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MagyarHP Pavilion 17-f130ng Notebook Review Update
For the original German review, see here.
HP has countless 17.3-inch laptops within its Pavilion 17 lineup. The Pavilion 17-f050ng has already faced our tests. Now we have one of the highest configurations of the range in our hands with the Pavilion 17-f130ng. In addition to an AMD APU, the laptop sports a dedicated graphics core from AMD. Our report reveals whether the laptop is convincing.
17-3-inch all-rounders in a price range of approximately 600 Euros (~$732) belong to the Pavilion's rivals. Examples would be Asus' F751LDV-TY178H, Acer's Aspire E1-772G, and Acer's Aspire E5-771G.
Since both Pavilion models feature an identical build, we will not go in-depth about casing, connectivity, input devices or speakers. The corresponding information can be found in the review of the Pavilion 17-f050ng
Display
The Pavilion features a matte, 17.3-inch screen with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The screen has a satisfactory brightness of 269.2 cd/m². It is thus located between the screens of Asus' F751LDV-TY178H (203.1 cd/m²; HD+) and Acer's Aspire E1-772G (321.7 cd/m²; Full HD).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 287 cd/m²
Contrast: 574:1 (Black: 0.5 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.99 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
59% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
66.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
90.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
68.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.31
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Asus F751LDV-TY178H GeForce 820M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | HP Pavilion 17-f050ng Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk GeForce 820M, 4200M, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0 | Lenovo G710 59397112 GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | Medion Akoya P7631T GeForce 825M, 4000M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive | Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -18% | -23% | -9% | -18% | 0% | -8% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 68.6 | 52.9 -23% | 51.4 -25% | 59.8 -13% | 53.3 -22% | 65.2 -5% | 60.5 -12% |
| sRGB Coverage | 90.3 | 76.7 -15% | 70.9 -21% | 83.6 -7% | 76.4 -15% | 93.5 4% | 84.7 -6% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 66.1 | 54.6 -17% | 51.8 -22% | 61 -8% | 54.9 -17% | 66.8 1% | 61.8 -7% |
| Screen | 16% | -20% | 10% | 20% | 8% | 19% | |
| Brightness middle | 287 | 208 -28% | 238 -17% | 333 16% | 271 -6% | 282 -2% | 391 36% |
| Brightness | 269 | 203 -25% | 227 -16% | 322 20% | 251 -7% | 278 3% | 365 36% |
| Brightness Distribution | 81 | 81 0% | 88 9% | 86 6% | 79 -2% | 78 -4% | 86 6% |
| Black Level * | 0.5 | 0.32 36% | 0.68 -36% | 0.44 12% | 0.23 54% | 0.37 26% | 0.42 16% |
| Contrast | 574 | 650 13% | 350 -39% | 757 32% | 1178 105% | 762 33% | 931 62% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 9.99 | 3.14 69% | 12.18 -22% | 10.61 -6% | 8.84 12% | 10.56 -6% | 9.92 1% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 11.4 | 2.28 80% | 13.57 -19% | 10.74 6% | 9.09 20% | 10.75 6% | 11.1 3% |
| Gamma | 2.31 95% | 2.18 101% | 2.1 105% | 3.79 58% | 2.14 103% | 2.71 81% | 2.5 88% |
| CCT | 12657 51% | 6623 98% | 14690 44% | 12587 52% | 10313 63% | 13212 49% | 12328 53% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 59 | 50 -15% | 45.6 -23% | 53.3 -10% | 49.9 -15% | 54 -8% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -1% /
7% | -22% /
-21% | 1% /
4% | 1% /
10% | 4% /
6% | 6% /
12% |
* ... smaller is better
Both the contrast of 574:1 and black level of 0.5 cd/m² are acceptable. However, the Pavilion is outclassed by both Asus' F751LDV-TY178H (650:1; 0.32 cd/m²) and Acer's Aspire E1-772G (757:1; 0.44 cd/m²). The screen cannot completely cover either the sRGB or AdobeRGB color spaces. The coverage rates are 80% (sRGB) and 59% (AdobeRGB).
The screen's average DeltaE 2000 shift is 9.99 in state of delivery. Rates of this magnitude are the rule in the Pavilion's price range. A rate less than 3 would be desirable. The screen also exhibits a bluish cast.
The Pavilion is equipped with a TN screen. Consequently, the screen can only offer limited viewing angles. The angle is sufficiently wide horizontally, and several people can look at the screen simultaneously. A vertical shift quickly leads to a deteriorating image. The Pavilion can be used outdoors owing to the screen's matte surface and sufficiently bright screen.
Performance
The Pavilion 17-f130ng is an affordable 17.3-inch multimedia all-rounder. It has enough computing power for everyday use. Even games run on the laptop. Our review sample is sold for approximately 560 Euros (~$683). HP has countless other configurations available within its Pavilion 17 lineup.
