The HP Envy m6-1105dx is a $100 cheaper alternative to the m6-1125dx. Priced at $600, the m6-1105dx is based on traditionally cheaper AMD technology. It features the quad-core A10-4600M chip with the Radeon HD 7660G integrated GPU. As you can see in the chart below, the processor is pretty much slower than the i5-3210M used in the 1125dx, but on the other side the 7660G graphics is generally faster than the Intel HD 4000 found on the Core i-series chips.
The m6-1105dx has smaller amount of RAM memory, which is 6GB instead of 8GB. However, the average user will probably never notice performance difference between comparable systems with 6 vs 8 gigabytes of RAM. Both values are more than sufficient for all computing tasks, while 750GB of hard drive space in these laptops is well above usual 500GB.
The Envy m-series systems have aluminum cases and a sleek 1-inch thin design. The laptops pack a DVD drive, subwoofer besides stereo speakers, backlight keyboard, and a standard set of connectivity features with no Bluetooth included.
One of the good alternative laptops to the m6-1105dx and 1125dx is the Lenovo IdeaPad P500 – 59345704, delivering the i5, 6GB/750GB, and aluminum chassis for $560. It, however, doesn’t have keyboard backlight and comes with a relatively small 4-cell battery, as opposed to 6-cell in the HPs.
Update: A newer version of the notebook is available now. It’s the HP Envy m6-1205dx with Windows 8 instead of 7.
HP Envy m6-1105dx Specifications
- Display: 15.6-inch glossy at 1366-by-768 pixels
- Processor: AMD A10-4600M quad-core at 2.3GHz default, up to 3.2GHz in Turbo mode, 4MB L2 cache
- Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7660G integrated
- Memory: 6GB DDR3 at 1,600MHz
- Storage: 750GB 5,400rpm
- Optical Drive: DVD writer
- Webcam: HP TrueVision HD camera
- Audio: 2.1 system with stereo speakers plus subwoofer, Beats Audio technology
- Network: 802.11n wireless, Gigabit LAN, no Bluetooth
- Input: Backlight-equipped chiclet keyboard with numeric pad, multi-touch trackpad
- Ports and Slots: 3 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, multiformat media card reader
- Battery: 6-cell lithium-ion
- Dimensions: 14.9 x 9.9 x 1 inches
- Weight: 5.3 pounds
- OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
- Warranty: 1-year