HP ENVY 14-2020NR 14.5-Inch Notebook (Silver)

After using this laptop for 2 weeks, I am totaly satisfied with it. The new hp envy sb version has all aluminum chassis and feels vry solid. Windows boots up in 18 seconds. Running program as fast as average desktop. Here is some feedback:

The screen: some one may complain this laptop never comes with radiance display anymore. Actually, the bright view screen is great, and it's even brighter and has more vibrate color than my wife's macbook pro.

The touchpad: This sandy bridge refresh version has a nearly as good as macbook touchpad. Multigesture, two finger scroll and pinch zoom all work smoothly. Just remember don't update the synaptics drive. New driver doesn't support double-tab to turn off touchpad feature.

Battery life: If you set the brightness to 60%, and just normal use, the out of box battery lasts about 5 hours. If you turn off the bluetooth and wifi, battery should last even longer.

Finally the noise: Normal using won't produce much noise. You need to put your ear at the air vents to hear it. It does has some noise when playing games, but tolerable.

Purchased from amazon, and happy to deal with them.

The Envy 14 has a lot going for it. It's a great size, has a backlit keyboard that's a pleasure to type on, and is built very well. Further, HP has released a BIOS update to address the issue of 3D applications and games not working properly with AMD's automatic graphic switching. The solution essentially reverts back to manual switching where the user has control of which graphics processing unit (GPU) he or she wants to use. It can also be set up to run on the high-performance AMD Radeon dedicated GPU (dGPU) when the machine is plugged in and switch over to the power-saving Intel integrated GPU (iGPU) when running on battery. This is basically how graphic switching works on older Envy 14 notebooks (model number 14-1xxx).

Regrettably, I had to send this notebook back for a pair of deal-breaking issues. First and foremost, the trackpad (or clickpad as it's dubbed by HP and part supplier Synaptics), is awful. HP has tried to emulate the Apple MacBook Pro in this area, and having previously owned a MBP, the Envy fails miserably. After trying many different drivers and settings, I simply could not get the trackpad to perform and respond smoothly and predictably. The final annoyance is the orange light that activates whenever you disable the pad, either on its own or by plugging in a USB mouse.

The second major problem is the screen itself. The resolution of 1366x768 isn't a huge issue for me, but at one point, HP did offer the Envy 14 with a high-resolution (1600x900) "Radiance" display that was of excellent quality and color reproduction. The screen in the current model, though not the worst I've ever seen, is sub-standard for something that's marketed as a premium product. Even with a lot of tweaking, the colors are pretty dull. It's also more reflective than other glossy notebooks I've seen and used, which makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to use outside.

In the end, a couple missteps in overall execution make it a less-than-ideal choice for my use.

Buy HP ENVY 14-2020NR 14.5-Inch Notebook (Silver) Now

I recently purchased 4 of these laptops for our business. We work with 3D CAD drawings. This laptop has no problem running the 3d CAD programs. The display brightness is bright for the user. The bottom of the laptop stays cool. I like the lights on the keyboard helps me see the keys in low lit areas. I also like the usb port on the power adapter because i can charge my ipad with it (ipad cord isn't long enough to make to the outlet). I haven't had much time to test the sound out.

Dislike:

One of the laptop's underscore key doesn't work you have to press it 10 times to get it to type once. Screen viewing angle not the greatest.

Overall I would recommend this laptop to anyone.

EDIT:

RUN SAVE YOURSELF. THE SCREEN ON ALL FOUR LAPTOPS WE BOUGHT GOT SCRATCHED BY THE LIP AROUND THE KEYBOARD. ONE LAPTOP THE SOUND CRAPPED OUT AND NOW SOUNDS LIKE DONALD PLEASENCE in the movie GROUND ZERO. THREE OF THE LAPTOPS HAVE A KEY THAT DOESN'T WORK UNLESS POUNDED ON. HP TOLD ME I COULD SEND THEM BACK AND HAVE THE SCREENS REPLACED,BUT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT TWO WEEKS WELL I LIVE OUTSIDE THE US BESIDE I NEED MY LAPTOP EVERYDAY FOR WORK.

CONCLUSION: ITS NOT A KEEPER

EDIT 2:

Wireless networking passed away on one of the laptops...can't wait to see whats next

Read Best Reviews of HP ENVY 14-2020NR 14.5-Inch Notebook (Silver) Here

I bought this laptop for $799 end of Oct 2011 as a general purpose computer for work and home use. So far, i have been quite satisfied with it.

Pros

1. solid metalic construction

2. backlit key pads is a big plus.

3. solid performing switchable 1G graphic card.

4. i5 processor is more than adequate for general home and work computing.

5. no bloat ware to deal with

Cons

1. Screen is not the highest resolution

2. keypads are fine, but could use a little more tactile feedback.

3. the fan motor is quiet, but there is a constant noise. compared to HP's own D6V, this is loud.

4. Not the most attractive laptop.

5. laptop is a bit heavy

6. battery life is only acceptable

7. no finger print reader

8. ram is a bit low at 4G

Overall, it's not a perfect laptop for the money, but definitely a good total package. you will not be able to play the latest action video games, but for general home/work use, it provides more than adequate power. The fan noise can be a bit irritating, but i guess that comes with a performace chip in a small package.

If you can get this laptop on sale at a good price, then it is definitively a great buy.

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If this thing only had Blu-Ray It would be the best bang for your buck ! I don't think I can say more than whats already been said by others.