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

Wow, that is awesome. This is really the selling point for me. I hate having to wait for windows to boot to check my email or surf the internet. I guess I will have to buy it now.

 

So does HP usually stick to their ship dates or what? My scheduled ship date is the 13th, what are the odds that it will ship sooner?

 

My last laptop from HP (ordered January of this year) shipped 3 days earlier than it was supposed to, and then got to me in 3 days, whereas I chose 5-7 day shipping. Then again, I've heard people say that it took exactly as long as HP said their order would take. Depends how lucky your shipping is and far up the build queue you are.

Edit: What I mean to say is that I got it 6 days after i placed my order, while HP said it would take at least 12...

 

I laughed at this post, good points! There's no reason to compare battery life on any HP product to an Apple product that performs on a similar level because the lowest common denominator is the differences in operating systems and software/hardware integration. Apple plans, designs, and advertises with unified goals and methodology. HP and virtually all other mainstream computer manufacturers do not have total control of software or hardware. Everyone except Apple are essentially making the same type of PC's. Construction types are all very similar and cosmetic differences are easily distinguishable.

Yes, Envy pushes towards the top of the notebook PC's, but they still have not reached maturity. Envy is still a baby guys! MBP didn't happen overnight, it took time. At least HP is trying to grow Envy!

 

Actually, no. Not unless your running a VM or your using a MBP 13 and in the latter case the point is mute considering the two laptops aren't comparable at all.

 

Not even close...

Remember those pentium 4ht's??? They were single core. Now I dont need to spend time explaining what hyperthreading actually is, because that makes my point

***EDIT*** my mistake, you're talking about multi-threading, not hyper-threading.. It's almost 4am Ima go to bed now...

 

The mbp 2008=>2009 bump is due to the use of special lithium ion polymer batteries.

Anyway, windows 7 ran on bootcamp on a mbp 15" (envy 14's competitor) gets as much if not less life than an envy (thanks to discrete graphics being always on). When running Windows XP and Vista, this reduces the life to just merely an hour and a half, so you end up with around 3 to 4 hours. And you guessed it: it's the same with Windows 7.


So in the end ? For flash enabled web browsing.
Envy 14 i5 : Seven : 3 to 4 hours (at worst ? Im pretty sure if you tweak the turbo boost and energy management profile like I said earlier in the thread you can reach 5 hours of wifi web browsing with decent luminosity). Sliced => 8-9 hours
Envy 14 i7 : Seven : 1.5 to 2.5 hours Sliced => 4 to 5 hours
Mbp 15 : OsX : Apple claims 8 hours but the andatech bench gives 5,3 hours for flash browsing) Seven : 3 to 4 hours

In the end, in any case, if you're actually WORKING on the computer you won't ever get enough juice for the 8 hours of work, be it envy or mbp. I find it also rather stupid to not just have a second plug at work sitting on your desk. Unless you're working in a pure mobility context out of an office or a lab you should do fine with just 2 hours of battery life under high loads mbp or envy can provide.

 

Sorry to ask again, but my question got lost a bit back and i'm about to go to sleep, so hopefully someone can write me an answer for when I wake up. =)

So, does anyone know how I would go about swapping my dvd drive for a second hard drive? I would probably be looking to replace it with an inexpensive, medium-low capacity SSD to get the performance of fast boot times etc, without incurring the huge costs. Can you recommend one to me? (preferably at least 32GB)

 

I'm sure HP and others could mimic Apple's touchpad's physical aspects, but copying it down to every detail would probably raise eyebrows among Apple's lawyers. Still...here's to hoping for improvements down the road! I'm not asking for inertial scrolling with the Envy 14, but basic 2-finger, and configurable 3 finger and possibly 4 finger would be nice!

As for Palm, I'm normally skeptical of most billion dollar acquisitions, but Palm holds a lot of promise. Knight to f4. I'm hoping that in 3-4 years time when I need to replace this Envy, we'll see some amazing things happening. HP...get ur arse on the road with the touchpad functionality!

Think it also depends on the proprietary software. Windows is tailored to no single hardware configuration while OSX is optimized for a handful. Asus manages to pull off 10-12 hr battery life with the UL30VT's SU7300 and its own software. But Sony doesn't implement any similarly effective power management software for the previous generation Vaio Y which had an identical processor, so their battery life barely hit 4-5 hours.


That's why I'm puzzled at the worry over the battery life. HP's software department is apparently asleep at the wheel, underfunded, or undervalued by the company. Seriously...if HP would invest time and money into developing proprietary power-saving software for the Envy to give it 5 hours of battery life using 60% brightness and wifi on, I think many would willingly pay more for it. But most of their software's worthless.

