DV7Tqe vs ENVY 17

I am building my next laptop. My question is simple....is the ENVY 17 w/ SB worth the extra money over the DV7Tqe w/ SB? After I price each one:

Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
Graphics card: 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA] edit
Memory: FREE Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
Hard drive: 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive
Primary battery: High Capacity 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard)
Display: 17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
Primary optical drive: FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Networking Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) edit
Keyboard Standard Keyboard
Total with EPP: 1090

ENVY 17
Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edit
Processor: 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
Graphics card: 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6850M Graphics [HDMI] edit
Memory: 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
Hard drive: 750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive
Primary battery 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 2.25 hours
Display: 17.3" diagonal Full HD HP Ultra BrightView Infinity LED Display (1920x1080)
Primary optical drive: Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Networking Intel: 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
Keyboard: Backlit Keyboard
Total: 1629

I am using the computer for gaming, school and personal stuff (web email etc). No video/music editing, but I will be playing the latest and greatest games as well as lots of multitasking. Is the Envy really worth the extra cash? The DV7Tqe has many free deals and seems to be a great value, but I also do really like a sleek sexy computer such as the envy. At the end of the day, is the extra $$ worth it for the envy?

Thanks

 

I personally made my decision based on two simple things.
I needed the full HD screen and the much better GPU.
So there it is. Whether you need Full HD vs. HD+ (or whatever they call the 900p resolution these days) I can't tell you. That is personal favor. I need it, because the lower res does not give me enough real estate pixel wise on the screen to run my CAD programs.
If you are gaming a lot, the highte end GPU in the envy will be worth it.
Look into HP Academy for some good pricing. In the end, the envy will always be more expensive, but for me, it is worth it.

 

Any coupons out there for either of the two models?

 

Envy 17 (the non 3D version): "NB1977" for $250 off.
DV7T: "NB2688" for $375 off.

 

I would recommend the Envy 17 because it's got the 1920x1080 display. In a laptop as big as 17" that costs this much, you should have the option to get a higher resolution than 1600x900. HP really needs to step up when it comes to the lack of screen options on their DV series.

If you're not set on HP, this Sager might be a better choice: (I recommend Sagers a lot more than I recommend HP's, especially the DV Series.)
Sager NP8170 (Built on Clevo P170HM) Custom Gaming Laptop
It's also got a better graphics card according to notebookcheck benchmarks that compare the NVIDIA 460M with the AMD 6850M.

or a cheaper option that has better battery life but a less powerful graphics card:
Sager NP5170 Custom Laptop (Built on the Clevo W170HN)

 

How's the battery on the envy 17? HP site says ~2.75 hours on 6 cell but it has switchable graphics doesn't it? Should be better.

 

I might also consider that the dv7tqe has better security options than the Envy. The outer casing appears more structurely sound as well and perhaps built to keep things cool. The Envy, no matter which way you slice it, was built for gaming and is configured for this. Better graphics and lighting. I am certain the Envy's bios also have good tweaking options for over-clocking.

 

I'm still trying to figure out which one I want.

One thing is for sure....I would PASS on the Envy 17...as it is a total rip-off. The Envy 17 3D is a much better value than the standard Envy 17. If you configure both computers to the same specs (watch the GPU), and use the coupon...you don't really save much over the 3D version.

 

I too faced the same problem as the OP a month ago and ultimately decided to go with the DV7T.

My reasons are as follows:
1. I owned a previous generation Envy (15") and never like how it works adn eventually sold it. The darn thing burns like a hot patato after a while (reminds me of a certain high end laptop with a fruit logo on its cover), so much so that I couldn't bear typing on it because the metal wrist-rest area is so hot.

2. My favorite game NBA 2K series, constantly crashed on the Envy for whatever reason and corrupted the game file (I have no idea what the cause is, but the game worked fine on my desktop and current ASUS laptop), perhaps the heating was an issue, but it was intolerable to me and I didn't want to take a chance again.

3. The $. HP had a 30% off coupon on the DV7T that can be used on top of the savings, I specced out a $1500 machine (2720QM, 8GB, Blu Ray and all the other goodies) and paid about $1100, taxes included.

4. I don't really think I need the 1080p. Since the DV7T has the 6770M card, it's probably better to run games at the 1600x900 resolution anyway. And with the money saved over the ENVY, I could very well go buy a 22-25" 1080p TV and hook that up to the HDMI port and use it for movies or whatever else I need full HD for.

 

Hp dv7t gets my vote... Envy 17 about 1300 vs. a Dv7 you could get for around 800 bucks with all the delays with about the same specs.....You do the math

 

Calling the Radeon 6850m "much better" over the 6770m is a stretch. It's around 10-15% and the 6770m has about 150mhz core overclocking headroom, if that's your cup of tea.

However, I do like the Envy 17's design more and the availability of a backlit keyboard. 1080p is nice, but might limit settings more in future games.

 

If you're using the Envy 17 to run the "latest and greatest" games, I'm afraid you're going to be sorely disappointed with the performance of the 6850m, as it is a mediocre mid-range graphics card, and it's sadly the only choice you have.

What baffles me is why HP doesn't offer at least a 460m as the standard card on the ENVY 17, their flagship product. To give you a rough estimate, a 6850m is around 60% slower in all games than the 460m. And the 460m can barely eek out 30fps at max settings on games like SC2. The 6850m will surely be outdated in a year, possibly even within this year.

If you're looking for something to game on, definitely cross HP off your list. Sager, Asus, and Alienware (Dell) have laptops that give you much better performance for your money. Sure, the ENVY 17 might look a bit "sleeker" but you're stuck with overpaying for a laptop that overheats and underperforms.