Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Dell Inspiron vs HP Envy

by Jun 3, 2015 9:17AM PDT

I am looking for a laptop for the upcoming school year. I am deciding between a Dell Inspiron and a HP Envy. I want the faster out of these two laptops. I am going to be doing a lot of multitasking, CAD design, video streaming, and programming. Both of these laptops are around $950.

The specs for the HP ENVY - 15t Touch Laptop are:

15.6-inch diagonal Full HD WLED-backlit Display (1920x1080) Touchscreen
1TB 5400 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive
Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
12GB DDR3L System Memory (2 Dimm)
Intel 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth(R) [1x1]
Windows 8.1
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Dual Digital Microphone
4-cell 41WHr Lithium-ion BatteryG0T82AV
SuperMulti DVD burner
5th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5500U Dual Core Processor + NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2GB Discrete Graphics

The specs for the Dell Inspiron are:

5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5500U processor
Features a 4MB cache and up to 3.0GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost.
16GB DDR3L memory
Note: Optical drive not included
15.6" LED-backlit high-definition touch-screen display
With IPS technology and 1920 x 1080 resolution
1TB hybrid hard drive
Incorporates an 8GB solid state drive
AMD Radeon R7 M270 graphics
With 4GB DDR3 video memory
Built-in high-definition webcam and integrated microphone
5-in-1 media reader
Supports SD, SDHC, SD 3.0, MS and MS PRO formats.
2 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port
Built-in dual-band Intel® Wireless-AC 7260 LAN (802.11ac)
Bluetooth 4.0 interface
10/100 Ethernet LAN
Weighs 5.29 lbs. and measures just 0.9" thin
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system preinstalled

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Answer
My last HP worked for 3 months.
by Forum moderator Jun 3, 2015 9:28AM PDT

And back to HP for service. 6 months later without a working laptop I got the message loud and clear. That was my last HP.

Dell wins for me.
Bob

- Collapse -
Answer
Tough Call
by Jul 22, 2015 1:32PM PDT

The Dell has more memory, so it's probably a tad faster. However, the HP has a DVD burner, which can be useful. Which has a better warranty?

I've been using HPs for about 12 years now. I use them every day and sometimes all day, and I submit them to some pretty rough treatment (lots of travel). I've never had a problem. After I finish with them--usually after two or three years--I give them away to friends or family members. They use them for years and don't have any problems.

I'll say this; I think a solid-state hard drive (not a hybrid) is worth the extra money. They run cooler, use less power, have no moving parts (and are therefore more durable), and they're a lot faster. I'll never buy another disc hard drive. I don't know why computer makers even continue to sell them.

If the key components--CPU, hard drive, et cetera--in both computers are made by the same manufacturer (Intel), then it's kind of a toss up. The warranty might make a difference. I know HP has a pretty good standard warranty, and you can upgrade it. Also, HP will let you upgrade to a solid-state drive (for a few hundred dollars) and give you a good deal on a printer when you buy one of their computers. I don't know about Dell.

- Collapse -
Answer
both are good
by Jul 22, 2015 1:49PM PDT

always had a hp laptop and never had a problem. as with any computer brand there can be models that are lemons.

I lean towards hp because it has a dvd drive. makes it easier to install software. It would be tough to say which is faster because your speed depends on what is installed and what is running in the background. looks like video is better in the dell so that could give it an edge in rendering cad. 4 cell battery???? hope you are in classrooms with an outlet.

I may not helped much but hopefully gave you something to consider.

Back to Laptops forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info