thanks for the opinion
there will be 2 more MBP revisions before this game will ever make it to the release stage.
yeah , but Starcraft 2 will arrive soon..
ENVY is the same price of the MBP 15" i7..
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Macbook pro 15" i7 vs HP ENVY 15" i7
- Thread starter rwdebes
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thanks for the opinion
yeah , but Starcraft 2 will arrive soon..
ENVY is the same price of the MBP 15" i7..
Funny, I thought people were commenting back in Oct 2008 about how the MBPs then looked so much like HPs.
Seriously, guys, macs are not for serious gaming.
Oh, sure, you will be able to run all the less-demanding mac ports and have your average 30-40 fps, but... Everyone knows for the same amount of cash that you pay for, say, top 15" model, one can get a freaking killer gaming PC with baddiest processor and several GPU's, that will launch nuclear missles into space and encode divx video at the same time. Any game that comes out in next several (yes) years will show awesome fps on such system.
Just serving as captain Obvious round here.
Oh, sure, you will be able to run all the less-demanding mac ports and have your average 30-40 fps, but... Everyone knows for the same amount of cash that you pay for, say, top 15" model, one can get a freaking killer gaming PC with baddiest processor and several GPU's, that will launch nuclear missles into space and encode divx video at the same time. Any game that comes out in next several (yes) years will show awesome fps on such system.
Just serving as captain Obvious round here.
You clearly didn't take the time to go to the hp site and have a look at the specs right?
You can get an envy with i7-720QM Quad Core, 4 GB of ram (using only 2 out of 4 dimms), USB 3.0, Full HD display and a MUCH better GPU for the price of the low end 15". It is also really easy to find coupons online that give you like $200 off.
I am a mac fan but mostly because of their design as their computers are way overpriced.
As I read somewhere here in this forum:
"Apple, yesterday's technology at today's price"
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/hp-envy-15-review/
thats funny , its not a new review but worth reading for sure , just to note how we all know why we like apple and why steve jobs make some decisions
This review show exactly what a lot of people said here: apple didnt pick i7 quad core , 1ghz GPU because get friking HOT ! the review says that clearly thats a great machine , nice metal finish ,1" thick but the hardcore hardware get too hot ... i dont even know what to do now.. this review got my red light on..
"The multimedia and gaming experience blew us away -- rarely do we see such performance out of a laptop this sleek and thin -- but all that power results in incredibly high temperatures and below-average battery endurance. If you're willing to put up with hot metal and less than stellar battery life for a pretty awesome multimedia experience, the Envy 15 may be worth a try, but in the end it's hard for us to recommend a laptop that actually became uncomfortable to use and hampered our everyday computing experience."
no 1gb and no quad = more battery and dont get tooo hot ( my macbook pro early 2008 c2d 2,4ghz get ****ing HOT )
now im like: ENVY amazing machine , incredible price for what you get but battery sucks they said 2 hours ! and gets too hot to use on a regular basis.
macbook pro = GPU SUX ! and its ****ing expensive for what you get ( i know the unibody etc... ) im talking hardware.
only bad things i found out it gets tooooo hot and the battery last like 2 hours. thats a turn off..
thats funny , its not a new review but worth reading for sure , just to note how we all know why we like apple and why steve jobs make some decisions
This review show exactly what a lot of people said here: apple didnt pick i7 quad core , 1ghz GPU because get friking HOT ! the review says that clearly thats a great machine , nice metal finish ,1" thick but the hardcore hardware get too hot ... i dont even know what to do now.. this review got my red light on..
"The multimedia and gaming experience blew us away -- rarely do we see such performance out of a laptop this sleek and thin -- but all that power results in incredibly high temperatures and below-average battery endurance. If you're willing to put up with hot metal and less than stellar battery life for a pretty awesome multimedia experience, the Envy 15 may be worth a try, but in the end it's hard for us to recommend a laptop that actually became uncomfortable to use and hampered our everyday computing experience."
no 1gb and no quad = more battery and dont get tooo hot ( my macbook pro early 2008 c2d 2,4ghz get ****ing HOT )
now im like: ENVY amazing machine , incredible price for what you get but battery sucks they said 2 hours ! and gets too hot to use on a regular basis.
macbook pro = GPU SUX ! and its ****ing expensive for what you get ( i know the unibody etc... ) im talking hardware.
only bad things i found out it gets tooooo hot and the battery last like 2 hours. thats a turn off..
