Fighting for the upperhand in the $1,799 price category are HP Envy 15 and Acer Aspire 8930G-7665. Laptop companies release a wide range of products to cater to different types of consumers. This has become prevalent years ago when the netbooks were marketed towards computer users who need just a good computing machine that could surf the Internet without sacrificing its portability and price.
We are now comparing two different laptops in terms of size and target users, but of the same price.
HP Envy 15
The HP Envy 15 is designed as a multimedia laptop, generaled by the powerful Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. This prowess is backed by 8 GB of RAM (upgradeable up to 16 GB) and 1 GB of ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 dedicated graphics.
This multimedia laptop could store up to 500 GB of files, including movies and other rich digital content.
Specifications:
| Central Processing Unit | Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6 GHz 1333MHz FSB |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR3 PC3-10700 (up to 16 GB) |
| Screen Display | 15.6″ diagonal LED Ultra Brightview |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels (native) |
| Dimensions | 14.96 inches x 9.60 inches x 1.04 inches |
| Weight | 5.2 lbs |
| Disk Space | 500 GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive |
| Optical Drive | Optional |
| Battery Life | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Graphics | 1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 |
Pros:
Certainly, the HP Envy 15 is one powerful laptop. It could outperform any other mobile machines out there practically due to the next-generation Intel Core i7 processor, which uses faster memory at 1333 MHz FSB and excellent cache size of 6 MB. This allows great multitasking performance when needed.
With lots of memory at its disposal, the HP Envy 15 is a speed beast when loading certain memory-hungry multimedia applications. Its user could even play hardcore games thanks to its ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics card.
Despite having just 15.6 inches of display, the HP Envy 15 could choke out a native resolution of 1080p, something a normal 15-incher cannot do but 18-inchers can. But with this resolution size, Full High-Definition media can be now played.
Aside from the superb video, the HP Envy 15 could also unleash good quality sound – a requirement for any multimedia laptop. That is largely due to its Beats sound system.
Despite being a monster in performance, the HP Envy 15 is a sleek chick on the outside. Weighing only 5.5 lbs and having a thickness of an inch, the HP Envy boasts of great stylish design.
Cons:
Due to its powerful performance, the HP Envy 15 has a short battery life. Well, power-hungry specs like the Intel Core i7 and the Radeon HD 4830 could drain any laptop’s energy at a short time. Such is the case for the HP Envy 15. It can only stay up for less than two hours.
Another downside for the HP Envy 15 is the absence of an optical drive. It is somehow puzzling how other 15-inchers can stick in an optical drive while a supposed multimedia laptop like the HP Envy 15 can’t.
A buyer, however, could have an external optical drive as this laptop’s partner, but for an additional price.
Acer Aspire 8930G-7665
The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 is made to appeal towards hardcore gamers who want to play despite not having the luxury of their gaming rigs. Powered by Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 that runs on a 2.53 GHz clock, the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 could render the latest games on great details thanks to 512 MB of NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT graphics and 4 GB of RAM.
Like its opponent in this review, this gaming laptop has a disk space of 500 GB, enough to store rich digital contents and other multimedia files.
Specifications:
| Central Processing Unit | Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 2.53 GHz |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3 1066 MHz Dual Channel Memory |
| Screen Display | 18.4″ WUXGA TFT LCD |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels (native) |
| Dimensions | 17.4 inches x 11.8 inches x 1.5 inches |
| Weight | 8.8 lbs |
| Disk Space | 500 GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive |
| Optical Drive | Blu-ray Disc /DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive |
| Battery Life | 2.5 hours |
| Graphics | 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT |
Pros:
Although the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665’s Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 is a little older than its more powerful cousin Intel Core i7, it could still dish out a powerful performance for multithreading tasks like video editing and rendering. To support Acer Aspire 8930G-7665’s tackle on high-definition media and hardcore games is 4 GB of RAM and 512 MB of NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT.
The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 boasts of a full-sized keyboard. Combine that with its Dolby sounds system and a 1080p of native resolution on an 18-inch display, the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 does make an excellent mobile gaming device. Playing on an 18-inch screen is more enjoyable than on a 15-inch display, although of the same resolution.
The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 also features a Blu-ray/DVD drive, something that its opponent does not have. With this feature, it makes the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 a bit better than the HP Envy 15.
Cons:
Though it stays up longer than the HP Envy 15, the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 is just an hour better.
Conclusion:
Between the HP Envy 15 and the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665, it is a draw.
While the HP Envy 15 is a mile faster and more powerful than the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665, it certainly lacks something essential for multimedia handling – an optical drive. Plus, serious gamers would certainly frown at its 15-inch display.
The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 also loses on dedicated graphics, but by only a point. More people prefer having Radeon HD 4830 installed on their systems than the 9700M GT.
For travelling multimedia buffs, a light powerful laptop is a must. The HP Envy 15 is a thing for them.
For hardcore gamers-on-the-run, a mobile machine that could dish out great visual and audio experience is essential.
Both laptops could store the same amount of files, and both have a battery life that’s less than ideal.
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Tags: Acer, Aspire 8930G-7665, HP Envy 15, laptop comparison
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