Envy 14 Minimal-Build

Alright, so I've been following the envy 14 for the past three months and unfortunately have been extremely letdown by the price markups and lack of discounts. I'm going to be a college student and I'm on a budget. Unfortunately, school is soon approaching and I need to get a laptop before it starts.
I was originally planning on ordering the Envy 14 with minimal upgrades (500 GB HD, 4gig 1 dim, total ~60 upgrades) and adding the 30% BCB to make it quite affordable. However, that plan has gone out the window and now I'm almost considering alternatives to the Envy 14 once again.
The cheapest setup I can get now (with the same upgrades) would basically be stock setup (1366x768 screen) with academic discounts (~$960 before tax). My question is how big would the difference be between the standard and radiance screen? Would there be any benefits to the weaker screen aside from being cheaper, say, improved battery life? Are there any alternatives that people would recommend over the Envy 14? (Portable, w/ atleast some kind of graphics card for light gaming)

Thanks in advance,
FT

 

There's a big difference between the Radiance and Brightview. Don't know the impact on battery life yet.

Have you looked at the DV6?

 

That's what I've heard, which is why accepting a downgrade is so difficult.
I have seen the DV6 which is not a bad laptop but I have an issue with the size and weight. My previous laptop was a 15.4" at 6 lb and I did not enjoy carrying it to school very often. I eventually sold the laptop and used a netbook.
Before I saw the Envy 14, I had been set on a 13.3" laptop sub 4 lb's but the specs on the Envy and the (supposed) price had me sold. I plan on moving around a lot and portability is a big issue.

 

Tough call. HP doesn't have much to offer as far as something comparable with the Envy 14 other than the DV6. DV5 uses only integrated graphics. Probably not enough for light gaming.

Try asking this question here to get a wider range of opinions:

What Notebook Should I Buy?

Also be sure to note what games you are looking to play so posters can get a good gauge of what sort of GPU would be adequate.

 

Thanks, I asked the question about 3 months ago and I was personally set on the Asus line (Low price, good build quality, excellent specs). They seem to be coming out with the U35jc sometime soon (Hopefully real soon, I have to head out in 3 weeks) so I'll keep an eye on that. Thanks for the help, I'll make sure to ask around in that section if I have any more questions.

 

Check back here though as more folks will be coming online in a few hours and may have some more suggestions.

 

Look at the DM4t

•Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
•Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor
•4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
•FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
•512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5450 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
•14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
•SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

Price: $1,019.99
Discount: -$40.80
APP Price: $979.19
Notebook instant rebate: –$150.00
Price after savings: 829.19

 

I suggest the Sony VAIO EA series or EB for a larger screen. Sony laptops, IMO, are quality laptops. The laptop that I'm using right now is a Sony VAIO, and it's working like new. It's about 4 years old now.

It was that and the DV6Tse, but I went for the Envy 14 because of BCB.

 

if you don't have enough money get a cheaper laptop like the dm4t. i mean thats the only logical thing to do.