 

I don't see how swapping batteries is a hassle, a five year old can do it. It involves sliding some lever and slipping the battery out, not exactly rocket science. Plus the comparison made was changing out a battery on an Envy 14 compared to that of a MBP. HP makes access to the battery easy by popping off the bottom plate by a little lever switch. With Apple you can't change your own battery unless you want to open up the whole machine itself which voids warranty. You pretty much have to take the laptop into the Apple Store to change the battery which costs money for the battery itself and service fees. At least with HP, or any other manufacturer besides Apple, you can change the battery yourself when it eventually dies or if you want to carry to battery packs on you.

 

hey ninja2000 when is yours due to arrive?
I'm looking to do the same and buy from the ebayer, hoping to jump in on the last BCB for ebay before 30th July as well (if possible......trying to figure out if BCB outside US is possible or not)

 

Apple has a ton of gesture controls that are pattented that most do not know about. HP knows they had no IP, and Palm has tons of very nice IP that challenges Apple on many fronts, gesture and UI. It was evident that HP was not reaching base line goals, or even being progressive while depending on Synaptics alone. Kudos HP, now dont water it down!

HP will put Palms generous IP in notebooks within a year, hopefully by the new year when Sandybridge starts to ship. If they do not, they greatly risk another round of sub par user interface while Apple moves forward with unknown features.

Sure thing, but proprietary software or not, I can use my boyfriends MBP for 8 hours with Firefox. My Envy 15 only gets 3 hours with same tabs in Firefox. I guarantee you that the Envy 14 wont do that. Ever. Every Engadget and Gizmodo review will point this out, and every MBP owner will realize this.

If any computer maker had the resources to develop a technology that circumvents Windows poor power management than it would be in your computer right now. It wont be in this Envy 14, and I dont see it being in any other computer for some time. I love my Envy 15, but the best hope for growing the Envy 14's battery life would be to forgo the optical drive for a more capacious battery. Obviously HP though we valued optical media more than battery life, so they chose for us.

The first company that provides computer maufactures a method to circumnavigate Windows inherently poor battery managemnet will possibly be a very likable addition to the computing world. It may even be shiny.

 

Doesn't Asus have some kind of magic software within their personal OEM installation? How does their Asus UL30VT get their amazing battery life? Sony's older Y uses the same hardware but gets half the battery life.


But then again...Chromium's open-source prospects may have some potential.

 

It's called power 4 gear. Its basically windows management system but with way easier acces to maximum cpu frequency, it's a hassle to change it on the classic windows control currently, unless you make up two energy saving profiles, one with 50% or 25% max UC and one with 100% max and switch according to what program you're using.

 

i dont want all of my files and programs out on the internet, so I'll be staying away from Chrome OS...

Besides, what are you gonna do if you dont have an internet connection? All of a sudden, you dont own a laptop, you own a 5lb paper weight.

 

Chromium. I don't know much about the OS. But if it's true that we may one day see full-sized notebooks sporting this OS and getting decent performance AND battery life management, let's hope we may see that day sooner than later.

 

My focus is on computers with similar CPU/GPU constraints. Ultra Low Voltage processors cant be compared to Envy 14 or MBP's. If some magical program could make an Envy get 8 hours battery life, I'm sure HP would have paid $1 Million or more, but they did pay $ 1.2 Billion for Palm. If HP could magically squeeze a bigger battery around all those gaps inside of a computer case to somehow equal MBP's battery life, Im sure Apple would do the same and outgrow HP's attempt. Anything HP does is in vain, magical power generating plan or not, a newer smarter kid around the block is the only way any PC will get battery life like Apple notebooks. Mainstream Linux variants cant touch OSX on battery life, some do worse than Win7 LOL! Until someone decides to try to knock Windows on its knees, Chrome OS seems to be the only viable hope for consumers in this and many other regards. It sux that the only viable option to get great performance and battery life comes from one computer maker. PC, think different.

 

Yes, I know. I was comparing the UL30VT and the Sony Vaio Y. Both come with the SU7300 and similar if not the same integrated graphics. But the UL30VT comes with switchable graphics but still gets the quoted 11.5 battery life. But the Sony advertises up to roughly 6. Actual tests probably shave off 2 hrs from the Asus, but from what I've seen, the Sony barely chugs 3.

 

That's why I tell people not to knock on the MBP 13's "inferior specs." Hardware/software compensates for the C2D's supposed shortcomings with the 10 hour battery life and the best touchpad around.

 

How do consumers get Windows, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Asus, and other manufacturer's to focus attention towards power and performance?

I suppose we cant, and thats why Apple is currently outgrowing all of them. People are switching, programs that have traditionally been associated with PC are going to Mac. Steam, AutoCAD, and many others. We dont want plugs, and we dont want to shell out 100% more for Apple products, so what do we do? We Envy. We wait. Some switch.

