HP Envy 15? i7 meets 4830+15" screen!

Maybe that is why the 13" is hella expensive and only 100 less than the 15"

 

Well...this is the first time I've ever contemplated a laptop in that price region, so my past two laptops have been running on intergrated Intel chips (Woop Woop).

Anything will be an improvement for me, but I was just wondering how they will differ...will there be minimal difference in fps on cod4/5/ etc or a large difference. I understand I'm asking a question that no one has a concrete answer for ...I think?

A game I would like to play on pc is borderlands. If ENVY can offer 20+ fps over the dell graphic card then I will be tempted by that. But the RGBLED screen offered in the dell is very tempting...gah decisions! How old is the 4670?

Cheers

 

I dread to think how much they will be wanting for the blu-ray player If this trend carries on, I think I will be "forced" to buy the studio 16 xps just because the ENVY has so many "add-ons"

I hate having to wait...

 

Uhh... As far as I can tell, the slice is optional for both machines... If you order it, it will come packaged in the box with the main machine, but it's not included.

The Envy 13 isn't cheap, no matter how you 'slice' it.. har..

}:^)~

 

I believe part of the economics of copying Apple's product is to price it like one too.

 

You are trying to decide between the 4830 in the HP Envy 15 and the 4670 in the Dell Studio XPS 16? Me too. I understand the HP Envy 15 will be a tad more powerful than the Studio XPS 16, but I also need to factor in that RGB screen on the XPS 16 and the difference in price as well.

 

Atleast with Apple I could get 15% off, that helps massively. Unless HP offers a student discount that I am unaware of

Ah! Someone who feels my pain! I am in the exact same position. Super nice 1080p screen, or a better GPU? Although the heat/noise is another factor I am waiting to look into.

 

Yeah, true. I am interested in the heat produced by the Envy 15. I know the XPS 16 can get warm, according to the NBR review, so now I'm waiting to see what the 15 puts out heat wise

 

Another thing to keep in mind is the battery life between the two because the RGB LED is known to sip down battery life pretty quickly and that was back on the core 2 duos. Even though they have a 9-cell standard now, the core i7 can't be helping much with that issue nor with the heat issues already previously reported.

I hope they don't charge more than about $130 for a blu-ray add-on because that's how much they have it listed on for the hp mini 311, which is also less than what dell asks to tag it on ($175 for the upgrade I think).

 

if the 15 doesnt come with the slice battery i wont get it. the only time i would really need it is on a plane and nowadays long flights have your own tv in the back of the seat in front of you and wifi for my ipod so i can live with out that expensive add on. i dont need a blue ray player either but i do need an optical drive so im hoping it alteast comes with a base model external.

 

The HP Envy 15 is already available to pre-order in loads of UK stores for around £1050-1150 including vat (17.5%).

 

Yeah, the heat issue on the 16 is what is really making me hesitate about getting it, RGB LED or not. I dont want something that will fry my boys when I actually want to use it as a laptop! Majority of the time it will be sitting on a desk though.

I wonder if it wont be a little bit more since they will probably release a version of the blu ray ODD that is stylized like the Envy 13/15 (aluminum magnesium, etc). I hope it isnt too expensive, though all I really need is the DVD/RW USB drive. Have we heard any price points on it from HP? Can anyone recommend one from another manufacturer?

 

Any particular stores? Don't suppose you have a link do you?

 

The heat in the SXPS 16 isn't due to the CPU, its due to the thinness near the touchpad area where the heatsink doesn't do a very good job of cooling. It doesn't get hot on the outside or the bottom so much, mostly just around the bottom of the touchpad/palmrests. This isn't a problem unless its on a flat surface with no air to flow underneath (like alot of notebooks). Even then, its not a big deal (it tends to get exaggerated). Having an i7 won't make it worse. Internally, yeah the CPU might get warmer, but it won't affect the chassis noticeably. And the i7's will actually be more efficient than Core 2's in less intensive tasks thanks to their ability to idle unused cores (speedstep). At max CPU stress, all four cores running hard, then yeah its going to be less efficient obviously- but who does hyperthreading applications on their lap (like intensive CAD/rendering apps or reformatting HD files).

