HP Envy 15 vs Dell Studio XPS 16

Hi guys, as im sure some of you are aware i ordered the laptop in my sig, and t has been stuck in pre-production for too long now, im getting conflicting answers from Dell about my order and i sick of it

So im thinking of ordering a HP Envy 15 from amazon (ill have it 2-3 days after ordering!!!!) not 2-3 weeks!!

It has a better graphics card 4830 vs 4670, it also has the i7-720qm rather than the i5 i ordered however it doesnt have a full HD screen...

So i have a few questions before i decide to cancel my dell order and get the envy!

1. Are there any issues with the Envy laptops i should now about (eg. throttling with the XPS16s!)

2. When do Dell charge for ordering? I ordered through work and will have more trouble cancelling if they have already taken payment...

3. How much hassle is cancelling with Dell?

4. How much better is the ATI 4830 rather than the 4670?

5. Is 1366x768 resolution high enough?! For gaming and/or general use?

If anyone can answer any/all of these q's it would be much appreciated!

 

1. Throttling on battery, no backlit keyboard, no optical drive, minor heat issues.

2. They charged me when mine was shipped out (might be different for you)

3. Probably quite a hassle, they'll be trying to keep the sale

4. About 30%

5. That's really subjective and it depends on you and what you want. I'd personally prefer 1080P

 

there arent any issues with envy 15.. look all over youtube not one bad review! and there are 100s of reviews out there... Dont buy it from amazon! it has an older gpu card the newer envy has 5830!!!! and 3.0 usb ports... If you dont think there is a big difference from standard 2.0 to 3.0 usb, look it up on google the speeds are like more than 100 times faster! Also envy has resolution upto 1080p! and one of the best screens out there. So I would encourage you to order a custom build from hp.com! amazon is a known rip off!

But get envy over xps 16!!!!!! it looks better it is very light only 5 lbs, it has the best audio ever made for a laptop! etc nothing but great stuff to say about it!

 

1. What does 'minor heat issues' mean lol? And how bad is the throttling?

4. 30% sounds good to me! And i thought the 4670 was pretty decent!

Yeah i watched a 20minute unboxing/review earlier and it looked nice, i can do without the optical drive/backlit keyboard and minor heat issues. But my main concern is the screen resolution! Id prefer 1600x900! not too bothered about full 1080p to be honest...

I assume that the 1100 series envy rather than the 1000 series? Which is about £300-400 more at least! Cant really stratch to that really....

 

Minor as in some people say it has heating issues but it's not a wide spread thing. So I'm not sure how true that still is.

 

well in that case if there is a big price difference get the first generation that you see on amazon, its still a better catch than xps 16...

btw what the other guy said is: xps16 has gpu throttling issues whether on battery or power adapter.. it means the gpu gets stresses to 100% due to lack of power and other problems not quite figured out by dell yet.

Envy doesnt have those problems... the only know little problem it has is the touch pad which is made to perform exactly like mac book pro's... it doesnt function quite as well as mac's but it still works just fine!!

There is no risk at buying an envy... as a dell customer I will never go back to dell

 

Do you even own an SXPS? It does not have GPU throttling issues. The issue is CPU throttling, which the Envy has while on battery power, and like you said the touchpad sucks. Dell has finally figured out the issue btw and supposedly a new BIOS is on the way.

 

Is this good?

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edit
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz edit
Memory 6GB DDR3 System Memory (3 Dimm) edit
Hard drive 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection edit
Graphics card 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors edit
Display 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080) edit
Personalization Webcam Only edit
Networking Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth edit
Included Software Bundle HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors edit
Keyboard HP Color Matching Keyboard edit
Primary battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery edit
Productivity software No Productivity Software edit

$1,849.99

 

Throttling on battery, is amazing. Yes i said it. I still get 2hours + and the thing is ice cold when on battery. Its a 53watt hour battery, which wouldnt last 2 seconds if someone used it to the limit. Its a diff battery as well and is the reason they do that according to hp. There is no performance problem with everyday computing ive seen yet, for a low clock cpu. The thing is super light, i can whip it around in one hand easily. Which is way better for me in the long run, then having a lot heavier laptop that doesnt throttle on battery.