 

Microsoft under Gates led the way in putting PCs into nearly every American home. Uniform software standards made life easy for developers. Now that Gates is out of the picture, Microsoft is slowly losing relevance as it scrambles to stay relevant not just in the PC sphere, but in mobile phones, search, and even its bread and butter, office suite software. The DoJ and the EU Commission are less willing to put up with their monopolistic practices and Google seems to be picking up the torch.


I foresee Google reaching a peak in about 5-10 years after which it'll become part of a battle royal against Microsoft, Apple, and whatever new competitors jump into the ring. Things will certainly become interesting.

 

Good point. I see many users who list the software packages they think they will use at "uni". Considering a fair amount of students change majors more than they change socks, I believe many folks would do fine on that MBP 13, although some would not and the Envy 14 would better suffice. Core 2 Duo and 10 hours battery life is nothing to blink at. Neither is a computer with the same CPU as the Envy 14, but one that gets 8 hours for light web browsing and data entry like the MBP. Apple will make more profit from the MBP 13's than I would guess HP makes off the whole Envy line. Whats exciting is that we've got 2 glimpses at the Envy 14 that look to be fairly positive.

Lets get some real reviews in where a more dedicated set of tests can rigorously and definitively provide us with a real understanding of what the Envy 14 truly is about. Im grateful to the 2 users who post info about they're new toys, but its all like a scratch n sniff sticker right now. Just a whiff.........

 

Should I get the i7 processor or i5 with 160GB solid state drive?

 

Please keep us informed. Have you made any arrangements to save on the VAT ?

 

LawyersRsharks previously linked to Anandtech's updated 2010 MBP review.

The type of notebook usage generally correlates to battery life, and no matter how you look at it, MBP will run longer with the same CPU (and I believe with a GPU that takes more power than Envy 14's).

The more simple point and root of this particular discussion is how we use a computer. It may be light browsing, heavy browsing, watching a movie, etc., but a MBP will generally have much greater battery life than what an Envy 14 is limited by: Windows. I highly doubt there is any way to use an Envy 14 and get 7 hours battery life. Sure, set it on a table and let the HDD, DVD, and Screen turn off.... but thats not using it! Id like to see Anandtech compare the MBP to the Envy 14. Purchase price aside, Apple proves it can think differently about battery life, where HP is still copying the look.

 

I just think its funny that mac users never point out the good things about their systems... like good battery life, good touch pad... and they instead point out things that aren't true about their system... like its the best for graphics, it just works, it doesn't get viruses, etc...

 

Yeah, you'd think with all their lame claims about knowing the real differences between Macs and PCs that they'd have a real argument! Says a lot about the average Mac user.

 

Veteran computer security analyst Charlie Miller has hacked OSX for years, winning the PWN 2 OWN hacker contest twice.
He simply states:

“ Mac OS X is like living in a farmhouse in the country with no locks,
and Windows is living in a house with bars on the windows in the bad part of town.”

This reporter summed it up:

" In other words, Macs are safer, because there aren’t that many people trying to break into them.
Windows computers are more secure because the security holes are constantly being patched."



Back on topic:

Envy 14 should be very safe with Windows 7, but still wont get 7 hours on battery!

 

They said they automatically mark down the value. Although this could cause a problem with insurance claim with damage from courrier. But I think it is worth the risk.

 

If only that massive battery life and that trackpad built by gods could be converted into cpu performance and gpu performance and a better screen for less money.

Oh wait. If your biggest concern is battery life, there are better options. If you biggest concern is the most power packed into the smallest form factor, there are better options (vaio z). If you biggest concern the combination of cpu + gpu + size / form factor + screen quality + decent pricepoint, then maybe people looking at all of that, will be glad to take an envy 14 over a mbp. Not everyone, but then there is no accounting for taste.

 

Quick question ... should I order the envy 14 now (because after reading everything here; I am positive I want it)...
Or should I wait for a better cpu then 520m? (Will this even be in this summer?)

I need it for school; and next to my home computer; I'll be using this for Vm's during school and classes and stuff. Mainly it will be my workhorse.
And because I have to take it everywhere ... I don't want to go to high on the inch scale.
Plus, battery life seems reasonably. I know it's a trade-off, but everything else with this laptop is awesome, so I don't mind.

But what do you guys think: order now with 520m ... or wait, and maybe during the summer holliday their will be the option for the 540m or 560m or maybe higher?
Or just buy another cpu next year or something and replace it?
I'm planning this laptop to stick with me 3 years

And yes, I want dualcore, because I have to have battery of 3 hours or 4 hours plus.

