HP Envy 14 v Sony Vaio VPCF12M0E/B

Basically, I like these two laptops, which seem very similar in price and specs. I would be switching to my laptop as main gaming machine, and keeping desktop as backup. I would like to play Final Fantasy 14, Civ 5, Mass Effect 2 and Fallout 3 as well as some upcoming RPGs.

HP Envy 14:
# An Intel Core i5 450M processor for incredible performance
# 4GB memory for top system performance
# 500 GB Hard Drive for storing all your digital files
# A 14.5" High Definition Anti-Glare LED display
# The latest ATI Mobility Radeon HD5650 graphics technology
# Double Layer SuperMulti DVD±RW

Vaio:
Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor
4GB RAM
500GB Hard Drive
16.4" 1920 x 1080 Screen
Blu Ray drive
Geforce GT330M graphics card.

Both are around the same price. I was looking for opinions on which would handle games better. I think probably the Envy, as it has the better graphics card and I probably won't notice the difference between the i5 and the i7. Blu Ray I am not bothered by.

The Envy is lighter, and I have generally got on with HPs and their quality. I am less confident of the build quality of the Sony. I would hopefully be extending the warranty to 3 years on whichever one I decide on.

So, does anyone have any experience of gaming on one or both of these? Which would you recommend? Would really like to hear any stories and opinions.

Thanks!

Isabelle

 

My Sony Vaio FW has great build quality with one exception, there is a weakly attached piece. As for the F series, I would assume the build quality would be just as good.

However, have you looked at the Envy 15? It has a 5830 which is a superior graphics card and can have an i7 or i5 option. It would probably be the best for gaming...

 

In all the Envy 15 reviews I have read, it has been panned for overheating issues. Apart from that, the specs look lovely but I have read very few good reviews of it

I REALLY like the Envy 17 as well, but can't justify an extra £200 just for the better graphics card, unfortunately

Thanks

Isabelle

 

Sorry to be a pain, but have also found this HP laptop, exactly the same specs as the Sony apart from the HD5650, which I do want. How does it compare?

HP DV7-4050EA
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650 Graphics
500GB Hard Drive
Intel Core i7-720QM
4GB RAM
17.3 inch screen

Thanks!

Isabelle

 

I bought that exact Vaio model recently and returned it after 3 days. I liked it in pretty much every way but the fan noise drove me crazy - the notebookcheck F12 review ( Review Sony Vaio VPC-F12Z Notebook - Notebookcheck Reviews) describes it pretty accurately. There's discussion about fan noise in the F-series thread on this site but there are also people in that thread who like their laptop - I guess it's a very subjective thing.

I looked into the Envy 14 but in the UK it's only available with a 1366x768 screen. That's fine for gaming - the graphics card won't be able to smoothly play most modern games at that resolution with high detail levels anyway - but too low (IMHO) for regular browsing and working with documents. I did look at the DV7-4050 in the flesh but I decided against it in the end. The display models I played with were noticeably warm at idle and it's missing one or two features that I wanted (Blu-ray, Expresscard slot). Overall, though, it seemed like a good compromise if you're looking for a 17" gaming laptop. I also played with an ASUS N71jq - it's got a better graphics card, more features (USB 3.0, Expresscard, Blu-ray) and the audio sounded better to me. I didn't like the way it looks compared to the HP, though.

In the end I ordered a Samsung R780, specifically a variant with an i7-620m and 6GB of RAM. It's a better fit for what I need (70% work, 30% games) and I'm hoping it'll be cool and quiet...

 

My now 3 year old FZ also has irritating fan noise. Something about the whole 'F' line of notebooks whether it is the FZ, FW or F, they all have fan noise problems.

 

What is your budget and do you want to move the laptop around a lot? because MSI GX740 is cheap but has ati 5870 with i5 or i7. It is a 17" laptop and pretty big and heavy. Some people have said there is an overheating issue, but after you update the vbios, you won't most likely have the problem (I have this laptop and I don't have the problem after updating vbios).

 

Seems as non of you figured it out yet...F stands for Fannoise series. So Sony is not holding any infomation back just been hiding it behind that single F

 

LOL at the Sony Fannoise

I'm still preferring the Envy I think.

As for the MSI, I've not really been impressed with their quality, so not particularly interested in one of those.

Thanks for the advice all

Isabelle

 

The build quality of the MSI (I can only speak for this one I have) is medium to above medium I would say. It flex' a bit in the buttom, but that's it I would say. You get supreme performance for the money, and I think real buildquality is mainly to be found on Macbook Pro and high end laptops. Even the Envy series is not worth to envy buildquality.

I would recommend MSI anytime

 

My FW has no fan noise problems. Sure, you can hear it (under heavy load, obviously), but it's nowhere near annoying.