College Laptop, Wondering if the HP x360 Envy 15 is a good deal

[Lastraw]

Hello LTT Forums, 

 

I am trying to purchase a laptop I would use for college.  My college uses the Microsoft 360 suite (non-issue for performance right?), Adobe Creative Suite (if you need/want it), and ChemDraw and Mathematica for our math and science software.  I need my laptop to be able to comfortable run all of that software.  I have done some research myself and it doesn't seem like Mathematica or ChemDraw requires strong internals, so that might not actually be an issue.  I have a desktop I use for my gaming, so it is not a focus, but I still would like to be able to play some games on the go (rocket league at 144fps, valorant, minecraft, some indies). I do not need a touch screen, or a 2-1, but a lot of the options I have found so far are 2-1, so I will get one if it is still a good deal.  

 

My budget is preferably $1,000-$1,250.  The laptop I am looking at right now and would buy if it is actually a good deal and will have enough power to get my workload done is this:

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Touchscreen-Computer-Processor-SnowBell/dp/B08LYRW7DS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NST5CS5QREBG&dchild=1&keywords=hp+envy+x360+15.6&qid=1621363057&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A2423841011%7C3545275011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A13580790011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A18107802011&rnid=676578011&s=pc&sprefix=HP+ENVY+x360+15%2Caps%2C168&sr=1-1

^I couldn't find screen hz for this product, so I assume it is 60hz.  If there is a 144hz equivalent, I would be very interested in that.  

 

If you have any recommendations on a different laptop I should get instead, please let me know.  I would prefer 1TB storage, but I am happy with 512 or 256 GB as I know I can upgrade that with a 512GB or 1TB microSD card.  My workload has already been listed.  Weight is not super important to me, max of 5 lbs works.  Screen size can be 13-15, 144hz if possible, more is too much.  If you have any other questions about what I plan to do on the laptop, ask and I will provide the answers.  

 

Thank you so so much to anyone who helps me out!

[Haraikomono]

the build quality is fine, but cannot be compared to a x13 yoga thinkpad. Id really recommend tough to go with a lenovo x390 refurbished.

I have one, and its been really working wonders..

[mr fobs]

This laptop is a great workstation laptop, but does not seem to have a discreet graphics card option. You would be able to play the games you mentioned, but with the graphics turned down at 30-60fps on integrated graphics. If you want a good laptop that can run the games you mentioned at 144fps in you budget, check out the ASUS Zepherus line up.

 

Edit: Like this one

[jaslion]

8 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

Hello LTT Forums, 

 

I am trying to purchase a laptop I would use for college.  My college uses the Microsoft 360 suite (non-issue for performance right?), Adobe Creative Suite (if you need/want it), and ChemDraw and Mathematica for our math and science software.  I need my laptop to be able to comfortable run all of that software.  I have done some research myself and it doesn't seem like Mathematica or ChemDraw requires strong internals, so that might not actually be an issue.  I have a desktop I use for my gaming, so it is not a focus, but I still would like to be able to play some games on the go (rocket league at 144fps, valorant, minecraft, some indies). I do not need a touch screen, or a 2-1, but a lot of the options I have found so far are 2-1, so I will get one if it is still a good deal.  

 

My budget is preferably $1,000-$1,250.  The laptop I am looking at right now and would buy if it is actually a good deal and will have enough power to get my workload done is this:

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Touchscreen-Computer-Processor-SnowBell/dp/B08LYRW7DS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NST5CS5QREBG&dchild=1&keywords=hp+envy+x360+15.6&qid=1621363057&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A2423841011%7C3545275011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A13580790011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A18107802011&rnid=676578011&s=pc&sprefix=HP+ENVY+x360+15%2Caps%2C168&sr=1-1

^I couldn't find screen hz for this product, so I assume it is 60hz.  If there is a 144hz equivalent, I would be very interested in that.  

