Envy 14 or Envy 15

Im am going off to school here in about a month and need a laptop for college. I do numerous multimedia task and will game moderately playing games like Mass Effect 2, Crysis, TF2, and Guild Wars 2 when its comes out. My question is which laptop will be better for me?

I like the Envy 15 for:
Better video card
better screen
Cons:
no optical drive
no backlit keyboard

I like the Envy 14 for:
Slighty smaller
optical drive
Cons:
worse video card
problems with processor whine and keyboard flex

Also what is the battery life for both laptops running i7 processors? And what about both running i7 with the slice included?

thanks!

 

I say get the 15 if you have the money for it since it has better specs.

 

please, the price is identical if you look assuming you get the i5 in the Envy 14

 

I was in the same boat, but as a photog I absolutely have to have an optical drive, and I didnt want to have to carry one around with me, but I wanted a bigger screen resolution, so viola, just waiting for BCB for a 17

 

anything about battery life on both with i7?

 

Also note the maximum screen angle difference

 

For gaming, the E15 would be better, but I have heard that the E14 actually has a better screen than the 15. I would of got the 15, but since it didn't have the backlit keyboard, I went with the 14.

 

The envy 15 gets horrible battery life... same for the envy 14 with core i7...

If you want anything over 3 hours go for an Envy 14 with a core i5.

 

keep in mind right now the envy 15 has a 200 coupon code

 

where can i find this 200 dollar code?

 

any battery times with i7 plus the battery slice?

 

supposedly the envy 15 has big heat problems right?

that and the battery life would be the primary drawbacks, imo.

 

i thought that was only the first gen envy 15. Correct me if im wrong?

 

the coupon code is NBJ459873 i dont know how much longer its going to last i used it friday but its still active now

 

i got the 15 over the 14 because of the better GPU and the coupon made it cheaper, the loss of the optical drive is really not a big deal if your like me and rarely use one. plus you can an external one for like 30 40 bucks to have when you need it. For me the backlit keyboard didnt really matter either since i never look at the keys anyway.

 

can someone comment on the build quality of the either screens (flex, hinge strength, etc.)? The envy14's Radiance screen is a better screen no doubt, but i'm curious about how well it's put into the laptop chassis.

 

both screens are very thin so expect a certain amount of flex. I have the 14 and the hinges are very solid

 

Assuming you don't get a defective unit:

What's common about the two:

1. Run fairly cool
2. Good build quality
3. Great keyboards
4. Touchpads are the same, mediocre, but great with some tweaking
5. Weigh almost the same

Envy 14 > Envy 15 because

1. Screen, Envy 14 screen is amazing, but the Envy 15 screen is still very good
2. Battery life. With core i7 840, gets about 3 hours, with a core i7 in the Envy 15, expect a max of 2.5 hours.
3. backlit keyboard
4. more port selection, more USB ports I think along with two display out ports (Mini-D and HDMI) Envy 15 only has HDMI

Envy 15 > Envy 14 because:
1. More powerful GPU
2. higher resolution screen

 

L3vi thanks those are some good points and i think im going to go with the 14 now. Will the 5650 be able to play those games i listed though on at least med to high settings?

 

I have an Envy 15 2nd gen, Envy 14, and dv6tse so I can tell you my real-world experience with these machines.

The envy 14 definitely runs cooler than envy 15 when using integrated graphics. And the Envy 15 does NOT run cool. I don't know why everyone thinks the 2nd gen Envys run cool when it doesn't The bottom of the Envy 15 gets hot even when browsing. On the Envy 14, only the top right portion (near the vents) gets hot.

I prefer the 1080p screen of the Envy 15. This is important if you like to have multiple documents open. I don't like the limited screen angle of the Envy 15 though (the Envy 14 can tilt back another 20 degrees or so).

My Envy 15 gets 8.2k in 3dmark06; my Envy 14 gets 6.8k. There's an Envy 15 owner who gets 10k in 3dmark06 on an OC'ed 5830. The highest I've seen for 5650 (on a 4820TG) is around 7.8k OC'ed.

Backlit keyboard on Envy 14 looks cool, but not a necessity. Weight is about the same. Looks the same.

I haven't tested battery life yet since I use mine plugged in most of the time.

 

Crysis may have to be played at low but it should work.


the rest should be alright at medium to high/max depending on the game.


I need to try out crysis on my envy 14 sometime.

 

the 5830 GPU vs the 5650 is really what sold me. seems to be kinda a big jump with a lot of the newer games and right now FFXIV will barely run on the 5650

 

Neglected to mention the fragile bezel and lack of E2E glass on the E15. I definitely prefer the E14, but I'm holding out for a better touchpad.

 

what? e15 has edge to edge

and the 14 is plastic, not glass

 

Other way round mate.

 

is the i7 worth it? Because most people i see are getting the i5.
Price isnt a problem and i plan on getting the extended slice for when i travel and for class so i should still get good battery with that.
From a performance aspect does the 840 outperform the i5 by a lot?

 

E15 doesn't have edge to edge. The E14 does. It's not exactly glass though, it's like a fusion of glass and plastic.

 

-taps the screen- omg it isn't! :[

 

yeah it's some weird plexiglass thing.

 

The 2nd gen runs hot, but my understanding is that some of the 1st gen Envy 15s had severe overheating problems that caused crashing. I've had 3 different 2nd gens and so far, I've never had any crashes due to heat problems. Do you use a laptop cooler? When I use the Zalman NC-1000, the underside of the E15 becomes cold to the touch even when running demanding apps or games. On battery it doesn't run as hot as on AC, but it's hot enough that if I want to use it in my lap for an extended period I need to use the slice battery for insulation.

