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

do you use your ODD? if not put a HDD in there. That is what I have done on my m15x and I will also do on my envy when it arrives.

If not maybe an external drive? Then just store your OS/Apps/fav music and games on the OS and put the rest on the external. You can get host powered externals which are quite small if you will be carrying it around

 

Can someone just confirm for me, if I do a reformat, i can simply just re-install windows and drivers, theres no special recovery process I need to do right?

 

Hey Ninja. Can you buy a generic HDD caddy made for optical drive slots that will fit most slot loading drives? Or do you have to buy specific for a laptop. I've seen macbook ones, wondering if those are generally the same for slot loads.

 

yes they do

 

Because two is two is always better than one.

 

Can you buy the HDD caddy directly from HP while ordering the computer or can any hddcaddy be used? I assume that a HDD caddy is neccesary so that the HDD is properly attached

 

Caddy looks complicated to change though, I wonder how it's set up underneath that metal plate. Or if the whole plate is the ODD itself
Picasa-Webalben - Jonathan ??? - Envy 14

 

If you get a 9.5mm ODD adapter it should be a direct fit. I just had an ordinary 12.5mm which was slightly too big, I cut it down to size and it works perfectly.

 

Well when mine arrives (probably 3 weeks ish) I will strip it down and take photo's for you guys

 

I never understood this. Take a thin and light with supposed long battery life and have to lug an additional drive along. Kind of defeats the purpose IMHO. I'd opt for a hard drive, or get the Seagate Momentus XT and get performance close to a WD VelociRaptor, or save up and buy a larger SSD later when they're cheaper and you can afford it.

SSD's are nice, but not sure why people think they "NEED" them. It's really a luxury item right now. I'd say to get what meets your size requirements first, and if you can afford an SSD in that size, get it. Otherwise you'll regret it later. When Eee's first came out I thought they were great, but with 16GB SSD (ok, very slow SSD) it would be fine, but I ended up carrying around an external drive and it kind of defeated the purpose of the compact mini laptop.

My $0.02.

 

As long as the external is 2.5" fits in the laptop bag and self powered, I don't see why the purpose of the laptop would be defeated, especially when it comes to movies or music storage. Envy 14 is not as small and easy to carry around without any bag like the eeepc was.

 

Totally agree with your cost-benefit analysis of SSD VS HDD, but imo the combination of a ssd primary disc + an additional data disc is the best option... then one can use an external dvd/BR-drive in those rare occasions when you actually need them. I'm considering taking the 500 GB drive and then buying a 64 or 128 GB SSD separately for my OS and favorite game.

But a lot of time to make considerations, re-considerations and re-re-considerations - Envy 14 will be available from August 1st in my country

 

I understand what you are saying but as Derpderp mentioned, a small 2.5" isnt hard to throw in your bag with your laptop.
I actually carry about 3 500gb 2.5" around with my m11x. I have a large movie/music/ISO/RAW photo collection and would rather have an SSD with critical apps on my laptop and plug in what I need when I need it.

But each to their own at the end of the day, its just nice to have options.

 

I agree with you there. I guess it all depends on your use. It would have been nice for them to offer the option to get a second HDD or SSD in the ODD bay or an ODD. I personally have an occasional use for an ODD, but I would be fine with an external in that case. A small SSD + larger HDD for storage all internal would be ideal.

 

I really hope the wireless is an Intel as it says i these places;







Because I always have a not so pleasant experience(poor wireless reception, compatibility issues while abroad and some drivers issues)with Broadcom. My current laptop as well as my previous ones have all been Broadcom. And I never really checked the wireless brand while purchasing these laptops, I only found out there were all Broadcom when I started having issues with them.

 

yeah but worst case you can pick up an intel for $15 off ebay and swap it over!
I always buy the cheapest card and upgrade myself. I actually have an intel 5100 and 5300 sat here from old laptops, I will use one of those if it is broadcom

 

Just ordered mine! So excited! Got the 450M, 160 SSD, 1 DIMM for 1340.99 with student discount! I haven't bought a computer for over 6 years.

I'm hoping it goes through, since I'm in Canada, ordered with a Canadian (TD) Visa, changing the primary billing address to the depot I'm shipping to in Buffalo. I hope it goes through!!

 

you'll need a new power cord.


you'll also need to change the region on the dvd player to 4 (australia) if you wanna watch dvds

 

You can apply that same logic to having the latest and greatest laptop models with the latest CPUs.

Having an SSD the speed difference is much more apparent and significant than say going from an i3 330 to i5 620 CPU in most tasks. Besides, what is the point of having a very fast CPU if it constantly has to wait for the hard drive..

Yes totally a luxury. I'm spoiled now, can never go back to regular platter drives.

 

Anybody believe their Envy will ship today/tomorrow?

 

It will ship during the next solar equinox.

