Need some advice on a laptop

[Ckam8829]

Hi,

I was thinking about purchasing a laptop for when I start college next year, and I came across a decent deal for the new HP Envy 15. It's $1119.99 after a $185 coupon from Dealzon for the base configuration with a Radiance 1080p screen upgrade. However, I'm a little hesitant purchasing it, knowing that Intel is releasing Ivy bridge some time next year.
So my question is, should I wait for Intel to release Ivy bridge before buying a new laptop, or should I just go ahead and take advantage of the deal for the current i7-2670QM? I'm really a fan of the Envy line for their screens and portability, so I'm worried HP won't adopt the new architecture in time before fall. The laptop will be primarily for gaming and school. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[WR2]

purchasing a laptop for when I start college next year

Hello Ckam8829;
Do you need a laptop now? We see pretty consistent good deals on HP laptops.
No reason to think you won't also see some 7 to 8 months from now as well.
30% Coupon HP ENVY 15
What's your course of study going to be?

 

[hibbiejibbie3]

If you're spending that much, then you should build a desktop for $500-600 that will playgames/CAD/whatever you need it to do for school and then buy a cheaper laptop that has the best specs possible for the price range.

 

[Ckam8829]

Do you need a laptop now?

I'm not going to need a laptop until next summer.

What's your course of study going to be?

Majoring in electrical engineering.

@ hibbiejibbie3

Right now I'm using a desktop I built about a year and a half ago, and it plays most games at med-high settings (Skyrim, BF3). Gaming on the laptop isn't a top priority, but I'd like to be able to run a few of them when I'm not at my desktop.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Pyree]

Then wait until next summer.

 

[WR2]

I'd also vote to wait - at least till some reviews of the new Envy start showing up, along with benchmarks for the (as yet) undisclosed 1GB Discrete Graphics card. (maybe 28nm ATI Radeon HD 7670?).

Also you want to check what the other EE students are choosing, along with the recommendations of your university. You might be in one of those programs that have very specific requirements.

 

[Ckam8829]

Best answer selected by Ckam8829.

 

[Ckam8829]

Yeah, I'll probably hold out until summer now, before making a purchase. Thanks for all the advice guys.


P.S. From what I've gathered, the "1GB Discrete Graphics card" is a HD 7690M XT 1GB.

 

[WR2]

I think the Envy 17" gets the 7690M XT.

 

[lafings]

I'd like to be able to run a few of them when I'm not at my desktop.