*HP ENVY 14 SPECTRE (3XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Not aware of any literature, but just remove the screws around the battery and plug the cable out which is going from battery to the notebook (which you will see anyway when you try to remove it) and that's it, you will see the 2 SSD slots.

Haven't tried a fresh install, but I guess it should work.
Anyway, you will have a 128GB as "backup"

 

I consulted HP online assistance on the matter and they booked a courier pick up for the next day. HP replaced the screen and delivered it back all free of charge within 4 days. Great service.

Previous Question:
"Hi all

Have any of you HP ENVY SPECTRE 14 owners experienced screen problems?
I have a white hue of approx 1cm wide constantly present across the bottom of the screen and up the left border? It is a constant problem present in BIOS too, considerably noticeable during movie playback or black screen saver. Photo attached.

Feedback appreciated, thanks."

 

I just received my new Envt Spectre 14. It's a stunning piece of workmanship, absolute class. It also arrived with all features, just as I ordered (I7, HD4000, 256 gig SSD, 8 gig RAM, Windows Ultimate). The 1600 x 900 screen is amazing... The Radiance keyboard works very well. The trackpad has a subtle, barely discernable texture to it, just enough. I tried a movie in it already. These speakers are loud, and quite bass-full for their size. All in all, so far, I'm very impressed. More later.

 

Just tried two games on my new Envy Spectre 14. Rage and Lord Of The Rings: War In The North. Rage plays flawlessly, no lag, no screen jumps at maximum settings. LOTR:WITN is very smooth at medium settings, although the game installed at maximum settings. Looks like this Envy Spectre 14 handles some of the newer games very well. I definitely got a classy looking, very capable machine. 100% happy with it and fully reccomend the maxxed out configuration to anyone.

 

I've been waiting on the Ivy Bridge version of this for a while. I would like to buy this laptop soon, but I do want to know some things first. Is the mSATA SSD one 256GB SSD or two 128GB SSDs. If the former, what make and model is it? This will help me determine whether or not I should opt for the 256GB SSD or not (in which case, I'd buy my own to install). And would you know if this Ivy Bridge version supports SATA III or is it still SATA II like the Sandy Bridge one? Thanks!

 

so it's 2 slots, each for a 2.5inch SSD?

or is it 1 2.5in SSD and 1 mSata?

thx in advance!

 

So are these screen problems still as common after the Ivy Bridge update? Obviously, the mobo innards have nothing to do with the screen, but I'm curious if they've somehow fixed their screen quality issues since the original release date.

I see some of you have your screens replaced though, at least, right? Good to hear. It still makes me a little nervous though. I don't want to jump in with 2 feet and ~$1500 only to receive a broken screen.

 

Couple of questions please:

1. Is the screen IPS?

2. Where are the exhaust vents located?

Thanks.

 

Joadster
1. No.
Anyone know what model of screen is in notebook(AUO103E - I know it, but it is codename, i need full name of model AUO140..... )

 

Just got this yesterday, very cool ultrabook, came from the Acer S3, and just had to have this when i saw it in the store, loving the quality of the laptop.

One ting though I have noticed, it got very poor wifi signal strength, I mean really poor, have to be pretty close to the router, on my S3 I could be anywhere in the house and have good signal strength, but the sprectre no so much, is this normal?

Else really loving this laptop, IMO the nicest looking and feeling laptop on the market today.

 

Hey guys! Trying to decide between this beauty, the UX31A, Series 9, and Vaio Z. I was wondering if any of you could directly compare the display to any of these other models. Please and thank you!

Also, does the palm rest get nasty very easily? The display models always looks disgusting, but that's only natural given the number of people playing with it.

 

Spectre's got the best screen, a 1600 x 900 wide screen. It's beautiful, crystal clear and the best screen ration for watching movies. You can't beat the BEATS AUDIO either. It's LOUD and sounds good. Lots of evident plastic on the Z, and who wants to be toting around a separate graphics/Blueray/docking station? The UX31A has a strong, but plain and rather boring brushed metal finish, but if you're interested in brushed metal, why not go for the higher end UX32VD?

I've had my Spectre, completely maxxed out I7 model, for over a week now and I'm completely satisfied in all respects. Windows fizzled on me once and I had to do a Windows reinstall, but other than that, the hardware itself is exceptionally crafted, looks elegant and everything works.

The only things I would wish for would be that the SSDs were in RAID 0, and that larger than 128 gigs per SSD could be used. I would love to have twin 512gig SSDs. For now, I load programs onto the 119gig C drive and save program data, music, pix and movies on the 119gig D drive.

