HP Envy 14: Availabilty, etc.

Intel's CPU site lists an "Embedded Options Available" spec that is only available on the i5-520M and not the i5-540M, clearly seen in comparison here.

Anyone know what this means?

 

I wondered too a while back. Check out this here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...mbedded-options-available-what-does-mean.html

 

Good question, and link, thanks.

So this implies that Intel built the i5-520M to better spec than the i5-540M. It states in 3 different places:

" Embedded product lifecycle ("Extended Mfg Life Cycle" products)"
" Embedded Support (those processors that have that longer life cycle support)"
" Embedded"

I dont get it... but sounds like a no brainer choice to me.

 

Well, my standards aren't really that crazy.
I'm fine with an i5 and most of the hardware, could be happier with a faster gpu, I mean, with switchable graphics, whats the downside of throwing in a 5830?

The main thing I'm worried about is build quality, specifically, I don't want a plastic laptop. Bought my girlfriend a dm4t (save the light-up HP logo being scratched), and it's pretty solid but I can't use an HD 5450.

I really love what the Envy promises in terms of quality, but if there are issues with the build quality then I'll have to return it, and don't really feel like playing laptop shipping tag with HP until I receive a good quality unit.

I'm also on the fence about the clickpad. I've obviously used the clickpad already from the dm4t, but am not entirely enthusiastic about it. The scrybe software helps out a lot even on my old G60 (which i bought because I'm in the army, and needed a laptop i wasn't afraid to abuse). I'm really interested in that new clickpad from synaptics but we're basically guarenteed it won't be in this release, and i don't know if im willing and ready to wait 3-6 months for a refresh that means we get yet another cobbled together Envy lineup..


So once again, I'm hopeful, but I don't know what to expect at this point.

 

basically embedded options stuff means there's an option to solder it onto the motherboard, and that one is built to last 7 years

 

@htwingnut

"Embedded/non-embedded"?--So which CPU should I get then? 520M or 540M ? All I want to do is be able to max out using PCSX2 or Dolphin emulators, btw. If the 520M will handle it, then obviously I'd get that one.

Please advise.

 

I believe they have been filling the supply chain with the 14-1010NR pre-configured model for some time now so that the launch is hard, not soft. The hard part will be choosing between the standard pre-built model (i5-450M, 6 GB, 500 GB config) you can likely have at launch or custom built one that would take a couple of weeks or more to get. This is the model Amazon is selling and that you can reserve with HP.

 

@htwingnut & dookie11

For what its worth... here.

" Embedded systems often reside in machines that are expected to run continuously for years without errors, and in some cases recover by themselves if an error occurs. Therefore the software is usually developed and tested more carefully than that for personal computers, and unreliable mechanical moving parts such as disk drives, switches or buttons are avoided."

Hmmm? Now my Premium Envy will last and run forever muuhaaaa!! lol

 

Why don't I see "Now my Premium Envy will last and run forever muuhaaa!! lol" in the posting, but when I click reply, I see it? LOL.

Anyways, can anyone advise on whether 520M would be quick enough to run PCSX2 or Dolphin without problems? They (folks at PCSX2 forums) recommend dual core 3.0ghz comps, but thats desktops. Do the i5's run similarly if not better at the 520/540m level?

 

I guess it's about to get exciting on this thread.

Bronsky

 

They probably mean Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz. The i5's are more efficient, especially with more threads, but don't know if Dolphin utilizes more than two. I'd say the i5 is more than adequate, especially if it is only two threads it should be able to run at its max speed of 2.93GHz.

 

Thats interesting. Im told that embedded systems " have slightly less power consumption & upgrading isn't really feasible so there is a higher chance of the CPU becoming damaged if you drop your lappy".

I wonder if my HP lappy has an embedded CPU? DV4000?

BTW, this DV4000's been a charm for 5 years, no gaps, squeaks, morse code, wobbly feet, contorted screens, overheating, throttling. Its of similar construction method to the Envy 17 when comparing how the top edge meets the side edges of the computer. Perfect fit on this plastic lappy, where the Envy 17 is struggling with the same edges while made from metal.

 

Which i5 would you suggest for running the emulators, in terms of best bang for buck? I dont want to buy 540m if I dont need to.

Thanks!

