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

Alaskajoel,

How is the build quality of your Envy? Thats one of my main concerns. Any weird gaps or anything like with the e17? Any wobble? Keyboard flex? stuck pixels?

Thanks!

 

It sounds like capacitor whine / Singing. It's a very electrical noise, and the mic fix has no affect on it whatsoever. It seems to be related to how hard the processor is working. Becuase i've had the p55 whine before, and this sounds a lot like it, i'm guessing it's processor related. In my desktop, this was fixed with changing processor power management options, but since the bios is a useless pile of crap, I can't change any settings there. Is there an hp 'super bios' that enables different functionality? My wife's fujitsu has a basic bios, and then a power user bios that has a lot more options. The envy's basically gives an option for virtualization, fan speed control (which doesn't work at all either) and boot priority.

 

Sure thing, but waiting for new notebooks with Intel's SandyBridge isn't a "never" option as you mentioned, its before Christmas! If you need it now, get it, if not, its wiser to wait. The current Intel CPU's, Nehalem, was introduced in November of 2008 and it pervades all Core i3, i5, and i7 processors.

Considering HP's misleading 7 hour battery claim for the Envy 14 is absolutely untrue, I'll happily welcome faster processors with lower power consumption and better battery life. The Intel specs state that one should be able to play 2 BluRay discs on 1 battery charge. The current Envy 14 barely gets through 1 DVD on battery... ( I'll take Intel's performance specs over what HP states any day!)

The SandyBridge samples sent out to reviewers went so well that Intel moved this product cycle up, and I'll personally see them in 2 months here at San Francisco's Intel Developer Forum.

- More efficient: the central processing unit, or CPU, delivers a significant improvement in instructions per clock.

- Faster on-chip communication: different parts of the chip will talk to each other faster - called "improved inter-buses."

- Shared memory: on-chip memory called cache is shared between the CPU and GPU.

- GPU now part of CPU: Intel combines the CPU and GPU on the same piece of silicon.

- New instructions: Sandy Bridge will be the first chip to support Intel's Advanced Vector Extension (Intel AVX) instructions. AVX accelerates a host of multimedia tasks, including video and audio processing.

- More intelligent overclocking: improved Turbo Boost--which speeds up (i.e., "overclocks") or slows down individual cores to meet processing or power efficiency needs.

Santa will be the smarter shopper!:tongue:

 

can anybody confirm the 256gb ssd yet?

 

Yes, it does take 3 antennae, but the Dell laptops I work with have the webcam, WWAN, and the 6300 antennae, no problem..

Which can net a speed of 450Mb/s with the 6300 instead of the 300Mb/s with the 6200. Sure, your router has to support it, but when the two cards cost almost the same amount and it's no extra trouble running one more wire up around the display, I don't see why HP didn't spring for it.

I haven't used newer Broadcom WiFi stuff, so I can only speak from the older cards I've used which were pretty bad. Between the Intel 4965, 5100, 5300, 6200, and 6300. I found the 6300 to be the best by a good margin.

Whatever the case, I'm sure I won't run into any problems with the difference between the 6200 and 6300. Like I said, just being nit-picky.

 

Damn you. I'd already been through these arguments in my head and thought I'd decided to pull the trigger for sure--and now you're making me start it all over again.

Well, I've already ordered my Envy 14. If I can get them to give me the 30% BCB, and I'm happy with everything about the laptop, I'll stick with it. If not, I might return it and wait for the new architecture.

 

My only real gripe so far is the trackpad

 

Does this mean that we cant control the fan to turn off when idling?

 

A program called speedfan will let you adjust fan speeds manually, but you wouldn't want to shut your fans completely off that would be insane

 

You need to go into the synaptics control panel > device settings > settings button, and then customize the settings and features to your liking, also take the time to actually read the tutorials and use the test screens, it's worth the effort.

 

I think the Fedex trucks are toying we me

 

I sure hope it's not that bad. Some trackpads, like the one on the Alienware M17x, are just horrific, although the M17x trackpad issue is a software/driver issue. So long as it has a good feel and sufficient driver support, it should be possible to tweak it into submission.

 

Build quality overall is very good (Especially for an HP). What I mean by that is it's build just as well (if not better) than the Vaio z11 I had earlier in the year, but still isn't quite up to MBP standards. Then again, this machine starts around 1k.

A few of the issues i've noticed so far:
Keyboard has some issues - Under the left arrow button it's raised slighty than the rest of the keyboard. It looks like it may not have been put togther correctly, so I might try to reseat it myself. In terms of flex, it varries...A LOT. In the middle of the keyboard (around letters g and h) there is zero flex whatsoever. As you move out from there, it gets worse. A Lot worse. Letters S and P tend to be the worst by far. I'll try and take a short video of it to show what I mean.

