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

i5-450M
160GB SSD
4GB (Dimm 2)

Build date 19th July, 5-7 days to get from china to US, another 5 days to get to Australia looks like I'll be getting it early August, late July if I'm lucky.

 

I found a similar glitch... unfortunately I haven't been able to recreate it.
I saved an archive of the page here.

 

Viewing small things or viewing things in the dark has no effect on your vision. That's an old wives tale(or whatever you call it ^^). However it is true that CRT's affect vision though... but that has to do with the emissions from the cathode ray tube in the back, totally different stuff. <3 LCD's --- who cares about 120Hz anyways???

I woulda ordered that, just to see what they do!

 

It gave me an error as soon I clicked on the next button
[temper tantrum] I WANT MY $160 ENVY NOW!!![/temper tantum]

 

Wow, on the Envy 17 configuration page
50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery +$75.00

now that's more like it...why can't we get it that cheap for our 14s

 

Ok so I bought my Envy 2 days ago and I am wondering if it is possible to upgrade the soundcard?? Would it be difficult to do?

 

It actually looks a lot easier than it was on my m15x I had to take the whole thing to pieces to get to the slot loader. I will still be doing this when it arrives and will write a guide for others

 

This behavior has existed on HP's website for several years. Basically, if you have more than one window/tab open to configure a model, it grabs information from the most recently accessed window. It's goofy, for sure, but none of the configurations will allow you to buy. As you've seen, it results in an error. Once, I got it to work and I thought I was configuring a specific machine, but when I got to the summary, it reflected another machine from one of my other tabs.

Sound cards in laptops are soldered on the motherboard. There is no way to upgrade the existing sound "card" as a replacement. However, there are USB sound solutions that can be found at such places as Newegg.

 

Nice mate

What did you end up paying? (if you dont mind me asking).

Very very very tempted to do exactly the same, but its just a little pricey
Gona wait a while and see what happens, if it doesn't drop in price or look like being in Australian stores by end of July i will probably grab one like you have

Also did you use Ebay?

 

Yes I used ebay. This is the person I ordered from (you can email her the configuration you want and she will get it for you from hp and send it to you): eBay My World - opal_cadet

For the laptop alone i paid $1,464 US (same price as on the hp website) ($1,676 AUD) and then shipping cost $120 US I think it was (something like that). In total I paid $1,806 AUD. I wish it was cheaper but I was lucky to get it at all because you can't get it here in Australia and the ebay lady was the only person. Even if it does become available in Australia it will be very expensive. I think your better off getting it online.

 

Are you from Canada, Justos? I am thinking hard about ordering from that ebay person, I just want to see if people actually get their stuff.

Hey Lvivkse, what happened with your order? Did it go through? If so, did you use us address? I don't have a us address so stuck right now...

 

The gfx is an integrated intel, or in others word no dedicated gfx.
The screen is 14".
It has a fingerprint reader.

If you just opened your eyes a tiny bit, you would see that you are configuring an entirely different laptop (dm4 ?). Sure you could hit the buy now button, but I think you would be a bit disappointed when you are shipped a dm4.
But as you are in America, I wouldn’t be surprised if HP ends up shipping you a Envy14 for free, even though you clearing messed up HPs site but configuring multiple laptops at once.

And on a side note:
It's disgusting to see post after post with people complaining about the price, and even giving tips on how to cheat more money out of HP. You Americans starts whining because you have to pay more than 1000$ for an Envy14. The price in Europe is closer to twice that price for the same specs. Get a grip, and be glad you are getting it that much cheaper than the rest of the world.
I thought this was a owners lounge, not a "how to get the Envy 14 for less lounge".

 

You are absolutely right!

 

Thanks!
I'm looking forwards to following it!

 

i agree 100%. they should change this thread to the "I'm calling to complain to get credit" thread. however, I'm an American so please don't generalize me with those self-entitled whiners.

 

I'm an american too. I'm happy with haggling over the price of the slice, the laptop seems reasonably priced. (especially with the 10% student discount)

 

I don't suppose there has been any word/whispers about a UK release yet?
Im sure it'll be coming but when and what configurations is another story

 

There have been some whispers for the end of July. Still waiting though. If it's not in the UK by the end of the month I will pull the plug and order from ebay...

 

I heard something about overpriced oddly configured models.
There are a fairly large number of people buying envy 14s off of this seller on ebay who orders a customized config from hp then ships internationally.

 

Thanks to the both of you for that
Hopefully any they do release over here won't be too oddly configured, but you can never tell, im sure a spec similar to my sig will cost about £1,300 over here...bad times . Is there a reason why HP don't allow us to configure models? Is it because they don't sell enough over here or something?

