Envy 14 vs EliteBook 8440w (Canadian Models)

So I was all set to get the Envy 14 and have been waiting for it to come out in Canada. When it finally showed up on HP.ca I was disappointed to see that there was not going to be any build to order option and we were stuck with the one model config that HP Canada was going to release here, mainly because it was listed with the lower res 1366x768 screen. Now I am hearing people who have bought the Envy 14 at local retail stores reporting that does in fact come with the 1600x900 screen. So I'm debating between the two but am leaning towards the 8440w.

I will not be using this laptop for gaming. I will spend most of my time in Lightroom, Photoshop, After Effects, 3DS Max and Premiere.

Here are the specs of each laptop as available in Canada with final price after tax.

HP Envy 14 - $1938 (from a retail store I can return for full refund/) $1723.33 (not sure about return policy from this vendor which I'm iffy about b/c of the screen)
Intel Core i5-430M processor 2.26GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.53 GHz
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
640GB HD (5400RPM)
Slot-Loading SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366 x 768) although people are reporting it is in fact 1600x900
802.11b/g/n WLAN
Bluetooth
2-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards & MultiMedia cards
3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, 3rd port shared with eSATA
mini-Display port
1 HDMI
1 eSATA + USB 2.0
1 RJ -45 (LAN)
1 Headphone-out/Microphone-in combo jack (compatible with 3.5mm 4-conductor jack with stereo audio and mono mic)
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated microphone

HP EliteBook 8440w - $1793.22
Intel® Core™ i7-620M Processor (2.66 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache)
Windows 7 Pro 32-bit (I will have to request a 64-bit copy of Windows from HP)
4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (8GB Max)
320 GB 7200 rpm SATA II
DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe
14.0" LED-backlit HD+ anti-glare (1600 x 900)
NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M graphics with 512 MB DDR3
3 USB 2.0
1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo port
1 external VGA monitor
1 DisplayPort
1 1394a
1 stereo microphone in
1 stereo headphone/line-out
1 AC power
1 RJ-11
1 RJ-45
1 docking connector
1 secondary battery connector
1 Express Card/54
1 Smart Card Reader
1 Secure Digital
2 MP webcam
Intel Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3) 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1

My biggest concern regarding the 8440w is one review stating that media playback wasn't very good, which I find odd. Any 8440w owner care to share their thoughts about this? This will be replacing my Asus G1S so I assume either one will be a good improvement.

 

No opinions on this? Two different user groups I guess.

I am in the process of seeing if I can get a BTO Envy 14 with the following specs:

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Intel Core i5-520m
8 GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
160 GB Solid State Hard Drive
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
14.5” HD+ HP Radiance Infinity LED Display 1600x900

This setup comes to $1884.99 (US) so I'm not sure what additional charges on top of the exchange rate I will be quoted.

Logic is still telling me to go with the 8440w but the Envy is so slick looking.

 

I would take the 8440

wife has the 8740W and for acual production work that thing ROCKS. and the warranty is superb.
and if your a heavy photoshopper, think 8 and 10 bit IPS panels on some of the elitebooks

 

Don't want to hijack the thread but to the OP or anyone else who knows; is there any way to get the English-only keyboard in Canada instead of the french/english one? I hate the bilingual KB with a passion (for numerous reasons, nothing against Quebec).

I was at a local FutureShop and the guy said it was by law that they have these KBs, which is BS since there are a ton of Vaios and MacBooks/MBPs with english-only KB.

 

sure just order another keyboard from HP and install it is my preferred way

 

The 8440w looks way better than the Envy imo

 

I was at a local FutureShop and the guy said it was by law that they have these KBs, which is BS since there are a ton of Vaios and MacBooks/MBPs with english-only KB.

 

for me, the most important thing regarding the decision would be the glossy display of the envy vs the anti-glare display of the elitebook.

since i am a proud user of professional hp compaq notebooks (older nw series), i would not stick to a glossy display. if you are working in a bright office with a window behind you, you can barely see anything on the envy due to its glass plated screen.

 

Placed my order for the 8440w today. It was the logical choice in many ways. Hopefully I will have it by Friday, which means I will spend the weekend wiping it and putting Window 7 Pro 64-bit on it. I hope in the near future to upgrade the hard drive to a SSD drive, but will wait for the price:capacity:speed ratio to even out a bit.

 

So how are liking it so far? comment on the screen and media playback?

 

I'm really happy with the 8440w so far. The screen is okay, not the greatest range of viewing angles but it doesn't really effect me and the way that I work. I can't say it's any worse then my old Asus G1S, it's just different because it's matte. I would say if you are using the PC for everyday tasks it wouldn't be an issue.

Media playback is great. I on many occasions have connected this laptop to my HDTV via HDMI and streamed content via the web and it works well. I'm not sure if it's the hardware or Windows 7 but getting the signal pushed out to the TV is so much easier then with Vista and my old G1S. It just does it. I did have to adjust the scaling in the Nvidia control panel but that was just the first time. It even automatically switches the audio to go out via HDMI. I haven't watched DVDs as I don't really ever use physical media anymore but playback of Divx/Xvid files is fine. I can also playback HD QuickTimes shot with my Canon 7D without issue, on a lot of PCs including my G1S they would be choppy.

Overall I am very happy with this laptop. Great performance, fantastic build quality and even the battery life is good. I have no problem recommending this laptop to others. A coworker of mine actually just ordered the 15" model.

 

Thanks for your answer... i think i will pull the triger on a 8540w and get the best of booth world (good screen and great build quality) but sacrifice about 20 % more volume