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

I never understood why most forums default to 10 posts per page creating unnecessary amount of page flipping...

 

My only 2 quibbles with this launch is the base price, they did say $999. They hyped it up that it was going to be under a grand for the base model. And I'm not buying the whole "well the 100 extra is for the upgraded screen", there was NOTHING that said there was any other display options for this other than the Radiance display except for Amazon a week before release date, which as it seems didn't even exist for Amazon as now they are saying that those spec's are not confirmed and just completely speculative. So i don't believe for a second there was ever a 1366x768 screen option that they ditched off the base model.

Second quibble is the slice battery. The Envy 15 and 13 slice batteries are both under $125. There's no reason to charge $200 for it.

While the lack of a $200 coupon is disappointing, it's never a given. Though HP has been handing out $200 coupons on all their laptops like candy for a long time now, and had them all expire right before this product launch which is a little suspect.

So HP, drop $100 off the base price down to what you said it would be, charge me $125 for the slice battery option, and give me a $200 coupon and you'll have my business.

 

I have it 20 posts per page =) you can go up to 30 I think

 

So, in other words, all you're asking for is a $375 discount.

Really, HP, is that so much to ask?

Not that I haven't been guilty of the same. I'm gonna pull the trigger soon, but I'm hoping to leverage a near-future discount into an over-the-phone discount/cashback within the next week or two. Especially on the slice - $200 is definitely uncalled for.

 

I was in the exact same situation - regretting the i5-430m after reading this thread - and followed your advice here. The order was already sent to factory so they gave me a $50 credit when I indicated I wanted to cancel and reorder with the 450. Sweet!

 

No, I'm asking for a $200 coupon.

 

Then set it at 50 posts per page... its what I use on every forum I'm on.

 

Why the momentus xt, is it not outclassed by the ssd? I am having troubel deciding between the 160 ssd and the momentus xt and I need help. Some of the xt reviews are mixed but it should give better performance for repetitive tasks with a larger capacity while being cheaper, but it can never be as fast and it could use more power. How big of a batyery advantage do ssds offer, if you know the answer to that one too.

 

Someone explain to me why i should pay an extra $400 for an Envy 14 over the following:



HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
* 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
* No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Full-size island-style backlit keyboard with HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
* 50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: July 7, 2010

This ships free Free standard shipping on this item

Price: $1,619.99
Notebook instant rebate: –$150.00
Coupon: –$300.00
Price after savings: $1,169.99

 

because dv series laptops are built like trash

 

want 1600x900?

No? Get the dv6t:se.

Yes and it's a non-negotiable thing? Get the Envy 14

 

As of right now, that is the better deal, but it doesn't stop envy 14 from being the better laptop.

 

If you haven't seen this yet, found this from another post here at NBR. It's PCMark Vantage comparing CPU's for whatever that's worth. The newer CPU's are not included:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/650ef6bf0e.gif

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq-voodoo-pc/495204-i5-450-vs-i5-520-a-3.html#post6404287

 

I thought the same thing before I realized the $300 off coupon doesn't work with the instant rebate. So yeah...

 

Take that and run, that's what I say as much as I like the ENVY 14.

 

WooHoo ordered my Envy 14! I wanted the i7 processor but then found out you can't combine switchable graphics with it - only available on the i5! I guess the 520m will do the trick for me!

 

They seem to stack for me. -$150 instant saving and -$300 coupon.

 

for someone like me who was originally wanting a 13" laptop, the 15.6" pavilion dv6t is too much of a sacrifice for value. these are two different classes of laptops imo.

edit: not to mention the huge difference in battery life

 

Ordered!

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 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)
• 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics - For Dual Core Processors
• 14.5" diagonal HD+ HP Radiance Infinity LED Display (1600x900)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam + Dual Digital Integrated Microphones
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Corel(R) PaintShop Photo(TM) Pro X3 + Corel(R) VideoStudio(R) Pro X3
• Full-size island-style backlit keyboard
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

Well I guess it just sucks to be me then. What's the code you're using and do you have the student discount on as well?

 

If I went with the dvt6se, i would just be regretting it the entire time even though it's a better deal. I can't do that to myself lol.

 

I can't decide...Momentus XT or a SSD and a external hard drive for music and movies. Obviously the SSD will be more, but I keep thinking i am going to regret my decision if i get the momentus xt.

 

If you can afford the SSD, get it. If not, save

 

Get the SSD 160, it will cost you $150 more! You gotta pay around 150 for the xt, so why not pay another 150 and get the real thing.

Besides you could save another 100 by choosing 450m instead of 520.

OR get the 320 default and upgrade later to ssd. I said SSD ONLY if you are already set on getting the xt.

 

For the dv6tse, what's the code you're using and do you have the student discount on as well?

 

yea, i think I'm gonna go with the 160 ssd. It's even more expensive than it seems because now I'm gonna have to get an external hard drive too

 

*is just waiting for SSDs to drop to sub $200s for 160 gigs*

 

get the momentus, why pay loads more for pathetic capacity and the novely of windows booting up faster? big deal

 

Actually, I am paying the premium price to do just that. I want my laptop to boot up as fast as possible. Also, I don't really need that much capacity. 160 GB is a decent amount of space if you put multimedia type files on a external harddrive.

