HP Envy 14: Availabilty, etc.

You find me an Asus with switchable graphics on par/greater than the 5650 (geforce 335m doesn't count) and I'd be all over it.


...hell what I'd really like to find is switchable graphics with one of the high performance cards (radeon 5800 series, 360/460/480 series for geforce)

 

Yep. Looks like it comes with a horse and a camera...

I'm eagerly anticipating this thing...

 

Personally, I'm not in dire need for a laptop, so I'm not going to make compromises on anything. I'm not going to settle on poor battery life, a poor screen, or poor build quality. So naturally, I'm not going to jump at anything else just to have a laptop. Still though, please share all the lappies you find!

 

Please let us know the alternatives. It would be of great help. I am trying to find a laptop with core i5-520, ATI 56xx or greater with switchable graphics. I dont mind screen resolution being 1366 x 768 as long as the display quality is good and also need ODD.

 

what is an ODD anyway?

 

Seconded. If not the Envy 14, what are some solid alternatives (besides a MacBook Pro, assuming OS X is okay)?

 

Optical disk drive.

Maybe the dv6t or the Asus 3820TG.. But enough of this. This is an Envy 14 thread.

 

oh, right.

that's what I thought but...well you can put hard-drive into there too sometimes? (I saw some people mentioning that)

 

I'm looking into the m11x r2 and the hp 8440w as alternatives. the 8440w is slightly over budget, but it's got a 1600x900 screen and very good build quality. the m11x is about the same price but weaker in processing power and screen. however, it's only 11", and build quality seems good. the other 14" laptops (Y460, T410, Sony EA, acer, dm4, etc) just dont seem to make the cut in terms of screen, build quality, and design.

 

One more video I found digging around on youtube.

In this one the guy talks about the Envy 14 addressing heat issues and shows off how you can access the motherboard, hard drive and battery easily:

YouTube - HP's NEW Envy 14 laptop -- A Quick Look

 

Why yes you can.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-ssd-hdd-storage-using-optical-bay-caddy.html

Old video to me. I want something new!

 

If the envy isn't what it's supposed to be (Which I really hope it is) I'm either going for a dv4/6se or FRYS.com | Lenovo

The envy is the perfect combo of looks, size, performance and price though, so I really do hope it lives up to expectations

 

Oh. So that's how you do it.

Couldn't wrap my mind around how that worked.

Cool.

 

What are you looking for in a laptop..
It can't be gaming because the 8440w features the weak Nvidia Quadro FX 380M.. but the Alienware is a gaming rig. Hmm. Portability?

EDIT: I just noticed I'm a notebook guru. MY DREAM HAS FINALLY COME TRUE!

 

335m is not quite a gaming gpu either. i want something light and portable with good build quality that can play not too intense games like sc2, mass effect 2, the kotor mmo, etc.

 

my fiendish postings have me up to consultant.

somehow.

and 4 rep. where'd that come from?


also I'm not caelym but I am looking for switchable graphics with a vid card (of at least 56xx or higher) and preferably something that's not bigger than 15ish inches.

also, if it could somehow, someway get 1680x1050 (instead of this crazy 16:9 stuff) that'd be nice.


man I wonder if the reason why they don't do switchable graphics with the 58xx series or the geforce 360 or 380 series is because it's impossible (they'd have to make a special variant or something)

 

True, but the 335m dominates the Nvidia Quadro FX 380M.. It can handle most games. SC2? Mass Effect 2? Those are not that graphics demanding, as the M11x can hold both of them on high/max. The HD 5650 isn't bad either, as it just wants to be overclocked. Although, the M11x would be the most portable with great battery life and a medium class graphics card.

YouTube - m11x running Starcraft 2 Ultra settings
YouTube - MassEffect 2 on Alienware M11x

Why not 1080? I'm not great with resolutions as I am still learning. Would texts in 1080p on a 14.5 inch screen be difficult to read?

 

*shrugs* 1680x1050's what I've been using for the past 3 and a half years.

 

also yeah. Starcraft 2 isn't graphically demanding.

It's more heavy on the processor (too heavy for some custom games when somehow you get 1000s of guys out there)

 

I think 1600x900 would be fine for me. None of the 1366x768 crap as I want something new.

 

Tell me about it. I'm leaving on the 28th to visit colleges around the Midwest for a week.

 

How unfortunate. Are you going to consider a new one or just wait and live with your 1005HA for the week?

 

man oh man I forgot how warm the G1 can get near the LCD dashboard clock thing when the processor is going full speed.


I wonder how much quicker running AutoGK will be with an i5 or if AutoGK (and by that we mean VdubMod 1.5.4.1) even uses multiple cores correctly.

