Need a new laptop for college. Looking for a fast processor that can handle many tasks going on at once. Hp Envy or Macbook Pro?
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Decision help New Macbook Pro vs. Hp Envy w/Beats Audio
- Thread starter syedhussain
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First off, your on a mac forum. What kind of answers do you think your going to get
. In any case, from someone who has been on a college campus for some time now, i'll tell you that over the past 3 years, more freshmen have been buying Macs than PC's from our computer store.Paper isnt the issue, but how much better is the Pro than the Envy in terms of processing speed ?
The MacBook Pro is excellent, yet overpriced. It also lacks many of the features that are included, and or options on the HP.
Unless you're already invested in the OS X platform, it's all about money & personal preferences. Windows 7 provides a user experience every bit as nice as OS X.
There's an endless amount of software for windows, especially when it comes to newly developed programs.
If you are your own person and vanity is not an issue, a PC is hard to beat. One final thought. I'd strongly advise you to go to Lenovo.com and check out their offerings.
Unless you're already invested in the OS X platform, it's all about money & personal preferences. Windows 7 provides a user experience every bit as nice as OS X.
There's an endless amount of software for windows, especially when it comes to newly developed programs.
If you are your own person and vanity is not an issue, a PC is hard to beat. One final thought. I'd strongly advise you to go to Lenovo.com and check out their offerings.
To be honest, if you're talking about processing power by itself, they would be about the same. But keep in mind, the MBP has a much better build quality and will likely last you a while. HP will give you a lot more options though.
I'm an engineering major and I used a PC (Dell) my freshman year, but after a motherboard failure and the rep simply telling me it was going to be $400 to replace it (that included $60 for phone support), I decided to just get a new notebook. Got my MBP and it lasted me a good 3.5 years before I decided to upgrade to the 2011 model and I also got a good resale value to offset the cost.
What kind of applications will you be running mostly? Might help people give you a better opinion.
Lastly, I know like 4 people who's HP's didn't even make it a year. There was always some problem or another. Hopefully this has changed, but I'd pick the MBP for the build alone.
I'm an engineering major and I used a PC (Dell) my freshman year, but after a motherboard failure and the rep simply telling me it was going to be $400 to replace it (that included $60 for phone support), I decided to just get a new notebook. Got my MBP and it lasted me a good 3.5 years before I decided to upgrade to the 2011 model and I also got a good resale value to offset the cost.
What kind of applications will you be running mostly? Might help people give you a better opinion.
Lastly, I know like 4 people who's HP's didn't even make it a year. There was always some problem or another. Hopefully this has changed, but I'd pick the MBP for the build alone.
Only if you like them ghetto hoes. If you want a lady in the streets, but a freak in the sheets....get the Macbook Pro!!
If you really want a true answer, you need to be more specific and not so generalized. There are many processor options etc. for HP as well as the Macbook Pros.
In general, the build quality and experience the Macbook Pro offers is not replicated by anything else on the market. It's not even close. If you want the best in all aspects then get the Macbook Pro. If you want a cheap pc, then get something else.
Only if you consider "better" paying the same and getting alot less. Then yes.
What is "Beats Audio"? Just a nice equalizer or something?
Cause I'm pretty sure my iBook G4 can playback lossless audio. I am not sure I get it.
Cause I'm pretty sure my iBook G4 can playback lossless audio. I am not sure I get it.
i bought the HP envy 14 (w/ radiance screen & ssd) when it came out and it was my primary computer until this month when i bought a 2011 mbp 15".
envy cons:
envy pros:
the reason i ditched the envy was because of the trackpad. i would get really frustrated from time to time that i couldn't justify keeping the thing. it seems like a really stupid reason but you use the trackpad all the time that its a constant annoyance if it doesn't work right. people often use windows as an excuse but imo, windows 7 is really nice. i have no preference between mac os x and windows 7.
beats audio isn't anything special, at least i didn't notice anything great. though most of the time i use a DAC->receiver->RC70s, so most laptop speakers sound like crap to me.
for me, if money is at all a concern, wait for a deal and get an envy but read about the trackpad first. maybe find one in a store somewhere so you can experience the awfulness before committing any cash.
envy cons:
- the synaptics trackpad on the hp envy sucks. its absolutely terrible. there's a long thread on notebookreview about how bad it is.
- battery life kinda sucks. i was getting ~3-4h.
envy pros:
- the radiance screen is really nice. a 1600x900 screen on a 14.5" laptop is great. however, you can't buy this anymore.
