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

I really hope Amazon gets the i5 model in stock soon.. tried ordering from hp.com today, but they wont accept international credit card, even tho they charged my card I'm heading back to Norway in 3 weeks so Amazon better get to it Too bad they dont offer the i3 model, but I think I'll manage with the i5 as long as I can get hold of one

 

What is "BCB", and how does it work

Thanks,

 

Was doing some reading online and found an interesting article for those on the fence between Dual vs. Quad core processor:

"In mid- to late-2011, Intel will introduce Ivy Bridge, a 22nm die-shrink of Sandy Bridge. Just like Nehalem-to-Westmere, Sandy Bridge-to-Ivy Bridge will be more than just a die-shrink, but we should still expect Socket compatibility between the two. You should expect a quad-core and octal-core parts, with quad-core parts succeeding dual-core 32nm in entry-level models."

Intel says no to 28nm, focuses on 22nm: Ivy Bridge/Haswell & Larrabee - Bright Side Of News*

The dual core options will be plenty fine for now and the forseeable future, but we're roughly a year and a half away from Intel phasing them out in favor of Quad-core CPU's at the entry level. We'll probably start to see most applications take advantage of four cores at that point.

If battery power is what you seek - this is a moot point regardless, but those wondering if they should make the leap or now, this might help. Perhaps when these chips are released they'll have better power efficiency as well.

Of course the people reading this thread are not going to wait a year+ for a Envy refresh but figured I'd throw it out there.

 

bing cash back

it's being discontinued in a month, dont get your hopes up

 

Bing Cash Back, I believe. You get % off and they mail you money later? I'm not entirely sure, myself.

 

the one time i used it, they refused to pay me

gave me a run around then stopped responding after "looking into the error"

 

Who is Mr/Mrs BING, and why would they mail me money?

Link?

 

lol

I see Microsoft needs to step up its game if it wants to compete with Google.

 

Bing Shopping

 

Crazy theory here. Since an SSD will be under load for a shorter amount of time since it's super fast, would the power draw be less considering a 5400rpm is a slow drive? I would think so.

 

I can see why they shutdown the program.

 

They shut down the program because 25% back on people's laptops without them guarantee using bing afterwards crazy. 25% back!? FOR NOTHING?

People are buying $1800 laptops from hp, and even if only a third of them go through with cash back, thats like $450! Thats waaay too much cash to be giving for someone just using your search engine once. lawl

 

I've got almost $1500 worth of cash back over the last 2 years. Been a great problem and I haven't had one bit of trouble.

 

Fun Fact: Tom's Hardware did inaccurate testing, look at the update at the bottom of the page. (shows you didn't even read the article)

Flash SSD Update: More Results, Answers : An Apology First ? And One New SSD To Prove Us Right

Shows that older SSDs used more power. But that shouldn't be surprising since SSDs were really new back in 2008.

 

+1 Bing is awesome, save me lots of cash

 

Actually, I don't think so. If I recall correctly, Anand talks about this in one of his articles. If I am not mistaken, SSDs (at least the X25-M, I think) resulted in about the same, or maybe less battery life.

Don't quote me on that-- I don't exactly remember his conclusion. I'll try to find the article to clarify.

Well, here is an article by one of Anand's writers. If you take a look, at idle the SSD (obviously) results in better battery life-- 38 minutes more when sitting idle at the desktop. However, in situations where there is a good bit of data going back and forth between the drive (web browsing), it results in slightly lower battery life. Again, it's fairly negligible when under load at 7 minutes. Look at the performance numbers, too. Much better OS load/resume times. It's hard to argue against an SSD if you can afford the high $/GB cost.

Note that this was with an OCZ Vertex 120GB-- I don't know how the Intel X25-M stacks up against it in power consumption. I'd imagine if you put an OCZ Agility 2 in there, you'd get even better results, as it has proven itself to be a very low power drive, even under load.