 

I doubt they will put a better processor in it any time soon. I would go for the i5-450M. The only difference between the 450 and 520 is the 520 has better security and the ability to run more than 1 OS at the same time. It also turbo boosts more than the 450 but I doubt the 520 would ever turbo boost that high due to temperature levels. So unless your running some sort of business that needs extra security etc then go for the 450. And because the 450 doesn't have all those useless features it might perform a bit better. I think that is your best option. I know I am getting it
But yeh I wouldn't wait for a processor upgrade.

 

HP has a strange system..
Now, three days after I recieved my package, I get notified they started shipping my Envy 14..
When I called them on Friday, they also didnt really know what was the current status.. Two hours later UPS called me and met me in front of my workplace..
But better this way than the other way around..!

 

Ahh thanks for the quick reply
So .. the 450 can perform better then a 520?
Well all I need is hardeware virtualisation for vm-ware so I can run multiple os-es on top of windows 7.
Maybe I will dual-boot, but never two os's at the same time
So here is me ordering

 

Both are 35W TDP CPU's. The power use will be very similar.

64-bit is more than just about accessing more memory. 64-bit code is more effecient than 32-bit code. Someone on these NBR forums did a great write-up comparing the two for the layman. If I find it I'll post it. That being said, 64-bit is the way to go, even if just for more memory. 4GB is pretty much standard fare any more and you need 64-bit to access it all.

Get the i5-520m if you're going to run VM's. There hasn't been any benches verifying 450 vs 520. If anything there's probably only marginal speed differences between the two.

 

You will still be able to run VMWare. The 520 would just do it better (particularly with IO).

 

vt-d has to be supported by the chipset on the motherboard, as well as the BIOS. Nobody has uploaded screenshots of the BIOS/CMOS menus or the user manuals yet, so there is no way to know if this feature is in there or supported. vt-d allows a VM direct access to the PCI devices, it has nothing to do with being able to run multiple operating systems. All of the CPU options for the envy can run multiple operating systems at the same time. Paying $100 more for the 520M is a waste of money in my opinion save it or put that money towards an SSD.

 

I dunno, depends on what you're doing. VT-d allows direct access to hardware instead of emulation. Check out this article here for more info:

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d): Enhancing Intel platforms for efficient virtualization of I/O devices - Intel® Software Network

But yeah, if HP's BIOS doesn't support VT-d then it's a mute point, however the mobo should. HP would be asleep at the wheel if they didn't have it enabled or the option to toggle it on off.

also check out the PCMark Vantage comparison of i5-520m and i5-430m (and a few others) I wouldn't put the 450m much higher than the 430m, because it only has a 2.4GHz base speed instead of 2.26GHz:

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

And note that the DMI bus is to transfer data to/from the I/O like USB, audio, NIC, etc. So unless you plan on saturating all your USB ports and eSATA simultaneously, that "4.8GT/s" of the i5-450m vs "2.5GT/s" of the i5-520m is of little to no issue.

 

I uploaded the Manual for the Envy 14 to Badongo:
en-US_manual_595071-001a.pdf - HP Envy 14 Manual - BADONGO

 

Thanks! <ten chars>

 

Same with me.
I just got the UPS tracking number of the parcel that was delivered last friday.


I still was kind of hoping they would send me another Envy 14 for free

 

Thanks for all your efforts erath and stefan + rep for you both.

 

Viele danke erath ^^ did they also give you a service manual? I can see now from the user manual the mysterious thing in the center of the speakers is a bluetooth compartment. No information on the BIOS in there though.

 

it'll run fine.


the only thing VT-d does is let you access hardware pci devices directly (not through some sorta software interpreter).


but I mean...your virtual machine would have to be setup to do that in the first place. Hell if I know how you set that up

 

No Service Manual, sorry.... Only the EULA, Safety Instructions and some Notifications, nothing interesting really..

I booted into BIOS, made a picture of the Info it gives.. I already flashed to the newest Bios version available from HP.




There is also the option for a Battery Calibration Test, I will do it tonight while I am sleeping.. Maybe it will give us better info..

BTW, the Battery Degradation BatteryBar shows has been improving the last cycles, from originally 5% to now 3%

 

Nevermind hehe

 

w00t, just got myself a 256gb ssd for my NV14 for a mere $350

 

so what was your estimated ship date initially? i want to know roughly when mine will fome...im tired of waiting Q_Q

 

Where? <ten chars>

 

Just pulled the trigger and order one, first time it didn't go through because my billing address was in the Uk but they still put a pending payment out of my account for the amount, so thats 1 grand of my money i cant use until 3-5 days. Rang the cc company changed the address, rang up hp they put another order through as the first one is cancelled (even though its still showing up on my cc as a pending payment) and they put another pending payment out of my account. So at the moment they have held 2 grand of my money (pending payments) and still waiting to hear if the 2nd order went through.