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

I'm also wondering if HP will offer the 40% cashback they had last year for black friday.

 

I am in process of going to get the HP...

Should I?

SXPS16 +
OD Bay
High BQ
Cheaper (base config)
Better looking (no flowers)

E15 +
Lighter
Smaller
More powerful
More "futuristic"
Higher BQ?
Better bat life
Larger HDD
More RAM

Neutral
CPU
Resolution
Display size

 

I personally am going to get the Envy 15 over the Studio XPS 16. I like the look of the Envy 15 and the Bing Cashback of 25% makes it an easy choice to me. Hopefully Bing will have another cashback offer around Thanksgiving/Xmas so I can get in on the Envy 15 as well. Damn wedding photographer loan.....

 

I am processing this via the one that is in the US (damn EU is too expensive) if it goes ok, and it works, the Envy will be mine...

 

I just wonder how the critics will receive the Envy 15, if it sucks and gets hot during load or if it's a family package of awesomeness.

Are you able to order both? they wont be shipped for the first 10 days it seems, and that might give you enough time to see the first reviews of it?

 

Do you think it'd be smart to not get the Blu-Ray OD right now? Maybe they will be cheaper in the future? Or since they have 25% off, should I jump for it?

 

Do you have to pay with paypal to get cashback?

 

I decided not to go for an OD Bay for the moment.
Nor the extended battery life.

That is if I go thru with this.

 

so either the site is filled with mistakes or HP really dropped the ing ball on this laptop. Looks like it's back to looking for a computer for me.

 

so does anyone really know how long the bing deal will last?
did hp offer 40% off everything last year for black thursday? or was it just few select items?

 

Only for today.

 

Did not have to pay with paypal for the bing cashback. Although HP does accept it as a form payment, so is an option.

The bing cashback basically seems to get the pre-tax/shipping cost from participating sites, so you pay by whatever means the site (hp) accepts. Bing gets a report of your order and the item cost.

If you do use paypal as your payment you can qualify for bing's quick cash back (bypass the 60 day wait).
http://www.bing.com/shopping/pages/faq.aspx?FORM=R5FD3#WhatIsQuickCashback

 

thank you for info

 

ok i got one. thank god hp will take 2 credit cards. im gonna order an ssd as soon as i get it.

speaking of.......why isnt there an option for a second hardrive?

 

But do you think it's pointless to skip it unless you're trying to get some other brand OD? Cause will HP lower the price or will it be about the same (consider 25% off)? I don't really want an off brand as it will look weird.

I'm skipping the battery as I don't need it atm, and I can always pick it up later if need be.

 

anyone know the answer to this??

notebooks.com is reporting that they believe hp will have the same deal this year !!!

http://www.notebooks.com/2009/09/10/the-2009-black-friday-predictions-have-arrived/

 

I dont use the OD that much. Only for the odd game, and that is all, and I will search for one here...so that is no big problem, and since I will use that only at my home, no problem for me

 

i wish it was slot load. i hate tray load.

 

I need a quick confirmation about Bing Cashback!

If I use it, I pay the 1800 for the E15, and then they send me the 450 to me? Or for the enxt time I purchase via Bing?

Please I need an answer

 

The DVD writer only is tray load, but the blu-ray/dvd combo is slot load.

 

You pay full price first. In about a day, you'll recieve a confirmation saying that you'll get $450 cashback, which you can cash in after about a month.

 

Serg,

According to Bing Cashback FAQ, it's real money, they send it to you after 60 days, as long as it's more than $5, I think.

 

But I get the cash after that?
I mean, I get the 450 Cashback, and I can get them into my bank account?

 

Serg, yes. If you choose paypal, you can even it faster if I recall correctly.

 

Does anybody have the 25% bing cashback showing? Right now it still shows 5%. I'd order right now if I could get the 25%.

 

Im sorry for my constant questioning, but i have to explain all of this to my aunt (that is doing the purchase), and I am refunding her the 1350, and Bing the rest. But she told me that it stays for the next time she buys and not as actual money you get back.

I am so confused, sorry. Never used Bing CB before

 

For the cashback, you can have microsoft send the amount straight to your bank account or have them mail you a check. I've done both methods before and they both worked.

As for bing 25%, it's still showing up. Go to bing.com, type hp, and select the sponsored link.

 

Serg, for me, a choice between this or the SXPS16 is not really a choice. If you have the money I would probably go with the Envy 15. Reasons:

1. The SXPS GPU is pretty middle of the road; and whilst there remains confusion about what VRAM the 4830 uses, there is no guessing involved when saying it will eat the SXPS GPU alive.

