Korean Job Discussion Forums

[winterfall]

Of these 3. Which one is the best for the price? I'm really leaning towards the HP but, the Toshiba Quad Core is tempting.


HP Pavilion dv6t Select 15.6" ($933)

* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
* FREE Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* $20 OFF! Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2010
* No additional security software
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.25 hours of battery life +++
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
* No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
* Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Standard Keyboard
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


Toshiba Satellite L650-ST2G01 15.6" ($799)

* Intel� Core� i5-460M Processor
* Genuine Windows� 7 Home Premium
* 4GB DDR3 memory
* 500GB hard drive
* 1GB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon� HD graphics
* DVD SuperMulti drive
* 1366x768 native screen resolution
* 802.11n wireless
* HDMI output
* Integrated webcam

Toshiba Satellite A660D-ST2G02 Laptop 16" ($749)

* AMD Phenom� II Quad-Core Processor
* Genuine Windows� 7 Home Premium
* 4GB DDR3 memory
* 500GB hard drive (7200 rpm)
* 1GB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon� graphics
* DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash�
* 1366x768 native resolution
* LED backlit keyboard
* HDMI output
* 802.11n wireless
* Integrated webcam
* harman/kardon� stereo speakers
* Fusion� X2 Finish

[eamo]

Do you have any info on the difference between the HP's GPU and the GPU's in the two Tosh's.

If you want a gaming laptop then I think that's what it's going to come down to.......how many more FPS can the HP's 5650 GPU get over the more basic GPU's in the Toshibas.

[winterfall]

Doesn't seem like there is much difference. I rarely play FPS, they give me a headache. But I'm really into graphically intense strategy games. Of the two, I think RTS is more demanding than a FPS, so the 8 gbs of ram is a big selling point for me.

Games: Pretty much every Total War, Company of Heros, Civilization 4 & 5, and a slew of older games

[vDroop]

FPS = frames per second

I'd offer some help but I know jack about laptops.

I cringe at the thought of playing a game on a $800 notebook.

[eamo]

Right! I meant Frames Per Second.....not First Person Shooter....but I can see how they can be confusing terms!

If that HP can get A LOT more frames per second than the Toshiba's then it's probably worth the extra $150 or so. Especially with the extra 4GB of RAM in there.

[winterfall]

[eamo]

[cvitur1]

If you look up the specs on the laptops you listed, it seems that they all sport the AMD/ATI Radeon Mobility HD5650 graphics processor. That means that the first two, since they also have the same cpu, should have fairly equivalent gaming capabilities. 8gb of ram vs. 4gb of ram, I don't think will make a huge difference in terms of gaming. Additionally, 4 gb of ram can be bought for about 85,000 won, providing there is a slot for you to install it in your laptop(which is actually unlikely). The AMD quad-core, while sounding nice, really has nothing on an intel Core i5, especially in gaming situations. Also, the HP says $20 off Microsoft Office....is that a discount, or is Office already included in the price?

Other factors to consider.....The HP has a blu-ray player, will you make use of that? The HP has a larger hard drive, which is 7200rpm, while the Toshiba's is only 5400 rpm.

[wishfullthinkng]

First of all, you need to figure out what ATI cards these laptops are running. If it just says "1GB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon graphics" I'd be highly suspect.

Second of all, the Intel "i" series (i3, i5 and i7) chips will all run circles around the Phenom II quad core. Against contrary belief, for an average consumer a quad core chip is not better than a dual or even single core chip. To take advantage of a multi-core chip you first need to be running a program that is written for multiple cores, and unless you are in CAD, graphic design or 3d animation you will find you probably are not that person. Most of your average consumers who buy quad core chips only utilize a single core while the other three remain idle.

Next, are you going to use the blu-ray drive in the HP? If you don't have a library of blu-ray discs it's all but useless and the main reason that laptop is more pricey than the others.

Lastly, are you planning on buying these through an american online retailer? I personally think HP makes a crap of a machine and sadly that's the best one you listed. Toshiba makes a decent machine but those are way overpriced for what you are getting. If you are going the internet route, I highly suggest going to Newegg.com and getting a superior machine for the same price. For your reference, I've posted three links to machines in your same price range sporting i7 chips or better GPU's.

Basically what this techo-rambling stated was that you can do better.

Go forth and prosper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220751

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146848

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146777

[cvitur1]

The graphics processors in the laptops listed above are the Nvidia 310M in the first and the ATI 5730 in the last two. The 3 the OP listed sport the ATI 5650. The 5650 is faster than both the 310M and the 5730, while the 5730 will support directx 11 but the 5650 and 310M do not. Also the i7s are quad cores, and while fast than a Phenom II X4, will be slower than a i5 for gaming.

correction, i was wrong. the 5730 is indeed better than the 5650 in every way. sorry

[winterfall]

The $20 off for Office includes the office with that discount.

I'm actually dropping the blue ray. Save $85 and upgrade something else. Maybe the processor to a I5-560m (An extra $100)

For the Toshibas with the 5400 RPM hard drive. You can swap that on your own to a 640 gb, 7200 rpm hard drive for $50-60. So that's negligible.

I'm buying direct from hp online. (Pick up next time I'm in the states, within a couple months). Only reason I wanted to buy now is cause there's a coupon for -$400 for all models over $1250. Expires at the end of the month (Here's the code if your interested NBP426577 ) Those last 2 models you listed on Newegg are pretty decent, I'll just have to swap out the hard drive.

I forgot to mention before, the only reason I thought about a quad core is for future proofing.

Bu these models are really nice. After the swap, I think I'll come out under a $1000. Not bad at all

Edit: Just found this ASUS N61JQ-XV1. Similar specs except with 7200 rpm Hard drive and cheaper.

[vermouth]

I just bought a laptop similar to the first one you listed. I've thrown ME2, COD: Blops and WoW at it and it's done fabulous on my 32 inch display at medium-high settings.

The 5650 is pretty good. The later ones it depends on precisely which model of radeon they've got in them. I would suspect that it's not a very great version at those prices but maybe.