Going to go with S15 or Envy 15 soon!!! Couple questions...

Hey guys - long time reader, first time poster.

I've been reading a bunch and I'm ready to make my decision. I'll use this computer for browsing and misc multimedia, and I am a gamer (though not hardcore) - playing mostly Dota 2 and games like that.

I'm trying to decide between the 15s and the HP Envy 15. Both seem very similar so I'm guessing it just comes down to preference. How much better is the Radeon 7750m (in the envy) compared to the 640m LE?

My other question is: I can buy this computer at Best Buy and get no interest for 18 months. I can either get the $999 model (with the i5 and 6gb ram) or the $1199 model (i7 and 8GB) and I'll replace the HD either way with an SSD. Do you think it's worth the $200 upgrade?

Thanks a bunch in advance guys!

 

Is the i7 a quad core (QM) or no? If yes, then might be worth it, if not then no.

 

Well the thing is the HP is both thivker and heavier, if you don't mind that then yes the Radeon 7750m is a marginally better card then the 640m. The LE is roughly 20-25% slower than the standard 640m due to it having a lower core clock speed.

The upgrade is only really worth it if it is a quad core i7 (QM).
I cannot say about best buy as I live in Europe.

 

Yes, sorry, the i7 is quad core. I don't do alot of heavy photo/video editing and it I ever did, I have a very good desktop for that. Do you think it would matter to me?

 

Then in that case then it's not really worth forking out $200 for it, just get some extra ram from crucial if you need extra.

 

if you going to do video/ photo editing consider that sony has orange gate all over the place... netflix reds are all orange its really the biggest thing i hate about the vaio s... otherwise great machine.

 

Does the Envy 15 have the same problems? Also, is the screen a blatant matte finish? I actually prefer glossy....colors seem better to me

 

If you are planning to get an SSD drive, keep in mind that the S 15.5 uses RAID 0 SSD. that will improve your performance when doing photo work. My Z2 has the 512 SSD array and it really helps.

 

yes they both use same LG panel that seems to be plagued with red color reproduction issue. Am returning mine tomorrow. The red is so off that it is annoying me when am watching movies. Sony has yet to come clean on this.

 

Not only that but the greens are dirty/washed out. For instance, green background of headings on KVR audio forums should be brilliant green (it is on Z). You probably won't mind the difference unless you put two laptops next to each other displaying the same page.

 

If you get the i5 version, get it from the MS store. It comes with virtually NO bloatware or extra crap to remove with all the correct drivers and updates already installed. I love mine (I have had 6 computers this year...kept trading/sellign them until I got what I needed). I think you get a free Xbox if your a student and you can always sell that for 100-150 if you dont need it.