Which of these Laptop is the best bang for the buck?

[mhsamsim]

So I am looking at a few refurbished HP laptops.. I can't provide links but I am wondering which one is the best bang for the buck. below I list price and specs. (I AM A SEASONAL GAMER AND GRAPHIC IS IMPORTANT. but want to pay minimum for the performance. i play far cry 3 right now)


thanks for your help.

ENVY 15 15.6" $675

3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz)
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
1GB Radeon(TM) HD 7750M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI]
Full-size Radiance backlit keyboard
HP CoolSense, which automatically keeps your PC cool and comfortable
HP TrueVision HD Webcam and mic
Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
SS USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed)
SuperSpeed — New higher signaling rate of 5Gbps (625MB/sec), 10 times faster than regular USB 2.0
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (64-bit)
15.6-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1366x768)


ENVY 17T 17.3" for $765

3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz)
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - 16GB Max
1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
1GB dedicated ATI Radeon™ HD 7850M switchable graphics [HDMI, DP]
Backlit Keyboard with numeric keypad
HP CoolSense, which automatically keeps your PC cool and comfortable
HP TrueVision HD Webcam and mic
Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
Intel Wireless Display enables you to project personal content, online TV shows, movies, videos, and more, on your TV
SS USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed)
SuperSpeed — New higher signaling rate of 5Gbps (625MB/sec), 10 times faster than regular USB 2.0
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (64-bit)
17.3-inch diagonal Radiance Full HD Infinity LED-backlit display (1920 x 1080)


ENVY 17T-3200 for $825 (this has the i7 instead of i5 is $80 worth the cpu upgrade?)

3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo-Boost up to 3.3GHz
6GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - 16GB Max
1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
1GB dedicated ATI Radeon™ HD 7850M switchable graphics [HDMI, DP]
Radiance Backlit Keyboard with numeric keypad
HP CoolSense, which automatically keeps your PC cool and comfortable
HP TrueVision HD Webcam and mic
Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support (WiDi)
Intel Wireless Display enables you to project personal content, online TV shows, movies, videos, and more, on your TV
SS USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed)
SuperSpeed — New higher signaling rate of 5Gbps (625MB/sec), 10 times faster than regular USB 2.0
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (64-bit)
17.3-inch diagonal Radiance Full HD Infinity LED-backlit display (1920 x 1080)

dv6t-7000 for 750$

3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM Processor 2.30GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.30GHz
12GB DDR3 1600Mhz System Memory (2 Dimm) – 16GB Max
750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Blu-ray player w/SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 650M Graphics with 1GB memory [HDMI, VGA]
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
802.11a/b/g/n WLAN
3 SS USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed)
SuperSpeed — New higher signaling rate of 5Gbps (625MB/sec), 10 times faster than regular USB 2.0
Beats(TM) audio + HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer
Genuine Windows 7 Professional Edition (64-bit)
15.6-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1366x768)

 

[Potential]

If you only want to choose from those 3 then get the first one. But I'd recommend this http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310630

 

[stuffsearcher]

The second one

 

[edit1754]

The first and fourth ones are not particularly good choices, because they come with 15.6" 1366x768 displays. 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display make things onscreen large, and 15.6" displays that have 1366x768 resolution tend to be low-grade LCD panels with very poor image quality due to low contrast. You should make a point to avoid displays like this when it is reasonable to do so, unless you require the larger text for eyesight related reasons.

If you like the HP DV6t (fourth option), then you need to be looking at it in a different configuration. A configuration more like the following, which includes the 1920x1080 display and i5-3210M instead of 1366x768 display and i7-3630QM, is a much better choice. The processor should be one of your least concerns. Game performance depends primarily on the GPU, not the processor, and most processors are far beyond powerful enough for the majority of users. A Core i5-3210M is not a terrible processor, but a 15.6" 1366x768 display is a terrible display. You need to be concerned with improving a display that's pretty bad before you start trying to improve upon a processor that's already more than you need. (Also, that 12GB of RAM shouldn't be a selling point. 6GB/8GB is already plenty, and you aren't going to notice a difference by getting more.)

HP DV6t (NVIDIA GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 display) - $722 + tax
- Saved Configuration: http/www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=7674563
- Apply coupon code NB6893
- Don't downgrade the GPU to the GT 630M or to Intel HD 4000 graphics. The GT 650M is considerably faster than either, and if one of the lower GPU options would work just as well for you then I would probably suggest getting an entirely different laptop.
- Don't downgrade the display to 1366x768. The 1366x768 display makes things onscreen large, and is a low-grade LCD panel with very poor image quality due to low contrast. The availability of the upgraded 1920x1080 display is part of why I'm recommending this laptop; I wouldn't be recommending this laptop if it didn't offer it.

But the 7850M in the HP Envy 17T does take the edge over the GT 650M as far as benchmarks go. However, those 17.3" models are also less portable.

 

[photonboy]

Hi,
You're comparing apples and oranges so it's difficult to compare.

There's a HUGE difference between 17" and 15.6" screens in terms of portability.
Rather than give advice on a particular laptop, let me just add something different.

A friend of mine went this route:
1) Got a brand-new Asus 15.6", non-gaming laptop on sale at Staples (Canada) for $300.

2) Built a separate gaming rig for $800 (not including monitor) which was as powerful as most $1500 laptops.

Two other points:
1. Laptop screens still suck for gaming due to their low viewing angle so if you game on a laptop I'd recommend adding a desktop monitor such as a 22" 1920x1080. In which case maybe consider a 15.6" gaming laptop rather than a 17".

2. MOBILE versions of GPU's don't perform as well as their desktop equivalents. A "650M" is not the same performance as a GTX650 (unless something has changed since the last time I compared earlier GPU's.)