Help! Envy 14 w/Brightview vs. Dm4t

First I have to say that I have already read thru the forum a couple of times but I'm still incapable of making a decision.
At first I was thinking, and very sure about it, of getting the Envy 14 w/Radiance but then the price just kept climbing and now I'm not so sure.

I have been looking at the Envy without the Radiance screen and comparing it to the Dm4t which seems to be quite good and the differences aren't too big.
The Configurations I was looking at are as follows:


HP Pavilion dm4t customizable Notebook PC

* 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
* 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5450 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* No additional security software
* 50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery
* 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
* FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Standard Keyboard
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


HP ENVY 14 customizable Notebook PC

* 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
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI] - For Dual Core Processors
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* No additional security software
* 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
* 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 [For Brightview Infinity Display]
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Backlit Keyboard
* Corel(R) PaintShop Photo(TM) Pro X3 + Corel(R) VideoStudio(R) Pro X3
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

with the prices being at 934 and 980 respectivley before shipping and taxes and with the Student discount.

So far I've noticed that the battery life on the dm4t is waaay better but the backlight keyboard, hd webcam, better graphics and looks of the envy are also quite nice.

My questions are:
How essential is the Radiance Screen for the Envy and how big are the built differences etc between the Envy and the dm4t? I am planning on using the laptop for at least 2-3 years and every year after that would be a big plus...

And about usage: I would use it for pretty standard student stuff but also quite some photoshop and I would like to be able to play current games even if its on low settings (I dont like feeling left out) even though I probably wont
have any time for games.

Thats about it, please help me because I have to take a decision soon and if there are any other laptops that you would recommend that are similar in prices and features go ahead.

Thanks a lot!

 

If you plan to use the laptop for work and Photoshop, you will probably want the increased resolution that the Radiance screen offers. You'll have more screen space for your pallets and tools when working with Photoshop or other things. If you can afford the extra cost, i would recommend the Radiance screen of the Envy.

With out the radiance screen it's a harder choice. It really comes down to whether you want something more portable or something that can play games better. The Envy can play most current games on medium to high settings at 1366x768. The dmt4 is more portable. If you are planning on taking the laptop everywhere then the dmt4 is your better option and it should still be able to play games on low to medium settings.

 

The Radiance may be brighter than the Brightview, but the main problem is the resolution. Radiance 1366x768 is arguably not much better than Brightview 1366x768. I have the 1080p Brightview screen in my laptop and when I dial up the brightness to 100%, it's extremely bright, even in a sunny room. I imagine a 1080p Radiance screen would be brighter, but this is more than bright enough for me.

If you will be doing things like video editing, photoshop or running recent games, I would highly recommend to avoid any laptop with less than 1600x900 resolution display.

 

Thanks, I guess this decision is entirely mine... Now I'm doubting the Envy because of the lower Battery life, it reaches around 3-4 hours, right?

If I decide to get the lower resolution screen, are there any other comparable alternatives to the ones already mentioned?

 

You can check out the Acer 3820TG and 4820TG Timeline notebooks. 13" and 14" sized laptops with the ATI HD5650 GPU and 1366x768 resolution screens. Lots of information in the Acer section.

 

Envy 14 all the way, better gpu + screen + nice metal casing for only $50 more. Its a no brainer and you can get the extended 6 slice battery added to the 8cell and it will have a much longer battery life than the dm4t. You can use both batteries at the same time, one goes in the actual notebook the other snaps on the bottom like an extra layer (its relatively slim and light so it should not be a menace)

 

...what.




.....

 

On the red above, I'm inclined to disagree to some extent. Higher resolution is terrific, but lower native resolution allows your computer to get by on a weaker GPU, or to do more on a stronger one. Granted, you can always bump down the resolution on a higher-res screen, but that's said to look a lot worse than running that same resolution on a screen where it's native.

In short:

- Lower resolution = better performance
- Non-native resolution X on a high-res screen < resolution X on its native screen, enforcing the above statement.

The problem with this is that it wouldn't be a $50 difference then, but a $250 difference, which probably makes it a deal-breaker. Not to mention that an E14 with the slice is notably heavier than without - the slice itself feels very light, but it makes a significant difference in the overall feel of the laptop. Personally, the weight isn't a problem, but anyone who considers a 6 lb. laptop to be a bit of a burden would be best thinking twice about carrying the slice in addition.

 

If you are running a recent game that is designed with 1080p displays and monitors in mind, I would be extremely surprised if you don't get significantly more enjoyment out of a system that can run it at 1080p or 900p and average at least playable frame rates of 30-40 fps, compared to a system running the same game at 1366x768 and averaging 60 or 120 fps. Granted, enjoyment is subjective and I understand some online multi-player games need very high framerates.

The only opportunity I had to compare another laptop with 1366x768 was when HP accidentally shipped the wrong display to my wife. I compared Mass Effect 2 and DAO on 1366x768 and they ran fast (not noticeably faster than on the laptop with 1080p display) of course, but even with all detail settings maxed on 1366x768, both looked like shiat compared to 1920x1080. 1366x768 is simply blocky and very "old school." Even older games from years ago look much better in 1080p.

I also compared my laptop with 1920x1080 native resolution running these same two games at 1366x768 next to my wife's almost identical laptop with native 1366x768 display and I could not tell any difference in quality or even frame rate or performance. both had SSDs, although one was i7-720 with 8GB RAM and the other was i7-820 with 16GB RAM.

 

I just saw the Envy 15 at a friends place but I have no idea what screen he went with and he doesnt either.
Unfortunatly I didn´t have the time check the resolution myself...

I think the real question here has become if I would really need the higher res screen of the Envy 14, my old laptop was an asus with a 1280 x 800 15.6 inch display and I´m thinking that compared to that I would still be upgrading so I wouldn't really notice that I've gone for the worse screen?
Also how good/bad is glare, brightness etc on both screens? Couldnt really find anything about the 1366x768 on here.

 

I'm gonna go to Best Buy or Future Shop and check out the Envy's legendary screen. I need a portable DJ laptop and the majority of those in the portable category have garbage screens.

I take it buying an Envy 14 off of ebay is a bad idea? I saw you guys were talking about the first wave being a 'bad batch'. I assume ebay has them all, that's why they're so cheap? lol

 

Im in about the same boat, I first bought the DM4t and now have on order the Envy 14, both with the same display. I dont game at all but I did want to use the laptop to edit photos. Im waiting to recieve the Envy 14 and once it arrives I will make the choice between the 2.

 

I wish I could do that but since I'm not in the US it will be difficult to send one back, the one I'm buying will be brought by my Uncle who is visiting from NY.
I have already decided though, I'm going to get the Envy, and if I'm really unhappy with it I'll just send it back with my Uncle and wait till someone else comes to visit..