 

If you have any recommendations on a different laptop I should get instead, please let me know.  I would prefer 1TB storage, but I am happy with 512 or 256 GB as I know I can upgrade that with a 512GB or 1TB microSD card.  My workload has already been listed.  Weight is not super important to me, max of 5 lbs works.  Screen size can be 13-15, 144hz if possible, more is too much.  If you have any other questions about what I plan to do on the laptop, ask and I will provide the answers.  

 

Thank you so so much to anyone who helps me out!

This is not a gaming laptop AT ALL it is meant for work and light gaming. Both valorant, minecraft and rocket league will have a hard time getting 144hz also the screen is 60hz and there is no other option.

 

In your budget a asus g15 is an option which would do what you need for games and be the better laptop overall. I am talking about the 2021 g15 not the dumpsterfire that is the 2020 one.

[Lastraw]

1 hour ago, mr fobs said:

This laptop is a great workstation laptop, but does not seem to have a discreet graphics card option. You would be able to play the games you mentioned, but with the graphics turned down at 30-60fps on integrated graphics. If you want a good laptop that can run the games you mentioned at 144fps in you budget, check out the ASUS Zepherus line up.

 

Edit: Like this one

 

1 hour ago, jaslion said:

This is not a gaming laptop AT ALL it is meant for work and light gaming. Both valorant, minecraft and rocket league will have a hard time getting 144hz also the screen is 60hz and there is no other option.

 

In your budget a asus g15 is an option which would do what you need for games and be the better laptop overall. I am talking about the 2021 g15 not the dumpsterfire that is the 2020 one.

Thank you both for setting me straight, when I was looking on the HP site I was seeing things with dedicated graphics, when I transferred to Amazon I completely forgot to keep checking for that, I was assuming they would be there.  I'm looking into the Asus Zepherus and the Asus G15 now, will report back soon.  

 

EDIT: Both the G15 that Mr Fobs sent and the 2021 G15 line up look good spec wise.  Do either of you know of any options that are similarly specced, but less gamer-y?  Am I silly for wanting a less gamer-y laptop to be my daily use laptop?  My other question for the ROG G15 series is the battery life, I can't find how many hours it would be able to go while using it as a workstation.  Thanks again to both of you for your help.

[jaslion]

29 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

 

Thank you both for setting me straight, when I was looking on the HP site I was seeing things with dedicated graphics, when I transferred to Amazon I completely forgot to keep checking for that, I was assuming they would be there.  I'm looking into the Asus Zepherus and the Asus G15 now, will report back soon.  

 

EDIT: Both the G15 that Mr Fobs sent and the 2021 G15 line up look good spec wise.  Do either of you know of any options that are similarly specced, but less gamer-y?  Am I silly for wanting a less gamer-y laptop to be my daily use laptop?  My other question for the ROG G15 series is the battery life, I can't find how many hours it would be able to go while using it as a workstation.  Thanks again to both of you for your help.

It has 4-6 hours of battery on average.

 

As for less gamery there is the new lenovo legion 5 series again the 2021 versions as the older ones have a hinge issues that is now fixed.

[Lastraw]

6 minutes ago, jaslion said:

It has 4-6 hours of battery on average.

 

As for less gamery there is the new lenovo legion 5 series again the 2021 versions as the older ones have a hinge issues that is now fixed.

I think I will go with the Lenovo legion 5 series, it looks good and is specced great.  Do you know why the 17" model with a RTX 2060 is slightly cheaper than the 15" with a GTX 1660 Ti?

[jaslion]

59 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

I think I will go with the Lenovo legion 5 series, it looks good and is specced great.  Do you know why the 17" model with a RTX 2060 is slightly cheaper than the 15" with a GTX 1660 Ti?

Those are the 2020 models. They have hinge issues do not get them. The new ones are with rtx 3000 series cards.

 

The reason for the prices are demand and end of life status.

[Lastraw]

44 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Those are the 2020 models. They have hinge issues do not get them. The new ones are with rtx 3000 series cards.

 

The reason for the prices are demand and end of life status.