I personally would be really wary about ordering via eBay. I'm sure the guy is totally legit but having to faff with customs charges and finding different power leads (or always using a travel adapter), not to mention purchasing a UK/European warranty...it would just be too much hassle.

 

Food for thought. The market will always shift in response to pent up demand. Look at all the orders he's received for HP laptops. 4 Envy orders on the first page alone.

 

Well im considering the ebay option, went into Harvey Norman (aussie store) and got them to look up the envy 14 and they had 2 models on offer starting at $2400 for a i5 450 setup and $2700 or there abouts for a slightly upgraded version...

Any idea about warranty from overseas purchases?

 

The warranty is still valid. If anything goes wrong within the first year you just send it to HP for repairs but I think you have to register it in your own name. I'm going to read more about it.

 

Pardon me if this has been asked, but in regards to the switchable graphics, do you only use the integrated graphics on battery and the dedicated on mains power or whilst on battery if you decide to play a game or encode a video, can you set it to use the dedicated? And vice versa if whilst on battery, you don't need the power?

I hope that makes sense...

 

I've been gone for the past week without internet access and don't really want to read 250 pages...what changes have there been? The first post said there were some CPU price adjustments recently. Have there been no coupons?

 

Heh, you're turning green with... ENVY.

This ought to bake your noodle... On the American website, you know, with HP being an AMERICAN company and all, those AMERICANS can custom configure their notebooks. GASP! Turning a shade of hunter green are we then? Oooo not a flattering patina that one is.

BTW, it's not "cheating" money out of HP. They (the HP reps) are authorized to give cash back to customers for various reasons. One simply has to phone in. Long history of HP doing this.

Lastly, please leave your geopolitical gripping and insults at home. It's not welcome in this forum. Moreover (<---there's that word again) it's against forum rules.

Cheers, old son.

 

No coupons. Much of what you may have missed can be found on page 1. Though, you might find some of the many off topic discussions, like sports, TV shows, AP test scores, and weather, that are littered about in the 250 pages you missed of some interest.

 

The computer automatically detects if you need the dedicated graphics and asks you if you want to switch to it. You can also do this manually I believe by going into Catalyst control center. It's the same for if your on battery. So you can have integrated graphics or dedicated whenever you like.

 

Asking for a rebate due to price reduction is one thing, but calling to rack up a $100 credit solely because you know they'll give it to you after a cancel threat is pretty dirty.

 

I'm surprised to see that coming from a moderator. Maybe the fact that this is a "lounge" makes this acceptable but it would be nice to have a thread with posts solely on benchmarks, temps, etc. from owners because it is way too hard to keep track of this thread. If you've ever been to AVS forum the threads there are kept on-topic and thus densely packed with useful info.

 

Nah, I'm not going to judge it because if it really was a problem for HP, they would have done away with it a long time ago.

HP has had this as their policy for a long time even after taking into account that there will be those who do it just for the "hell" of it. As little as writing a letter of suggestion to HP can net you monetary rewards.

I discovered it years ago by accident when I was legitimately looking to return a notebook I wasn't satisfied with. Fit an finish issues. They gave me $75 to keep it. I figured with the hassle of return and the wait time for a new one, might as well keep it. Now how could HP tell if I had legitimate issue or not?

Right. Besides, this can only be done between order and 21 return period. Note also that HP pays for return shipping in the event that you actually did want to return the notebook. That's another "freebie" on HP's part.

People have returned notebooks on HP's expense because of a better deal that occurred within the 21 day return period. HP is aware that that is what some will do.

 

Wait until more people actually get their laptops, then I'm sure you'll see tons of that, but for now, people are ordering and waiting... If you can't keep track, pretty much most of the important stuff is on the first page that's edited on a regular basis by our wonderful janitor, er, mod, 2.0.

 

It's a lounge. A community. Not merely a technical info exchange thread.

That's why the first post points to technical info for those who don't wish to be social.

 

When will people start to receive their e14? I'd like to replace my 15in core i5 mbp with one but I want to see a few more reviews first. Also do you guys think the Core i3 is good enough for World of Warcaft or should I go for the i5?

I'm already planning to get the single memory chip with 4GB and buy my own SSD.

 

Not really It might seem like I am bashing every American, but really I am not. It's just a fact that only Americans can customize their Envy 14, use cash backs etc. Therefore its quite easy to conclude that only Americans fill up this thread with 1000s and 1000s of posts about nothing else than how they saved 0.1$ more than the previous post.

I just think this thread is on a detour. This should be about the Envy 14, and not a battle for the lowest price.

If I may ask, what part did you find insulting?

