HP Envy 13 (16/17) or Asus Zenbook UX330UA?

Discussion in 'Which Laptop should I buy?' started by Becstar, Apr 18, 2017.

  1. Becstar

    Becstar

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    Evening All!

    I am hoping to get some advice on which lightweight laptop to buy. My needs are day-to-day work use (I'm a teacher so mainly MS Office stuff) and also moderate web browsing, use of Netflix etc for the odd film. Portability is essential so as light as possible and also battery life is fairly important.

    My maximum budget is £850 and after days and days of research, have narrowed it down to the HP Envy 13 (16/17 model) or Asus Zenbook UX330 (both are Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD). As far as I can tell, for a very similar price, they both have a very similar spec but my confusion comes from all the little differences that I just haven't got the knowledge to appreciate the significance of. For example, one comes with a SATA SSD and the other with a PCle SSD; one comes with Skylake and one with Kaby Lake, etc. In addition to this, in the reviews I've read and watched, there seems to be no comparisons between the two so there are different criticisms and points of praise for each machine and now I can't see the wood for the trees!!

    If anyone can help me out with this or has experience of both (or even if anyone would like to suggest and alternative that beats both of these for the money) I would be most grateful. I'm sure I'm looking too deeply into it and putting too much weight on 'incidentals', so if someone can just give me a virtual shake and tell me to just get a grip and buy (insert laptop here), that would be great! If not, I'm just gonna flip a coin!

    One more thing, if I could stretch, would it be worth me saving for a bit longer and getting a core i7 and 512GB SSD for my usage?

    Oh yes, lastly, I've also been into PC World to experience them in real life and I still can't decide as they both look and feel great to me! Aggghhhh!!

    Thanks in advance everyone - hope you can help!
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2017
    Becstar, Apr 18, 2017
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  2. Becstar

    something back

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    Welcome to the laptop forums site

    It's quite a tricky one when deciding between the two you have listed.


    Here's a list of reviews that may help you decide. I have also included a site that explains the
    difference between the different types of SSD DRIVES.

    http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pcie-vs-sata-type-ssd-best/

    To answer your additional question regarding cpu's Kaby Lake is Intel's next-generation CPU,
    Before you commit take a look at this cpu comparison site tyre you cpu nember in the search bar.

    http://www.passmark.com/

    Review sites:

    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-envy-13-2016/2/

    http://www.ultrabookreview.com/11643-asus-zenbook-ux330ua-review/

    http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-zenbook-ux330ua

    http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/dell-xps-13
     
    something back, Apr 20, 2017
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  3. Becstar

    Becstar

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    Thanks for your response and the links. I've read the review links already but I'll be sure to take a look at the info re CPU's. Thanks so much! Do you have any opinion on whether it's worth spending an extra £200 on an i7 and 512GB SSD as opposed to an i5 (7th gen) and 256GB SSD?
     
    Becstar, Apr 20, 2017
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  4. Becstar

    Becstar

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    Just read the links you gave for SSD info - thank you. From the info they gave, for my usage, I won't notice the difference so a SATA would suffice.
     
    Becstar, Apr 20, 2017
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  5. Becstar

    something back

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    Don't be fooled by the i7 model numbers some can be slower than i5's
    that's why I listed www.passmark.com.

    Sata SSD's prices are coming down are going to be more standard in laptops.

    It's worth doing a little shopping around prices change all the time.

    Take a look at www.google.co.uk/shopping
     
    something back, Apr 20, 2017
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  6. Becstar

    Becstar

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    Thanks once again for your advice. PassMark was really interesting.

    Like you said initially, I think the race is so close on this one, I could be pondering on it for ever! I think it's going to have to come down to the best deals I can find for each one. So far, the HP is winning as for the version I stated, I can get one from HP website for £749 with a further reduction to £711 with a discount code. The cheapest I can find the ASUS is around the £799 - £849 mark.

    Think I might go with HP - whatcha reckon?
     
    Becstar, Apr 21, 2017
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  7. Becstar

    something back

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    It's a minefield buying a laptop they change all the time, with everything you can end up with one that lasts for years or a Monday morning one.

    It's worth looking online for extra insurance ,online will be much cheaper
    than the manufacturers own insurance.

    You have done your home work so, you can only go with what you feel is right.
     
    something back, Apr 21, 2017
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  8. Becstar

    Trunkz

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    This is what you should know when shopping for ultrabooks.


    PCie SSD > ALL
    i7 laptop (dual core) = i5 laptop (dual core).....there's not much differenec honestly and not worth the extra cash (if it costs more).

    Pick the latest with the fastest SSD and you should get the best bang for your buck. I would stay with i5 core if you don't have gaming or any professional work such as video editing, CAD design, etc.
     
    Trunkz, Apr 24, 2017
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