Envy 15 32xx vs Envy 17 32xx

I've had my eyes set on the new Envy 15 for awhile as it's fairly thin, good build quality, and I love the screen, but now I'm considering the 17". I initially was looking at the MBPR, but based on benchmarks, the 7750m in the Envy 15 is pretty much equal to the 650m in the MBPR, while the 7850m in the Envy 17 is better than both. Is this an accurate assessment? If so, just how much better is the 7850m in real world performance?

The Envy 15 and 17 are basically identical the way I configured them (both have i7-3610qm), except the for:
*7750 vs 7850
*IPS vs Radiance
*Regular DVD vs Blu-ray
*Single SSD vs Dual SSD (I can manually replace the single HDD in the 17" with 2 SSDs, correct?!)

My most pressing questions are:

1. How big of a difference is there between the 7750 and 7850? If I'm opting for a larger, less portable laptop, I'd like to at least be able to play most games medium-high at 1080p. I'm coming from a mere 5650 at 768p.

2. Does the 17" Radiance have the same red/orange issues as the 15" IPS?

3. Can I manually install dual SSDs in either laptop?

4. How is battery life on each? (both will have the i7-3610qm)

5. What is HP's return policy? I'm afraid the Envy 17 might be too big, but I can't find one at a local store to try first.

6. Are there any quality differences between the 3D 17" panel and the 2D 17" panel when viewing 2D content?

7. HP discontinued the Envy sheet battery, right?

 

I can answer these...
2, The envy 17 does not have the red issue because it uses a different display...
3, Yes on the envy 17 you can install 2 drives 1 SSD and 1 HDD, it also comes with the extra cable so you can just tape down the 2nd drive...
4, Battery life on the envy 17 should be really good because of the Intel 4000 Graphics, At Medium brightness and everyday surfing your probably looking at 4.5-5 hours, around there...
5, HP has a 21 day return policy no questions asked so if you want you can order the envy 15 first and try it out. If you don't like it then return it and get the envy 17... I got the envy 17 because it's better in every way...
6, I would think not the 3D version just has the 120 refresh rate versus the 60 refresh rate on the 2D version. Also keep in mind people who order the 3D version say they can't switch graphics cards. Which means it will be on the AMD 7850m the whole time which kills battery life...

 

Wow, thanks, that's perfect. I think I'll order the Envy 17 to try it out since A. I can get a pre-configured model shipped immediately, and B. I can try out the 15 in the store.

Also, since you have the 17", have you tried gaming (Skyrim, Mass Effect, Battlefield, etc)? If so, how is the performance (resolution, framerate, settings)?

 

2. Note that some Envy 15s have an issue with blue/green - mine being one of them.

3. Both laptops can have two HDD. On the 15 you'll have to remove the ODD first which is more work.

6. 3D screens are typically brighter. Given the switchable graphics fiasco I'd go with the regular screen.

Skyrim and Mass effect were playable at mid to high settings on the Sandy Bridge. They should be even better on the refresh. Search youtube for a review by mobiletechreview.

 

I have the Envy 17 with Radeon 7850M. I play Battlefield 3 multiplayer at full 1080p resolution on high settings, and it's smooth. I haven't run any tools to measure frame rates, but it's very playable and looks fantastic at high resolution.

Skyrim and ME shouldn't be a problem either. You can check here for performance across a variety of games. The 7850M doesn't have actual numbers, but it's correctly ranked somewhere between a Nvidia 650M and 660M, and you'll get approximately the same frame rates.

Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

Sounds like a non-3D Envy is my best bet! (too bad the 3D model has the graphics issue since it has a 120Hz screen and might be brighter)

How is battery life for you guys on the integrated GPU just multitasking in Word, iTunes, FireFox, etc?