Besides, as a 16 incher you keep it on a desk normally, meaning notebook cooler. I use a Zalman... it stays cool to the touch on the chassis and inside the notebook.

As for externals, you can buy a $50 Samsung DVD RW drive...which I did for my old Mini 10v. It worked excellent, and it was on Newegg for under $50 at the time I bought it on sale. Slim, quiet, no external power cord, just needs 2 USB ports. I highly recommend it (theres a review of it in the Review and News forum).

 

The heat was never really an issue for me really, plus I've seen vids on youtube with people saying heat isn't too bad You happy with your studio? No regrets?

 

I don't recall seeing this link on this thread so here goes...if it has been posted, apologies!

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/27179/hp-envy-15-laptop-photos

DVD RW chucked in (UK only)...and starting price of £1199...shame about the lack of backlit keyboard

 

That translates to $1900 US.

About right what HP said in price as electronics in the EU are more expensive than in the US.

 

£1199 = $1,760.65

also laptops seem to be cheaper in the US putting it right around 1700 which is what all the reviews say it will cost (dont know if thats base or with some upgrades aka HPs recommended)

 

I really hope the 1199 price tag will include the i7...if not I can imagine the price to be steep to include the i7 processor

 

no backlit keyboard on a laptop this expensive is a big fail.

 

Very happy, no regrets at all... I guess it could weigh nothing and make me coffee in the morning. Then it would be perfect.

I would say probably closer to $1800. Usually, US prices kill EU prices.

Really, backlit keyboards are more of a cosmetic utility than a functional one. I mean, I like my backlit keyboard, but if you told me I could have an i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, a high end graphics card, and 7 hours of battery life under 6 pounds... I would gladly trade you

 

Agreed. While I would like a backlit keyboard, it isnt a deal breaker not to have one. More RAM, i7, higher end GC and dual HDs make it much more appealing to me. I am just waiting to hear about how warm it can it under a heavy load.

Besides, we still havent figured out what the UV keyboard was supposed to be either, IT MAY BE EVEN BETTER THAN A BACKLIT KEYBOARD!

 

At least it won't sap any power from the battery lol

 

Looks like the 15 come with an external dvd-rw drive - UK specs. Pretty useless for a premium product and instant paperweight if you buy a BR unit. Would also be interested to know how many ram slots it has since it comes with 1 x 4Gb fitted. The same site is listing the 15 battery slice @ £155.

Glad I can wait for the reviews before making a choice between this and a XPS 16 / Studio 15

 

Heat for sure is going to be one of the main things that'll push me towards getting this laptop vs. avoiding it. The preview on notebookcheck hasn't been very assuring on that end though.

I was wondering about the whole UV coating too, but as far as I'm aware the only times you do that are literally for UV radiation protection as on sunglasses. Does anyone know of any other applications, because as far as I can tell it'd just add durability to the keys overall.

 

Maybe UV reactive?

 

I think the UV paint is either glow in the dark, or just a fancy way of saying 'painted' as a marketing gimmick. The same way they use buzz words like 'speedy' and 'multimedia performance'... nice vague way of saying nothing, but tells you exactly what you want to hear all at the same time.

I can see it now... "Its even got UV painted keys!!! Its all the rage in France right now..."

 

Its currently £1063 on that site - I really doubt it would have 1x4GB memory when shipped. 4GB DDR3 sticks cost a fortune. But my real concern is the screen res, I sincerely hope it doesn't come with 15.6" WXGA glare LED TFT (1366x768), as suggested elsewhere.

THe Uv keypad might be the fancy name for those gimmicky anti-bacterial marketing bull*$*t.

 

1x4GB is wrong in any way, you lose the dualchannel on a CPU that uses that feature a lot better than the previous Intel CPU's.

Let's hope HP is clever enough to put 2 sticks of 2GB in it.

 

Here's a wild guess....

