Help me buy a laptop!!

posted on June 13th, 2012, 12:02 pm

Also, though the Envy will be a slicker laptop for sure, but I think the integrated battery is one more reason to get the DV6t because if it goes bad, you will have to send the Envy in, where as, the dv6, you can just swap a new one.

I too would recommend getting the laptop with a replaceable battery. No matter how well you take care of it, the battery will fail and in most cases before the rest of the hardware. If you plan to just have the computer sitting on a desk and plugged in all the time then this is less of an issue, but having the battery be replaceable will let you keep your options open.

yes, though the 7200 rpm will drain battery a tiny bit more, for $50 I would go for it. It will make life better being a impact smart hybrid, and much faster.

This would be a good upgrade to have. A hybrid drive has some solid state memory built in to speed up performance. You will get a much quicker boot up time(similar to an SSD) but will have bigger storage because of the old style magnetic parts of the drive.

EDIT: Really? I have gotten top post on every page? Pure chance.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 12:14 pm

As for the actual build quality of laptops i'm not qualified to say, i'm not a big laptop guy. the only laptop i've ever owned was made by some bankrupted german company.

[quote=Ray]@ Myles, you stated you didnt think the upgrade to full hd is neccesary. Every video ive watched and review ive read always makes some comment that the full hd display is so nice, and so great, and makes a snide remark at the lower hd[/quote]

Screen size isn't the important thing, number of pixels is. i have a 32 inch TV, but it only has around 1280x720 (HD720). my desktop screen is 19 inches but is larger at 1366x768 (about 20% of web users have this resolution according to wikipedia, making it the most common resolution). both look about the same clarity, as the TV is watched from a greater distance. the closer something is to your face, the more pixels you need (with a fixed screen size).

laptops are usually far enough away from your face that 1366x768 is good enough on their screens. my laptop has 15.6 inch screen with ~1280x720 pixels, and is great looking imo.

geeks like to bash things, and the naming conventions for HD haven't helped matters. anything 720p or more is HD, but TV manufacturers started calling 1080p "full HD" implying that lower resolution HD is fake or something. it isn't. full HD is better, but 4K is better than full HD, and there are even bigger resolutions.

really it's a preference thing, each person has their own opinion on this, so i can only tell you mine, that HD720 is fine.

if you wait, you'll probably find more choice of ivy bridge laptops at current prices, but i don't think they'll fall much, sandy bridge will fall in price, but not by huge distances either, as competition is weak at the moment.

[Adm. Zaxxon]

posted on June 13th, 2012, 12:58 pm

Last edited by Adm. Zaxxon on June 13th, 2012, 1:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Yeah, I have that standard resolution, and it is 720p HD technically speaking. For something 15.6 inches, I think non full HD is fine. If it were a 17" I would consider it, but not for $100

Also, though the Envy will be a slicker laptop for sure, but I think the integrated battery is one more reason to get the DV6t because if it goes bad, you will have to send the Envy in, where as, the dv6, you can just swap a new one.

I too would recommend getting the laptop with a replaceable battery. No matter how well you take care of it, the battery will fail and in most cases before the rest of the hardware. If you plan to just have the computer sitting on a desk and plugged in all the time then this is less of an issue, but having the battery be replaceable will let you keep your options open.

And with a swappable, you can always get spares. You should kno though ray, a 9cell is oversize. It will probably stick out of the bottom of the laptop. It will give you 10 hrs of batter instead of 5-7 but is will look funny. Since the Envy is built in 8 cell, it is not oversize. Again, if/when it goes bad, you will have to send the laptop in to get it replaced, but as I said, HP has great customer service if the failure is covered under warranty.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 1:01 pm

My laptop is 1366x768 on a 16in display. The quality is good. More pixels are obviously better, but I do not notice any pixelation and Fleetops looks good. The only problem that I have had is that some programs are made to be used with higher resolution and can appear squished. Sword of the Stars II was bad for that. Those problems are rare though.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 1:04 pm

My laptop is 1366x768 on a 16in display. The quality is good. More pixels are obviously better, but I do not notice any pixelation and Fleetops looks good. The only problem that I have had is that some programs are made to be used with higher resolution and can appear squished. Sword of the Stars II was bad for that. Those problems are rare though.

