Hardware Planning to buy an HP Spectre

MushGuy

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So, now that I saved up enough money, I'm planning to upgrade to an HP Spectre x360 that I plan to use for both gaming and as a drawing tool for digital art. This is what I found on Newegg, and I was wondering if this is ideal for what I'm looking for:
https://www.newegg.com/dark-ash-sil...t-df000-gaming-entertainment/p/1TS-000D-056S1

  • 15.6" 4K UHD Touch (3840x2160)
  • Convertible Tablet-Laptop
  • 8th Gen Hexa-Core i7-8750H
  • Dedicated 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050Ti Graphics
  • 16GB Memory
  • 2TB SSD
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
  • FingerPrint Reader
  • Webcam shut off switch
  • 802.11AC Bluetooth 5
  • Backlit Keyboard (F5 Key On/Off)
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Color: Dark Ash Silver
  • Stylus Not included
  • 2019 Gem-cut
  • HP Factory Certified Refurbished

And what is a good pen to buy for it?
 

raystriker

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So, now that I saved up enough money, I'm planning to upgrade to an HP Spectre x360 that I plan to use for both gaming and as a drawing tool for digital art. This is what I found on Newegg, and I was wondering if this is ideal for what I'm looking for:
https://www.newegg.com/dark-ash-sil...t-df000-gaming-entertainment/p/1TS-000D-056S1

  • 15.6" 4K UHD Touch (3840x2160)
  • Convertible Tablet-Laptop
  • 8th Gen Hexa-Core i7-8750H
  • Dedicated 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050Ti Graphics
  • 16GB Memory
  • 2TB SSD
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
  • FingerPrint Reader
  • Webcam shut off switch
  • 802.11AC Bluetooth 5
  • Backlit Keyboard (F5 Key On/Off)
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Color: Dark Ash Silver
  • Stylus Not included
  • 2019 Gem-cut
  • HP Factory Certified Refurbished
And what is a good pen to buy for it?
A 1050Ti won't be able to handle AAA games at 4k. It'll do 1080p at medium, at best. What games do you plan on playing?
 
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The problem with gaming on these super thin devices, is they usually don't have a very good cooling system. Sure, the processor could handle some nice things but it'll throttle to keep the heat down.

For drawing though, I bet this would be amazing. Only thing I don't know about, is if you need some kind of bluetooth pen, cause a rubber stylus is gonna be crap for any kind of art.

If your willing to spend the money though, look around at every single similar folding laptop and find the best one for the best price. Not like you don't already know that, but yeah this looks like a pretty nice laptop.

I have a Surface Pro 3 that I love the heck out of, but it has problems with gaming because of the heat issue.
 

MushGuy

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Have you considered other options e.g. eGPU, desktop, drawing tablet, ipad, etc?
For eGPU, I might consider one later. I'm looking for a laptop that I can use for drawing anyplace, with good storage, good amount of RAM, good CPU. Also, one that I can use with Clip Studio Paint. The one that that I linked doesn't have a pen, so does any one know what pen I can use for drawing?
 
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raystriker

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For eGPU, I might consider one later. I'm looking for a laptop that I can use for drawing anyplace, with good storage, good amount of RAM, good CPU. Also, one that I can use with Clip Studio Paint. The one that that I linked doesn't have a pen, so does any one know what pen I can use for drawing?
Doesn't an HP Active Pen come with the laptop?



For eGPU, I might consider one later. I'm looking for a laptop that I can use for drawing anyplace, with good storage, good amount of RAM, good CPU. Also, one that I can use with Clip Studio Paint. The one that that I linked doesn't have a pen, so does any one know what pen I can use for drawing?
You'll have to plan for that right now, since you need Thunderbolt 3 support to use eGFX enclosures.

Conversely, you could buy a laptop with better specs (without touch), and buy a Wacom drawing tablet to use with the laptop when you want to draw.
 
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MushGuy

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Doesn't an HP Active Pen come with the laptop?




You'll have to plan for that right now, since you need Thunderbolt 3 support to use eGFX enclosures.

Conversely, you could buy a laptop with better specs (without touch), and buy a Wacom drawing tablet to use with the laptop when you want to draw.
This one doesn't come with a pen, which is odd. As for Wacom tablet, I already have one, but I want to try drawing on the screen.
 
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Tom Bombadildo

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I have an older, more entry level model of the "x360" series from HP and IMO I would say possibly find something else if you want something for gaming/emulation unless it's a completely secondary focus you're not too attached to/if you don't need MAXIMUM GAMING/if you have something else for it. Judging by the looks and size, I'm guessing they didn't change up any of the cooling on this particular laptop design so you're going to get thermal throttled pretty quickly in any emulation/gaming scenario, which will wind up losing you performance, especially for CPU intensive emulation like PS3/Wii U.