If you find the $400-450 HP coupons, the Envy is an awesome deal. If you can afford a MacBook Pro who cares?
The Envy cannot be hackintoshed AFAIK.
As for the Envy and heat, that's insane overkill what people are saying. The 1st gen Envys did get warm, but it wasn't any worse than a MacBook pro. The 2nd gen ones probably run cooler!
The Envy cannot be hackintoshed AFAIK.
As for the Envy and heat, that's insane overkill what people are saying. The 1st gen Envys did get warm, but it wasn't any worse than a MacBook pro. The 2nd gen ones probably run cooler!
if it gets too hot why they put those vents right in the user direction ?
i can afford , but i dont want to pay 2400U$ on a computer that cant run for example Diablo 3. thats is unaceptable.. im just trying to make the right decision , before putting 2500U$ on a computer.
for years ive been waiting for a nice card on an apple notebook ,i thought this was the time , with games like starcraft 2 and diablo 3 coming. If im sure the 330M 512mb will handle im probably getting the macbook , but at the same time im still thinking with 1800U$ i get a i7 quad core , 1gb Radeon HD 5830 .
not this 2 hours battery and getting hot like the guy who did the review said..
i can afford , but i dont want to pay 2400U$ on a computer that cant run for example Diablo 3. thats is unaceptable.. im just trying to make the right decision , before putting 2500U$ on a computer.
for years ive been waiting for a nice card on an apple notebook ,i thought this was the time , with games like starcraft 2 and diablo 3 coming. If im sure the 330M 512mb will handle im probably getting the macbook , but at the same time im still thinking with 1800U$ i get a i7 quad core , 1gb Radeon HD 5830 .
not this 2 hours battery and getting hot like the guy who did the review said..
It's called "Bad Design", HP has the Best "Worst Designers" around here, maybe not, but they're close.
I ordered a Envy last week because of the 21 days return policy without cost:
HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC
• i7-720QM Quad Core processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
• 4GB 1333 DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm + 2 free slots)
• 410GB Dual Drive (SSD 160GB + 250GB 5400RPM)
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors
• 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
• External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
$1,738.99
I will try it and I will read the MBP reviews, but I do not think I will change it because of the crappy GPU that Apple offer for +500$.
HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC
• i7-720QM Quad Core processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
• 4GB 1333 DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm + 2 free slots)
• 410GB Dual Drive (SSD 160GB + 250GB 5400RPM)
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors
• 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
• External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
$1,738.99
I will try it and I will read the MBP reviews, but I do not think I will change it because of the crappy GPU that Apple offer for +500$.
Of course I would tell you to get a 17" i7 mbp as they are considerably faster than the previus generation BUT for your work if you need the better dedicated gpu, I would say go with the ENVY as clearly the gpu is much better than the 330m.
How about... configure Envy with MBP specs (solves the heat and battery life problem) and save a big buck
nice price there ! did u use any discount ??
im gonna send you my email can u let me know your thoughts on the ENVY ?
would be great to know what you think while using ( battery life , if gets too hot like they said )
How about... configure Envy with MBP specs (solves the heat and battery life problem) and save a big buck
i was thinking that ! maybe the big heat comes from the i7 quad ??
because the GPU you cant change.
the i7 quad adds 400U$ to the price.. the stock is the 520 i think then comes the 2 apple are using 2.4 and 2.53ghz i5s.
i just didnt like the idea of the vents in my direction when the computer gets hot and they said in the review almost always , check the link i posted.
Yea I used one HP coupon, it was 450 off =)
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/hp-envy-15-shipping-for-950-after-rebate/
And the 2gen envys design look great.
