Omar:
#hp_envy_15_2009 I've owned my Envy for a few weeks now, and overall I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the machine. It meets all of my major criteria:
* VERY powerful
* great screen
* coming in a light and portable package
* all while being somewhat affordable
Affordability is obviously debatable but when put up against a comparable Macbook Pro when upgraded to as close to the specs as possible the Envy comes in hundreds of dollars cheaper, and that's with the Envy still having a better processor and graphics card.
However, not everything is roses and peaches. The biggest drawback, particularly compared to the MBP, is the battery life. Without the extra heavy slice and decent use, you're not looking at much more than an hour, hour and a half. All-day-work laptop this is not. When you combine that with the fact that the power supply is quite heavy in its own right, not to mention the heavy extra battery you can't just pick it up and go like with the Macbook Pro.
The other major complaint I have is the heat/fan sounds. When you're not doing anything intense with the laptop it's quite silent (especially if you follow some of the tips I link to below). However, when doing anything somewhat performance related such as watching Flash movies or playing the game the fans start going very quickly. And if you continue the demanding task the laptop can heat up to very hot temperatures until the fans go into "super" mode (you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it, trust me) that lasts for a few minutes until the laptop gets back down to reasonable levels.
At the end of the day though these are realistic compromises for putting some of the most powerful and capable components inside of a laptop, and then keeping that laptop as light and thin as the Envy. Sure, you could have some Alienware, or Toshiba monstrosity that provides the same performance, but you also better budget some chiropractor appointments from lugging those things around.
Two things that I'd like to mention.
1)
Gaming performance. This thing suits my gaming needs and more. It plays Crisis that looks great, Street Fighter 4, Mirror's Edge. I just don't worry about whether or not the game will work on this laptop and that's a great feeling to have. I just crank up all the settings and still get great framerates.
2)
The Screen. WOW. The screen is amazing. The 1080p resolution is fantastic gives A LOT of usable real estate, and the image quality is the best I've ever seen.
Now for the ultimate question:
Is the Envy better than the Macbook Pro? For me, it's a definite
YES. I don't travel too much, so I don't require the better portability that the MBP offers. And if I do need longer battery life for a specific reason then I'll just bring the extra battery and I'm pretty much covered. Also Windows 7 is actually a very fair comparison to OSX. Many people, and I'm starting to include myself as one of them, consider Win7 to be better than the Mac operating system.
Overall, if you're in the market for a high-end laptop you have to at least consider this option, and I highly recommend picking it up.
Lastly, if you DO pick up an Envy then check out some quick tips I wrote up to get the most out of your machine.
5 Tips and Tricks to get the most out of your HP Envy 15 Dec 16, 09
