Which one should I choose?

[Capn_Underpants 401]

Hello!

 

I'm looking for an upgrade. Honestly, anything that I get will be an upgrade because the laptop that i'm using right now is like 7-8 years old. I was looking at these two computers and I was wondering which one is better? They're both HPs which are the kind of laptops I like. I just want to be able to keep playing some LoL here and there and MAYBE some WoW. Is it possible on these computers? Thanks guys!!

 

EDIT: Oh and the Pavilion is a touchscreen, which i'm not too interested in, but I feel like this is the way technology is going nowadays so i'm not too bothered by it. Do any of you guys have touchscreen laptops? What do you guys think of them?

 

HP Pavilion 17

Operating System: Windows 8.1

Processor & Memory: AMD Elite Quad Core A8-5550M Accelerated Processor (2.1GHz) up to 3.1GHz; 6GB Memory

Storage & Optical Drive: 750GB Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart; Up to 25GB Cloud Storage from Box; SuperMulti DVD Burner

Display & Design: 17.3" HD BrightView LED-backlit Display; Anodized Silver Finish; Measures 16.5"W x 10.5"D x 1.21"H; Weighs 7.74 lbs.

Video/Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 8550G Graphics

Audio/Speakers: Integrated Speakers; DTS Sound+ Audio Technology

Includes: HP TrueVision HD Webcam; Integrated Digital Microphone; Full-size Keyboard with numeric keypad; HP SimplePass

Battery & Connectivity: Up to 6 hours of portable battery life; WiFi

I/O Ports: 1 HDMI; 2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports; 1 USB 2.0 Port; VGA; 1 Headphone Output/Microphone Input Combo Jack

ENERGY STAR Qualified: Yes

 

HP Envy 17

Operating System: Windows 8.1

Processor & Memory: Intel i7-4700MQ Quad Core Processor (2.4GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz; 12GB Memory

Storage & Optical Drive: 1TB Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection; Up to 50GB Cloud Storage from Box; SuperMulti DVD Burner

Display & Design: 17.3" HD BrightView LED-Backlit Display; Glass Fiber with Natural Silver Finish; Measures 16.38"W x 10.8"D x 1.21"H; Weighs 6.17 lbs.

Video/Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600

Audio/Speakers: Integrated Beats Audio Quad Speakers and 2 Subwoofers

Includes: TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Dual Array Microphone and Noise Cancellation; Keyboard with numeric keypad; HP SimplePass

Battery & Connectivity: Up to 5.25 hours of portable battery life; WiFi; WiDi; Intel Smart Connect Technology

I/O Ports: 1 HDMI; 4 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports; RJ-45; Headphone-Out/Microphone-In Combo Jack

ENERGY STAR Qualified: Yes

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

I'm not sure if these two are the exact models or not, but you can find them on this site and use the comparison tool.  

 

http://laptops-and-notebooks.findthebest.com/compare/51-2298/ENVY-17-series-vs-Pavilion-17-e171nr

[Commander_Undies 618]

Cool site, Tommy!

[J4MES OX4D 10,057]

This is similar to my gaming set up

[Capn_Underpants 401]

Thanks for the link, Tommy. But that site didn't help me. I'm buying a laptop through work and sometimes the parts are all different then what's on the actual site.

[Diddums 4,346]

A few things girl.

 

First off, unless you do any video editing the 12gb of the Envy will be completely wasted.

 

For example, my wife's PC RAM recently died so I ordered a new set, but in the mean time I took 4gb from my 8gb and put it in her system. I'm still using 4gb now and I can run BF4 on the highest possible settings as well as any other game I play (you're a WoW player, no? I just bought MoP the other day). The reason RAM is sold by the bucketload nowadays is because DDR4 is around the corner (June, to be exact) and these companies know it, so they're basically using all their stock to shift laptops, and because some people are still of the mindset that more RAM = faster PC (seriously folks, the 90s were ages ago). 

 

Secondly, Windows 8.1 takes a bit of getting used to if you're not familiar with it. The touch screen might be a gimmick here but it'll help you familiarise yourself with the new operating system and it'll get a damn site more use than the other 6gb of RAM which you'd be "missing out on" (not really). 

 

And last but not least, that Radeon 8550G trades blows with the Intel 4600. The selling point here is that the Radeon is made by AMD, the same company working on Mantle, which will improve the performance over time, whereas the Intel is a case of what-you-get-is-what-you-get. 

 

 

For me, the Pavilion is a clear winner. If it's for gaming, then it's a no brainer really. 

[Diddums 4,346]

WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Diddums 4,346]

Ok, I just had a closer look at the CPU stuff. How important is battery life? If it's important, the i7 is better. The AMD will chew power faster, but the GPU is a bit faster. 

 

In fact, given that you're a gamer (I'm just jumping to this conclusion now), take a look here:

 

Pavilion

 

Envy

 

The TL;DR is that they're both shit, it's just a case of choosing which is less shit. AMD's offering is slightly better, but Mantle will also make it better in the long run. 

 

For reference, I can cruise around SW on a busy server with medium settings at 30FPS ish on my wife's laptop, which is an HD4000. That's significantly slower than the 4600 so if you're playing WoW, you're good to go!

[Capn_Underpants 401]

Wow thank you for all of that. Battery life isn't an issue for me, I usually keep it plugged in if i'm using it for a long period of time. So they're both shitty computers, but they're surely better than what I have. Thank you for all of the help.