I was quite impressed by this machine, so thought I would share. It's not often you get a branded i7 for under 500 quid, and with an M2 SSD and a decent sized screen, this would be the perfect machine for productivity.
Edit: 22/11 Now dropped to £479.00
Plenty of IO but lacking a DVD/CD Drive (as most do nowadays). Good reviews and a sturdy build design from HP as usual. Also comes with a free install of BullGuard internet Security, if that's your thing.
Processor
Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz
Turbo boost up to 3.1GHz
4MB Cache
Dual Core
Memory
8GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
Configuration 1 x 8GB
Hard Drive
256GB M2 SSD
Optical Drive
None
Software
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Display
15.6", LED Backlit Antiglare
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
Audio
Integrated Speakers
Input Devices
Keyboard and touchpad
Networking
WLAN Intel 3165 ac 1x1 +BT 4.2 LE
Power Supply
Battery 3 Cell 31 WHr
AC Adapter 45 Watt Smart nPFC
Dropped to £469
- SamSungTab
Top comments
haritori
21 Nov 168#9
That i7 6500U is worthless IMO
for the same money you could pick up an i5 with a 1080p screen.. you really would see very little real world difference, in operation of most applications, and you would benefit with a better power consumption and a better screen.
rd3d2
21 Nov 164#1
Resolution is a downer but otherwise looks good!
Touch screen?
dawsonz
21 Nov 163#2
Wish this had a full hd screen, still a good spec for the money.
All comments (62)
rd3d2
21 Nov 164#1
Resolution is a downer but otherwise looks good!
Touch screen?
username1234 to rd3d2
24 Nov 16#45
I would buy it if it had better screen...
dawsonz
21 Nov 163#2
Wish this had a full hd screen, still a good spec for the money.
faz1964
21 Nov 161#3
Any good for gaming?
Probably not but need one for xmas
msmyth to faz1964
21 Nov 161#4
I would say probably not. You would get a few games running with Intel integrated graphics, but if you want a gaming machine it's going to need a dedicated graphics card, mobile edition or otherwise. Gaming Laptops are typically pricey as well.
rhysccfc31 to faz1964
21 Nov 161#5
No mate not at all, need a dedicated graphics card for that. Can't probably run something like minecraft on minimum graphics but apart from that not really.
bigsofty to faz1964
25 Nov 16#52
No, Intel HD sucks at gaming.
jcmaton97
21 Nov 16#6
Can you upgrade the screen yourself?
haritori to jcmaton97
21 Nov 161#10
Doubtful, and void of warranty etc...
fishmaster to jcmaton97
21 Nov 16#11
Yes you could, but knowing HP (as I do) you'd most likely need to replace the LCD cable as well with a HD version. So not worth it unless you're OK with taking laptops apart and it would void your warranty.
chrisredmayne
21 Nov 16#7
Hmmm, this isn't as good as the i7 makes people think - Yeah it'll perform great with the SSD but the benchmarks on the i7-6500U aren't great for gaming. If you want to play games get something with a dedicated graphics card I'd say - Can get better for a little but more cash
This is what I got a few months ago - Still £550 when you get your cashback, mine came with no problem at all - An i5 with a 950M graphics card will run a lot better for games than this I would imagine!
haritori
21 Nov 168#9
That i7 6500U is worthless IMO
for the same money you could pick up an i5 with a 1080p screen.. you really would see very little real world difference, in operation of most applications, and you would benefit with a better power consumption and a better screen.
Agharta to haritori
21 Nov 16#12
Little difference between an i5 or i7 U series in battery life as well as performance and as higher resolution screens tend to be more power hungry the i5 + FHD screen may have a worse battery life.
youcantbeserious to haritori
22 Nov 16#16
Link please
lukeyboi89 to haritori
22 Nov 16#19
hi, i am after an i5 with 1080p screen, graphics not important and budget of around £500, can you recommend any? cheers
jcmaton97 to haritori
22 Nov 16#20
Link?
snappyfish to haritori
19 Dec 16#60
Linky please :smiley:
suchitmehta7
21 Nov 16#13
things put me off (not expecting everything but at least one of these should have been included in spec)
no decent graphic card
dual core
no full HD
I just got an HP 820 and the screen is a TN panel and really bad quality. Would definitely avoid unless you can see the screen first, mine gives me eye strain very fast!
suchitmehta7
23 Nov 16#28
yes mate!
