Dell XPS or HP Envy?

I am trying to decide between these laptops.

How is the build of the XPS? never heard of anything about them?

I just looked into the XPS after i found out canada does not provide customizing for the hp envy. Anybody experienced the two? How are these laptops?

I just want the laptop for document typing use, but gaming as well. Only games really being played is WoW, and that is all right now.

How is cooling on the XPS? Would it be able to handle wow?

 

what size (14/15/17) are you looking at in particular?

 

well the regular occurance is the palm rest heats up a bit, for me it heats up ALOT calling up dell tomorrow to see if it's just a defective one or a dodgey paste job.

 

Avoid Envy like the plague. They have a poor cooling, not surprising as all generations of high end HP consumer line suffer from the same issue. Overpriced, and vulgar. Also new HP with that metallic body design are HORRIBLE to service. Crack your screen? Gotta gut your notebook to replace the screen. On a Dell? Less than 10 minutes to change the screen. Stick with the XPS, you'll enjoy your laptop alot more.

 

Yeah that ^. I've had many experiences with both brands and I will 200% vouch for the Dell. Even though the current XPS may not be the best looking, it's stability, quality-to-price ratio, and better than expected tech (ie USB 3.0) are more than enough reasons Dell>Hp.

 

hmmm, i appreciate the replies

I am looking at the 17 in particular.

Only reason i am considering the Envy is because of the sexy finish

The xps seems like a way better deal for cheaper price. But i don't like the material the palmrests are made of, just looks weird. And i heard the clicking underneath the touch pad is very loud.

Other than that, the XPS seems like a buy.

Any other lines from Dell though that i should look at? or no?

 

I have used the new XPS line as well as the Envy. Though the Envy finish apparently looks better, the metallic finish scratches very easily. It's also very annoying to service. The new XPS line reminds me of the Latitude line but spurred off to another direction.

 

I just got the XPS 15 was happy at first, then unhappy and ready to send it back, to happy once again. Overall it is a great unit. My one gripe is heat, but I have come to terms with the fact that it is a laptop and gaming will make it hot. My left palm rest does not get hot as some others do. Must be a problem on some units. The fan does run a lot but it is almost silent (unless you are running a game heavy on graphics then you will hear it a little). Haven't noticed any clicking with the touchpad. I actually love the touchpad on this thing. The whole thing feels like it is built very well to me.

 

XPS 17 is the best hardware for the money, it has the best sound system, usb 3.0, dual hard drive bays (no RAID yet) stays fairly cool while gaming, the screen sucks if you ever feel the need to watch a movie on it though. I'm upgrading my screen soon either to the L702x screen or one in the screen upgrade thread. My first palmrest clicked once when I first used the computer each day, till I had the touchpad replaced (new palmrest). Doesn't click anymore but it wasn't very loud in the first place. Palmrest is actually an aluminum finish.

 

Timely thread. I'm also in the market for a 17" laptop - the XPS17 and Envy 17 3D are my primary candidates. I don't need the added size and GPU power of an Asus G73 or Alienware 17x R3.

 

bah you don't need raid anyway unless you want raid 1

SSD + WD Black = WIN!

 

I really want to RAID 0 my ssds for performance of the future. It has been said that it is only a BIOS update away, if Dell decides to enable it.

 

Thanks for the replies! i honestly probably will just get a Dell, as far as i can tell.
I have been doing constant research about laptops for the last 3 weeks, and i finally run into the xps

Is the build of the XPS similar to that of the Inspiron? Reason i am asking is because no stores in Canada like Futureshop or Best Buy carry the xps.

Oh, and somebody said that the screen is bad, i was customizing one for fun, and i can't see an option to upgrade the screen....

Is the 900p that bad? I would love to get 1080p in a new laptop.

 

I'm not sure about the contrast and color gamut quality of the 900p but the 1080p B+RGLED is truly a pleasure to experience as mine just came in yesterday. Unfortunately it's only available for the XPS L501x and the upgrade price for the screen has been going up ever since its inception.

 

I don't hear anything on my 17 except the fan when gaming, and of course the speakers, which are awesome. If you want a really nice screen stock you will need to get the 15. Otherwise you will need to order a different screen and swap it. I don't think the screen on my 17 is as bad as some say, especially if you calibrate it or use a color profile someone on these forums already created. My palmrest only gets a little warm and I barely even notice it anymore.

 

Yea economics stink They just can't keep them in stock so the price will keep going up until they have just enough stock to fill orders. Seems like if you have the skills and can find the part, it would be cheaper to order the lowest 15 display and swap it out, too.

