Please note: I purchased my HP ENVY DV6T from the HP website, but since I'm an avid Amazon shopper, I decided to leave my review of the machine here.
If you look at my other reviews you'll note that I've recently reviewed both a Macbook Air 11.6" 2012 and a Lenovo Yoga. I owned and either returned or sold both of those laptops because they didn't meet my needs. In brief: the Yoga featured an awesome screen and a wonderful form factor but had mediocre keyboard which I hated typing on; The Macbook Air was just too small to work all day on and I didn't like OS X. However, build quality--as is typical of Apple products--was superb, and the machine was very fast with an excellent keyboard, trackpad, and screen.
To provide some background on what I was looking for in a laptop: since I use my laptop for work and school (a MS in Computer Science) and do a lot of data-munging I needed something with a great, high-definition screen, a comfortable keyboard with consistent action, and a solid trackpad with a minimum of finicky behavior. The HP ENVY DV6T-7200 series laptop (I'm not sure on the *exact* part number but I think it's the 7214) mostly fits the bill.
The machine I have came configured with 8 GB RAM, an a 750 GB hard drive. I immediately removed both and upgrade to a 250 GB Samsung 840 SSD purchased here on Amazon. I also upgraded the RAM to 16 GB of Crucial DDR3. Both upgrades could not have been any easier. To upgrade you simply turn the laptop over, ensure it isn't plugged into any source of power (wall or battery), and unscrew the single screw in the middle of the back. This provides access to the RAM slots and the hard drive. Seriously, it took only a couple minutes to achieve both upgrades. And this was one reason I purchased this laptop: it looked super easy to upgrade. It was. NOTE: before upgrading the hard drive make sure you start the laptop, and use the built in HP Recovery utility to burn a series of Restore DVDs. It takes 6 single-layer DVDs (as I recall) or 3 dual-layer. A heads up: it takes a LONG time to burn those DVDs and a LONG time to restore the laptop using them. It was--by far--the most time-consuming, tedious part of the whole upgrade process. Also, don't make the same mistake I did by installing only the "minimal clean install." It's annoying, but make sure you do the FULL Restore. Otherwise your laptop won't boot. I initially did the minimal clean install and was mystified why my laptop couldn't see the hard drive and therefore wouldn't boot. Clearly it had seen the hard drive to install the files to it. But it was only after I did the FULL restore (the bottom-left option when you boot into the restore screen) that the laptop booted without issue.
With the addition of the 16 GB RAM and the 250 GB SSD this machine SCREAMS. It chews up and spits out any data I throw at it. Sure, there are still Microsoft Access queries which take a little bit to finish, or VBA scripts in Excel that take a while to run, but nothing I do in Access or Excel brings this machine to its knees. With both the Lenovo Yoga and the Macbook Air there were some tasks that I do in Access or Excel that would monopolize the dual-core processors in those machines to the extent that nothing else could be done on the computers while they processed--the Windows UI was completely non-responsive. With this machine, even if Access or Excel or non-responsive while they execute a script or query, at least the rest of the machine remains responsive and quick. I can also run a lot more instances (windows) of Access and Excel simultaneously. In short: this machine is a data-mungers dream machine. But then again, I suspect that any laptop with these specs would be equally as capable of doing the things I need done just as well.
On to other matters. The keyboard is good, not great. I really really liked the keyboard on the Macbook Air. It had short keystroke travel, but was very consistent and crisp in its action with zero flex. It was also just...easy to type on. The keyboard on the HP ENVY DV6T is good in that it has consistent action, and no discernible flex. On the other hand I don't particularly like the keyboard. The flat square keys are somewhat slick to the touch and not, well, "easy" to type on. It's hard to describe but they seem to require more effort per keystroke than the Macbook Air or the keyboard on another laptop that I own (a Lenovo V570). I just feel my hands getting more tired as I type on this keyboard. I also subjectively feel that I don't type on this keyboard as quickly as I do on the Lenovo V570 or even the Macbook Air. But again, there's very little specific that I dislike about the keyboard--it just doesn't immediately please me like the Macbook Air's or the Lenovo V570's keyboard did. It's acceptable (and FAR better than the Lenovo Yoga) but not as good a keyboard as I like. If I weren't tired of swapping laptops as I am, I'd probably send it back and try one of the Lenovo W/T530s--which I hear have exceptional keyboards and excellent specs. Oh, and the keyboard I have is backlit with one brightness setting (as far as I can tell)--though the default brightness is about ideal in my opinion: just bright enough to be visible in well-lit room.