Processor
HP installs an A10-5745M (Richland) APU from AMD in its Pavilion. It contains a quad-core processor that operates with a base speed of 2.1 GHz. It can be accelerated up to 2.9 GHz via Turbo. AMD specifies a TDP of 25 watts, and thus it is located between standard mobile processors and ULV processors. The processor ran the Cinebench benchmarks in the same manner in both AC and battery modes. The single-thread tests were performed with 2.1 to 2.6 GHz and the multi-thread tests with 2.1 to 2.6 GHz. The various benchmark scores of AMD's processor reveal that its performance is roughly on par with Intel's Core i3-4010U and Core i3-4030U processors.
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| Asus F555LD-XX243H | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| Asus F555LD-XX243H | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| Asus F555LD-XX243H | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F555LD-XX243H | |
| Browsermark - 2.1 (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| WebXPRT 2013 - Overall (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system ran smoothly and we did not experience any problems. The PCMark 7 benchmark scores are decent and are roughly on a level with the results of Core i3 Haswell ULV-based laptops. The Pavilion scored very well in the PCMark 8 benchmarks. That is primarily due to its two graphics cores because they have a bigger impact on the result than in the PCMark 7 benchmark. The scores of Asus' F751LDV-TY178H equipped with a stronger processor, for example, makes that clear. Asus' laptop has a big lead on the Pavilion in PCMark 7, but both devices are neck and neck in the PCMark 8 benchmarks.
| PCMark 7 Score | 1853 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2603 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 2685 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3331 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
Storage Devices
HP uses a hard drive from Hitachi's Travelstar Z5K500 line in our review sample. It has a capacity of 500 GB and spins with 5400 revolutions per minute. The transfer rates are a bit meager: CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 85.73 MB/s, and HD Tune delivered an average transfer rate of 71.5 MB/s. A 5400 rpm drive should at least achieve 80 MB/s (HD Tune). We know that the installed hard drive can achieve this because we have tested it in other laptops. We assumed that it was due to a driver error and installed the latest SATA driver from AMD's website. However, it did not improve anything.
Graphics Card
Two AMD graphics cores in the forms of the integrated Radeon HD 8610G GPU and the dedicated Radeon R7 M260 chip are installed in the Pavilion. However, they do not create a Crossfire array ("dual-graphics") but operate via a graphics-switching solution ("Enduro"). The HD 8610G core has a relatively low performance and is satisfied with little energy. Thus, it is enabled in routine use and battery mode. The Radeon R7 M260 chip takes care of applications that need a lot of graphics power, such as computer games. Switching between both cores is done automatically, but the user sometimes has to intervene manually.
The Radeon R7 M260 core is a member of the lower mid-range. It supports DirectX 11.2 and clocks with speeds of up to 980 MHz. The Pavilion achieves 3DMark scores that are on par with comparable devices, such as the Satellite Pro C70-B-111. The 3DMark results place the Radeon core's performance roughly between Nvidia's GeForce 825M and GeForce 830M cores.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 7810 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1912 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 36176 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 3819 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 940 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| 1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| 3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
Gaming Performance
It is possible to play computer games on the Pavilion. However, users should primarily concentrate on titles that appeared before 2014. Most of the 2014 hits, like Far Cry 4, Assassin's Creed Unity or Alien: Isolation, only achieve a playable frame rate in very low resolutions and quality settings. More modest games, such as FIFA 15, F1 2014 or The Sims 4, run smoothly, though. The Pavilion produces frame rates that are roughly on par with GeForce 820M laptops.
Another laptop would be needed for clearly more gaming power, such as Acer's Aspire E5-771G. The installed GeForce 840M core ensures significantly higher frame rates. The laptop features a Full HD screen and is sold for approximately 550 Euros (~$671, without a Windows operating system).
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Alan Wake (2012) | 25.9 | 17.4 | 8.6 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) | 58.1 | 46.9 | 30.1 | 16.1 |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 67.5 | 34.1 | 21.2 | 10.6 |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 51.8 | 32.5 | 25.3 | 8 |
| GRID 2 (2013) | 52.7 | 32.4 | 27.8 | 13.4 |
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) | 23.1 | 26.7 | 14.5 | 4.9 |
| Saints Row IV (2013) | 20 | 17.1 | 11.7 | |
| The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013) | 36 | 20.6 | 12.9 | |
| Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) | 56 | 32 | 19 | |
| Thief (2014) | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.7 | 7 |
| Tomb Raider | |
| 1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| BioShock Infinite | |
| 1280x720 Very Low Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| 1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| 1366x768 High Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Asus F751LDV-TY178H | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q | |
| Saints Row IV | |
| 1280x720 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| 1366x768 Medium Preset AA:2x MS AF:2x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:4x MS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
| Thief | |
| 1024x768 Very Low Preset (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f050ng | |
| Medion Akoya P7631T | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| Batman: Arkham Origins | |
| 1024x768 All Off (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 Normal / On (PhysX Off) (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
| 1366x768 DX11 Enhanced / On (PhysX Off) AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
Emissions
System Noise
The Pavilion is virtually silent when idling. The fan permanently runs at a low speed. The hard drive's noise and the access noises are more audible than that of the fan. We measured a noise level of 48.9 dB during our stress test. Both the Asus F751LDV-TY178H and Acer Aspire E1-772G contenders are louder than the Pavilion when idling but quieter in the stress test.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 31.2 / 31.2 / 31.4 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 32.1 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 35.4 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 37 / 48.9 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
The graphics core processed the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least one hour) with full speed in both AC and battery mode (980 MHz). The CPU clocked with 2.1 GHz in AC modes. It started the stress test with 1.6 GHz but throttled to 1.1 GHz after only a few minutes. Owing to the powerful fan, the Pavilion's casing barely heats up. It only marginally surpassed 40 °C on one measuring point. Neither Asus' F751LDV-TY178H nor Acer's Aspire E1-772G suffers under temperature problems.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.7 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39.1 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.6 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.3 °C / 97.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-7.5 °C / -13.5 F).
