HP Envy 14 vs. Pavilion dm4t vs. Pavilion dv6tse

Hey guys,

I've pretty much narrowed it down to these options for college next year (incoming freshman). Some things to know first:

- I do very light gaming, and don't see my habits changing anytime soon
- I will be doing some fairly intense video editing as part of my coursework
- I am used to a 14-inch screen, and I prefer it over a 15.6" (although I am not opposed to changing my habits)
- I like to have multiple programs open at once
- I do some Photoshop work


HP Pavilion dm4t: ($949.99):
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-620M Dual Core processor (2.66GHz, 4MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5450 switchable graphics
* 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader + Digital Microphone
* Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Full-size island-style keyboard
* High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition: ($949.99):
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
* FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
* No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
* Lightscribe Blu-ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Full-size island-style backlit keyboard with HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
* 50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


HP Envy 14: ($989.99):
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-370M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics - For Dual Core Processors
* 14.5" diagonal HD+ HP Radiance Infinity LED Display (1600x900)
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam + Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Corel(R) PaintShop Photo(TM) Pro X3 + Corel(R) VideoStudio(R) Pro X3
* Full-size island-style backlit keyboard
* 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


Now, my gut reaction is to jump for the dv6tse because of the fully-loaded options, but it's bigger than what I'm used to and I need a portable, lightweight laptop (I'll be taking this EVERYWHERE). Will I really need/use the Blu-Ray? And how important is the backlit keyboard/lack thereof?

My final question: what should I pick, and why?

Thanks!

 

The Envy 14 is your best choice. For the work you will be doing and the multiple windows you will have running, the Envy's higher resolution screen will give you more area to work with.

Flipping back and forth between windows on a small low rez screen is really annoying when doing work.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The Envy is obviously my dream choice; however, I feel the only thing it has going for it compared to the other two configurations is the better screen resolution and possibly construction.

 

this could be a huge difference. wait for reviews to come out, but this is big. Especially with HP's love for short lived products, you really want something to last you 4 years.

 

I know the Envy has the edge possibly, but the dm4t and dv6tse's are mostly aluminum construction and people who have them say it's just as good construction-wise as the Envy series.

How does the i7-620M in the dm4t compare to the i3-370M in the Envy 14 and the i5-450M in the dv6tse?

 

"HP Envy 14: ($989.99):"

Where did you find the Envy 14 for $989.99? HP has it for $1,099 and I have seen a couple of places at $1,049...

 

Sorry, the Envy 14 price is with student discount.

Likewise, my Pavilion prices are with the $300 coupon + $150 instant savings.

 

As far as screen resolution goes, I'm not sure what kind of video editing you do but you may actually want the higher resolution of the envy. As an engineering student, I can tell you that having the extra vertical space is a huge plus for multiple windows and columns of text. The main downside is that small text tends to strain my eyes a lot. If you do mostly graphical work though, that shouldn't be a problem for you.

 

Well, I'm a business and communications dual major. As part of the communications core, I'm taking Multimedia Storytelling, which is basically all video editing and multimedia stuff. I figure it's going to be fairly intensive because of the fact they require me to bring an external 500GB+. However, after that class, I may never do any heavy video editing again.

 

I would say to buy the dv6t SE simply because it gives you the most bang for your buck. The Raedon 5650 is huge jump from the dm4t's 5450.

The Envy has the looks, but you'll get a much better deal by buying the dv6t - its loaded with free upgrades and extras. Plus, its only .2 pounds heavier than the envy (5.3lbs vs 5.5lbs), so carrying it around shouldn't be too much of an ordeal.

 

I'm not sure how things work at Syracuse, but I know at my school, people in digital media type classes usually end up doing the bulk of their work at the studio/computer lab. The computers are set up with big displays and all the programs you'd need and the hardware to run them. It's generally easier than trying to work off a small laptop screen and doesn't require everyone to get top-of-the-line laptops. If you have that option I would prioritize portability and probably go with the dm4t.

