HP Pavilion-Good or Bad?

[racyrick]

I just put a deposit on an HP Pavilion 15-ab213tx. The link is below. The price is 27,900 baht.

I had a budget of 25,000 baht or less, but I thought it was worth the extra 3,000 baht for a 6th gen i7 chip and a 1920x1080 screen.

What are your thoughts? I can always cancel my order.

I am not going to be doing heavy gaming.

Thanks

http://www8.hp.com/th/en/products/laptops/product-detail.html?oid=8628629#!tab=specs

[h90]

Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN

10/100 you usually find only in the museum......

My laptop....don't know how old but newest driver are from 2009 (so it is for sure 6-8 years old) has a 10/100/1000 LAN

[racyrick]

Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN

10/100 you usually find only in the museum......

My laptop....don't know how old but newest driver are from 2009 (so it is for sure 6-8 years old) has a 10/100/1000 LAN

If I get this laptop, is there a way to change the ethernet?

I am not a techie, how will this affect my internet?

Thanks

[h90]

Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN

10/100 you usually find only in the museum......

My laptop....don't know how old but newest driver are from 2009 (so it is for sure 6-8 years old) has a 10/100/1000 LAN

If I get this laptop, is there a way to change the ethernet?

I am not a techie, how will this affect my internet?

Thanks

No effect on the internet, unless you have a connection faster than 100 Mbit (which is extreme unlikely).

Just if you connect it to the office network and move large amount of data.

Like I move my huge email mailbox and complete office data on the laptop if I travel and when I come back I move it back to my other computer.

So I guess for most people it isn't a problem....Just I ask myself why they would put something so outdated in it and what other strange components it may has.

I would recommend before you buy it, look at Amazon.com for the same laptop and read the reviews (there are always some negative, but there easy to see what is real and what are just troublemaker).

That way you also see if it is a "normal" laptop or some Thailand only thing.

[racyrick]

Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN

10/100 you usually find only in the museum......

My laptop....don't know how old but newest driver are from 2009 (so it is for sure 6-8 years old) has a 10/100/1000 LAN

If I get this laptop, is there a way to change the ethernet?

I am not a techie, how will this affect my internet?

Thanks

No effect on the internet, unless you have a connection faster than 100 Mbit (which is extreme unlikely).

Just if you connect it to the office network and move large amount of data.

Like I move my huge email mailbox and complete office data on the laptop if I travel and when I come back I move it back to my other computer.

So I guess for most people it isn't a problem....Just I ask myself why they would put something so outdated in it and what other strange components it may has.

I would recommend before you buy it, look at Amazon.com for the same laptop and read the reviews (there are always some negative, but there easy to see what is real and what are just troublemaker).

That way you also see if it is a "normal" laptop or some Thailand only thing.

This is just a Thailand only thing and just came out so no reviews of any kind.

Thanks for your reply and advice

[crabdog]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

[h90]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

invadeit told me that they don't do any upgrades for customer anymore because you loose (or might loose) warranty by doing it (removing the warranty sticker). I would still do it, but it is madness....

[Pib]

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

[h90]

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

I think for most things people do on laptop the CPU speed isn't important at all. But a SSD would be a great improvement.

(exceptions would be video editing, gaming)

[racyrick]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

Thank you for the comments.

I guess the main question overall is if this is a good laptop for me based on price and usage.

I only plan to use this for pretty much basic things like surfing the net, watching movies, listening to music and mild gaming.

Based on that, is this a good computer and value or do you recommend another brand and/or model.

[h90]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

Thank you for the comments.

I guess the main question overall is if this is a good laptop for me based on price and usage.

I only plan to use this for pretty much basic things like surfing the net, watching movies, listening to music and mild gaming.

Based on that, is this a good computer and value or do you recommend another brand and/or model.

I recently searched and no product did really meet my price/value/quality point....so I reinstalled WinXP on my very old laptop and with a fresh install it is doing everything I need....so I postponed the purchase another 6 month (hopefully)

[crabdog]

It should be fine for what you're planning to do with it. If you want more gaming options you could go for something with an i5 and slightly better graphics like the 960m

[Pib]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

Thank you for the comments.

I guess the main question overall is if this is a good laptop for me based on price and usage.

I only plan to use this for pretty much basic things like surfing the net, watching movies, listening to music and mild gaming.

Based on that, is this a good computer and value or do you recommend another brand and/or model.

