Deciding between an HP Envy and HP Pavilion

[RaraAvis]

I want a machine that can handle heavy multitasking (Excel, Word, Firefox, several tabs open and running simultaneously). I'll be going to school for graphic design this fall, so with that in mind, here are the specs for the laptops I am considering:

HP ENVY (17-k250ca) Notebook, 17.3", 5th generation Intel Core i7-5500U, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1

• 
  ■ 5th generation Intel Core i7-5500U
  ■ 17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView WLED-backlit display (1600 x 900)
  ■ 8GB DDR3L SDRAM (1 DIMM)
  ■ 1TB 5400RPM hard drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
  ■ NVIDIA GeForce 840M graphics with 2048MB DDR3 of dedicated video memory and up to 4096MB total graphics memory

HP Pavilion (17-f180ca) Notebook, 17.3", 2.1 GHz AMD Quad-Core A10-5745M, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1

• 
  ■ 2.1 GHz AMD Quad-Core A10-5745M APU
  ■ 8GB DDR3L SDRAM (1 DIMM)
  ■ 1TB hard-disk drive
  ■ 17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)
  ■ AMD RadeonTM R7 M260 graphics with 2048MB DDR3L
  ■ 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth®

HP Pavilion Laptop (17-F114DX), 17.3", 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-4510U, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD, Windows 8.1

• 
  ■ 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7-4510U
  ■ 6 GB DDR3L SDRAM system memory■ 750GB 5400RPM hard drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection■ Intel HD graphics 4400 with up to 1792MB total graphics memory
  ■ DVD/CD-ROM Optical Drive
  ■ Front facing HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated dual array digital microphone

The ENVY costs $300 more than the either of the Pavilion's. (1099$ vs. $799) It comes down to the Pavilion i7 and the ENVY i7, because (I've read) speed and multitasking capabilities come down to how powerful your CPU is, and the AMD seems way below the i7 in the ratings comparison given by CPUboss (7.2 vs 6.4) (http/cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-3632QM-vs-AMD-A10-5745M), while both the i7's received a rating of 7.2.

The Pavilion i7 ONLY has 6GB ram while the ENVY has 8GB ram; the Pavilion also lacks the premium video card which the ENVY has (the AMD-equipped Pavilion has a slightly better video card but the CPU seem too weak for me)

Not a big gamer, but want a computer that can handle multitasking without lagging. If there isn't any appreciable difference in speed between the 6GB and 8GB of RAM in the two i7 laptop, should I just go for the cheaper one, or is there any other reason why the $300 difference might be worth it?

Thanks in advance everyone for your kind advice!

 

[CoolDude X]

A Difference Of $300 Obviosouly Tells That 1099$ One Is Better But As You Told You Don't Want To Game Much So Get One With 6GB Of Ram And If You Just Want Multitasking It Not Matters So Much But Remember i7 Is A Must For Multitasking

 

[RaraAvis]

A Difference Of $300 Obviosouly Tells That 1099$ One Is Better But As You Told You Don't Want To Game Much So Get One With 6GB Of Ram And If You Just Want Multitasking It Not Matters So Much But Remember i7 Is A Must For Multitasking

THANK YOU, you ARE a COOL DUDE, COOLDUDE!

I just wanted to know if there was a huge difference between 2 ghz and 2.4 ghz, and 8GB ram and 6 GB ram

 

[1shado1]

Bad display resolution on the first 2 of them. Can't tell about the third one. Have you considered that?

 

[CoolDude X]

no not that much diff. in 2gb ram and .4 ghz clock speed....as u dont want to game.....yes resolution is a factor but for multitasking without gaming i think both have fine res.