HP 15-r015dx TouchSmart Budget Laptop With Bundled Extras

Description

The HP 15-r015dx is a 15.6-inch touchscreen notebook from the TouchSmart lineup. It’s among the popular laptop models this back-to-school season, since it’s a part of one of the promoted Best Buy’s product bundles.

The 15-r015dx is a good example of a budget laptop. Just like the wast majority of them, the system has 4GB of RAM memory, 500GB hard drive, and 1366×768 display resolution. These are bare minimums by today’s standard, but are sufficient for normal functioning of the notebook. But, instead of the usual entry-level Intel Celeron or Pentium processor, this model has the lower-mid-range Intel Core i3-4010U chip. In light tasks, such as web surfing, text editing, and multimedia playback, there won’t be big difference speed-wise between the i3 and entry parts. On the other hand, if you throw something more demanding at it such as video editing, the difference will be visible in i3’s favor. However, if you do complex stuff all the time, the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors are better solution worth extra investment. For all ordinary users, the i3 will be satisfactory.

When it comes to gaming, the notebook relies on the Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics. It actually isn’t intended for 3D game rendering, but is able to run even the latest titles. If you dial down graphics detail settings and resolution to low, that is. In this case, going for an i5 or i7 replacement such as the i5-4200U/4210U or i7-4500U/4510U won’t be of much help, since they also come with the HD 4400. The only good solution is going for a gaming laptop with a dedicated video card or at least a standard laptop with it.

Rounding off the core parts, there’s a built-in DVD burner, a full-size keyboard with chiclet keys and numeric pad, a trackpad with physically isolated click buttons, and a 3-cell battery with unknown battery life.

Alongside obligatory stereo speakers, webcam, HDMI video output, Wi-Fi wireless and Ethernet wired connections, and media card reader, the 15-r015dx has two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port. Bluetooth and VGA video out are omitted.

This utilitarian- and quite elegant-looking laptop has glossy finish in black color and 1″ thin profile. It weighs 5.3 pounds.

Besides the 15-r015dx, the bundle contains a Targus notebook sleeve, ScreenDr Pro screen cleaner, PNY Classic Attache 8GB USB 2.0 flash drive and Trend Micro Internet Security software (6-month subscription for 3 devices). Overall, the laptop itself and extras justify the price and offer a great value for your buck. However, before purchasing it make sure you’ve checked out other similar laptop offers. Among similar to the 15-r015dx, the HP 15-r017dx might be interesting since it offers basically the same hardware with a larger 750GB hard drive for less money but no bundled extra goodies.

Specifications

Brand
HP
Screen Size
15.6-inch
Screen Resolution
1366×768 pixels HD
Touchscreen
Finger multi-touch input
Other Display Specs
TN type
Processor (CPU)
Intel Core i3-4010U 4th Gen dual-core 1.7GHz 3MB cache (User Benchmark CPU score: 25)
Graphics (GPU)
Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics
System Memory (RAM) Size
4GB RAM
Data Storage
500GB HDD
DVD Optical Drive
DVD writer
Keyboard & Input
Non-backlit keyboard with dedicated number pad
Touchpad with separate physical click buttons
Touchscreen
Speakers & Audio
Stereo speakers
Camera
Front-facing web camera
Wi-Fi Wireless
802.11N
Ethernet Network Port
Yes
Mobile broadband (4G LTE)
No
Bluetooth
No
USB Ports
2 x USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0
Video Output Ports
1 x HDMI
Media Card Reader
SD card reader
Battery
3-cell lithium-ion polymer battery (2800 mAh / 31WHr)
Weight
5.3 pounds
Height
1″
Width
14.9″
Depth
10.2″
Windows Version
Windows 8.1
Warranty
1-year