Computers & Tablets

[ARTemis1000101]

Hello, I’m looking for laptop and I hope you all can help. I need to have a high performance laptop that can take the load of art programs, auto CAD, Office, video games, and also be able to keep multiple tabs open. I considered getting an HP ENVY x360 2 in 1 15.6”, but people complained about it needing an SSD and it being a little flimsy and fragile. My budget is under $1000 if I can help it, and I wondered if anyone had suggestions?

[deusexmachina Valued Contributor · Accepted solution]

I would say that an SSD is mandatory if you're planning on dropping anywhere close to $1k for a computer. If you're looking for a computer that can do CAD and play games, you'll want a physically larger laptop that can fit in enough cooling to keep those things running. You'll also want a computer with a decent dedicated video card (Like the Nvidia 1050ti or better).

I have one of these:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-...

It works well. You're able to put Windows and a few applications on the solid state drive and then use the 1TB drive for storage. If you're planning on playing a lot of games, you'd probably want to replace the 128gb SSD with a 256 or 512gb eventually.

It's not super light, but manageable for the specs/performance. The fans and heatsinks do a decent job of passive cooling, but if you're playing games (I tested it with Overwatch) the fans will be on most of the time.

The Intel Core i5 version of this laptop is pretty good as well. Slower process, less RAM, but a larger SSD (with no extra storage drive) for $200 less. Both use the same video card.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1...

[ARTemis1000101]

Thank you for your suggestion I was thinking about an Inspirion or Acer Nitro because I have friends who use them. I just need as much feedback as possible before making this purchase. This really helped.

[ARTemis1000101]

Check out Carley {removed per forum guidelines} list at Best Buy
{removed per forum guidelines} 

[ARTemis1000101]

So basically a

dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050ti-1tb-hard-drive-128gb-ssd-black/

Or

dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/

I need auto CAD, gaming, space to download programs, school use, photo editing, and smooth fast running.

And I’m split between giving up the numeric keypad or not if I get the i7.

Any suggestions on updating and price ranges through updating components etc.? I’m very indecisive.

Anything that drastically separates them?

[deusexmachina Valued Contributor · Accepted solution]

The difference between them is mostly in the CPU and layout of the hard drive. CPU wise, the i7-7700 is a solid processor on a laptop. It offers hyperthreading The 8gb of extra RAM is definitely nice, but you can always upgrade it if it becomes a bottleneck.

CPU wise, the i7-7700 is a solid processor on a laptop. It offers hyperthreading while the I7-7300 does not. The i7-7300 also runs about 300mhz slower in turbo boost mode.

The hard drive configuration is also a bit strange. The i7-7700 one has a smaller SSD, but a larger spinning drive for storage. You can pick up a 500gb SSD (in both M2 NVME and 2.5inch SATA configs) for $100-150 to expand how much storage room you have while keeping it all on SSDs. So for the i5-7300, you'd get the 256gb SSD and then add a 500gb SSD for even more storage for an extra $150 tops.
If you use the 1TB non-SSD spinning hard drive, it's going to be slow since it's a 5400RPM drive...the slowest one. The i7-7700 has a 128gb SSD, which is going to be used up by Windows + 1-2 programs/games...so you're probably going to have to upgrade or replace it anyway.

The i5-7300 also has an IPS screen and the i7-7700 does not. This would give you better color accuracy and viewing angles in most cases.

Sorry if all of that is confusing, I started rambling at some point in there...but long story short, it seems that the i5-7300 Dell is the better buy -- even with the slower processor. 8GB of RAM costs like $85 for this thing.

If you end up buying the i5-7300 and want to upgrade it, PM me and I'll give you links or the names of the actual components to buy. Upgrading it RAM and adding the hard drive is also really easy to do, but if you're not comfortable, you can pay to have the Geek Squad install it for you.

[ARTemis1000101]

Thank you so much!

[bobberuchi]

A note on the SSD drives.

I had my first on on a gaming laptop I purchased a few years ago. I will never go back.  I could walk over and press the power button. Buy the time I sit down and put it on my lap it is booted and ready to go. 

That SSD was only 128 GB with a TB HDD that was fast.

[Ginalina]

Who has any feedback about the HP laptop.