Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC Thread

[spiritofaslan]

Here ya go. Load this up on your other computer, if it autodetects your OS then click "choose other OS", then download the drivers, copy them on to USB, then install them on the laptop

https://support.hp.com/au-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-elitebook-2570p-notebook-pc/5259393

@Wahesh and once you get the network drivers installed, then jump on the HP site, let it autodetect the model and download all the drivers. I think there's an HP Support Tool / HP Upgrade Assistant you can install which will update all the drivers itself.

The ASUS ZenBook looks aesthetically pleasing, specs seem good enough while it feels pretty functional. Think I might get one of these..noticed some places are also selling them with a 3 year warranty.

Zenbooks are very good but I'm pretty sure they are only 1 year warranty, and none come with a wired network port (if you need one). Might differ with the Zenbook Pro though.

I've personally got an HP Elitebook and love it, but the Probooks are decent too (more business than consumer focussed).

 

[Wahesh]

Here ya go. Load this up on your other computer, if it autodetects your OS then click "choose other OS", then download the drivers, copy them on to USB, then install them on the laptop

https://support.hp.com/au-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-elitebook-2570p-notebook-pc/5259393

Phew... thanks mate. Just jumped on and downloaded a few. As I wasn't sure what was what when it came to the network adapter, I ad to download about 5 and just try them all - I got there eventually. I'm the old 2570P now

 

[Wahesh]

@Wahesh and once you get the network drivers installed, then jump on the HP site, let it autodetect the model and download all the drivers. I think there's an HP Support Tool / HP Upgrade Assistant you can install which will update all the drivers itself.

Will do mate, just got the basics going now (audio, video, Wifi), and will add the others on in time. Just glad I got her humming again

 

[K E]

Anyone play the new Battletoads game?

 

[Nutboy]

Anyone play the new Battletoads game?

Na, playing Fall Guys

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Anyone play the new Battletoads game?

Heard it's actually pretty good, but really bloody short at about 4-6 hours.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

This actually looks really good. Made by the people behind the Batman Arkham series

 

[Nutboy]

Is there something wrong with this? It seems too cheap or am I missing something?

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/hp-1...Fxs6hN3hL0kZccMCWe9OahFnzN_7Jj0EaAsXjEALw_wcB

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Is there something wrong with this? It seems too cheap or am I missing something?

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/hp-1...Fxs6hN3hL0kZccMCWe9OahFnzN_7Jj0EaAsXjEALw_wcB

Shitty graphics processor. Everything else it about right.

Laptops are fairly cheap now days especially if you can find them on special. I bought a decent Dell gaming Laptop just under 1 year ago for $1,400. The problem you get with standard laptops (non-mac, non-surface) is that their lifespan can be very hit and miss. Sometimes you'll get one that lasts 10 years. More often it'll last 3-5 years if you're lucky.

They also have terrible battery life as they're not optimised. For an example, I have an old Macbook Air that will last 11 hours if I use Mac OS, or about 6 hours if I'm using Windows. My Dell laptop will last about 3 hours if I'm just doing work stuff. About 2 hours if I'm gaming.

 

[spiritofaslan]

Is there something wrong with this? It seems too cheap or am I missing something?

Graphics is meh, and its a consumer based laptop (generally build quality isn't as great).

When HP make anything without a specific brand line it's normally pretty average build quality. Either lower spec battery, lower quality screen, or just not as well built as their named brand lines/flagship models.

Pavilions used to be their entry level "cheap" line for home users. The cheap ones were rubbish, and the more expensive Pavilions went through an era of overheating (as entertainment laptops - not designed to be portable).

These days though their named lines (Omen, Probook, Elitebook, x360, and to a lesser extent Pavilions) are really decent.

My Elitebook has been brilliant over the years, and replaced an ASUS that was 10 years old and still running (and infact still runs today 15 years later). Back in those days ASUS only made expensive laptops as they were entering the industry (so it was all aluminium).

In that same price bracket you have:
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/...-15-6-full-hd-gaming-laptop-256gb-gtx-1650-ti
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-r5-15-6-full-hd-gaming-laptop-512gb

Lenovo and ACER I'd stay well clear of, but more expensive Dells should be okay (they've come a long way), but their cheap stuff can be like HPs cheap stuff.
Lenovo - after sales support is shithouse.
ACER - seriously unreliable.

MSI, Gigabyte, etc etc, don't really feature as big in the markets. Alienware (by Dell) are okay, but normally really bulky and heavy.

We had a fleet (of about 50) that comprised of HPs, Dells, Lenovos, Acers. Eventually all got replaced (as the Acers died), with Lenovos and HPs. Our first run of Lenovos (5) 3 went back within a week for manufacturing issues. We sent the other two back.

Then rolled out HP ProBooks with Elitebooks/Spectre x360s for higher up management, and never looked back.

