In this HP Notebook 15-ay011nr review, we will have a look at a budget laptop that can be had for less than $500. We will explore whether this laptop competes well with other laptops in this price category or not.
On the surface, HP Notebook 15-ay011nr is a fairly simple laptop that offers a decent overall hardware configuration. The biggest issue with the laptop is that the processor is from the 6th generation. The current generation of the Intel processors is 7th.
Let us see if this laptop has a good performance/dollar value at least. After all, for the short time that it has been in the market, it has gathered a good amount of buyer base.
Being an affordable laptop, you wouldn’t want to expect too much in terms of performance. If you are going to use this laptop for casual work, then it is more than enough. The laptop has ample RAM and processing power to handle moderate levels of work.
For hardcore work, you may want to look elsewhere.
Let us explore this laptop further in this HP Notebook 15-ay011nr Review.
- Screen: 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080),
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6200U (upto 2.8 GHz)
- RAM: 8 GB DDR3L
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
- Storage: 1 TB HDD
- Optical Drive: DVD-RW
- Operating System: Windows 10 (64 bit)
- Ports: 1 USB 3.0; 2 USB 2.0; 1 HDMI; 1 RJ-45; 1 Audio
- Dimensions (inches): 10 x 15.1 x 0.9 inches
- Battery: Up to 7 hours
Pros
- Slim and light profile
- Overall configuration is suitable for moderate tasks
- FHD grants a lot of real estate to work on
Cons
- The processor is a generation older
- Lacks a dedicated graphics cards
- Does not offer SSD; most latest laptops offer SSD at this price point
Contents
Hardware Configuration
The overall hardware configuration is typical of a budget laptop that is suitable for moderate levels of tasks. Make no mistake; however, that this is not an entry level laptop. An entry level laptop is what you consider the one with Celeron processors.
This laptop is significantly better than the entry level budget laptops.
You can do all sorts of work given that they are at a reasonable level. The only thing that this laptop cannot perform is gaming or game development as it lacks a dedicated graphics card. Other than that, be it programming, software development, web development, photo editing, video editing etc., this laptop can handle.
Processor
This laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5-6200U processor. This is a mid-level processor decent enough for all sorts of work. Deciding on Intel processors is quite simple, especially if you want one from the Core series. Intel has divided them into three: i3, i5 and i7.
If you want a hassle free performance for simple tasks like word processing, or simple coding, then you go for Core i3. If you are a hardcore professional who works on highly complex projects, you need Core i7. If you are in between, then, well, you go for i5.
HP Notebook 15-ay011nr is the laptop for in-betweeners. The Core i5-6200U processor can support all kinds of work at a moderate level.
However, don’t worry, the 6th generation processors will still be in a market for a year or two.
Graphics
Well, there isn’t much going in this department, which is quite expected. This is a budget laptop and certainly not built for gaming. A laptop with a dedicated graphics card is quite expensive.
This laptop only offers an Integrated Intel HD graphics card that is suitable only for browser based or light gaming.
RAM
This laptop offers 8 GB of RAM. This is a decent amount for multitasking and also for carrying out heavier tasks like editing or rendering. For the processor this laptop has, 8 GB is a decent amount to go with.
Storage
HP Notebook 15-ay011nr offers 1 TB of HDD. This is a typical storage capacity for laptops of this category. So, there is nothing new here.
There certainly are laptops out there that feature SSD at this price range. Those laptops are usually rare but have a great performance.
Screen
The screen on this laptop is excellent for multitasking. It offers FHD resolution that essentially grants you a larger real-estate to work on.
People usually tend to choose Touchscreen over FHD. However, if you are going to work primarily, then it is advisable that you keep the preference for higher resolution over the touchscreen.
Additional Features
The overall construction of this laptop is great. It measures at less than 0.9″ thickness despite having an optical drive. This is quite the achievement.
Although it does offer a full-sized keyboard, it is not back-lit. Therefore, working at night could be an issue.
Overall, the interfacing options include 1 USB 3.0; 2 USB 2.0; 1 HDMI; 1 RJ-45; 1 Audio, Wifi, and Bluetooth. The laptop also offers a webcam and an optical drive.
Value for Money
To understand the value for money, we will have to compare it with laptops with a similar price range. Unfortunately, HP Notebook 15-ay011nr does have competition. This is good news for you because now you have options to choose from.
In fact, the competition is from within the HP itself, HP 15-ay013nr. This is a laptop that is exactly the same in terms of hardware as compared to HP Notebook 15-ay011nr, but it replaced the HDD with SSD.
Another laptop that you want to look into is the Dell i3558-5501blk.
HP Notebook 15-ay011nr Review Conclusion
HP Notebook 15-ay011nr does have slight drawbacks. However, if you can look past those, this isn’t a bad machine at all. In fact, it offers a decent performance with the overall hardware configuration.
