it has up to 12 gigs of ram if you configure it. there is no ssd option but not too many "budget" laptops have that.[/quotemsg]
When I look at "Configure your HP ENVY - 15z Slim Touch Laptop" on the hp.com store, I can get it with an FX-7500, 8gigs of ram, a 1080p screen, and a 750gb hdd for ~$850.
Not too bad. The ram is 1 dimm (the stock 6gigs is in 2 dimms) so I could drop another one in and double the ram. Unfortunately it's the same ddr3 1600 when everything I've seen says Kaveri should use at least DDR3 1833.
Anyways, the HP Envy is a possibility, but I don't like HP so much and I'm hoping other options open up.
[/quotemsg]
the FX 7500 does not support memory higher than 1600. Only the 7600p does that.