- hp has coupons all the time, you can good some good deals, for significantly less you can get a lot of power & ssd.
the reason i ditched the envy was because of the trackpad. i would get really frustrated from time to time that i couldn't justify keeping the thing. it seems like a really stupid reason but you use the trackpad all the time that its a constant annoyance if it doesn't work right. people often use windows as an excuse but imo, windows 7 is really nice. i have no preference between mac os x and windows 7.
beats audio isn't anything special, at least i didn't notice anything great. though most of the time i use a DAC->receiver->RC70s, so most laptop speakers sound like crap to me.
for me, if money is at all a concern, wait for a deal and get an envy but read about the trackpad first. maybe find one in a store somewhere so you can experience the awfulness before committing any cash.
I just built a top of the line envy on their website and it came in at $1750 and still didn't have the processor clock speed of the lowest 2.0 Macbook Pro. All else was close or the same. So for $50 more you get the best trackpad available, beautiful screen, an all aluminum case, a better looking laptop, OSX, etc.....
It's a no-brainer...Macbook Pro.
how many people sit here and configure the most expensive thing you possibly can? most people would configure what they need and compare prices at that point. its also a bit unfair to do that comparison considering the mbps just refreshed while the envy should refresh soon.
envy has a great screen if you can find a radiance, it has a magnesium case (or something like that), "better" looking is a personally opinion, i've owned both and i don't think either one looks better than the other. OSX vs windows 7 is a wash IMO.
but this might be an exercise in futility to be unbiased on a mac forum, so maybe i shouldn't even have bothered to type this up.
When it comes down to it, the HP Envy is a pretty nice notebook. Overall, the pros are a fast CPU and graphics card, quality screen, and the beats audio. I'll give you a heads up on the Beats audio. From what I've heard, it basically a better set of speakers and hi definition audio. To me, that really doesn't mean a lot on a notebook. There aren't many times that I want to "jam out" with my notebook speakers. It's a good setup, but kind of unnecessary unless you don't have a good set of headphones, or if you are into producing.Even with producing, I would much rather get something professional. Beats sell as a brand. They are far from the best quality.
The big negatives for me are the trackpad, noisy fans, heat, and hidden crapware, and battery life. The trackpad is a full click button in the vein of Apple's trackpad, yet the functionality isn't there. the cursor jumps around when you try to click and if you dare to two touch scroll, you will jump from the top to bottom like crazy. Their software isn't quite there yet. The fans have been a pretty big problem with a lot of users. They can get really loud. This is a pretty major problem when in class and things of that sort. This goes hand in hand with the heat. It might not be a problem, or it could be fire on your thighs. Luck of the draw more or less. Crapware is crapware, but it's hidden a bit better on the Envy. The battery runs in between 2 1/2 hours to 4 1/2 hours depending on what you do with it. This really pales in comparison to the 7-9 hours the MBP gets on average.
Even though the macbook doesn't have the graphics card that HP does, the build quality really does work the power. You won't really notice the speed boost unless you play a lot of PC games, or if you run really resource intensive programs. You already know the trackpad is great, keyboard is great, design, build quality, screen, battery life, OS, all of that.
I would personally go for the MBP, but that is your decision. If you think you'll be happier with the HP, go for it. Whatever will make you happier in the long run will be the best for you.
If you really want to get a PC that is worth the money, I agree with X2468. Lenovo builds amazing notebooks. They are sturdy, reliable, and built to last. The keyboard is a dream and they really have a great design.
EDIT: Just found this from someone that was having a similar issue.. User "Help Please"
Backdrop:
I had a tough time deciding which to buy in the first place. I was put into this situation because of HP doing what HP does best...failing. I bought a nice HP Envy 17 and had it for about 2 weeks before ultimately returning it because of a noticeable wobble, screen static, and part of the chasis was out of place. Three Envy's later and I was fed up with HP and PC's in general. It was time to make the switch
The big negatives for me are the trackpad, noisy fans, heat, and hidden crapware, and battery life. The trackpad is a full click button in the vein of Apple's trackpad, yet the functionality isn't there. the cursor jumps around when you try to click and if you dare to two touch scroll, you will jump from the top to bottom like crazy. Their software isn't quite there yet. The fans have been a pretty big problem with a lot of users. They can get really loud. This is a pretty major problem when in class and things of that sort. This goes hand in hand with the heat. It might not be a problem, or it could be fire on your thighs. Luck of the draw more or less. Crapware is crapware, but it's hidden a bit better on the Envy. The battery runs in between 2 1/2 hours to 4 1/2 hours depending on what you do with it. This really pales in comparison to the 7-9 hours the MBP gets on average.
Even though the macbook doesn't have the graphics card that HP does, the build quality really does work the power. You won't really notice the speed boost unless you play a lot of PC games, or if you run really resource intensive programs. You already know the trackpad is great, keyboard is great, design, build quality, screen, battery life, OS, all of that.
I would personally go for the MBP, but that is your decision. If you think you'll be happier with the HP, go for it. Whatever will make you happier in the long run will be the best for you.