I'm playing a relatively new game on it, called RAGE. It plays it without a hiccup at the games' highest graphics settings. Truly remarkable machine. The I7 / HD4000 seems to make all the difference.

 

The screen is not IPS

The exhaust vents are located at the rear.

 

Well, quantitatively speaking, the Spectre has the weakest screen of them all. I was just curious if the actual visual quality was on par with the "amazing" and "fantastic" screens that the UX31A and Series 9 have. Hmm... This decision is not getting any easier.

But what are your thoughts on the palm rest? And I mean, honestly speaking.

 

You're right. The UX31A has the better screen, by the numbers. I wonder though, can the human eye distinguish between 1600 x 900 and 1020 x 1080 on a such a relatively small screen? I don't know. Real life impression of it is that it's rectangular shape and 1600 x 900 resolution are absolutely stunning in this size of a screen. It seems there is always a trade-off though. The Verge has a review of the UX31A that isn't so encouraging. They rave about the screen, but the hinge seems weak, very weak. Evidently there have been problems with the trackpad as well...The Spectre doesn't suffer from these issues. If you're interested in an ASUS, it seems like one would be better off overall with the newer UX32VD, with the discrete graphics instead of the UX31A.

On the Samsung Series 9, I checked it out at a Staples store a few weeks before I got the Spectre. Nothing extraordinary about its screen, except the model I looked at was matte, so it wasn't very reflective (which is good). It's a nice computer, quite sleek and rather industrial styled. Having a built in DVD tray is nice. Between the UX31A and the Samsung, the Samsung looks like a slim laptop, not a metallic wafer. It seemed solidly built too, even more so than the Spectre (which has some flex on the right side palm rest area). The laptop I looked at at Staples had the backlighting sensor functioning well, but I've seen reviews online that report screen flickering and also running hot when under a load, as well as loud, even whistling fans. I've yet to even hear the fan on the Spectre, even while playing a game. I had to put my hand in the back to confirm the fans were operating.

Speaking of the Spectre's glass palm rests....My honest opinion....A nice feature. They are smooth to the touch, scratch resistant (but I haven't tested this yet). Yes, they will get some fingerprints (as will the screen back cover). I keep a shammy rag handy to wipe off fingerprints occasionally. A cheap price to pay for such a classy looking machine.

 

I think that you saw the Series 5, not the Series 9. Staples wouldn't carry such a high-end notebook, and there is no DVD tray. You're right about the reviews though...

With the Series 9, the matte screen and light weight just make it seem so much more functional... But damn is the Spectre sexy. Are you sure you don't work for HP? But seriously, thanks for the thoughts. This is what I'll do then: I'll base it off of price. If the Series 9 remains discounted when I return to the States in August, I'll get it. If the price returns to normal, I'm picking myself up one of these glass beauties (and honestly, I'm kind of hoping for the latter haha).

 

Whoops! I meant Series 7. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. No, I don't work for HP. I'm just a guy who got tired of a netbook and decided to move up. This is my first HP. My previous laptops were

ASUS netbook (1 year)
Alienware MX11 maxxed out (loved it but the hinge failed) (2 years)
Toshiba Satellite (2 years) (hdd failure)
Two Sony's in a row (2 years each- screen dimming, hdd failure)

 

$250 off of any HP Envy Spectre 14 (Ivy Bridge) from hp.com. I tested this on the $1399 and also on a $1499 (8GB RAM) version separately and the discount applied. The code is:

pcmag250

Exclusive: $250 Off the HP Envy Spectre 14 Ultrabook | PCMag.com

Shipping is free but most states will probably have to pay tax.

Enjoy.

 

-sigh- My internship doesn't end until mid-August... Should I risk it and just order now, or do you guys think that the promotions (for either the Series 9 or Spectre) will continue through August?

 

Promotions for the HP Spectre Envy 14 are hard to come by, and this one expires on 7/19.

 

Thanks for the heads up on that code. Just put an order in for the $1499 version with 8GB RAM. Got them to throw in 2-day delivery as well because I had to do a chat session to get the coupon work.

 

Issue with Battery on Spectre
Hi all, I hope you can help me or at least bring light into my issue.....
My 14 Sepctre is running fine also battery lifetime while use is ok (around 7 hrs).
But if I shut down WIN7 at 100% battery and leave the Spectre alone for 2,3 days the battery is only at about 70-80% ?
I shut it down yesterday evening at 18% and this evening after starting it had only 7% left....is this 2normal" or is there anything wrong ?

Thanks a lot

Satego

 

I have the exactly the same problem with my ENVY 14-3110tu.
Even when it's completely off, the battery discharges about 20% overnight. But I can't figure out what's causing this. Any help will be highly appreciated.