The heat, i have the 720qm and have noticed no such problems. The cooling system works quiet well, and the 5830 card in it never gets above 63C when stressed. Does it get warm when stressed, sure the 720qm is a beast. But compared to the xps16, this thing lays flat instead of raised and can run that way just fine without any issues up top.

The keyboard is very different, although no backlit, i really like it. The way the envy is so thin and lays flat, its amazing to type on. The feel is better then the xps 1645's keyboard i had. if there was a backlit keys it would be perfect. But it is different, i would assume not everyone will like it as its not what theyre use too.

The mouse is funky, you dont press but glide on it sure. It takes a lil bit getting used to. But for me anything intensive like cad/games etc i use an external mouse anyway, and the mousepad is just fine for normal browsing/everyday stuff.

I had both machines, they are both amazing machines. Ya cant go wrong with either one. The envy fits my needs more then the xps 16, and is a very nice laptop. The thin and light vs compromising features (such as optical drive, battery) is well worth it for me. But may not be for others. Overall though i think the envy is a bit better in the little details, no fingerprints everywhere, a lil better sound etc.

 

Ive read several reviews online in the past hour or so and they all seem to say the performance from the Envy 15 is amazing with the i7 and ATI 4830! Only negative comments seem to be that it has no internal DVD drive (which i can do without) no backlit keyboard (which i can do without) and it can get a bit warm (which is expected for such a thin laptop)

Im gonna pop up to PC World tomorrow night to have a look at one in the flesh (something i couldnt do with the XPS 16) and then probably cancel my Dell order and get myself an Envyif i like the look+feel of it and if my Dell order hasnt moved to production by Friday...

 

No extended warranty!?

 

I own sxps 13, as a dell user, I read many threads about xps 13 and 16!! and both have huge number of complains, and not just one similar problem.

Envy has a lot of good review.. My friends owns one.. I played on it for hours. Im currently in process of ordering one myself.

There isnt a single issue with envy, stop being crying, no one is talking crap about sxps16, Im just saying envy is better, it doesnt make sxps16 crap.
The touch bad doesnt suck! it work very well over all, clicks, swipes, scrolling is perfect, only pinch zoom doesnt respond well like mac's but it still work very well overall. it just has extra features in it that dont work 100%



Thats it stop crying! we're not 10 to argue over whose dad is stronger or whose girl is prettier so lets not do that over our toys too!

 

Wow, noone's crying here. He's just correcting some errors you've made in your statements. And he's right. And the Envy does have issues, it just doesn't have the same ones or number as the SXPS. I have one, and while it's a pretty decent laptop, it does have other irritating issues (not technical problems like throttling though).

At the end of the day, it's a personal preference thing. I far prefer the look and feel of my SXPS to the Envy and I've used both extensively.

Actually, the touchpad, along with the drivers and responsiveness are absolutely abysmal compared to many laptops, including the SXPS 16. It doesn't make the Envy crap, but it does detract a lot from the overall experience.

Honestly, very uncalled for.

 

SXPS alll the way, i was considering the envy but didnt match up to the Dell laptop

 

Ash is right, they are both great laptops that excel in different areas. The differences are very opinionated btw, so seeing them in person is crucial for someone trying to decide.

The envy has suited my needs far better then the xps1645. But obviously thats not going to work out the same for everyone. Especially those that need the full desktop replacement that is the 1645.

Personally though, ive had two xps 1645 each with issues with the ODD or wled screens being great on one and abysmal on the other. Where the envy i received is top notch in quality, but again that was my experience. Others seem to do great with their 1645 and love it!

 

Indeed, ill go and see an Envy in person tomorrow night, i have no real way of seeing an XPS16 in the flesh though as here in the UK no retail stores sell them

i Just feel completley underwhelmed and let down by Dells order process and customer support...not good

 

Ive given up with Dell and ordered myself an Envy

Full 1080p screen 1920x1080 resolution
Core i7-720qm 1.6Ghz CPU with turbo boost and 6MB cache
8GB DDR3 RAM 1066mhz (4x2GB DIMMS)!!!
500GB 7200rpm SATA HDD
ATI Radeon 5830 graphics card!!!
6-cell battery
Win 7 home premium
2x USB 3.0 ports!!!

