Haswell gaming laptops and desktops compared from HP, Dell, & Lenovo

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It’s Haswell galore! Intel’s 4th generation Haswell processor has made its way to the top 3 PC manufacturers (HP, Lenovo, and Dell, for those not keeping track). The PC makers refreshed old standards and released newer high-end models just yesterday, all equipped and shipped with the latest 4th Gen processor from Intel.

HP refreshed their Envy 15 and Envy 17 lineups (both discontinued late October of last year), giving smaller frame and weight to the machines, adding a TouchSmart option, and providing higher resolution panel upgrade choices. The GeForce GT 740M is now on the table, although gamers needing substantially more GPU power might want to wait for a GT 750M upgrade option. HP also lets buyers upgrade the CPU all the way to the high-end Core i7-4900MQ for a pretty price tag.

On the Lenovo front, the only Haswell-equipped machines are the IdeaPad Y510p and Y410p – refreshes of the old Y500 and Y400 lines. Both machines come equipped with the Quad Core i7-4770MQ CPU and a GeForce GT 750M. For the Y510p, you can even opt for a SLI dual graphics option (+$270). Happily, the Y410p now has a 1600 x 900 display panel option – a nice improvement from the previous 1366 x 768 display (yuck).

No Dell laptops are being graced with Haswell just yet, but the XPS 8500 desktop makes a model jump to XPS 8700, now sporting Haswell processors. Dell’s higher-end (read: expensive) Alienware X51 is also paired with a 4th Gen i7-4770 and a GeForce GTX 660. You can choose to upgrade to the faster GTX 670 for $250, but in this case, we think your money is better served buying a GPU from a third party.

Haswell laptop deals

HP Envy 15 (2013) with 1080p — $849.49 at HP after coupon. Specs: Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 740M. If you don’t want to bother with the GT 740M or 1080p display, you can get the Core i7-4700MQ with Intel HD 4600 as a light gaming laptop for only $778.99 after coupon “SVD8492”.

HP Envy 17 (2013) with 1080p — $917.99 at HP after coupon. Specs: Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 740M, and Blu-ray drive. An optional upgrade to consider is the +$29 SSD hard drive accelerator cache for faster bootup time. At $1,034.99, this is probably the cheapest 17.3-inch 4th Gen Core i7 laptop on the market with a Full HD display.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p 59392484 Laptop — $799 at Lenovo after coupon. Specs: Core i7-4700MQ, HD+ 900p, GeForce GT 755M 2GB, and 8GB RAM. One of the rare 14-inch laptops on the market with a fast mid-range GPU that’s powerful enough to handle most modern games without an issue.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p 59370005 Laptop — $949 at Lenovo after coupon. Specs: Core i7-4700MQ, Full HD 1080p, GeForce GT 750M, and 8GB RAM. There’s also a coupon discount on a Y510p with two SLI dual graphics cards, priced at $1,199 (normally $1,499).

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Haswell desktop deals

HP Envy Phoenix 800 Gaming Desktop — $814.99 at HP after coupon. The 800-030qe model comes with 4th Gen Quad Core i7-4770, a fast mid-range GeForce GTX 660 with 1.5GB GDDR5 RAM, 8GB RAM, and a Blu-ray drive.

HP Envy 700 Desktop — $852.49 at HP after coupon. The Envy 700-030qe desktop is currently the only Envy 700 with Haswell CPUs. This model is slightly friendlier on the wallet, with Core i7-4770, Radeon HD 7670, 12GB RAM, and a 2TB HDD.
 

Dell XPS 8700 Desktop — $699.99 at Dell Home. Specs: Core i7-4770, GeForce GT 635, and 8GB RAM. The 635 is a bit on the weak side for modern GPUs, so you’d probably want to upgrade. (FYI: The standard XPS 8700 PSU is 460 watts.)

Alienware X51 R2 Haswell — $1,049 at Dell Home. Specs: Quad Core i7-4770 (4th Gen), 8GB RAM, and GeForce GTX 660. No coupons for this premium gaming rig just yet, but there is a $100 instant savings discount going on right now.