 

well its not like microsoft is paying, HP is paying

they are cross promoting. instead of a sale, they let you use bing for the sale money

but lke you said, these things compound, and stack, and get out of control

 

Hi all,
I have decided to order the Envy 14 for college with either the i5 520 or the i7 720. Would the upgrade in processor make a huge difference in encoding times using handbrake and AnyDvD? The reason i ask this is i can sacrifice battery life if the performance is justified. Other uses include light gaming (Morrowind/Oblivion) and web and MsOffice. Sorry if its in the wrong place as im a first time poster. I would really appreciate if you could answer this quick question.

Thanks

 

Since people are spreading BS on SSDs (why internet why!?) I have wasted some of my life by providing evidence, even though it's already accepted fact.

Charts, benchmarks 2009 Flash SSD Charts, Power Requirement at Idle
vs
Charts, benchmarks 2009 2.5? Mobile Hard Drive Charts, Power Requirement Idle

Intel 160gb - .1 Watts
The best 5400rpm HDD - .5 Watts

Charts, benchmarks 2009 2.5? Mobile Hard Drive Charts, Streaming Read Operations
vs
Charts, benchmarks 2009 Flash SSD Charts, Power Requirement at Workstation I/O

Intel 160gb - 2.2 Watts
Only 4 5400rpm drives beat the Intel at average wattage, and those are slower. So in fact it might spend more time at average load than the Intels, and thus consuming more power.

 

I just received an AWESOME amount of money. So anxious. Do I wait for reviews to order?

Do I get an SDD or a quadcore?

Ohnoez

 

SDD are super fast, cause a lot less heat than HDDs, and give you a little bit more battery life.

And not even considering the other advantages SDD has, I think it'll speed up your system more than a quad-core.

 

Encoding is one area where processor plays a HUGE role. Since this is an ATI card machine, CUDA is not available. With a quad core you will see major gains over the i5-520m when it comes to encoding video. some games will be the same more will benefit than be hindered, especially going here on out to the future - specifically Morrowind Oblivion both cpus and the 5650 are more than enough. Either CPU is more than enough for web and MS office.

 

The Core i7 quads will obviously perform significantly better than a Core i5. That's not to say the Core i5 won't do well- it's still a dual core with four threads. You really need to ask yourself how much battery life you are expecting. Can you give us a number? With the built in 8-cell battery and a Core i7, you'll be lucky to get even 3 hours of light tasks like web browsing, I would think.

You have to remember that with the Core i7 quads, you lose switchable graphics capability, which will absolutely kill your battery life.

The SSD will make your system feel 10 times as fast as it would with a quad core and a mechanical hard drive. Again, the quad core will kill your battery life.

 

Quoting because it bears repeating...

 

It's not an easy job man. You do want to make sure though that when you have the upgrade done that the HSF assy will be good enough to keep the CPU cool. Nobody knows if it will be, since HP doesn't even offer a dual-core i7 configuration. So if the dual core i7 gets much hotter than the i5 does, you might need to use an assy which was intended for a 45W quadcore, or do a modification to your existing HSF, such as use a stronger fan in it, etc. The BIOS also needs to support the CPU, I asked HP about this and they couldn't guarantee if it would, but they say it probably will work fine. Support could be added in future revisions to the BIOS if it's not already supported too.

 

Thanks... you're the man !

I'm now officially a Bingster...

When do I get my first shipment of cash?

Seriously... is there a chance for a 25% BCB on an ENVY 14?

When and how will we know?

Thanks Again,
Joe

 

About battery life on i7, it should be comparable to the envy 15 with i7 5850

 

I wont be carrying it to class much if at all so three hours would suffice. I just hope the envy 14 i7 is designed well enough so it wont warm up my room

 

there is pretty much no chance they jack up the sale to 25% with the time remaining

 

Come on, guys. Can we put this in the FAQ already?

