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Macbook pro 15" i7 vs HP ENVY 15" i7

rwdebes said:
also one thing i noticed from those 2 links about the 2 graphics cards we are talking about here:

RADEON 5830 1gb and Geforce GT 330M 512mb

cant undertand the difference..

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5830.24733.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

330M clocks is faster ? wtf.. something wrong.. because the review says its ****ing fast , beside not being GDDR5 .
Click to expand...

It isn't only about clock speed but about several things.

  • Engine clock speed
  • Processing power (single precision and double precision)
  • Polygon throughput
  • Data fetch rate (32-bit)
  • Texel fill rate (bilinear filtered)
  • Pixel fill rate
  • Anti-aliased pixel fill rate
  • Memory clock speed
  • Memory data rate
  • Memory bandwidth
  • Thermal Design Power

For example, the Radeon Mobility HD 5830 clocked at 500Mhz gives you 800 GigaFlops of processing power, whereas the Geforce GT 330M clocked at 575Mhz only nets you 182 GigaFlops. Per clock the Radeon Mobility HD 5830 is able to do much more work than the Geforce GT 330M.
 
Pressure said:
It isn't only about clock speed but about several things.

  • Engine clock speed
  • Processing power (single precision and double precision)
  • Polygon throughput
  • Data fetch rate (32-bit)
  • Texel fill rate (bilinear filtered)
  • Pixel fill rate
  • Anti-aliased pixel fill rate
  • Memory clock speed
  • Memory data rate
  • Memory bandwidth
  • Thermal Design Power

For example, the Radeon Mobility HD 5830 clocked at 500Mhz gives you 800 GigaFlops of processing power, whereas the Geforce GT 330M clocked at 575Mhz only nets you 182 GigaFlops. Per clock the Radeon Mobility HD 5830 is able to do much more work than the Geforce GT 330M.
Click to expand...

so we cay say the radeon 5830 is muuuuuuuuuuch faster than the 330M 512mb?
 
Was playing around with an Envy 15 today, and must say, quite impressed with this 2nd gen laptop.

Heat's a non-issue - and the 1920x1080 resolution gives you quite more real estate than the MBP 15" - well, you get about the MBP 17"'s resolution.

Speed is smooth and impressive, finishing is not of the MBPs quality, but nevertheless not too shabby!

If you're in the market for new hardware I'd give the 2nd gen envy a good look. And yes, it's quite light without the extra battery.
 
The fact that you want to play games should make this an easy decision.

The HP graphics card will run circles around the MBP as will the native OS when gaming.
 
After 4 days with the Envy I have to say this computer is for games, It is true the bottom of the laptop go hot while playing and the battery is short, but now i can understand it. Playing Mass Effect, Bioshock 2, Battlefield BC2 and Assassins Creed 2 at hight settings and 1080p is something I believed impossible in a notebook of this size before!!!
 
There is little doubt the HP Envy blows the MBP away in terms of specs, however personally, I'd rather have OS X on lesser specs, than Windows on better specs. If it were me, I'd get the 17" MBP.
 
I did contemplate on waiting for the Envy 15 to land on the shores of blighty so I checked out the US site for prices comparisons. After doing the maths, The Envy rolled in marginally cheaper than the (closest) equivalent option for the MBP after a HE discount.

I must say although the Envy is an absolutely dazzling lappy, I decided on going for the 15" MBP mainly because AppleCare rolls in at next to nothing (with HE discount), the main build of the MBP has had a proven track record, it has a slick UNIX-based OS, can VM/dual-boot to Windows and is the best fit for me personally and professionally.

With most things expensive, I tend to wait for the critic and user reviews to accumulate and help my decision making but I reckon I would've wasted alot of time waiting for the Envy to arrive in the UK because I'd only end up buying a MBP anyway.
 
rwdebes said:
• i7-820QM Quad Core (1.73GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm)
• 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics
• 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED Anti-glare Widescreen (1920x1080)
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery ( 6 Hours battery life)
Weight: 5.17lbs , 1.05" Thick. ( really really close to macbook pro )
2400U$ ( Would run MAC OS for sure on it )

or

New Macbook pro 15" i7 with HD display and 7200rpm upgrade for
2399U$

for someone who works with video , runs heavy .mkvs , want to be able to run games like Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 with no problems at all.

opinions please
Click to expand...