2 fans --> processor
1 fan --> GPU
No air output in the front
Attachments
I actually pulled the trigger on an Envy 15 i5 last month. HP screwed up my order (they dropped the coupon), and overdrafted my bank account. I was so mad, I cancelled the order, and they had my money in their hands for several days.
Their CSRs were pretty lame on the sales front, I can't imagine how they are on the service front lol.
Good luck though!
Their CSRs were pretty lame on the sales front, I can't imagine how they are on the service front lol.
Good luck though!
got from a comment on engadget about ENVY 15"
" I would avoid this.
Mine has overheated once already and I've had it for just a week. It also has driver issues with the webcam that need two reboots to fix it if the issue manifests itself. I've run into this bit twice."
damn that sux ! any problem with delivery/shipment ?
" I would avoid this.
Mine has overheated once already and I've had it for just a week. It also has driver issues with the webcam that need two reboots to fix it if the issue manifests itself. I've run into this bit twice."
I actually pulled the trigger on an Envy 15 i5 last month. HP screwed up my order (they dropped the coupon), and overdrafted my bank account. I was so mad, I cancelled the order, and they had my money in their hands for several days.
Their CSRs were pretty lame on the sales front, I can't imagine how they are on the service front lol.
Good luck though!
damn that sux ! any problem with delivery/shipment ?
I purchased a custom Envy 15 with the following specs about 1 month ago:
i7-820QM
16GB DDR3 RAM 1333mHz
320GB Dual SSD (Intel X18-G2 160GBx2) Raid0
ATI Mobility Radeon HD5830
USB 3.0 ports
It is the most lightning fast experience I have ever had working with large files in Photoshop and Illustrator (using CS4 64-bit versions). I can instantly Alt+Tab back and forth between various windows open with memory intensive tasks, such as huge poster files in Photoshop, DVD Studio Pro encoding, 3D games in fullHD 1920x1080p resolution with high fps, such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc., with no lag whatsoever. I honestly have no idea to what extent this is a result of the SSD, the RAM, the processor or the graphics card.
USB 3.0 is a pretty significant advantage for the Envy 15. I'm able to transfer 4-5GB DVD files (which I must do quite often for work) within a ridiculously short period of time back and forth to drives sitting in my USB 3.0 external dock. I also use an external USB 3.0 Blu-ray writer, which was imported from Japan and took a little effort to get it functioning properly with the English version of Windows
It's certainly not as sexy as a unibody MBP, but I do like the look and feel of it - also 1920x1080 LED screen is brilliant, and I can connect HDMI out directly to my 1080p projector for quite an amazing home cinema/game experience
Another plus is HP Total Care Accidental damage protection - correct me if i'm wrong but I don't believe there is an "accidental damage" option from AppleCare
However, the Envy has several drawbacks, namely:
- runs extremely hot. i use Zalman nc1000 laptop cooler and that seems to do the trick quite well. In fact, if I remove the slice battery, the Zalman cools the underside to the extent that it actually becomes quite cold to the touch.
- low battery life - with the optional 9-cell slice battery it lasts about 4-5 hours, which is much longer than my previous laptop; however, not great. i'm heading to europe soon and I think for any int'l flight I would need to bring along an extra, second slice battery. With the slice battery in, it is extremely heavy, but the slice battery is well designed so that it retains a relatively sleek shape. without the slice battery, forget it, you barely get 1-2 hours.
- the multi-touch trackpad is kind of a joke, nowhere near as elegant or sensitive as the MBP trackpad, i often have to jiggle my fingers a bit in order to do gestures/2-finger scrolling. Hopefully this will be resolved with driver or BIOS update.
- horrible placement of special function keys on the keyboard - i often wind up hitting some moronic key to open a print menu or email application when i'm in the middle of working in photoshop or playing a game. I had a great deal of difficulty to attempt to disable those keys and even with using the keyboard layout menus in control panel, I was not able to disable them. I was tempted to purchase special software for customizing keyboard layout for the sole purpose of disabling those annoying, poorly located special function keys.
- no optical drive - I'm willing to sacrifice this for slimness and reduced noise - i use the external burner to author discs. if I need to watch a DVD while traveling I use a slim external optical drive.
