Gaming laptop comaprisson

[Sarutobi0997]

I have been looking to buy a new laptop from HP (since Black Friday is coming up) and my current computer is just annoying. After searching I found 2 laptops that look good to me: dv6t-7200 and dv6z-7200. I customized both laptops to what I think is good. I need a laptop for school, some gaming, video editing, and multitasking. I want play games like BF3, Skyrim, TF2, Minecraft, etc. at 30+ fps on med-high graphics. The dv6z-7200 has a 1080p display with a decent AMD GPU but i heard that while a 1080p display looks good, it slows down low/mid-range GPUs while the dv6t-7200 has 768p resolution most GPUs can handle. I need an opinion on which computer is the better buy, but please don't say "Those SUCK you need this [link to 2k 17.3 in Alienware]" my budget is about 700-850USD. If you are going to recommend any computers I would like if they were 15.6in from HP. Thanks!


PC1:
dv6t-7200 (note PC 1 used to be the g6t-2200 but i decided it isn't a good comparison against the d6z-7200)
Price: 884.99USD (no tax ,shipping, or discounts applied, yet)
Price w/discount: 814.19USD (HP EPP & no tax or shipping)


OS: Windows 8 64

Processor: 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz)

Graphics: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 630M Graphics with 2GB of dedicated video memory

RAM: 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Hard Drive: 750GB 7200 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

*Keyboard: HP Backlit Keyboard w/num-pad

Screen: 15.6-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1366x768) (full 1080p would increase the the price by about 140USD so I'm still deciding on that)



PC2:
dv6z-7200
Price: 869.99USD (no tax ,shipping, or discounts applied, yet)
Price w/discount: 800.39USD (HP EPP & no tax or shipping)



OS: Windows 8 64

Processor: AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M (3.0GHz/2.1GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)

Graphics: Radeon HD 7640G + 1GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7670M Discrete-Class Graphics

RAM: 6GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Hard Drive: 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive

*Keyboard: HP Backlit Keyboard w/num-pad

Screen: 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD Anti-glare LED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080)




Overview: The HDD in both laptops is 750gb, though that doesn't bother me as long as there is 300gb+ and runs at 7200rpm, but the dv6t-7200 has a hybrid-drive which is faster. The dv6t-7200 also has an i5-3210m which I've heard is faster and slower than the A8-4500m that is Quad-Core since people say that AMD *Quad-Core* Processors aren't really Quad-Core, but more like two 2in1 core processors. The i5-3210m is similar with its Hyper-Threading technologies that allows one core to process like 2 cores. Otherwise I feel that the 1gb AMD 7670m is good enough for my needs, obviously the 2gb 630m is faster. The 6gb of ram in the dv6z-7200 is good enough IMO, but obviously the 8gb is faster but I think that 4gb+ should be enough for today's programs. Overall I would like your opinion on which is the best.

 

[jaguarskx]

PC2 would be better for games.

Overall, the Intel i5 has more processing power than the AMD A8; the exception would be with highly multithreaded programs. File compression (WinRar, 7-Zip) would be an example of where the A8 would perform better. However, how often do you compress or extract files? And would a few seconds or several seconds (up to a minute) slower make much of a difference even if you were to compress/extract files twice per day, every day?

Below is a link that compares desktop CPU as a point of reference. The quad core A8-5600k is clocked at 3.6GHz while the dual core Core i3-3220 is clocked at 3.3GHz.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/676?vs=677

Regarding AMD's "2 in 1 cores" vs. HyperThreading, AMD's solution is actually better since at least you have two physical cores per modules even though they must share the same resources. Intel's HyperThreading is merely a "software solution" where you have virtual cores and also share resources. If Intel CPUs had modular cores rather than Hyperthread then they would perform much better.

 

[Sarutobi0997]

PC2 would be better for games.

Overall, the Intel i5 has more processing power than the AMD A8; the exception would be with highly multithreaded programs. File compression (WinRar, 7-Zip) would be an example of where the A8 would perform better. However, how often do you compress or extract files? And would a few seconds or several seconds (up to a minute) slower make much of a difference even if you were to compress/extract files twice per day, every day?

