Which Laptop To Buy!? Need Help!

[themuffstuff]

These two and these two only, not looking for any other computers

Vizio CT14-A0 or Hp Envy 4 1030us

Pros for the Vizio :
1600*800 | Hp is 1366*768
128gb SSD | Hp is 32gb Cache SSD
3.4 Lbs | Hp is 3.9 Lbs
.67" Thin | Hp is .78" Thin
No Bloat | HP is bloated

Pros for the HP:
5-6 Hour Battery | Vizio is 4-5
Backlit Keyboard | None
Core i5 Ivy | Core i3 Ivy
500 gb HDD | No HDD
Beats Audio | Regular Audio?

Only real gripe about the Vizio is no backlit (Cant work in dark) and the fact that its an i3.


Will I really notice a big increase in performance from an i5 vs an i3? Thats my main thing. Thanks again guys.

 

[jonathan_569]

what task are you going to do in your laptop? since it really differs on opinion and task, some may say that a Quad core is fast and others a dual core, but it all boils down to what you are doing.. Maximizing your resources.

For an i3 vs i5, i5 would definitely be better.. and i presume this will be using the intel HD graphics. better get the i5 then

 

[themuffstuff]

I believe they both use Intel HD, but I heard the i5 handles the Intel HD Better. And im not going to be doing anything demanding, but its always nice to have a faster processor.

 

[chugot9218]

The integrated graphics are going to be utilized at the same rate through either CPU I believe, I don't think the iGPU is powerful enough to overwhelm either. Just know that the 128gb SSD may fill up faster than you think, and once you start getting close to maximum capacity performance may decrease. The difference between the i3 and i5 will depend on what you want to do with the PC, if you aren't using programs that benefit from the additional cores, then an i3 of similar speed should perform just as well as an i5.

 

[ittimjones]

The Visio would be good if your only using it for web browsing, email, portable access.

The HP will last you longer in the end, with the specs it has.

Both have the same Intel HD 4000 graphics.

SSD's start losing performance after filling halfway up, so you would only have about 60GB of great performance, and the default image from Visio would fill most of that.

 

[themuffstuff]

yeah thats what scared me, 128gb is not enough, plus I can always add an SSD to the Envy as well.

 

[freshbakd]

This is probably not an option but wait a week or two save a little more. You can get a lot more computer for a little more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230469&name=Laptops-Notebooks
Even if its not that something similar, i only say that because in my opinion the price gap isn't that far considering the performance.

 

[chugot9218]

Just a heads-up, I am not sure of Samsung SSD quality but they have 128gb drives for like 70 bucks on the Amazon gold box today!

 

[themuffstuff]

This is probably not an option but wait a week or two save a little more. You can get a lot more computer for a little more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230469&name=Laptops-Notebooks
Even if its not that something similar, i only say that because in my opinion the price gap isn't that far considering the performance.

Too much. And I'm not a gamer so I don't need to pay for a gfx card. As for the Samsung ssd. I don't know if It would work with the envy. I don't know much about computers so I have to use crucial to tell me.

 

[chugot9218]

Just throwing it out there, looks like a good deal for a 128gb, and I don't believe there should be any reason you could not put a specific brand SSD in it.

 

[themuffstuff]

Well I know some ram doesn't work on certain computers so I figured an ssd is the same thing. But I don't know if I need 128gb. I could just get a 64gb ssd an put windows on it. Or am I better off going 128?

 

[chugot9218]

Well, for that deal I would go 128, but you certainly don't need that much, it's your personal preference. Depends on whether you have programs that you use often enough to justify the increased speed of placing it on an SSD. There should be no issue installing an SSD by any manufacturer.

 

[themuffstuff]

Oh ok. The envy has a 32gb ssd for cache. I don't think it would hurt to upgrade it right.

 

[chugot9218]

Probably not, I am not sure what model SSD they are using in there, you just might want to do some research as to what the most reliable SSD's are, especially whichever one you may decide on. Thats the most important consideration in buying an SSD. The one in there may be fine as well.

 

[themuffstuff]

All I know is that it's an mSata 32gb ssd used for cache

 

[chugot9218]

I think then it is being used as a cache for the HDD, I am not sure that it contains the OS, or perhaps it has the OS and the remainder is used as HDD cache, I can't remember how it's supposed to work.

 

[themuffstuff]

It supposed to help in application loading and boot times. I'm sure the os is on the hdd. If I buy a 64 or 128gb ssd I can put the os on the ssd and just programs and downloaded games on the hdd?

 

[Au_equus]

what task are you going to do in your laptop? since it really differs on opinion and task, some may say that a Quad core is fast and others a dual core, but it all boils down to what you are doing.. Maximizing your resources.

For an i3 vs i5, i5 would definitely be better.. and i presume this will be using the intel HD graphics. better get the i5 then

None of the i5 mobile CPUs are quad core (even some of the i7s are dual core, but with an additional 1MB of L3 cache). The biggest difference between the i3 and i5 mobile CPUs is that the i3 does not have turbo enabled. In addition, as stated earlier, both CPUs have the HD4000 igp. So to that effect, IMO choose the i5 HP envy. After regular usage, the hybrid drive should reach closer to SSD speeds in terms of read speeds as the PC starts recognizing the programs you access more frequently.

 

[themuffstuff]

Do you think I'll ever need to put an ssd in. Mayb just to put the os on so it's faster?

 

[jackspeed]

The vizio will have bloat wear, the wieght should be negligable. What are the prices. On amazon the vizio is 600 where the envy is 760. and you are not getting that much more performance gain with the envy.

 

[themuffstuff]

Already bought the Envy, 600 on office depot. Thanks guys

 

[jackspeed]

cool