Had a few Surface Pros floating around at one point too, but their screens failed after like 18 months.

 

[Nutboy]

Guys, this is making it harder to pick out a laptop lol.

 

[K E]

Guys, this is making it harder to pick out a laptop lol.

I'll throw a spanner in the works. If you're gonna spend 1300 on a laptop my recommendation is to spend a bit more and get a gaming laptop. It will be powerful enough to do anything you want and it should cost you about the 1700 mark.

 

[K E]

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/collectio...?q=&hPP=36&idx=shopify_products_price_asc&p=0

Some decent ones there if you don't care about screen size.

 

[spiritofaslan]

Guys, this is making it harder ...............to pick out a laptop lol.

What's your budget, and do you intend to ever play games? Also any preferred shops/shopping style (i.e instore or online only).

 

[Nutboy]

I'll throw a spanner in the works. If you're gonna spend 1300 on a laptop my recommendation is to spend a bit more and get a gaming laptop. It will be powerful enough to do anything you want and it should cost you about the 1700 mark.

I don't mind the look of the omen valkyrie. I can spend extra money if it means I'll get a decent amount of years out of it..rather spend more now than in a year or two down the track because it's fucked itself.

 

[Nutboy]

What's your budget, and do you intend to ever play games? Also any preferred shops/shopping style (i.e instore or online only).

Around 1500 mark, can push near 2500 if I felt like it but I don't think it's necessary. Highly unlikely I'll use it for gaming.

 

[spiritofaslan]

Note, below comments are mainly made using Intel i7 (rather than i5). Reason beinf even if you aren't gaming the extra processing power is always welcome.

One thing I should mention, backlit keyboards are invaluable!

I'd probably head out to the major stores and have a look as laptops are an individual thing as well.

HP Business Laptops
3 ranges in the HP Business area: ZBooks, Probooks and Elitebooks.
There are several that go 512GB, with an Intel i7-10000 series (the latest CPUs), however they have fairly straight forwards graphics cards (which is understandable given they aren't really designed for games.

HP ZBooks - designed for business CAD/Graphics/fluid dynamics/3d modelling/serious number crunching. Crazy powerful, crazy expensive, and designed specifically for users who require absolute power but some portability. 3 year warranty on all that range.

HP Elitebooks - designed for the business professional who doesn't need graphics grunt but wants portability, style, and functionality in a solid package that "just works". Best referred to as the tried and trusted range, as they are normally the last to be upgraded to latest technology, so have longest lifecycle (if that makes sense). 3 year warranty on every Elitebook.

HP ProBooks - designed for business fleets. 1 year warranty unless upgraded with HP. Generally built for reliability but watch your specs as they vary greatly.
https://h20386.www2.hp.com/AustraliaStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=9UR33PA&opt=&sel=NTB - video card aside, punchy as hell setup (i7 10000, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD). Approx $2100 upgraded to 3yr Next Business Day Onsite warranty.

HP Home Laptops
Range from Essentials, to the Omen X and ENVY. Omen are the range specifically tailored towards gaming, Pavilion does both, whereas the Envy is ironically named because its to show off to everyone you know "look how powerful as fuck my laptop is".

Entry Level: Essentials
Entry - Mid Level: No Model Line
Mid Level: Pavilion / x360 / Spectre x360
High End: Omen / Envy

Rule out the Entry Level as they are really only for school kids and throwaway models.

Rule out the Pavilion as they have entry level Intel CPUs, and rule out Pavilion Gaming as they are still 9xxx series CPUs. That leaves the OMEN.

This is a beast at $2500, but the additional 3 year warranty pushes the price upwards significantly (if you go the 3 years onsite with accidental damage option its another $500)
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/hp-omen-15-ek0054tx-15-6-full-hd-gaming-laptop-512gb-rtx-2060 (That JB price is RRP from HP as well).


ASUS
They've got a stack of different models/makes. JB and others don't have a full range like someone like MWAVE does.
ROG are their gaming laptops.

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/as...op-i710750h-16gb-512gb-gtx1660ti-w10h-ac35131
$2200 with 2 years warranty from ASUS.

Vivobooks and ZenBooks are a pretty safe bet. Vivobooks are a 12 month warranty, but should all be backlit keyboards.
https://www.mwave.com.au/product/as...-i710510u-16gb-512gb-w10h-indie-black-ac33630


OTHER BRANDS
There are so many other brands out there (including ones like Infinity in Melb), who sell a barebones laptop and market it themselves with 2 years. Gamble on those sort of places is will they be around in a few years, and how is there support. Clevo and Metabox also spring to mind.

Dell have improved in recent times but I have limited experience with them, and the dealings I have had have generally been less than favourable (due to those dealings being due to equipment failures). With that said they did get onto a Dell monitor failure fast (but then they'd want to as it was a $1200 monitor).