Below is a link that compares desktop CPU as a point of reference. The quad core A8-5600k is clocked at 3.6GHz while the dual core Core i3-3220 is clocked at 3.3GHz.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/676?vs=677

Regarding AMD's "2 in 1 cores" vs. HyperThreading, AMD's solution is actually better since at least you have two physical cores per modules even though they must share the same resources. Intel's HyperThreading is merely a "software solution" where you have virtual cores and also share resources. If Intel CPUs had modular cores rather than Hyperthread then they would perform much better.

i feel that PC2 is probably the better choice. PC1 probably will only be faster if im like rendering sony vegas, playing borderlands 2, doing photoshop in the background and other strenuous tasks. it would be no competition if it weren't for the 1080p with out 1080p the dv6z is like 650USD. also im wondering if i should downgrade to windows 7 because after looking at some windows 8 stuff, it looks more like some tablet OS not rly a PC one

 

[Labrynthian]

Can I ask why you're considering ONLY HP? In the same price range of those laptops, you get better ones... And for the games you want to play, HP isn't the best option. They've become crap over the years. I really wouldn't recommend getting a HP.

 

[ThatsMyNameDude]

Get pc 2

 

[Pyree]

Can't recommend neither when for $850, you can get i7-3630qm and GTX 660m in Lenovo Y580. Don't know how much shipping and tax will add to the cost since I am not is US. But it is a much much more powerful laptop.

 

[Sarutobi0997]

Can I ask why you're considering ONLY HP? In the same price range of those laptops, you get better ones... And for the games you want to play, HP isn't the best option. They've become crap over the years. I really wouldn't recommend getting a HP.

well i personally dont use any other PCs other than Dells and HPs but i have an employee discount with HP and i want to get the 2 yr warranty for about 70$

 

[Sarutobi0997]

Can't recommend neither when for $850, you can get i7-3630qm and GTX 660m in Lenovo Y580. Don't know how much shipping and tax will add to the cost since I am not is US. But it is a much much more powerful laptop.

the IdeaPad Y580 looks pretty good. i might consider. only problem is the HDD

 

[Labrynthian]

the IdeaPad Y580 looks pretty good. i might consider. only problem is the HDD

The Y580 is a really good laptop and comes at an insanelylow price for the specs it offers. Why is the HDD a problem?

 

[Sarutobi0997]

The Y580 is a really good laptop and comes at an insanelylow price for the specs it offers. Why is the HDD a problem?

i dont like 5400 RPM HDDs and if i get an ssd with it its gonna cost about +900USD i prefer 7200 RPM

 

[Pyree]

Storage speed is really my least concern as it can be easily swapped.

May be down the road you save enough money to get a 7200 rpm drive or SSD to put it in there. Then use the 5400 rpm drive as portable drive.

But if you don't get a faster CPU and GPU now, you will have to replace the entire laptop.

 

[Labrynthian]

Storage speed is really my least concern as it can be easily swapped.

May be down the road you save enough money to get a 7200 rpm drive or SSD to put it in there. Then use the 5400 rpm drive as portable drive.

But if you don't get a faster CPU and GPU now, you will have to replace the entire laptop.

I completely agree. In any case, most laptops in your price range run at 5400 RPM. If you want an SSD and something that runs at 7200, you're definitely going to end up paying a lot more. The Y580, as I said, is a really good buy and will fulfil all your immediate needs, in terms of gaming and performance. 6 months down the line, you can replace the HDD.

 

[Sarutobi0997]

I completely agree. In any case, most laptops in your price range run at 5400 RPM. If you want an SSD and something that runs at 7200, you're definitely going to end up paying a lot more. The Y580, as I said, is a really good buy and will fulfil all your immediate needs, in terms of gaming and performance. 6 months down the line, you can replace the HDD.

do you have a y580 cuz' im wondering if its as heavy and hot as the reviews say

 

[Labrynthian]

do you have a y580 cuz' im wondering if its as heavy and hot as the reviews say

My friend has one. It's not really that heavy. It may be a bit heavy for a 15.6 inch laptop, but the overall weight is fine. You can put it in your backpack and walk around comfortably.
As far as heating goes, it starts getting hot like 9-10 months after purchase, and that's only if you're using it for long hours. But my mate just got a cooling pad the other day and now it's fine. So it's not really a problem. Most laptops now days heat up when used intensely, especially gaming ones. Nothing standard cooling pads can't solve.

 

[Sarutobi0997]

Best answer selected by Sarutobi0997.