 

We're all concerned about potential defects. But with 2 days remaining, provided that BCB 25% or some other promotion is alive at that point, I'm taking a dive and crossing my fingers.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I tried two-finger scrolling on my Asus, but encountered the same random, jumpy cursor problem others have been facing. Whether I scroll up or down, the touchpad somehow decides I just want to skip over all the way to the end. I'm hoping that problem is fixed. I'm still incredulous that Synaptics has taken this long to even implement two-finger scrolling. It's disappointing that even as Apple has shifted its resources away from its Mac/Macbook line in the midst of the iPhone's and iPad's rising share of profits, the big-name PC makers are still struggling to catch up to it in terms of touchpad fluidity and ease of use.



For better or worse, I've decided to postpone my apartment move-in date until early August. It'll save me roughly one month's worth of rent and give me a longer time buffer for my wait-listed schools. In the event I decide the Envy 14 doesn't live up to my expectations, I'm returning it and restarting my search from scratch. Let's hope it never gets to that.


I'd say let's hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

 

Actually, the scrolling is set up to take advantage of a standard mouse wheel. Don't ask me why. It skips 3 lines every time you scroll, go to your mouse settings under wheel and set this to 1. I had this same jumpy issue on my G9 desktop mouse, after changing the scrolling to 1 line the problem has basically disappeared on the g9 and the new double finger scrolling is a lot more responsive. Don't ask me why they didn't make this obviously necessary adjustment for themselves.


Everyone should really take note of this fix, as I found it to make the touchpads much more useful. I still want the ClickpadEQ though..

 

OLED is just epic. It can turn off individual pixels for PERFECT blacks! can't wait for that stuff.

 

I am however having a problem with everything randomly highlighting while i scroll, haven't figured out why.

 

Considering that the clock difference between a 520 and a 540 is pretty small, and the upgrade's likely to be $100 more, I'd say the 520 should be fine. There's a chance that the 540 will run the emulators a little more efficiently than the 520, but probably not $100 better. After all, people have been running PS2 emulators for something like 4 years now, I would expect any modern upper-mid level processor to handle them pretty smoothly, even the 430 would probably suffice for decent PS2 emulation, though the upgrade to the 520 would probably be noticeably better in that case.

 

Good point. Apple does seem to be shifting its resources towards its profit maker, but I do think they will put some iOS4 touch tech in the next MBP. Apple's got tons of patents covering some of the most intuitively creative ideas Ive seen... things will get more exciting for Apple computers.

The questions is can Synaptics save the PC's user interface as Apple continues its lightening sprint ahead?

I think not... thats another great reason to be excited about HP's aquisition of Palm. Premium products must get Premium tech... now HP has some IP of their own (purchased) to play with!

Good call.

 

By the time my 4-year warranty on my notebook ends, we should be seeing the first notebooks come out with OLED displays. I'll probably hold off on buying any notebooks with such bleeding-edge tech and go for some notebook with display that trumps the quality of today's monitors.

 

So the 520m, which everyone's planning to get, is the best bang for buck? 540M is also only like .07ghz faster when it "boosts," right? And .13ghz faster normally, right? Is this difference even that noticeable?

 

From what I've been reading, i5-520m and i5-540m performance differences are minimal. I'd stick with the 520m and save $50.

 

Agreed. What about 450 vs 520?

 

I was under the impression that these two had the same clock speeds, however the 4xx still has a few technologies locked (wouldnt affect most people).

 

they have the same base clock speed, but the 520m has a higher max turbo frequency

http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=49022,47341,

 

So 540m is out-the-window for most of you guys?

Sounds good, cuz I'm always down for saving moolah.

 

yeah. anyway, comparing all 4 i5s: Compare Intel® Products,

edit: one thing the 450m has going for it, is that it has that higher system bus...whatever that means in the overall scheme of things.

 

I would like the 620 simply because of the higher clock speeds. I would definitely be sold if it supported 1333 speeds for ram

 

... he says... ta daaa!

Was wondering about that too.

 

520m it is, then! thanks guys. If it won't run the PCSX2 or Dolphin emulators, then there's the possibility of return/refund, right? yay

 

Repped and fixed. Can't seem to fix coasting even though it's disabled.

EDIT: Disabled coasting in two-finger scroll. Sweet.

 

Thank you sir, can't help you with the coast though. I'll see if I can spot anything.

 

Fixed it. Had to access it from the two-finger scrolling, not just from the scrolling section. Apparently disabling/enabling "coasting" in the scrolling section affects whether the page scrolls after any flick made. Disabling/enabling coasting in the two-finger section determines whether the page scrolls after an extended flick.