Razer, MSI and Gigabyte make decent quality parts however I haven't seen much of their laptops.

Toshiba - pretty much focussed on the business space and pretty "meh" these days. I'm amazed they haven't pulled out of the market, despite being market leaders many moons ago.

ACER and Lenovo are really the only two brands I'd avoid. Quality issues, and unreliability.

 

[Nutboy]

Note, below comments are mainly made using Intel i7 (rather than i5). Reason beinf even if you aren't gaming the extra processing power is always welcome.

One thing I should mention, backlit keyboards are invaluable!

I'd probably head out to the major stores and have a look as laptops are an individual thing as well.

HP Business Laptops
3 ranges in the HP Business area: ZBooks, Probooks and Elitebooks.
There are several that go 512GB, with an Intel i7-10000 series (the latest CPUs), however they have fairly straight forwards graphics cards (which is understandable given they aren't really designed for games.

HP ZBooks - designed for business CAD/Graphics/fluid dynamics/3d modelling/serious number crunching. Crazy powerful, crazy expensive, and designed specifically for users who require absolute power but some portability. 3 year warranty on all that range.

HP Elitebooks - designed for the business professional who doesn't need graphics grunt but wants portability, style, and functionality in a solid package that "just works". Best referred to as the tried and trusted range, as they are normally the last to be upgraded to latest technology, so have longest lifecycle (if that makes sense). 3 year warranty on every Elitebook.

HP ProBooks - designed for business fleets. 1 year warranty unless upgraded with HP. Generally built for reliability but watch your specs as they vary greatly.
https://h20386.www2.hp.com/AustraliaStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=9UR33PA&opt=&sel=NTB - video card aside, punchy as hell setup (i7 10000, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD). Approx $2100 upgraded to 3yr Next Business Day Onsite warranty.

HP Home Laptops
Range from Essentials, to the Omen X and ENVY. Omen are the range specifically tailored towards gaming, Pavilion does both, whereas the Envy is ironically named because its to show off to everyone you know "look how powerful as fuck my laptop is".

Entry Level: Essentials
Entry - Mid Level: No Model Line
Mid Level: Pavilion / x360 / Spectre x360
High End: Omen / Envy

Rule out the Entry Level as they are really only for school kids and throwaway models.

Rule out the Pavilion as they have entry level Intel CPUs, and rule out Pavilion Gaming as they are still 9xxx series CPUs. That leaves the OMEN.

This is a beast at $2500, but the additional 3 year warranty pushes the price upwards significantly (if you go the 3 years onsite with accidental damage option its another $500)
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/hp-omen-15-ek0054tx-15-6-full-hd-gaming-laptop-512gb-rtx-2060 (That JB price is RRP from HP as well).


ASUS
They've got a stack of different models/makes. JB and others don't have a full range like someone like MWAVE does.
ROG are their gaming laptops.

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/as...op-i710750h-16gb-512gb-gtx1660ti-w10h-ac35131
$2200 with 2 years warranty from ASUS.

Vivobooks and ZenBooks are a pretty safe bet. Vivobooks are a 12 month warranty, but should all be backlit keyboards.
https://www.mwave.com.au/product/as...-i710510u-16gb-512gb-w10h-indie-black-ac33630


OTHER BRANDS
There are so many other brands out there (including ones like Infinity in Melb), who sell a barebones laptop and market it themselves with 2 years. Gamble on those sort of places is will they be around in a few years, and how is there support. Clevo and Metabox also spring to mind.

Dell have improved in recent times but I have limited experience with them, and the dealings I have had have generally been less than favourable (due to those dealings being due to equipment failures). With that said they did get onto a Dell monitor failure fast (but then they'd want to as it was a $1200 monitor).

Razer, MSI and Gigabyte make decent quality parts however I haven't seen much of their laptops.

Toshiba - pretty much focussed on the business space and pretty "meh" these days. I'm amazed they haven't pulled out of the market, despite being market leaders many moons ago.

ACER and Lenovo are really the only two brands I'd avoid. Quality issues, and unreliability.

That HP one you posted was $1949 or something similar yesterday... apparently the sale finished today and all the laptops I was keen on are all $350+ now lol.

Man I'm over this, I hate having options lol.

 

[Wahesh]

That HP one you posted was $1949 or something similar yesterday... apparently the sale finished today and all the laptops I was keen on are all $350+ now lol.

Man I'm over this, I hate having options lol.

Take it to a small business (generally Asians) with the same specs and everything and they should be able to give you a good deal.

 

[spiritofaslan]

Take it to a small business (generally Asians) with the same specs and everything and they should be able to give you a good deal.

