M14x vs Envy 15

Ok guys so im kind of at a tough decision point here.

I first ordered my M14x on the 22nd of March. Its been delayed due to a part shortage on the Killer wireless cards and its ESTIMATED to be here on the 12th but thats no sure thing. So heres the deal: My decision on a new laptop was either the M14x or the ENVY 15 WELL right now HP has a coupon code for 30% OFF all ENVY laptops ( Coupon code is NBP9732 for any interested) I built one with a similar configuration to my M14x that I built (save for the different screen resolution and graphics card of course) and they were the same price EXCEPT with that 30% off the ENVY is over $500 cheaper!

So lets be real here, it basically comes down to the graphics card. So the real question is 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M OR 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7690M GDDR5???

Any thoughts????

Id really appreciate your opinions on this one. I know some opinions here may be biased but id still like to see what you guys think. That coupon code expires the 14th (Saturday) So im trying to decide whether to just cancel my Dell order before then or not.

 

To be honest I love Alienware with my heart and probably would wait for Alienware but if HP is 500$ cheaper with similar specs and arrives much earlier the logical thing would be to buy the HP Envy 15.

About your GPU question: GT555m in M14x and HD 7690m is very similar in performance.

 

The 7690M in the Envy 15 is actually DDR3, which is extremely gimped (The DDR5 version is called the XT, like in the DV6). So the Envy 15 will perform more like a GT 550M than a GT 555M. Its like BF3 Med/High vs High/Ultra. If youre okay with medium at 1080p vs ultra at 900p, the envy seems pretty good.

 

Out of curiosity, just what config did you do for each one? I went and configured an Envy 15 and M14x to see the difference (differences in italics), and it's not $500.

Envy 15:
i7-2670QM
1GB Radeon 7690M
8GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
750GB 7200rpm HD
1920x1080p screen
$1231.99 after the 30% off discount

M14x:
i7-2670QM
1.5GB Nvidia GT 555M
8GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
750GB 7200rpm HD
1600x900 screen
$1474.00

That's a price difference of $242.01, not $500. Don't get me wrong, that's still a notable discount especially given that you're getting a 1080p screen in the Envy, but it's not $500... did you actually do the config on the HP website for the Envy? I noticed that the laptops had an "instant $250 rebate" which was replaced by this 30% off coupon, so the savings weren't as big as they seemed.

 

If you configure without the 1080p screen the price difference becomes almost $350, but then you're left with a 15" computer with a 1366x768 screen.

 

The coupon replaces the instant rebate. They automatically apply whichever saves the most money. Before the coupon was applied the $250 instant rebate brought the total to $1701 vs $1702 with the M14x. I posted screenshots in the post below

Heres the customization of each...

The coupon knocks off $545 before tax

Does it seem like the envy is more bang for the buck given the full retail price vs the M14x??

 

I have to admit that I'm truly baffled at how you got the M14x to be that expensive, when your config looks really similar or identical to the one I wrote down. It should really not be that expensive...

Nevertheless, I would say for $545 and getting a 1080p screen I would do the Envy, much as I love my M14x!

 

well they called and said it will only be a couple of days now so we'll just see how much I like it I guess =) I am used to a 15.6in screen so if that ends up being an issue then ill make a decision based on that.

True that, I really would like to use Max settings but its not neccessarily a dealbreaker

"Mobile Gaming Rig" Model (with i7 2.2Ghz): $1299
8gb Ram add $100
900p Screen add $75
Soundblaster add $20
Killer wireless add $80
Accidental Insurance add $49
subtract $50 off coupon

Total $1573 + $129 Tax = $1702

Jokes on me though cause with that configuration you dont get the Bluetooth option where on the base configuration you do. FAIL on Dells part. Should have went base, it would have still cost the same. Guess ill be ordering a Bluetooth module to install..

 

Ah, I see it now. I didn't include the Soundblaster or Killer wireless (or tax). Well, it's a little late for this obviously, but for future reference: the 8 GB RAM option is $200 more than the 4 GB RAM; you can buy 8 GB RAM yourself from Newegg for < $100 and save yourself a bit of money.

In any case, either computer you choose will be fantastic. And again, I love my M14x but for $500 less, get the Envy!

 

Yeah at the time I was just doin it for convenience but afterwards I regretted it. Was gonna cancel and redo it but didnt want to prolong the wait. Little did I know my order would get delayed. F.M.L. lol

 

There is apparently a poor colour production with hp envy 15's 1080p IPS screen, with reds appearing orange, and its NOT subtle. I'm not sure if its been fixed or not. Just try googling "hp envy colour"

 

Well it is true that M14x's screen isnt great too. Shiny, washed out colors and low brightness.