I know its a dual core and that is what put me off. I was expecting quad core at least..
connorb13
23 Nov 16#30
Bought at 499 and tried to get them to reduce the difference, they said noo
Edit: despite the lower specced i5 in the Lenovo when compared against this HP, it's actually got a better iGPU in the form of the iris 550. The HP laptop only has an HD 520. Long story short = the lenovo will actually outperform the HP in some games and other graphics applications, despite the i5. Get the red one.
Orville
23 Nov 16#32
The main benefit of the "i7" 6500U processor is in the ammount of performance it offers per Watt. It is extremely efficient, so helps prolong battery life and keep heat down. It may not provide performance to match higher-end i7 parts, but it is more than adequate for browsing, Office utilities and general usage.
I own an HP ZBook 15 G5 containing an i7-6700hq processor. On papar my processor is 2x as fast and consumes 3x the power, but for 95% of my usage I wouldn't really notice the performance difference. HP laptops tend to be reliable, tough, and well-supported. They may not be the cheapest, pretty or offer lots of bells & whistles, but they are dependable.
thomas01155
23 Nov 16#33
Yup, my friend actually got t and we switched out the harddrive for an SSD and reinstalled windows 10 on it. There is an access panel for the harddrive on the bottom which is handy, so only need to unscrew one thing to get to the harddrive. Once opened, to remove the harddrive it you lift it up at like a 25/30 degree angle on the end not attached then slide it out/ pull gently.
stanlenin
23 Nov 16#34
2 years ago I bought off ebay like new for £400 following computer: Asus full aluminium body, premium design, backlit keyboard 17" 1920x1080 screen, i7 quad core, 8 Ram, 2x1TB hdd, Blue ray/dvd writer, Nvidia GTX 650M, Bang Olufsen sound system with external subwoofer, webcam/mic/USB3.0
Still laughing at these "deals" 2 years on.
soulfulreflec to stanlenin
24 Nov 16#40
"like new" = used.
legendarymaz1
23 Nov 16#35
Agreed. I have an i5 16gb surface pro 4 and it struggles with dota 2. Dedicated gpu is a must for gaming.
dealer101
24 Nov 16#36
IMO, the quality of HP is very poor these days and after sales support is very poor. I believe they have overseas call centres and they can be a real pain.
kotr to dealer101
24 Nov 16#39
Hp partner and the after sales and support for business laptops and workstations is second to none. Parts always delivered next day or an engineer will call on-site to repair.
I deal with every day so no point in telling me other wise.
kev001
24 Nov 16#37
Thanks, excellent value. Ordered for the parents who will mainly attach to a monitor anyway.
MrPuddington
24 Nov 161#38
Shame for the low resolution:
Resolution: 1366 x 768
because otherwise it looks like a nice laptop.
MaximusRo to MrPuddington
24 Nov 16#43
I have a Lenovo T420 with a 14" screen and 1600x900 resolution and that is quite good.
I am not aiming for FullHD, but why are they still manufacturing/selling laptops with anything less than 1600x900?
dealer101
24 Nov 16#41
Oh, you should know then that support for business products and consumer products operate on a different service level agreement. I don't know anything about the business side, I can only speak from a consumer product point of view.
Im not 'telling you otherwise', that's my experience, not yours. I suggest you take a chill pill, my friend.
Agreed, 1600x900 is a nice resolution, and I had that on a laptop 10 years ago (which is long dead). The next one had FullHD, and now I have a 1700p screen with a dot pitch of 0.1mm. That means 6 pixel for every 1 of this laptop, and you know what: it is amazing! Reading no longer hurts the eyes, and even small detail are perfectly clear.
But it did cost a bit more than 479...
the__cat
24 Nov 16#46
Dell are just as good, if not better. No point in telling me otherwise as I deal with both every day. :smile:
wayne3004
24 Nov 161#47
The screen res makes this a waste of time despite the spec. What were they thinking.
Kurtangle
24 Nov 16#48
2 cores, not ridiculous fast machined but decent spec for an average user.
blackspaven
25 Nov 16#49
Sorry, cold for me. Personally, I'd go for a w4q06ea.
Everything this machine has got except the i7 and it's 6200u instead of a 6500u, BUT it's 1080 FHD with an optical drive and 4 cell battery instead of 3 cell. Roughly £470ish from most places, doubt it'll be a black friday deal though.
