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Hello all,
Going to be getting a new laptop for my 21st birthday. I'm not computer illiterate, but also not the greatest at determining whether upgrades on computer hardware is worth it. I'll put the laptop specs below and also I will bold any potential upgrades, along with their cost. If you could let me know whether the upgrades are worth it, would be much appreciated.
Also, I know an important thing to know is what the computer will be used for. In my case, gaming (along with online streaming) however it's not the most graphics intensive gaming ever. Also, it will come with a free upgrade to blu-ray player, therefore moving watching. Besides that, mostly just school work which it can handle easily.
Processor2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz
Graphics card1GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7690M (from 7470m) GDDR5 Discrete Graphics(TM) [HDMI, VGA]
MemoryFREE UPGRADE to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive750GB 7200 rpm (from 5400 rpm) Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Display15.6" High Definition HP LED Brightview (1366x768)
Primary optical driveFREE UPGRADE to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
The two bolded upgrades totaled an extra $55, which seems reasonable.
Sorry for the wall of text.
Thanks,
Nick
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Total posts: 8 (Showing page 1 of 1)
Very nice gamer machine.
by R. Proffitt 
- 4/4/12 9:59 AM
In Reply to: Buying new laptop by NVielbig
The only downside is that many of these work super for 2 years then need repairs. While you can avoid this with regularly cleaning and canned air on the vents (try 3 months for gamer laptops, 6 months for "laptops") it seems to shock those that get hit with the repairs in just a few years.
If you want a longer lasting laptop, skip all the high end graphics and get boring. Leave gaming to desktops or consoles.
Bob
Okay, thank you
by NVielbig - 4/4/12 10:06 AM
In Reply to: Very nice gamer machine. by R. Proffitt
and as far as those upgrades go, for $55 do you see them both being worthwhile?
Depends on your needs.
by R. Proffitt - 4/4/12 10:15 AM
In Reply to: Okay, thank you by NVielbig
If you want a gamer laptop, the video upgrade is always wanted. And it's a very good deal at 55 bucks.
The machine is a gamer laptop so all I can add is to be ready for service in a few years.
Bob
Sounds good
by NVielbig - 4/4/12 10:26 AM
In Reply to: Depends on your needs. by R. Proffitt
I tend to take good care of my electronics so hopefully the likelihood of something happening to it is minimized, even though what I think you're talking about is hardware failure etc.
Thanks Bob,
Nick
It is that. And expected because
by R. Proffitt - 4/4/12 10:31 AM
In Reply to: Sounds good by NVielbig
It's expected because the problem of all the high end heat producing parts means the designs tend to let it all run at higher temperatures than what you would allow in a desktop. Since it's a fine balancing act of weight, performance and consumers that will not buy a 10 pound laptop even if it was called for to reach 4 or more year life spans, the designs are pulled back so you see a lot of failures starting about about 24 months. Actually you can see 18 month failures if you find a gamer that uses the battery daily.
Care is one thing that more laptop owners have not been told enough about. I have yet to see any sales person talk about such for a very simple reason. They want the sale.
They do not want to put off a buyer by telling them to keep the vents clean.
Bob
Agreed
by NVielbig - 4/4/12 10:57 AM
In Reply to: It is that. And expected because by R. Proffitt
Yeah, I understand that now. 100% with your opinion too
Nick
A personal note about HP and service.
by R. Proffitt - 4/4/12 11:06 AM
In Reply to: Buying new laptop by NVielbig
My last HP laptop looks to me my last HP laptop because of HP's service. I found a problem with it and spent 8 hours on the phone across a few days. HP agreed something was wrong and I let their service have the machine.
BIG MISTAKE. The machine came back and would lock up in 5 minutes. It was in far worse condition than I sent it.
A call back and HP's service retorted with that was all they could do and would not service the machine again.
6 months passed and after many surveys and calls it was clear to me HP had walked out on their warranty. I disposed of the laptop since it was dead and not of any use. A few months later a HP Social rep wanted to help but since I don't have the dead laptop they couldn't help.
I can't imagine what a disaster this would be for an average person. Here, my office supplies the laptops so I moved over and can't write nice about HP's service system. I wonder if anyone should consider the brand.
There's more to this story and why the laptop had an issue that HP claims they can't fix.
Bob
Total posts: 8 (Showing page 1 of 1)
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