HP dv6zse or HP Envy 14

I can't between theses 2 notebooks: a fully specced dv6zse or fully specced Envy 14 with the top i5 processor to have switchable graohics. I want good battery life and also be able to play games. Help!!!

 

Can you post all the specs of both machines.

 

HP ENVY 14 customizable Notebook PC

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-580M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI] - For Dual Core Processors
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
No Additional Office Software
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 6.0 hours of battery life +++
14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support (Slot Load)
HP TrueVision HD Webcam and Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
Backlit Keyboard
Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 8
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

HP Pavilion dv6z Select Edition customizable Notebook PC

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom(TM) II Quad-Core Mobile Processor N950 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
FREE Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
No Additional Office Software
ONLY $1! SAVE NOW!! Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n Card with Bluetooth (Dual Band)
Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

I picked the i5 CPU on the Envy to be able to have switchable graphics thinking it might help with battery life.

 

And the fact that it's a Dual Core vs a Quad Core.
You'll definitely have better battery life. Good choice.

 

I haven't ordered any of them. Just want opinions.

 

How about the dv6t Quad Edition? It just came out, and it packs the Sandy Bridge quads. The downside is that it doesn't have switchable graphics right now, but HP's probably waiting for Dynamic SG, which I'm betting will be in AMD's Catalyst 11.0 drivers. Also, the graphics card is faster. At least wait for the driver to see if DSG is released. If it isn't, then forget it.

 

I haven't seen it listed on HP's site yet with Sandy Bridge. Do you have any info on spec's?

 

Here's the page. It's already on sale.

HP Pavilion dv6 and dv6t Quad Edition series | HP Official Store

 

Haha oops this line made me think you had made up your mind.

How many hours of battery life are you expecting from your machine, and what type of user are you, do you do enough to compensate a quad core cpu and sacrifice battery life. (I fell into that trap and now am stuck with an i7)

 

I would like to have at least 2 hours or more of battery life. I mainly want this to play games on, mainly RTS's and some FPS's. I do most of my work on a Macbook Pro but I like having a PC around to play games on and to use sometimes for web browsing and email. Having a desktop devoted to gaming is not feasible for me right now as I live in a 2 bedroom condo and I have a 13 month old.

 

Two hours is definitely possible. Get the 9-cell battery to be safe, though.

 

Is anything known about the ATI 6570 card in the DV6t Quad?

 

Its a restamped 5700 series, has DDR5 memory, not sure what its clocked at.

 

DDR5 memory is significantly better than DDR3.

 

GDDR5, guys, GDDR5. That "G" is important.

And yes, it's a rebranded Mobility 5770, but the core is lightly underclocked to 600MHz. It still beats the 550MHz 5650 in the dv6t by a good amount thanks to the GDDR5, should really beat the 450MHz 5650 in the Envy 14, and probably overclocks higher than both.