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

Has anyone in this thread received theirs yet?

 

I wasn't sure...it could be the 450, but it's probably the 520

 

damn this $299.99 two year warranty...a two year warranty on the dv6tse is half that.

 

well if it can turbo boost to 2.93Ghz and has a base speed of 2.4Ghz, then it's the 520m

 

Apple - Mac - Which MacBook is right for you? - Comparison Chart

ROFL

Okay seriously, I am so mad at anyone who owns a Mac Book at this point. Why do people think its cool to own a crappier machine they paid twice as much for...

Its so sad.

If I bought this:
$2199
2.66GHz Intel Core i7 processor
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive
Intel HD Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor with 512MB GDDR3 memory

I might as well just give Steve Jobbs my soul at the same time

 

Looking at the macbook pro, i realize that the placement of the usb and ethernet and other ports on the right side of the laptop seems to be questionable. The macbook pro has just the dvd drive on the right side, so if you're using a mouse the cords won't get in your way...whereas the envy has the dvd drive on the left side and about 6 ports on the right...including ethernet
I can see how that would be a problem if you're planning on using a mouse, which might be common due to the other problem of the questionable touchpad

 

Yeah, I usually get warranties on PC's, but for the Envy I'm tempted to forgo it, hoping a repair won't be more than the warranty.

 

it looks like one of the usb ports are on the right side, the other two on the left.


it also looks like the one on the right is the one shared with the eSATA port. so *shrugs*

 

Yay my order is in production now

 

maybe ill order today....

 

OK, so I took the dive and bought the Envy 14. I got the SSD (256) but then noticed that the 500 GB drive is described as "FEATURES: 500GB (250GB x 2), 7200 RPM speed," so it must be an array.

Wouldn't that be faster than the SSD drive?

Sould the power saving really be that big of a difference?

Wondering if I should reconfigure AND SAVE money?

What do you think?

I bought this to go head to head with the Sony vaio Z. i wonder who will win...

 

The 500gb HDD's have 2 platters inside them. This is normal; HDD's have always had 2-5 platters in them. (only 2 or 3 for laptops)

edit* I'm assuming this is what was meant... Envy 14's couldn't fit an array within normal specs... and 250gb HDD's in array would be around 2/3rds as fast as denser 500's in array, so it would make no sense to use the 250's for an array.

 

besides money is there any benefit of getting the 450 over the 520? also, if i will be dual booting windows 7 and linux/using VMWare to run both at once how much RAM should I get?

 

So the ultimate question for people who are the pro's, since I still haven't clicked order because I haven't been wired my money.

The Final Question:

Go for the middle Quad Processor,
OR
Go for the 160gb SSD

Help me decide

 

Here's something I was wondering: I've only ever owned an 8510p in part because I wanted something that would last and was made to higher standards. The support I've had on it(3 years, came with it) has been phenomenal, never once paid to have not only the screen fixed and completely replaced but over 3 fried chargers replaced (wow as I write this I'm a little surprised it happened given the supposed higher quality). Would I be able to expect the same level of durability/ support from this envy line or are they just still consumer laptops?

 

Heh. The question.

What are your uses for the machine?

 

That actually made me LOL.

 

Diablo 3 is most likely the only game I'll play on it

Other than that school work minor graphic design (just merchandise lol)

Idk!

I don't get it whats "the question"

 

how does one go about getting the student discount, because I will be off to college in the fall. Do I have to call and order over the phone?

 

Not the quad core. You won't be stressing it much so it will be going mostly unused.

 

Diablo 3 FTW!!! I can't wait for that to come out...who knows how long it's gonna be though...probably very long

If you got the SSD, what processor would you go for. I think go ssd...I've never owned one before and I'm super excited about getting one lol. The 740QM is absolutely not worth the $150 more over the 720 imo. When intel puts out new processors like that that simply offer a little boost in frequency, typically it offers it at the same price point as the old one and just replaces the old one. Those processors should be about the same price, so $150 is too much.

 

Actually, I just got off the phone with HP and they confirmed that it is 2 X 250 GB drives. They did state that it is not configured in a raid. Perhaps they are doing a raid 5. The HP rep was shocked that that was the case and said the whole sales department was up in arms b/c they did not know this important piece of info, but it was confirmed.

SO.... would the SSD still be faster than a 2 X 250 array (because I would just configure the drives to work as an array through the bios.)?

What would the power consumption difference be?

 

It's easier to upgrade the hard drive in the future than the CPU.

 

What? There is no way in heck there are TWO HDDs in the Envy 14. There is no way.

 

RAID on an HP consumer notebook?

It's a single drive.

 

Mostly, you are looking at SSD controllers rather than manufacturers. So OCZ, Crucial, Corsair or Intel, or the Sandforce controller, or the old king, the intel X25-M. The older gen OCZ Vertex aren't bad at all, with the Indilix controller. IIRC Intel is about to bring out an update on their drive.

In true real-life terms, you won't see that much difference with, say, a Corsair Reactor. It's still be miles faster than standard HDs, even in RAID 0, especially at tasks and general use. I have a middle of the road Samsung, makes a world of difference even on a crappy SU2400 notebook.