1. i7 720m kills battery, and stops switchable graphics. And the 520m already has 4 threads. The 720m is unnecessary for anything other than Handbrake and extremely demanding utility apps. I play only RTS and strategy games, where CPU power for AI is very important, and the 720m will still be useless for me.

2. SSD's are outrageously expensive ($2-$3 per Gigabyte), and have small capacities. Unless you have money to burn, and you need very little storage, don't get one. Get a Momentus XT if you're that desperate for speed. And even if you have money to burn, why not get a Momentus XT and upgrade to a SSD when prices drop? And BTW, a 500GB 7200RPM drive costs $80 off Newegg, or 16 cents a Gigabyte, 1/10 to 1/20 per gigabyte of that of a SSD.

 

Awwww, don't say that. I wouldn't call 1:24,105,354 "pretty much no chance."

 

Wait and see, gents. We've got a full month left.

 

I can't put that in as worded. It's too subjective.

 

When we talk about good cooling in a laptop, the ones that warm up your room are the good ones. If the heat stays in the laptop that's bad.

No matter what, your CPU will always create the same amount of heat in completing any given task.

 

But after the 4th week - 1 in 4,017,559

 

Guys, I think I'm getting one with the highest dual core

(yes $100 for .17 of Turbo, sue me, I just think I might as well stretch a little to at least get the highest one available, I thought about it and maybe it has a more powerful cooling or ventilation or because it is a higher number it will be more compatible with a higher CPU if I decide to change. If thats stupid then thats okay, I'm used to being uselessly informed on these forums)

Also, thanks to this board's influence I'm getting the SSD, stoked!

A big thanks to everyone!!! Thanks for answering my rook questions and helping me make a decision!

I'm still going to read this board bored while I'm at work. [see wut i did thur?]

 

I agree. Maybe people are willing to pay for an SSD and don't worry about $/GB. I know speed is the big thing for SSD's but don't forget SSD's can handle a drop a lot better than a HDD will - go check those youtube videos of paint can shaker tests hdd vs ssd lol. Also for example, the M11x has issues of being in sleep mode of just transporting it and the HDD will lock up due to movement and a reboot is required. Never had that happen with my SSD. We need more facts than opinions in the FAQ. It is a fact though that an i7 does not allow switchable graphics and will draw more battery power than an i5.

 

Congrats and good luck.

BTW, don't worry about what anyone thinks or feel the need to justify your purchase. If it's the config you want, you are entitled to it. It's your money. There's been a lot of opinion bandied about as to what is best and what isn't. What's most "efficient" and what's a "waste." The only time those opinions are wholly valid is when someone presents with a budget and asks if it's worth getting something over the other. Or if it is worth going over one's budget to get such and such.

I hope they ship you a perfect unit and that you enjoy it.

 

Yeah the quad core CPU kills your battery but you can add a slice battery to offset this. It can give you 5 or 10 more FPS when playing certain games, it's better for 3d animation and rendering, encoding video, better for processing audio in a DAW such as cubase, etc. I am sort of leaning towards a 720qm, if I don't get that then I will definitely be upgrading later to a 620M or 640M.

 

Agreed. I'm going to add that proviso about i7 omitting switchable graphics which in turn will consume more power.

 

No offense, but it is a little too subjective to me to be put in the FAQ. Yes, SSDs are expensive in term of $/capacity. But if you add speed/reliability to the equation, then maybe it's worthy to the people who wants fast reliable drives.

 

Somebody might have mentioned this but how is it that on the pre-config Envy 14 on Amazon it says 3.75 hours for battery life and on the pre-config Envy 17 its 5.75 hrs. If im not mistaken how is the Envy 17 with a smaller 6-cell battery and a quad core getting better battery life?

 

If I state purely the facts, would that be OK? I am opinionated, as you can tell.

1. The i7 720m halves battery life, and stops switchable graphics. And the 520m already has 4 threads. Additionally, the 720m's performance gains should not be visible other than for Handbrake and extremely demanding utility apps, as even the most current CPU-hogging games will not be able to max out the 520m.

