Envy 14 or DM4T or Envy?

So after spending quite some time doing some research here I was shocked to find identical spec Envy 14 vs DM4 was actually cheaper for the Envy, with two exceptions. Of course the better GPU on the Envy, and with the optional 9 cell battery on the DM4.

I am moving to Moscow in January and want a decent laptop to keep in touch with family and friends. Where the power desire comes is that I would like to maintain my graphic design business with previous clients (and maybe even pick up some new ones) and perhaps some modern gaming (I play a lot now, but all Xbox/PS3).

Is there anything I am missing here? Any other differences? I really like the better battery life of the DM4, and I have a hard time with the video difference since I have not seen any real comparative analysis of the two (besides "oh the 5650 is soooo much better than the 5470").

I was going to wait for Black Friday, but with the potential lemon-issues, and loading software and whatnot, and the awesome deals on HP now... I am thinking it might be time to take the plunge.

Currently running (desktop) Q6600 2.4ghz Quad-Core, 4gb DDR2 800, GeForce 9800GT 512mb. Would not mind something similar-to-better . My last "laptop" was one of the Toshiba M200's back in the day, until some jerk stole it at Uni.

WiMax sounds like it would be valuable in Moscow, but I am not fully familiar with what it is honestly, and it sounds like there are plenty of other options. But something to think about.

DM4T - $884.99
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized) -Up to 10.5 hours of battery life +++
14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
Standard Keyboard


Envy 14 - $819
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI] - For Dual Core Processors
4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 6.0 hours of battery life +++
14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Backlit Keyboard

EDIT: Spotted this deal on NewEgg. Not sure on the CPU vs the HP's though.

ASUS N52DA-X1 NoteBook - $850
AMD Phenom II Quad-Core P920(1.6GHz)
15.6"
4GB Memory DDR3 1066
500GB HDD 7200rpm
DVD Super Multi
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 1gb DDR3 VRAM

 

Found two others... First is a little more expensive, and bigger screen (count that a negative) but better memory and battery...

HP DV6 - ~$900
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Intel Wireless-N Card
Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader

Not sure how I feel about a refurb but...

Best Buy Outlet Refurb i7, 6gb ram - $999

 

I think it's a no brainer to go with the Envy. Better looking, better build quality, backlit keyboard, and larger screen for $65 cheaper than the Pavilion.

Where are you finding that price for the Envy?

 

Any reason not the DV6?

 

Another tempting deal... Jump to 15.6" is unfortunate, but the increased real-estate is very nice. Battery will be garbage (they say 2+ hours).

Actually, reading specs (granted the 1080p is nice) there is still no comparison to the first 2 (or even the DV6) HP's I listed. This is more expensive, and though I LOVE the screen real-estate, I am sacrificing on a couple of my most important issues- namely battery life (hard to say I am sacrificing on size due to the nice resolution).

After hours upon hours of research these last couple days, I cannot seem to find a deal that even really compares to the HP, let alone wins.


Sager NP2180 (Built on Compal NBLB2) Custom Laptop - $904
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Intel® Core™ i5-560M, 2.66-3.2GHz, (3MB L3 cache)
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5650 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3
- 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive
- 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Intel® Advanced-N 6200 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support





EDIT: The main thing tugging at me against the Envy is that "10+ hours of battery life" with the 9-cell on the DM4. Being that I will be living in Moscow (unfamiliar, different plugs, etc), plus working potentially ridiculous scattered hours, the battery life is very nice. But I like the GPU on the Envy and some of the other small, but nice, features (like backlight). But will the battery between 9-cell on DM4 and 8-cell on Envy be such a huge difference?

 

Even though I am a big HP fan (I really don't know why) , The Sager looks like a better deal and will probably outlast the HP.

 

So I was close to being set and coupons expired. I am down to the wire on current coupon as well, but, here goes... I was pretty sold on the Envy 14, but current coupon will not work. So my choices are between these two, or waiting for Cyber Monday, or another HP coupon that would cover something else (maybe Envy?).

DV6T : $889.99

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader


OR


DM4T : $889.99
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized) -Up to 10.5 hours of battery life +++
14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Standard Keyboard



Between the two I really do not know. I like the 6gb, and the better video of the DV6... but I liked the smaller size and probably better battery life with the DM4. But who knows, it seems like HP coupons are a dime a dozen, maybe I should just wait and see what else pops up.

