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HP 17-y044ng Notebook Review

AMD office. HP's 17.3-inch device is made for users who are looking for a simple 17.3-inch notebook for home use. Accordingly, the computer comes with plenty of storage space (1 TB) and a more than sufficient amount of RAM (8 GB; dual-channel mode). However, these are all of the laptop's highlights. The list of shortcomings is more extensive.

For the original German review, see here.

The HP 17-y044ng is identical in design with its sibling, the recently reviewed HP 17-x110ng; only the color scheme is slightly different. However, there are more distinct differences between the laptops' internals. Our current test device comes with an APU made by AMD; the HP-17-x models carry Intel processors. Some rivals of the HP 17 are devices such as the Acer Aspire E5-774, the Lenovo IdeaPad 110-17IKB, and the Dell Inspiron 17 5759.

HP 17-y044ng (17 Series)
Processor
AMD A10-9600P 4 x 2.4 - 3.3 GHz, Bristol Ridge
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), Core: 720 MHz, Dual-Channel, Crimson 16.12.2
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2133, Dual-Channel, two slots (both occupied)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1600 x 900 pixel 106 PPI, AU Optronics, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
AMD CZ FCH
Storage
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 890 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC282 @ AMD K15.6 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: audio combo jack, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8102/8103/8136 Family PCI-E FE NIC (10/100MBit/s), Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
HP DVDRW GUD1N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 24.9 x 417 x 279 ( = 0.98 x 16.42 x 10.98 in)
Battery
41 Wh Lithium-Ion, removeable, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 5.5 h
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, Cyberlink Power Media Player 14, Cyberlink PowerDirector 14, McAfee LiveSafe (trial version), MS Office Home and Student 2016 (trial version), 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.65 kg ( = 93.48 oz / 5.84 pounds), Power Supply: 345 g ( = 12.17 oz / 0.76 pounds)
Price
499 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case and Connectivity

The HP 17-y004ng and the recently reviewed HP 17-x110ng are identical in construction. The only difference is in the coloring. The lid and the top of the base unit are silver on the HP 17-y004ng (HP 17-x110ng: black). An imprint simulates brushed metal on the upper side of the base unit. The black as well as the black and silver case can be found in both HP-17 series.

Size Comparison

423.3 mm / 16.7 inch 289.9 mm / 11.4 inch 27.9 mm / 1.098 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs423 mm / 16.7 inch 282 mm / 11.1 inch 28 mm / 1.102 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs418 mm / 16.5 inch 290 mm / 11.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs417 mm / 16.4 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 24.9 mm / 0.98 inch 2.7 kg5.84 lbs417 mm / 16.4 inch 279 mm / 11 inch 24.9 mm / 0.98 inch 2.5 kg5.54 lbs414 mm / 16.3 inch 283 mm / 11.1 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.8 kg6.24 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
 
72.7 MB/s +173%
HP 17-y044ng
 
26.6 MB/s
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
 
20.5 MB/s -23%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
 
19 MB/s -29%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
 
18 MB/s -32%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
 
87.3 MB/s +126%
HP 17-y044ng
 
38.6 MB/s
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
 
26.9 MB/s -30%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
 
25.2 MB/s -35%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
 
20.5 MB/s -47%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
313 MBit/s +514%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
51 MBit/s 0%
HP 17-y044ng
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (jseb)
51 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
351 MBit/s +647%
HP 17-y044ng
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (jseb)
47 MBit/s
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
44 MBit/s -6%

Display

Pixel grid
Pixel grid

The HP notebook's matte 17.3-inch display has a native resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The brightness (232 cd/m²) and the contrast (447:1) do not convince us, but considering the price range of the notebook, they are still all right. Good: The display does not exhibit PWM-flickering at any time.

