*HP Envy 13 Owners Lounge!*

I knew that but some reviews mentioning "slice batterylife" show low results (5 hours etc.). Even 10 hours in german review and markmark8´s 6 hours makes a big difference.

 

Different usages?
10 hours seems like the maximum possible while idling.
6-5 sound like regular usage.

 

how are you guys getting those 3dmark06 score. I'm only getting half of that.

 

The same thing happened to me. Go into the ATI settings and choose to restore settings to factory default. Then the score should double. I'm not sure which setting was causing the low score.

 

oh ok thanks got it. Hmm i wonder what was going on wow double the score.

 

Do you have the GPU set to throttle when not needed or a maximum battery profile? Check that on the CCC, if not well configured the performance is poor, but if you do it correctly there is a world of difference.

 

I just received my Envy 13 and first impressions are not good. What's wrong?

1. Deep scratch on Fn key. How did this pass the quality control is beyond me.

2. Some kind of black smudges you can't rub off on the sides of the case

3. Dirty screen.

4. Fingerprints all over machine... I have to disinfect the damn thing.

I'll post more when I spend time with machine but if HP think it can compete with Apple with this effort they are sorely mistaken... Sad. My $400 ASUS had better out-of-box experience...

 

Terrible news there devexpert.
If the scratch is bothersome, you can ask a replacement, since it came not perfect from factory.

 

Sounds to me like he got a returned unit that had not even been refurb'ed. I would be sending it back and asking for a "fresh from the oven" unit - along with some type of compensation for time/trouble.

For this kind of money, I expect that prior to shipping, each Envy is gently bathed in the tears of unicorns by a Scottish mermaid.

 

You know it is not refurb'ed, I don't think so. It came directly from China... I doubt they ship refurbs back to China. But I don't know 100%...

To add another thing to my impressions, noise, even at idle machine is not quiet. You can always hear the fan going on, on low, when in quiet room. It ramps up quickly as soon as you start doing something...

This one goes back that's for sure...

 

Perhaps it is just a lemon the one you received?

Reclaim, get a change, and if it does not improve at all, either is bad luck, or the laptop does not quite fit you. Sorry.

 

Anyone tried anything other than WOW on it?
Wondering if some of the newer games are playable on it.
COD4-2
L4D-2
BorderLands.
I know it's not a gaming rig but it would be nice if it handled some newer software.
How does it handle heat and are the fans loud?
Would be interesting to see what owners have to say.

 

Fan is quiet on idle, but it is running all the time and you can hear it. It is loud though when you make machine do almost any work.

Heat is OK, you can work with it on your lap...

 

Let me report another quality problem with my machine: screen hinge. If you simply take laptop like you will carry it closed and the screen hinge points towards floor, the screen opens up on its own about an inch...

Build quality on this thing is really sub-par... My recommendations is against buying it. You are better off buying cheap Asus UL20 or UL30 which I admit, do not have screen quality as Envy 13, but are about 1/3 of a price with 7-12 hours battery life and amazingly with less problems...

 

Those problems are not acceptable on such a expensive laptop.
Does it's bigger brother suffer the same problems.

 

Well BQ here is NOT excellent, though I am nitpicky and I am still searching to criticize it a lot more.

The bezel is not good at all. It even creaks. If I touch it, it makes a sound that is annoying me, the fan hasnt stopped at any moment either

 

Well that'd too bad. Did you order at HP online? I did, and my Envy 13 is flawless, no smudges, no scratches, no hinge issues, no fan noise issues at heavy load. Not a single issue so far, excellent performance, and low heat output. It's the best laptop I have ever bought (I own an '09 MacBook Pro also). Either I'm lucky or you got a lemon.

 

Yeah ordered directly from HP web site and it was shipped from China. I returned it.

I really did like screen. It is an amazing screen. I loved keyboard. It is one of the best keyboards on the market. I hated touch-pad because it did not work correctly. Getting it to perform two finger scroll was like trying to win lottery...

 

Hmmm... I wanted to pick one of these up as I found a pretty good deal on it... but after reading these posts I have some doubts. How is the temperature/fan noise while gaming?

 

I saw this at Best Buy today. The viewing angles on the screen are what I've been looking for in a laptop for years now. I don't understand why companies won't sell quality screens in their lower spec laptops. I'd gladly pay an extra $200 for the dm3 if it came with this same screen. As for the Envy 13, do you think it will drop in price soon after CES and the new models are announced?

 

Hey guys, I just got my HP Envy 13 on January 5!!!
My specs are:
- Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
- Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1Ghz
- ATI Radeon HD 4330
- 5Gb DDR3
- 250 Gb SATA
- Optical Drive (DVD/CD)
- Slice Battery
- HP 2-year Accidental Damage Protection

Must I say, it is AMAZING...the screen is just beyond beautiful, and it is very, very quiet. Its very quick, responsive, and I love it! I do wish it had backlit though. It totalled to about $2,682...But, I just checked the website and the prices for the Envys dropped a couple hundred dollars!!! It is truly an amazong laptop!!!