I can't find any legion 5 series with 3000 series graphics cards - are they out of stock or am I looking in the wrong places?  Could you link one for me?

[jaslion]

2 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

I can't find any legion 5 series with 3000 series graphics cards - are they out of stock or am I looking in the wrong places?  Could you link one for me?

They've only recently launched. Rtx 3000 laptops are hard to find right now.

[Lastraw]

10 minutes ago, jaslion said:

They've only recently launched. Rtx 3000 laptops are hard to find right now.

That is quite unfortunate.  I need to have the laptop in the next 2 weeks, since I am leaving during the summer and need to have it with me.  Any idea where I could get one, or with that time constraint in effect a different Lenovo I could get that is available right now?

[jaslion]

7 hours ago, Lastraw said:

That is quite unfortunate.  I need to have the laptop in the next 2 weeks, since I am leaving during the summer and need to have it with me.  Any idea where I could get one, or with that time constraint in effect a different Lenovo I could get that is available right now?

It really is up to luck here they've been out for a bit now and you can buy them but stock is limited. The asus g15 also doesn't really look that gamery in my opinion especially in person since it just looks kinda designerish then (especially the white version). Those are more in stock since they are so to say the most "basic" ryzen 5000 rtx3000 laptop. It does what it does well and does nothing bad. It isn't the best performance for the money but makes up for that by just being a rock solid laptop overall and not skipping in any department.

[Lastraw]

4 hours ago, jaslion said:

It really is up to luck here they've been out for a bit now and you can buy them but stock is limited. The asus g15 also doesn't really look that gamery in my opinion especially in person since it just looks kinda designerish then (especially the white version). Those are more in stock since they are so to say the most "basic" ryzen 5000 rtx3000 laptop. It does what it does well and does nothing bad. It isn't the best performance for the money but makes up for that by just being a rock solid laptop overall and not skipping in any department.

I am feeling good about the Legion 5 (15") with GTX 1660 Ti, https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Lenovo-Legion-5-15ARH05/p/88GMY501444 .  The only thing I am concerned about is the 250 nit screen.  If I find one that has a higher brightness, and maybe bumps up to 144 hz, I will definitely be pulling the trigger.  According to my reddit and youtube research, only the Legion 7 2020 models had the hinge issue, so this legion 5 should be fine with that.  Anything about this product that turns you off it?

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, Lastraw said:

I am feeling good about the Legion 5 (15") with GTX 1660 Ti, https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Lenovo-Legion-5-15ARH05/p/88GMY501444 .  The only thing I am concerned about is the 250 nit screen.  If I find one that has a higher brightness, and maybe bumps up to 144 hz, I will definitely be pulling the trigger.  According to my reddit and youtube research, only the Legion 7 2020 models had the hinge issue, so this legion 5 should be fine with that.  Anything about this product that turns you off it?

My bad I thought you were getting the 7 hence why I suggested not buying it. 250nit is fine for indoor use but indeed higher does not hurt. It is indeed true the 7's were affected and I should have worded my answer more correctly to avoid confusion.

 

How much is this lenovo? Are you buying directly for them or was this just a link to show the product? Because a LOT and I do mean a LOT of other stores are having deals on them. Another laptop I temporarily forgot about is the hp omen 15 with ryzen 4000 cpu's. Excellent laptop IF and only IF you get the one with the brighter better screen.

 

I'd also 100% upgrade your ram to 16gb yourself once you get the lenovo as 8 is going to severly limit your in your studies luckly it is super easy to do.

[Lastraw]

Just now, jaslion said:

My bad I thought you were getting the 7 hence why I suggested not buying it. 250nit is fine for indoor use but indeed higher does not hurt. It is indeed true the 7's were affected and I should have worded my answer more correctly to avoid confusion.

 

How much is this lenovo? Are you buying directly for them or was this just a link to show the product? Because a LOT and I do mean a LOT of other stores are having deals on them. Another laptop I temporarily forgot about is the hp omen 15 with ryzen 4000 cpu's. Excellent laptop IF and only IF you get the one with the brighter better screen.

