGHT spring for that by the time I buy,but that depends on what my budget looks like. Right now I will be using it as a computer,not a game console,so it's not critical.

BTW,don't get me wrong. I LOVE playing computer games. That's the problem. I get obsessed with playing them and don't get anything else done,including eating or sleeping in some cases. Which is why I rarely play them now. Be nice to be able to play them when/if I am hospitalized or housebound for several months again.

DB · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:25:07 pm »

If you are serious about gaming a 60 Hz refresh rate will do you in. Generally speaking the frame rate of the display is the most critical thing on a modern computer for gaming assuming it is a first person shooter type game against others where response time is critical.

120 Hz is the minimum for a decent gaming machine. With LCD displays there are additional delays in processing between the video card and the display itself causing further delays. So the display response time is also important. Gaming machines that are actually intended for gaming (and not just marketing) will specify this delay in milliseconds, typically a millisecond or less.

roamer_1 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:30:31 pm »

BTW @sneakypete ... While that is a nice box, it is going to need another (at least) 8g of ram pretty soon. It will run alright on 8g, but really, that's about the bottom end of what I would reccomend on a Win box. All of mine are running 16g+

No biggie - easy to add after the fact... Jussayin.

sneakypete · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:33:53 pm »

Quote from: EdinVA on January 10, 2020, 11:03:32 am

[
Never had any luck with HP so I went with dell...

@EdinVA

My oldest laptop is a HP that is still going strong,even if VERY slow. Must be 10 years old. Maybe older. Also had a HP desktop that I ran for several years before something went wrong with it,and it was so outdated it was cheaper to buy a new one that repair and upgrade the old one.

I have had a couple of Dell desktops and 1 Dell laptop that was obsolete when I bought it,and never really had any trouble with them or the HP.

Quote

Windows Professional is much faster than the Home version so if you can swing the extra $$ I would upgrade.

I know,but right now it is a budget thing.

Quote

Dell's all in ones are good but you cannot upgrade easily and I usually replace computers every 5 years or so anyway.

They are all obsolete by the time they are 5 years old,anyway.

sneakypete · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2020, 03:53:49 pm »

@240B @EdinVA @Snarknado @roamer_1 @DB

Guys,I have updated my first post. For some reason I posted the first version I was considering buying instead of the one I decided on after some research. What you see now is what I will be getting IF I buy this HP.

I plan on upgrading by adding another memory stick and Win Pro down the road.

sneakypete · « **Reply #10 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:00:41 pm »

Quote from: Snarknado on January 10, 2020, 01:24:09 pm

Another possibility is dedicating one USB 3.1 port to a 3.1 "fit" flash drive. The idea is to have some way to get windows and browser temp file off the boot drive so they don't burn up your write cycles.

@Snarknado

Keep in mind that I am entirely self-taught,and have no freaking idea what a write cycle is,or even if the computer would boot if I took the boot drive off of it.

Quote
Optane with a HDD might be OK - I haven't heard much about it.

I hope they are ok,as that is what I have in the udated build schedule at this time.
Quote
If you plan to do gaming with an external monitor with higher refresh rates you might want to trade down to an i5 CPU and up to one of the GTX 1660 variations.

Going with the 144 hz refresh rate and the IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 9750H (2.6 GHz, up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)+NVIDIAÂ® GeForceÂ® GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5)

libertybele · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:06:07 pm »

For what it's worth -- I wouldn't own anything else but an HP. They last. The last one I bought lasted me about 13 years and had to have it serviced twice -- one time my own error for falling victim to an on-line Microsoft scam. I just purchased another one last year (the old one finally just quit) -- so far absolutely no problems (knock on wood). I purchase desktops -- not fond of laptops. I purchase them at Best Buy along with their recommended anti-virus.

The printer I have btw is still the HP printer I used with my last computer.

EdinVA · « **Reply #12 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:07:37 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on January 10, 2020, 04:00:41 pm

I hope they are ok,as that is what I have in the udated build schedule at this time.
Going with the 144 hz refresh rate and the IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 9750H (2.6 GHz, up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)+NVIDIAÂ® GeForceÂ® GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5)

Well, I would go with the dual quads with a ram air induction myself...

sneakypete · « **Reply #13 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:10:28 pm »

Quote from: roamer_1 on January 10, 2020, 03:22:34 pm

That's a NICE box @sneakypete

Quote
Let me ask you a fair question: Considering you are stretching to buy it... Do you need all that? I mean, what are you going to be using it for?

@roamer_1 I have always had a philosophy of having more than I need to insure I am never asking my equipment to do more than can do safely and reliably. It really sucks to buy something,and then discover it won't do everything you want it to do once you get it home. I have never once regretted buying "up" from something that just barely met my basic needs at the time I bought it.