Not even a question. The battery life on the HP sucks unless you add that external extender thing. Also... THE ENVY HAS NO BUILT-IN OPTICAL DRIVE... FAIL!!! Faillllllll.

Seriously I cant understand how this is a question at all. You are quite limited to just Winblows 7 on the HP... Yech.
 
If you opt for the envy get the SSD upgrade from HP. It's the Intel drives(the best out there). You can get 320gb of Intel G2 SSD for 500$(half the price if bought off newegg)
 
Pressure said:
Indeed, the Radeon Mobility 5800 series is among the fastest notebook graphic chips.
Click to expand...

Wrong... 3Dmark 06 is only 15.5% faster on the ATI 5830 vs. the 330M GT, but the Mac has a faster available CPU at the same price I paid ($2199 model). What's the FSB of the HP? Is it unibody?

I'd rather have a faster CPU than a faster GPU. No laptop GPU compares to my NVIDIA 285GTX that's in my Mac Pro, anyway, but there is only a MARGINAL difference AT BEST between the 330M GT and the 5830. With the Mac having the faster CPU, then I doubt you would see a frame-rate difference, especially because the Mac's screen has fewer pixels and therefore the GPU doesn't have to do as much work. You might even see faster framerates on the Mac.

But yeah, Windows 7 does not include Apache!! OS X has frwakin Apache!! You see where it says "Pro"? They mean it. It comes with EMACS.
 
Dark Goob said:
Wrong... 3Dmark 06 is only 15.5% faster on the ATI 5830 vs. the 330M GT, but the Mac has a faster available CPU at the same price I paid ($2199 model). What's the FSB of the HP? Is it unibody?

I'd rather have a faster CPU than a faster GPU. No laptop GPU compares to my NVIDIA 285GTX that's in my Mac Pro, anyway, but there is only a MARGINAL difference AT BEST between the 330M GT and the 5830. With the Mac having the faster CPU, then I doubt you would see a frame-rate difference, especially because the Mac's screen has fewer pixels and therefore the GPU doesn't have to do as much work. You might even see faster framerates on the Mac.

But yeah, Windows 7 does not include Apache!! OS X has frwakin Apache!! You see where it says "Pro"? They mean it. It comes with EMACS.
Click to expand...

Seriously!!

- HP Envy = blazing fast quad core CPU if you want it
- The GPU is significantly quicker and the gap widens as you overclock it
- Native windows gaming beats bootcamp any day
- Apache is trivial to install on windows
- 16GB ram support anyone?

The MBP is a wonderful laptop that has very deliberately selected hardware for a blend of performance and battery life.
It does not compare to the HP Envy in the performance department at all. period!

I have a penryn MBP 15 and went and bought a brand MBP 13" this morning for travel etc. so am definitely a Mac fan.
But for pure performance the Envy's are in another league entirely!!
I will most likely get the 17 when they are released (assuming specs are good!) and put my much loved/abused MBP15 to pasture...

Z
 
Sorry, but I stopped reading your thread after you claimed the Envy gets 6 hours of battery life on a 6-cell battery. LOL!!
 
irwinm said:
Didn't anyone see this review that put up benchmark comparisons with the HP Envy 15? The MBP seemed to compare very favorably.

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-15-inch-core-i7.aspx?mode=benchmarks
Click to expand...

Those comparison are the older G1 Envy 15 with ATI 4830 and much higher res!

MBP - i7-620M, GT 330M, 4gb ram, 500gb 5400rpm, 1440x900 - $2199
HP - i7-720QM, ATI 4830, 6gb ram, 500gb 7200rpm, 1920x1080 - $1799

Take your $400 saved and throw an SSD in there :)

Would also be good to see test results with MBP @ 1650x1080.
As well as G2 Envy with ATI5830...
 