If you really want to get a PC that is worth the money, I agree with X2468. Lenovo builds amazing notebooks. They are sturdy, reliable, and built to last. The keyboard is a dream and they really have a great design.
EDIT: Just found this from someone that was having a similar issue.. User "Help Please"
Backdrop:
I had a tough time deciding which to buy in the first place. I was put into this situation because of HP doing what HP does best...failing. I bought a nice HP Envy 17 and had it for about 2 weeks before ultimately returning it because of a noticeable wobble, screen static, and part of the chasis was out of place. Three Envy's later and I was fed up with HP and PC's in general. It was time to make the switch
Last edited:
I configured the HP to make it comparable in specs to the LOWEST level MBP. Makes sense to me.
/thread.
see notebookreview.com's forums for confirmation.
if you want to go HP, buy something from their Elitebook line of laptops...or shop Dell. Otherwise, Apple is a solid bet.
I have a nearly top of the line (no radiance screen as they don't sell them in Japan) i7 Envy 14 Beats Edition that I got last October. It's a fantastic computer and will get just about anything you need done really quickly. Great graphics, slot loading optical drive, good design and one of the best Windows keyboards I've used. The fan does get loud though, the battery isn't that great (no integrated/dedicated combination) and the trackpad leaves a lot to be desired.
If I were going to buy now, though, I'd get the 15" MBP. The Envy is fantastic, but after using a 11" MBA since December (my first Mac), I've been so impressed with the build quality, the best trackpad I've ever used, the design of Macs and overall freshness (to me) of OS X that I think I'll be going the Mac route for a while to come. My Envy has basically become a desktop replacement that I only use for gaming, as I find myself plugging my MBA into my external monitor all the time at home for nearly everything else.
But the Envy 14 is still a great PC, and it may be refreshed soon, which would make it even better. You might get more for your money with an Envy, though, as even the base i5 has pretty good specs and can be had for about $1k.
If I were going to buy now, though, I'd get the 15" MBP. The Envy is fantastic, but after using a 11" MBA since December (my first Mac), I've been so impressed with the build quality, the best trackpad I've ever used, the design of Macs and overall freshness (to me) of OS X that I think I'll be going the Mac route for a while to come. My Envy has basically become a desktop replacement that I only use for gaming, as I find myself plugging my MBA into my external monitor all the time at home for nearly everything else.
But the Envy 14 is still a great PC, and it may be refreshed soon, which would make it even better. You might get more for your money with an Envy, though, as even the base i5 has pretty good specs and can be had for about $1k.
Don't buy an HP laptop, if you need to rely on it!
I'm coming to the Mac fold after having had my 3rd HP laptop die on me in just over three years. The build quality on my last HP which was the UK's top of the range Pavilion was attrocious.
The last laptop went back for repair on three occaisions too, not great when you're reliant on your laptop for study.
Yes I know the MacBook Pro's are expensive, but my colleagues who use them have had little to no qualitiy issues with their MacBooks, which for me makes it a worthwhile switch.
I wanted to try the Mac experience, but if you want to stay with Windows don't buy HP. I'd say look at Dell XPS, Sony Vaio and Thinkpad if you're looking for build quality that reflects the price you're paying.
I'm coming to the Mac fold after having had my 3rd HP laptop die on me in just over three years. The build quality on my last HP which was the UK's top of the range Pavilion was attrocious.
The last laptop went back for repair on three occaisions too, not great when you're reliant on your laptop for study.
Yes I know the MacBook Pro's are expensive, but my colleagues who use them have had little to no qualitiy issues with their MacBooks, which for me makes it a worthwhile switch.
I wanted to try the Mac experience, but if you want to stay with Windows don't buy HP. I'd say look at Dell XPS, Sony Vaio and Thinkpad if you're looking for build quality that reflects the price you're paying.
i checked out an envy at dicksmith electrical here in melb,the seams are rubbish!on the floor model,it was a gap around the top edge of a mil or so,totally unacceptable,i thought it mite just have been that one,no another had same thing,ive been on macs for 4 years,and had about 6 of them since,4 unis ,11 air and 27 imac,only one had a fault,and was replaced without question,envies are protable fan forced ovens too btw,get a mbpro,the latest are killers[2.2 15,s]
some win machines are very nice,and its handy os win too,but ,but but but!!!
some win machines are very nice,and its handy os win too,but ,but but but!!!
I completely agree, the build quality on my MBA is outstanding and I don't mind paying a little extra for it. I've never used a computer this solid.
Vaios and Thinkpads are fantastic and are some of the best built PCs out there, IMHO. I had an NEC here in Japan (not sold abroad, I think) that never had one single problem, though it wasn't the prettiest of machines.
I personally would stay away from Dell, though. I've had nothing but problems with them, and one computer (an Alienware) had to be serviced four times and replaced once before I finally gave up and got the MBA. Best computer decision I ever made.