Should I buy this laptop?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This one here on Amazon What the heck is the full model # for this one?

I’m currently on a Toshiba Satellite 17 inch screen laptop. It has been great, but is really starting to break down. I got it in 2012. Specifically, my model is Toshiba Satellite L775.

Is the one I listed above pretty good? I can’t for the life of me find the exact model number to compare shop for it. Does anyone see it?

I would like:

  • 17.3 inch screen
  • 16 GB memory(is the on I listed upgradeable? It only has 12)
  • to play some video games, even on lowest resolution. My Toshiba from 2012 played Skyrim! On lowest settings. I would like to try Fallout 4, even on lowest settings, but my Toshiba won’t do it. *
  • DVD/CD burner(do not need blu-ray)

I dunno. I’ve been very happy with my Toshiba and am nervous. I do not buy computers often. Does anyone know a better place to shop for this model or can any of you recommend something more reasonable? I was hoping to stay under $550 originally, but am willing to pay a bit extra.

I’d appreciate any thoughts.

*I get that laptops are not gaming machines unless you pay a ton. I would just like to play a few more than I can now. Again, low settings do not bother me.

2

It looks like a decent deal. But I would probably hold out for an i7 processor, not an i5.

Suggest you look at the Microcenter website. That’s where I usually buy my laptops (and I usually end up with Toshiba), as they always seem to have the best deals.

3

OK, I’ll play.

I’ve never had much luck with my HPs and the reviews seem mixed. (OTOH, I have a friend who swears by them as far as being a good value.) I have no idea what the actual model number is, but it should be pretty easy to figure out. As far as the memory, that info should be available when you figure out the model number, though I personally have never noticed the difference between 12GB and 16GB in a laptop, so that seems to me to be less of an issue.

As a side note, you have a 2012 Toshiba and you can’t play games on it? That’s the impression I get from your post. Maybe you need a lot more horsepower (depending on what games you play).

For the price, this looks like a decent option. There are lots of sites that sell refurbished (usually off-lease) units and you may wan to take a look at them. I never buy new computers or laptops. It’s like buying new cars. You may get a lemon every so often, but you spend a lot less and usually get a lot more.

4

It’s heavy. Most of it is the screen size. But it also has a DVD drive. Do you really need that?

It has only one USB 3.1 port and only a 10/100 Ethernet. Fairly pricey for those limitations.

No touchscreen. I love touchscreens for laptops. I use a mouse at home but for traveling it sure beats the touchpad.

Wait it second, it’s only 1600x900 in a 17"?

I would never buy a laptop or some such from Amazon that had 20% one star reviews.

Two big nos, a couple little nos and a personal taste no.

5

I’m not sure I’d buy an HP. Keep shopping.

6

It was one of my listed requirements. I still rip audiobook CD’s for school(I’m a teacher).

It’s kind of a desktop replacement for me. It will never leave home.

7

I can play many games, but nothing of the past couple years. My Intel Chipset has been forced(?) obsolescenced by most games. It is automatically rejected by most games from 2015-2017.

I’m concerned the computer is not upgradeable memory wise. I’m willing, perhaps later, to buy more memory.

8

That laptop had HD 620 graphics. They don’t benchmark well with most games.

That said, here’s video of someone using it for Fallout 4:

So I guess the question is whether you just want Fallout 4 or other stuff as well.

9

If it never leaves home, why are you looking at laptops? Wouldn’t a desktop offer you more power and more of what you want overall?

10

I did not buy the one in my original post, but went a bit further(one step up model-wise) and bought this one.

Also an HP

I am the worst at major purchases. I hate pulling the trigger on buying things. I told my wife, “We won’t know for a year or two if this was right.” I’m sure it will be fine right away, but I hope it lasts awhile.

I probably missed some detail in there that was important, but I made my best effort.

I took some of your advice, folks, and I do appreciate it. I am pretty careful and my laptops don’t even travel much, so I hope I can get a few years out of this one.

:crosses fingers:

11

Coming in a little late, but we buy low-end builds from the HP website during sales and have four going right now (my three teens and I). They’re quite sturdy, the only issues we’ve had in the past have been around Windows, not the hardware.

That said, I also used to have a Satellite, and one thing I liked about it was that the battery could be popped out, and the screen was somewhat easily swapped out when it cracked. I don’t see the battery on this one, and I don’t see how the screen comes out. So maybe a problem, maybe not.