239
cd/m²
236
cd/m²
224
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
264
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
210
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 264 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 232 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Center on Battery: 263 cd/m²
Contrast: 447:1 (Black: 0.59 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.58 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 13.13 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
74% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
48% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
52.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
73.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
50.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.49
HP 17-y044ng
TN LED, 1600x900, 17.30
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
IPS, WLED, 1920x1080, 17.30
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
TN LED, 1600x900, 17.30
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
TN LED, 1920x1080, 17.30
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
TN LED, 1920x1080, 17.30
Display
21%
-0%
31%
28%
Display P3 Coverage
50.9
63.6
25%
51.1
0%
71.3
40%
69.3
36%
sRGB Coverage
73.8
86.5
17%
73.4
-1%
91.7
24%
90.6
23%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
52.6
63.3
20%
52.6
0%
67.1
28%
66.3
26%
Response Times
-13%
-6%
1%
-52%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43 ?(21, 22, Plateau)
41 ?(16, 25)
5%
50 ?(19, 31)
-16%
42 ?(21, 21)
2%
86 ?(44, 42)
-100%
Response Time Black / White *
23 ?(7, 16, Plateau)
30 ?(8, 22)
-30%
22 ?(6, 16)
4%
23 ?(6, 17)
-0%
24 ?(7, 17)
-4%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(90)
50 ?(70)
1000 ?(90)
200 ?(90)
Screen
28%
7%
37%
25%
Brightness middle
264
288
9%
231
-12%
353
34%
304
15%
Brightness
232
285
23%
210
-9%
320
38%
292
26%
Brightness Distribution
80
88
10%
83
4%
82
3%
84
5%
Black Level *
0.59
0.61
-3%
0.37
37%
0.38
36%
0.37
37%
Contrast
447
472
6%
624
40%
929
108%
822
84%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.58
4.56
57%
9.83
7%
5.07
52%
10.62
-0%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
18.96
7.76
59%
18.35
3%
10.12
47%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
13.13
4.95
62%
12.46
5%
13.38
-2%
11.78
10%
Gamma
2.49 88%
2.48 89%
2.43 91%
2.69 82%
2.39 92%
CCT
14044 46%
7669 85%
13115 50%
15991 41%
12997 50%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
48
48
0%
60.1
25%
59
23%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
74
93
26%
73
-1%
91.6
24%
90
22%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
12% / 20%
0% / 4%
23% / 31%
0% / 15%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18034 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The color reproduction also corresponds to the price range of the laptop. The DeltaE-2000 color deviation amounts to 10.58 in factory default settings. A value below 3 should be aimed for. In addition, the display suffers from a considerable blue tint.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscales
CalMAN - Grayscales
CalMAN - Color saturation
CalMAN - Color saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
23 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 16 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 21 ms rise
↘ 22 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.8 ms).

HP equips the 17.3-inch notebook with a TN panel that has narrow viewing angles, meaning that the content on the display cannot be seen well from every position. The HP 17 is difficult to use outdoors on a sunny day, which is also due to the poor display brightness and low contrast. It is a different story in cloudy conditions or in the shade.

The HP 17 outdoors (photo taken under cloudy skies).
The HP 17 outdoors (photo taken under cloudy skies).

Performance

With the 17-y044ng, HP has a 17.3-inch office notebook in its lineup that has enough processing power for office applications and web browsing. Our test device costs about 500 Euros (~$539), but there are also other versions. The currently most affordable model of the series can be had for less than 300 Euros (~$323). It is, however, only equipped with the weak E2-7110 APU. The offering is additionally enlarged by the identically built models of the HP 17-xXXXng series. The latter come with CPUs made by Intel. We have already reviewed a corresponding model, the HP 17-x110ng.

Processor

HP equips the 17.3-inch notebook with an AMD A10-9600P APU (Bristol Ridge). There are practically no differences to the APUs of the previous generation (Carrizo); Bristol Ridge is effectively an optimization of Carrizo. With a TDP of 15 watts, the built-in APU is about on par with Intel's ULV processors. The CPU part of the APU consists of a quad-core processor with a base frequency of 2.4 GHz. An increase up to 3.3 GHz is possible with Turbo. However, Turbo Boost is never fully utilized in our CPU tests. Single-thread tests are handled at 2.6 GHz. One core is occasionally slowed down to 2.4 GHz. Multithread tests start off at a frequency between 2.4 and 2.6 GHz, but they are soon throttled down to somewhere between 2 and 2.4 GHz. Nonetheless, the maximal speed of 3.3 GHz is often achieved during everyday use.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
2340
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
5913
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5249
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
70 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
195 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
31.76 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
130 Points +86%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Intel Core i5-7200U
130 Points +86%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points +84%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
106 Points +51%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
70 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
Intel Pentium N3700
39 Points -44%
CPU Multi 64Bit
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Intel Core i5-7200U
331 Points +70%
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
330 Points +69%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
328 Points +68%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
292 Points +50%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
195 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
Intel Pentium N3700
143 Points -27%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
11410 Points +93%
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
11401 Points +93%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Intel Core i5-7200U
11318 Points +91%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
9842 Points +66%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
5913 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
Intel Pentium N3700
3064 Points -48%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
5004 Points +114%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Intel Core i5-7200U
5001 Points +114%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
4993 Points +113%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
4396 Points +88%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
2340 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
Intel Pentium N3700
1205 Points -49%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3209 Points +60%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
2852 Points +43%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
2782 Points +39%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
2000 Points
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
6923 Points +32%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
6338 Points +21%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
5993 Points +14%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
5252 Points
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3902 Points +91%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
3502 Points +71%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
2047 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
7421 Points +58%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
6447 Points +37%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
4711 Points
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Intel Core i5-7200U
216.9 Points +76%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Intel Core i5-7200U
213.1 Points +73%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel Core i5-7200U
211.5 Points +72%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Intel Core i5-6200U
186.9 Points +52%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD A10-9600P
123.3 Points