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The Pavilion proves to be a power-guzzler over the entire load range. The laptop already treats itself to as much as 15.1 watts in idle mode. It is on par with Acer's Aspire E1-772G, which, however, sports a standard mobile processor with a TDP of 37 watts. Asus' F751LDV-TY178H, with a ULV processor (TDP: 15 watts), is more frugal. The Pavilion's power consumption climbed up to 71.2 watts during the stress test, which is again identical with the Aspire. Asus' laptop is again the most economic laptop among our three comparison devices.
| Off / Standby | 0 / 0.3 Watt |
| Idle | 8 / 13.7 / 15.1 Watt |
| Load |
57 / 71.2 Watt |
   
| |
Battery Runtime
The battery of the Pavilion lasted for 5:43 hours in idle mode. Asus' F751LDV-TY178H (5:34 h) and Acer's Aspire E1-772G (5:03 h) are right behind that. Idle mode is simulated with Battery Eater's Reader's test using the screen's minimum brightness, enabled energy-saving profile, and disabled wireless modules. The Pavilion shut down after 0:52 hours of load. The Aspire E1-772G (0:57 h) is on par while Asus' F751LDV (3:25 h) runs for a few hours. The load runtime is ascertained using Battery Eater's Classic test. The screen's brightness is set to maximum, the high-performance profile is enabled, and the radio modules are on.
HP's laptop stopped our real-world Wi-Fi test after 2:41 hours. The Aspire E1-772G (3:57 h) and Asus' laptop (3:20 h) manage a considerably longer runtime on one battery charge. In this test, websites are automatically opened every 40 seconds, the energy-saving profile is enabled, and the screen's brightness is set to roughly 150 cd/m². We check the video playback time by running the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The wireless modules are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The Pavilion lasted 2:40 hours. We did not perform this test on the contenders.
The battery life is not good, but that is not surprising when considering the Pavilion's high idle power requirement. Since the battery life of a 17.3-inch laptop of this category is secondary, these rates can be tolerated.
| HP Pavilion 17-f130ng Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Asus F751LDV-TY178H GeForce 820M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | HP Pavilion 17-f050ng Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | Acer Aspire E1-772G 54208G1TMnsk GeForce 820M, 4200M, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0 | Lenovo G710 59397112 GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | Medion Akoya P7631T GeForce 825M, 4000M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive | Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 105% | 72% | 15% | 31% | 42% | 21% | |
| Reader / Idle | 343 | 334 -3% | 540 57% | 303 -12% | 459 34% | ||
| H.264 | 160 | ||||||
| WiFi | 161 | 200 24% | 274 70% | 237 47% | 210 30% | 228 42% | 195 21% |
| Load | 52 | 205 294% | 99 90% | 57 10% | 67 29% |
Verdict
The buyer gets a 17.3-inch all-round device for a price of approximately 560 Euros (~$683) when opting for HP's Pavilion 17-f130ng. The computing power of AMD's processor is absolutely sufficient for everyday use, and the laptop can be used to a certain degree for playing computer games. It runs very quietly in normal use and also barely heats up. A matte, Full HD screen with very decent rates complements that. The high idle power consumption is noticed adversely and ultimately results in an outdated battery life. We also missed a maintenance cover that would at least allow replacing the battery and upgrading the working memory. HP also only includes a one-year warranty on this laptop. Buyers of Asus' F751LDV-TY178H and Acer's Aspire E1-772G enjoy a two-year warranty.
Gaming-eager users will not be happy with the Pavilion, Asus' F751LDV-TY178H or even Acer's Aspire E1-772G. These users should take a laptop that sports a GeForce 840M as a minimum. Examples from the 600-Euro (~$732) range would be Acer's Aspire E5-771G (starts at 550 Euros, ~$671, without a Windows operating system) or Lenovo's IdeaPad Z710 (starts at 599 Euros, ~$731, without a Windows operating system; the latest models are equipped with a GeForce 840M core rather than the GeForce GT 740M core that was installed in our review sample).