Yeah, that res is the standard widescreen 16:9 aspect. Modern games are made to accommodate it. It was made the 'standard' around the time win7 came out.

EDIT:

@ ray

The oversized 9 cell will look like this most likely.(this is a dv6t, but not the quad) You shouldn't worry though, as they are made to be comfortable on your lap, and actually increase air flow while on a desk. And as I said, you can always swap it with a standard 6 cell which can cost you as little as $25 aftermarket.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 7:11 pm

@ Zaxxon, yes the free xbox is an an option, however I cant use that and the coupon code. Hp and dell always tell me i have x amount of dollars of, but with the code, Im getting an extra 300 dollars off the envy and 250 off the pavillion, so I feel like that is a better deal then the xbox.

As to the battery, yes the switcheble access of the dvt6 is appealing. As for the larger battery size. However Its only 1 watt bigger, and It looks like there battery life is about the same. While being able to carry around a spare would be nice, the fact that the entire machine is flush Is also kinda cool, and I looked up on youtube, and It doesn't seem to be too hard to replace the battery. The battery life is a factor though, but as I said they seem to be equal.

About the hybrid, it has been said on this thread that ssd drives fail before regular drives do. Will that be true with this hard drive? And additionally, will I encounter a situation where the ssd drive fails but the regular drive still works, and would the computer still run?

I think I like the idea of not putting the higher res screen on, it cheaper, and will save me battery life, and make it easier for me to play more hardware intensive games. Plus its still a better resolution I believe then what i'm currently using and that's good enough for me.

I think whats attracting me to the envy right now, despite the slight price increase and half of the dvts graphics, is the seemingly better build quality using metal (which helps dissipate heat right) and the slightly lighter and thinner form, aiding overall portability (especially since the dvt was only weighed with a 6 cell battery). And again quality, I feel like from what i've read, and youve said, that the envy possesses superior quality, which could aid in it lasting a while which is important to me. Although so is the price...

posted on June 13th, 2012, 7:26 pm

@ Zaxxon, yes the free xbox is an an option, however I cant use that and the coupon code. Hp and dell always tell me i have x amount of dollars of, but with the code, Im getting an extra 300 dollars off the envy and 250 off the pavillion, so I feel like that is a better deal then the xbox.

As to the battery, yes the switcheble access of the dvt6 is appealing. As for the larger battery size. However Its only 1 watt bigger, and It looks like there battery life is about the same. While being able to carry around a spare would be nice, the fact that the entire machine is flush Is also kinda cool, and I looked up on youtube, and It doesn't seem to be too hard to replace the battery. The battery life is a factor though, but as I said they seem to be equal.

About the hybrid, it has been said on this thread that ssd drives fail before regular drives do. Will that be true with this hard drive? And additionally, will I encounter a situation where the ssd drive fails but the regular drive still works, and would the computer still run?

I think I like the idea of not putting the higher res screen on, it cheaper, and will save me battery life, and make it easier for me to play more hardware intensive games. Plus its still a better resolution I believe then what i'm currently using and that's good enough for me.

I think whats attracting me to the envy right now, despite the slight price increase and half of the dvts graphics, is the seemingly better build quality using metal (which helps dissipate heat right) and the slightly lighter and thinner form, aiding overall portability (especially since the dvt was only weighed with a 6 cell battery). And again quality, I feel like from what i've read, and youve said, that the envy possesses superior quality, which could aid in it lasting a while which is important to me. Although so is the price...

Sounds like good reasoning to me.

As to the hybrid, I believe the point is that the OS is on the SS side, so the majority of your writes will be on the standard side. I don't expect it will fail anytime soon. I believe the point is to get the longevity of a standard Hdd, but some energy saving bonuses of a SSD.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 8:25 pm

a hybrid disk uses the ss part for storing files that are accessed a lot, it differs a bit per brand tho...

so most of a windows instalation would be on the regular disks but the data it accesses every time the computer boots will most likely be on the ss part and simular for programs and stuff. it differs per brand how it acomadates data that is changed a lot but usualy initial writes will be mostly on the disks

some hybrid disks spin down when not being used and the ss part will then act as a big enough buffer to alow the disks to spin up to speed without you noticing they were inactive and in that way they can save a bit in energy but most importantly it will give boosts in read speeds and access times for data that is accessed a lot

edit: corected an error

posted on June 13th, 2012, 9:51 pm

I would like to thank everyone who commented and helped me with buying my laptop, especial Myles, Adm. Zaxxon, and derentis. Thanks for helping me and the speed at which your answers came, so that I could take advantage of this deal.

