HP Envy 14: Availabilty, etc.

Not sure what i7 options will be available, but neither the 14 or 17 have 4 memory slots, with the optical drive added in both, there is only room for the standard 2.

 

It's one of those options that is nice to have but not necessary.

 

Will the Envy 14 have a blu-ray option?

 

No. Current bluray drives won't fit in the laptop case.

 

HP has stated they will include a Blu Ray option, but there are others who argue it wont fit. There were also those who argued that eyefinity in a laptop was impossible. But then HP also stated they would include a 5830 in their options but it also seems unlikely. I really think we should stop speculating/assuming, and just wait till it gets released.

 

Eyefinity is possible in the 14 i got that new posted on from a HP blogger who i asked about the tech, who in which got the answer from one of the lead designers of the Envy team Barry Ferris (the dude with the beard in the youtube vidz), so its save to say it has Eyefinity. also i would like to point out that the laptop can theoretically run 5 monitors (as eyefinity is upto 6 on this chip and Envy 14 has 2 display port and 3 USB ports) using 3rd party adapters (USB to HDMI/VGA/DVI), Barry Ferris said he hasnt tried this but it SHOULD work.

The Blu-ray drive issue doesnt look good for the 14 as not stated by any of the team nor the product definition document. maybe it is due to size like these guys have stated (i havent done my research but i trust them)

 

I heard that the quad core i7 CPU configuration on the envy 14 does not have switchable graphics, therefore greatly diminishing possible battery life of the laptop.

Confirm or deny?

 

confirmed! it has been spoken about but is also shown in the product definition PDF. i would worry too much as the i5's have some great power, and on the plus side you will be getting around 7 hours battery (proved upon testing).

 

No, they haven't, there is no BluRay, period. Maybe if someone starts manufacturing smaller BR drives they will add it later as an option. Which would be cruel since I am likely to buy immediately.

 

The quad core i7 will obviously never have switchable graphics since it has no integrated graphics. Also, while Eyefinity is technically possible, it really depends how HP implements the solution (ie. you can only use one output at a time, like current notebooks disabling the other if one is in use). And as stated there is no current BD product that will fit unless there is one in development from one of the major companies producing BD drives.

 

Actually, Yes they did. They stated UP to Blu-Ray Optical would be available when speaking of the Envy 14. However, knowing HP that might come halfway through the product cycle.

People go through this crap every year. Ignore what HP says until Launch day, then you will know the truth.. HP hypes endlessly and launch day is usually something less desirable. Such as the Envy 15 with no Edge to Edge.

 

How do we know that there will be no space for a bluray drive? Do we know for a fact that the ODD tray will be too small? Or is this just more speculation?
Sorry if this has already been mentioned before, Im rather new to the situation...

 

Everything is speculation. The stupid thing hasn't been released yet.

 

YouTube - New HP Envy Notebooks @ 4:15

 

It isn't speculation. There are no current manufacturers of any 9.5mm high slot load BD drives. HP doesn't make the drives, they buy them.

 

because you havent heard of any doesnt mean its true. it is speculation.

 

Will the ENVY 14 be a good gaming notebook? SC2 on High/Ultra in particular? I'm certain the 430M+5650 will be able to handle it, but I mean will the notebook's cooling system handle gaming?

 

Well. This is certainly an interesting beast. I personally think getting rid of the optical drive would've been nicer to make it easier to compete against pure ultraportables. Definitely a machine worth looking over.

 

It would be good enough for me, but it certainly is not a "high-end" gaming notebook. For me it wouldn't be a gaming-desktop replacement but a supplement.

We can only hope, because there are no reviews yet.

 

I think it's wise to wait until the first blog reviews pop up and people on NBR act as the first guinea pigs. I hear the Envy 15 uses 3 fans and I would hope that it's also the case with the Envy 14.

 

As far as gaming goes, how would this compare to the M11x? Is the graphics card on the Envy 14 better then the one on the M11x?

 

The Ati 5650 has about the same graphics power as an Nvidia GT335M.
Some say that the 5650 is somewhat better. Especially with the DX11 support.

In the M11x the old core2 ULV CPU is the bottleneck.
Even in the anounced M11x rev2 the new i-core ULV CPUs will be the bottleneck compared to the GPU.

If you play in the native resolution of the displays, the M11x rev2 with 1366x768 could perhaps be on par with the Envy 14 with 1600x900. Otherwise the Envy 14 should be faster.

Hopefully we will see Benchmarks of both systems by the End of next month (or the following month ).

 

There is an interesting comparison between the HD5650 (the Acer 4820TG) and the GT335M (Asus N82Jc). They are as close as you can get. There are instances where the 335's out perform the 5650 but the edge still goes to the ATI GPU.

I'm assuming that your talking about the UM processors going into the M11x. Is it getting the refreshed cores being released in June like the I7-660M?

Bronsky

 

Other videos state that there will be no bluray option. Because they could not fit one in. The Envy 17 will have blu ray option.

