Yet another "What Should I Buy"

[wjziv]

SO--My original post failed. Let's do this again:

YES! Another one! I've done some shopping, I've found the HP Envy series to be something I think might be a great fit, but I'm still unsure. I'm a fairly adept computer user on my way to college (RPI--woot) and figure I'll be requiring a new, nerdy machine to fit in. Thanks in advance to all replies.

What is your budget?
<$3000

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Thin and Light (13 - 14-inch screen)
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)

What brands do you like or dislike?
Like: HP, but pretty open to any other quality suggestions
Dislike: Toshiba

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
Maybe

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Listening to Music, Photo Editing, Computer Programming, Video Chat and Conference, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Output Video to TV or Large Monitor, 3D CAD Design, Graphic Intense 3D Gaming

What games will you be playing?
Anything that can be found on Steam is fair game (no pun intended).
In terms of the biggest, baddest game I can think up, it may just be Skyrim (online, when it comes out).

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places and will stay on desk, when in dorm...usually

How many hours of battery life do you need?
4+

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
High Resolution (1600 x 900)
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Glossy or Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Some time in mid/late-summer

How long do you want this laptop to last?
4 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
500+ GB (The bigger, the better!)

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Maybe

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
Not important, but still a perk if it's there.

Again, I've discovered the HP Envys, and I think that I MIIIIGHT go for them, if nothing else fits my fancy. And if you happen to think the line is a perfect fit, help me decide between the HP Envy 15 (2012) and the HP Envy Spectre? I understand the 'significant' size difference, which is no big deal to me, as I plan on using a monitor in my dorm, but perk-wise, which would be best. Where do I get more bang for my buck, and what are the benefits of each?

Once again, thanks to all!

[MattB85]

If you like the HP Envy models, you may also want to look at the HP Elitebook workstations. Their design has gotten much more stylish with the 8x60 revision, and they tend to be more durable than the consumer models.

[maverick1989]

4+ hours of battery is difficult with a laptop but then your budget would allow for extra battery packs. With that big a budget and all that you plan on doing that you have mentioned, why not go with the Alienware or the Dell Precision M6600. Dell haven't upgraded to IVB yet but it still packs enough of a punch to do all of what you want. And, like MattB85 said, the Elitebooks. The ENVY, imo, should really be your last preference after all these others. That Spectre is not going to let you do 3D gaming and CAD design. 3D is out for the ENVY line.

[develoso]

Since you mentioned 3D CAD Design, I think you should go with Nvidea GPU, because it'll take advantage on the CUDA cores.

For the mix of designing and heavy gaming, the GTX675m would be the top Nvidea has to offer right now. BUT, since you said you're going to by it in mid/late summer, I STRONGLY recommend that you wait for the GTX680m to be released later this year. Maybe it will be already released, who knows.

It will be based in the new generation Kepler (28nm), and will just decimate the GTX675m. You might find this reading interesting.

You might also want to invest in a stronger i7 Ivy-Bridge processor than the basic 3610QM, at least 16Gb Ram and a SSD.

For storage you have 3 options:

1 - If you need space, you can get a SSD as main drive for OS, programs and files you most use, and a big HDD for common storage in the place of the optical drive (you can get a external one really cheap).

2 - You can do the same as in 1, but instead of a external optical drive, you can get a External HDD.

3 - Your budget also allows you to get a big SSD enough 0for your needs and forget the HDD (if you buy a SSD later and upgrade urself it will be cheaper.

You can take a look at the Sager NP9150 (Clevo P150EM). I could recomend a Asus G75 or a MSI GT, but those doesn't offer the GTX675m (Only 670m) and most are 17.3".

Although by the end of summer we will have whole new machines in the market. Come back here in 3-4 months