I need some advice on choosing between two high-end HP laptops.

[ragefaced]

I am a student of Computer Science and I am planning to buy a high-end laptop to support VMWare with multiple instances of Windows and Linux.
Uses

• Designing - Adobe Suite CS5
• Programming
• Networking/server management practice over VMWare.
• A few games maybe.

[ Options ]

• I. HP ENVY 14 - 14.5" | Weighs 5.2 LBS | RAM: 6GB | 1366x768 LED
• -- w/ 2nd Gen. i5-2410M (2.3GHz @ 2.9Ghz, 3MB L3 Cache) - $850 after $150 off
• -- w/ 2nd Gen. i7-2630QM (2GHz @ 2.9Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache) - $949 after $150 off
• -- 1GB DDR3 Radeon(TM) HD 6630 switchable Graphics [HDMI, Mini Display Port].
• II. HP dv6tQE - 15.6" | 5.8 LBS - $899 w/ upgrades after $425 discount.
• --w/ 2nd Gen. i7-2630QM (2GHz @ 2.9Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache)
• --1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• --Upgrades: 1080p Screen + Blu-ray drive + 6GB RAM

I would have gladly purchased the dv6tQE if it had a 14" screen. It is feast for the price, but I prefer 14.5" screen. I have had my current laptop, a 14" HP dv2214tu, for 4 years so I am accustomed to the small size and light weight now. ENVY14 has better reviews for its design and performance, but it is still a bit pricey after the upgrade.
[ Questions ]

• I know the i7 is QM, but is it really worth it the price over the stock processor?
• Ruling out the cost variable, which one would you go for and why?
• If you have any news, is HP planning to roll out another upgraded ENVY 14 series soon? I had purchased the previous series with 1st Gen i7, but I returned it as soon as 2nd Gen processors came out.

Thanks!

 

[hans007]

if you are going to be doing vmware and such, getting a real quad probably is worth it.

 

[Schadenfreude]

I'd hesitate going with HP personally, but if I had only those two choices, I'd go with the DV6TQE, only for the high-res display option; a must if you're doing any graphics/visual work.

 

[gsaldivar]

6GB isn't very much RAM if you are doing lots of virtualization. I went for a Lenovo Thinkpad W520 myself, similar specs but you will lose the Bluray drive (non-issue for a productivity machine), you will gain USB 3.0, mSATA and Ultrabay (you can do SSD + 2 hard drives if you want to), and with 4 RAM slots you can add up to 32GB of RAM for comparable size & weight.

 

[biostud]

maybe get a business line of laptop?

 

[Bolas]

Umm... you say you are choosing between two "high-end" laptops?

High end would be in the $2k plus range, not the under $1k range, in my humble opinion.

http://www.xoticpc.com/

Even for business machines, the high end would still be over $2k. Fully tricked out ultra thin and light gets up in that price range.

I would say low end is under $1k, mid-range is $1k to $2k, high end is $2k-$5k+. You're looking for a low end laptop, not high end.

High-end and HP are mutually exclusive. If you want a high end laptop, go with Sager (Clevo) or Asus (they are mid-range but can verge on high end if configured right) or Alienware.

High end for work is probably a Lenovo x220, I would think.

Don't get me wrong, HP Envy is a good laptop, and probably along the lines of the best that HP has to offer. But in the big picture, it's mid-range at best.

 

[Schadenfreude]

....

High end for work is probably a Lenovo x220, I would think.

High-end business-class laptops for Lenovo would be the W520 and for Dell it'd be the Precision line.

The Lenovo X220 is nice, but by no means is it their top-of-the-line laptop.

Semantics aside, OP: for about $1KUSD you should be able to find something from a . . . more reputable builder. Generally speaking Lenovo/Thinkpads are regarded as one of the most well-built machines around. I've heard that HP's QA was being improved. but still I'd recommend the Lenovo over HP anytime, even with the price difference.

Laptops aren't just made up of system specs; as it is a complete package in themselves build quality is a huge factor in long-term owner satisfaction, possibly more so than the specs themselves.

 

[vbuggy]

I suppose the key is what the OP is looking for. $1000 is entry-level where 'quality' has at least some sort of meaning, not the 'high end'.

If this is the max budget, then the HP's do seem to offer the most bang for the buck, along with some semblance of build quality - if there's a lot of virtualisation involved I'd go for the dv6, but I wouldn't expect it to last that long if you hammer it. If on the other hand he's under the impression from looking solely at budget consumer notebooks that $1K is the high end, then as pointed out above, there are many ways you could do better.

Personally I'm more partial to equivalent HP's Elitebooks than Lenovo's T or W series as I think the build quality of the latter is overrated these days, especially by reviewers who're all too cursory in their efforts.

 

[Blue_Max]

Does HP still get the WORST consumer ratings for their laptops? I'd avoid HP at all costs!

 

[gsaldivar]

Does HP still get the WORST consumer ratings for their laptops? I'd avoid HP at all costs!

There is a big difference between consumer and professional product lines. It's common to find companies that excel at one but not the other, and it is quite rare to find a company that excels at both.

In this case, the HP Elitebook is a well-built and reputable product line that the OP should be considering in addition to Lenovo Thinkpad, etc...

 

[Bish]

There is a big difference between consumer and professional product lines. It's common to find companies that excel at one but not the other, and it is quite rare to find a company that excels at both.

In this case, the HP Elitebook is a well-built and reputable product line that the OP should be considering in addition to Lenovo Thinkpad, etc...

Agreed. I've had 4 elitebooks in my business for about a year. They have all worked flawlessly with no problems. I would definitley consider them a good value in the $1Kish price range. Of course i7 and ssd's will get the price up there too.

 

[vbuggy]

Does HP still get the WORST consumer ratings for their laptops? I'd avoid HP at all costs!

What many dumbasses still don't seem to realise is that you get what you pay for. You pay peanuts, you get crap - whoever makes it. The fact that companies like HP are compelled to address every market segment from crap to enterprise hurts them when vocal dumbasses have strong opinions.