 

Ah, found proof that even i5-430m will handle it well: YouTube - PCSX2 Beta 1888 emulating Final Fantasy XII [NTSC-J] Full Speed on notebook . That user also has some other vids of PCSX2 running. Also, Hendrickson over at the 3820TG threads has videos of i5-430M+5650 handling BFBC2 and RE5 pretty well. Dang, tough choice on which CPU to get. Most likely 5xx, but which 5xx, depends on price. Also, if i7-620M is available, for under $200upgrade, I might just get that.

 

Tech - New m1330: Turning off Scroll Coasting - Arantius.com

Try that, I've messed with registry stuff before, but the binary portion of that is beyond me.

Maybe toggling the settings in your registry if you can figure out what the setting needs to be, DOH!, might bypass you're useless synaptics settings..

(I really want to like synaptics, but damn, how much "work" does it really take to fix some of these simple scrolling problems so that we, the consumer can say it just works......)

 

I hardly ever use my laptops touchpad. When i'm at home, I have an external keyboard/mouse/monitor setup, and when I'm at school, I am always using a wireless mouse. You cant really photoshop and design things with a touchpad.

 

520M is probably a good choice. The 430M and 450M lack the Comm. suite for CPU intensive functions. You'll have 21 days to figure out if you like it.

Bronsky

 

still wondering what that system bus thing is on that comparison link and how the 4.5 GT/s in the 450m compares to the I think 2.8 GT/s in everything else.

edit: apparently it's DMI bus. so...*shrugs*

 

Fixed it already in the settings. It's working fine.

Now if synaptics could work on introducing inertial scrolling...

 

It's a hassle to carry around a mouse and add weight. I also prefer not having to reach over every time to right click or scroll.

 

Ok. So upgrading from i5-430M to i5-520M is probably not going to cost less than $100. Wouldn't we get more than twice the performance improvement from spending $150-200 on an Intel G2 SSD? I personally don't need more than 80 gigs, but in terms of performance, is there really a huge difference in gaming when the GPU is doing the hard lifting?

 

Here's why I would go with the 520M or better. Notebookcheck: Review Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors ?Arrandale?

Quote:

Apart from the "HDD Test Suite", which merely checks the used hard disk's performance and is consequently almost always the same, a constant increase of the Core i3-330M up to the Core i7-620M CPU can be seen in almost all sectors. That is, with one exception: The 620M, 540M and 520M chips show an excellent rate in the "Communication Suite". To be more precise, PCMark Vantage tested coding and decoding of data, data compression, email search and audio transcoding, all of which are very CPU-biased applications. The reason could be special features in the new Arrendale CPUs that can score especially in the cited processes and which have been left out on the smaller chips (new AES instructions, Intel trusted execution technology).

Bronsky

 

E-mail search...as in outlook? I dunno whether I'm ever going to do any "audio transcoding" or even a whole lot of data compression as I rarely use winrar except to extract files. Is there any other benefit to going the 520M/540M/620M route?

 

So if there's really only a $50 diff, and hardly if not no difference in performance using PCSX2 or Dolphin, what are other upgrades that the $50 could be applied to? Realistically speaking, I won't use the bluetooth, so nix that one.

 

da slice is supposedly 75ish.

otherwise..ummm....

eh. stuff? Also I will be using bluetooth (hey there ps3 controller)

 

I'm not counting on $75 for the slice - if you look at configuring the 13 and the 15, an extra regular battery is $75, but the slice is $125. The 17's $75 upgrade option is for a regular battery and an oversized battery (i.e. not slice, unless they misrepresented it in the wording), and it's listed as 50% off, so it would normally be $150, not $75.

I think $50 should buy a 500 GB upgrade from 320 GB, people claim you could upgrade yourself for cheaper, but you'd have to sell the 320 GB to make the upgrade worth it, which might be too much hassle for most people. Then again, you could self-upgrade to a faster drive, like a Momentus XT (with 8GB SSD cache), or even a Travelstar 7K500, which, I believe, is supposed to be the fastest conventional drive you can stick into a laptop.

 

That's the route I'm gonna go. Might be a little bit more money but I'll use the HDD that comes with the laptop as an external HDD for my ps3. I've tried to find the Momentus XT drive but they are all backordered and I've heard of failing problems. I'll have to check out the travelstar.

=Jason-

Also so what is the general option on the 520 vs 540? The money isn't an issue, I just want the best choice. I'd go 620 if it had switchable graphics.

 

I'm starting to feel better and better about the 520m, cuz all I've seen are videos running PCSX2 with only an i5-430m. And they're smooth.

 

unless it suddenly costs way too much with my setup I'm going 520m too.

 

I agree. That hybrid Momentus XT looks nice.

Hitachi is offering a 10K drive.

Can you please provide links about failing Momentus XT's?