*HP ENVY 14 & ENVY 14 Beats (2XXX series) Owners Lounge*

your saying you have an external hook up, as in like a vga to a 22' monitor? If this is the case, then I would not care either about how good or bad the screen is (was thinking of taking my 24'' to college to hook up my envy 14 sb to when I game )

 

any idea what affect having the dual drive option will have on battery life?

 

Coming from the first gen envy 14 only have two questions. Have they fixed the touchpad? Also will the radiance switch over to the new gen beats edition?

=Jason-

 

Yes they changed the touchpad. No the screen will not switch over.

 

What about the radiance from the 1000 CTO to the 2nd gen envy? (non beats)

 

Thanks for the input! The Envy 14 is a great machine, even the SB refresh, but it's just getting a really bad rep because it's not quite the upgrade people were looking for. I understand completely your view on it being a longer-lasting machine. My main issue now is the screen quality--is it really that washed out with bad viewing angles? I'm leaning toward buying a small-ish tv (the most a college kid can afford ), and that could double as an external monitor, but for just work in general when I'm at the library or something, is it really bad with glare and whatnot?

Also, any ideas on when HP will be having a big deal? I really want to get my hands on one of these beasts!

 

Yes I was quite surprised at the super poor quality screen in a premium product. I did not experience keyboard flex though but I didnt have much time to play with it.

The DV6 on paper looks like a pretty good deal to me. I haven't experienced the HP consumer laptop line though so I cannot comment on build quality. I hope that works out for you. I do know the HP business line of laptops are solid and with excellent warranty but the machines are really heavy.

Midrange gfx in a small slender solid body is still a pipedream.

 

Well, if they use the same screen from the previous Beat Edition series, you can take a look here: Review HP Envy 14 Beats Edition Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

And theres also videos of this screen on Youtube.. I don't think it looks too bad, though YouTube - ‪HP Envy 14 Beats Edition Backlit Keyboard and Screen‬‏ ..this video was made by a member here (?)

 

it's not horrible, its just a very average screen that you see on most laptops at Bestbuy and similar stores...

 

Did anyone else get a notification of ship delay from HP for their SB Envy?

 

Buying the custom envy beats SB today the shipping estimate is July 21.. What kind of delay you're talking about?!

 

check amazon, there have it

 

PLease from UK if i want the Envy 14 with 500gb or 640 gb sandy bridge core i5, 6gb ram
is it readily available or would it have to be built ?

 

I ordered the Envy on June 26th and the estimated ship/build date was July 7th. Today I got an email saying there will be a delay and my new estimated date is July 19th. When I called HP the person told me there was a problem at the factory assembling the envy :/

 

Envy was supposed to ship the 12th of july, and come around the 20th?....just got an email, my HP should be here 13th of july

 

The Hp Envy is on the UK website, but you can't order it yet. The beats version is £1100 that's way more expensive than the us price.

 

I am torn between this and a sony vaio ca with 1600x900 screen. I had a non-SB envy before and I loved its feel and build quality, screen is so-so. The sony vaio ca looks nice in terms of specs, but the design is, erm, I am not sure how to explain. It's rather louder than the beats logo on the envy, lol.

I had a dv6. While the performance is very impressive, the build quality isn't on par with the envy. I hated the flexing and flimsy keyboard, and the whole thing felt like if I hold it with one hand, it will snap into two. Gaming on the dv6 was amazing though, I was able to play smoothly on SC2, all settings on Ultra. On my previous envy I can only go until High.

 

Any reason why it won't switch over? Could I switch it over to just a normal 2nd gen envy then? The only thing I hate on my envy now is the touchpad but without a good screen, its a no-go for me.

=Jason-

 

I have the 2020nr. Why does the fan always run? It's ridiculous. It's not even a quiet fan, regardless of the system being idled. I am tempted to return it just because I have not gotten used to the loud fan even after a week's use.

 

The screen won't switch over because HP used different parts and cables etc. The Radiance won't connect basically.

Just ordered my SB Envy 14... shipping on July 26... hoping to get it before Aug. Dang the wait is so long.

 

Is this a quick ship model?