 

I'm planning on buying the seagate momentus xt and selling the stock hard drive when i get my machine. i haven't gotten a new laptop in a while so i have a few questions:

1.) i'm assuming they don't ship backup discs anymore, so how would i go about reinstalling windows? do i copy the backup partition to disks and hope that there's a key somewhere?
2.) is this just an easy swap out with the stock drive? i'm pretty tech savvy but i'm wondering how much work i'll have to do

edit: also, if i get lojack, will that be affected by swapping out the drives?

thanks

 

Mine is in production as of earlier today too...however I have my doubts as to what that really means...

Heres hoping next week it gets shipped!

 

To be fair, I'd be real happy when I'll get my 8GB upgrade at work. Some so called 'professional' products are terrible at managing their memory usage. But on a notebook... nah.

 

1. It comes with software that will make the disks. You supply the blank media though.

You can image the drive also (recommended way in case the disks fail to be created properly - a somewhat common occurrence). If you want to do a clean install, you can download windows 7 media for free from digital river. But before you do this make sure you copy a folder on the HDD call Swsetup. Has all drivers and programs.

Link to free win7 media download: http://forum.notebookreview.com/mic...links-just-like-vista-before.html#post5437866

You can use the key on the bottom of your notebook.

2. Yes, easy swap. Only need a Phillips screwdriver.

 

You should have a key on sticker on the underneath of the laptop. First thing to do is to copy it and store it in a safe place Then you can install from any copy of Windows 7 Home Premium (or whichever version you choose), or copy Windows 7 Disk / ISO on a USB stick.

Swapping the drive should be a piece of cake. Remove battery, unscrew the cover, unscrew the drive from the caddy, swap drives (careful with the connectors), put cover back, put battery back, job done in 5 mins.

 

I've heard more bad things than good about fresh installs when it comes to the Envy line. Basically just things like changed settings causing things to almost never be good as they were before. Particularly the trackpad.

 

i dont see the problem, just reinstall all the drivers

 

Interesting. I got a copy of Win7 Pro I want to install (wish I could order the Envy 14 with a bare drive and save myself the Widows tax, BTW). I wonder if that will be problematic.

 

Oh yeah, I remember that. Happen to a poster named after a baseball player in the Envy 17 thread. But he fixed that issue.

 

The problem is that HP custom tweaks the trackpad settings to work as best as it can for the laptop. When people reinstall all the settings are default and the trackpad is jacked up. I don't think I'm going to clean install when I get it. Just hit up that control panel and uninstall anything I don't need.

 

sorry if this is a little off topic or vague, but how would i image the drive without having it be a fresh install? is there a program that would allow me to just copy the disc image to the new hd?

 

there's got to be a way to save the trackpads settings...

when trying out envys yesterday, the trackpad was pretty weak. i wouldnt be bending over trying to keep their "tweaks" IMO, i'm sure there are ways of customizing it yourself to get it right

i know on google chrome there is an extension for great track pad adjustment, so there must be a similar one for windows itself

 

I'll most likely do this.


otherwise I'll go copy down every damn setting before reformatting

 

Ditto. Any bloatware ill just uninstall myself. At the end of the day I just hope that it wont have any real problems. Every piece of hardware has something that needs to be improved. I just hope that its nothing that makes the E14 a real nuisance. I really really hope that it doesn't suffer from the shoddy craftsmanship that some of the early E17's suffered from.

 

Acronis or a free program called Macrium reflect. Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

It will make an image of the HP installed version of win7. But you'll need an external enclosure to make the transfer of the image to. That's the catch.

 

Does the external drive have to be empty or a specific file system??

 

Spoke with HP, ended up getting a 100$ refund instead of changing to SSD.
I am now considering buying one myself. Any recommendations ? I guess right now I would be focused on an X-25M...

 

Doesn't matter. It will overwrite.

 

Ah! how did you canoodle your way into that??? what did you say? tell me your secret! (please )


also, I would upgrade the processor first, rather than get an SSD. a hard drive you can always replace, but it's much harder to replace the CPU. Therefore wait a bit 'till you save up some money, then have the best of both worlds!

 

Hey guys,

I am looking to either buy the HP ENVY 14 (want) or the Dell Studio XPS 16 (want less due to size). I would prefer to obtain a laptop with a SSD (160 GB) would probably be just fine. I don't game a lot with my laptop...if I do it will be SC2. I am buying this for PA (physician assistant) school and I will be using it heavily everyday. I want to have good (excellent) battery life and something that is fast. Any idea as to what configuration to get...or more precisely what processor? I would love to keep the cost down below 1800. Ideas? Thanks.

 

Does anyone know where the link is to the Costco 2 year accidental damage warranty for HP is? I believ it is $100.

 

It's simple. Just call and threaten to cancel your order because you don't like your configuration. Be convincing, and they'll throw at least 50$.
My processor is the i5-520m. I ordered on the first day, else I would probably have gotten the 450, so processor wise there is nothing HP can do for me ( apart from going back in time and putting the 540m on the list).

 

Hey Moskowe,

What did you say to them when you called to change to a SSD? was your laptop still in the processing phase or was it already in production?

 

Two things : 1) quad core = no switchable graphics (which is absolutely necessary if you need a correct battery life) and 2) I don't think that the smaller envy 14 will manage overheating from the quad core better than is big brothers... (which is a real deal breaker to me)

Your needs, your decision...