*HP ENVY 14 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge, Part 1*

Omg i want my laptop to come but it is such a longgggggggg wait now

 

When will the first batch arrive at doorsteps?

 

I see a lot of users here state that they plan to swap the base HDD out for a Momentous XT, but wouldn't that void the warranty?

 

Swapping out a HDD should not void your warranty, as HP has specifically given you easy access to do just that.

 

Build date is July 7 sooo hopefully we dont get the delays that the E17 had (knock on wood) but I would say around July 17-20 ideally

 

As long as you switch it back before you send it in for repairs/replacement, you should be alright.

But the Envy 14 YouTube.com videos show the designer boasting about the easy access to RAM and the HDD. I think those two parts can be upgraded without fear of voiding warranty.

 

Did anyone get one 4G RAM chip with an empty slot to upgrade later? Can you recommend a memory brand and type you can use?

 

Yes, I don't know of any laptop manufacturers that void your warranty for upgrading the hard drive or RAM. Maybe Apple with the MacBook Pros? Other than that, no. Like others said, the battery/HDD/RAM is very easily accessible on the Envy 14, you just flip a latch and pull off the cover, and the HDD is right there.

 

Ah, okay then.

That being said, I'm departing on vacation overseas on July 2 and won't be returning until early August. Does that mean I'd be better off holding on purchasing one until then? Because I highly doubt I'd be able to order one in time for it to arrive by the 2nd, and that's not even taking into account waiting for a good coupon.

 

Is the 6gb option 1 4gb stick and 1 2gb stick? Also what's the speed of the memory?

 

6gb is most likely 2x3gb stick

 

lol no way in hell you would get it in 5 days. Maybe have it shipped to a friend/neighbor so you can grab it as soon as you get back in town?

 

Newegg doesn't sell any 3GB ddr3 laptop memory sticks, so I'm assuming it has to be a 4 and a 2

 

What about the 21 day thing?

 

I would definitely keep an eye out for coupons or BCB - you won't get it in your hands before you leave, so you might as well try to get the best deal you can. I'm in the opposite situation, I need mine to arrive before mid-August before I come back to China for another year. If no good deals come up by the fourth of July or so, I'll be forced to decide between spending more than I wanted to spend (my base config is $150 more than I expected, not counting weak discounts) or living with my current system for another several months to a year.

 

it seems like educational discount doesn't stack with any coupons.
this config:
# Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
# 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
# 160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
# 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics - For Dual Core Processors
is $1,363.49 (before tax) with the education discount (~10%).

are there any better deals out there? if i can get another $50 off, i think i might pull the trigger tonight

 

Oh my. 1099 base? i3? What did I miss? At least the nice screen is base. I guess my guess for the i5 being base wasn't accurate. Why is it $1100 though?

Wouldn't it be a 4 and a 2?

 

We figure that the screen being 1600x900 makes up for the $100 increase in the base price.

You can upgrade to a Core i5 for only $25, anyhow.

 

Yes, no such thing as a 3GB stick.

 

Yes. Sticks only come in 2^x sizes. So 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, etc.

 

yeah. you're right. it's 4 and 2. I clicked on that "help me choose thing" and while they didn't straight out say it...they warned that dual channel mode only works with 2 sticks of the same ram size.

...meaning it probably isn't 2x 3gigs

 

Yeah, I guess that isn't half bad though. I just find it absurd to put i3 as the base while they said the i5 would be. Although, I like how they offer one 4 GB RAM as an option nowadays.

 

Doesn't the Envy 13 come with a base of 3GB of RAM with a single DIMM? It was soldered to the laptop however, if I recall correctly.

I've seem places advertising laptops with 3GB of memory in a single DIMM, but never actually seen a 3GB DIMM for sale. Perhaps they exist, but are only available through OEM channels? It wouldn't be hard to put enough modules for 1GB of RAM on one side, and then denser modules for 2GB on the other side.

