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#1 April 20 2014

thetruth
Member

HP N221 or 245?

I want to get a new laptop from pcandparts.com sometime next week.

HP 15 N221 specs:
Intel core i7 4500U
8GB RAM
750 GB HDD
DVDRW
15" LED
GPU: GT 740M 2GB
Bluetooth/cam/windows 8.1 64-bit
Price: 858$ (VAT not included)


HP 15 N245 specs:
Intel core i7 4500U
8GB RAM
1TB HDD
DVDRW
15" LED
GPU: GT 740M 2GB
Cam/no OS
Price: 799$ (VAT not included)

Which one would you prefer? Have you had bad experiences with these pavilion models before?
Share as much info as you can about these 2 laptops, I'd really appreciate it :)

Ps: I won't be doing too much gaming, just some league of legends.

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#2 April 20 2014

reppinhighz
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

based on the specs, they are practically the same thing with the exception of HDD small difference in size and windows versus no OS.

i can tell you from experience, the 740m is a great card for casual gaming. Im running the 64bit version on my lenovo touch z510 and i am able to run everything on at least medium settings especially with nvidia's constant driver updates which really boosted frames over the past few months.
If the ones above are 128bit then you will get even better performance.

id say go with the windows one since itl give you the satisfaction of just turning the thing on and using it right away. Not that its a hassle to install windows. :)

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#3 April 20 2014

AvoK95
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Get the one with Windows 8 pre-installed. A genuine Windows is important for security updates. Don't pay attention about experiences about laptops. No matter what you buy, (Unless they're a ThinkPad) They will last you only 5 years. Whether it's overheating or having keyboard issues or whatever. It will not last you more than 5 years. Also, just because someone had a bad experience with a laptop doesn't mean you'll have a bad experience as well. Also, Don't buy them yet. I'll see if I can get you a better deal on Tuesday.

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#4 April 20 2014

Tarek
Banned

Re: HP N221 or 245?

get an Acer instead .. same specs ..good build and cheaper prices ...

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#5 April 20 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

reppinhighz wrote:

based on the specs, they are practically the same thing with the exception of HDD small difference in size and windows versus no OS.

i can tell you from experience, the 740m is a great card for casual gaming. Im running the 64bit version on my lenovo touch z510 and i am able to run everything on at least medium settings especially with nvidia's constant driver updates which really boosted frames over the past few months.
If the ones above are 128bit then you will get even better performance.

id say go with the windows one since itl give you the satisfaction of just turning the thing on and using it right away. Not that its a hassle to install windows. :)

I just realized how useless my post was...since as you said they are practically the same and I already know that...didn't know what got into me when I wrote it lol

Thanks for your feedback about the graphics card. However I'm still hesitant towards the CPU...I found that the 3632QM would be a better choice especially for gaming so I'm considering another laptop...an HP pro book 450 G1 having this cpu and an HD8750M gpu...guess I need to do more research about this gpu.

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#6 April 20 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

AvoK95 wrote:

Get the one with Windows 8 pre-installed. A genuine Windows is important for security updates. Don't pay attention about experiences about laptops. No matter what you buy, (Unless they're a ThinkPad) They will last you only 5 years. Whether it's overheating or having keyboard issues or whatever. It will not last you more than 5 years. Also, just because someone had a bad experience with a laptop doesn't mean you'll have a bad experience as well. Also, Don't buy them yet. I'll see if I can get you a better deal on Tuesday.

I guess you're right. And I guess I shouldn't rush with this purchase...so I guess I can wait till tuesday for your offer and do some more research in the mean time. But if I may ask, where will you be looking for a better deal? Because I know that pcandparts in one of the cheapest there is in this region.

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#7 April 20 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Tarek wrote:

get an Acer instead .. same specs ..good build and cheaper prices ...

I wish they had a wider variety of Acer models on their website...most of the good stuff I want is over 1000$ which is more than my budget (900$)

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#8 April 21 2014

Johnaudi
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

My dad owns an HP 15 N245, it's been with him for a few years now, the GPU is awesome (I play some COD:BO2 at med).

Don't bother get the one with the OS pre-installed. You can buy a legitimate version of 8.1 very cheap, and it's worth it for extra 250GB of HDD.

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#9 April 21 2014

AvoK95
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

thetruth wrote:
AvoK95 wrote:

Get the one with Windows 8 pre-installed. A genuine Windows is important for security updates. Don't pay attention about experiences about laptops. No matter what you buy, (Unless they're a ThinkPad) They will last you only 5 years. Whether it's overheating or having keyboard issues or whatever. It will not last you more than 5 years. Also, just because someone had a bad experience with a laptop doesn't mean you'll have a bad experience as well. Also, Don't buy them yet. I'll see if I can get you a better deal on Tuesday.

I guess you're right. And I guess I shouldn't rush with this purchase...so I guess I can wait till tuesday for your offer and do some more research in the mean time. But if I may ask, where will you be looking for a better deal? Because I know that pcandparts in one of the cheapest there is in this region.

I work in the business and have access to wholesale prices

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#10 April 21 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Johnaudi wrote:

My dad owns an HP 15 N245, it's been with him for a few years now, the GPU is awesome (I play some COD:BO2 at med).

Don't bother get the one with the OS pre-installed. You can buy a legitimate version of 8.1 very cheap, and it's worth it for extra 250GB of HDD.

Thanks for your feedback john :) do you happen to know how much a legitimate 8.1 windows would cost? I guess it's about 100$ right?

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#11 April 22 2014

AvoK95
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

That's a nice point. You can buy it with no OS and buy the OS separately. Just make sure the OS isn't an OEM disk. If you get a regular version of Windows, you can use it on your next computer and the next until support is over. For example, if you bought Windows 7 in 2009, you could have used it now, 5 years later .

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#12 April 22 2014

Johnaudi
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

thetruth wrote:
Johnaudi wrote:

My dad owns an HP 15 N245, it's been with him for a few years now, the GPU is awesome (I play some COD:BO2 at med).

Don't bother get the one with the OS pre-installed. You can buy a legitimate version of 8.1 very cheap, and it's worth it for extra 250GB of HDD.

Thanks for your feedback john :) do you happen to know how much a legitimate 8.1 windows would cost? I guess it's about 100$ right?

Maybe even less, I've seen a way lower price at Abed Al Tahhan (about 40-80$?), yet I don't trust that company.

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#13 April 22 2014

NuclearVision
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Windows 8?
What's wrong with Linux, it is free, open source and more customizable : ]

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#14 April 22 2014

Johnaudi
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

NuclearVision wrote:

Windows 8?
What's wrong with Linux, it is free, open source and more customizable : ]

He'll be playing LoL, and installing wine on a Linux machine for gaming isn't the best option.

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#15 April 22 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Johnaudi wrote:

Maybe even less, I've seen a way lower price at Abed Al Tahhan (about 40-80$?), yet I don't trust that company.

Same here...that's the case with most electronics stores here 

I guess I'll stick with the one with preinstalled windows since I need a pc fast and don't even have the time to look for and install an OS. Thanks for the help :)

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#16 April 23 2014

AvoK95
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

Some places have the OS's cheaper because they get them as OEM copies in large quantities. Be aware that you can use the OEM key on only 1 PC and that's it.

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#17 April 25 2014

thetruth
Member

Re: HP N221 or 245?

AvoK95 wrote:

Some places have the OS's cheaper because they get them as OEM copies in large quantities. Be aware that you can use the OEM key on only 1 PC and that's it.

Thanks for the info :)

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