 

Hi all,
anyome else with this issue in regards to the battery-life when the Spectre is shutdown ?
I have tried all things I could Imagine ( All - there are only a few - Bios settings, turning off Wireless before shutting down Windiws, Disabled Wake on Lan etc..)
But still when the Envy 14 Spectre is SHUTDOWN the Battery looses 4-6% within 24 hours.

Is this normal ?, do I have to accept this ? Do I need to ship it back ? Does this rapidly destroy the battery as if connected to power supply it means its constantly charging ?

Any hints, tips , experiences would be welcomed.

Thx

Satego

 

I'll have my new Spectre delivered next week and will report back on this issue. Hope it's not a wide spread problem.

 

My Envy 14 Spectre was delivered 4 days early. The speakers sound pretty good and I like how you can use the F keys without holding down FN. It is also one of the best looking ultrabooks.

However, there are 2 problems with it that will probably result in my sending it back. I'm actually pretty disappointed considering this was marketed as a "premium" ultrabook from HP and it costs more than most of the other ultrabooks, while also being thicker, heavier, and also having worse performance when it comes to games.

1) There are 2 big white spots at the bottom of the screen that are always there, but most evident when the screen is black, like outside of Windows. It is not light leakage (although my system seems to have a little of that, and it doesn't bother me.)

2) My system is not level. The left side is higher than the right side, so that every time I rest my hands on the machine to type, I can feel the machine rocking up and down.

 

Oh wow, I'm a little scared now. Mine is coming in a couple of days. I was hoping they would do a better job in QA. I would definitely send that thing back. That's just unacceptable (for a premium laptop or otherwise).

 

Hi all again in regards to the battery while spectre is shut down completely.....

i have removed the battery for 24 hours - and....it kept its capacity completely! So its not the battery itself it looks like something is using up the power even i shutdown Windows....anyone with the same experience ? Any ideas ? the Bios options are very limited with this machine ...but still i really would like to know if something with my Spectre is wrong .....or anything is wrongly setup ?

thanks for any x-reference or hints

Thx
Satego

 

I received my Spectre yesterday and found no discernible QC issues except one. My left shift key seems to be slightly uneven in profile. Right end of key sits a bit lower than left end. I think I can live with that because the screen is perfect. No white spots or localized distortions..thank God!

I made a note of remaining battery capacity this morning and completely shut down the machine. I'll see where the % stands when I get home this evening and report back.

 

I didn't notice that before but now that you mention it, my left shift key is quite uneven, with the right side lower than the left side. My FN key also has the same issue, but with the bottom left being lower. Functionality doesn't seem to be compromised though, and you would never even know unless you got down and looked at the keys at eye level.

 

Same here, functionality doesn't seem to be compromised. I do have to say I am really liking the glass track pad. For me, it seems to work quite well with just some minor tweaking.

Regarding the battery drain, after approximately 12 hours with the machine turned off my capacity dropped slightly from 35% this morning to 32% this evening.

 

Hey everyone - after seeing an Envy Spectre in person today, I'm highly considering getting it. However, could someone point out the main differences between the Envy Spectre 14 and the Envy 15? Have there been many problems with the units that people have been getting recently? How about the trackpad - is it any better than it was in the first release?

 

Have you had any problems with the Crucial M4 256Gb SSD? I ordered one as a second drive, and am sending it back because it keeps not being recognised by the OS... It's usually there at start-up, but disappears soon after. On their forums Crucial recommend doing a "power cycle" of the drive to fix this problem, but it's made no difference. Of course I could just have a duff drive, but I was wondering if anybody else had experienced this - supposedly it's related to a power problem, so perhaps the Spectre has trouble supplying power to a 256Gb drive in the second slot? (I have the stock 128Gb drive in the primary.) It would be useful to know so I can decide whether to replace it with another drive of the same type, or go for something different...

 

I have the newer Ivy Bridge model and I had my ADATA XPG SX300 256GB in the second slot, so I could format and clone the Samsung 128GB that came with the system. No power issues at all. I have since switched the 2 drives (ADATA in the first and Samsung in the second slot) and they are still working wonderfully. I can confirm that this notebook model uses SATA III.

 

Thanks, that's good to know! I wonder if it's a problem with the Crucial drives - a lot of people on their forums are mentioning similar problems...

 

Double post

 

Hi Rob_H

I have also recently installed the Crucial 256 in the Envy Spectre ( Sandy Bridge I5) and its working perfect - no issues at all !
No one else with te issue that the Envy is "loosing" Power while turned off ?