 

If you need more than 160GB a larger SSD like the 256GB one will cost half the price of the laptop (if not more). SSD's aren't a necessity you can do everything you need to do fine with an HDD at 20% the price, therfore SSD's are a luxury. Even if the i7-820QM had integrated graphics and could get same battery life I still wouldn't get it because it's expensive when an i5-520m will manage the same tasks just fine.

I see people buying an 80GB SSD for their notebooks, and then have an external hard drive always attached. To me whats the point, you're still always using a hard drive, and worse yet an external device, so you're kind of defeating the purpose.

My point is people should evaluate how much space they really need first, instead of just buying an SSD because it's an SSD. Fighting free space constantly is not a fun task. If you can afford the larger SSD, then great. But if you can't afford the SSD to meet your space requirement needs then it's kind of like buying a a car that seats four people when you frequently need to carry five.

 

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about purchasing this laptop today, just had a couple questions.

HP warranty ... seems really expensive. Is it worth it? It comes with one year free right?

Slice battery ... I really like the idea of it however, $200 seems like a lot. Is it possible to purchase it at a later date seperatley from the laptop purchase?

 

Warranty is up to the buyer. It comes with a one year manufacturer's warranty for build issues or defects, but not accidental. You have to ship the laptop in for repair. If you're concerned about breaking your screen or other component then best to get an accidental warranty.

My opinion is a one year accidental is all you really need because after a year or so your laptop value will probably only be about 60% of what it is today new, and a screen replacement will probably cost same as the two year accidental warranty. But to each their own. We all have our own opinions and whatever you're comfortable with.

I'm sure the slice battery will be available later. Hopefully even cheaper in six months or so, hard to tell.

 

The point is all about how fast everything loads. It takes seconds off everything you do, everyday. Personally, if im buying a potable laptop the logic to me is that it only really needs to run programs and the OS. If your storing huge numbers of movies ect then your probably not going to be as enticed, but i seem to think that defeats the purpose powerful but portable laptop.

I easily run my OS, all games and the few uni required programs on my current laptop with a 80GB SSD and the fast boot time is nothing short of amazing when im constantly moving it around. Then i keep in my bag a 500GB pocket external with a bunch of DVD's and TV shows for when i chill out somewhere.

Its certainly not for everyone, but personally, i would say to those sitting on the fence: You havnt experianced how fast a well spec'ed laptop really is untill you couple it with a decent SSD. The pain of not having storage space is really not a problem, so long as your not trying to keep all your stuff on the laptop. 160GB is a hell of a lot of games and programs...

Once you go SSD, you never go back

 

QFT!

.....

 

Well said htwingnut +rep. Personally I think the one year manufacturer's warranty is just enough

 

I agree. The pain of opening bloated programs like iTunes is reason enough to go to SSD, along with better boot times etc. Hopefully we'll see some optical drive -> 2ndary hard drive swaps here soon to get the best of both worlds.

 

How many have theirs already?

I'd like to order with a single 4GB chip and the lowest end i5, but I want to see more reviews first.

 

Will we know (at some point) what 4 GB Stick of RAM HP is using? I bought 1 dim. but want to add in another as soon as I get it....but I don't know what specifications I should be looking at on newegg.

 

Thread...moving...too....fast....

 

My Requirements;
Excellent Build Quality,
Stunning Design & Great Looks
Able to play modern games at medium settings including yet to be released game like Diablo 3.
Around £1000
Good Airflow(low temps), 4Hours + Battery Life

I've looked at 3 Laptops

Macbook Pro 15"

Has the Looks, Has the Build Quality yet may struggle with Modern Games. The macbook is also around £1300,
it would also cost me another £60 for Windows 7, I really can't deal with OSX Despite being so overpriced
It looks that amazing It's the only alterntive I am considering.

Dell Studio XPS 16"

Looks great in RED, good qaulity screen good specfication yet made mostly out of plastic. build quality & design
arnt even close to the Macbook or the envy.

Envy 15

After following the release of this laptop for months I was serverly dissapointed when I got my hands on it in Currys (uk) The build quality was pretty poor, and with the compliants of heat issues and the touch pad my eyes wondered back to the macbook 15" However I believe this is a second revision that has addressed these issues I wonder if the second revision has mades it's way to UK shores, if so it might be back on the table.

The Envy 14 However has addressed these issues in a smaller more beautiful way and at a great price, the only
thing i don't like about is the patteren lid and palm rest (I really do loath it) but I can look past that if I can
mange to get a well built, well designed good looking formed laptop for under £1000.

I believe when it does come to the UK it'll be priced around £1000ish so with Quidco Cashback and acoupon code I think we may get it for around £900ish. I'd be mad to spend £400 more on a lower speced macbook 15" then.

 

Yo, I'm getting 20 something dollars back. in CREDITS.

These are my settings btw:

HP Envy 14
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 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

Thanks dude, I would've never known and would've never called lols.
Appreciated.
My timing sucks though, cuz I ordered a mouse from hp.com the other day and it's on its way to my house.. I could've gotten the mouse practically for free if I used the credits. Gahhh. Annoying.