A 'UV keyboard' may just be a black light (from a single cleverly mounted LED(s)) that illuminates the white characters on the keypad. This would be a very cool idea, and IMO much more elegant than backlights as you'd have zero light leakage around the keys. It could be very slick. Of course, I have no idea where you'd mount this black light to produce the effect!

This is JUST a guess -- and probably a wrong one at that. Still it's a neat idea.

}:^)~

 

Most likely you can configure it to whatever you want, with default probably 2x1GB sticks.

 

Something as neat as that I would expect it to have been mentioned in all the previews, I hope it does mean something significant though, backlit keys are kind of a deal breaker for me :/

 

No worries, according to the HP presentation at IDF a couple of weeks ago. the standard screen resolution is 1920 X 1080, here for more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP1pXgVCqkQ

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wefFpkryaUI&NR=1

Some footage from darkish conditions...I don't see any glowing

 

Still, not a dealbreaker considering everything else they've packed in there. Just a bit disappointing to not see it on a high-end laptop in general.

 

That'd be pretty cool if they had something like that, but I don't know how they'd keep it controlled plus there are plenty of other things that'll show up under a blacklight.

 

Hehe, in Denmark it will be most likely NOT They usually dont sell on their own site in Denmark.

 

I can never understand why the absence of a backlit keyboard would be a deal breaker, or even the presence of one a deal maker to be honest. Had one before, it's nice, but doesn't help in any way shape or form. I know where all the keys are and can easily type blind folded; assuming my fingers can find the notches on the F and J keys. Takes a little time with some laptops, seeing that their layouts can change slightly, but the important keys remain in the same place.

 

The reason is not necessarily because of the use of the backlit keys (though I like to watch movies while I fall asleep) but the fact that if I am paying a premium price I don't want the any small things to be overlooked
especially since this is a luxury notebook and other notebooks in this category have this included

 

Yeah its luxury, but you aren't talking the lack of power windows or leather seats... you are complaining about, say, the lack of a sunroof. Yeah, it can be fun sometimes... but really, do you need it? How often do you really use it? Do you just like it for the appearance?

If someone buys a new Lexus, and it has everything they could possibly want except a sunroof, I'm sure most would still be pretty sold on the rest.

 

This laptop is looking awesome, the only things that it is missing is a back lit keyboard and the ODD but that's a small price to pay to get a slim 15" notebook with i7, dual hard drives, 4 ram slots and decent dedicated graphics, sure you can find a laptop with all those features but you will pay for it by getting a much thicker and probably heavier machine.
I really cant see why the lack of a back lit keyboard is a problem for people, sure it would be nice but in reality the screen will be lighting up your keyboard enough anyway.
Im just waiting on reviews to see if there is anything major wrong with it.

 

I've never had a backlit keyboard before, I would just like to experience it
It's not a deal breaker for me, but it would be nice to have it as a feature. Oh wells. It's a verrry nice laptop though. At this precise moment I'm swaying towards the ENVY, over the studio xps 16, I just really hope it's not a cooker when it comes to gaming or multitasking.

 

I have had a couple notebooks without backlit keys and I owned a macbook air for a while and I was just spoiled by it, its not I am solely rejecting the envy due to the lack of backlit keys but just that I have been on the fence between this and the m15x, and backlit keys are just something that I expect if the starting price is going to be at $1800, I am still considering getting this just waiting for it to come out before I make any decisions

 

You could always just wear one of these...



20 bucks at Walmart...

 

Yeah, once you get a lit keyboard you won't want to use anything else

Kinda like using an SSD for the first time. lol

 

haha yeah glad I resisted the ssd train for a little while

 

Having your machine run 4x's faster and having your keys light up are a little different I think. I could go back to a non-backlit keyboard, but I probably couldn't go back to a 5400 RPM platter drive.

 

Haha maybe you should try an intel or vertex ssd, almost got a kingston v-series myself but as fast as the kingston is it is on the slow end compared to some higher end models

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA +rep for that one!!!

And yes, swapping to a SSD is a xwhole different world from a platter; nothing compared to backlit and non backlit KB...

 

Brought a smile to my face lol. Problem solved.