- runs louder than the MBP - the fan is audible
- low 4k read speed in the SSDs the ship with the Envy - it is about 10x slower than it should be, even slower than the 4k write speed - this seems to be a real problem, as many others have found the same problem with the Envy's - however, as I mentioned, the drive is still much faster than a traditional hard drive, it is so fast compared to anything I worked with in the past that I really cannot notice any impact. I'm not sure in what practical situation I would be using the 4k read speed, but the fact that it is lower than it should be concerns me.
CrystalDiskMark 2.2 (C) 2007-2008
--------------------------------
Sequential Read : 469.045 MB/s
Sequential Write : 155.626 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 253.068 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 133.743 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 10.294 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 55.438 MB/s
Test Size : 100 MB Date : 2010/03/10 1:54:0
The SSDs included if you select this option from HP Direct are Intel G2s - from what I understand, the G2s had some sort of firmware problem and they need to be updated perhaps, or it could be a hardware or driver issue with the Envy.
http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/HP-Env...rmance-in-Envy-4k-Read-Write-Times/td-p/52262
I believe every buyer who ordered the SSDs and ran a benchmark got a very slow 4k read speed. I don't know how this impacts the usage, because I can't tell the difference when running programs, but i'm thinking of ordering the 200GB OWC Mercury Extreme Enterprise SSDs as a replacement and using the X18 G2s in my external USB 3.0 dock.
Whether you decide to go with the Envy or the MBP, I highly recommend the SSD option or buying 3rd party SSD, see this link below which shows how much faster a factory MBP boots and loads Creative Suite with SSD vs. traditional harddrive (BTW, keep in mind, if you order the dual SSD or SSD+HDD options in the Envy, then you get two 2.5" hard drive bays, otherwise, you only get one)
http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/Framework.cfm?page=ssd-speed-test-feb-10.html
Bottom line - the HP 21-day return policy would allow you to check it out for yourself to see if the pros outweigh the cons and you can return for complete refund including shipping and tax.
Edit: I am told the low 4k read speed for the SSDs in the Envy is due to a buggy HP controller, and other Envy owners who replaced with a third party SSD continued experiencing low 4k read speed. Again I can't really tell the difference, but I imagine it would be even faster if this issue were resolved.
i7-820QM
16GB DDR3 RAM 1333mHz
320GB Dual SSD (Intel X18-G2 160GBx2) Raid0
ATI Mobility Radeon HD5830
USB 3.0 ports
It is the most lightning fast experience I have ever had working with large files in Photoshop and Illustrator (using CS4 64-bit versions). I can instantly Alt+Tab back and forth between various windows open with memory intensive tasks, such as huge poster files in Photoshop, DVD Studio Pro encoding, 3D games in fullHD 1920x1080p resolution with high fps, such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc., with no lag whatsoever. I honestly have no idea to what extent this is a result of the SSD, the RAM, the processor or the graphics card.
USB 3.0 is a pretty significant advantage for the Envy 15. I'm able to transfer 4-5GB DVD files (which I must do quite often for work) within a ridiculously short period of time back and forth to drives sitting in my USB 3.0 external dock. I also use an external USB 3.0 Blu-ray writer, which was imported from Japan and took a little effort to get it functioning properly with the English version of Windows
It's certainly not as sexy as a unibody MBP, but I do like the look and feel of it - also 1920x1080 LED screen is brilliant, and I can connect HDMI out directly to my 1080p projector for quite an amazing home cinema/game experience
Another plus is HP Total Care Accidental damage protection - correct me if i'm wrong but I don't believe there is an "accidental damage" option from AppleCare
However, the Envy has several drawbacks, namely:
- runs extremely hot. i use Zalman nc1000 laptop cooler and that seems to do the trick quite well. In fact, if I remove the slice battery, the Zalman cools the underside to the extent that it actually becomes quite cold to the touch.
- low battery life - with the optional 9-cell slice battery it lasts about 4-5 hours, which is much longer than my previous laptop; however, not great. i'm heading to europe soon and I think for any int'l flight I would need to bring along an extra, second slice battery. With the slice battery in, it is extremely heavy, but the slice battery is well designed so that it retains a relatively sleek shape. without the slice battery, forget it, you barely get 1-2 hours.