The trackpad on this machine is also much like the keyboard--solid, consistent, serviceable. It's not amazing like the Macbook's trackpads are (which are the single best trackpads I've EVER used), but it's much better than the Lenovo Yoga's trackpad, and generally better than many Windows laptop trackpads. It's incredibly difficult to find laptops with usable trackpads. So the trackpad on this machine is good. I like its smooth texture and the two distinct buttons below it. It's size is also good--not too big and not too small. I haven't experienced any jumping cursors or finickiness from the trackpad (which can be super annoying in other laptops when you're typing along and all the sudden the trackpad jumps to another spot in the text because it sensed your palm getting close).
The screen on this machine is a thing of beauty. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the FHD (1080x1920) resolution, the matte finish, everything. Yes, the fact that the bezel is glossy when the screen is matte is annoying, but the glory of the screen makes up for it. It's clear, bright, and very crisp. The one thing I find myself thinking as I use it though is how in the heck does anyone use a FHD (1080p) screen on a smaller screen? There are a couple laptops available with 13.3" 1080p screens. I just can't imagine how anyone could use a screen that small at that high of a resolution. There are times when I have to get closer to the screen on this laptop to read something or determine if what I'm looking at is a 1 or a I character. So be aware that fonts and text and everything will be smaller on this laptop then you're used to on 1366x768 laptops. In my opinion this resolution at this screen size (15.6") is just about the ideal. Anything higher res or smaller screen would be unreadable. And for the record I have 20-20 vision.
Other thoughts. This laptop gets great battery life--particularly when paired with the available 9-cell battery which I prefer. I like that it provides a sort of stand when placed on a flat surface. The look and feel of the laptop is very slick. It looks good and feels good...not particularly stout, but solid enough if you take good care of it.
In short, I paid about $1000 for this laptop with all the Christmas specials and I'm satisfied with it. It's fast, easily upgradeable, easy on the eyes, with a full array of features which are hard to beat: FHD screen, backlit keyboard, USB 3.0 ports all the way around, ethernet port, HDMI port, RGB port, etc etc etc. It's just a very robust laptop that does a lot of things right.
If anyone from HP reads this review, I'd personally appreciate it if you put a little more into designing a keyboard that's just a titch better. The one you have going on is good, but I'd appreciate it if the keyboard's action was a little more crisp and a little less work.
Oh the other thing I should mention is that the fans on this machine run frequently--as they're cooling a relatively powerful GPU and CPU--but are never personally annoying. They're always just a low hum that you don't really notice unless you listen for it. Unobtrusive is the word. Even when pushing some serious pixels I never find the noise annoying.
The other thing I should note is that I'm dual-booting this machine with Windows 8 and Mint Linux 14. If you decide to do the same, make sure that you turn off "Secure Boot" before installing Linux. Otherwise you'll have problems booting into one or both OS's. Also, you may have to use the Boot-Repair utility to fix your boot configuration. Turning off Secure Boot was the thing that got me up and running--but you may have to also run the Boot-Repair utility.
I'll keep this review updated as I use this laptop with additional longevity information.
