HP Envy 13: better for half the price? | Razer Insider

HP Envy 13: better for half the price?


Userlevel 4
https://store.hp.com/app/pdp/hp-envy-laptop-13t-6vc06av-1?source=aw&subacctid=579341&subacctname=MobileTechReview&awc=7168_1564512903_a62097f9dc5ce7855642fcfda290c374&jumpid=af_gen_nc_ns&utm_medium=af&utm_source=aw&utm_campaign=MobileTechReview
You can get the exact same specs as the Stealth for about 800€.
MX250 too, which is better than the Stealth's MX150.
Same battery size, same weight, same specs, but sooo much cheaper.
It also comes with a premium aluminum chassis.

From what I understand, what you don't get is :
- unibody build
- RGB backlighting (worth paying double?)
- thunderbolt 3

Is there more to the Stealth that still makes it worth buying over the HP?
I already have my Stealth and seeing this new laptop at that price hurts my wallet retroactively lol.

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8 Replies

Userlevel 7
I have the HP Envy 360x and That's what I currently use now. Its pretty good and very mobile as well. High power too. I have a Core i5 8th gen. but my gpu is the weakest thing I have ever seen. It sports a Intel 620 UHD integrated graphics card. but the cpu makes up for it pretty well.
Userlevel 4
That's the thing though. With this new version, you get rid of your integrated graphics and you get a MX250.
That's what set the Stealth apart, and now it's hard to justify the 1699€ price, when you can get the same thin and light, aluminum chassis + gaming capable device for half the price.
Userlevel 7
true true. My Machine isn't the best but its good for now. I want to build my own PC soon. I have one now but it has a lot of low end parts. It was from a family friend and he gave us these parts to tinker with. The one already built has a radeon 2600 pro and a intel core 2 duo. It wont run most high end games too well but it works. Also it uses LinusMint as an OS.
ventureRubersecret257

You can get the exact same specs as the Stealth for about 800€.
MX250 too, which is better than the Stealth's MX150.
Same battery size, same weight, same specs, but sooo much cheaper.
.

Well, there's the crux of the issue, and why specs are misleading. The core value of the Stealth over any laptop on the market is the power allowance given to both the CPU and the GPU, to a level that no one else does. Yes, both laptops have the same CPU - but Stealth will be faster and will be able to operate at higher level of performance for longer because Razer disregarded Intel's recommendation of limiting the TDP to 15W and the CPU actually has 25W headroom. I've had this CPU running at 4.0GHz turbo for hours without any throttling. No one else does this.

Same story with the GPU - yes, the MX250 is slightly faster....on paper. Nvidia took the existing card and bumped the clocks a bit, but it's the same card overall. But again, Razer is giving the GPU full 25W of power, that is properly cooled so the GPU doesn't throttle - I'm nearly certain the envy uses the weaker 10W version of the MX250, and that will be a good 20-30% behind the MX150 in the razer.


Don't get me wrong, the Stealth has a lot of issues. But if you want uncompromised power in a 13" package then there is nothing else on the market that can deliver as much, not even laptops which theoretically have "identical" spec on paper. But if you want a laptop for browsing the web, some coding, light gaming, then the Envy should work just as well - It just won't be as fast as the Stealth under extreme load. Is the extra speed worth the extra 700 euro? That you need to decide for yourself.
Userlevel 7
ventureRubersecret257
https://store.hp.com/app/pdp/hp-envy-laptop-13t-6vc06av-1?source=aw&subacctid=579341&subacctname=MobileTechReview&awc=7168_1564512903_a62097f9dc5ce7855642fcfda290c374&jumpid=af_gen_nc_ns&utm_medium=af&utm_source=aw&utm_campaign=MobileTechReview
You can get the exact same specs as the Stealth for about 800€.
MX250 too, which is better than the Stealth's MX150.
Same battery size, same weight, same specs, but sooo much cheaper.
It also comes with a premium aluminum chassis.

From what I understand, what you don't get is :
- unibody build
- RGB backlighting (worth paying double?)
- thunderbolt 3

Is there more to the Stealth that still makes it worth buying over the HP?
I already have my Stealth and seeing this new laptop at that price hurts my wallet retroactively lol.

No it’s a bit different in term performance, I believe cooling as well since Stealth are designed for gaming usage too.

Source
So maybe if you don’t game only take notes etc light USA hp envy maybe is better choice but if you have plan doing heavy tasks like gaming or video editing and want to upgrade the gpu with egpu solution extra €700 worth it imo. I had mx150 laptop without TB3 for similar price, I used for gaming occasionally and it couldn’t hold well for a year due thermal issue and I hate to be stuck on weak mx150 forever.
Userlevel 4
That's both interesting and surprising. Very insightful, thank you very much for your replies!
I feel much better about my Stealth now. Plus it looks cooler anyway. 😛
Userlevel 6
gambiting
Well, there's the crux of the issue, and why specs are misleading. The core value of the Stealth over any laptop on the market is the power allowance given to both the CPU and the GPU, to a level that no one else does. Yes, both laptops have the same CPU - but Stealth will be faster and will be able to operate at higher level of performance for longer because Razer disregarded Intel's recommendation of limiting the TDP to 15W and the CPU actually has 25W headroom. I've had this CPU running at 4.0GHz turbo for hours without any throttling. No one else does this.

Same story with the GPU - yes, the MX250 is slightly faster....on paper. Nvidia took the existing card and bumped the clocks a bit, but it's the same card overall. But again, Razer is giving the GPU full 25W of power, that is properly cooled so the GPU doesn't throttle - I'm nearly certain the envy uses the weaker 10W version of the MX250, and that will be a good 20-30% behind the MX150 in the razer.


Don't get me wrong, the Stealth has a lot of issues. But if you want uncompromised power in a 13" package then there is nothing else on the market that can deliver as much, not even laptops which theoretically have "identical" spec on paper. But if you want a laptop for browsing the web, some coding, light gaming, then the Envy should work just as well - It just won't be as fast as the Stealth under extreme load. Is the extra speed worth the extra 700 euro? That you need to decide for yourself.


This!

...and don't forget that the MX150 in the Stealth has double the VRAM.
Userlevel 7
I play a lot of heavily GPU centered games and I never have a problem. It always runs very smoothly.