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

wow i'm starting to count my blessings by just having the god-awful whining noise.

I have a lot of keyboard flex too, but like others have said - it's not really all that bothersome in normal typing scenarios. We'll see how that changes once I start gaming more regularly on it.

Other than the noise (both fan, and idle electrical noise) I love this machine. Perhaps I got lucky. When I think about it, i'm not sure which I would rather have...the noise, or the complete joke that HP is now calling build quality.

In my mind, either are unacceptable for a machine that I paid 1700 for out the door. That's WELL into Macbook pro pricing, and we're getting FAR from Macbook pro quality.

 

haha
I like you man

 

whelp.

SD card doesn't have the maintenance manual.

 

Battlefield Bad Company 2 - (with a 22in LCD @ 1680x1050) It can run on medium, and get an average of 20fps or so, which is playable by some peoples standards, but not by mine. So I put it on low and it runs pretty well, with an average of around 30-35fps. I was also VERY surprised with how good this game looks on low! Most games look like crap on low settings, but I actually dont see much of a difference between low and med. It looks nice, and plays well!

My temps after 30 mins of playtime:
Core i5 450 max temp- 79C
Radeon HD 5650 max temp- 74C

And also, my temps right now, with just web browsing are CPU- 46C and GPU- 50C

The cooling system on this bad boy kicks (behind)! Its not to loud, and it knows when to rev up the fans, and when to quiet down. I did turn off the BIOS setting that kept the fans always on.

Next test is 3dmark06! Its downloading now. And later tonight I might test out CoD:MW2, or maybe WoW. I would LOVE to test out the SC2 Beta if anyone can hook me up, *hint hint*

 

Yeah, the flexing doesn't make any difference in typing, it just looks bad. I really, really don't want to return it. I wondering if I should just wait for more info, see if someone comes up with a solid fix.

And the screen is a bit flexy too.....

Still, other than that, I love it. This thing is a beast. I'm multi-tasking like crazy (winamp, 8GB file on VLC, IE, norton scan, etc), and its not breaking a sweat.

 

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02280351.pdf

maintenance manual.

 

ENVY 14 SERVICE MANUAL (3.7M PDF)

LOL, your quick, but my link is more descriptive...

 

Would you possibly be able to do a fps test without the external monitor? pwease?

 

Can you please record this sound? Some people claim not to have it or that it is barely noticeable so I'd like to hear how audible this really is.

 

reads like an HP rep wrote it

 

So what's the point of reinstalling the OS? Why can't you just uninstall the crapware with something like revo uninstaller? I'm still scared I'll stuff something up if I reinstall even though I've done it on my current laptop without any problems.

 

There's no reason you shouldn't mention the possibility in the OP. Even if it doesn't happen on every machine it still needs a mention.

 

Bottom right of touchpad (raised):
http://i.imgur.com/nxiYu.jpg

Bottom left of touchpad (flush, as is the rest of the touchpad except bottom right):
http://i.imgur.com/NTsBR.jpg

Top right of keyboard (raised):
http://i.imgur.com/7Yvjp.jpg

Top left of keyboard (flush, as is the rest of the keyboard except top right):
http://i.imgur.com/betRE.jpg


This, the keyboard flex, and very minor cpu whine are the only problems I have.
These problems annoy the hell out of me but don't really affect my productivity or anything.
Worth returning for a new one? What are the chances that the new one will have the same problems?

 

Grr I'm having a really bad problem now....I decided to play around with the startup-but now I get a message saying my "HP Wireless Module not found." Thinking it was something I did, I restored back to when my wireless was working, but I still get there error before booting.

Message goes something like:

HP Wireless Module not found.

Please visit hp.com/go/techcenter/startup

Error 701

Any help? I can't get onto the Internet!!! Hardware issue?

 

Wow, until I saw your video I didn't care too much about the keyboard flex, but now I'm not sure I could stomach it. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive but I was really hopeful about this machine, but now it's apparent there are several issues with the envy 14.