[UPDATE 1/29/2013]
I've owned this laptop now for almost two months. It has been at an HP Repair Center for the past week. About a couple weeks ago the NVIDIA GT 650M chip in it stopped working so I called HP Support. After two hours of exhausting diagnostics (all of which I'd already done myself--clean reinstalling drivers, BIOS, and Windows 8) they tell me I need to send it in for repair. Of course, as is probably typical for support at any company they make it sound like it's "my fault" because--God forbid--I installed a retail version of Windows 8 Pro over my default HP install of Windows 8 (non-pro). The guy actually told me that my computer wasn't designed to run Windows 8 Pro. Uh, really? In any case, they overnight me a box, which I pack the DV6T into and overnight to their repair center (all of this at no charge to me). About a week later I receive notice that the "work is complete" on my laptop and it is enroute to me via FedEx overnight. Today I received my ENVY DV6T back and happily reinstalled my SSD and 16GB of RAM. At first, everything seemed better. It loaded into Windows just fine, and when I checked the device manager the GT 650M was no longer displaying the yellow exclamation point that it had been. Then the NVIDIA utility popped up a message letting me know that an update was available. I downloaded the NVIDIA update and clean installed it. When asked, I rebooted the machine to "continue installation" and that's when the trouble started: The machine wouldn't boot. At all. It kept flashing the new version of the BSOD (some pithy message about errors and Windows doing what it can over a blue screen with a smiley face) and a brief flash of a "automatic repair" screen, but it would just cycle over and over and over. Finally, I shut it down and went into troubleshooting mode. But nothing worked. I couldn't even get it to boot a Windows 7 OR 8 install DVD. I wasn't able to get into the restore menu or even get the Windows 8 DVD to load to the point that I could use Windows repair tools. Wow. This system is super hosed was my first thought.
I decided to try the factory hard drive: a Momentus 750GB. Not a bad drive but not the equal of my SSD. I'd kept that drive in pretty much pristine shape--not installing anything on it from the moment I received it. I simply removed it and upgraded to an SSD. Whenever I ship a laptop in for warranty work I always like to ship it back with all the stock stuff it came with (in this case the 750GB hard drive and 8GB RAM). Unsurprisingly, the system booted with the stock drive in it. To my surprise, I noticed that the GT 650M no longer worked: the yellow exclamation point in Device Manager was back. My theory is that as the laptop heats up the GT 650M chip's soddered connections expand and perhaps disconnect from the motherboard. I'm not sure exactly, but it must be heat related if it was working when the laptop was cold and is not working anymore now that the laptop is warm.
Long story short, the system boots with the factory drive--but the GT 650M is still broken. What mystifies me is that before I sent the system in, it was running fine off of the SSD. The only issue I had with the system was the GT 650M--everything else worked beautifully. At this point I think what I need is new motherboard--or an entirely new system--whatever HP's preference is. I'm going to call them again tomorrow.
At this point I'm pretty frustrated. When this system works, I love it. It's got a great screen; it's super fast; it's easy to use and for the most part everything I want in a laptop. But clearly, I've been having some issues with it. The GT 650M is still busted, and now it won't even boot off a drive it used to boot off of. The main thing that really chaps my hide is that I sent this machine into HP with the explicit goal of getting the GT 650M fixed. They failed to fix my problem: instead "configuring" the laptop and upgrading the BIOS. I'm incensed that I've done without my work and school laptop for a week and they couldn't at least fix my issue. Time is money people; time is money--and HP has been wasting mine. At this moment I feel like they didn't take my concern and issue seriously enough and tried to pass off my issue and operator error--open the cold computer, everything seems okay, close the computer, mark it as "configured" and ship it back...wasting my time, their money (all that express shipping), and my good-will.
I'm disappointed HP, very disappointed. I'll be calling you tomorrow to request either a new machine, a new motherboard in my existing machine, or a refund. I don't have time to waste if you're not going to fix my problem.
[UPDATE ON 2/3/2013]
At my last review I was pretty upset--for good reason. But since then events have occurred which have changed my perspective and as such need to be shared.
So to recap: the NVIDIA GT 650M wasn't working on my laptop. I sent it in to an HP Repair Center, and upon receiving it back it initially appeared fixed. Minutes later I checked again--just to be sure--and noticed it wasn't working again.
I called the toll-free number to the Repair Center that HP provided. I spoke with a very helpful guy by the name of Marco who did some efficient troubleshooting. He was much more efficient than the Indian tech support I spoke with before sending it to the Repair Center. Ultimately he had me restore the BIOS and reboot the laptop.