Not normally with laptops as you can't swap / sub in parts for others (which is where you save money). Maybe with a Clevo or Metabox or something, but most SMB retail computer stores don't really do a large number of laptops (so don't have the buying power).

That HP one you posted was $1949 or something similar yesterday... apparently the sale finished today and all the laptops I was keen on are all $350+ now lol.

Man I'm over this, I hate having options lol.

Forgot to say the Omen has a 144Hz screen so is smoother if playing games.

Theres 3 Omens on JBs site. One is $1699 so can't be that one, another $2197 (might be that one), and then they one I linked for $2498.

If its that exact same one... retails doing it tough at the moment and they are making money on that $1949. so possibly can get a good deal.

There's also an AMD Ryzen one around $1999 so could be that one.

That said the previous generation (Omen 9 Series) are being run out, so maybe was one of them. You can tell easily though as the Omen 9 has a centre hinge, whereas the Omen 10 is a full width hinge.


OMEN 9 SERIES


OMEN 10 SERIES

Review here on them: https://www.news18.com/news/tech/hp...rformance-meets-restrained-looks-2810203.html


JW Computers (who have a few retail stores around Sydney) might be worth going in and having a chat to.

Looking on their site they have a few options:
HP Elitebook 850 G6 $2000
https://www.jw.com.au/hp-elitebook-850-g6-15-6-fhd-i7-8gb-512gb-w10p-364420
This one similar to my laptop so doesn't have a gaming video card, but they are light, have stupidly good battery life, screens are excellent and despite being an 8 series Intel, still pretty fast by todays standards. Backlit keyboard with auto light sensor (which can be disabled), really nice soft touch keyboard too. 3 year onsite warranty included from HP with all Elitebooks, 1 year on battery.

HP ZBook 15U $2498
https://www.jw.com.au/hp-zbook-15u-...5u-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-windows-10-professional
This again is an 8 series Intel, but like above a higher end 8 series i7 CPU. 16GB RAM, average graphics like above, but also a good screen like above. 3 years warranty onsite INCLUDING battery.

ASUS ROG STRIX G512LU $2299
https://www.jw.com.au/asus-g512lu-15-6-i7-10750h-gtx1660ti-16g-512g-w10-388598
Decent 10 series i7 CPU (10750H), 144Hz 15.6" LCD Screen, GTX1660TI Video Card, 512GB SSD. 2 years ASUS warranty, and it's direct competition to the HP Omen. You can completely customise the backlighting on keys. Claims to be quiet (as some gaming laptops can get hot and noisy. ASUS post sales support in NSW are out of Silverwater and incredibly good.
https://www.asus.com/au/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-Strix-G15-17/Tech-Specs/

GIGABYTE AORUS 5 $2399
https://www.jw.com.au/gigabyte-aorus-5-15-6-i7-10750h-16g-512g-rtx2060-392896
Almost identical specs to the ASUS above (direct competition), except a better RTX 2060 6GB video card. No idea on warranty, likely 12 months BUT Gigabyte do have 2 or 3 years on some devices. Only ever used one Gigabyte laptop and it was largely unremarkable. Support is out of Victoria.
https://www.gigabyte.com/au/Laptop/AORUS-5--Intel-10th-Gen/

MSI GL65 LEOPARD $1899 ($100 off at moment).
https://www.jw.com.au/vendors-promo...hd-laptop-i7-10750h-gtx1650ti-16gb-512gb-w10h
Very similar specs to ASUS, but 1650 instead of 1660. 12 months warranty from MSI. Per key backlighting.
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GL65-Leopard-10SX

MSI Prestige 15 A10SC $2499
https://www.jw.com.au/vendors-promo...16gb-ram-1tb-ssd-windows-10-professional-grey
This ones interesting. It's kinda like a cross between the Leopard above and the ZBook. It's target market is "content creators".
i7 10710U isn't as powerful as 3 above. 16GB RAM as per above and GTX 1650 video is similar. 1TB SSD however instead of 512GB above, but it lacks the 144Hz screen for gaming, and has single colour backlighting. Super light, super sleek though. 12 months warranty it seems. Thunderbolt connections might be a waste too.
https://www.msi.com/Content-Creation/Prestige-15-A10X

Gets good reviews:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-P...e-Best-Dell-XPS-15-Alternatives.441280.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-P...Comet-Lake-for-content-creators.454091.0.html

Personally I'm a big fan of > 12 months warranty. Shows the manufacturer is willing to stand by their product as being reliable.

This Omen for JB is very similar to the other gaming laptops (in particular ASUS/MSI GL above) at $2197
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/hp-omen-15-ek0053tx-15-6-full-hd-gaming-laptop-256gb-gtx-1650-ti
Similar specs but only a 256GB SSD instead of 512.


Food for thought anyway. I'd probably see if any of the JW stores have them in stock, and possibly even on display to get a bit of a feel for.