Thx

BR

satgo

 

Hi all,

Ijust got the reply by HP Support that because I removed the battery ( screws) in oder to add the second SSD I no longer have any guarantee or for free service. Are you aware of this ? Is this correct ?

Thx
satego

 

Hey guys,

I want to purchase an Ivy Bridge Envy 14 Spectre myself, but Best Buy currently doesn't have it. I went to a Best Buy a few hours ago, and all they said was that they only had the Sandy Bridge and that "it" was being discontinued. Does anyone know anything that can help me? I guess what I'm really asking is when will Best Buy have the Ivy Bridge model available?

 

For those of you wondering how the Sandy Bridge version runs Ubuntu...

Running Ubuntu 12.04 64-Bit

Out of the box, most everything works with the exception of pulseaudio repeatedly freezing and the Beats Audio not lighting up (which I'm thankful for).

Suspend, bluetooth, wifi, multi-touch, and media fn keys all work. I haven't tested video output or ethernet.

To fix Pulseaudio freezes:
open /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
-> In terminal: sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
add this to the bottom of the file: blacklist snd-usb-audio
hit save, and you're done.

Outside of the pulseaudio glitch, everything seems to work properly. You might want to add trim or do some other optimizations, but it's stable and runs well.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, sent my Spectre in to get the rippling LCD fixed. They had it back in my hands in 4 days, and I'm happy to report it's perfect now.

 

Have anyone purchased a spare power adapter for this Ultrabook? It seems the same slim 65W VF685AA#ABA travel power brick is used according to HP's compatibility chart, but the Spectre uses an unique power plug not found in current HP's slim power adapter accessory kit. There's a number of reviews at HP Slim Travel AC Adapter | HP® Official Store of people buying this adapter kit thinking it will work with their Spectre model, but turns out the power cable that interfaces with the Ultrabook is not included. Have anyone bought a secondary power adapter kit that is suited to this Ultrabook?

 

I have tried Oracle Linux and no go on the network drivers.
Also Sound is not there.

 

Mouse Buttons

I find that I am forever inadvertently getting a right mouse click when I want left mouse button. This is because they mouse buttons are integrated into the trackpad and not two discrete buttons. So without looking when I tap, the middle point of the two buttons is not discernible.
Has anybody found a way to change the size of the mouse buttons. I would like to increase the left button to something like the left 75% of the mouse button area leaving just a small right button. I cannot see anything in the trackpad controls to do this.

 

I got my Envy Spectre today...it has a dead pixel in the top-left of the screen, and there's a strange ripple in the display around the same place, so I guess I'm going to have to ask for a replacement.

However, I really need the laptop within a week, as I'll be leaving for college. Can someone please let me know the best way to try to make HP expedite the replacement process?

Can I use this computer in the meantime, while waiting for a replacement? What should I tell the customer service people? This is very frustrating.

Thanks.

 

Good news to anyone else that may be looking for a spare power adapter for the Envy 14 Spectre or any of other Envy Ultrabook line. I took my chances and bought a HP Slim Travel AC Adapter ( HP Slim Travel AC Adapter | HP® Official Store...) for my Envy 14 Spectre even though it did not mention any of the Envy Ultrabooks on the compatible list. To my surprise, the retail box has a "HP Ultrabook compatible" sticker on the front. To confirm what I thought this meant, I opened the packaging and found the proper laptop power cable that is used on all HP Envy Ultrabooks. Case closed.

 

Have other Envy Spectre owners been able to fix the problem with the f2/f3 brightness buttons ceasing to work after putting the computer into sleep mode while it's plugged in? I can fix the problem after a reboot, but otherwise, no good. I tried reinstalling the graphics drivers, but that didn't help.

 

I can't believe im sayting this, but im thinking of jumping ship to the envy spectre 14. Played with one today at best buy and I really like it.

Are there any common issues with the notebook?

 

mine discharges about 20% of battery over night when not plugged in. What is this ?
Also I can't install a fresh windows because windows cannot find ssd drivers and apparently I am too stupid too google.
the USB Ports are way to close together - good luck having a broader memory stick and a usb mouse or soemthing plugged in at the same time.

Other than that, I love it.

 

No major issues like motherboards crapping out or stuff like that. I had a dv9000 and 6000 and both had their motherboards puke and wireless was horrible on both...a little gun shy on it!

 

For those people who have put a Crucial M4 into their Envy's, what kind of read/write speeds are you getting?

I want to pick up a second drive since 128 isn't enough storage...kinda tempted to go for a 256 but I think I'll wait till the prices drop a bit.

Also, anyone try running OSX on this thing? Haven't been able to find much on google about this. Seems like I'll have some problems with the wifi card, and maybe LAN. But everything else should be somewhat working?