HP Envy Intel Core i7-4710MQ, 12GB DDR3L SDRAM, 1TB Hard Drive, 17.3” HD LED Touchscreen NVIDIA GeForce 840M

Buddhaelt

Estimable
Dec 15, 2014
4
0
4,510
Don't play games, would this be a good game system for my kid, (has PS3&Xbox1)plays "Call of Duty Advance Warfare, Halo,.... etc." now. Seems steep @$1399
 
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rockie_

Estimable

Buddhaelt

Estimable
Dec 15, 2014
4
0
4,510


appreciate the info & the article, pretty informative. Have a question or two if you don't mind. I'm also interested in the Dell Alienware 17 http://www.conns.com/computers/laptops/dell-alienware-17-gaming-laptop-alw175312slv.html but, it only has an 860m installed and no ssd. It's $1999.00. I'm seriously thinking of getting it instead but, have reservations about whether it's worth that kind of money. Since It has the same processor(i7-4710MQ), is the 860m gpu going to make that much of a difference. My kid is 13 and I'm hoping to get something that will still wiz in 4 or 5 yrs. In the article, there's mention of the Lenovo Y50 with a 860m at under $1000 & the Clevo P650SE($1350) with a 970m at about the same price as the HP Envy($1399), still, their using a TN 1080 panel, smaller also. As far as I know, all these laptops are using a TN 1080 panel that's why i was wondering about the difference between an 840m, 860m & 970m. Is it a matter of response time such as in refresh rates or just night & day and too much to mention. Lots of what if's, sorry about that, didn't mean to go over board but, I have to buy with a conn's account and their probably not available anyway, I'll check, just one of my financial nuisances but, the Alienware and Envy are available at conn's. Appreciate your opinion.
Thanks Calculagator

Buddhaelt
 
840m will run newer games at low settings, it's not the best card for gaming, but for a low end gaming laptop, that will do. If you go with an 860 or higher you will be able to increase the settings and/or get smoother game play. Check here for plenty of options http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-gaming-laptops-ct-118_96_98.html I link to that site so often if I was not a mederator I'd likely get banned for ad spam LOL but it's the best one I know of for seeing higher end laptops all in one place with clear specs to compare. They offer quite a few custom upgrades like a cooler upgrade which may be good to get, it comes with better heatsinks and thermal paste. You can also upgrade the screens on some of the laptops, add engraving, etc...

I would go with the best video card you can afford since you can't upgrade the video card in most systems. If you get a system and a month later he installs a game that does not run well, you are stuck with it.
 

Calculagator

Estimable
Nov 18, 2014
201
0
5,110


Those are good questions. I think 2k is way too much though you may be able to get them to price match a lower price. The GPU matters a lot but only for playing games. A 970m is maybe twice as powerful as an 860m.

I think it is unreasonable to expect a laptop to be high end for more than 3 years. Most 13 year olds are very hard on laptops. If you expect your kid to keep this in good condition for more than a year or two, you could be setting him up for failure. Of course, that depends on the kid and you would know better than me. If you want it to last and keep its speediness, you definitely want an SSD.

Concerning TN vs IPS. You should get a screen with 1080p resolution. IPS has better viewing angles, contrast, and displays more colors. TN can have less blur and lag for high speed games. IPS is much better for professional work, photography, and movies. For gaming it is a matter of opinion-some people actually prefer TN panels. For your purposes it probably doesn't matter too much.

You might check with Conn's to see if they would special order something for you or at least price match an online retailer.
 

Buddhaelt

Estimable
Dec 15, 2014
4
0
4,510


Thanks, that's pretty much what I wanted to hear, gives me a better idea on where I should spend my funds. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me all the heads up. Thanks again and you have a very merry Christmas.

Thanks Calculagator

Buddhaelt
 

Buddhaelt

Estimable
Dec 15, 2014
4
0
4,510


Wow! Really appreciate the site you gave me. Don't have the chance to look at everything tonight but, I definitely will tomorrow. That's if I can inhale it all, cudo's dude. I'll let you know what I decide on, I'm sure it will be something mentioned there. Thanks again hang-the-9. Oh yeah, like your avatar, I presume you play, myself, I'm always saying that I was born on a pool table. You have a merry Christmas.

Thanks again

Buddhaelt
 


I've been playing pool for well over 20 years, my son also plays and was the MA state junior 9 ball champion year ago and was runner up this year. He has finished in the top 16 in the country at national tournaments in his age bracket a few times. Fun sport :)

Any laptop in that list will run games, if you go to the 1200+ range you will be in really good shape as far a ability to run any game your son may install.
 
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