 

I'd also 100% upgrade your ram to 16gb yourself once you get the lenovo as 8 is going to severly limit your in your studies luckly it is super easy to do.

The lenovo on their website is $1,099 USD.  I am tech savvy enough to upgrade the RAM, so if I find that necessary I will totally do it.  The link was more to show the product, I was going to do more searching to find a 300+ nit screen with similar specs before buying.  I'll check out the HP Omen 15.  

 

About performance, the desktop I use right now only runs a Radeon 5 2600 and a Radeon RX 470, and completely meets and exceeds what I put it through.  According to userbenchmark, the ryzen 5 4600H is barely an upgrade from the 2600 I have, and the 1660TI Mobile (max-q and non-max-q) is a upgrade compared to the RX 470.  Based on that, I can definitely be more than satisfied with the performance from these devices, and finding a 30 series would be major overkill for me.  

[jaslion]

2 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

The lenovo on their website is $1,099 USD.  I am tech savvy enough to upgrade the RAM, so if I find that necessary I will totally do it.  The link was more to show the product, I was going to do more searching to find a 300+ nit screen with similar specs before buying.  I'll check out the HP Omen 15.  

 

About performance, the desktop I use right now only runs a Radeon 5 2600 and a Radeon RX 470, and completely meets and exceeds what I put it through.  According to userbenchmark, the ryzen 5 4600H is barely an upgrade from the 2600 I have, and the 1660TI Mobile (max-q and non-max-q) is a upgrade compared to the RX 470.  Based on that, I can definitely be more than satisfied with the performance from these devices, and finding a 30 series would be major overkill for me.  

The lenovo has a great cooling solution which allows the 4600h to basically go near toe to toe with it's desktop equivalent the ryzen 3600 so it will be better. If this device will satisfy your needs then that is really good for you. Do look at other websites as the lenovo site is not the cheapest option usually.

[Lastraw]

3 minutes ago, jaslion said:

The lenovo has a great cooling solution which allows the 4600h to basically go near toe to toe with it's desktop equivalent the ryzen 3600 so it will be better. If this device will satisfy your needs then that is really good for you. Do look at other websites as the lenovo site is not the cheapest option usually.

Thank you very much! Once I find a good one on a different site I will probably buy it.  I did find an OMEN 15 that is repping a ryzen 5 5600H and a RTX 3060 for $1200, https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-laptop-15-en1097nr .  It also has the brighter and faster screen (300 nit, 144 hz).  It only comes with 512 gb SSD though, so I would have to get a 1TB micro sd to leave in the computer for a "permanent" storage upgrade.  How reliable is upgrading storage through micro-sd?

[jaslion]

7 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

Thank you very much! Once I find a good one on a different site I will probably buy it.  I did find an OMEN 15 that is repping a ryzen 5 5600H and a RTX 3060 for $1200, https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-laptop-15-en1097nr .  It also has the brighter and faster screen (300 nit, 144 hz).  It only comes with 512 gb SSD though, so I would have to get a 1TB micro sd to leave in the computer for a "permanent" storage upgrade.  How reliable is upgrading storage through micro-sd?

I would recommend a external hdd as micro sd cards aren't that great for storage if it is a very active storage that kills them quickly.

 

It seems this one's screen in terms of colours is just ok whilst the Legions is pretty darn good. It is brighter and has a higher refresh rate but gives up on better colour reproduction.

 

Cooling system wise it is just as good as the lenovo and all the other things are comparable (keyboard and trackpad experience is best judged by the user). A tip for the omen is that it does better when it's back is lifted up a bit when gaming as the feet on it are a little on the thinner side.

 

Spec wise this laptop is a big leap over the legion 5 tho and it has better battery life it seems at a good 6-7 hours if just casually using it. Partially due to the improved 5600h where the previous omen was a bit behind the legion in battery life at only 5-6 hours in casual use test.