After using the coupon which subtracted $550.77 my final total is $1,118.22 for the Hp ENVY 15 with the following specs:

HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)
• 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 7750M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• 8GB 1600DDR3MHz System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 750G 7200 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive
• $20 OFF Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2010
• FREE 2-year Norton Internet Security subscription (a $99 value). Pre-installed.
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 10.25 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1366x768)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• 720p HD video streaming webcam supports Skype
• Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
• Full-size Radiance backlit keyboard
• Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 10 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 10
• 2 year limited warranty included
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated ship date: June 25, 2012

So once again thanks alot!!! It really means alot. I just wished this thing shipped sooner...

posted on June 13th, 2012, 10:05 pm

Great to hear and your welcome with the help. Looks like a nice machine. May it allow you to play many games and compile many videos as well. I think you will like the hybrid drive. You should post about how well it is working for you in a few months.

Oh. I had already typed up the following before you ninja'd me. >:( That's OK. I will just leave it for whoever comes along.

About the hybrid, it has been said on this thread that ssd drives fail before regular drives do. Will that be true with this hard drive? And additionally, will I encounter a situation where the ssd drive fails but the regular drive still works, and would the computer still run?

The major problem with ssd drives is that you can only write to them a limited number of times(thousands or millions, but still a finite amount). Reads from a ssd do not have that problem. A hybrid drive keeps your most used files(usually the boot files) in the solid state part and the rest of your docs, pics, and vids on the old fashioned magnetic part. Since the boot files do not change often then the computer can just read from the ssd part and you should not wear out the drive.

The drive should still work if the ssd part fails since all files are on the regular magnetic drive, but you would loose the speed boost. I could also see some companies not taking enough precautions for this possibility and then the drive might fail. Researching the drive itself may reveal the answer to this.

I think whats attracting me to the envy right now, despite the slight price increase and half of the dvts graphics, is the seemingly better build quality using metal (which helps dissipate heat right) and the slightly lighter and thinner form, aiding overall portability (especially since the dvt was only weighed with a 6 cell battery). And again quality, I feel like from what i've read, and youve said, that the envy possesses superior quality, which could aid in it lasting a while which is important to me. Although so is the price...

The metal case will help to dissipate heat, although how much I do not know. The superior build quality of a metal case is a good consideration.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 10:18 pm

nice looking laptop, should be friendly on the battery too, ivy bridge chips and the 7750 naturally aren't power hungry. my desktop 7750 draws all power from the pcie bus, on a budget 450W PSU, so your battery should be able to cope for long periods.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 11:18 pm

Yep that is sweetness! Glad to help.

As others have said, the metal case will significantly reduce heat, (though expect it to be a bit icy in the morning ) and the Graphics card is more than enough to do what you suggest.

Now I am jealous.

posted on June 13th, 2012, 11:51 pm

Haha, I almost went for the 2.6ghz, but i decided to save the 150 dollars, and put on the hybrid drive. Well if your jealous and have a k to spare there is still just over 4 hours left on the code! NBG5247 is the code for 33% off on the HP dv6t Quad, dv7t Quad, ENVY 15, and the ENVY 17. There's also a code out there for the desktop, might have to google around for it, its on cnet I think.

And when I finally get it, I will definitely post my thoughts.

I like the faster startup idea for the hybrid drives, get the best of both, and you dont have to pay 350 extra for a 300gb ssd...

posted on June 14th, 2012, 5:46 am

One more question. If im using the laptop with it plugged in to the wall, is that having any effect on the battery? Or is the power coming straight from the wall?

posted on June 14th, 2012, 11:09 am

One more question. If im using the laptop with it plugged in to the wall, is that having any effect on the battery? Or is the power coming straight from the wall?

it's charging the battery.

the power to run the laptop should be skipping the battery, as you can run the laptop with no battery if it's plugged in.