Looking for Laptop - Can Anyone Also Explain to Me How a Computer Doesn't Have a HDD? $1.7k Budget

LSubsist on 01/03/2017 - 10:58
Last edited 01/03/2017 - 10:59

Hey guys,

So my old laptop is with the manufacturer for fixing and quite honestly I need to get one again ASAP.

I do light gaming, like counter-strike, LoL, etc. I'm after a laptop preferably with an SSD. I also do video editing. I need something powerful.

My budget is about $1700, please no more than that. I was looking at some stuff in stores (I know online is generally cheaper and that's fine but I was just browsing)

Came across this:

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/hp/hp-15…

Can anyone explain to me how this laptop has no HDD? So is it just 256gb total space? It just seems really bizarre to me.

If anyone has any recommendations I'm happy to see. My requirements are:

SSD
1tb of space
2-4GB dedicated graphics (preferably 4)
8-16gb of ram
15.6 screen, no more, but slightly less is fine

And preferably something that I can walk around with. A little bit big is okay, it doesn't need to be macbook slim but not really bulky.

Thanks

Computing

Comments

  • Looking4Bargians on 01/03/2017 - 11:02

    PM me. i have few options for you.

    • Subsist on 01/03/2017 - 11:08

      Unfortunately I can't because I just signed up. If you can post any links that would be great.

      • Looking4Bargians on 01/03/2017 - 11:13

        Sorry can't provide the link here. Let's wait till you get Messages service enable on your profile. today or tomorrow .

        • Gunther on 01/03/2017 - 16:49
          +3

          So so so so so so so so so so dodgy.

        • Looking4Bargians on 01/03/2017 - 16:56

          @Gunther: it could be that don't want reveal my business details on public website ? Think other side as well rather than always thinking about dodgy stuff.

  • djsweet on 01/03/2017 - 11:04

    That laptop has only 256gb of storage space. So does mine, and its never been a problem based on my usage.
    I think 256gb would be plenty for most people.

    • AlienC on 01/03/2017 - 12:10

      It's definitely usable on it's own but doesn't really leave room for much extra or media provisioning.

      For example watching media alone would take up a few hundred gb if storaging for later use at high quality.

      One tv series can easily fill up 256gb if at 1080p or blu ray quality.

      Steam games can use up heaps of space if you don't watch it.

      Video editing/3d developing blah blah blah.

      • scrimshaw on 01/03/2017 - 12:46
        +1

        Computer storage is cheap anyway, and in the age of Netflix and online streaming, less and less people are keeping terabytes of movies and music on local storage.

        You can watch whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, so long as you have half-decent ADSL internet and a subscription.

        128GB MicroSD cards are cheap too so it's not really an issue if you are worried about space and for those video editing professionals, a $1700 powerhouse laptop usually has support for at least 2 drives (SATA and M.2)

        • AlienC on 01/03/2017 - 14:10
          +1

          Say that to my cancelled netflix account. Australian netflix is so bs we really get shafted when it comes to the Australian catalogue versus the US catalogue so back to the drawing board for me unfortunately.

          I really don't want to but no other choice or options besides paying extra for a decent vpn service and jumping through more hoops to set up the geo block dns fix etc and even then maybe more heartache..

          I even ordered a 200gb micro sd card because I know 128gb won't cut it for me.. small price premium but I know it well stay and last me some good time.

          Now looking at foxtel for anytime go to see if it might be worth it to invest $10-15 a month just to watch some of my shows.. God the streaming service platform is a mess it is not really a wonder why some people still pirate..

        • airal3rt on 01/03/2017 - 16:13
          +1

          @AlienC:

          If you think netflix is poor you're going to have a bad time switching to foxtel…

        • AlienC on 01/03/2017 - 16:44

          @airal3rt: :( I know it was just a sad last comment attempt at happiness

          Foxtel has the walking dead among other things

          Couldn't believe netflix didn't have that plus a bunch of other things (game of thrones/community/jericho/the x files/Rick and morty) and some other old 90s early 2000s movies.

          Went in blind hoping for the very very best was my biggest mistake looking back now.

          I should have done my research.

    • Diji1 on 01/03/2017 - 13:05

      I think 256gb would be plenty for most people.

      You're gravely misinformed.

      • AlienC on 01/03/2017 - 14:11

        There is always two camps of people..

        One that thinks that your above highlighted statement is more than enough and us haha lol

  • loke on 01/03/2017 - 11:11
    +2

    You shouldn't really look at JB Hi-Fi if you want to get a good deal

    You're probably going to have to eye something along the lines of the 6700HQ or 7700HQ processors and these should trump the xxxxUs on multi-threading performance (Q are quadcores vs U being dual cores - and also designed to consume less power), perhaps wait a little more for Ryzen news by AMD? but it's not likely there's a laptop processor planned now

    I saw someone recommend metabox in one of the other laptop recommendation threads so have a look there and get an idea and might as well see what else is on ozbargain at the moment

  • Ryanek on 01/03/2017 - 11:13
    +3

    Check MetaBox Alpha Series and configure it to your needs.

    • Cheap Charlie on 01/03/2017 - 12:13
      +1

      Excellent recommendation.

