Is the Dv7t or ENVY better for gaming and video editing?

[JTChal]

Hello everyone!

I currently own a Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition notebook PC and have had it since December 2009. Ever since the beginning, my dv7t has always gotten incredibly hot when playing the simple online game RuneScape, and, quite frankly, whenever I would do... anything. Now, however, it will not turn on past the Windows OS introduction 80% of the time and the wireless detector will rarely work. Instead of sending it in for a massive repair fee, I think I'll just buy a new laptop.

So my question is: Which laptop is better for playing Runescape, video editing with Sony Vegas Pro, and general web surfing, word processing, etc: The Pavilion dv7t or the Envy 17? Do you have any information on how hot they get? I would really appreciate all support.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Both the ENVY and the DV7tqe will be quite expensive when you configure them with the fastest processor, maximum memory and the fastest video card.  It appears to be a toss up.

You can use the configurators to pick and chose your desired system components then perhaps decide based on price.

[JTChal]

I know they will be expensive, but is one better than the other? i.e, will one run faster than the other or be less hot?

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

If they both are configured with the same hardware then the wattage (heat) consumption is going to be the same.

However, the ENVY can be equipped with 16GB of memory verses 8GB for the dv7t.  If you are using a 64 bit application designed for HD video that can use that much memory effectively then the ENVY should be a better performer.  Rendering video in memory is going to be faster than having to do I/O to the hard drive.

[JTChal]

And what about the difference between the dv7t being a quad core processor and the ENVY only being dual core?

Why, when ENVY is advertised as being the superior laptop, does it have less cores than the dv7t, and how does that difference noticeably manifest itself to the user?

[JTChal]

Is there as noticeable a difference in performance between the following processors as there is in their price?

2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz 

2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2820QM (2.3 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz

And what is the difference between the first processor listed above and the dv7t's:

2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2720QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz 

Specifically:

Is there any difference in speed or amount of lag when gaming or doing regular web surfing?

Is there a difference in heat when using the laptop?

Thank you!

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Check the configurator as both can be configured with the 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2820QM (2.3 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz.

Split your monitor screen and put on model in each window and walk thru the configurators and pick chose your desired options noting the change in price.

[JTChal]

right. But what I am asking is between the processors listed, how are they different? Are the more expencive ones remarkably faster, or is there some other difference?

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

OK. Try this Passmark link. Look under CPU benchmarks and under Video benchmarks.

You should be able to play with the numbers and the HP costs and make your own judgments on cost verses performance. For some cost is not an issue as performance is the only criteria and for others it's cost and then performance.

Good luck!