Envy 14 Radiance: worth it at this point?

I realize everyone's wants and needs in a laptop are different, but I'm curious as to whether anyone thinks it'd be worth it to spend ~$1,000 on an Envy 14, i5-5xx series (non-Sandy Bridge, obviously), Radiance display, while already having a 15" MBP. The Core 2 Duo-having MBP would presumably be sold off at some point after buying the Envy.

I'm just curious what others think of the idea -- especially since Sandy Bridge is a somewhat significant bump from the previous generation, and despite the lack of information on any future Envy refreshes.

I do not have any demanding uses as far as hardware goes; I'm a med student, and I don't game on PCs much anymore. I also have a little bit of a Windows preference.

 

If you don't have any demanding uses for hardware, then sandy bridge probably isn't even worth it to you anyway.

As for radiance, I've heard that it's amazing, but personally I don't think it's worth getting a used laptop because of it. If you're someone who doesn't care about getting a used laptop and cares about a really nice looking screen, then go for it.

 

If you're not a demanding user, I say save some money and get the HP Envy 13 with either 1366x768 or 1600x900 screen.
I've seen them go for ~$500 on eBay, ~$600 w/ high res screen, ~$800 w/ 160gb Intel SSD. Should be able to sell it without significant loss when Ivy Bridge comes out.

 

I was in the same boat as you. Couldn't make up my mind. The radiance is absolutely amazing! but then again so would extra battery life from SB. Well i finally decided to place all my chips on the new envy having a high res screen. I'm selling both my envys and radiances (almost all sold) while the value is still there and using all the money on a new envy w/ high res (cross fingers) and an SSD. If the new envys don't have a high res then i'll re-buy an envy w/ radiance for cheaper than i sold them for (again crossing fingers). I don't see what the big deal in buying used is. Yeah there is a chance something can go wrong but with a 2 year warranty and the amount you save on buying used i think it's really worth taking your chances. Thats my opinion and i'm sure not everyone would agree with me. Either way you go you'll be extremely happy w/ your envy.

 

Hmm... If you're in the market for a new computer and want something similar to your MBP then I would say its worth it. I had the radiance and its definitely a nice screen to have. Assuming the condition of the laptop is good then go ahead and get it. The SB processors for what you're going to do with it is not a big deal. The first gen i5's are plenty capable for everyday tasks. Your biggest performance gains are usually going to be with a SSD. It used to be hard drive and ram but now a days laptops are coming with plenty of ram for the average person.

Now with that said, the BV display is still decent. I've gotten used to mine since I lost my radiance its not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. You can get a used envy with similar specs for $700. So the question is which do you want more? Radiance for $1000 or BV for $700. Personally I would get the $700 one then use the extra cash for anything else you want like SSD or slice.

 

I dunno about that...
Here are the numbers according to notebookcheck:

Radiance:
avg brightness - 263
black - 0.29
contrast - 852:1
above average viewing angles

Brightview:
avg brightness - 177.9
black - 1.18
contrast - 164:1
narrow viewing angles

Coming from a MBP, I think he'd be pretty disappointed with the BV. The numbers indicate that the BV is no better, if not worse, than screens in budget notebooks like Acer and Asus.

 

I was part of the whole Envy 14 Radiance fiasco back in February. It shipped with the BV screen but I had ordered the Radiance back in December with the intention of swapping it out. Having used both, I would say now that the Envy with the BV is a good laptop but nothing special. With the Radiance, the screen is a pure joy to use. Of course it depends on what's important to you...to me, screen quality is #1. My brother who owns a macbook pro has commented how much nicer the radiance looks...

If I had to do it all over again I would not purchase the Envy with just the BV. It's not a knock on BV, the Radiance is just that much better.