 

yeah, kind of a double a penny each day for 30 days kinda deal... in 10 years we'll have 1 million gigabyte ram sticks

 

HP screws with customers again.

Adds $100 to base price, which is the same as an upgrade to the Radiance screen from the expected $999 base. Don't forget the i3... they just want to swindle every cent out of us, even if it's a lousy $25 upgrade to an i5-430m.

Truly disgusting, deceitful marketing on their part.

 

HP lets you return pretty much anything within 21 days, no questions asked, whether it is open or not.

 

1GB soldered in with a 2GB stick.

 

so i found a french localized version of envy14 on amazon.ca
almost choked when i saw the price of 1928cad (that's ~1850usd)
u get a 430m, 6gb .. i dont know what harddrive but short of the 256gb ssd, nothing's going to make me buy it in canada, probably 100% have to order from usa
does anyone know how to get more details on amazon listings?

 

also jolly roger the i3 is a Q3 i3 that's the same as the i5 450m just without the turbo boost.


still...think I'm gonna grab the i5 520m.


*checks some stuff out* if all we get is a $200 coupon that requires a $1299+ CTO I'll only save $36 (and gain a 500 gig hdd).

I'm fine with 320 gig (have a couple externals). and don't want my order to get delayed.


hope the academic discount doesn't mess up at all. probably order it later today

 

The way i see it is it allowed the system to be profitable, because they didn't have to manufacture the unit with two screens. The system being a success for us as well as HP is what will fuel future niche systems like this.

 

Alright guys, I bought the bullet, er I mean Bit. (Megabit the bullet?) Anyway!

Some IMPORTANT info you might not know:
(I was on the phone with the sales rep for a while)

1. if you get the i7, she says it comes with USB 3.0 (not 100% sure but that's what she said)
2. if you ask nicely, they can give you an extra 25 smackers off (not too much, but it helps)
3. she says they're selling like hotcakes (about 1 in every 4 calls) so if you buy tomorrow, they estimate build date to be around the 14th or so.
4. She also says that they put a lot more R&D into the 14 than the other ENVYs, so it should have a lot better thermals and fewer problems. She said normally they do refreshes to fix the problems they find, but with the 14, they put the extra work in early to try to skip those issues.
5. the processors are "not swappable" so you can't upgrade them. I asked if they were soldered, and she said that they weren't quite, but that they were designed that if you wanted a processor upgrade, you would have to get a new motherboard.

I think that's about it for the info i haven't found on here yet. Other things were confirmed like:
1. no rebates for a while cause they're selling so well
2. 4gigs ram @ 1066 and 8gigs @ 1333
3. if you haven't noticed, free upgrade to 4 years of LoJack from 1 yr ($50)
4. Says it should arrive latest by the 20th, hopefully 14th

Yeah, I think i've covered everything.
Now onto my config!

i7 740QM
4gig (1 Dimm) (i'll upgrade soon)
320 HDD (i'll upgrade soon)
4 yrs loJack
$1 Norton (probably give to someone else, which you can do in fact coz i asked!)
The rest is standard
I'm planning on getting a squaretrade warranty for at most $160 (i got a quote) for 3 yrs. The HP ones are sooo expensive, but apparently some of them are b/c it comes with in-home service, whereas it didn't before

My reasoning for i7:
I do a lot of 3d animation and rendering, and boy oh boy, 8 threads is going to be "magical!" (thx jobs). Running programs like 3ds max, photoshop, browsing with hella amounts of tabs, on multiple displays, and maybe even a movie in the background all at the same time. I didn't really want to spend another $200 on the 840QM tho. But I figure I CAN upgrade the ram and HD, but I CAN'T upgrade the CPU, so might as well do it while it's possible. The rep says the heat issue is under control, so I hope that it's actually true. As for battery, after 1 yr, i'm gonna have to be tethered to the wall anyway since degradation is bound to happen, and even w/ my netbook, I am afraid to go anywhere without bringing my charger. (and with an i7, there's no need for a slice cause i'll have to have my charger anyway, haha.) In the end if the thing catches fire or something as soon as i turn it on, i've got the 21 day return policy to back me up.

grand total w/ tax and rebates $1587.99
=> approx $1,600
(I know you know that, but I don't like to kid myself with only $999.99! bs, that's $1,000 sir and I don't want to make myself think i'm paying less even if HP does.) Sadly I still need to buy the warranty and perhaps ram and HD upgrades

so that's my buying experience. I'm both excited and a bit unsettled from dropping the cash, but I imagine by tomorrow, i'll be super excited.