 

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB DDR3 Radeon(TM) HD 6630 switchable Graphics [HDMI, Mini Display Port]
• 6GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM)
• 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• Two 8 Cell Lithium Ion Batteries
• 14.5" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1366x768)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam and Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
• Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Backlit Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

And I used a student discount + got an xbox (that was sold)

EDIT: not a quick ship model

 

I ordered almost the exact same thing minus the extra battery and only a 500gb 7200rpm hard drive. Hp still says my estimated build date is the 19th
When did you order yours?

 

I've been lurking here for awhile and ended up purchasing the refreshed 2020nr (Envy 14 non-Beats edition) about a week ago. Alot of you guys are complaining about the lack of real improvement compared to the old model and are questioning who bought it, so I want to just put in my two cents (this is verbose, so maybe a dollar), for whatever worth it is.

First off, I needed a new laptop after I got fed up with self-repairing my old one of 6 years (Inspiron 6000). So my opinions are extremely relative with a hunk of junk (Centrino 1.6). Caved in and bought the quick-ship model (again, 2020nr) so it's a rather pedestrian model. i5 2410m, 4 GB ram (1 DIMM, so easily upgradable), 750 gb 7200.

I used Amazon Prime for the shipping and lack of tax (~HP academy price) with the 360 deal. Overall the build quality is phenomenal. The machine feels solid, albeit relatively heavy. The screen hinges are smooth, though an earlier comment of the screen not being propped open ~20 degrees is correct (not sure why you'd want the screen to be propped below 90 degrees, but I digress). I'm unfamiliar with the haptics of previous touchpads, but this one works well. It's kind of stiff compared to the MacBook Pro 13's touchpad, and overall this laptop is built inferior to the Pro, but I enjoy it thoroughly.

The screen seems to be the biggest bust of popular opinion, and I can see why with respect to the price. The display is coated with plastic and thus highly reflective. I use it indoors window facing West, so even with my blinds on, clarity is obstructed from the setting sun. My previous laptop used a matte screen, and while the colours are not as "vibrant" as the ENVY, the clarity is better with direct/indirect sun. Similarly, viewing angle is not really great, but I'll oft be the sole user so it's not an issue. The resolution similarly is somewhat disappointing, as it's essentially the same resolution/size as my previous laptop (1280x800, 15.6"). Not that it's bad, but the aforementioned extra workspace would've been nice. I'm considering purchasing a cheap monitor to add for that extra space, if that means anything.

I opted for the i5 SB (instead of the deal with i7-740) because, frankly, I don't need a quad. I occasionally use my laptop for "mobility" (to the library and back), and our "new" building for school hosts poor outlet selection, so I think that will give me about 10 minutes extra of life (har har). Graphically, 6630 suffices, but I'm not a huge graphics who'e. So far I've only run Borderlands and TF2 at mid-graphics (native res), and it runs smoothly on the graphics card. When it switches to the i5 "GPU", Borderlands does get choppy, but very playable (I kind of masochistically enjoyed it because the lower fps is reminiscent of my computer of old). Battery life with Borderlands running is ~1.5 hours max brightness.

System noise is evident (I'm running concurrently with my old laptop with failing fan bearings, so obviously I don't hear it much), battery life is mediocre (awesome for me, considering my old laptop no longer holds a charge), and everything else is probably consistent what you'd come to expect from previous ENVY models (adjusting sound does not hinder full screen games, which was a problem noted from cnet's review). One weird issue is my Logitech mouse is not usable from the right USB port at boot (it is detected), and when I use a Microsoft mouse instead in its place, the keyboard (connected to a USB on the left) instead does not work. Re-plugging seems to fix it, which could potentially be an inconvenience. I'm currently diagnosing this, so this may be easily rectified, but just throwing it out there. Also, I did not receive the customary 2 GB SD card with it, so maybe HP's disappointingly cutting back on that lagniappe.

I have more opinions, but chances are nobody's reading this. Perchance this brings some insight for those in a similar situation, upgrading from an archaic laptop.