MOST of what I plan on doing with it is posting here and a few other places,and searching the web to find out what I can about anything that interests me that day.

While I am sick and unable to work,or hospitalized,I plan on playing video games with it when I get bored.

Quote
This one I am on right now is a few years old, but it is a large form-factor HP Elitebook i7 with 16g of RAM and a 17"monitor... A very solid box, that I paid under 100 bucks for (broken)... Put a SSD drive in her (which was all she needed), loaded her up, and I have been on it a couple years by now...

I used to do things like that back when I still had a mind that worked.

Quote
You don't have to spend that kind of dough to get a decent machine.

I could get a 15.6 inch one cheaper that is close to this one,but at this point I would rather have the bigger screen,and after all,it's just money,and what good is money at my age if you can't spend it?

Quote
I will say that I am almost exclusively an HP house anymore, but I stay in their corporate boxes, so I can't speak to Pavilion... Though that is the top end of their residential stuff.

THAT is really good to know. I have had good luck with HP stuff in the past,but companies get bought out,management changes,etc,etc,etc.

Quote
@240B has a fair point - If you are needing horsepower, a desktop system would be a better way to go... More bang-for-buck, and way easier to jack up... My main whip is a ground pounder that most gamers would drool over.

I understand and both appreciate and agree with that POV,but right at the moment I am thinking something mobile will better suit my future needs.

roamer_1 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:16:18 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on January 10, 2020, 06:51:04 am

$1134.99 price including shipping

Comments?

@sneakypete

From your new specs:
Still a butt-ton of money. I can't remember the last time I spent more than a few hundred on a laptop. Too easy to steal. to easy to drop. So on that alone, I can't see it.

Find used or refurb'd... I don't even think you'd have to settle very much at half the cost. maybe even a quarter...

Jussayin.

sneakypete · « **Reply #15 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:16:41 pm »

Quote from: libertybele on January 10, 2020, 04:06:07 pm

For what it's worth -- I wouldn't own anything else but an HP. They last. The last one I bought lasted me about 13 years and had to have it serviced twice -- one time my own error for falling victim to an on-line Microsoft scam. I just purchased another one last year (the old one finally just quit) -- so far absolutely no problems (knock on wood). I purchase desktops -- not fond of laptops. I purchase them at Best Buy along with their recommended anti-virus.

The printer I have btw is still the HP printer I used with my last computer.

@libertybele

My printer/copier is a HP,also. Several years old,and still works perfectly.

Wingnut · « **Reply #16 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:37:43 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on January 10, 2020, 06:51:04 am

I am fairly certain I want a middle-level gaming laptop,and am seriously considering a HP Pavillion Gaming Laptop 17t

Here are the specs I am considering:

Specs

Acid Green

Windows 10 Home 64

IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 9750H (2.6 GHz, up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)+NVIDIAÂ® GeForceÂ® GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5)

8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)

17.3" diagonal FHD 144 Hz IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080)

512 GB IntelÂ® SSD + 32 GB IntelÂ® Optaneâ„¢ memory

$1134.99 price including shipping

Comments?

I just got this one before Chritmas.

HP Laptop - 17z touch optional
HP - 17z Laptop
1 TB 5400 rpm SATA
Full-size island-style backlit keyboard(Ash Silver)
Security Software Trial
8 GB DDR4-1866 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)
Natural Silver
802.11b/g/n/ac (1x1) Wi-FiÂ® and BluetoothÂ® 4.2 combo
Office Software Trial
Windows 10 Home 64 Core
HP TrueVision HD Camera with Digital Microphone (Natural Silver)
3-cell, 41 Wh Lithium-ion prismatic Battery
DVD-Writer
AMD A9-9425 Dual-Core (3.1 GHz, up to 3.7 GHz, 1MB cache)+AMD Radeonâ„¢ R5 Graphics
17.3" diagonal HD+ SVA BrightView WLED-backlit (1600 x 900)

With Tax shipped it was only $395 Ordered direct from HP.

roamer_1 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:39:20 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on January 10, 2020, 04:10:28 pm

@roamer_1 I have always had a philosophy of having more than I need to insure I am never asking my equipment to do more than can do safely and reliably. It really sucks to buy something,and then discover it won't do everything you want it to do once you get it home. I have never once regretted buying "up" from something that just barely met my basic needs at the time I bought it.

@sneakypete
That's a very good way to look at it. I am a power freak - Mo' powa' mo' bedda' - I get that just fine. Good on ya.

Quote

MOST of what I plan on doing with it is posting here and a few other places,and searching the web to find out what I can about anything that interests me that day.

While I am sick and unable to work,or hospitalized,I plan on playing video games with it when I get bored.