Also since you have an external, I'd get the Intel SSD for the dm4t and just go with a 450m processor. I don't think the performance of the 620m justifies the huge premium when you'll see bigger performance increases from the SSD (video encoding notwithstanding, but hopefully you'd do that on a desktop anyways).

 

Yea, I know it is, but I'm not a heavy gamer so I don't think I'd really need the graphics. I'm just concerned about leaving the i7-620M processor on the table with the dm4t and regretting it in two years.

 

Hrm, great points. I'll definitely look into that. Thanks!

 

I'm not trying to turn you against the i7 (well maybe a little ), but just so you know my personal experience with processors is that they're more of an ego upgrade than a real function upgrade. When my Thinkpad died, I went from a 2.53GHz dual core to a 1.86GHz Pentium M . The only thing I really miss from before are the 4 gigs of ram and the graphics card. I can still play games (up to what my card can handle) and stream pandora or youtube in the background. Watching movies and tv shows works the same as before also. If I didn't need the processor for engineering software I'd feel slightly cheated for spending so much.

 

Yea, I know, this is true.

We'll see. I've got some decisions on my hands haha.

 

Also, adding to your decisions list, if you have space and a little more cash, you can always consider buying an external monitor. HP has some nice 18"-20" monitors that run for around $100-$150, and they'll be loads better than the laptop displays, even the ENVY 14's, and I'm sure there are nice options from other manufacturers as well. In such a case, the screen quality of the laptop itself wouldn't be too much of a factor.

 

I contemplated this, and I don't think I'll be getting one. I'm comfortable using a laptop and not converting it into a desktop when I'm in my dorm room.

 

If it is likely that you will be doing most serious work on the desktops in the studio lab, then I think you should get a DM4t with dedicated graphics and the highest i5 processor. Sure you miss out on the resolution, but you get a better processor than the Envy 14 at a similar price, and a powerful processor is important in video editing. If you don't mind going a bit bigger, the DV6t is even better because of the heavy discounts.

 

I have been contemplating the same systems and really weighing what I need vs what I want. Right now the DV6Tse is really tempting because of the awesome discount coupon. I am not sure if it stacks with the student discount because I tried it logged out of my acct.

I built my system with way more than I needed including the touch screen and less the warranty upgrade, I came in slightly over $1k with the coupon. Blu-ray included. While this is slightly bigger than the other two, the weight difference is marginal but the upgrades to be had are awesome at that price.

 

I just played with a dm4t at Microcenter last week and the build quality was immaculate. The screen was nice and bright and the aluminum was sturdy with no keyboard flex. Although the dm4t has a much weaker GPU, it may still suffice for your needs. The trackpad was what I might call "fussy," however.

I do agree that the added screen resolution for the ENVY is a huge plus if you have multiple windows open. Also for college, battery life is SO important, yet it seems like no one ever considers how much they actually need their laptop throughout the course of the day.

The ENVY will give you almost double the battery life of the dm4t or dv5/6 due to the switchable graphics, which will really help you along the way in maintaining this as a 4-year notebook.

If I were you, I'd go ENVY, if not for the breathtaking screen, then for sheer battery life alone.

 

The dm4 and dv6 both have switchable graphics as well

 

Wow, good call - Haha. My bad!

 

To help your decision, do what i did. Go to a local Staples, they have the dm4t and dv6tSE on display. I played around with the two in store and compared the sizes, build quality and screen resolutions.

Build quality for both is very good. Sturdy mix of metal and plastic. Very minimal flex in certain areas. Screen quality was good. Keypad was excellent, though mixed feelings on the touch pad.

Test them out for yourselves and see what suits you best.

 

THANK YOU! I was wondering if there was somewhere I can go to test these. I'm in the same boat as the OP and for the life of me, cannot decide what laptop to get!

