Normal Dv6t vs Dv6tqe

Trying to decide. I know people rave about the higher resolution screen, but I have no problem with the 1366x768 screen. The 6770m can't handle the few games I play at nice frame rates at 1080p (or have to turn settings down low enough that I'm better off at 768 high), and I don't know how useful the higher resolution will be to me since I've been using screens far worse than the 768 screen and was never bothered by it. I want this laptop to last me a LONG while, so I would think the i7 will be a good investment.
I will bold the differences between the two.

I will also be a Computer/Electrical Engineering major in college, so I would prefer to be able to do my work on my laptop instead of having to find a computer cluster when the times comes to run more CPU (non)friendly tasks.

Dv6t:
* dark umber
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* 2nd generation Intel(R) Dual Core(TM) i5-2410M (2.3 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz
* 2GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
* 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* No Additional Office Software
* No additional security software
* 30% OFF! 9-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (over-sized) - Up to 9.75 hours of battery life +++
* 15.6" diagonal Full HD HP Anti-glare LED Display (1920 x 1080)
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
* Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
* Standard Keyboard with numeric keypad
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

$809.19

Dv6tqe:
* dark umber
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
* 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* No Additional Office Software
* No additional security software
* 30% OFF! 9-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (over-sized) - Up to 9.75 hours of battery life +++
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
* FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
* Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
* Standard Keyboard with numeric keypad
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
+ A OS recovery disk (to push it over 1224 for coupon).



$814.99

 

As an engineering major to another, I can tell you that you're going to want the higher resolution screen so that you have more workspace (it helps organizing a LOT). There is no way for you to get the i7 with the higher res screen?

 

No, I don't have the extra 100 right now.

 

I have the quad edition with FHD screen and I love it. I was going to go with the select edition dv6, but when I was able to build the quad and it wasn't too much more money I went with it. I feel like the 768 screen will be okay if you aren't used to FHD (it was the same situation I was in). But if you can wait till you get a little more money I would definitely upgrade it's a beautifullll screen. Also, the 6770m works awesome. I've been playing multiple high-graphic intensive games and they run smoothly. Not sure what games you're playing but you should be able to play them at fairly high settings.

Overall, go with the quad.

 

I got the i5 with the 1080p screen and the 6770m. I am very pleased. I saved like 150 with the dual core. Honestly, the dual core is plenty fast and runs everything I throw at it. Runs cool as well

 

Can I get more opinions. I keep changing my mind....and I want to order soon..

 

Don't sacrifice the 1080p screen for anything, not a processor, a GPU, or RAM. The screen makes far more of a difference because it's the only thing that can affect general usage (multitasking) as well as performance-intensive usage, and it makes a very big difference in how you can use your computer.

The i7 is not a good investment if it means losing the screen upgrade. You may not even notice the difference unless you run very intensive software, and even if the CPU does make some sort of a difference, it still can't even come close to how much of a difference the screen makes. You say you want the processor to last you a long while... the processor will be just as fast in 3 years as it is now. As long as your usage habits don't change, you won't need to worry about future proofing.

Plus, in a Computer/Electrical engineering major, I doubt you're going to be doing much in the way of running CPU-intensive applications. It's not like Mechanical engineering where CAD is used all the time.

And regarding gaming on the higher-res screen, that also makes no difference. You shouldn't prioritize gaming needs over all the benefits a high res screen gives you. You can always run games in a lower-than-native resolution, but you can never make up for having less screen space when you're not gaming. It's not worth sacrificing the overall usability of your computer just to make a game look slightly better when running in a given resolution.

In short, if you can't get the 1080p screen with the quad edition, don't buy the quad edition.


Buying a laptop with a slightly less powerful CPU is like buying a performance car with a slightly less powerful engine installed. You'll never need to use the powerful engine to its full advantage because you'll be going the speed limit anyway, and most engines are capable of going the speed limit. Processors are the same in that any mid-range processor will be able to provide plenty of power for 99% of users' needs.

Buying a laptop with a lower resolution screen is like buying a car with tiny mirrors and a windshield partially blacked out, so that you can't see as much of the road at once as you need. Likewise with a lower-res screen, you won't be able to see enough at once because you won't be able to fit very many windows onscreen at once.

Go with the upgrade that makes more of a difference.

 

Gotta admit, that was an amazing analogy lol

 

How can I argue with that? Well said edit, thanks.

+rep

 

resolution aside, the matte screen on the 1080p is just a lot more attractive as well and the black levels/viewing angles are way way way better

 

Anything that is cpu intensive and memory intensive in your major, you pretty much going to offload it to your campus servers or supercomputer anyways.

But you are starting ... it be like a year or two before something like that comes up in your academic career.

 

And don't choose 2gb radeon, it isn't better than 1gb version. Spend this money for some other upgrades. i5, 1gb radeon, 6gb ram and 1080p screen - that's something beautiful.

 

The 2GB one is the only one available with the regular DV6t (non-select, non-quad edition), and it actually comes out cheaper than the DV6t Select Edition with the exact same specs but the 1GB Radeon.

 

Get the i5 with 1080p screen. The i5 is plenty fast.

You have the 30% off coupon and extra $100 off coupon calculated into that right?

 

What extra $100 off coupon?

 

A DV6t configured similarly to a DV6tse actually costs $25 more, you just have to option not to take the $75 blu ray drive (which makes it $50 cheaper if you choose not to get it).

And you lose out on the extra 2gb of ram, but that's not a big deal.

 

The dv6tse doesn't come with blu-ray standard anymore.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...com-30-off-customized-hp-laptop-999-more.html

NBP61449 is 30% off on all $999 or more models

NBSE39114 is extra $100 off on dv6tSE

I think they are stackable. Might want to check.

 

Ok thanks, SE only, not QE or Z

 

Only one discount is allowed, so coupons don't stack.