--

One thing I do need help from you experts is the drivers available. According to their site, those are the drivers available. I don't see a video card (do I use Catalyst?), touchpad, etc. driver on it, and I have access to a legal copy of 7 that I want to clean install. I will leave the recovery partition on my HD for safe-keeping, but I wanted to know if those drivers HP listed seem good enough to cover all the hardware available for the ENVY. I would highly appreciate the help, thanks!

 

Nice review! Thanks!

I'm really concerned about HD playback. Can you hook up your laptop to an HDTV (via HDMI) and play a DVD and a .mkv file in 1080p for at least 15 minuets? How is the video and sound quality? And how loud/hot does the laptop get?

My current laptop (older dv4t) can play a .mkv file in 720p fine until there is a lot of action and/or it plays longer than 15 minutes, and I want to see if it's possible with the Envy.

Oh, and sorry, but I don't know about the drivers.

 

Yet another n00b question....

I'm customising an Envy 14 on the HP site, and I'm trying to upgrade it to 8Gb memory, but it tells me I need to upgrade to an i7 processor to do this.

I want the extra memory for Photoshop and Lightroom power (forking out money for HP's RAM rather than upgrading it myself and risking voiding the warranty), but I don't really need the quad core and was afraid of the extra power consumption of the i7 (I'd like a decent battery life for on-the-road work).

Is the i7 restriction hardware based, or is it HP wanting more money from me? I thought memory limits were a 32/64-bit operating system thing and not related to the processor.

 

HP is wanting you to waste more money. Just upgrade it yourself. It's cheaper too. And you won't void the warranty!! Watch youtube vids if you're not sure on how to do it.

 

Great review, but I like to read your impressions after a clean install I recommend you to do this:

• Boot up the recovery partition and select a minimal recovery install: this will get rid of most of the crapware.
• After the first boot uninstall most of the HP software. I recommend you to leave the Support Assistant for now.
• Download the latest updates form Windows Update.
• Run HP Support Assistant and download more updates.
• Check this page for more updates: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/594506-drivers-hp-envy-14-2xxx-intel.html (mod edit)

Just curious about the Bios version you got on your Envy. Its .23?

 

June 29th, I called by phone because you cant get the xbox deal without talking to a customer rep.

sorry for late responce

 

I did the same thing because of the xbox on the 26th, but I still haven't received and shipping info.

 

Argh. Ordered the 29th, also by phone for the xbox, shipping date was supposed to be tomorrow, the 12th. I guess I should just be expecting a delay.

Meanwhile, the xbox has arrived and has been sitting in my living room unopened w/ plans of selling it on CL... every time I pass by I hear it beckoning and tempting me, "Open me for hours of procrastination..."...

 

Hahaha same here, but news flash, the envy just got deliverd, soooo quick...time to see what we got.

!!!!!! NOTE !!!!!!
After doing more research on the envy I found out that plant that was creating them either ran out of stock on some parts or had a dely of some sort, thus is the reasons for such long build and shipment dates.

 

I don't know if anyone is aware, I'm too lazy to read the last 20 pages, but there's a 150$ discount coupon on the new HP Envys : NBY6198
Just ordered mine with the 128gb SSD + 750 HDD 7200rpm (I was so disappointed that the Envy 15 had been discontinued because I wanted a dual SSD + HDD, anyway, so glad ) and the building date is estimated to 27th july

 

Mine has been shipped!!!

It's in Shanghai... sigh...

 

Can anyone out there comment on the power consumption of the i7-2630QM?

I'm vacillating between it and the i5, but now that I can save $150 with the coupon code I might go for it.

I'm definitely looking at the SSD+HDD for the performance boost, do you think it would be worth adding the i7? I do moderately processor heavy image processing, but I'm afraid of sucking the battery dry with the extra power.

 

you won't. People are getting 4-5 hours with the i7.

 

Hey guys what do you think of the Quick ship model?
• Amazing performance, sophisticated style

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit§§§

• 14.5" diagonal high-def BrightView Infinity LED display (1366 x 768)§§

• Second-generation Intel Core i5-2410M processor‡ 2.3GHz with Turbo Boost Technology

• 4GB DDR3 memory

• 750GB hard drive with built-in protection§

• Radeon HD 6630 switchable graphics with 1024MB DDR3 memory

• Full-size, back-lit, island-style keyboard

• Beats audio

• 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery with up to 5.75 hours of battery life†††
Is only 4GB a big concern?
And is it worth it to pay 100 extra for the quad core?

