Hp Envy 17 -2070NR

Very interested in purchasing this laptop for my wife. She is not interested in 3D and has been a happy HP laptop owner for several years. My question is the price for this laptop is significantly less than if I were to configure it on HPs web site (over $1700). Is the quality the same for pre-configured models as it is for custom order? Amazon, J&R, and Walmart all have it in stock from $1398- $1414.

Walmart.com: HP Silver 17.3" Envy 17-2070NR Laptop PC with Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium: Computers

 

I would assume they are similar quality, the main difference is you pay a set price for a set list of components. Also, it is a well known fact that a 3D Envy is lower in price than a similarly equipped non-3D Envy and you get more for your money. The screen on the 3D Envy is better than the normal screen. People have been known to buy the 3D Envy just for the better screen and then eBay/Craigslist the 3D glasses for some cashback.

Whatever you choose, check into the support structure for systems not directly purchased from HP. HP has a 21 day no-hassle no-cost return policy if you buy from them. Check Walmarts restocking fees and/or support policy.

Good luck.

P.S. The 1TB drive is 5400RPM. You can purchase a 7200RPM drive upgrade through the website for a small fee (or pay the exorbitant fee for the SSD which is blazingly fast compared to any HDD).

 

Thanks for your input. Is the 3D 1080p screen really that much better than the regular 1080p screen. How much of a downgrade is it? Oh,and this model does come with dual 7200rpm drives, not 5400.
thanks

http://i.walmart.com/i/rb/0088611161481.pdf

 

I just assumed it had a 1TB 5400RPM drive. You can't buy the 500GB 7200RPM drives direct from HP. It actually sounds like a good deal otherwise.

As for the screen, I really can't comment personally. If you read through the Envy 17 3D sticky thread you can see people comparing the screen brightness and color gamut across the models. In order to make 3D look well on the higher model, they needed to use a better screen with higher brightness/contract and increased gamut, as well as 120Hz refresh. The stock screen with the non-3D model is 60Hz. If you spec out a similar configurations between non-3D and 3D Envy, the 3D is cheaper for the same hardware; but you can under-spec the non-3D, whereas the initial 3D has a higher entrance price and hardware configuration point.

I guess it all depends on how long you are planning to keep the laptop too. Are you the type who would rather spec it for longevity or do you consider them replaceable every year or so?

 

I just ordered this through JR.com for the same price without tax and 2% cashback through fatwallet. It also looks like the hard drive config is 500gb x2.

 

I will speak from experience so far I've received 1 HP Envy 17 SB regular 1080P laptop, and 2 HP Envy SB 3D 1080P laptops from HP as replacements.

The 3D does certainly seem more brighter, and of course runs at 120 hz which is stunning in games. So yeah it;s prettty nice.

 

Though I haven't seen either screen, I can tell you that, for the marginal extra cost, the 3D, 120 hz, 1080p screen is one of the best decisions you can make in buying this computer. After all, no matter what you do with it, in the end what you see on the screen will determine how great your experience is, all other things being equal.

The particular screen in the E17, SB, 3D 1080p has had rave reviews. It's right up there with the best consumer notebook screens on the market, including the MBP 17 and the famous/infamous Radiance from old Envy 14s. The following review is representative of many I have read; it gives precise measurements of the screen's performance:

Review HP Envy 17-1190eg Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

The Envy 17 3D really is a great LCD. However I just want to point out the that Envy 14's radiance and Macbook Pro screens may not be the best comparisons.
There are a few better screens from Fujitsu, and of course the king of the hill the DC2 from HP's Workstation elitebooks.

 

I just recieved mine today from Jr.com. They did a good job covering the laptop box with some black plastic wrap, i hate when online sellers ship the items in plain retail box. Im creating the restore discs now (5 dvds or 18gb free on a flash drive). Everything from how it was packaged to the extra battery and build quality, it is sooo much better than the XPS 17 just received from Dell last week. I posted in the Dell XPS L702x's forum about my issues, cheap plastic design (of which i was too lazy to look online, that's my fault), bluetooth issues, and my number one issue was the crappy screen supplied on mine, it was really bad. So far, the Envy right out of the package is worth the extra money premium vs the XPS. I'm satisfied thus far.