It's fine for your needs but the first thing I would do is replace the hard drive with a SSD. A SSD will provide a very noticeable "speed of use" boost. It sure did with my Lenovo laptop and some older laptops I have.. Recommend a Samsung SSD....get at least a 500GB SSD. I replaced my 1TB HDD with a Samsung 500GB SSD. The hard disk drive you remove can be used as a external backup drive. 8GB vs 4GB of RAM would also be recommend although there only may be a few applications where you notice that increased RAM benefit if just an average user.

[WhizBang]

I have never cared for the HP desktop computers, but I have owned a number of HP laptops and have liked them very much.

[racyrick]

The HP Pavilion looks okay but a new i7 should really be paired with 8GB of RAM. Also the hard drive is 5400 which is painfully slow. Fortunately both of those can be upgraded later by adding another stick of RAM and a SSD. The RAM would probably be okay as is unless you're planning to do Photoshop or video editing etc but for basic use is adequate. I would definitely recommend the SSD though.

Just because it's got a 6th generation chip does not necessarily mean better, faster, etc. Yes, almost for sure it will use less power but it may not be as fast/powerful as a 4th or 5th gen CPU.

For example...my two year old Lenovo Z510 laptop uses an Intel i7-4702MQ CPU...it's a 4th gen CPU but has 4 physical cores/8 threads (like having a CPU that is really 8 CPUs) compared to the i7-6500U CPU which has 2 physical cores/4 threads (like having a CPU that is really 4 CPUs). But I will be the first to admit that a 2 phyical core/4 thread CPU is all the great many people need in a laptop or even a desktop. If they are gamers then they probably want to go with a desktop since desktop CPU have more horsepower and you can add a powerful GPU to run games faster/smoother. But for me, I'm not a gamer....I want the mobility of a laptop.

Below are some links comparing my Lenovo's 4th gen CPU with the HP's 6th gen CPU. In so many cases the new generation mobile/laptop CPU have not got more powerful, they have just got smaller, run cooler, and use less power...and generally got cheaper. Using less power is good thing for mobile devices when operating off battery power, but if your laptop stays plugged in most of the time it's really no advantage. And when it comes to heat generated my 4th gen CPU runs very cool...no noticeable heating affect on the laptop case like older 3rd and earlier CPU generations would cause.

I'm just pointing out the CPU thing since that will be one of the most important hardware choices in a computer since that's your laptop's engine. Will also have to say the great majority of 5th and 6th gen laptop CPUs are dual core/4 threads CPUs since they are cheaper to make and really meet the needs of the great, great majority of laptop users. Below are some comparison links for the two CPU mentioned above.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6500U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ/m36930vsm2674

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4702MQ-vs-Intel-6500U

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/936/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4702MQ_vs_Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-6500U.html

Thank you for the comments.

I guess the main question overall is if this is a good laptop for me based on price and usage.

I only plan to use this for pretty much basic things like surfing the net, watching movies, listening to music and mild gaming.

Based on that, is this a good computer and value or do you recommend another brand and/or model.

It's fine for your needs but the first thing I would do is replace the hard drive with a SSD. A SSD will provide a very noticeable "speed of use" boost. It sure did with my Lenovo laptop and some older laptops I have.. Recommend a Samsung SSD....get at least a 500GB SSD. I replaced my 1TB HDD with a Samsung 500GB SSD. The hard disk drive you remove can be used as a external backup drive. 8GB vs 4GB of RAM would also be recommend although there only may be a few applications where you notice that increased RAM benefit if just an average user.

It is a laptop I will be purchasing.

I guess I need to ask HP if the warranty will be voided if I replace the hard drive with a SSD.

I get a 2 year on site repair warranty with this laptop.

[Pib]

It is a laptop I will be purchasing.

I guess I need to ask HP if the warranty will be voided if I replace the hard drive with a SSD.

I get a 2 year on site repair warranty with this laptop.

No it will not. All computer manufacturers, especially for laptops, know that customers routinely upgrade RAM, Drives, etc, during the warranty period. Now if the computer stops working, it goes to warranty repair and they determine the SSD you installed has failed, then they will not replace the SSD...they just give the laptop back unrepaired and tell you the SSD is the problem and you have to contact the manufacturer of the SSD since that SSD did not come with the HP computer you bought. But SSDs are very, very, very reliable; more reliable than HDDs.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware/Hp-Laptop-Installation-of-SSD-Disk/td-p/2278187

So, what to do if you computer fails at some point with the SSD you installed...but you don't know why the computer failed...could be anything...a dead CPU, dead motherboard, dead video component, dead RAM, etc...not a SSD failure. And did you know that many returns are nothing more than a corrupted/malware infected system caused by what sets between the computer screen and the chair...has nothing to do with a hardware failure.