NOTORIOUS187 said:
Sorry, but I stopped reading your thread after you claimed the Envy gets 6 hours of battery life on a 6-cell battery. LOL!!
Click to expand...

With the 6-cell my Envy 15 only gets around 60-90minutes, up to 2 hrs if I adjust the screen brightness etc.

I bought 2 external slice batteries. With one slice battery I get around 5-7 hours, depending on whether I'm working in Avid Media Composer, Photoshop or some similar graphics intensive program, or whether I adjust the settings for reduced performance, so I estimate that with 2 I would get 10-14 hours, plus another 60-90 min for the regular 6-cell. It would seem that the fact there is no possible way to extend the battery life beyond the duration of the internal battery in the unibody MBP is a disadvantage, but I don't know, maybe the battery has a longer lifespan this way?

My co-worker just received his 15" MBP, so we will do some comparison benchmarks and maybe post some videos of Photoshop tests, etc.

We are both traveling to Europe in a couple weeks, so we will also test the battery life - although on most intl flights these days the battery is no longer as important as it used to be, since there are usually power outlets on the plane.
 
rwdebes said:
• i7-820QM Quad Core (1.73GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm)
• 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics
• 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED Anti-glare Widescreen (1920x1080)
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery ( 6 Hours battery life)
Weight: 5.17lbs , 1.05" Thick. ( really really close to macbook pro )
2400U$ ( Would run MAC OS for sure on it )

or

New Macbook pro 15" i7 with HD display and 7200rpm upgrade for
2399U$

for someone who works with video , runs heavy .mkvs , want to be able to run games like Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 with no problems at all.

opinions please
Click to expand...

I was looking on the Envy for myself, after hanging out on some HP forums it's a no go for me. They apparantly have a lot of heat issues with the envys. I believe the resolution for many people was to get one of those laptop coolers, or not running it plugged it. I'm not sure the heating problems have been resolved yet, but I'd suggest that you'd take a spin down the HP forum lane and look for yourself.

Other than that, the envy is a beast. But I'll get a mbp myself.
 
billgates99 said:
With the 6-cell my Envy 15 only gets around 60-90minutes, up to 2 hrs if I adjust the screen brightness etc.

I bought 2 external slice batteries. With one slice battery I get around 5-7 hours, depending on whether I'm working in Avid Media Composer, Photoshop or some similar graphics intensive program, or whether I adjust the settings for reduced performance, so I estimate that with 2 I would get 10-14 hours, plus another 60-90 min for the regular 6-cell. It would seem that the fact there is no possible way to extend the battery life beyond the duration of the internal battery in the unibody MBP is a disadvantage, but I don't know, maybe the battery has a longer lifespan this way?

My co-worker just received his 15" MBP, so we will do some comparison benchmarks and maybe post some videos of Photoshop tests, etc.

We are both traveling to Europe in a couple weeks, so we will also test the battery life - although on most intl flights these days the battery is no longer as important as it used to be, since there are usually power outlets on the plane.
Click to expand...
LOL. You have to carry around TWO EXTERNAL BATTERIES (in addition to the built in) to get comparable battery life as the mbp. Regardless, I'm fairly certain there are external battery options available for the mbp.
 
NOTORIOUS187 said:
LOL. You have to carry around TWO EXTERNAL BATTERIES (in addition to the built in) to get comparable battery life as the mbp. Regardless, I'm fairly certain there are external battery options available for the mbp.
Click to expand...

hehehe, yes and those things are extremely heavy!

I have to hand it to HP though, despite the weight, they are very well designed, extremely slim and they fit the bottom of the envy like a glove, so they don't increase the form factor very much and when connected it doesn't look like I have any external battery connected as it is still slimmer than most windows laptops.

but these things must be made out of some mysterious metal compound to be so heavy!

With one 9-cell slice battery I get 5-7 hours, plus another 60-90 min for the regular 6-cell battery (if I work with screen brightness down and reduced performance setting, I can get around 10 hours or so total) so that is usually enough for me. I just bought the extra one as a backup or for very long trips.
 