 

With how fast some SSDs are already, I don't think RAID0 with SSDs would give much of a performance boost, but it would be cool to test if I had the $$$ for two 120GB ones or larger

 

My 900p isn't that bad, especially since I starting using a different color profile. The change was amazing from the default color profile. Only pain is it doesn't seem to want to stick over a reboot. I have to reapply it every time.

 

Would you know by any chance if the 900p is WLED or some other better technology like B+RGLED?

 

I know it's the LG one and I'm almost sure it's WLED, but I will look through the forums to see where the specs were posted.

 

I don't trust software RAID so I'm planning to go with a next-gen SSD like OCZ Vertex 3 or Crucial M4 / Micron C400. 500mb/s read and write...wow!

 

Its possible to do that? Would a local computer store do that if i bought the screen?

I am honestly seriously thinking the XPS is going to be a buy, i was looking at the Envy 17 and i didn't like much of the finish on it. I thought it was good... but didn't suite me.

Will be definitely looking into the XPS.

No real need for the sandy bridge version, but any idea when it does come out? if the price IS the same, and comes out within the next 2 weeks, i may be interested in purchasing it.

 

Oh and what is this RAID 0 thing that people are talking about? :S

and what is the xps l701x? what one would i be looking at? kinda confused :S

 

I'm sure they would be able to swap it for you for a price.

Official Swapping the L701X XPS 17 Thread has a lot about it.

XPS 17 Sandy Bridge is supposed to be out February 1. I haven't seen anything definitive about pricing.

 

RAID0 combines multiple physical drives into one volume in Windows to improve read and write speeds. However, if one drive fails, you lose everything. Also, if the drives are different sizes, it only uses the capacity of the smallest drive for all the drives. (i.e. If you have 80GB, 120GB and 240GB drives, the capacity used in Windows will be 3x80GB=240GB)

L701x = Original XPS 17
L702x = Second Generation Sandy Bridge XPS 17

 

Thank you for the reply, makes sense. I really have to learn more about it before choosing to do anything.

If that IS true, then it would be perfect timing. I have exams the following week and they finish Feb 1st

Had a question about the display on that new model.

This is from: Say hello to the XPS L702X (Updated) - Dell News, Tips & Tricks

If i want the best screen, i see that it has to be the 3d LC 1080p display. But its 3d.... does that mean it would look weird if i wasn't using 3d glasses? Or can i use it without 3d glasses? i really have no plan, or no care to have 3d, just a good screen resolution

 

Using or not using RAID is a non issue unless Dell enables it in the BIOS.

For movies, you have to play a 3D version for it to show in 3D.

I think for games, you probably have to set something in NVidia's 3D Vision to enable the 3D profile in games that support it.

So as long as you don't do anything special, it should be in 2D. Does sort of stink to only have 1080p with the 3D panel for people who will never use 3D and have to pay extra for an unused feature. But at least it will have 1080p stock for people who don't care to buy another display from a third party.

 

Yeah its a shame they chose that route, but oh well, going to buy a laptop once and hope it will last long, so i might as well put some money towards it

I really do hope it comes out Feb. 1st, but i would love to see if it comes out Feb.1st in Canada too. If it doesn't i am going to be quite angry.

 

3 years of life and nightmares with my XPS1330 (plastic, cheap, nasty thing), got the Envy 14 for a week now and I will never, ever, ever go back to that PoS Dell. 5 RMAs, motherboard failure while on a business trip in Qatar, two broken HDs (second two days after warranty expired and Dell wouldn't cover it), keyboard failing for over a year now....

Do yourself a favour and don't listen to fanboys (or me) and try to get your hands on both to try them out for yourself.

 

Oh C'mon, I agree with you, but you had nightmares because of the defective gpus, etc. but look at the newest dell's offering. It does not feel cheap in any way, although a bit clumsy looking. Yet neither me nor snowsf is going to solve your problem, anyway. So try to get a hands-on experience at the outlets itself.

 

Yeah, i realize everyone is biased towards each machine. Its tough making a decision, and i will have to check out some review online and get a good consensus on which one to get.

Its hard for me to get my hands on both machines.... i can only try the Envy 17 3d in futureshop, and the XPS is only sold online.

What other brands are suggested? I have looked at Msi, Dell, and HP. The Asus laptops i really don't even want to touch because of the massive size.

 

I'd say forget MSI altogether if you travel abroad a lot. Both Dell and HP have great international warranty coverage, which is important in the case you travel. If you don't travel a lot, then MSI is a pretty decent brand. The only Asus products I've used extensively are their motherboards so I can't say anything about their laptops.

 

I was in the same situation about over a month ago trying to decide Envy 17 and XPS17. I got my hand on both and now I'm typing this message on the XPS17. .