ME2 I get around 40-45 FPS (sometimes jumping up above 50) in 1920x1080p, all settings max detail. Crysis Warhead around 30-35.

 

moviemarketing how long does you battery last on your envy 15?

 

I wouldn't plan to do any gaming or intensive stuff on battery if you want it to last. With all settings at max performance and screen brightness dialed up I only get around 90 min with the 6-cell and another 4-5hrs with the slice for a total around 5 - 7 hours.

With every possible settings tweaked to extend the battery life and brightness dialed down, etc., I'm pretty sure I've gotten over 5 hours on the 6-cell. JJB has said that should be impossible due to the WattHrs of the battery and the watts used at idle. I bought a Kill-A-Watt meter and I'm going to do some extensive testing this weekend after Comic-Con with my Envy and my wife's Envy 15 2nd gen refurb, which she just received. I know with the slice in and every setting tweaked for maximum possible battery, it lasts all day, much longer than 7 hours.

 

yea i wasnt planning on doing gaming or anything on it on battery, i just meant for in class doing word processing and internet browsing with pretty much all settings tweaked for powersaving. So with those settings and slice i should have enough battery to get me through classes all day? (at least 4-5 hours of life)

 

Honestly, the only reasons I'm NOT getting an E15 are:

No Backlit Keyboard
No Switchable Graphics


If those two things don't matter to you, then definitely get the E15. I'd suggest with dual 160gb SSD's. 1080p screen FTW!

 

Some of the CTO configurations work out cheaper with the E15, maybe because it has 4 DIMMs so HP can use 2GB sticks to get to 8GB RAM, also the SSD seems to work out cheaper than getting the 256GB SSD with E14. I think this is why HP disabled the i5-520 and i7-620 options for the Envy 15.

 

So do you think the E14 will definitely get much better battery life with maximum power saving settings?

BTW, could you, or someone, please share some extreme battery saving settings that will work with the E14? THANKS SO MUCH!

 

Someone in the battery life thread got over 7 hours battery life with his E14 with everything turned off and brightness at the lowest level, just surfing the net.

Other people with screen brightness around 60% and wifi on doing music/movies/browsing have gotten around 4.5 hours battery life.

These are both without the slice. Just double those numbers for battery life with slice.

 

I'm not sure about the Envy 14 slice vs. regular battery in terms of watthours, but the Envy 15 slice seems to have a lot more juice than the standard 6-cell, perhaps about 200% the battery life of the regular 6-cell battery. In other words, with the slice in since you are using both batteries, the total life seems to be about triple (200% + 100%).

 

so i need to make a decision today! and i need help
Envy 14 or 15 for college use?
both i7 which is the better buy? and are the graphics really worse on the 14 compared to the 15?
sorry guys i just cant decide!

 

and is there any success over clocking the 5650 yet? because i heard it was clocked at it lowest possible settings.

 

what specs were going to go with on each?

did you see this thread that goes more into the graphics card? http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/502165-envy14-vs-envy15-vs-dv6t-se-trouble-deciding.html

also the the 200 coupon is still valid on the 15

 

HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC
EPP_00_NX369AV


Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-820QM Quad Core Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to3.06GHz
8GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm)
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics [HDMI] - For i7 Processors
15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
Webcam Only
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
No additional security software
HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
Standard Keyboard
One 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery + One 9 Cell HP Envy Slim Fit Extended-Life Notebook Battery
No Productivity Software
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: August 2, 2010

Free standard shipping on this item

« Save for re-order Remove »
Qty. Update »
Price: $2,124.99
Discount: -$212.50
APP Price: $1,912.49
HP ENVY 14 customizable Notebook PC
EPP_00_VX756AV


Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-840QM processor (1.86GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 Graphics [HDMI] - For Quad Core Processors
14.5" diagonal HD+ HP Radiance Infinity LED Display (1600x900)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
HP TrueVision HD Webcam + Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
No additional security software
Corel(R) PaintShop Photo(TM) Pro X3 + Corel(R) VideoStudio(R) Pro X3
Backlit Keyboard
One 8 Cell Lithium Ion (standard) +One 6-Cell Extended-Life Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery (over-sized)
Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: August 4, 2010

Free standard shipping on this item

« Save for re-order Remove »
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Price: $2,139.99
Discount: -$214.00
APP Price: $1,925.99

 

im also worried about battery life with the 15, i have the slice but i need it to last me through class and on airplane rides

 

well the 14 has a lot more battery life but if you only need 4 or 5 hours the 15 with the slice will be able to do that. so pretty much you have to decide between the GPU and battery life. just keep in mind you can never change your GPU but you always buy an extra battery.

Edit, if you go with the 15 i would shop around a little for an external drive in case there is another one you like, or you want more features.

 

which one would you prefer?
is the better gpu worth the less battery life and loss of optical drive and backlit keyboard? or should i just stick with the new 14 and just suffer some gpu loss and possibly just try to over clock it? (even though i have never over clocked before)

 

and i want something future proof which will still be good in the future which is why i want the i7 and high end video card

 

well i had the same issue as you i couldn't decide between the 15, 14 and dv6tse and i went with the 15 pretty much for the GPU just because its something you cant really ever change and it can be a big drop. the backlite keyboard would be nice but its not needed for anything
at first the only problem i really had was the loss of the optical, but after thinking about it ive had the same dvd in my PC for like 6 months. so unless you have to access a ton of discs for school or something then its not needed. having an external is nice to have when you need to install something but most of the time you can leave it at home.

 

plus with the i7 15 you are also getting USB 3.0 ports which might be really nice to have in a year or so.

 

ok ill buy the envy 15 then. Thanks for your advice hlyknightx. I owe you one man...

 

no problem i'm glad i could help