 

you're right about the 8440w failing graphically. it's kind of hard to find an envy14 alternative... in the end i'll probably pick portability over power (i travel with my laptop daily), though build quality is a must.

 

Something very similar to the Envy 14 is the Acer 3820TG. It's suppose to be released in the late June for the US. i5-430m, 4GB DDR3, HD 5650, and I believe.. a 13.3 inch screen, with the resolution 1366x768 of course. They say the battery life is up to 8 hours. I don't know about the build quality though. You may want to look up some reviews as some people has already got a hands-on on it.

 

8 hours?

what'd they put in that thing? a 12 cell?

 

Realistically speaking, I can't seem to find a strongly built 14" laptop that beats the Envy. It's because of this if my purchase doesn't fall through, I may have to settle for an HP Envy 15 with a 1920x1080 screen for roughly $1,000 on fleabay or from HP's website after coupons. I'd rather not have to go down this route and I truly hope the $999 is at least their introductory pricing and not some permanent price that stays only as a result of numerous compromises on quality HP may be making.

EDIT: DM4t might also make the short list.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Turtle's moving in on the home stretch.

edit: oh hey and to be a bit more on topic it sounds like the envy17s with that gap are from a bad batch.

Hope that batch doesn't cross over with the envy14s

 

It was probably idle, everything off, lowest brightness. Wait.. isn't 8 hours bad for a laptop on idle? I'm confused. Do some research. I'm not interested in that anymore.

 

dun worry about it. I'll look it up if I get interested but right now it's Envy14 or DV6T:SE

 

I was looking at that too, but ARRGGGHH 1366x768..
Have you seen any reviews about it anywhere? Because I wanna see some impressions, yet I can't find any.

 

I'm not sure. I might not have the money by then, but I'm hoping that I'll get a good amount of hours in at work before I leave.

Now I'm actually considering an MBP 15" refurb.

Slice battery, that's what.

 

I'm in a similar situation, albeit with more time. I'll be in the States from early July (but I'll order as soon as it's available) to mid-August. If somehow the massive demand pushes build times into the month-and-a-half range, someone's gonna be shipping my Envy to China - that's gonna tack something onto the price tag...

 

That damn turtle is moving way too slow

 

If they can't keep up with demand and the shipping situation becomes that bad, I will be getting an MBP for sure. I won't wait a month and a half.

 

only seen 'em on here by some members.


(also seen reviews of the 5650 with a similar loadout...i5 430m, 1336x768, etc)


it's good. though the guy who did a full..or fullish review on here bought the i7 version.

 

hell if it ends up taking a month and a half to build I'm defaulting to a dv6t:SE and ...uh...hoping another one of those $200 coupons show up

 

Link please, I can't seem to find it.
Let me guess, it gets hot.

 

well kinda with the i7.

'cause well.

it's a damn i7

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq-voodoo-pc/487941-new-hp-dv6-2010-user-review.html

 

however it doesn't run mega super hot and does some good underclocking while on battery, etc

 

If I didn't care about occasional gaming, dm4t would be very appealing. Metal finish, good reviews about build quality, 1366x768 on 14.5" screen (not THAT bad) but the killer obviously is 5450 instead of 5650. 5450 is next to worthless in my opinion.

This decision would have been easier for me if HP offered dm4t:se 14.5" with 5650. But they know if they do that that will hurt Envy's sales (they could have jammed 5730 into Envy 14 though)

 

Nope, not feeling it anymore. No screen great as the Envy, bigger with almost the same specs, and no back lit keyboard (I think). Even if those features aren't hugely a turn off, it would be nice to have it. I'm picky. Envy 14, here I come.

 

The DV6 does have a backlit keyboard, it's on the Select Edition.

 

Ah. My mistake.

 

yeah.

The dv6t:SE is an envy14 but in a 15.6inch body with a worse screen.

and speakers that don't have all that much volume it sounds like (Revenge of the Asus G1 speakers it seems. These things are really quiet as well)

 

Are the Beats any good either?

 

beats audio is a brand of headphones endorsed by Dr. Dre.

they're averageish I suppose. Not much of an audiophile.


as for the soundcard and other setup it's supposed to be pretty good (had some sound engineers in when working on it, etc or something)

seems good in the 17 (17 has a subwoofer too though. don't expect that on the 14)

 

I think you guys might have missed something.. the vent.. is like the notorious studio xps 16, and the vent will be blocked by the screen once it opens.. I just noticed that.. and remembered how hot the screen became on the studio xps 16, and how the screen caused lack of airflow, resulting in throttling.

Oh Envy 14, how could you follow the cooling of the studio xps 16...

 

I know all that Beats mumbo jumbo.. I've seen reviews of the Envy 15 and they said the speakers were great.

 

wait, what?