Anyway, since you'll probably keep the original hard disk drive (HDD) that came with the laptop, just put it back in the computer to see if the computer failure/problem disappears. Of course you have needed to ensure you didn't overwrite any data on the hard drive once you removed it. You could still use it for a backup without overwriting original data on the original hard drive since backup programs usually create a new, separate folder to store the backup/image in and doesn't mess with other files on the drive.

Or if you already have/use a backup external drive just do a image backup of your HP laptop to that backup drive so you could reload the image to that original HP drive that came with your new laptop if you wanted to reinstall it for warranty work. Then while not in the HP laptop you could completely wipe off all the data/free up all the space from that original HDD for whatever use you wanted...but since you got an image backup on another backup drive you could always put the HP drive back into your HP computer and reload the original image. If the computer is still broke after doing this...then call for warranty repair. And then there are the cloning options. But if you are not a backup or cloning person (easy processes with numerous backup programs), then maybe you don't want to consider these approaches. And if you don't do image backups you are really setting yourself up for not being able to quickly and easily recover from computer failures caused by corrupted software or hardware failure, but that's a different subject.

Personally I'm looking to buy a second laptop right now in the Bt15K ballpark to replace and old and slow 8 year old laptop. I know I will also want to put a SSD in the laptop and probably upgrade from 2GB or 4GB that most laptops usually come with to 8GB. So, in my searching I'm pay extra attention to the HDD and RAM that comes with the new laptop because for example a new laptop that comes with a 1TB HDD vs a 500GB will probably cost a little more since it's got a larger drive...but I'm just going to replace the HDD from the get-go so I would prefer to buy the laptop model I want with the smaller HDD just to save some costs. The great majority of laptops you buy off the shelf down still only come with a HDD vs SSD simply due to cost competition between the manufacturers. However, you can buy a laptop tailored to the hardware you want (like getting a SSD vs HDD) from the manufacturers website stores but that will be more expensive unless they have a good sale/promotion going on.

P.S. By the way regarding warranty repair, my primary laptop is a Lenovo that came with a 2 year warranty...bought it here in Thailand at BananaIT....the keyboard malfunctioned at the 22 month point into the 24 month warranty....some of the keys became intermittent/non working. I had long replaced the original HDD with a SSD and also upgraded from the original 4GB RAM and 8GB RAM. Took the laptop to warranty repair with the SSD and extra RAM still installed. Lenovo replaced the keyboard/did the repair without question...free of charge...didn't care it now had a SSD and extra RAM in it.. Repaired here in Bangkok at a Lenovo service center.

[racyrick]

It is a laptop I will be purchasing.

I guess I need to ask HP if the warranty will be voided if I replace the hard drive with a SSD.

I get a 2 year on site repair warranty with this laptop.

No it will not. All computer manufacturers, especially for laptops, know that customers routinely upgrade RAM, Drives, etc, during the warranty period. Now if the computer stops working, it goes to warranty repair and they determine the SSD you installed has failed, then they will not replace the SSD...they just give the laptop back unrepaired and tell you the SSD is the problem and you have to contact the manufacturer of the SSD since that SSD did not come with the HP computer you bought. But SSDs are very, very, very reliable; more reliable than HDDs.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware/Hp-Laptop-Installation-of-SSD-Disk/td-p/2278187

So, what to do if you computer fails at some point with the SSD you installed...but you don't know why the computer failed...could be anything...a dead CPU, dead motherboard, dead video component, dead RAM, etc...not a SSD failure. And did you know that many returns are nothing more than a corrupted/malware infected system caused by what sets between the computer screen and the chair...has nothing to do with a hardware failure.

Anyway, since you'll probably keep the original hard disk drive (HDD) that came with the laptop, just put it back in the computer to see if the computer failure/problem disappears. Of course you have needed to ensure you didn't overwrite any data on the hard drive once you removed it. You could still use it for a backup without overwriting original data on the original hard drive since backup programs usually create a new, separate folder to store the backup/image in and doesn't mess with other files on the drive.