 

So why did the Envy 15 get an Arrandale update but not the 13?

 

If fyou bought it direct from HP then they will adjust the price (credit you) to the new price if it is within the 21 day return period.

 

HP needs to refresh the Envy 13 with an i7-620UM

 

Yeah, and give options for the i5 520UM processors as well.

 

And a serious GPU upgrade as well if it is to remain competitive with the Sony Z or Asus UL30VT or even the Alienware Mx11. A 335M GT would be nice or a ATI HD 5470.

Bronsky

 

hi, i was just wondering, does HP offer some kind of international warranty? i have a friend, who stays in the US and a price over there is much more better than here in europe. but as you will understand, i dont really want to have an laptop without warranty. thanks for answer

 

Did I just read that JJB spent $2700 on a laptop? =)

 

Quick heads up:

$300 coupon for HP Envy 13.

I've posted the deal here.

 

Sad, only works on Envy 13 eheh

 

Yeah, otherwise I would've jumped on it!

 

Does anyone know where to get the drivers for the built-in webcam of the Envy 13?
HP support is of no help at all and even told me to install some 3-year old Cyberlink Youcam software.
I did a clean install of Windows 7 (x64) and I backed up the drivers that were included in C:/SwSetup to the recovery partition. I then installed the drivers for audio, video, touchpad, some HD sensor from HP's website ( http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=4063&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=4121191&lang=en)
I got the WiFi and chipset drivers from Intel. However I can't find the webcam drivers anywhere. And even though the webcam is recognized by Windows as an "HP Webcam", it is using Microsoft's generic USB Video Device drivers. The image is just awful, very blurry and hazy with a purple or blueish tint, and extremely white when you first turn it on. I am pretty confident this is just because I don't have the specific drivers for it. I have a Dell laptop with a built-in camera that also didn't look nice until I installed Dell's specific drivers for it.
It doesn't look like HP has all the drivers listed on their website. I don't see any BIOS updates either (I assume there must have been some already).

 

probably clearing out their stock, hopefully an arrandale refresh is coming soon !!!

 

FYI

NBS978841

Coupon 15%off

 

Anyone know where I can get a 1st gen ENVY 13? I really wanted a 900p screen, HP doesn't offer that resolution anymore.

 

In my country we only have the 1366x786 resolution, which I prefer on a 13".

For the owners, how are the noise levels of the Envy 13?

 

Hope to see a refreshed Envy 13 shown at CeBit. I5/I7/GT330M-HD5730/SSD would seal the deal for me.

Bronsky

 

Yes, I am really hoping the Envy 13 gets an update soon. The fact that the 15 inch version is cheaper and quite a bit more powerful pretty much makes ordering the 13 incher a really poor value right now.

 

Now that Sony officially release a revised "Z", I wonder if HP will revise the Envy 13.

Sony Z
- i5 and i7 version available
- Built in GPS!!!
- SSD!!!
- 1600x900 resolution HD screen!!!

Starting @ 1950.00, you get i5-540m w/128 SSD!!!


damn!

 

hi guys,

is there a programm to control the fans, like speedfan?

do you know some tricks to optimize battery life? Undervolting?

I like this laptop sooo much. Hope, i can optimize some things. The build-quality is sooo nice.

 

CEBIT Came, CEBIT going...and no HP Envy 13 changes...

 

I mean really, this laptop would be ideal for me. However, for the price it's asking ... I want an Ethernet port and a damn higher resolution screen.

I mean, the Macbook Pro has an optical drive and is roughly the same size ... It however costs 800 dollars less.

It also has a decent battery life not requiring any extra add ons. I would be all over it if not for the fact that I like Windows 7 better.

 

What are you talking about? Then install Windows 7 on the Macbook Pro

 

There is supposed to be some mid-march announcements. Maybe the Envy 14, and 17, or a refreshed 13.

 

where did you hear this? my 21 days are coming up and i'm willing to keep it but if a refresh is coming soon i'd rather purchase the latest one.

 

I hope this happens, I'd be all over an Envy 14.

 

hey guys!
just got my envy 13 yesterday. awesome build! really good quality.
anyway, i have a question. is there ANY way to access the harddrive bay? i want to swap the harddrive for a ssd from intel. i tried to access the interior via the screws under the primary battery, but i didnt manage to detach the plastic cover.
thx

 

you have to peel off the 3 little feet at the bottom of the laptop and unscrew the screws under there as well.

 

thx, just found the maintenance pdf on google
anyway, what type of connector does the ssd need? is it plain micro sata (like the intel x18-m has), or something other (i read something about lif or zif connectors)?

 

Any news on refreshes of the Envy 13?

If they can bring the price down to $1300 with good build quality, great performance, etc, I'd jump at it..

It seems that there are too few good 'premium' laptops. The Macbook Pro is nice, but lack of a swappable battery kills it for me. The Envy 13 is almost perfect, but the price is ridiculous.

}:^)~