2. Whilst the SXPS does look good, it's touchpad is not very nice to use, whereas the glass touchpad on the Envy should be similar to macbooks / Sony Vaio models - both of which are a real pleasure to use.

3. Heat does seem to be an issue according to one preview, but this beast has two fans, the SXPS only has the one (if I remember correctly for both). So whilst the space inside is at a premium on the Envy, it should have more cooling power, and with a 40nm GPU, it should theoretically run cooler too.

4. The chiclet keyboard on the Envy. Have you ever used this style of keyboard before? I must say, I hated switching back to anything other than this type of keyboard. If you touch type, they are a million times better, and you don't get that horrible build up of crumbs / hair / who knows what else in between the keys.

5. The Envy is just gorgeous. The SXPS, whilst not ugly, is a little too common for my liking.

6. 4 memory slots on the Envy is a huge plus; 8GB of RAM for low price, and possible to get 16GB (the price of 4GB SODIMMs are slowly beginning to drop). The SXPS just can't compete with this

7. Two HDDs. Seriously, how many of us carry a bulk of our data on an external HDD wherever we go? I am happy this will not be needed now. Sure no ODD might be a pain for some, but in reality, nearly all my games are on steam and don't require ODs, so it's only really software installations and the odd conversion from audio CD to MP3; none of which I tend to do on the road.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing the SXPS has got going for it is the leather accent (I'm sorry, but I do like that), and the gorgeous display. Oh and I suppose price. The thing about price is though, that you wont notice it in a years time; but if you buy something of a lesser quality, you will still notice that in a years time.

The only one of the above statements that I'm not really sure about, the one that could make this a deal breaker is the heat dissipation.

That is just my 2 cents. To be completely honest Serg, I don't think you'd be horribly outdated or crying yourself to sleep either way; but if the choice was mine (and it will be when this launches to the UK), then I know which way I would go.

 

Thank you! I was going through bing cashback's store site and it kept showing 5%.

 

Is this really that hard to understand? Have you ever sent out a rebate after purchasing a product? If you have, bing is much easier. You don't even have to do anything, really.

So many have us already told you how it works. Sorry if I am sounding rude but there is so much info not only here but also on bing's website.

Please stay on topic or a mod will close this thing down.

 

No problem, glad to help. I just want to know if I need the laptop myself. I already have an XPS 1330 with a nvidia 8400gm. The laptop can't game well anymore (I play left 4 dead on my desktop a lot). The Envy 15 will most likely do it, but is $1350 the best price we'll probably get for this laptop? I'm so hesitant on purchasing this, lol.

 

Thanks Fragilexx.

I am trying to convince someone that has never used Bing CB that it is fully reliable.

I do agree with you on most points, but my config on the SXPS does not include the leather, not the RGBLED. So it is basically the same, except the price, if the 25% CB works, then it is HP hands down, but if it doesnt???

 

Serg, don't worry, I bought my HDX18 using bing cashback last year and got my money. No problems.

Also for those mentioning the external writer. I'm going with the DM3, however they don't mention if the blu-ray is a slot load like they do with the Envy series. They also mention the writer or the blu-ray is a Lightscribe, which they do not mention on the Envy. Does anyone know if its the same drives? Thus meaning the blu-ray will be slot-load? The prices are the same, and the small picture is obviously the same. I just can't imagine them making two different sets of external drives, but wanted to ask first.

 

Cashback has always worked for me (done it 3 times with 1 pending). They give you a confirmation in about a day, so if you don't see the amount listed for cashback, you can cancel your order. If the cashback shows up, you're good to go.

 

What is lightscribe? Is it some sort of special HP burner software?

 

Lightscribe is really cool; basically you can physically create an image on the printed side of an optical disc - can make it look a lot more professional than just writing "Notebook backup disc" or something. The media discs for it are more expensive, and creating the image is really time consuming (i.e. it often takes longer to burn that on than writing the data does), but it's a nice to have.

For more information, have a look at this: http://www.lightscribe.co.uk/

 

How long is the battery life on this thing without the battery slice?

 

As the guy above me said, but I'll add-on. It's just a special capability of the drive to physically burn images onto the top of the DVD disc. I have an HP desktop with it and I tried it out. It's pretty cool actually, though I never used it (other than the one time since it came with a free Lightscribe disc) It's just so expensive the discs that it doesn't make it worth it.

 

Once you have signed up for Bing Cashback with your windows live account you can go to 'my account' page.

As someone posted a screen of the my account page earlier it will say something like this (about 10-20 minutes after my purchase it showed up).

cashback summary
Pending $468.75
Available $0.00
In process $0.00
Rewarded $0.00
Total cashback $468.75

So it should go from pending to available in 60 days. Once it is available there are 4 ways to get the cash out. Online/Direct deposit through: Paypal, Amazon Payments, or a Bank Account (checking/savings). Paper check in the mail.