 

Thanks for all the overnight responses guys.

Would it be worth it to get the i5-450M processor in the dm4t instead of the i7-620M and get a 160GB SSD instead of the 500GB 7200 HDD? The idea of having almost no noise at all fascinates me, as does the faster times.

This is hypothetical, of course. I'm still weighing all my options, but I feel right now, the dm4t is my best option for portability, power for the price, and battery life.

 

If you want decent battery life then stick with the i5. The i7 currently does not offer switchable graphics. Also, I would suggest the SSD if you can afford it and don't require a lot of storage space. Most people prefer to use an external storage anyway.

 

Even the dual-core i7-620M doesn't? That's a shame, I thought it was only for the quad-core i7's.

 

Ah, did not take that into consideration...I just looked at i7 and assumed you wanted a quad core. In that case, I am not sure. I had been looking at some laptops that didn't offer the 620. I wonder if someone else can confirm if it is offered for the 620.

Edit: Just did some quick research and..."A feature of the new Core i7-620M is the integrated graphics card called Intel HD Graphics (GMA HD) and memory controller. " So in theory, it should be offered with switchable graphics eh? If that is the case then I'd say jump on it.

 

Coupons right now let you get this setup of the Dv6t-se for $970 + tax/shipping.

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Intel Wireless-N Card
Full-size island-style backlit keyboard with HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)

Not a bad deal.

 

Dual core i7 has switchable graphics, those are: 620M and upcoming 640M. The sandybridge quads will have switchable graphics, those will appear in 2011. i5 580M is similar to the 620M and is cheaper, if available get it.

The 620M dual core is as strong as a 720qm quad, it would be a good choice for doing the video editing or 3d rendering and keeping your switching graphics capability. Any of the CPU's should be fine for editing video though if you want an SSD. Keep in mind if the SSD dies you will lose everything and have no way to recover it, unlike if a normal disk drive dies you can usually recover most of the data very easily. You will risk losing all your homework and term papers just to boot into windows a bit faster on a SSD, basically.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. There is no 580M option, however.

And that's true, but isn't it harder to kill a SSD?

 

Good point to bring up if someone is deciding between the two. I have thought about this. However, I am constantly backing up things, in fact I am a bit OCD about it. I really like the quick access times afforded by the SSD. I wish I could afford a bigger size drive. I drooled over the 512 offered in the macbook pro but then I saw the $1k+ price tag and nearly fell over.

 

The speed increase is I think enough to put aside being paranoid about data loss.

 

It doesn't matter if its harder to kill an SSD or not, even if it was one in a billion odds, all that has to happen is you are that one lucky guy right? lol


Pro:
higher speed and performance

Con:
high price
less storage space
uses more wattage so drains battery faster (according to certain benchmarks)
data loss risk
constant pain in the to be making backups all the time

 

Well, the price is high, but I think it's a solid investment. And most of the benchmarks I've seen show an increase in battery life with the SSD's. And there's a data loss risk with any hard drive; the SSD is much less likely to fail.

 

Don't stand too close to the microwave, you might get cancer.

 

Well, you don't really want to be keeping all your video stuff on the SSD anyways. The real strength of the SSD is in random access times, not sequential, so keeping large files is a bit of a waste. I would recommend using it for programs and the OS (to reduce loading times) and keeping the large files on an external. With the esata port (I know the dv6t and envy 14 has it, and the dm4t probably) it won't be noticeably slower than having the hard drive installed in the laptop since it's basically the same SATA connection.

Also, SSDs have much better heating properties. If there are heating problems (the dv6t might have them for the hard drive) then the SSD will help keep it cool.

 

Also touch pad issues might (partly) be driver issues so it could improve with time.

 

One article showed less battery.. every other one I've read provides proof otherwise.

Isn't there less data loss risk, since, you know, there are no moving parts? I thought hard disks crashed much more often than SSDs..

Also another plus: No noise.