 

Maybe check out the Acer TimelineX stuff?

Similar specs to the Envy (there is a 14" and a 15" version). Should have good battery life (easily 4hrs +) enough performance for your games. Sposed to be good build quality (not outstanding but satisfactory). Personally i think its good looking, plain and simple, not too showy. Should also be a little cheaper then the Envy's.

Products

 

Correction:

$22.52 to be exact.

And NVM the credit part. I'm getting it back onto my debit card. WOOT

 

We only got a handful of Envy 15 gen2's in the UK. These were all high spec i7's. Not a single i5 version hit our shores I hate being in the UK sometimes.

Also although I am sure the 14 will hit here eventually it may not come with the 900p screen! the envy 15 only had the terrible 720p screen over here (I dont know why HP hate us so much). It may also take a while to finally arrive, the envy 17 has only just been put on the HP.co.uk website and there is still no sign on stock of that.

All in all, I got sick of waiting for HP to list it in the UK (with no doubt a lower spec and higher price) so I ordered one from the states.

 

Would it be possible to keep us (me) updated with how you get on with your purchase? I'd be intrigued to find out if you get any customs charges or anything
Being a fellow UK'er I feel your pain greatly and if it does turn out that the Envy 14 takes forever to get here or we only get a select few configurations, I may follow and order from the states (not sure how the warranty would work mind)

Cheers and good luck! (also I hope you enjoy it once you get it)

 

They are quite smart I'll have a look into them thanks for the heads up.

In Regards to the Woes of living in the UK with HPs lack of love lets hope they have the Config they are selling in Germany, I'd be happy with that.

 

in terms of warranty it is invalid in the UK only part that is valid is telephone support. if u want warranty on the Envy 14 you can purchase it from HP and there are two different ones... first is around £60 which gives you two years (i think) and thats for pick up and drop of service when needing repairs just like a normal warranty... the second is £104 which could accidental damage and is definitely a two year warranty. purchasing one of these warranties over writes the US warranty making the product become UK supported.

 

I dunno, I guess to each their own. I have an 80GB Intel G2 SSD in my desktop as my boot drive and have frequently used apps and a couple games on it and while it is nice, it isn't $500 nice. My Steam folder on my laptop alone is 80GB. If you don't game much 160GB is more than adequate. If you do, it's far from adequate. Not to mention I edit videos of my kids and that requires a decent amount of storage at least temporarily until you can edit and compress, then store on my home server.

 

^ the thing is an SSD is much better off in a laptop. Then the value of one goes up. In a desktop, you're not worried much about vibration, about moving parts, about slight sounds or battery life. All those you do take into consideration on a notebook. Thus the value of an SSD goes up for notebook users. Desktops have much faster components as well which kind of help take away the "explosiveness" of an SSD when newly slapped into a laptop. As for the battery life thing, I state that because I have noticed my SSD helps battery life. My mW draw is much lower than other R1s around without an SSD. Although there could be other minor factors, I've gotten down to 5.5mW on idle with wifi off, brightness down.. that's pretty damn low!

 

just called and got $47.70 back.

 

A review was posted on youtube:

YouTube - HP Envy 14 - a first look.

 

old post is old

 

HP ENVY 14-1050ca Notebook PC Product Specifications - HP technical support (United Kingdom - English)

This model has itchable graphics. as well as a e display res.

 

LOL (10char)

 

i bought my ssd entirely for itunes

i dont want any more loading, delays, library disc error album art BS

i want things to run fast! smooth! as they should!

 

Im almost exactly the same. 80GB in Desktop and Laptop, i used to have not enough room, but then i realised im really not playing 3/4 of the games i have installed. With a 160GB (seems pretty good value to me) i really couldn't see my self running out of space with games and programs. I also have my music collection on my laptop (nearly 20GB) and i dont really have much problem with not enough space, certainly the only time i need really need the space (mainly for watching TV series), is when i have time to sit down, and i have the external drive to plug in then.

I guess im just saying, the speed just makes the whole system so much more enjoyable, standard HDD's make my cry when i use them now lol. I really cant justify the 256GB drive, but the smaller 64/80/100/120/160 Drives (especially in the USA) are something i would highly highly recommend to all laptop owners.

On a side note, i really wouldn't recommend spending a premium getting high speed SSD's. A good drive is fast enough, you rarely "see" the difference between the cheaper Indilinx/Intel (say Gksill Falcon II / X-25M) and the more expensive Jmicron and Sandforce controllers, most of the speed comes from 0.1ms access times, which all SSD's have. Then after that all you really need is something stable and with TRIM (in most cases anyways).

 

I just tried to price out the Envy and the price drop isn't reflected. Is the only way to get the price reduced to call them?

 

Yessss.... Just called about the processor pricing and got 50 bucks back!

When I called the guy was like "Jeeezzzzz, You have a very nice set up going. It'll be a really fast Envy 14 and you seem to be getting above what the average people have been getting. I'm jealous."