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SJ28's avatar
SJ28
6 years ago

Please help me choose a laptop!

Hi,

I'm buying a new laptop and I'm looking for something with okay gaming specs but that looks as least "gamey" as possible (Sims is the only game I play, other than that I'll be using it for word processing/internet/some very light video editing). 

I thought I had settled on the HP Pavilion gaming laptop, but I've now seen a Lenovo option which I can currently get slightly cheaper. I've read the Lenovo display isn't great but then I'm presuming at this level the HP probably is comparable. 

Does anyone have experience with either of these laptops and is there one you'd recommend over the other? (I am assuming both will play Sims decently?) 

Lenovo IdeaPad L340

  • Intel Core i5-9300H (4C / 8T, 2.4 / 4.1GHz, 8MB)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5
  • 16GB DIMM DDR4-2400
  • 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
  • 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare

HP Pavilion gaming laptop

  • Intel® Core™ i5-8300H (2.3 GHz/4 GHz, 8 MB cache, 4 cores)
  • 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 (4 GB GDDR5 dedicated)
  • 15.6" diagonal FHD IPS anti-glare micro-edge WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080)
  • 8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)
pc

1 Reply

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @SJ28  Honestly, I've heard some pretty mixed reviews of both brands, at least when it comes to gaming.  (The quality appears to be... inconsistent.)  If I had the option, I'd go with a different brand.  That depends on your budget though.  I'm not sure exactly what that is, but if you want me to look around for other options, you can let me know what you're ready to spend, as well as your country.

    Anyway, the Lenovo has better specs than the HP.  Its processor and graphics cards are both the newer, slightly stronger versions of the ones in the HP, and the Lenovo also has 16 GB RAM, which isn't necessary for TS4 alone but is great for multitasking.  The processors and graphics cards will run TS4 on ultra settings now, but in a year or two, you might find that you need to dial the graphics settings back to high, depending on how many packs you have installed.  It's not clear what TS4's demands will be by the end of its development cycle, although an Nvidia 1060 6 GB is the strongest card it could ever require.

    The HP's 256 GB solid state drive is more convenient; Lenovo's 128 GB SSD is too small for much more than Windows and an antivirus/firewall.  TS4 will run just as well on an HDD.  Other games or apps might benefit from an SSD, but I don't know what else you're planning to install.

    As for the displays, you really should go to a store and take a look.  Plenty of stores will have laptops for you to play around with, so you can get a sense for what the laptop screens in this price range look like.  A mediocre screen can make playing a lot less fun, so it's worth the trip.

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