Need Help Buying Laptop... How about a HP Dv7t?

[Rick Ace]

Hello guys,

I've been searching through laptops for weeks now. I find it amazing on how much has changed in the past 2 years. i5 Dual Cores, i7 Quad Cores, and other upgrades. High-performance graphics cards from a few years ago are considered entry-level to medium now. I can't help but say I've been pleased with the amount of change. So, as I approach college, I'm trying to pick up a powerful laptop.


I originally looked at an Acer. But noting Acer's build quality and the low-medium GPU, AMD Radeon HD 7670M, I gave up on that.

Then I looked at a Toshiba Quismo. While it had an excellent GPU and specifications, it looked a-bit too gamerish with its red glowing paint. So, I went to HP.

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 650M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5 memory [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
NO mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 5.75 hours of battery life +++
17.3-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1600 x 900)
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
HP TrueVision HD Webcam
802.11b/g/n WLAN
Standard Keyboard
Included 2 Year Warranty


It costs about $904 with coupons. And it comes with free shipping.

I'm wondering if the HP will perform well in gaming? And how well? I'll also need this laptop for coursework and daily commute to and from college. It has to last at least 4 years for college, but I'd like to keep it a few years longer.

Please tell me anything you'd like to share about the laptop.

Also, if you'd like to suggest another great laptop, I'll put up my expectations of it.



Price: Less than $1100
Processor: Intel: i5 or i7
GPU: AMD or NIVIDIA is fine. But I wouldn't like anything that performs lower than a NIVIDIA Geforce GT 650. And it must be a dedicated chip with at least 1GB.
Screen size: 14"-17.3"
Display: LED Back-lit
Resolution: Anything, but... NOT A 1366 x 768 resolution.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
High Performance/Gaming (But will also be used for school)
Must be CD & DVD Writable/Readable
Battery: More than 4 hours. (It can be on a very eco-mode or similar). I'm not very picky on batteries. I'd also use batteries for word and coursework. I won't play games, etc with it.
RAM: I prefer 6GB or more, but will take 4GB if the other specs are good. Since I can upgrade RAM in the future, it's not a big issue.
Appearance: I'm not picky about how the laptop looks. However, I don't want a silly pink, orange, or purple. And I don't want my laptop to look too gamerish like Alienware. But I'm very flexible on appearance.
Brands: It doesn't matter to me as long as the brand has a decent reputation. Dell, Acer, Samsung, Gateway, Asus, HP, Sony, or anything. It doesn't matter. But please don't list a laptop with a horrendous brand.



Thank You in advance.

 

[bavman]

Specs are actually decent for the price. A $1000 sager has the same specs but an i5 instead of a i7, but a 1080p display. Sometimes your can customize it on the hp website for a better display (usually $100 more). The only think about hp is that they tend to have crappy quality stuff...i've had an hp laptop when i first started college and I regretted wasting my money on that. If you can find the same spec'd laptop with dell that would be ideal as they have much much better quality

 

[Rick Ace]

Would I really need a better display? 1600 x 900 on 17.3" would be around 106ppi, I believe. Should I go for 1900 x 1080 for an additional $100? Wouldn't that make everything on the screen look very small? Not to mention the price a tad more expensive.



I did notice the bad HP reviews. However, those are around 2 years old or more. And, I hear that HP has improved a bit? As for Dell, I personally had a bad experience with their laptops. Their E1505 came crashing apart, when I was younger. And to be honest, it didn't really run that well, either. I wouldn't know how HP or Dell, currently stands. So, a little help with that please?

And thanks for your help. It's got me thinking in different ways.

Feel free to add your comments guys. Everyone is welcome.

 

[edit1754]

You shouldn't buy an HP DV7t Quad Edition in any configuration that includes the stock 1600x900 display, unless you require larger text for eyesight-related reasons.

17.3" 1600x900 displays, like 15.6" 1366x768 displays, make everything onscreen large, and tend to have terrible image quality due to low contrast. I recommend against laptops that have this type of display to those who have a budget that allows them to get a laptop that has a better display and at the same time suits their needs, and who don't require larger text for eyesight-related reasons.

Here is a saved configuration of the HP DV7t Quad Edition that includes the GT 650M GPU upgrade and the 1920x1080 display upgrade. Apply coupon code NBP8784 to bring the final configuration cost down to approximately $999 + tax

P.S. Consider the backlit keyboard upgrade if you like to use the computer in dark rooms.

Another option that is worth considering is the 17.3" Sager NP6175, for $969 no tax in its stock configuration which includes a 1920x1080-resolution display, a GT 650M, and an i5 2450M. Follow this link to the configuration page and select "Windows 7" under "Operating System"

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If your only purpose in considering a 17.3" laptop was to find one that has a resolution higher than 1366x768, you can also find a resolution higher than 1366x768 in a smaller screen size. Going 17.3" isn't the way to get a >768 resolution unless, again, you require larger text for eyesight-related reasons.

HP DV6t Quad Edition (i7-3610QM, GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - $899 + tax after coupon code NBP8784

Sager NP6165 (i5-2450M, GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - Select "Windows 7" under "Operating System"

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Though if you are somewhat concerned with text size but don't require text to be as large as it is on ~100ppi, then going with 17.3" 1920x1080 instead of 15.6" 1920x1080 might be a good idea.