Well, you mostly got to understand this part... ANY i7 box with moderate graphics and 16g+RAM is already gigantic for general use... Documents and internet... I mean stupid crazy big. Heck, any decent 4core is more than enough - Pleasant to operate, if not perfectly eyebrow lifting...

So the plus-sized cost has to be justified on the gamer side, because that seems to be the only dang thing you need all that for... I can't speak to that, as I ain't a gamer. I need big power and multi cores for database work and graphics design, and messin with VMs.

That's on you - Whether the cost is worth it to you....

Quote

I could get a 15.6 inch one cheaper that is close to this one,but at this point I would rather have the bigger screen,and after all,it's just money,and what good is money at my age if you can't spend it?

I heard that. My main laptop is a large form factor, and I would not trade that 17" monitor for anything. JUST from the aspect of seein the damn thing w/o glasses with ease. 100% behind you on that one.

And I see what you mean about the $$. Even so, The Dutch in me would be really pissed at that cost... Letting all the moths loose from my wallet like that would set my teeth on edge. But maybe I just ain't old enough yet. LOL!

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THAT is really good to know. I have had good luck with HP stuff in the past,but companies get bought out,management changes,etc,etc,etc.

YEP - But I will reiterate Corporate HP. Elitebooks. All metal construction. very durable, with parts readily available... Different from consumer lines. Not sayin the plastic ones ain't alright, but durability is paramount to me in portables.

Quote

I understand and both appreciate and agree with that POV,but right at the moment I am thinking something mobile will better suit my future needs.

Yeah, I got the reasoning upthread. Works for me. You gotta take hospital stays and such into account. That makes good sense.

sneakypete · « **Reply #18 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:41:44 pm »

It seems like EVERYBODY had killer computer sales going in Dec,but unfortunately I didn't need a new computer in Dec.

Plus,I want/need the upgrades on mine for playing games.

sneakypete · « **Reply #19 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:45:28 pm »

Quote from: roamer_1 on January 10, 2020, 04:39:20 pm

@sneakypete

Quote
And I see what you mean about the $$. Even so, The Dutch in me would be really pissed at that cost... Letting all the moths loose from my wallet like that would set my teeth on edge. But maybe I just ain't old enough yet. LOL!

@roamer_1

I agree,but have nobody to blame but me. I SHOULD have started looking around in early Dec,and made my move the last week when all the sales discounts were maxed out. As the old saying goes,"You snooze,you lose."

Snarknado · « **Reply #20 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:46:23 pm »

Am I wrong in thinking Optane doesn't really buy you much in a system with a SSD boot drive? I also thought Optane occupied the M2 slot?

sneakypete · « **Reply #21 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:49:38 pm »

Quote from: Snarknado on January 10, 2020, 04:46:23 pm

Am I wrong in thinking Optane doesn't really buy you much in a system with a SSD boot drive? I also thought Optane occupied the M2 slot?

@Snarknado

I hope you aren't asking me. AFAIK,it is just added to the SSD drive I plan on buying at no extra cost.I don't have a clue as to what it is,or what it is supposed to do.

240B · « **Reply #22 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:52:28 pm »

Quote from: roamer_1 on January 10, 2020, 04:16:18 pm

@sneakypete
From your new specs:
Still a butt-ton of money. I can't remember the last time I spent more than a few hundred on a laptop. Too easy to steal. to easy to drop. So on that alone, I can't see it.
Find used or refurb'd... I don't even think you'd have to settle very much at half the cost. maybe even a quarter...

Yes. I noticed that too, didn't want to say anything.
A laptop these days for $1000 better be made out of gold or something.
You know what kind of system I could build with a $1000...It would be close to a supercomputer.
With a network adapter I could link multiple computers together as one.
The last computer I bought from Amazon. And it is much more than I will ever need.
It was around ~$300+ plus add-ons, but that was a desk-top.
$1000 is too much.

Snarknado · « **Reply #23 on:** January 10, 2020, 04:58:19 pm »

Quote from: sneakypete on January 10, 2020, 04:00:41 pm

I hope they are ok,as that is what I have in the udated build schedule at this time.
Going with the 144 hz refresh rate and the IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 9750H (2.6 GHz, up to 4.5 GHz, 12 MB cache, 6 cores)+NVIDIAÂ® GeForceÂ® GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR5)

Your build is SSD + Optane - unless you're getting the optane pretty close to free I'd cut that cost. With a large, fast-refresh screen your cost isn't that outrageous, especially if it's IPS rather than TN.

corbe · « **Reply #24 on:** January 10, 2020, 05:01:12 pm »

I agree with @EdinVA I mostly find HP's cluttered with Junk software that slows them down considerably right out of the box. I believe in the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle and when my customers want a new laptop/desktop I put them in a Dell. Sure, they aren't Gamers (median age 70) but it seems to be adequate for their needs at a decent price point with decent tech support. Good Luck @sneakypete