For drawing only, though, it'd work great.
 
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I agree wholeheartedly. I would get it just for the drawing side of things, but if you do there might be one for way cheaper that is still decent, it'll be good for drawing and leave a little room for a gaming machine in the future.

Also I'd love to help you out with some art related things, if you are interested (maybe your better than me, but doesn't hurt to offer :) ).
 
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Jiehfeng

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My sister got an older version of the Spectre, and the gold metal parts got this kind of rust on it after a year. The beach is nearby so that may be the cause, but if this has the similar material, I thought you should know.
Also as an owner of a thin laptop that isn't as thin as the Spectre even, it gets really hot when gaming. I think a Razer stealth in that case is a better buy for gaming, if not and it's only for drawings and such, this is pretty good.
 

MushGuy

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OK, so following your advice, a 2-in-1 laptop should be mostly useful for digital art than for gaming, and if I want also the latter, I should also get an eGPU (which shouldn't be a problem, since Spectre x360 already has Thunderbolt ports). Got it, since drawing would be my main use for it anyway. As for the specs, do you think the ones I posted are good enough?
 

r5xscn

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I have a spectre with Vega GL M. I would not even buy another spectre because of bad experiences that I have with it. Here is a list.
Good
1. 4k panel is nice.
2. Nice build quality.
3. Tent mode is nice for watching stuff on a bed.

Bad
1. Bad VRM, throttling even processor is at 40c (BDProc hot which means VRM is overheating).
2. Noisy fan, ignore all comments about notebookfancontrol, if you enable anything which modifies the embedded controller table, it might cause some glitches like disabled tent mode.
3. Attrocious DAC (audio especially with 3.5 mm).
4. Bad pen, palm rejection randomly works.
5. Bad touchpad, no precision driver, and Synaptics' driver is laggy.
6. Bad cooling system? Can be quite hot when gaming.
7. Super expensive.

If I had to pay this thing by myself then I would not even touch it lol. Try to check cheaper stuff like Lenovo S340 which also has pen support while costing only 500 bucks (try to get the one with Ryzen mobile for light gaming). If you want gaming stuff, just build an sfx pc.

I can't even run Yakuza 0 at above 30 FPS with mine (which my PC with RX 480 @800 MHz can run it without sweating lol).
 

MushGuy

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Hmm, I may reconsider my choice then (unless it's an old Spectre model). Which one would you recommend with good specs (16GB RAM, dedicated GPU, good storage, good processor)? I'm open for alternatives.
 
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r5xscn

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Hmm, I may reconsider my choice then. Which one would you recommend with good specs (16GB RAM, dedicated GPU, good storage, good processor)? I'm open for alternatives.

If you want pen + dedicated GPU, then it is very hard to find one. If you just want a gaming laptop, check D2D youtube channel. He reviewed a lot of gaming laptops.


Or you can also check Mobile Tech Review. The reviewer is a drawing artist, so she reviewed a lot of pen-enabled laptops.

Also, pen support on a laptop is like a gimmick to me. I had a surface before too (SP4). NTrig is really random, if you have any load on the background, you might get some missing lines when drawing, which can be annoying. My sister has a Cintiq 13 HD which has no such problem. I am not sure about Wacom AES.

I would suggest getting 1k gaming laptop and get Cintiq 16 HD ($500) as a second screen for drawing, which should be the same as your current budget. If you want to draw anywhere, then buy iPad Air and the pen, or better just use your pencil + paper.

IMO, the only thing interesting for these laptops with pen support is its lightweight and portability. Otherwise, I would recommend getting a gaming laptop or PC.
 
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MushGuy

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All right, after some thinking, I decided to obtain a Wacom Cintiq 16 instead of an Spectre, and thinking about upgrading my existing desktop sometime later. Either that, or save up for a gaming laptop. Which would also mean reorganizing my desk setup, because I use a Samsung TV for my PC and gaming consoles, plus a second monitor, which I'm willing to sacrifice in favor of the Cintiq. Thank you for the advice, guys. Now to think about some possible reorganizing.
 

r5xscn

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All right, after some thinking, I decided to obtain a Wacom Cintiq 16 instead of an Spectre, and thinking about upgrading my existing desktop sometime later. Either that, or save up for a gaming laptop. Which would also mean reorganizing my desk setup, because I use a Samsung TV for my PC and gaming consoles, plus a second monitor, which I'm willing to sacrifice in favor of the Cintiq. Thank you for the advice, guys. Now to think about some possible reorganizing.
Whoops, decided to check the price for the Cintiq, I thought it was $500 but it's over $600, my bad. (There are other cheaper Cintiq alternatives but with a worse pen).

Anyway, good luck with your new setup. If you play a lot of game, getting a gaming PC is almost always better than a gaming laptop (unless the laptop is cheaper and better).
 
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