 

[Rick Ace]

Hello,

Thank you for that configuration. I believe, I'll just have to add the 1920x1080 anti-glare display to my configuration. Initially, I was afraid that it may make everything on the screen very small. Isn't it 127ppi? Would it make things unbearably small? I wear glasses, but I don't have any eyesight problems. It's a bit more in price, but I guess I'll pay if its needed for quality.

The backlit keyboard sounds cool, but I think it'd be cheaper for me to keep the lights on in my room. I don't like dark rooms anyways, lol.

I would actually love a smaller screen size. My original hopes were for a 15.4" or 14". But apparently, there aren't any good laptops with it. Lenovo did have 14" but didn't have the 650M or better. I picked the 17.3" because I fear how 1920x1080 would look on 15.6". 141ppi seems extreme. I'll be doing a lot of typing and reading on the laptop. I'm not sure how it would feel? Otherwise, the 15.4" would be a battery and weight saver.

And would a Sager be better? HP seems to give more specs at the price. And HP is a more mainstream brand than Sager. It would make me look less like a gamer. I'm open to opinions.

Thank you for the configuration and time for this post. Replies have been quite helpful.

 

[edit1754]

Well, to get a good feel for 127ppi, you can take a look at the 13.3" 1440x900 Macbook Air display if you get the chance. That pixel density is similar.

Or, if you're lucky, your local Best Buy might be stocking the ASUS G75VW with the 17.3" 1920x1080 anti-glared display, and you can use that to get a feel. Use this to check stores: http/www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218621250769&sourceType=product&skuId=5176239&productId=1218621250769&itemId=1784614&contract_desc=2+YEARS+NEW&pageMode=searchmode

 

[Rick Ace]

That's a very good idea. It shouldn't be hard to find a Macbook Air. It seems to be very close in pixel density.

I'll check out Best Buy for that. Would the ASUS G75VW be better than my current HP choice?

And I was wondering. 1920x1080 on 15.6" would look nice?

 

[edit1754]

The ASUS G75VW is considerably heavier than the DV7t. Since you're going to college, getting such a large machine might not be such a good idea unless the performance and other aspects are worth the weight.

If your local Best Buy stocks an ASUS UX31 (13.3" 1600x900), then that is a good comparison of pixel density to 15.6" 1920x1080. And keep in mind that most 15.6" 1920x1080 displays have considerably better contrast than the UX31's display has. Plus, many laptops that have 15.6" 1920x1080 displays will ship with the DPI settings turned up to 125 so that, in some applications and in the Windows GUI, text and other items will show up a bit less small.

 

[Rick Ace]

I spoke to another user who purchased a similar HP product. http/h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03024329&cc=ad&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_r1002_usen

He claims that his 1600x900 screen is nice and bright.

I'm unsure what to do? I hear that higher resolutions hurt frame rates for games. And I don't want super small text?

On a side note, I currently have a 22" monitor (desktop) on a 1400x1050 resolution. And I'm quite satisfied with it.

 

[Rick Ace]

The coupon code has expired as well.

 

[bavman]

Its whatever your preference is. Go to best buy or some other store with lots of computers on display and find what you like.
When your ready to buy, order by phone. You can usually nag them into giving you some kind of discount ($100 or more depending on the price). If at first you don't succeed hang up and try a different rep. Sometimes they can't give you discounts but if you nag enough they'll throw in free accessories like mice, bags, etc.

edit: this only works on the phone, so get your haggling skills ready

 

[Rick Ace]

Honestly, I don't really believe in bargaining. And it's really not for this industry. Maybe if you try a Sager?

But I prefer to do my complete research online, first. And I'd like to go through the traditional online purchase process. That way I can see every part.

 

[roywow]

I recently Bought a Dv7 with the same specs as what you posted for college. Great computer all around, Processor is amazing, and even the graphics are good. This computer kicks my $1000 Custom Gaming computer i built last year out of the water in both speed and graphics. A Friend of mine recently bought one of the $2200 MSI gaming laptop and the only real difference is his has the 4gb GTX 675m and 4GB more memory. Like i said before, for the price this is one of the best laptops you can get at the moment in my opinion.

 

[TheOldPhart]

I recently purchased the following configuration dv7t:

HP Pavilion dv7t-7000 Quad Edition Entertainment Notebook PC
• • Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• • System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• • 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
• • NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 630M Graphics with 1GB GDDR3 memory [HDMI, VGA]
• • 16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• • 1.5TB 7200 rpm Dual Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• • NO mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
• • Microsoft(R) Office Home and Business 2010
• • Norton Internet Security(TM) 2012 - 3 Year Subscription
• • 30% off 9 cell Lithium Ion Battery
• • 17.3-inch diagonal Full HD Anti-glare LED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080)
• • FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
• • Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• • Backlit Keyboard with numeric keypad
• • Included 2 Year Warranty
I can honestly say that this is the best all around laptop I have ever seen. You would not regret buying this configuration . . . I promise!

 

[jackspeed]

• • NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 630M Graphics with 1GB GDDR3 memory [HDMI, VGA]
I see the problem right here.

You can increase the size of icon on a 1080 screen you can zoom or you can set the res lower if you want. Don't be afraid of 1080 you should embrace it.

If your looking for something fun and gaming how about lenovo's y580 its not the best gaming laptop. But they do not have the "gaming laptop feel" It has a GTX 660, 1080p screen and a blu ray player. In fact I would put it as the worst gaming laptop but it is a gaming laptop.

$950

I am biased by what I consider a gaming laptop.
http/shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/builder.workflow:Enter?sb=:000001C9:0000717E:#.UIFk12_A-Q1