The HP 15-ay011nr is a bestselling 2015 laptop that has been praised for its great value for money and its solid state drive. Even though it is powered by an Intel i5 processor, the HP 15-ay011nr still manages to offer users a smooth experience for day-to-day tasks and casual gaming. The Skylake processors feature a new graphics series from Intel and users can expect similar performance than from an NVIDIA GeForce 820M, meaning that more modern titles can be played on lower settings. Overall the HP 15-ay011nr offers good performance for users who are after a budget laptop that can also handle some casual gaming.
HP is known for their line of budget laptops, which are popular with budget conscious buyers who are after laptops that offer more than just word processing and Internet browsing. Powered by a Skylake Intel Core i5-6200U processor with Hyper-Threading and 8GB of RAM, the HP 15-ay011nr will cope with everyday tasks and casual gaming with ease.
The new Skylake series features the newer and more powerful Intel HD Graphics 520 chipset that will offer users similar performance to the GeForce 820M from NVIDIA. This means users will be able to run newer gaming titles with acceptable frame rates on lower settings. While older and classic titles will run on higher settings. The GPU relies on shared memory and while the 8GB of RAM is adequate, we recommend upgrading to 12GB or 16GB of RAM to maximize the performance.
The Full-HD display offers vibrant colors and sharp details for casual gaming and multimedia. While many laptops under $500 feature a lower resolution display, the HP 15-ay011nr boasts a maximum resolution of 1920×1080. Ample storage space is offered by the 1TB mechanical hard drive, but due to its price users will have to make do with the slower 5400rpm drive speed, But the hard drive can easily be swapped out for a solid state drive or a 7200rpm mechanical drive.
Pros
- Full-HD display
- Battery life
- Skylake processor
Cons
- Integrated graphics
- Limited storage space
- 5400rpm HDD
Bottom Line
The HP 15-ay011nr is a great budget gaming laptop that offers a decent hardware for casual gamers.
- Weight: 4.73 lbs
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz
- Display Size: 15.6 inch
- RAM: 8GB DDR3L
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
Critic Reviews
- LaptopMag April 8, 2016
The HP Notebook 15-ac121nr is a good-looking 15-inch notebook with a full-HD screen and above-average battery life, but the keyboard could be more comfortable.
Read full review
Full Specifications
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz [View Benchmarks] |
|---|---|
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 520 [View Benchmarks] |
| Graphics Type | Integrated |
| Graphics Memory | Shared |
| RAM | 8GB DDR3L |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Windows 10 Home |
| Weight | 4.73 lbs |
| Battery Life | 6 hours |
| Hard Drive 1 | 1000 HDD 5400 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inch |
| Display Type | TN |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Display Technology | SVA antiglare WLED-backlit |
| Connectivity | 2x USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 | HDMI | 10/100 Ethernet | WiFi | Bluetooth |
| Audio | DTS Studio Sound with dual speakers |
| Webcam | TrueVision HD |
| Additional Features | memory card reader |
| Dimension (LxWxH) | 10.02 x 15.12 x 0.95 |
| Warranty | 1 year |