System Performance

The system runs smoothly and without hiccups; we did not encounter any problems. The PCMark 8 result is good and corresponds with the built-in APU's capability. Nevertheless, the HP 17 falls behind most Intel-based rivals. This is due to the single-thread performance of the AMD APU, which is rather poor compared to current Core-i processors. However, the single-thread performance is key for everyday use. The laptop's overall performance can still be increased by replacing the HDD with an SSD.

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2754 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
Radeon R5 M430, i5-7200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPCX-24UE4T0
3434 Points +25%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Radeon R5 M335, 6200U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
3232 Points +17%
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
Radeon R7 M440, i5-7200U, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-256G
3102 Points +13%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPCX-24C6HT0
2854 Points +4%
HP 17-y044ng
Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), A10-9600P, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
2754 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
GeForce 910M, N3700, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1741 Points -37%

Storage Devices

A common 2.5-inch hard drive by Western Digital functions as the system drive. It runs at 5400 revolutions per minute and offers a capacity of 1 TB. The transfer rates of the HDD are at a normal level for 5400-RPM drives.

WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
Transfer Rate Minimum: 41.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 118.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 86.6 MB/s
Access Time: 16.8 ms
Burst Rate: 174.7 MB/s
CPU Usage: 8 %
HP 17-y044ng
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-256G
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPCX-24UE4T0
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPCX-24C6HT0
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
7160%
38%
18%
4%
-12%
Read Seq
105.5
500
374%
110.3
5%
88.9
-16%
105
0%
91.8
-13%
Write Seq
102
325.1
219%
109
7%
70.9
-30%
96
-6%
84.7
-17%
Read 512
19.17
290.2
1414%
39.19
104%
33.01
72%
32.89
72%
26.59
39%
Write 512
28.27
300.3
962%
52.9
87%
51.6
83%
25.77
-9%
32.7
16%
Read 4k
0.328
11.24
3327%
0.45
37%
0.381
16%
0.324
-1%
0.288
-12%
Write 4k
1.013
86
8390%
1.201
19%
1.117
10%
0.755
-25%
0.638
-37%
Read 4k QD32
0.891
145.4
16219%
1.079
21%
0.891
0%
0.892
0%
0.59
-34%
Write 4k QD32
1.03
272.7
26376%
1.234
20%
1.13
10%
1
-3%
0.642
-38%

Graphics Card

The GPU of the built-in APU is called Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge). The graphics core supports DirectX 12 and achieves speeds of up to 720 MHz. It can draw on RAM working in dual-channel mode. The results of the 3DMark benchmarks are approximately on the same level as those of Intel's HD Graphics 620 GPU (also with active dual-channel mode).

3DMark 11 Performance
1913 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
AMD Radeon R7 M440, Intel Core i5-7200U
2280 Points +54%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
AMD Radeon R5 M335, Intel Core i5-6200U
1784 Points +20%
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
AMD Radeon R5 M430, Intel Core i5-7200U
1735 Points +17%
Lenovo B70-80 80MR0006GE
NVIDIA GeForce 920M, Intel Core i5-5200U
1733 Points +17%
HP 17-y044ng
AMD Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), AMD A10-9600P
1482 Points
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
NVIDIA GeForce 910M, Intel Pentium N3700
1413 Points -5%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1331 Points -10%

Gaming Performance

Quite a large number of games run smoothly on the HP 17, above all titles with low hardware requirements or games that came out a few years ago. Our chart shows that the only games from 2016 that are actually playable are Farming Simulator and - to a lesser degree - Civilization VI. The recently published Resident Evil 7 also achieves playable frame rates. However, you will have to settle for low resolutions and low quality settings in any case.