 

Im on my SB right now , and its running and i7. I havent tested the battery out but I have it running at like 50%-70% screen brightness (max brightness is really really bright) and it said I had 6 hours of BL. just internet surfing though. But I am gonna guess the i5 will go for all 7 hour with utube and music and what not.

NOTE: as a lot of people said before, the native screen is pretty meh, I am just throwing that out there. But its totally useable. It does have a washed out feel, but you can adjust some of the saturation, contrast, hue and color in the options (first time I have ever seen any options like that)

 

Any chance we could get a huge directory of stuff here like Part III of the first-gen Envy? Right now, I'm really interested in the FAQ section because I'm still on the ropes with some of the specs. I'm sure I'll be interested in other stuff down the road, though. Man, that opening post is so great lol.

 

Can anyone check to see if the new SB Envy 14 is running an underclocked gpu? Thanks. : )

 

It plays at least 720p videos well. Didn't try beyond 15 minutes, but it runs fluid and seeks well on vlc. I don't have an HDMI access readily available, but yes the port is there. Laptop is running and emits a sound on idle, but it's not loud (again, relative) and it doesn't get hot at all, maybe due to the inherent conductive nature of the metal construction. Only place it gets warm to touch is proximal to the hard drive (not ssd).

I checked and it's "InsydeH2O version 03.61.01F.04" (dxdiag) or "Hewlett-Packard F.04" (system information). Whatever drivers HP has up on the aforementioned drivers page is likely it.

I think I can find out more from boot-up, but I'm not that enthused currently. And I'll let you know how the computer runs from uninstalling programs, but I'm more interested with a clean reformat with a fresh OS, hence my concern with the drivers.

Can't speak for the quad core (I will never need quad core for the life I expect from the laptop), but the quick-ship model comes with 1 DIMM (yay!) so it's easily upgradeable. Not a problem, though I will try to see how much a clean format frees up after I figure out where all the drivers are.

 

You just eased all any any qualms I had about screen quality, brightness, resolution, battery life with an i7, I read a nasty, no traumatic review on amazon regarding the screen of the refreshed Beat's edition before I ordered mine and put it off for a couple of days because of it, until the reviews started trickling in, I can't wait

Should arrive next Tuesday *faints... I obviously have never owned a piece of technology of this caliber

 

Ya dood, If your just on it for the music and web browsing it should be fine, I still will test it out soon on how much life you really get out of it. I did a little gaming and it took some time to get used to the resolution since is so low ---> (I am typing on a 24 inch 1900x1200 display atm LOLOL) but over all I am quite happy with it

 

quick question here.
with the student discount, we get $150 off and an xbox 360 right - which have to be done through phone?

can't we just do it over the website?

 

For the student discount its 10% off and a free xbox. And yes you have to do it over the phone. Some reps will tell you that you need to fax in a copy of your acceptance letter, but some let you use your university email as a verification.

 

^ yup. I just did uni email.

 

I've been reading on these forums about the advantages of doing a clean install of Windows before really using the laptop. But the envy comes with Adobe Premiere and Photoshop elements, and I'd like to use these. Does anyone know if I can reinstall them after doing a windows install without having to crack them?

 

That's why you always make restore disks before you clean install. I think that you can "backup" Adobe and put it on a disk. Any1 else want to explain it clearer?

 

ATTENTION: For those of you who have or are getting the new Envy 14 Sandy Bridge notebook!

Just wanted to mention to those of you who are doing a clean install of Windows 7, that I have now created the one-stop driver thread for this series here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/594506-drivers-hp-envy-14-2xxx-intel.html

Some of the drivers in this thread are newer than the ones that are currently being provided by HP, since a few of them directly originate from the chipset manufacturer. I hope this will help aid some of you in reinstalling your drivers once the clean install process is complete.

I also want to remind you all of this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/432564-hp-laptop-out-box-guide-2-0-windows-7-a.html. v3loc1ty2.0 did a great job at making this step-by-step guide, which includes backing up the OEM activation that originally came with the notebook.