[Lastraw]

Just now, jaslion said:

I would recommend a external hdd as micro sd cards aren't that great for storage if it is a very active storage that kills them quickly.

 

It seems this one's screen in terms of colours is just ok whilst the Legions is pretty darn good. It is brighter and has a higher refresh rate but gives up on better colour reproduction.

 

Cooling system wise it is just as good as the lenovo and all the other things are comparable (keyboard and trackpad experience is best judged by the user). A tip for the omen is that it does better when it's back is lifted up a bit when gaming as the feet on it are a little on the thinner side.

 

Spec wise this laptop is a big leap over the legion 5 tho and it has better battery life it seems at a good 6-7 hours if just casually using it.

Thanks for the analysis.  At this point I am settled on the legion 5 and am looking for a seller.  I am struggling to find one that beats the Lenovo specs but still has the SSD+HDD combo as well as a lower (or around the same) price.  Many of the products I am finding drop the HDD entirely and ship only with a 256 or 512 gb SSD, and I know I would prefer larger internal storage.  How bad is the actual Lenovo price from this link? It is the model on the far left with the 1660TI.  Thanks for all of your help on this.  

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, Lastraw said:

Thanks for the analysis.  At this point I am settled on the legion 5 and am looking for a seller.  I am struggling to find one that beats the Lenovo specs but still has the SSD+HDD combo as well as a lower (or around the same) price.  Many of the products I am finding drop the HDD entirely and ship only with a 256 or 512 gb SSD, and I know I would prefer larger internal storage.  How bad is the actual Lenovo price from this link? It is the model on the far left with the 1660TI.  Thanks for all of your help on this.  

Oh why the legion 5? Did I mistype anything? The Hp is better in every way only has a big worse colour reproduction and that is it + smaller feet.

[Lastraw]

1 minute ago, jaslion said:

Oh why the legion 5? Did I mistype anything? The Hp is better in every way only has a big worse colour reproduction and that is it + smaller feet.

Oh I definitely just mis-read it and interpreted it to be get whichever.  How annoying is an external HDD?  Since I want it to be my on-the-go laptop, I am worried that would hinder it.  

[Lastraw]

Just found this HP Omen as well, which comes with a 1TB SSD upgrade option!  I think this is the one I will get! https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-laptop-15z-en100-2l1f4av-1

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, Lastraw said:

Oh I definitely just mis-read it and interpreted it to be get whichever.  How annoying is an external HDD?  Since I want it to be my on-the-go laptop, I am worried that would hinder it.  

Not much. I had one with me in my backpack for whenever I had to reallllly unload some data. It does depend on when a micro sd card can be used. If this is for constant data access then a sd card is not to be used. If this is to put like a couple documents on, archive some old files or dump like a movie on then sure a sd card is fine. I'm personally not a fan of having a hdd in a laptop anymore as they have lowered their quality over the years and really aren't as shock resistant.

[Lastraw]

1 minute ago, jaslion said:

Not much. I had one with me in my backpack for whenever I had to reallllly unload some data. It does depend on when a micro sd card can be used. If this is for constant data access then a sd card is not to be used. If this is to put like a couple documents on, archive some old files or dump like a movie on then sure a sd card is fine. I'm personally not a fan of having a hdd in a laptop anymore as they have lowered their quality over the years and really aren't as shock resistant.

I just found this HP Omen, which comes with a 1TB SSD upgrade option!  I think this is the one I will get! https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-laptop-15z-en100-2l1f4av-1.  I don't see any issues or reasons not to purchase this one! What do you think?

[jaslion]

5 minutes ago, Lastraw said:

I just found this HP Omen, which comes with a 1TB SSD upgrade option!  I think this is the one I will get! https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-laptop-15z-en100-2l1f4av-1.  I don't see any issues or reasons not to purchase this one! What do you think?

Oh neat and it is just the omen from then but a configurable version that normally takes a little premium due to that but ends up cheaper for some reason. Don't forget it has 8gb ram by default so you put it at 16gb if needed.