low med. high ultra
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 36.2 25.9 18.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 63.9 32.7 25.5
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 34.6 18.3
F1 2014 (2014) 54 34
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 25.7 18.2
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 22.8 12.8
GTA V (2015) 38 35.2
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 46.1 30
Anno 2205 (2015) 17.4 11
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 36.3 24.3
XCOM 2 (2016) 15.9 6.1
Far Cry Primal (2016) 13 8
The Division (2016) 19.6 11.5
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 18.6 15
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 21.1 13.6
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 13.9 10.1
Battlefield 1 (2016) 16.5 12.1
Civilization VI (2016) 30.5 13.9
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) 60.3 38.4
Titanfall 2 (2016) 27.9 23.4
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 38.8 29.1

Emissions and Energy

System Noise

In idle mode, the fan is slowly but constantly running. As with many HP notebooks, the reason for this is the activated BIOS option "Fan always on". Nevertheless, the fan is hardly perceptible, because the swooshing of the hard drive is louder. Deactivating the above-mentioned option and replacing the HDD with an SSD would, at least when idling, result in less noise, partly even complete silence. The fan becomes louder under load, but we measure a sound pressure level of only 34.8 dB during our stress test. However, do not be fooled by this value: The CPU and the GPU run at their lowest possible speed during our stress test, meaning that the fan does not need to spin much faster. In day-to-day use, though, the fan occasionally picks up more speed. It only takes a low load to accelerate the fan.

Noise Level

Idle
32 / 32 / 32 dB(A)
HDD
33.4 dB(A)
DVD
36.3 / dB(A)
Load
35.6 / 34.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30.2 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.536.236.839.736.5253739.638.439.6373131.231.133.130.531.24031.330.932.632.931.35030.831.932.33130.86332.632.335.332.332.6802931.23128.52910027.330.430.429.127.312526.12725.525.826.116025.825.926.725.625.820025.625.926.124.625.625023.924.123.922.823.931524.324.423.82324.340022.82322.221.622.850023.323.522.12123.363024.624.422.519.624.680026.626.322.91926.610002726.321.618.727125025.824.520.41825.8160026.1252117.526.1200025.924.319.617.325.9250022.821.619.117.122.8315020.219.218.116.920.2400018.718.41816.818.750001817.917.816.918630017.917.917.816.817.9800017.617.717.716.717.61000017.417.417.516.617.41250017.417.317.516.417.41600017.717.617.916.417.7SPL35.634.832.330.335.6N2.22.21.81.42.2median 23.9median 24.1median 21median 18median 23.9Delta43.932.34hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseHP 17-y044ng

Temperature

The HP 17 in our stress test.
The HP 17 in our stress test.

The HP laptop finishes our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least an hour) with the same results running on battery or plugged in. The processor maintains a frequency of 800 MHz, while the graphics core starts the test at 500 MHz but is later permanently throttled to 300 MHz. However, there is no need to worry that the operating speeds would drop so low in everyday use as well: This stress test is an extreme scenario that does not occur in day-to-day use. The notebook does not warm up significantly during the stress test; only one measuring point slightly surpasses the 40 °C limit.

Max. Load
 32.8 °C
91 F
28.6 °C
83 F
25.4 °C
78 F
 
 31.6 °C
89 F
30.7 °C
87 F
24.9 °C
77 F
 
 28.4 °C
83 F
33.9 °C
93 F
26.6 °C
80 F
 
Maximum: 33.9 °C = 93 F
Average: 29.2 °C = 85 F
27.7 °C
82 F
28.3 °C
83 F
40.1 °C
104 F
27.1 °C
81 F
32.1 °C
90 F
37.7 °C
100 F
26.5 °C
80 F
31.2 °C
88 F
25.7 °C
78 F
Maximum: 40.1 °C = 104 F
Average: 30.7 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  37.2 °C = 99 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.2 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.9 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.1 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.9 °C / 93 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-6.2 °C / -11.1 F).
Heat development upper side (load)
Heat development upper side (load)
Heat development bottom side (load)
Heat development bottom side (load)
Heat development upper side (idle)
Heat development upper side (idle)
Heat development bottom side (idle)
Heat development bottom side (idle)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2042.239.742.22542.239.642.23136.430.536.44038.832.938.85039.73139.7634032.3408041.728.541.710040.929.140.912543.425.843.41604525.64520047.924.647.925052.722.852.731556.82356.840056.321.656.350061.42161.463067.519.667.580067.61967.6100061.518.761.5125061.41861.4160058.917.558.9200059.617.359.6250064.917.164.9315068.516.968.5400069.316.869.3500069.616.969.6630064.316.864.3800062.516.762.51000058.916.658.91250058.316.458.31600062.216.462.2SPL77.630.377.6N40.41.440.4median 61.4median 18median 61.4Delta5.82.35.835.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHP 17-y044ngApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
HP 17-y044ng audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (69 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.6% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.7% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 79% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 22% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency comparison (checkboxes are selectable/deselectable!)

