Deciding Between HP ProBook 430 G8 and HP 15 Gaming Laptop for Work and Light Gaming

Hello, I’m choosing between two laptops priced at 300 euros, mainly for work but also for some light gaming. I’m not very concerned about screen size or disk space but care about performance. Here are the options:

  1. HP Probook 430 G8 with i5-1135G7, 512GB M.2 SSD, and 32GB DDR4 RAM.
  2. HP 15 Gaming with i7 8750H, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD, and GTX 1050 (new battery).

The ProBook seems better for multitasking with more RAM, but it has integrated graphics. The HP 15 has a dedicated GPU, which might be better for gaming and graphics tasks. Which one would you recommend?

For your needs, I’d recommend the HP 15 Gaming, mainly because the GTX 1050 will handle light gaming and graphic-intensive tasks better than the ProBook’s integrated graphics. The i7 processor also has more cores, which helps with multitasking. You can upgrade RAM later if needed, but you can’t add a GPU to the ProBook.

While the ProBook may have better build quality and longer durability, the gaming laptop’s capabilities far outweigh it, especially for your needs.

Afton said:
While the ProBook may have better build quality and longer durability, the gaming laptop’s capabilities far outweigh it, especially for your needs.

Thanks for your input! I’m leaning towards the gaming laptop now, though I’m concerned about its GPU and RAM. Could you explain why it’s more capable?

@Vanya
The GTX 1050, despite not being top-of-the-line, still outperforms integrated graphics significantly. As for Windows 11 compatibility, while the 8th Gen CPU might be nearing end-of-life, if you’re content with Windows 10 for now, that shouldn’t be a major issue until after 2025.

@Afton
That makes sense. Windows 10 works for me. Thanks for clarifying!

Vanya said:
@Afton
That makes sense. Windows 10 works for me. Thanks for clarifying!

You’re welcome! Just keep an eye on the end of support dates for Windows 10 to ensure you don’t run into security issues later. Good luck with your new laptop!