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

I dont know if someone already posted it..but how are people soing a clean install?

 

I really wish some one would post some post bloatware benchmarking and some clean insteall benchmarking,...

I intend to get rid of allll starting aps and remove bloatware, I have an SSD 160 in mine,

How necessary do you think clean install is for speed (even if I have an SSD)

 

So I take it we can expect to see further luxury laptops sport high quality internal sound cards? It seems to me the number of laptop sound card options on the market are few. Creative rarely updates their USB and expresscard soundcard options.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq-voodoo-pc/432564-hp-laptop-out-box-guide-2-0-windows-7-a.html

It's on the first post of the thread, along with lots of other great info. You'll definitely want to bookmark it!

 

....its posted on the first page

EDIT: Damn....Thanatos beat me to it by seconds...

 

Thanks alot

 

Not super necessary. I deleted pretty much everything on the laptop but keeping the webcam program and essential drivers. Just tweak the SSD for your experience to be faster.

Then again the X-25M doesn't seem to be any faster than my X25B in my desktop...

 

thanks for the positive review! my envy is hopefully arriving in a week and i hate already hearing complaints from others.

 

yeah the wired ethernet port is odd.

why is it upside down? Makes me have to turn an already iffy ethernet cable upside down.

oh well.

 

I know everyone is freaking out and arguing about Beats Audio.But so far all Ive seen is metal/hard-rock tested on it.
I would really like to now how a complicated Cello concierto, or a Symphony sounds through Beats.
Maybe someone should test all genres of music with both High impedance and low impedance headphones.
Its alot to ask but maybe one of those crazy audiophiles can do this.

 

we need a real musician to test it not a audiophile... audiophile = rich guy that blows money on expensive headphones.

 

Hey, I have a graphics question:

I'm using an external monitor via the HDMI output. Apparently, only the ATI card is able to output on this. That's fine for games, but when I'm just doing word processing/surfing the web (like now), I would prefer to use the Intel integrated graphics.

Is there anyway to use the Intel graphics for dual monitor output? Do I have to use the miniport?

 

I'm testing some Red Army Choir on it right now and it sounds terrific

 

can't we be both?

after all, i bought these headphones originally for recording purposes

 

Yo just got off the phone with Dr. Dre, he said Beats Audio is the real thing

 

I just tested out JJB's tweak to the sound quality, and the sound is unbelievable when listening to the 9th Symphony. It's very crisp and clear. Everyone make sure you use JJB's sound tweak. It changes everything.

 

Most musicians are happy with an ibud even when knowing what good sound is so your point is moot.

On my laptop there is a large amount of hiss doesn't matter what volume. That can only mean A) defect output or B) (the more likely case) The "Beats Audio" just sets the gain on the internal headphone amp way too high for lower impedance headphones so pretty much all IEMs. This is pretty stupid design flaw. There is no hissing out of my 600ohm DT880s which can be driven pretty well with just the headphone jack to my amazement. HOWEVER who is going to carry heavy full sized headphones with a laptop?? Without being able to use IEMs, the headphone jack is pretty much useless to me unless I go out and purchase some higher impedance portables.

 

nah. hdmi is built into the radeon. that's where the drivers for it are at.


mini displayport too, probably.

 

ill ask again

is there any way to make it so the intel graphics is the default? i dont want to use the ATI unless....well i dont ever want to use it

 

It will not auto switch to the ATI so...it already is the default. Just set it and forget it.

 

Dude, you have no clue what my point is so how can you say its moot? Nobody has said how much latency there are with ASIO drivers in a DAW, or even if the beats card has any such driver! It's not just about how nice the music sounds out of your expensive set of earbuds or headphones etc

 

i found i had it on intel but after i would reboot it would be on ati again

changed some intel settings in regards to performance vs. battery, hopefully it wont go back to ati now

 

Could someone tell me about QuickWeb? Is it just like Dell's MediaDirect? If so, is it stored in the HPA (Host Protected Area), or does HP not use HPAs? Ugh, those HPAs are a pain to remove.

 

so you want a producer, not a musician

 

a smart musician would know about such things

 

HP Quickweb apparently is hiding in a hidden folder in the SWSetup folder.


it loads from there somehow

 

also you can disable hp quickweb easily. either through the bios or through the quickweb settings in win 7

 

that's ridiculous

you want a producer, and you want one to take this to the studio to run tests for you

 

Hmm. So no way to drive a second monitor using the Intel gfx card? That's a shame- I don't need all the extra heat from the ATI one just to have a web browser open in one monitor and Word open in another.

 

Hidden folder in the main Windows 7 partition, or a separate partition?