Its costing me about £300 more than the XPS but has the i7 cpu instead of the i5, has TWICE the RAM! a much better graphics card, USB 3.0 ports! AND ill get it in 2-3 days without having to put u with 'work in progress' order status pages and useless Dell India-based reps!

 

http://www.measuredup.com/review/Hewlett-Packard-customer-service-9680

 

so in other words the extra 300 euro was worth it, considering better processor, more ram, slighty better gpu, and 3.0 usb.. dont forget the metal case ads a lil to the price.

I hope you enjoy the system!!!

 

XPS had better specs than the Envy before the refresh. If I were to buy one now I'd go with the envy because of the gfx card and 3.0. If dell upgrades to the same specs as the envy I would go with the xps because of the features.

 

I work for HP and deal with Evny notebooks daily.

-The Envy's have a problem with getting a bit too hot.
-the touchpad can be way too sensitive.

the unit otherwise is not bad. I just hate how it has no internal optical drive.

Dealing with dell is not bad, besides the fact that you can get transfered all over the world and end up with India a bunch of times. Their customer service sucks due to line conditions and language barriers.

hope this helps a bit.

 

Thanks for pointing that out but im an IT technician accredited by HP and my company is a partner of HP so i wont have any problems getting things repaired etc

Exactly! I paid a bit extra to make it more future proof, and obviously for the better performance right now!

Yeah i was thinking about getting a laptop cooler tbh as my machine will 99% of the time be on my desk at work or my desk at home, i can deal with the lack of internal drive as most of the software/games i purchase are either downloadable entirely or a trial version is downloadable which just requires a key to be entered

Their customer service sucks because there constantly giving onflicting answers and basically reading off a script!

 

UPDATE: I ordered the laptop at 11:37PM last night and it has already shipped with an estimated delivery of tomorrow! Now thats what im talking about!

I can finally install those games that have been sat on my shelf for 2 weeks!

 

I've also been sat on the crux of a similiar decison since I canceled the 1645 I originally ordered on 31/12. I would be interested in your opinion when you get it

 

Did you customize it or you chose a ready-to-ship model?

 

Ready to ship mate, despatched this morning via special delivery so should be with me tomorrow morning, im having it delivered to work so i can play with it right away

note: by 'play with' i mean, remove all the crap and optimise it!

 

Ill post my opinions at some point over the weekend when ive had some time with it

 

Congrats on your purchase. Envy is an awesome machine. Make sure to backup the folder swsetup which has all drivers installed.

 

Will do! The first thing i plan to do is follow those optimisation guides on the Envy owners forum

 

if you have troubles with enabling the bluetooth, let me know. i know how to do this now, not sure it shown in the guide somewhere. Really easy, took me for ever though.

 

I just canceled a 1645 that was repeatedly delayed myself. I'd be very interested in your opinion of the Envy as well--particularly in regard to the heat and the touchpad, which appear to be the two worst complaints cited in reviews for the Envy 15.

 

Heat was a problem in Gen1 Envy's and non existent in Gen2. I do own an i5 processor and there is not heat at all. It well ventilated and you can barely hear the fan on. I just love it.
I agree with you that the touchpad is funky and will take some time to get used to.

 

Pitters (anyone)...can you confirm the HP Envy 15-1110ea full specs and your thoughts on it as I am getting conflicting advice on whether this has USB 2 or 3 ??

Also what was the best price you got this at please ??

P

 

I dont think this has changed. When i ordered only the quadcores 720qm and 820qm with the 5830 graphics card had usb 3.0.. The i5's did not, i assume that will eventually change but dont think it has yet.

I can confirm my 720qm has the usb 3.0 ports.