The 60 day delay makes it similar to a mail in rebate, except you don't have to do anything to get it other than sign up for a live account, then click the sponsored link from a Bing search, and eventually tell them how you want the money sent to you.

 

Hey guys - I have ordered envy 15 an hour ago - nothing at bing yet - should I start to be worried?

 

Serg, I've been reading your dilemma of choosing between the SXPS16 and the Envy. I purchased the SXPS16 a month ago. Arctic White, and pretty standard specs (no ssd, only 4gb ram). The thing would get HOT. I had read reviews that said the palm rest would get too hot to touch but didnt believe them. How could Dell have such a successful line of laptops with palm rests that got uncomfortably hot? Well they did.

Also my laptop came with stains on the cover. I went through a long drawn out ordeal with Dell to get another one... which was also stained. So recently i've returned both those machines and am looking for my new laptop... which might just be the Envy 15. The SXPS is a very pretty machine... but its heavy, hot and has quality issues.

Now... that said lets get back to a few purchasing questions for the envy.

1. I'm guessing the way the website is selling the laptop... no SSD and only one HDD?

2. Can i order the Envy 15 from the US site even if i'm in canada?

3. Will the Bing CB work for Canadians as well?

Edit: found the answer to that last question:

Who's eligible for Bing cashback?
You are, as long as you:

* Provide us with a valid email address and password for account access.
* Are at least 18 years of age and reside in the U.S.
* Have a valid U.S. mailing address (a PO Box won't work).
* Create or have an active Windows Live ID and cashback account.
* Adhere to the Microsoft Service Agreement. Read this carefully for specific limitations.

 

As I've said before, it usually takes a day for it to show up.

 

lots of people allready got the confirmation.

its more than $1000 in cachback - I am getting nervous

 

I just ordered my laptop, when I get the confirmation I will post the amount of time it took, but I did order last year and the cashback email did take a while. It won't always be immediate, so do not worry.

 

I've kinda stopped looking at other laptops as the Envy + 25% discount started to come about. I wasn't looking for an i7 laptop, but will take it

I had decided to wait until Christmas or early next year and maybe by a netbook if needed.

Comparing the envy to other I7 laptops:
Not much comes close to it in the 15" from factor.
Price is actually pretty equivalent when you match or come close to matching the config.
The Envy might be able to start at 1400-1500 if they defaulted to 2GB-4GB memory, a small hard drive, and 1366x768 screen.
4830 graphics should be good. The Nvidia 250m+ will out perform it, but not at the same heat/power levels.

I would be more worried that they refresh it around Christmas or sometime in Q1 2010 with Arrandale CPU (lower power dual core w/ turbo) and 4860 GPU (faster version of 4830 GDDR5). Or possibly a 5000 series AMD GPU. But then you also have to hope for a 25% or better discount for the refreshed model...

 

According to HP, the option that comes standard (500 GB) is two 250 GB 7200 RPM HDDs. The 320 GB option is two 160 GB 7200 RPM HDDs. The 250 GB option is one 250 GB 7200 RPM HDD.

And, yeah, for some reason, they aren't offering the 160 GB SSD on the Envy 15 yet, don't know why.

 

Thanks a lot

 

Peppe - That's good reasoning, but I'm also worried about a better deal that may show up around black friday of next month. In addition, the downgrades for the Envy 15 right now are whack. $900 to downgrade from 6 Gigs of ram to 4? I think they might be doing this to make sure everyone buys it at a set price while the Bing deal is going on. I'm not really sure what to think of this...

 

Wow that actually makes it worthwhile for me then to wait so I can just opt for the cheaper 250 model and throw in my own 500gb later. They seem to be cutting a lot of corners and not doing much about the price.

 

They are probably trying to just sell pre-configured machines right now. Thats how they can get them built+shipped in a reasonable time... downgrading costs them in having to do more work, so they are trying to discourage it (also they are probably trying to make sure they sell enough of these things and keep their $$$ coming).

This was never supposed to be a cheaper/affordable/price competitive notebook. It was branded as premium, it was marketed as premium, and its going to be sold... at a premium.

You probably stressed it on a flat surface without allowing air underneath it. The vents on the bottom have to breathe. Or at least be put on a cooling pad. Takes care of any warmth problems. Its successful because its powerful, stylish, and very feature-oriented.

The HP Envy 15, on the other hand, is so far being said to have heat issues as well (just fyi). The notebookcheck hands on reported temps of over 100 degrees on the palmrests and chassis, and the fans reportedly blew out hot air even during idling. So, the heat may actually be a drawback to not getting the SXPS 16