 

It is, I'm following it as well as the Envy 14. You can read about it in this other thread.

 

It really isn't speculation. There are NO 9.5 mm BR drives on the market atm. Therefore they cannot be in the Envy 14. Some company is probably right now working to release one, but as for now nope. That would be a sweet option to have though. Watching a Blu-Ray on that 350 nit screen would be heavenly.

 

There is a 9.5mm Blu-Ray writer (UJ232A) but its not slot load. Its surprising that by now no one is interested in producing a sub $100 blu-ray rom drive that is 9.5mm (slot and tray).

 

Read my message again. As stated before: there are no current manufacturers. This is a fact. I'm not speculating because I'm not talking about the future. There may very well be a product in the future but as of now (and hence for the release of the Envy 14), there are no BD drives that fit the slot loading Envy 14 in production.

 

I think the envy 14 will overclock better. With a cpu bottleneck, the m11x probably wouldn't get as much benefit per ammount overclocked.

 

I think we have to see some perfomance figures before that assumption can be made. Intel claims that the I5-430M will be 35% more powerful than the SU7300. The I5-540UM and I7-660UM are more powerful than the I5-430UM. In fact, the I7-660UM in turbo mode reaches speeds of 2.4ghz. Anybody know which of these are going to find their way into the M11x?

Bronsky

 

HP ENVY 17 Core i5 Dual Core 2.26GHz 17" Laptop $1,100 + FS - SlickDeals.net Forums

($300 off coupon for Envy 17, posting in other thread for others to use!)

 

It would be nice if HP would keep the batteries that burst into flames out of the new Envy units.

HP Recalls 54,000 More Laptop Batteries as Fire Hazards

Bronsky

@Zeth006 thanks for the link, I'm glad to see HP so aggressively marketing its products. I hope they keep it up when the Envy 14 is released.

 

Always welcome. I'm for sure keeping a verrryyyy close eye on the Envy 14 myself.

 

Yep. Like clockwork. These coupons are back again and apply to a brand new laptop. Both 25% bing CB and a $300 off coupon in the time the HP 17 has been release until now.

As I stated previously, unless you've got more $ than you know what to do with, buying any HP laptop without a huge $ off, bing cashback or other monster incentive is just pissing money away.

They come around ALL THE TIME.

 

$1100 is just a great price.. but I want to see some reviews.

 

Did you ever get the GX640?

 

Yup yup... just changed my sig

In the end I wish I had waited for news of the Envy 14.. had news come out about it sooner, I probably would not have bought the GX640. I'm actually thinking about selling it over the summer... I really don't need all of its gaming power. I'm realizing that most of the games I want to play are on the Xbox, so a super-powered laptop is kind of useless.

 

Same. Hopefully soon. And maybe even a review unit of the mythical 14.

 

Can anyone explain to me how BCB works, and when you enter the coupons?
Thanks!

 

You can not use any coupons or discounts when using bcb. You use bcb by going to bing.com and searching for hp direct, then click on the link that says cashback on it; should be the first one. Be sure your ad blockers are turned off. After about a day, you will recieve an email saying the amount pending and after 60 days, you will recieve your cashback.

 

And this is reliable?

 

as reliable as your mom making you dinner

I probably bought 50 things using BCB and it never failed until last time, but that's not a big deal, it was only a few bucks of savings

 

Yes. Sometimes BCB doesn't go through or people forget. If either, it's best to open a ticket with Microsoft's BCB CSR department and copy/paste your receipt and send it to whoever handles your case.

 

I need to order something in time to get it in my hands by July 10th as I need it for a long trip i leave on on July 11th.

I just do not know if realistically ordering an HP Envy 14 will get to me by that date if i order it first thing June 27th and do overnight.

my plan really now is

3820TG
4820TG
HP Envy 14
M11x
UL30VT

I really do not want to settle with the VT. I am debating getting the M11x, but I am not sure I can settle with that small of a screen, would like to see one in hands but don't know where I can. I want it to be portable but I am not sure how gaming would be on that size screen... I think HP Envy 14 and 4820TG are my first choice, but its a question of whether they are out in time for me to receive them before my trip...

 

However you have to use either BCB or the $300 off HP coupon right?

 

That's correct, you can't combine the two. However the point is that there is always some sale going on.

 

The more I think about it, the more I want the Envy 14. Since Asus and Acer have dropped the ball, Envy 14 has everything I want.

However, I'm suspicious that the price drop from the first-gen Envy 13 and 15 might reflect a degradation in component quality. Hopefully that's not the case.

 

Lookin at a lappy to do some photoshop on and the envy 14 caught my eye. Would this machine be able to handle it stock?

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if the base $1000 config includes the 5650 GPU that's strange given that a dm4t config with a 1GB 5470 costs the same amount.

Maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture?

 

no question about it, but you should really define what you mean by "some photoshop". Even a netbook can do photoshop, it's not pleasing experience, but it's doable. I "photoshoped" with m11x which has weaker specs and it wasn't too bad.