Or if you already have/use a backup external drive just do a image backup of your HP laptop to that backup drive so you could reload the image to that original HP drive that came with your new laptop if you wanted to reinstall it for warranty work. Then while not in the HP laptop you could completely wipe off all the data/free up all the space from that original HDD for whatever use you wanted...but since you got an image backup on another backup drive you could always put the HP drive back into your HP computer and reload the original image. If the computer is still broke after doing this...then call for warranty repair. And then there are the cloning options. But if you are not a backup or cloning person (easy processes with numerous backup programs), then maybe you don't want to consider these approaches. And if you don't do image backups you are really setting yourself up for not being able to quickly and easily recover from computer failures caused by corrupted software or hardware failure, but that's a different subject.

Personally I'm looking to buy a second laptop right now in the Bt15K ballpark to replace and old and slow 8 year old laptop. I know I will also want to put a SSD in the laptop and probably upgrade from 2GB or 4GB that most laptops usually come with to 8GB. So, in my searching I'm pay extra attention to the HDD and RAM that comes with the new laptop because for example a new laptop that comes with a 1TB HDD vs a 500GB will probably cost a little more since it's got a larger drive...but I'm just going to replace the HDD from the get-go so I would prefer to buy the laptop model I want with the smaller HDD just to save some costs. The great majority of laptops you buy off the shelf down still only come with a HDD vs SSD simply due to cost competition between the manufacturers. However, you can buy a laptop tailored to the hardware you want (like getting a SSD vs HDD) from the manufacturers website stores but that will be more expensive unless they have a good sale/promotion going on.

P.S. By the way regarding warranty repair, my primary laptop is a Lenovo that came with a 2 year warranty...bought it here in Thailand at BananaIT....the keyboard malfunctioned at the 22 month point into the 24 month warranty....some of the keys became intermittent/non working. I had long replaced the original HDD with a SSD and also upgraded from the original 4GB RAM and 8GB RAM. Took the laptop to warranty repair with the SSD and extra RAM still installed. Lenovo replaced the keyboard/did the repair without question...free of charge...didn't care it now had a SSD and extra RAM in it.. Repaired here in Bangkok at a Lenovo service center.

Thanks for your post.

Do you know approx. what the cost will be for a 500GB SSD?

Someone recommended a Samsung SSD with at least 500GB, do you agree?

[Pib]

Do you know approx. what the cost will be for a 500GB SSD?

Someone recommended a Samsung SSD with at least 500GB, do you agree?

In Thailand a 500GB costs around Bt9K, give or two a few thousand depending on the manufacturer. See below snapshot from the JIB Price list. JIB is a large computer equipment chain at least here in Bangkok. SSD are significantly cheaper if you have a way to buy them from the US/Europe without the associated customs/mailing charges to Thailand.

I would definitely recommend Samsung SSDs. I've had one for about a year now...a 840EVO 500GB...love it....and it has a great little utility program that comes with it called the Magician provides additional feature like SMART, Rapid Mode which makes a SSD even faster, Firmware Update, just a bunch of features. I bought mine from the U.S. at a significantly lower price that I could get it in Thailand...and a friend passing through dropped it off. Since the 840 is now an older model you are probably looking at getting a 850 or later model which goes for around Bt9K in Thailand.

[racyrick]

Do you know approx. what the cost will be for a 500GB SSD?

Someone recommended a Samsung SSD with at least 500GB, do you agree?

In Thailand a 500GB costs around Bt9K, give or two a few thousand depending on the manufacturer. See below snapshot from the JIB Price list. JIB is a large computer equipment chain at least here in Bangkok. SSD are significantly cheaper if you have a way to buy them from the US/Europe without the associated customs/mailing charges to Thailand.

I would definitely recommend Samsung SSDs. I've had one for about a year now...a 840EVO 500GB...love it....and it has a great little utility program that comes with it called the Magician provides additional feature like SMART, Rapid Mode which makes a SSD even faster, Firmware Update, just a bunch of features. I bought mine from the U.S. at a significantly lower price that I could get it in Thailand...and a friend passing through dropped it off. Since the 840 is now an older model you are probably looking at getting a 850 or later model which goes for around Bt9K in Thailand.

Thanks for the info, but like OP said, I had a budget of 25,000 baht and already went 3,000 baht above my budget, so an additional 8,000 baht for a SSD is not something I can do now. Maybe replace in the future.

I will save info.

[buythisdashcam]

Hello,

Anybody has experience with HP on site warranty ?

Is it good and can they fix anything when visiting or they visit to take away your laptop ?

Thanks.