It's seeming like I may have to go with the Vaio Z although I wasn't too impressed with it when I saw it at the SonyStyle store. I really hope I can convince myself to stick with the 14.5" screen.

 

Well. Battery life and keyboard flex. That's all I need to mention get $100 back from HP. At $1,000+ for this machine, you'd think they kept the Envy 15's design with a few alterations!

 

the hell did you pull that off sm00th?


also I take it back. your touchpad is raised more than mine I think.

 

My wireless was glitchy from the beginning. Everytime I'd put my lid down, and open my PC up-the WiFi wouldn't automatically detect my network...it wouldn't even recognize the WiFi even though it was turned on. So I've been having to restart my PC just to get it to work...but now...it won't work at all.

 

@stirk
in the dm4t owner forum, people talked about the touchpad (same one mind you) "needed to be seated" when they arrived. Could that be the case with you?

 

huh.

well the antennas are in the top of the screen.

maybe yours are messed up

 

Is it possible to underclock the Intel GPU and overclock the 5650? So then I could save a bit of battery when doing stuff like word (homework and stuff) but get better performance when playing games. Is it possible? Should I even do it?

 

in other news.

...I think my dvd drive is set to region "none"

for some reason.

...I need to test something. but I can't restart my computer for 10 minutes or so.

 

Try device manager first, network adapters > intel 6200 > update driver > from computer... It may reinstall the driver it can't find. If that doesn't work then the SWsetup folder should have all the original drivers, the last item in the folder should be an index text file that shows (kind of) which SP # is what, then open it and run the .exe ... Also maybe it's the HP wireless assistant that is having issues which should also be in the SWsetup...

 

the antennas are in the screen but the card itself is in with the RAM its the little square card with all the wires attached, the bluetooth module is in the plastic compartment between the beats speakers

 

i would definitely request a RMA and get a new one. it doesn't affect your productivity but it may become annoying to look at after awhile (at least for me it will). btw, what camera did u use to take these pics? the macro is pretty nice!

 

How come people are only taking pics of problems they have? We need more pics that show this baby off! Vids too. Those of us that haven't recieved/ordered yet are living vicariously through you guys you know, lol

 

pics huh.

reminds me I have a few on my camera I need to get off of it.

 

usb ports are so stiff on this computer

 

BTW, service manual has been on the 1st page since HP released it.

 

Im skeptical about HP. Why would the largest computer company on the planet greatly discount a 3rd and 4th Envy product model from the first 2?
Envy 13 & 15 prices were above normal. Prices for Envy 14 & 17 are cheap... and the quality is cheap from what Im reading here.

To all the new owners:

alaskajoel, Butr0sButr0s, loryk, Cory S, Stirk, valismp, aclbosox, ostartero, DannyPants, LiTh07, Harb67, gojonigo, Edison.Starfire, Curse The Sky, p51mustang23, krnspadez, saber8689, MattJD, MagusDraco, vladmoney, FatskiRatski, bucknasty87, bharkol1, caiol611, Skhope, badtzwang, laptopper333, e14, dpinho, Thanatos82, pss3054b, ChloroformDreams, dannybht, etc....

... if you've provided pics & vid's then thank you, if you've not, get on it. HP will never wake up until other people can see it. Words on NBR dont mean crap.

PS: User krnspadez, thanks for being honest, and not settling like a / flower type/, make HP accountable for that crap products!
+ Rep for having gonads!

If you worked hard for you money, then put the obvious effort into uploading to Flickr and Youtube.

 

So I don't know if this has been covered or not but with the CPU whine people are hearing, can this in anyway damage the computer?

 

If anyone wanna read my comprehensive review, its on this page
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/493715-official-hp-envy-14-owners-lounge-727.html
I'll have pics up soon.

 

Tried Device Manager, I only see two things in "Network Adapters" and they are Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) and Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI).

You kind of lost me with SwSetup. I see a .txt document at the bottom called "SWSETUP"...after that?

 

can't agree more.