2. SSD's are expensive ($2-$3 per Gigabyte), and have small capacities. If money is not a concern, you desire a lot of speed, and you need little on-board storage, or you want durability, it is a viable option. Otherwise, a Momentus XT offers an excellent balance of speed, storage and cost. Alternatively, a 500GB 7200RPM drive costs $80 off Newegg, or 16 cents a Gigabyte, 1/10 to 1/20 per gigabyte of that of a SSD. Selecting it as an option is a way to save even more money.


*Please note that SSD's do have little storage (unless you want to spend $1500), and they are expensive. Both are facts.

 

Right now im looking at docking stations for the Envy 14.

Docking station:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/computer/categories/docking_solutions/1/accessories/VY847AA%2523ABA
Port replicator + Notebook stand:
HP USB Media Port Replicator and Notebook Stand Bundle | HP® Official Store

Does this one look any good? I honestly don't know what the biggest difference between the 1st and second link is. The port replicator + notebook stand has almost the exact same features as the docking station aside from the integrated speakers. These seem to be the only option for the Envy 14 but some of the reviews don't look so great for it. Im wanting to hook up the envy to a 24'' monitor while im in my dorm. Im hoping the docking station will reduce clutter so when I have to run to class all I have to do is pick up the laptop off the station and go.

Some of the reviews say that video playback on an external monitor using this station is choppy. I hope not, and I don't see why it would be.

I thought that I wouldn't be the only one looking into getting a docking station for my envy 14 when it arrives

Here is a chart comparing the docking stations and port replicators: http://www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/pdf/HPDockingCompatibility042809.pdf?jumpid=in_r329_ad_canpage/accessories/computer/docking_solution_chart/

 

When did $/GB become the governing metric for determining the value (which is different from the price) of a hard disk?

I hate waiting for applications to launch while my HD chugs away. Maybe I'm impatient or perhaps my time is worth a lot of money. Or something else. But please don't throw $/GB around and say that that's the determining metric that people should use for assessing what to purchase. It doesn't reflect performance, expected life span, heat or any of the other factors that people take into account in a well-informed decision.

edit, you posted while I was posting, haha. In reply to:

Let people read more about SSDs and magnetic HDs and make their own decision.

 

But $/GB IS important. Otherwise, you would be buying one of these. Please don't tell me cost and capacity are irrelevant or lesser concerns for most consumers. The current FAQ is far too biased in favor of SSD's. If SSD's were so wonderful, why is it still true that so few people buy them? And why is durability worth paying 20x more for a drive? Get an external backup drive and forget about durability. Then if my laptop is stolen, I still have my data.

 

"Large storage" seems very relative.

My most recent (before windows reset) Hard Drive that took 1.5 years to accumulate:

I had 2 LARGE MMORPGS
40 twenty-three minute HD episodes of a show (brotherhood, if you're wondering)
And ~40 gb of music on my HDD.
About ~Infinity-billion world documents (6 simultaneous classes worth of word & excel documents)

This only totals 120gb of my Hard Drive. Unless you are the pirate master and need asinine amounts of movies, or intend to keep your computer for 4+ years, I could have easily deleted my show collection or old documents, uninstalled the two games I wasn't playing anymore to free up 50% of my hard drive.

160 gb of storage IS large storage. Anything more like an HDD's 500 gb storage is unnecessary ...

An external drive to store your media can be found with 160gb and as cheap as like $40!

 

No worries, I kept the baby, tossed the bath water... as they say.

The cost comparison isn't exactly a subject for FAQ. It's woefully obvious to a consumer that an SSD costs more for a given capacity than a spinner. As for i7 halving battery life, I would need text to post as proof. Number of threads of each CPU is already covered in the links from Intel.

 

there is always a chance... or at least hope that on 4th we'll see some boost.

 

Really? How so? Show me and I'll fix it.