I have to say the Envy looks and feels better. It feel like a more expensive laptop. But the ventilation and heating on Envy that people talking about is true. It got warm and hot quickly.

On the other hands, the XPS 17 is just smooth and cool. Layout of the ports and jacks are much more logical. It feels little cheaper than Envy, but very decent and better than many other comparable laptops out there. It just "works" better. It's a trade of between functional vs aesthetic design between the 2.

One thing I (and most people) hate most about the XPS 17 is its garbage screen. That was one of the reason for having a is low. I mostly use it connected to a nice IPS panel, so it's not bothering me much. For some uses it as mobile laptop without nice external screen, it would be a huge drawback and disappointment. Many say it decent and don't care about it much.

If you want a better laptop and can wait for the L702x, I'd say wait for that rather than getting the L701x now. The starting price for it is rumored to be $1500 and up but has option for better screen, CPU and graphic card. We have to wait whether it's worth the price increase or not, that remains to be seen. If you decide not to spend the extra $$$ for the 702, the 701 at that time may be even cheaper and can be had for a bargain.

 

I never travel... ever. I like the Msi but whats the better notebook between it, and the Dell?

Wow!! thank you dangtong appreciate the reply. I hate being in this situation, its so nerve racking, i don't want to make the wrong purchase, especially when ordering a laptop online. If it was in store, i would gladly go and pick up the laptop and test it out, then i could easily return it. Online returns are a pain.

That's what i have heard a lot after reading around. The screen is horrible, but the new one is to have a way better screen "apparently".

I can wait till Feb. 1st, hopefully it gets released then and we shall see.

 

I'd love to be able to answer that question but I'm afraid I can't realistically. My terrible experience with Dell's build quality would probably influence what I write, and I can't really say I've used MSIs for any length of time to be able to compare. From the contact I've had with them, they seem well made. I've owned MSI motherboards and graphics cards, and those are quite good.

Dangong, everything you wrote is 100% OK since many of these things are subjective and depend on one's personal tastes and preferences. This, though:

Has been fixed and will not get hotter than an XPS, unless you are unlucky and get a faulty model - which could happen with any brand and model.

 

The thing about Feb 1 is you'll be able to order it, but delivery might be longer than a month, can you wait that long? If you're going quad core route than you really HAVE to as the power profile of SB chips destroys the arrandales, but dual cores are a bit more comparable since they are same size die 32mn.

 

I agree with you 100%. I have never owned a pc that wasn't a Dell in my life, but the m1330 is a nightmare. I have the best possible warranty and still have literally been brought to tears by tech support. Getting hysterical works, but I'm still upset that it has to come to that. Hopefully the XPS 14 will be better, but it is still far from an ideal situation and Dell has definitely lost my loyalty. I vote for the HP Envy. You should get a cooling pad no matter what PC you get.

 

I don't think i could wait a month longer, and only reason i want the new XPS is for the screen.

HP still is in my mind, but i am not too sure. Reason i didn't want HP is because you cannot custom build your own and send it from the hp.ca website. only from the u.s. website.

Dell offers customization on both the u.s and canadian website.

And what the hell does the bolded part mean? i'm still a newbie




Man, it is such a hard decision. I didn't want to take the SB route cause personally, i don't need the power, nor do a lot of people even utilize the power and the prices are going to be ridiculous when they first come out. Not necessarily for the processor, but addons for the laptop etc.

You say it has been fixed, but you have the Envy 14. I heard there was not many problems in the first place with those, but the Envy 17's with i7's run hot, very hot.


Lastly, with Msi i have honestly never really heard bad things about them. A lot of things i do hear is just the entire thing is made of gloss, and its fingerprint/dust magnet.
Have you guys heard anything bad about the Msi's gaming line? the G line.

 

I have the Envy 14 indeed, but my company works for HP and I've used the full lineup extensively (we produce events for them). I've had i7 17s for several days at my office and they get no warmer than other similar models - at least the current lineup.

 

Hmm.. i am just not sure. It would be a waste of money to buy one that i cannot customize. I will probably call Hp.com and see if they ship to canada.

One question, how is the screen on the Envy 17/3D ?

 

Haven't tried the 3D one, we never asked for any of those since I believe that 3D on a laptop is a 110% useless gimmick.... but that's just me.

 

oh i think that 3d is useless too, no reason to be putting that crap in laptops, but i thought between the Envy 17 and the 17 3d there was a difference in specs etc and screen? or is there not?

if not, then how was the screens on the regular envy?

 

Okay, so the Msi Gt680 just came out today, and its already sold out.

What would be your pick between the gt680, envy 17, or xps 17?