Not everyone needs nor wants an Intel powered machine, some people actually prefer the performance delivered by AMD chips. Also, it never hurts that AMD based machines are typically cheaper than their Intel counterparts.
Today we take apart an AMD powered laptop under the name of HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX, a 15 inch mid range laptop that packs quite a punch at a considerably low price point. Let's get to know everything there is to know about this notebook in our full review of the HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX.
Pros: Touchscreen, 6GB of RAM, Quad Core CPU, 1TB of storage, low price point.
Cons: Not a good fit for gamers.
HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX Review of a surprisingly good performer
A stylish design and a touchscreen display
The HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX sets itself apart rather quickly thanks to two things; it's fully black design which departs from the more "traditional" grey coloring and the fact that it boasts a touchscreen. Sure, touchscreens aren't all that rare these days but affordable laptops that feature high end components and ALSO have a touchscreen isn't something you're bound to see everyday.
That said, aside from the display being touch-sensitive, it still manages to pull in your standard 15.6 inch diagonal and 1366 by 768 pixel resolution with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
When all's said and done, this laptop isn't particularly heavy either, weighing 4.7 pounds and placing itself amongst the standard 15 inch notebooks with a 0.9 inch thickness. Overall, pretty portable for everyday usage.
Let's get into performance
The performance aspect of the HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX stars an AMD quad core A10-9600P CPU which offers a base speed of 2.4GHz and can reach a maximum frequency of 3.3GHz. It's got 2MB of cache and has a high speed 720MHz integrated graphics chip.
If you're not familiar with AMD chips but rather used to working with Intel based laptops, the performance on the seventh generation A10-9600P would be comparable to that of a sixth generation Intel Core i5 or to even things out a bit more you could go down towards an 5th generation Core i5. Overall, that means you're looking at a pretty efficient CPU aimed not just at casual users but also towards power users.
Stuff like browsing the web, checking your email and streaming high definition movies are all very simple tasks for a CPU like this and you could even go as far as editing and compiling code or launching virtual machines without that presenting much of an issue in terms of performance.
However, to truly determine a PC's performance one must also consider the available RAM and in this case we've got 6GB of DDR3L SDRAM operating at your standard 1600 MHz. You can upgrade towards 8GB but honestly I doubt you'll need it unless you're really into intensive multitasking. That said, 6GB of RAM is pretty great at allowing you to work without constraints and giving you the ability to launch several apps at any given time.
How about gaming?
As you might've suspected when glancing at the price tag in this review of the HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX, this is not a gaming machine. That said, the notebook at hand houses a Radeon R5 integrated graphics chip that will do a good job with some 2D titles as well as your standard video and image editing, not to mention streaming high definition videos which shouldn't present any issue.
What's storage and battery life like?
Unlike many other laptops in its price bracket, HP's latest mid-level machine takes a bet on a 1TB mechanical hard drive operating at 5400rpm. Most laptops at this level will just settle for a 500GB hard drive so this is a welcomed improvement.
Speaking of battery life, things aren't as clear cut. In this segment we've got a 3 cell battery that should offer anywhere between 3 to 4 hours of usage. This, as always, will be very dependant on what you actually pursue with your laptop. Stuff like video streaming, for example, should consume more battery whereas more simple tasks to the tune of document editing should prolong battery life by a considerable amount.
Standard connectivity options
Connectivity on the HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX is pretty standard and there's no stand-out feature in this regard. We've got 3 USB ports (1 USB 3.0), an audio jack, SD card reader, ethernet port, HDMI port and a DVD reader. It should be noted that as time progresses DVD readers are more of an exception in the entry-level segment.
There's also Bluetooth support as well as WiFi b/g/n antena. HP also delivers DTS sound and an HD webcam, perfect for video chatting with friends and family.
What's the verdict?
To wrap up our review of the HP Pavilion 15-BA079DX we weigh in on the pros and cons of the laptop. All things considered, we discovered a pretty great laptop, especially if you're not limited to Intel's chips when looking for a PC.
With a powerful CPU and a strong 6GB of RAM coupled with a touchscreen and a solid storage capacity of 1TB, we're looking at a laptop for the masses. Whether you're a student looking for a budget laptop or an intensive user who doesn't need a dedicated graphics chip, this is a pretty good alternative that's unlikely to disappoint.