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Please critique this laptop build

C

codenameRondo

Junior Member
Long story short: I was going to build a desktop, but since I'm going to law school in August, I figured a decent laptop would be more practical. Until August, I'm looking to play SWTOR, SC2, etc on medium-high graphics. After looking at several configurations, this is what I've finally come up with for the best price:

HP dv6t Quad Edition:


  • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  • 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz
  • 2GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7690M GDDR5 Discrete Graphics(TM) [HDMI, VGA]
  • 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
  • 750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
  • 50% OFF One 6 Cell and One 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
  • 15.6" High Definition HP LED Brightview (1366x768)
  • FREE UPGRADE to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
The total price comes out to $963.23 with tax/shipping. Do you guys think this is a good deal, and I should pull the trigger? Or would something else be more ideal? Can I end up going with something cheaper without sacrificing too much performance?

Thanks for any help in advance!
 
That screen resolution is total garbage. If you can't upgrade the resolution, then you should look for another laptop. Yes, it really is that big of a deal. That's just my opinion, at least.
 
Well, the specs are good for the money. 1080p is the way to go. Any lower and it's a waste of money.

I personally can't stand cheapo plastic laptops that virtually flex in half when you pick them up, but that's your prerogative. HP's keyboards on their consumer laptops are abysmal. So are the track pads, but that shouldn't be an issue since you'll have an external mouse (gaming).

Go to a library, Starbucks, or some other public place where people bring laptops. Look at all the semi-broken laptops with loose hinges and warped plastic. You'll find that most of those semi-broken laptops are cheap HP's and Dells. If you want a gaming laptop that won't be built like a turd covered in burnt hair, I suggest saving your money and waiting until you can afford a higher end Asus. Nearly Thinkpad quality build, except bigger and bulkier. I've heard good things about Alienware and Dell XPS, I just haven't personally messed with them.

This is under the assumption that you will be very portable with the machine. Cheapo plastic laptops break down very quickly compared to the high end builds. If you're *not* going to be very portable, I suggest a used sub-$400 laptop and a $600 gaming desktop.
 
  • 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2430M Processor (2.4 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) Turbo Boost to 3.0 GHz
  • 2GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7690M GDDR5 Discrete Graphics(TM) [HDMI, VGA]
  • FREE UPGRADE to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
  • 750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
  • 50% OFF One 6 Cell and One 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
  • 15.6" Full HD HP Anti-glare LED (1920 x 1080)
  • SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
This above machine would cost me $880. I see what you're saying about HP products, but unfortunately, for what I'm looking to spend right now, it's what suits my price range.


In this new setup, I'd lose a blu-ray drive (doesn't matter too much, since I never buy blu-rays), and the processor goes down a bit. Would the processor upgrade in my initial post be worth the $200 in your opinion?


All I want to do is play SWTOR on high settings for the next 8 months, and then have a laptop that'll get me by for word processing/internet browsing/etc.
 
ther00kie16 said:
Use a coupon
http://www.xpbargains.com/st_deals.php/HP_coupons.htm

Nvm, seems as if you already know about HP coupons. If you don't need computing power, get a deal on the dv6z with an AMD Llano. With a coupon, it should be much cheaper (~$750). Oh, and do you know about the 5% cashback for HP? cashbackchart
Click to expand...

Crap. After reading your post, I found I could get 5% cashback on my order which would be $44. I literally just placed the order for my laptop about 5 minutes prior. On the phone with HP to hopefully work something out. Thanks for the tip.
 
Just got off the phone with hp, and they just gave me the 5% cashback on the order. I wonder if I could've just told them I would be getting 10% cashback and if they would've given it to me heh
 
The specs are nice. If you just baby the machine and take care of it, it'll be fine. Enjoy!
 
codenameRondo said:
Just got off the phone with hp, and they just gave me the 5% cashback on the order. I wonder if I could've just told them I would be getting 10% cashback and if they would've given it to me heh
Click to expand...

Doubt it. Only greater cashback I can think of is stacking with bankofamerica, if they have it. Even then, it wouldn't be HP paying. They probably just gave it to you because they know of the cashback sites and know that if you cancelled and reordered, they'd pay >5%.

Anyway, good specs.
 
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