- the multi-touch trackpad is kind of a joke, nowhere near as elegant or sensitive as the MBP trackpad, i often have to jiggle my fingers a bit in order to do gestures/2-finger scrolling. Hopefully this will be resolved with driver or BIOS update.
- horrible placement of special function keys on the keyboard - i often wind up hitting some moronic key to open a print menu or email application when i'm in the middle of working in photoshop or playing a game. I had a great deal of difficulty to attempt to disable those keys and even with using the keyboard layout menus in control panel, I was not able to disable them. I was tempted to purchase special software for customizing keyboard layout for the sole purpose of disabling those annoying, poorly located special function keys.
- no optical drive - I'm willing to sacrifice this for slimness and reduced noise - i use the external burner to author discs. if I need to watch a DVD while traveling I use a slim external optical drive.
- runs louder than the MBP - the fan is audible
- low 4k read speed in the SSDs the ship with the Envy - it is about 10x slower than it should be, even slower than the 4k write speed - this seems to be a real problem, as many others have found the same problem with the Envy's - however, as I mentioned, the drive is still much faster than a traditional hard drive, it is so fast compared to anything I worked with in the past that I really cannot notice any impact. I'm not sure in what practical situation I would be using the 4k read speed, but the fact that it is lower than it should be concerns me.
CrystalDiskMark 2.2 (C) 2007-2008
--------------------------------
Sequential Read : 469.045 MB/s
Sequential Write : 155.626 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 253.068 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 133.743 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 10.294 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 55.438 MB/s
Test Size : 100 MB Date : 2010/03/10 1:54:0
The SSDs included if you select this option from HP Direct are Intel G2s - from what I understand, the G2s had some sort of firmware problem and they need to be updated perhaps, or it could be a hardware or driver issue with the Envy.
http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/HP-Env...rmance-in-Envy-4k-Read-Write-Times/td-p/52262
I believe every buyer who ordered the SSDs and ran a benchmark got a very slow 4k read speed. I don't know how this impacts the usage, because I can't tell the difference when running programs, but i'm thinking of ordering the 200GB OWC Mercury Extreme Enterprise SSDs as a replacement and using the X18 G2s in my external USB 3.0 dock.
Whether you decide to go with the Envy or the MBP, I highly recommend the SSD option or buying 3rd party SSD, see this link below which shows how much faster a factory MBP boots and loads Creative Suite with SSD vs. traditional harddrive (BTW, keep in mind, if you order the dual SSD or SSD+HDD options in the Envy, then you get two 2.5" hard drive bays, otherwise, you only get one)
http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/Framework.cfm?page=ssd-speed-test-feb-10.html
Bottom line - the HP 21-day return policy would allow you to check it out for yourself to see if the pros outweigh the cons and you can return for complete refund including shipping and tax.
Edit: I am told the low 4k read speed for the SSDs in the Envy is due to a buggy HP controller, and other Envy owners who replaced with a third party SSD continued experiencing low 4k read speed. Again I can't really tell the difference, but I imagine it would be even faster if this issue were resolved.
15" HP Quad core envy is cheaper (over £100 cheaper) than the base 13" MBP in the uk,absolute joke:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Intel® Core processor i7-720QM
1.60 GHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830
Up to 2811 MB total graphics memory with 1 GB dedicated
4096 MB
320 GB
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support. External & Configurable.
6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
802.11 a/g/n WLAN
2.35 kg
how can Apple justify charging so much? if hp envy ran osx then there would be no doubt about it and i would have bought it already.
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Intel® Core processor i7-720QM
1.60 GHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830
Up to 2811 MB total graphics memory with 1 GB dedicated
4096 MB
320 GB
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support. External & Configurable.
6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
802.11 a/g/n WLAN
2.35 kg
how can Apple justify charging so much? if hp envy ran osx then there would be no doubt about it and i would have bought it already.
The REAL question is, who'd want to run a broken down crappy hackint0sh on an ENVY??