 

LOL you said it deserved a 9 and now you edited it to say 8.5, what happened?

 

Alright, results are in.... on low settings, when theres no action going on i got between 45-60fps. when there was heavy action, I averaged around 35fps, and when buildings and everything around me fell apart, it would dip down to 20fps for a second or two. The destructible environments really take a toll on the fps. But the screen looks fantastic to play on.

 

Added under review section, FWIW.

 

Don't panic anyone, but my 5650 seems to be throttling on battery life. While playing BFBC2 on AC power, i would get anywhere from 30-60fps, but on battery power, I would get 10-30fps. I made sure the 5650 was turned on, and windows was set to high performance mode. Any idea whats going on? It doesnt really bother me though, because I dont ever plan on gaming on the battery anyways...

 

BTW peeps,

If you have a review, see a review, or think something should go on the 1st page, PM me as I might miss it otherwise.

 

dm4t owners were complaining about the same thing as well

 

Im kinda disappointed in HP right now. If my laptop comes with a single blemish / issue thats not supposed to be there, im giving up with PC's and getting a Macbook Pro.

 

Good job there, thanks. Also thanks to Thanatos82, & Stirk (and other users I may have missed here) for making the time to properly inform the world of HP's continuous struggle with quality.

Im so disappointed .

 

That would be me. (michael j fox jr as someone so or not so kindly called me on this forum after posting it).

 

I saw it asked earlier but nobody answered, is the flexing material between the keys on the keyboard metal or is it plastic? I heard on envy15 its metal, does envy15 flex any less?

 

@LawyersRsharks

The 13 and 15 are made from a magnesium alloy chassy which is a much more expensive material and much more costly to produce (cast), it's also much stronger and lighter. Also these models used highrer quality components such as the full copper heatsink assemblies and fan bodies, a fully cast 'top' panel (keyboard & palmrest all one piece) and they were designed by the VooDoo enginieering team that HP bought, targeted as a premium, high end product line, not a 'mass production' model (by HP standards).

The new models are a spin off of the new pavillion family in 'nicer' clothing and targeting a lower price point and much larger production volume. The 14 and 17 are closer to upgraded pavillions than a lower grade envy design.

 

And what if that has a single blemish .... like the wifi signal drops when you type on the keyboard?

 

Thanks for the advice. About the keyboard flex, it's almost like the area around the p and o keys is a bubble a bit higher than than surrounding area. When I apply pressure, the keyboard flexes and becomes level with the surrounding area. If I apply too much pressure, it actually sinks beneath the surrounding area. Feels like something that should be holding down the keyboard underneath those keys is missing.

Hope I explained that well. I am definitely going to call them about it, and possibly return it, though it is such a drag and I've already set up everything and loaded up my backups from my last computer

Ahh, right, and the camera is a Canon PowerShot SD790 IS

 

My quality isnt cheap and I am very happy with it. The only problems I have are some keyboard flex (which I dont care about), and a VERY slight cpu whine (you can only hear it if you put your ear to the keyboard).

The machine is very solid and feels very well made. I am very happy with it so far!

 

I just received my HP Envy 14, and I am in the middle of clean installing Windows 7.

I don't have any experience with HP computers and this one came with two partitions that I have no idea about. the RECOVERY partition and the HP_TOOLS partition. What EXACTLY do these partitions contain, and can i do without them?

If possible I'd like to delete both and open up space solely for my HDD. If I deleted the RECOVERY partition, does that mean that I will lose access to any HDD recovery options? I noticed that the HP_TOOLS partition has bios and diag things there. If i delete the partition, will I lose access to the BIOS? and whatever that diag thing is?

 

Well, I don't game or anything, so I can't help there.

Here's a video of of my Envy rocking out Blade Runner (an 8GB BD rip) on my hi-def TV.
Easiest thing in the world to do. Just plug and play.

P.S. Sorry about the angle. My camera doesn't go wide and my apt. is small.

YouTube - Envy 14 Movie Time!