 

how are you able to get that spec envy 14 for 819. Please tell me I wanna get one too.

Thanks

 

There was a coupon, but its expired now. Looks like the coupon for Pavillions will expire as well before I get any feedback

 

I checked out the DM4T in Best Buy vs. the DV6T. The dm4t IMO is the better choice.

dm4t

• Battery life
• Portability (weight, size)
• Looks sexy

dv6t

• Screen res
• GFX card

I would choose the dm4t.

 

Now I am having second thoughts. I could get a similar Envy for a similar price.

Not quite as nice a processor, 4gb of ram instead of 6gb, and granted no SSD- but I could probably get that for Christmas anyway. My grandma is about to start getting creative since there is still nothing on my list, and creative grandmas can be dangerous...

Why is this so complicated? I really prefer the 14" size, battery life was one of the key factors moving me to the DV6, but now I am wondering if battery life will really be much of an improvement, if any. Yes the SSD would make a significant price difference, but if I can get that for Christmas anyway (moving across the pond next month complicates it)...

If only they could have shoved a ATI 5650 into the DM4 this would have been so simple!

Envy 14 - $1224
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI]
4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Two 8 Cell Lithium Ion Batteries (standard)
14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
HP TrueVision HD Webcam and Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Backlit Keyboard

 

envy battery life will be roughly 4 hours per battery.

8 if you got the slice + regular (or yeah 4 for both of those guys if you just swap the battery)

DV6T and the envy14 should have roughly similar battery lives (dv6t may get a bit more if you pick the oversized battery)

 

I was in a similar situation this past summer. I ended up choosing the dv6tse because of the better specs, battery life, and screen size, but it sounds like you're more focused on battery life and smaller size than raw power.

I'm not sure what type of games you want to play, but if it's nothing too extreme the dm4t should be fine. The Envy 14 and dv6t have the same 5650, but I've read about the E14 having an underclocked 5650. Not sure if this is still the case or if it really makes a difference in performance.
dv6t>E14>dm4t

As for battery life, the dm4t is probably the best. Between the dv6t and Envy 14, I would say there's a much bigger difference if you're comparing the dv6t + 9 cell to the Envy 14 without slice. I've read about the E14 getting about 4 hours. I haven't really done a battery test, but I'd say I get at least 7 hours, possibly 8 or 9, on the i5's integrated graphics on my dv6t with the 9 cell.
dm4t>dv6t>E14

As for size, you seem to be fine with a smaller 14" screen, so this is where the dv6t's 15.6" screen falls short. It's the biggest of the 3 laptops, but it is by no means oversize/unusually big. It's actually still quite thin, but the dm4t and E14 are smaller. The biggest feature of the E14 I wish the dv6t had is the 900p Radiance screen, but I assume you'd purchase an E14 with 768p resolution anyway.
E14>dm4t>dv6t

Personally, if I was in your situation, I would go with the dm4t because it seems like you don't really need a 5650. The dm4t combines the small size of the E14 with the cheap price and superior processor of the dv6t. The only con I see is the lack of a backlit keyboard, which I must admit is pretty useful. However, if the E14 was <$1000 with 2 batteries, I would go for it instead.

Also, the 6GB of RAM is unnecessary unless your're doing a lot of video editing. As a graphic designer, I have 6GB and my RAM usage hovers between 1.9 and 2.5GB. Besides, RAM is easy and cheap to upgrade later on.

 

Yea the problem is I do not really know what I will need. If I can reasonably do so, I will be getting an Xbox in which case I do not need any gaming on the laptop.

I suspect the 5650 vs 5470 will not make a big difference as far as graphic design goes.

My hope was to be able to play modern games, Starcraft II for example, etc. But we will see. The DM4T is very similar in price for identical specs, and if I really had to I could probably bump the processor down, 3.33ghz after boost is a lot, particularly if gaming was taking a back seat.

The problem is I have no idea what will be happening once I am there. Optimally this will be just for keeping in touch and internet usage, and I will have Xbox to keep myself entertained . I figured the DV6 would cover my bases the best. Perhaps if I am not wowed when it gets here I will return for DM4 and just accept the fact that gaming will be limited, I will have to buy an Xbox, or just start reading .

EDIT: Is it safe to assume on all these options the batteries are not hot-swappable? I asked sales and they said, "Yes, you can switch the batteries without powering down the laptop, but you have to plug into power." I was like, gee thanks that was helpful .