Envy 17 SB 3D - cpu choice

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the E17, SB, 3D, FHD and was wondering about the cpu choice.

I am only considering the i7-2620M or the i7-2639QM. I have concerns for battery life and performance - but only the relative difference of the exact same config but with the dual core vs quad core i7 cpu.

The questions are:

1) What is the expected battery life range for each of these cpus in the 17, using the 9 cell battery?
2) What differences do you perceive between the i7 dual core and quad core cpus. I expect that the dual core is more than sufficient for any application other than bleeding edge games, but I'd like to know if you think the dual core would seriously limit the appeal of the product for gaming purposes. BTW, I don't care at all about 3D; just getting it for the better screen.

I am asking the advice from two perspectives:

1) My own enjoyment and use of the product
2) The appeal to the market for Envy 17 3D units. As this will be a replacement for an earlier order (too long a story!), I still have to use this machine and decide if it fits the bill for me (I had wanted to stay under 16") and if not I will sell it - no gouging here, just fair price for buyer and seller alike, so that I can then buy the non-HP computer of my choice with the sale proceeds.

Thanks very much for any input you can provide. The specs you recommend may be available to you for purchase in a month or two, at a price way below even the average used price. I will play favorites among those who helped me here and express an interest in buying that which they recommend if I decide to sell it, which is about a 50-75% likelihood.

 

Hey lucky for you I've had both the 2630QM model and 2820QM model so I can answer some questions.

1. Battery life in light usage (couple webpages), 40% brightess. Intel HD graphics and processor speed maxed at 50% I get around 5- 5 1/2 hours of battery life with the 9 cell. This is on both models.
2. Quad cores no doubt. It used to be a vast difference in the previous nehalem generation (arrandale/clarksdale) due to the dual cores being 32nm and the quad cores being 45nm as well as massive differences in clock speed (1ghz+). However with quad cores the differences are 700 mhz to 400 mhz.
Now of course if your not using the computer for anything intensive then yeah there won't a difference in quad cores and dual cores.

I've also had both Regular Envy 17 SB and 3D Envy 17 SB.
So I can comment on the screen differences.
The 3D screen is brighter, and slightly better in terms of IQ. The 120 hz really helps a ton in games, truly. Refresh rate is very very high, and the input lag is very very very low. Perfect for mobile gaming.
The regular screen however seems to have slightly wider viewing angles, although to be honest it's nothing to write home about.

Any other questions?

 

I think you have those CPU options confused. As far as I can tell, only the i7-2630QM and i7-2820QM options are available. Both are quad core processors.

I believe the expected battery life is around 4-5 hours depending on use. Read the main Envy 17 thread and other people have posted their observations however the battery life is heavily dependent on cpu usage and screen brightness.

Chances are you will probably want a i7-2630QM unless you are doing heavy gaming or rendering. Also, you should consider an SSD over a HDD for better speeds. Installing an aftermarket SSD is much cheaper than HP's option, but then you gotta do work to reinstall your OS on the new SSD.

 

cam is right that the only CPU options are quad cores for the 3D model, however I am sure he also means the regular Envy 17.

 

Let me quickly chime in on the rendering part.
I do a lot of 3D renderings with all sorts of software and I have the lower end 2630QM. (it was a budget concern for me, since it did not feel like paying $350 more, and there was no 25% coupon when I ordered).
I can't really compare to the 2820, but, I am very pleased with the speed of the 2630. I am comparing it to my desktop which is a i7 860 with 16GB RAM, and my envy renders faster (about 10-25% depending on the file).

 

Sandy bridge for the freggin win. Even the 2.0 ghz is a beast.

 

Get the cheapest one. They all run at 800Mhz anyway.

 

Hey Everybody,

I'm really sorry, I didn't tag this thread and forgot I started it . Thank you so much for holding court for my benefit.

Ok, no more smileys. So, first of all, my OP had a typo, but you all pretty much figured that out. And Crimsoned, it was nice of you to suggest that I must be looking into non-3D Envys or why would I be speaking about dual core i7s - but actually I was ignorant at the time I started the thread, have since learned that all 3Ds have quad core only (thanks to a helpful PM), and the decision became between the 2630QM and the 2820QM and I decided on the former.

Now, just awaiting CM decision on whether an Envy 3D can be in my future, or if I am "stuck" with an Elitebook 8540w with a DC 2 screen. I am really hoping for the former, though thinking less and less of selling it, more and more of keeping it, which makes me very excited. Truth be told, I really don't need a new DTR/Entertainment computer; for my purposes, my HP DV8t will serve needs well for at least another year, but I'm thinking that opportunity is knocking and if I replace the DV8 now, I won't have to replace the Envy 17 for several years (not really a power user, just like things lightening fast, great video, great audio, "luxury" features, like backlit kb, BR DVD, etc.

From what I am reading on the throttling issue, I'm getting the feeling that it is a bug that well either get a fix/patch or, if it is a major hardware problem, it'll just have to be another good old HP "recall." I can handle that; the DV8 is the only HP machine I have owned that the first unit was the final one. Why do I keep buying them? Well, they often design products that are very appealing and then they discount the hell out of them, so they're almost irresistable - like the Envy 14 Radiance deal in Jan that is what got me into this morass!

Thanks again all. Good luck, Crimsoned.