At the risk of overstepping the boundries (and this is coming from a former/current PC user who loves my iMac and wants a Macbook Pro); why do people ask questions phrased in this format "Should I get a Mac (whatever model) vs. a HP/Sony/Dell/PC (whatever model)"?

Ultimately, if you want OS X, you get a Mac; if you want the latest, greatest hot-rod machine with a 1GB dedicated GPU and a quad-core i7 then get the PC.

But, the hot-rod PC isn't going to run OS X (at least not perfectly); really apples and oranges (no pun intended).....

Just my 2 cents.....
 
Dark Goob said:
Wrong... 3Dmark 06 is only 15.5% faster on the ATI 5830 vs. the 330M GT, but the Mac has a faster available CPU at the same price I paid ($2199 model). What's the FSB of the HP? Is it unibody?

I'd rather have a faster CPU than a faster GPU. No laptop GPU compares to my NVIDIA 285GTX that's in my Mac Pro, anyway, but there is only a MARGINAL difference AT BEST between the 330M GT and the 5830. With the Mac having the faster CPU, then I doubt you would see a frame-rate difference, especially because the Mac's screen has fewer pixels and therefore the GPU doesn't have to do as much work. You might even see faster framerates on the Mac.

But yeah, Windows 7 does not include Apache!! OS X has frwakin Apache!! You see where it says "Pro"? They mean it. It comes with EMACS.
Click to expand...

If you're going to base the GPU's performance solely based on 3DMark benchmarks, why don't you use 3DMark Vantage which is newer and more reliable? The 5830 pretty much scored double of the GT 330m, scoring an average of 4785 to the GT 330M's 2496. How the hell do you call that a marginal difference when it's almost 2x better?

The Mac's screen resolution is lower, but seriously, the 5830 is so much more powerful, it'll probably still be able to outperform the GT 330M even at a much higher resolution.

Also, what's the point of saying that no laptop GPU is better than your GTX 285? Isn't that an obvious statement that adds completely nothing to the argument? Besides, no laptop CPU is as good as my desktop's Core i7 860 anyway.

Lastly, the Core i7 Quad in the Envy provides more processing power than the Dual Core i7 in the Macbooks.

billgates99 said:
I have to hand it to HP though, despite the weight, they are very well designed, extremely slim and they fit the bottom of the envy like a glove, so they don't increase the form factor very much and when connected it doesn't look like I have any external battery connected as it is still slimmer than most windows laptops.
Click to expand...

Hmm, anything wrong with the HP Envy's weight? Last I checked, it was almost 200 grams lighter than the Macbook Pro.
 
RedRaven571 said:
At the risk of overstepping the boundries (and this is coming from a former/current PC user who loves my iMac and wants a Macbook Pro); why do people ask questions phrased in this format "Should I get a Mac (whatever model) vs. a HP/Sony/Dell/PC (whatever model)"?

Ultimately, if you want OS X, you get a Mac; if you want the latest, greatest hot-rod machine with a 1GB dedicated GPU and a quad-core i7 then get the PC.

But, the hot-rod PC isn't going to run OS X (at least not perfectly); really apples and oranges (no pun intended).....

Just my 2 cents.....
Click to expand...

I own both mac and windows machines and I think the decision is a little bit more complex.

There are a number of factors and especially for people who have never owned a Mac, it may take some time to adjust. I think OSX makes a huge difference in how well the hardware runs that is difficult to measure when looking at a list of specs.

Personally I would have probably bought a MBP instead of the Envy if the MBP refresh delivered USB 3.0 and HDMI ports.
 
Looked over the Envy pretty closely yesterday. Very nice machine. USB 3.0 is another bonus. One area that was lacking was the trackpad. Simply put, nobody does the trackpad as well as Apple. My new MBP (i7) with inertial scrolling is simply awesome. I find it really hard to use other trackpads now, and this single issue alone is worth the premium for the MPBs.

YMMV.
 
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