 

Nearly every review I've read of the new Envy 15 with the i7 complains of the heat of the handwrest under normal use. I have an XPS M1730 now that gets way too hot and I would prefer a laptop that stays cooler. I wouldn't want to go with the i5 just for the difference in heat, but I don't want a laptop that cooks either.

Any thoughts on the Envy screen? I've seen poor reviews of the brightness and overall display quality.

I played with the 1645 (with an extended battery) the other day and was not impressed with its general weight and size, but it did stay cool. I don't like the shiny, fingerprint attracting finish on the 1645 either, but the screen was quite nice and the touchpad was normal and I had no complaints there.

 

Thanks....anybody know where best place is to buy in UK ?

 

I had 2 1645's though the whole throttling issues. One had the LG wled screen the other had a wled sumsung? or some other brand screen. The LG was amazing, the other screen looked god awful next to it. Needless to say the hp i got had a LG wled screen and looks amazing, super bright and looks way better then my old getting older desktop screen. I got the glossy 1080p btw on all models. The LG screen probably rivals the rgbleds the way it sounds, but havnt had one so no comment really. The only thing about the envy's screen is it doesnt tip back too far(not near as far as the 1645), but the viewing angles are great which makes up for it quiet a bit.

 

Can I ask your overall view on the Envy 2nd Gen please ?

 

Thats why you order the RGB led screen. Best laptop screen to date. And the m17x and the m6400 have it.

 

ITS HERE! 1 day after ordering!! Just gotta do a job with work then im going home to play with it!!

Ill post my thoughts on the heat+trackpad when ive played with it for a bit mate, im not too fussed if the trackpad is poor though as i use an external mouse 95% of the time

I hope thats true my friend, i cant find any reviews on the 2nd gen Envy to be honest! Heat isnt that much of an issue for me as its usually sat on a desk anyway....

Mine has 2 USB 3.0 ports + 1 USB+ESATA which im not sure if its USB 2.0 or 3.0.

I paid £1500 for the newest/highest specced Envy same price as it has on the UK HP website

Yup mine has that CPU, graphics card and ports aswell

I got mine from a company called IvoryEgg via amazon in the UK

 

The specs on the side of my box are exactly the same as what it says on the HP website at this link

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329744-3995710-3995710-4075902-4099664.html

 

Make sure those esata ports works. A lot of people including have nonworking esata port. I had to do a system replacement.

 

Ive got nothing that uses ESATA....so im not too bother and/or ive got nothing to test it with lol

 

I don't think they have the preconfigured systems in the U.S. that offer the 5830 graphics card. I ordered an Envy after I got fed up with my XPS 1645 throttling... it took about 2 weeks to ship out and is currently in transit. Not too bad, I 'spose.

Here's mine:

HP ENVY 15
* • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
* • 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors
* • 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
* • External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
* • Webcam Only
* • Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* • HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery
* • No Productivity Software
* • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


All for $1,580. Certainly much cheaper than what I paid for my XPS 1645. I only did 4 gigs of ram because ram is cheaper elsewhere. HP wanted $150 to upgrade from 4gb to 6gb, but you can pay $100 to upgrade from 4gb to 8gb at newegg.com.

 

Thats a very good price. Also you will get USB 3.0 with the Envy i7.

 

Hp has i5 430m preconfigured for 1499.

 

Thanks - spent about 30 minutes on the phone negotiating that. Still, I thought I could do better, but they wear you out eventually.

 

Brilliant and enjoy !!!

 

I am dont worry

Just installed Crysis

 

Please, post back your experiences with Envy 15. I'm curious since it was one of my top choices, but eventually decided on XPS 16 for several reasons:

1. RGBLED display - this was one single huge factor for me.
2. Display size - you'd think that btw 15.3 and 16 ain't much difference, but it's visible.
3. Annoying external CD/DVD drive on Envy. What's the point? When you travel, chances are you'll need it, and it you'll have to find space for it in the luggage anyway.
4. Core i5 vs i7? If you're an average user, there won't be any visible difference. Actually, some claim that under regular conditions i5 feels a little faster and it is more energy savvy.
5. This is a matter of personal preference, but to me XPS looks better.