I'll try to get a review up when it arrives!
..okay, now i'm getting a little excited!

EDIT: sorry for such a long post! Also, I used the HPA student discount, which did stack with the $25 one they gave me over the phone, lol. Also I threw in a little bag too.

 

I was upset at first too, but whatever. I got over it. It's coming with the 1600x900 screen, so I can't complain.

 

Though the turbo boost is a nice feature.

 

Does anyone know when retail stores (frys, best buy, etc) will start to carry the envy 14? (if even they are) I really would like a true feel for it before I pull the trigger.

 

That's extremely depressing. I was hoping to order in a few days and get it within a couple weeks. I guess I just need to get it before I return to university.

I'm just scared the prices might jump around, or something will go out of stock.

 

Djmack8000

It's all just a sales pitch. I got the same stuff yesterday when I called in to upgrade the hdd. They're going to tell you anything to make a sale

 

well if the processor isn't removable I'm totally getting the 520m version then

 

It's a salesperson. Of course she's going to say anything to close the deal on the spot.

 

USB 3.0? That doesn't sound right.
It's also pretty underhanded to equip the i7-XXXQM models with RAM clocked at 1066Mhz. I would assume HP would upgrade the RAM to 1333Mhz. Furthermore, if they're willing to put two 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz sticks in a unit, I'd hope they'd be willing to put one 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz stick in.

EDIT! I bet she meant THREE USB 2.0! Aha!

 

As of Wednesday the 23rd, Fry's had no listings for the Envy 14. Will probably be a couple weeks.

 

My config came to $1750 because of the warranty. 10% discount would balance with tax, and that's without the slice battery. If they're truly not offering any discounts for the next couple weeks, there's no way a discounted E14 will be built in time for me to get it in my hands.

Looks like I'll probably be spending another year with my Inspiron 1420. Thanks a lot HP.

 

Judging by this post, it seems that HP's reps are much more informed than Dell's, haha!

 

well this is surprising: PassMark CPU Lookup

i5 450m benches above the 540m (by a point)

 

That's probably the worst news I've heard all day. I thought the "Embedded Options Available: No" (1) would mean that the CPU can't be embedded in the mobo?

(1) Intel® Core? i3-370M Processor (3M cache, 2.40 GHz) with SPEC Code(s) SLBUK

 

well. the salesperson may not know what she's talking about.

 

barring that...they did something different with the design.

 

Meh, sounds like a basic sales pitch to me. They do get commission, so it's not like they are going to say "There might be a discount next week, so you are better off waiting instead of buying from me".

 

Aw, all you guys are making me sad now
And I kept trying to tell myself the whole it was a sales pitch too =/
I guess maybe i'm too gullible? or want this thing too badly...
I can still return it, riiighttt?????

Oh woe is me, buyer's remorse...

 

you got a day til you can return it without them having to track it down at the factory.

otherwise well..hell if you want it and don't mind the lack of a coupon just keep it coming and IF a coupon appears (and it hasn't reached you by them) call 'em up and try to get a discount.

say you'd rather get 150 off or something instead of forcing them to eat the costs of refurbishing it.

 

Woops,
The following link corrects my assumption as to what "embedded" means, and it also proves that the CPU may be permanently mounted to the mobo.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...mbedded-options-available-what-does-mean.html

Check out Intel's Processor specifications for all of the Envy 14 CPUs. Every single one has a BGA option, so the CPU might be attached to the mobo after all.