 

why, what line of work are you in that a few seconds is worth it?

personally, having to rely on an external would be such a pain in the

 

Besides from what I've read, it makes everything faster. Not just loading windows.

If people who have it say, that once you try ssd that you can't go back it must be the real thing.

 

totally read every single page of this thread. lol.
sooo i'm gonna be an engineering student too, and i read the 450m would be fine for what i'll do, but do you think i should get the 1 DIMM 4GB to upgrade to 6/8GB later on? will i need that, or will there be no real difference with engineering programs?

my budget is technically $1000, but i could push it further by another benjamin or two MAYBE.

unless a miracle happens with a 25% BCB/ or $200/$300 HP coupon, then i'm going for an i3 and a bloody SSD for the first time in my life . i'm getting an external later on undoubtedly.

and i've read that the salesperson is probably lying for a sale, so what's the chances of the E14 actually having a shortage? Orientation for me is in the beginning of august, and school starts mid september. I think i should just wait it out until some of you get your first shipments + review + bench.
right?

 

Regarding SSD's, my own personal experience, I bought an 80GB Intel G2 for my desktop just to see what its all about. Well, it is nice, system does boot much more quickly, and in general things are more responsive, but not $300 more responsive. If you don't need a lot of storage space then its good, but if you have to lug an external with you everywhere it kind of defeats the purpose IMHO.

I'll go with a 256GB or higher, but $500+ is just too much for me to swallow.

I hate to see people burn money on an SSD for the novelty factor. To each their own of course, but that novelty wears off quickly. You can buy a lot of beer for $300! lol.

 

If I'm gonna upgrade the hard drive myself, does HP give a reinstall disc? Because on the envy 15 theres a $19 option to get a reinstall disc, but there's no such option for the envy 14.

 

you can make your own recovery dvds (check the hp forum pinned post)

 

ok, I need to know. I want to be able to play COD4 and HALO:CE on the ENVY 14. That shouldn't be a problem for the HD 5650 right?

 

The technology has not matured to the point where the cost is reasonable, in my opinion. I am going to get 500GB drive and will revisit SSD's in the future. Here's a "Back in my day moment". The first RAM I bought was a 4MB stick for $200 to get Dark Forces to play on a P66. The first drive was a 1.6GB for $250, plus I had to walk through three feet of snow up hill, both ways to school every day My point is that I'm sure SSD prices will come down and get more capacity soon.

 

Yep, you must be about my age. I remember spending $200 on an 80 MB hard drive. Several yeras later spent $250 on a 4 MB RAM upgrade. I guess we have come a long way in the last 20 years.

 

I must say that hp ships very quickly. I ordered. The laptop tis morning along with a monitor and printer, and the former two shipped today with an estimated delivery of July 1 (Thus)
If thats the case with the envy it'd come July 11, which would be absolutely sweet.

I got standard shipping on everything BTW

 

I noticed that nobody seems much interested in the i7 option. Is it the price, performance relative to i5, heat, battery life, a combination of these, or still something else?

 

for me its battery killer / heat + unswitchable graphics

 

I can play Halo 1 on my geforce go 7700.


this thing is umpteen times (ok around two to three) more powerful than my geforce go 7700

CoD4 should be doable as well on high (I think)

 

Working on it. My team is benchmarking our day to day activities on each of the drives with some real world scenarios. Boot times, applications opening, etc. I should have more information by the weekend. So far, however, on a bang for the buck basis, the Momentus XT has the lead as the best mix of user experience and capacity. We are checking battery life under average end user loads. So far, there is not much of a delta between the XT and the SSD.

 

Well being an SSD owner, I must say I don't think I would pay that much to put an SSD into a desktop. Well maybe a 40gb one. The thing about SSD's are they are perfect for laptops. The benefits you see on an SSD over a HDD all benefit/compliment a laptop very well. From vibration (my MB had this issue), heat - often under palmrest (my sager's HDD tempt was always up), slightly lower power consumption (hell ppl are picking different core i-series based on small difference in power consumption) and finally, speed. Often you pop open a laptop and want to get things going, load up some programs, start up, reboot etc, SSD's do this better/faster than any HDD. The drawback of course is the storage size. You just have to make this sacrifice for the time being. External HDD, don't be a packrat, etc etc.

To me it was never a novelty. Look at the costs of processors and GPU's for upgrading options on various laptop builds. Some provide ample increases for the cost. SSD often are leaps and bounds above the next highest HDD. If you can save a few bucks by picking a lower CPU that performs nearly as well as the next, do the same on another option or two, you're already on your way toward affording an SSD that you will certainly feel the difference.

This isn't directed at you htwingnut, just wanted to use your post as a means of reference

 

with ease:
Notebookcheck: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
scroll down and look at the games list

 

Mostly battery life since you can't have both discrete and internal since the i7 don't have the internal graphics just the 5750 ati.

 

Thanks for the link! Now there's absolutely no reason for me not to get this laptop, it actually has everything!

 

Just wanted to jump in the i5-520M versus i5-450M. For a home user, I would go for the 450 since the most of the vitualization items (VPro) on the 500 series are more or less aimed at business management (hardware based KVM, anti-theft, virtual XP, etc). Now, if you plan on using BitLocker or PGP encryption on your drive, the built in AES acceleration is a nice plus. But, if you are using it for personal items, gaming, and web use, you will not really see much of a benefit.

 

How'd you get $300 off?