      Perhaps some thing along the lines of:

      Alpha N850HK

      15.6"
      Display: FHD IPS WVA Matte 60Hz (1080p)
      GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5
      CPU Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor
      RAM: 16GB DDR4 2400MHZ (1 x 16GB)
      Memory 1: SK Hynix 512GB SATA 3 M.2 SSD
      Memory 2: 500GB 7200RPM HDD

      Intel 3168 AC Dual Band WIFI/BT
      No External Optical Disc Drive Selected
      No Operating System Selected (W10 keys advertised on OZB for low rent)
      2 Year Metabox Premium Care

      $1749

      Personally if I am looking to buy a laptop right now, NVMe storage would be a must, however right now you will pay an early adopter fee for the privilege.

      Dell DFO

      Refurbished
      Alienware 15 R2,
      Intel Core i7-6700HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
      16GB (2x8G) 2133MHz DDR4 Memory
      256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
      Windows 10 Home (64bit) English
      Optical Drive Not Included
      Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
      15.6 inch UHD (3840 x 2160) IGZO IPS Anti-Glare 300-nits Display
      NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M with 3GB GDDR5
      240W AC Adapter 8 Cell 92W Hour Battery Internal US/Int (Qwerty) Keyboard
      1 Year Warranty
      1 In Stock
      $ 1,579 Shipped

  • tonyjzx on 01/03/2017 - 11:29
    +4

    You must be so out of the loop if you didnt know 120-240Gb ssds were normal these days.

    If you must have more space, get a laptop with both an SSD and a large HDD.

  • sillysam on 01/03/2017 - 11:59
    +1

    Don't buy from Australian retailers.

    Get an Alienware (search: 'dell outlet' in google) or metabox.

    • Diji1 on 01/03/2017 - 13:06
      -1

      Yes, get an Alienware for the terrible value for money.

      • sillysam on 01/03/2017 - 13:23
        +1

        That's why I said from the dell outlet.

      • Cheap Charlie on 01/03/2017 - 13:48

        @ Diji

        You will note an Alienware with suitable spec and on budget has been posted above, prior to your comment.
        You could have easily made a similar comment without the negativity, if you wanted to.

  • AlienC on 01/03/2017 - 12:21

    From experience laptops never get good deals. Even the "good" laptop deals are bad when you compare it to desktop equivalents its so hard to justify and everything is throttled down or limited restricted in some way it is mind boggling and rage inducing. But we all mostly need laptops or at least us mobile folk so it is a win loss situation.

    If I were you I would check Amazon for prices and reviews / some reddit web pages to see what other people are taking about and various tech blogs for good recommendations and benchmarks.

    Here are some good places to start:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/laptopswap/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/laptopgaming/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/Laptop/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/laptops/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/SuggestALaptop/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/130

    http://www.anandtech.com/tag/laptops

    http://www.tomshardware.com/t/laptops/

    http://www.laptopmag.com/t/laptops

    https://www.gizmodo.com.au/reviews/laptop-and-tablet-reviews…

  • blonky on 01/03/2017 - 13:06

    Look for a 15" laptop as they usually will take an SSD + HDD; SSD is fast and great for everything but large capacities are expensive, so you will want a HDD for storage

    Look for a i7 CPU with the code ending with HQ - this means it's a full quad core cpu ('U' means it's a cut down, low power CPU)

    Look for a GTX graphics chip, 960/970/980 or 1050/1060/1070 series

    A few examples I've recently seen on ozbargin
    Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series $1520 (i7 HQ, GTX 1050Ti), 2.59kg
    Dell XPS 15 $1800 (i7 HQ, GTX 1050), 2kg (but no HDD)

    Metabox and Alienware are good too but check the weight

  • Kochigachi on 01/03/2017 - 13:19

    Buy direct from dell or metabox for gaming laptop under $1800.

  • Cheap Charlie on 02/03/2017 - 00:24

    Dells 7567 is worth considering.
    The superseded Skylake 960M version Can be all yours for as little as $1274 to your door.

    At that price point there is money left over to throw a M.2 boot drive and another 8GB stick at it.
    Also worth considering upgrading/extending the warranty to in home if you value your downtime.

    Review

    Product Offer

  • furys12 on 02/03/2017 - 09:01

    make sure you get a laptop that has an ssd in it already, a hdd isnt even needed if the ssd is "big enough" most laptops seem to be getting harder and harder to "modify" the peice of shit HP i have doesnt let you do anything but remove the battery without voiding the warranty, cant even change the hdd without cracking open the body seal, thats ok i thought ill just replace the dvd drive with a hdd in a caddy, except HP modded the bios to not boot from that slot unless its a dvd drive

    ive worked around it but dont get a HP

    • Cheap Charlie on 02/03/2017 - 12:31

      Rather than suggesting only purchase a laptop with a SSD, perhaps recommend a purchaser does their home work in terms of upgrade ability.

      I buy laptops fairly regularly and if the memory config is not to my liking the first thing I do is determine if the unit is upgrade able.
      Is there a spare Ram slot, is the RAM soldered to the board, Can you swap the 2.5" HDD/SSD out for your desired capacity/tech & if the unit features m.2 options to upgrade capacity if required or in the event m.2 was vacant from the manufacturer can you boot from M.2 should that be your desire etc etc.

      My last purchase was a Zenbook. It the race for compactness my current unit is soldered RAM and M.2 SSD only which pretty much means buy what you need/want to start with.

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