Crissyb0y
25 Nov 16#50
Hi, sorry for the bother for the uninitiated what do mean by 'Cashback' ? £550 would workout pretty decent .. great find IMO
dubster
25 Nov 16#51
Acer are just about the worst brand for laptops though. Everyone I know whose had acer has had it die in someway in under 3 years.
slliw
26 Nov 16#53
so many laptops and still cant figure out which one to get
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Edit: 22/11 Now dropped to £479.00
Plenty of IO but lacking a DVD/CD Drive (as most do nowadays). Good reviews and a sturdy build design from HP as usual. Also comes with a free install of BullGuard internet Security, if that's your thing.
Processor
Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz
Turbo boost up to 3.1GHz
4MB Cache
Dual Core
Memory
8GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
Configuration 1 x 8GB
Hard Drive
256GB M2 SSD
Optical Drive
None
Software
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Display
15.6", LED Backlit Antiglare
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
Audio
Integrated Speakers
Input Devices
Keyboard and touchpad
Networking
WLAN Intel 3165 ac 1x1 +BT 4.2 LE
Power Supply
Battery 3 Cell 31 WHr
AC Adapter 45 Watt Smart nPFC
Dropped to £469
- SamSungTab
Top comments
for the same money you could pick up an i5 with a 1080p screen.. you really would see very little real world difference, in operation of most applications, and you would benefit with a better power consumption and a better screen.
Touch screen?
All comments (62)
Touch screen?
Probably not but need one for xmas
This is what I got a few months ago - Still £550 when you get your cashback, mine came with no problem at all - An i5 with a 950M graphics card will run a lot better for games than this I would imagine!
for the same money you could pick up an i5 with a 1080p screen.. you really would see very little real world difference, in operation of most applications, and you would benefit with a better power consumption and a better screen.
no decent graphic card
dual core
no full HD
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/hp-250-core-i7-8gb-256gb-ssd-windows-10-laptop-x0q77es
14" with Full HD is my preferred sweet spot for a laptop.
for those of you who think you are clever asking for a link, I was generalising but I will play you at your own game!
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-5567-laptop/pd?oc=cn55705&model_id=inspiron-15-5567-laptop - £549.00 but newer processor
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/hp-250-g5-intel-core-i5-6200u-8gb-256gb-ssd-dvdsm-windows-7-pro-15.6-inch-f-x0n33ea/version.asp £519.99 with 256GB HDD.
there is just two after a quick google.
Two above hopefully should help mate.
I know its a dual core and that is what put me off. I was expecting quad core at least..
^ Much better deal imo, main plus points are the IPS 1080p display and smaller size. This HP does have a slightly better battery though. The lenovo's battery is pretty ass, so BE AWARE.
Edit: despite the lower specced i5 in the Lenovo when compared against this HP, it's actually got a better iGPU in the form of the iris 550. The HP laptop only has an HD 520. Long story short = the lenovo will actually outperform the HP in some games and other graphics applications, despite the i5. Get the red one.
I own an HP ZBook 15 G5 containing an i7-6700hq processor. On papar my processor is 2x as fast and consumes 3x the power, but for 95% of my usage I wouldn't really notice the performance difference. HP laptops tend to be reliable, tough, and well-supported. They may not be the cheapest, pretty or offer lots of bells & whistles, but they are dependable.
Still laughing at these "deals" 2 years on.
I deal with every day so no point in telling me other wise.
Resolution: 1366 x 768
because otherwise it looks like a nice laptop.
I am not aiming for FullHD, but why are they still manufacturing/selling laptops with anything less than 1600x900?
Im not 'telling you otherwise', that's my experience, not yours. I suggest you take a chill pill, my friend.
Here's a list of playable games for something 2 or 3 generations older:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/graphics-drivers/graphics-for-4th-generation-intel-processors/000005551.html
But it did cost a bit more than 479...
Everything this machine has got except the i7 and it's 6200u instead of a 6500u, BUT it's 1080 FHD with an optical drive and 4 cell battery instead of 3 cell. Roughly £470ish from most places, doubt it'll be a black friday deal though.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-inspiron-17-5000-series-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-ram-1tb-17-3-full-hd-black-2560486?page=3#comments
I can still get it down to £588 (10% off) as a new customer.