Power Consumption

When idling, we measure a maximal energy consumption of 9 watts - a good value for a 17.3-inch notebook. The power requirement increases to 38.3 watts during our stress test. The high degree of CPU and GPU throttling is noticeable here, otherwise the value would be higher. The power supply included in the box has a nominal output of 65 watts. 

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.4 / 0.47 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.7 / 7.7 / 9 Watt
Load midlight 35.3 / 38.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

Our realistic WLAN test simulates the workload of loading webpages. The profile "Balanced" is active, the energy-saving functions are deactivated, and the display brightness is lowered to about 150 cd/m². The HP 17 achieves a runtime of 4:23 h. This is considerably shorter than the runtime of its Intel-based sister model (5:46 h).

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 38)
4h 23min
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing
HP Pavilion 17-x110ng
i5-7200U, Radeon R7 M440, 41 Wh
346 min +32%
Lenovo B70-80 80MR0006GE
5200U, GeForce 920M, 41 Wh
335 min +27%
Acer Aspire E5-774-54HJ
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 41 Wh
320 min +22%
Dell Inspiron 17 5759-5118
6200U, Radeon R5 M335, 40 Wh
301 min +14%
Acer Aspire ES1-731G-P5UR
N3700, GeForce 910M, 38 Wh
283 min +8%
HP 17-y044ng
A10-9600P, Radeon R5 (Bristol Ridge), 41 Wh
263 min
Lenovo Ideapad 110-17IKB 80VK0001GE
i5-7200U, Radeon R5 M430, 32 Wh
245 min -7%

Pros

+ matte display
+ low heat development
+ a lot of storage

Cons

- dark, low-contrast display with narrow viewing angles
- only one year of warranty
- no AC Wi-Fi
- no Gigabit Ethernet
- no USB Type-C

Verdict

In review: HP 17-y044ng. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: HP 17-y044ng. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de

The processing power of the AMD APU is perfectly sufficient for office and web applications. The laptop barely warms up and can - at least when idling - work silently. You will not run out of storage space quickly thanks to the 1 TB hard drive. Replacing the HDD with an SSD would be possible, but this would require opening the case, and the notebook does not have a maintenance hatch. The built-in keyboard is decent enough for home use. The battery life will not knock anybody off their feet, but it is still alright for a 17.3-inch device. The matte display offers poor brightness, low contrast, and unstable viewing angles. 

With the 17-y044ng, HP delivers a decent 17.3-inch notebook for a home desk. However, it bears an unnecessarily large amount of shortcomings.

Aside from the obvious weaknesses, there are others, which are not immediately noticeable: For example, HP offers only a one-year warranty; many rival models come with a two-year warranty. In addition, the built-in WLAN chip does not support the fast AC standard. HP also made cuts in terms of Ethernet: The 17.3-inch laptop only offers Fast Ethernet. Furthermore, there is no USB Type-C port.

The HP 17 costs about 500 Euros (~$539). At this price, it will be difficult to find buyers, since the competition offers more for the money. The Acer Aspire E5-774 is a noteworthy example. The model we tested offers a significantly more powerful Core i5-7200U processor, a brighter Full HD screen, USB Type-C, Gigabit Ethernet, a maintenance hatch, and a free M.2 slot. The price is currently situated around 550 Euros (~$593, without Windows operating system), which is only slightly more expensive than the HP 17.

HP 17-y044ng - 02/01/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
79 / 98 → 80%
Keyboard
78%
Pointing Device
77%
Connectivity
39 / 80 → 49%
Weight
59 / 20-67 → 83%
Battery
78%
Display
75%
Games Performance
55 / 68 → 81%
Application Performance
61 / 92 → 66%
Temperature
94%
Noise
90%
Audio
59%
Camera
42 / 85 → 50%
Average
68%
77%
Office - Weighted Average

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Sascha Mölck, 2017-02- 2 (Update: 2017-02- 5)