 

The screen is shiny and not very bright, but colors arent washed out at all. I still dont see the point in buying such an expensive computer with a "good" gpu but barely being able to game. In that range you may as well get a Sager with a GTX 670M/675M

 

Don't forget warranty either. Dell has served me well with this rig. The times I have had to deal with HP's warranty and other horror stories inspired me to never buy another HP again.

 

Actually I came across that the other night. From what I understand its not a problem that HP would recognize. Not sure if newer ones have that problem or not. Thats def a dealbreaker though if its a problem with all of them. For the extra cash that nice 1080p screen cost, everything should be PERFECT.

I see your point. I should be getting my M14x in "a day or two" according to the Dell rep. He's supposed to follow up with me today and let me know. If I truly Love it then ill def keep it. The only thing ive been worried about really is getting used to a 14 inch screen vs the 15.6in that im used to. The screen on the M14x seems to be really short to me as well but ive never seen one in person yet so we'll just see how that goes. The main games ill be playing are SWTOR, Starcraft II, possibly Skyrim (havent really looked into it yet) and ill pick up a FPS or two as well. I just want a rig that can handle what I throw at it which is why I wanted advice on the graphics cards. My poor Gateway NV52 wont play SWTOR smooth without dropping the graphics to "low" lol Thats what inspired me to upgrade in the first place.

Yeah when I was cutomizing the system it seemed like HPs warranty stuff was more expensive. At least with the Alienware I have the accidental thrown in as well.

 

Agreed.

I sent the same laptop to them 3 times in a row and on the 3rd time it arrived with a big scratch on the screen. I called in and they blamed it on me, wanting to charge me 200$ to send it in 4th time for a screen replacement; I just had opened the UPS box not even 10 minutes after noticing, but yep, must of been me! Ridiculous company. If it was an Alienware, the problem would of been resolved in a couple days rather than a month and half of no working laptop.

^ This is service is something you can look forward if you're going to choose the Envy

 

Do not worry. I play swtor with all settings at max ( including AA ) except bloom(which I dont really like anyway) and shadows and getting constant 45+ fps. If I put shadow on ultra than I get 30+ fps

 

as long as you don't spam the B button while in a taxi, then your fps drops to nothing. But that happens on any computer as its a game engine glitch. TOR isn't to demanding as he has said. We shall see what the 1.2 patch does to fps though. They are supposely adding high res textures(finally!!)

 

Yep, SWTOR plays very well on the m14x.

Before I stopped playing, I had the settings cranked to the max and never felt any lag (minus shadows of course).

Sadly I no longer have much time for gaming (especially MMO's) other than some occasional Command & Conquer matches.

 

That DEFINITELY helps me out on my decision. I dont want to have to deal with any issues like that in the future. YOUR FAULT?? Wow thats really ridiculous.

According to FEDEX, my M14x is now officially OUT FOR DELIVERY I cannot wait to get home any open up that box! Based on what you guys have told me, I dont think this is longer an issue for me. Im gonna stick with the M14x for sure. Its been 3 weeks today since I pulled the trigger and ordered it and I am so stoked.

Awesome. Cant wait to load it up! When I first got SWTOR it was SUPER laggy on my GW NV52 even the part where you customize a character. Finally after getting the settings to low was it actually playable without me having to wait for the screen to catch up with the controls lol

Yeah I read about that update, cant wait.

 

The screen is being washed out is because you did not increase the saturation found in the Intel HD Graphic Properties/Control Panel. Once you increase that saturation it will look just as beautiful as other screen, for reason why it is that, I'm not sure because my old Sony HDTV also came wash out back when I bought it around 3-4 years ago.

Anyway, pricing wise, like others have said, a 1080p on the HD7690M will be great on a system where overheat isnt a problem, but as for HP being known for its easily overheated laptop, so for me I'll choose the M14x instead, though I do also know that the M14x also prone to the heating problem but once you have something to elevate the laptop and have its turbo boost off, the system would run without heating problem.

One of my friend got a DV7, and man he said that laptop run very very hot, as a normal heavy web browsing would nearly always burn his palm, and he also taking step of having a cooler and other heat reducing steps, but the system is just run hot.

So Just normal heavy web browsing is already like that, I wonder how hot will it run while in-game.