i've decided to buy an Envy 14 .... some questions

after some posts/feelers & general research .... i will go with the Envy 14.

my decision is based on the criteria:

-sleek, low profile, sturdy design
-core i5, don't need high-end i7, this processor is a good balance of performance and battery saver
-internal optical
-perfect resolution display for the size
-price

i want to get a good 2 years out of this laptop.

what i need to know before i place the order:

-what hardware issues are people experiencing with this new Envy ?

-i am not sure if the internal dvd drive is swappable due to the laptop's size, i was hoping i can get my hands on an internal blu-ray burner from DIGISTOR Storage Specialist Offers DVD and Blu-ray Burners, Portable Hard Drives and Blank Discs, they sell oems. otherwise i will have to buy an external.

-i just missed out on the 30% discount. any other discounts out there for this laptop ?

-is the display real glass ?

-does the hardware support 512gb ssd ?

 

I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the 12.7mm slimline blu-ray optical drives on the digistor site are too large to fit - I think the optical drive in the Envy 14 is 9.5mm

for example, this panasonic model is too large, if I understand correctly
Panasonic Slim Blu-Ray Burner Slimline SATA (Slot Load) Drive

this one might fit, unless there is something about this "ultrabay" connection that makes it limited to lenovo laptops:
PROVANTAGE: Lenovo 43N3230 Blu-Ray Ultrabay Slim II Data

 

I think the slot loader for HP envy 14 uses a special cable.

least people have reported that it's blue and doesn't seem like your average sataII cable

 

i figured as such. as for the lenovo link, i'd rather get an external digistor, they are very compact, have an internal battery and i can get one slot-loading, making carrying it around really easy.

my other concerns are more important, ssd size limit, hardware issues, display quality & material.

if the display is glass, is it made using gorilla glass ?

 

in this case, i wouldn't mess with the internal optical ... or at least wait around for ultraslim to go down in price ....

 

speaking of the internal optical. It isn't set to a dvd region initially.


...it auto picks what you are playing the most of after 5 or so dvds though.

kinda sad about that. I thought it was region free there for a bit, but nope.

 

Someone said it felt like plastic, not glass. He is unsure, however.

 

Yes it is glass.

YouTube - HP ENVY 14 and ENVY 17 hands-on

 

sounds like plastic when you tap it with your fingernail but who knows.

maybe it's some special glass

 

yea i hate region-locked drives. if there are any out there that are region-free, let me know ....

anyway, i think for the money, i'd be going with a compact external bd-r. not worth spending $ 1000+ for ultraslim or stepping up and buying an envy 17 in order to spend an additional $ 400 for a slim bd-r to swap into it.

at the end of the day, i factor in my total spent to get what i want at under $ 1800 ...

the other thing i wanted to address is to get all the bloatware off the machine, so i need to look at how i can back up my activation info and then reinstall windows 7.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-hp-laptop-out-box-guide-2-0-windows-7-a.html

 

i guess no one will know until someone cracks it.

 

this guide is priceless .... well, maybe worth the cost of the software, but still priceless ....

 

There are a number of applications to unlock the region code of your drive. AnyDVD works well
SlySoft AnyDVD