I still mean that phoning HP, with the sole purpose to lie so you can get a discount, should be considered as "cheating" HP (As a lack of a better word).
And even if that has been a normal praxis for years, that still doesn’t make it okay, if you ask me that is. Just because it has been normal praxis to girls in underdeveloped countries, doesn't make it okay to do it. (Sorry for the strong comparison).

 

Hey, I'm a college student, and I need my money to pay tuition! And if you haven't noticed, most Americans spend money on what they cannot afford by simply swiping their credit card then going into debt LOL. I believe Americans have learned their lesson after this "recession" we are in =D
And it's nice to know that HP has leniency on their prices, unlike Apple who NEVER gives money back...damn greedy s. I mean, my friend's CD-drive broke on her just over a year old MacBook...they were charging her $600 to replace it!

 

woah, you're concluding too much too quickly. If you look back in general, most posts are not about getting an extra 10 cents off from the purchase, but rather, people repeating the same questions over and over about the specs of the laptop.

 

Speaking of being a penny pinching American, I tried to get some info. about a priced drop due to changes in CPU prices over a text chat and had no luck, so I guess I will just try to call later and see if they will offer it over the phone instead.

As for the complaints about price discussions and trying to get discounts, I really think it is pretty lame to complain about that since all prospective buyers want to get the best product at the lowest possible price.That is called free market capitalism and I read the forum for discount info. as well as technical info. I think the price is already fair, but I'll try for the best I can get, since I have to spend several hundred more on other hardware once I buy the laptop.

 

I had the same thing. Of course, the two rep's I talked to on separate occasions didn't seem to know a damn thing about this laptop. The only reason I called back was to get a price difference refund by using my Employee Purchase Program, which I didn't realize my company offered.

Honestly I could care less about a $30 difference in CPU price. I was more irritated that they couldn't get me a Slice Battery for me to purchase separately.

 

I'm looking to get one through the ebay person as well to AUS but keep in mind the 10% customs fee they charge for whatever price you paid to get the item in Australia(including shipping) and also around a $50 AUD customs processing fee for your papers which you have to hand in to them unless you use a customs broker which will be another $50 minimum on top...

So its gunna be closer to $1,806 + $180.6 + $50=$2036.6 AUD minimum for you. Customs is such a hassle cos there's gunna be a hold up at customs and then they contact you via mail which adds to the delay and depending on how you go about dealing with them theres just even more delay with getting back to them unless you use a broker(more costs) or have a customs office nearby.
Also think the whole process involves you sending papers to the seller etc etc..

If you already knew about this then, uh, good for you but it seems like a massive headache to me at the moment.

I was gunna go with the base specs with the upgrade to the 450M and with our current dollar being so low and cos we can't apply discounts through that seller it comes out to around $1380 AUD. Chuck in shipping and customs and processing fees it all ends up being closer to $1700 AUD for a $1049 USD item.
I'll order when the AUD goes up to roughly 90c but I dont think that will happen any time soon, so hopefully by then they will have reduced the price or released a revision of the envy 14.
If an aus retail version comes out I can definitely see it being significantly over priced

 

I would say half the conversation is about the laptop spec but I feel noxity is correct about the integrity void with the false complaints to HP for a cash grab back. Most retailers refer to the bottom feeders of the customer pool as the "devil" customers that they actually wish to lose altogether since they tend to increase costs for everyone (customer service rep time with calls and complaints, price matches, quick to return, etc). Many retailers and etailers are learning to rid themselves of these margin hogs. As such, I would not push too hard or you may find yourself identified as such. Then, you may find the retailer not doing anything to help you beyond the letter of the law or support contract.

 

Thanks everso much for this
Sounds pretty spot on to me

 

I'm just wondering, if you return a product (in this case customized laptop) to HP, do you also have to pay a restocking fee?

 

Probably not.

 

how come almost everyone here ordered i5 520m / 160ss or 500GB / 4GB RAM (1dimm)? disregarding the battery issue, will i7 720qm/ 500gb/ 6gb be a bad idea for a main rig?

 

I think a lot of us are looking for something with longer-ish battery life. The i7 doesn't have switchable graphics, so that will reduce battery life... But if you don't care about it, then I think that would be OK. Make sure you get a 64 bit OS

 

I think the 64bit OS is all they offer, since the minimum RAM you can order is 4GB.

 

I checked again and you're right- all the OSes they offer are 64 bit. Which is a no go for me, because some of the software I run requires a 32 bit OS.

 

The i3 should be more than adequate for playing World of Warcraft... Even after the Cataclysm update.

 

After reading MOST of the post here, I'm making a very positive estimate that with an i7 my battery will last 2hrs w/o slice and 4hrs with one? I can live with those numbers. I have my 64bit W7 here waiting. Did i missed any post regarding the heat issue with i7's? or am I the first one to care?

valismp thanks for the quick reply.