HP 17-X121DX 17.3″ Laptop (Intel Core i5, 4GB Memory, 1TB Hard Drive, Black)

The HP 17-X121DX is an affordable middle-of-the-road laptop belonging to the desktop replacement category. It’s characterized by a large 17.3″ display and very decent internal component selection including an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of system memory, and a 1TB hard drive. The Windows 10-based 17-X121DX doesn’t bring any extraordinary features to the table. It’s a plastic-topped notebook with 1600×900-pixel display resolution (standard on 17.3-inchers), TN screen technology with narrower viewing angles than IPS, and a non-backlit keyboard.

The 17-X121DX is based on the latest 7th Generation Intel Core processor series, namely the i5-7200U dual-core CPU with Intel’s HD 620 graphics incorporated. This chip is perfectly suitable for the daily computing activities for home and home & office PC users but additionally it can serve decently well for hardware intensive stuff like multimedia production. As for gaming, the HD 620 enables you to run non-demanding game titles, but for the latest AAA blockbusters you’ll have to get a laptop with a dedicated video card. 4GB of system memory isn’t large, so if you multitask with too many processes running simultaneously, chances are you’ll be having slowdowns due to overloaded RAM. But for the ordinary users 4GB is quite enough. Data storage space of 1TB is capacious, too, with enough space for programs, audio and video libraries, and other user files. In addition, the HP 17-X121DX provides a built-in DVD writer drive.

Now let’s go through the remaining specifications. As usual, the laptop has a chiclet-style keyboard with a numeric pad, a multi-touch trackpad, stereo speakers, and a 720p web camera. The selection of networking and connectivity features is very well rounded. For a wireless Internet connection, there’s an 802.11n Wi-Fi internal card, while for old-school wired network connectivity there’s an Ethernet LAN port. External displays can be hooked up to the laptop via its HDMI video output, while for USB peripherals there are two USB 2.0 ports and one faster USB 3.0 jack. HP’s 17-X121DX also has a multi-in-one media card reader, and a combo headphones & mic connector. Bluetooth is missing on this model.

The battery life on this model is “up to six hours” per Hewlett-Packard.

Obviously, with its 17.3″ display and large footprint, the 17-X121DX isn’t a travel-friendly companion. The laptop weighs in at 5.8 pounds and is 1″ thick. It’s encased in a matte black plastic chassis with glossy textured linear gradient grooves on the palm rest.