 

looks like it's on the main partition.

not positive that's what that folder is for though.

 

So if I do clean Win7 Ultimate install, will I have to install the driver(the one that includes both IGP/Discrete) on our Drivers page? Or will Win7 take care of both IGP/ATI for me?

Also, @Butr0sButr0s, what the crap is this? (See photo).

Thanks!

 

lol why bother buying an expensive laptop with a dedicated gpu then?

 

you'll have to install the one on the drivers page.


I don't think windows update will find it (but it might)

 

also. The ati boots up first while plugged in.

the intel boots up first while on battery (for me anyway, I haven't really uh...clean installed yet and dunno how that will mess with things)

 

Thats producing music and sound engineering dude. Musicians only play the music. Pretty sure they care less how to change the music into digital media. All they need is to know a good tune and the sounds they expect or whatnot. I played the trumpet for over 10 years and frankly all I need is a good cacophony of sound to make me happy. However I also choose to go beyond the simple ibud into something more accurate.

Its the producing job to make it sound good. And even then today they are all horrible at it by brickwalling every piece of music out there.

And frankly all the digital crap is overblown. ASIO with foosbar does not really sound better than mediamonkey or hell even windows media player/itunes. You are sound more like an audiophile with the nictpicky stuff when everyone who loves sound knows your headphones will exhibit the largest change in sound.

However with headphones I've known and loved (They aren't super expensive either with my DT880 costing less than the mediocre Beats and my IE7 less than the beats IEMs), the sound output is less than spectacular with low impedance headphone support. I've been trying to tweak it via software but the problem I believe in fixed in the headphone amp in the hardware which we cannot change.

 

not everyone cares about low-end gaming


i bought this for the good keyboard, TERRIFIC display, great audio, ssd upgrade, etc.

listening to music, watching movies, internets...you know...

if there was a downgrade option for integrated gpu only, i'd have taken the offer

 

not sure 'bout anyone else but even when putting my headphones directly into the headphone jack I get no hiss or static.

I'm in the jack closet to the edge (front jack).

rear jack is the one that doubles as a microphone..and that one doesn't sound as good (not as strong sounding or something)

 

With all the "dude," "dude," "doood," going on in this thread, I can safely assume Hurley from LOST would be proud.

PROOF?

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nice, dude.

 

yeah, no static here.....

 

think it may be stronger with just headphones than through my speakers but well...


*shrugs* I like going through the speakers.

 

Thanks, dude.

 

+1!


For my general everyday stuff, even WITHOUT the ATI graphics card, the Envy is still better than any sub-$1,000 notebook PC out there. This really says a lot about the rest of the PC industry: You get what you pay for. Wanna buy that cheap $800 Dell or Asus with a better GPU? Great, but remember that you'll make compromises on screen quality, touchpad fluidity, and internal audio hardware. What about the alternatives? Well, there's always Apple, but I personally am not a fan of OSX and I see a lot more possibilities with Synaptic's software. If Synaptics would toss in more 3/4 finger swipes and inertial scrolling, this notebook wouldn't just smash the Macbook Pro 13; it'd pulverize it into dust!


It's just by coincidence that this notebook happens to come with a dedicated GPU which only adds to the notebook's value by giving the user the option to game at low-medium settings.



That aside, I haven't been able to find the answer via search to my question, but can anyone confirm whether it's easy to switch between GPUs? Do I need to go to power options and click some settings, or do I need to install Catalyst software?

 

right click on the tray icon for either ati or intel....click configure switchable graphics, then a pop up happens and you just select which you want

id be better if there was a single context menu that would come up to select, to eliminate the extra pop up, but whatever, its easy

 

So there might be a possibility that I have a defect? Hmmm Everything else is working fine I'd hate to return it on something so trivial yet very important.

What headphones are you using can I ask?

 

Zeth.

you right click on the desktop, pick the switchable graphics button, choose the card you wanna use.

and then notice how the warning tells you to close everything else running.

do that. unless you like black backgrounds/desktops.

and then well switch it. and it swaps (screen flickers and goes black for a few seconds).


there's an option to auto prompt you for a swap when you change from battery to plugged in and back. (you still have to ok the swap)

 

I tried re-installing my E14, and effed up greatly.
When my new one comes (long story but yes, I did order a second E14),
I think I'll just manually delete bloatware and stuff.
Anybody have a guide or anything for me?

 

I'm using two things.


one. an old 2.1 speaker set from logitech. It's from 2002 or so. works fine.

two. a pair of old sony MDR-V300s

putting them in the first headphone jack (one closest to you)

 

Or, Dude, Where's my Car.