__________________
Envy 14 - i5-580/ HD5650/ 8gb ram/ 256gb SSD/ Radiance screen/ Win 7 Pro/ Slice battery

 

I donno if this was aimed towards me but I said the laptop with the radiance would be similar to his MBP. The radiance is better then the MBP and most screens in its class. When I said similar I mean overall feel, not just the screen. Build quality is better on the MBP's and considering all the pros and cons of both, in my mind they would have the similar level of satisfaction.

It just becomes a choice of how bad he needs a new laptop and how much he wants to pay for it. For me the radiance was great but I honestly forgot how different it was because I'm so used to the BV now. Within a week or so your eyes will get used to pretty much any screen. Considering he's in med school I doubt he needs a high res ultra bright screen when a standard screen will make do for researching and writing papers. You can always buy a nice 24" 1080p monitor for the price difference of a non-radiance envy.

 

it was
I just wanted to point out that the BV is not good by any means. IMO, it is an unacceptable screen for what is supposed to be a premium laptop. He might as well get an HP DM4, since he doesn't seem to need the graphics power.
But if he requires a quality screen... depending on his budget, I say Envy 14 w/ Radiance for ~$1000 or Envy 13 for ~$600

 

Where are you seeing envy 13's for 600? Any with the 1600x900 (a must)

 

$659 OBO, but SU9600 CPU
HP Envy13t Laptop Dual Core 5GB RAM 13.1 LED Screen | eBay

I've seen others on ebay go for that price or less for SL9400 CPU and 1600x900.
I don't think 1366x768 on the Envy 13 is so bad of a resolution for the size. And at least HP didn't compromise the quality of the screen on either option.

 

I personally don't like the 1366 even on the envy 13. Yeah it is much better than the one on the envy 14 but i like to have 2 documents open at a time and besides 1600x900 is just better IMO but wow that is a good find. I looked all over ebay for a 13 with 1600x900 the other day and couldn't find one. It is crazy how much the envy 13's go for considering the older cpu and all that. You can get a brand new 14 last week with coupon for $750. I do love the 13 though. Wish they'd bring it back with a high res and I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

Sorry for the off topic post.

 

I hear ya on that. As nice as the samsung series 9 is, I wont even consider it because of the 1366x768 resolution.

 

Alright, so if I purchase an Envy during the recent update will it come with the Radiance display? I purchasing one from college, so I don't mind waiting for the may/june update.

 

Nobody knows

 

People have asked HP reps and they said that the radiance screen will never come back to the Envy, however other reps have said that it will... so basically, nobody knows. My guess is that it won't though, the company that makes the screen is out of business.

 

But haven't there been some screens that came out on February or something? Well is it possible to get "the screen" itself, and just swap it out with out possessing a lot of technical knowledge?

 

That is precisely what I am trying to do. I have a legit radiance panel sitting right next to me, but the real problem is that the BV cable going from mobo->display doesn't have enough pins for the radiance. The connector is the same, but doesn't have as many wires connected as the radiance connector does

 

You haven't seen it in person and that makes your comment silly. I bought my E14 off Ebay and it came in perfect condition.

I want the new m14x, hell any more powerful 14 inch laptop, but will not and cannot give up this Radiance display. It's that good.

I will never go back to crappy displays.

 

No need for immature name calling, I was simply implying that used laptops are usually not as reliable as new ones. I even clarified that it was more a personal inclination I had that I preferred new ones, and told him to get the radiance if he didn't share my own opinion.

It's great that you were able to get a good laptop that was used, but don't assume that all laptops will be in perfect condition after being used. I've had friends who got seemingly good deals on refurbished laptops and then had them crash within the first week, which is why I tend to stay away.

 

The m14x unfortunately has a pretty niche design, to state it nicely.

And who's to say a brand-new laptop is more reliable than a used one? Seems to me that used laptops are much MORE reliable than new ones, if the seller describes it accurately, with fewer surprises.

(Dell's new XPS's have problems with the Intel 6230 wifi cards, the original Envy 14's had flip-of-the-coin build quality / nicks/defects, etc.)