Screen doesn't angle back far enough for me in some scenarios. It's fine if it's on my lap or desk, but when i'm multi-tasking with different machines in different places, it leaves a little to be desired.

Slice battery is insanely bulky. Too much so for me. Part of a 14-15" laptop is a good balance between mobility and power. With the slice, weight goes up to over 7lbs. Not acceptable.

The majority of heat comes out of the right vent, and not the back (at least as of now). I usually use an external mouse on the right side of the machine, and if I get too close, it becomes uncomfortable.

While the touchpad is better than the DM4 and DV6 I've tried out at costco, it leaves a lot to be desired. I wish so badly I could just create a dead zone out of the bottom two button areas where it wouldn't respond to mouse movements, but I get no love. The feel / smoothness of the pad is great, it's just the integrated mouse buttons that kills me.

The above is in addition to the weird electronic noise i'm still having. It's bothersome in a quiet room, but I don't hear anything with the air conditioning going.

I'm currently downloading L4D2 to do some game testing. I'll also be installing dirt 2 momentarily to see what kind of fps I can get on a DX11 game.

One other thing - I did do the intel burn test and ran Prime95 and all 4 logical cores went to, and stayed at 100% for me. Maximum temp was 69, and minimum has been 34 in normal activities. These really are wonderful ( I was expecting worse) but I would be more than willing to compromise 7-10 degrees at Idle if I could turn the stupid fan off.

 

@e14 - I've downloaded Speedfan and it doesn't recognize anything. The temperatures are also messed up on it. (reading 24c for cores 1-4)

 

You should have a BIOS option for 'fans always on' (default) or to 'disable' it which will simply trun them off right after booting and then they will cycle on and off based on whatever temp settings HP has chosen for the 14. The 15 CPU cycles on at ~50C and the GPU at ~54C (3 fans on the e 15).

Windows also has some useless setings in the power plan options that will allow you to 'increse fan speed before reducing CPU performance' or vice versa, but it has no effect on the 15.

 

Thanks Alaskajoel! Bring on the pics and gaming benchmarks/temps when you can!

 

An important distinction: Mobile Nahelem (i7) was intro'd in September 2009. The mobile i3 and i5 was Spring 2010.

Announcement for SandyBridge with preliminary specs was last year.

See what I mean?

Just so long as Santa doesn't chase tech as the next tech will be announced by Intel this fall.

It's a vicious cycle.

 

@alaskajoel

I assume you have found this control panel for the touchpad?? You really need to spend some time tweaking, it honestly is nearly as good as the MBP when set up properly....

 

I hope mine doesn't get that whine.

Or that we find a way to disable the whine

 

It's possible that the noise you are hearing is just the HDD going nuts while doing the initial win 7 indexing after initial boot up...

 

I assume "Touchpad Disable Zone" is where the option to set dead zone is located?

 

I've messed with it for about 30 min now and I've come to the conclusion that i'm just going to have to learn to change my method of mouse tracking if i'm going to use an HP laptop. I have always rested my thumb on the button, and there's nothing I've been able to change that will prevent it from moving to one degree or another.

I'm going to try and fire up some games as soon as I can, but my wife is leaving to india tomorrow for 3 weeks, and i'd like to spend some time with her before she goes. She's packing right now, but won't be all day....

On an unrelated note, i'm in the market for some nice noise canceling headphones....Any suggestions? I've been looking at sennheiser PXC 450 and the QC15 so far....any other suggestions?

 

I have a Solid State Drive This may also be contributing to the great temps i've been seeing. The left palm is actually COOL to the touch...I can't see that happening with a hard drive cooking at 40c

 

2.0,

Any re-installing Windows 7 (Ultimate) guides?
Is it really easy to do?

 

Nope, that's the on/off control which has change on the e 15's, the new ones have a small LED in upper left corner where you douple tap to enable / disable the pad. The original had a area you could set to push and hold for a few seconds to do the same....

There is a 'palm check' setting where you can set the sensitivity so it won't jump around when youre typing and such... only a finger will move the cursor if you want

 

I got used to the trackpad after a few days and other than a MBP this is the only computer I don't use a mouse on. Also the 'coast', 'momemtum' and 'edge motion when scrolling' options really improve things when set correctly.

I never use noise canceling headphones, from an audiophile standpoint they ruin the stereo imaging. If I had to use them those are both good choices but just stay away from BOSE, just overpriced pieces of **it

 

So how do you set dead zones? I was extremely wary of the envy 14 touchpad until i heard that you can disable the lower part so that your thumb doesnt totally throw off the touchpad

 

a child could do it

 

any recommended settings?

