Would this one be just as good then if HDR is a non-factor?:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung...lack/3953157.p?id=1219609307257&skuId=3953157
It's on sale for $550 right now which makes it $150 cheaper than the one with "HDR".
Generally, yes. It's a good value for the money. The KU7000 can get brighter than the other one for sure, but I don't see if it's worth the extra money. If your space is in a very bright location it might be good to have and it comes down to whether you think it's worth the price difference. If you can, try to find a video shop to do a comparison.
Here are the rtings information for both of them:
http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/ku7000
http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/ju6500
Personally, this is what I would recommend. If you can't budget $1,000 for a TV and you very much need one, than it's not worth any extra money trying to get one which advertises HDR because you'll only be disappointed if you think it will be a noticeable difference in image quality. Simply get a good value 4K TV. However, if you can budget $1,000 take a look at Vizio's line-up and in particular the P-Series. The smallest it comes in right now is 50", but it has a 10-bit panel, WCG support and HDR support. It's certainly more of an entry-level HDR TV, but it should actually be noticeable improvement in image quality compared to a SDR TV.
If you can coast with your current TV until early next year, we'll see the next wave of TV's with HDR start rolling out and they should very quickly be reaching sub $1000 prices, particularly Vizio. That's just my assumption of course and we'll have to see if they can do that. Considering Vizio's good TV is at $1k, I would bet that next year they might be able to release a sub-50" with HDR for <$1k and have it actually be decent. Maybe not UHD Premium label worthy, but great value for the price.
In the end though, I'll say regardless of the TV's you've listed, you'll be happy either way. Hopefully you'll see some good improvements, and naturally be sure to calibrate to get the most out of them.