 

I forget, I am using an older driver (15.0.9) on this machine which does not have that option. I guess I need should update. I never used that option anyway so you'll have to find it in the setup panel, but you truly don't need it, just enable 'tap to click' and 'tap and hold' to drag and then when you get used to not resting your thumb on the bottom it is much quicker and more efficient to navigate.

 

http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1933&d=1250556050

not sure but i only found ways to set the size of the scrolling regions. perhaps the newer synaptics drivers will have this option

 

new news story on envy14, promising review
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49306172,00.htm

 

Yes and no, LOL. The 3 options I mentioned in what you quoted, as well as the 'tap to click' and 'tap and hold to drag' and setting the finger pressure and the palm check. As far as exact values it would be pointless, you really need to play around with them and set things to your own preference. As I have stated above (and I rarely ever do this) read the tutorial and actually play around with the 'test and practice' pages, it was well worth my time to do this and now I love the touchpad....

 

@JJB -
I just noticed You're from Juneau - I Lived on Douglas Island for 2 years.

 

hello neoprene sleeve. You're gonna just have to wait a bit for my laptop to show up.


And those are the temperatures with a ssd joel?

Hmmm..one of these days I'll upgrade to one.

 

Small world! I'm at 15 mile (just past Auke Rec) and can see north Douglas from my desk right now....

 

you said that you used a MBP. how does 2-finger scrolling on envy15 compare to that on the MBP?

 

I didn't know you guys got electricity up there in Alaska, let alone internet access! =P

 

I don't think any PC Laptops can compare to the MBP 2finger scrolling on the newest unibody models with the inertial scrolling (I change laptops a LOT and have tested a lot of newer models with "multitouch" trackpads). Hoping this Envy 14 comes close though as I really like the power/performance/weight/size compromise on paper anyways..

 

Yup, he said a few posts up those temps were with his stock Intel 160GB X25-M Gen2 SSD that he ordered with his Envy 14.

I used an SSD before and although fast I need over 300GB since I'm a file hoarder lol. Sticking with a 500GB 720RPM HDD for now (might try out that Momentus XT 500GB for a good compromise though)

 

Alright - I have for a certaintly confirmed that the noise i'm hearing is processor whine from the chip going into a power saving mode. If I keep it at 100%, it's quiet but if I let it idle, it starts whining again.

Without a bios option, does anyone know how to enable or disable the intel C states?

 

The two finger scrolling on the envy 14 is no where near as smooth as the MBP, but I prefer the one finger scrolling anyways.

 

The slice battery is bulky? Is it different than what's shown in the videos with the Envy product manager? YouTube - HP Envy 14

 

I've been really happy with my Etymotic noise isolating in-ear headphones. I fly a lot and they work wonders on the plane. Typically noise isolating headphones block more sound than noise canceling ones. These block about 36dbi when inserted properly.

Amazon.com: Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones (Black): Electronics

 

Thanks for our input loryk. That's unfortunate to hear but what I expected . Oh well hopefully I can tweak it some to get it as close as possible as JJB mentioned. Does it support 2-finger swipe left/right for back/forward (change webpage) in Internet Explorer/Firefox like on the MBP's? From the screenshot JJB posted (and assuming the touchpad in the E14's are the same/similar to the E15's) there is a section in the Synaptics config for "Application Gestures" so it probably does. I like and use that feature often and sad to see it not available in the "multitouch" trackpad on my Dell Latitude E6410 (Alps touchpad ).

 

Yeah it fits nice, but it does add a ton of weight to the laptop, also makes it pretty thick, almost doubling the thickness. Depends if you want to sacrifice a mobility for increased battery life.

 

joel the more you describe it I think you might just have a bad fan, they can whine like that

 

It's not a fan. I've finally got the fan to shut off - and this stupid thing still sings it's sweet song.

 

So in the end, Swap + Hibernate + second battery in a pocket > slice.

Hopefully I didn't order the overpriced slice yet

However it's going to be kind of annoying to swap in order to charge the two batteries...


Also, for the electrical noise, try muting the integrated microphones... It could be that aswell.

 

to headphones to use (with your envy !!!!! staying as thinly on topic as I can with this).


Don't go the noise canceling route. Pick up a pair of very nice in ear monitors, you get the same effect of noise canceling, in many cases better as they simply block out external noise, and you can get very nice audio quality if you spend enough.

Check out this forum over at head-fi that is more dedicated to such equipment.

Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors - Head-Fi.org Community


here is a guy talking about the tripple fi models from ultimate ears

Videos Posted by Ultimate Ears: Johnny B, Monitor Engineer for David Archuleta on UE Consumer Lin | Facebook


but many other brands make solid in ear monitors, which isolate noise by blocking it instead of trying to create an imperfect counter sound to cancel outside noise. For removing outside noise, and better clarity, in ear monitors can be a far better choice.