For the uninitiated, here's how you restore the BIOS:
Ensure that your hard drive has an HP_Tools partition on it. If your laptop still has the factory hard drive that the machine shipped with, you should have an HP_Tools partition unless you've since wiped the drive. If you've wiped the drive, you can download "HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Support Environment" from the HP support site (it's under Diagnostic in Select a Download section of the site). Running it will install basic diagnostic tools AND an HP_TOOLS partition on your hard drive. This is handy if--like me--you upgraded the hard drive yourself to an SSD (or otherwise). Please note (again) that upgrading both the RAM and the hard drive is exceptionally easy with this laptop since there's only one screw to the whole door which covers both. Well, it's physically easy, but with Windows 8 it has gotten much harder to do a "clean" install. More on that. After installing the HP_TOOLS partition to the hard drive, THEN download and install the F.23 BIOS from the BIOS section of the Select a Download page. This does two things (as I understand it): installs the BIOS to the HP_TOOLS partition AND flashes the BIOS to the F.23 BIOS. It will reboot the machine to continue/finish the BIOS flash. The fact that it installs the BIOS to the HP_TOOLS partition is essential--because you'll probably need to "restore" the BIOS at some point. I certainly did. Note that you'll probably have to do the above any time you re-install Windows, and then you'll have to do the following to make sure the BIOS flash "took." Shut down the laptop again (after the initial flash/reboot), unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. Hold down the power button for *at least* thirty seconds. Then, press and hold the Windows-key and the B-key. Continue to hold them while plugging in the laptop to the power adapter with your other hand; Then using your other hand, turn on the laptop via the power button. Continue holding the Windows-key and B-key until you see the BIOS Restore screen. Release the keys and watch as the BIOS is restored. After it boots into Windows, you should see that the GT 650M is working correctly in the Device Manager.
So, after Marco and I restore the BIOS on the machine and allowed it to reboot, he instructed me to open the HP Support Assistant and turn off auto-updating. His theory was that after they'd rolled back the BIOS on my laptop at the Repair Center and configured the laptop not to auto-update to the new BIOS, after I'd received it back and put my SSD into it (with auto-update NOT disabled), the laptop had dutifully downloaded and installed the new BIOS all by itself--causing the GT 650M not to work.
Well, I had to run to a meeting but when I got back I saw that the GT 650M was still not working. However, something that Marco said stuck with me. He said that he had another machine just like mine there at the Repair Center and that restoring the BIOS had fixed the problem. And I thought about something I'd found via Google which said that someone had had a similar problem on a different laptop and had disabled the GT 650M in the Device Manager after restoring the BIOS and then shut the laptop down...then rebooted the laptop and enabled the GT 650M in the Device Manager.
Trying this, I was surprised to see the card work! Something about restoring the BIOS coupled with disabling the GT 650M, shutting down, rebooting, and enabling the 650M fixed the problem. Amazing.
But that isn't the end of the story.
For all those wanting to dual-boot any flavor of Linux with Windows 8, think again. I've been doing my darnedest to make it work, and it's utterly miserable. At this point I'm more pissed at Microsoft for screwing up my ability to easily dual-boot Windows and Linux than I am at HP or anyone else.
So things I hate about Windows 8 (particularly when the laptop comes pre-installed with it): installing a "clean"/vanilla version of Windows 8 requires enabling the "legacy OS boot" mode in the BIOS. It's just DUMB. How does it make sense when the laptop CAME with Windows 8 that I have to enable "legacy OS boot support" in order to re-install a non-HP version of Windows 8? What if--as is my situation--I can't get the darn HP recovery disks to work (granted I burned all six of them myself), and want to use the copy of Windows 8 Pro that I'm provided through the Microsoft MSDN Academic Alliance program?
Anywho. Enable "legacy boot support" and you'll be able to install either Windows 7 or 8 or Linux on the laptop. BUT, you'll have to scrounge up the Windows 7 drivers, and I'm not sure it's worth it. Also, just because you enable legacy boot support doesn't mean that dual-boot is easy all sudden.
I had no end of problems trying to get my partitions right and get the boot loaders (GRUB2, etc.) configured correctly. The risk is that if you screw up your boot setup you can make it impossible to boot into Windows 8. And that sucks cause then you have to redo EVERYTHING (a many hour process I've been through many times recently). I desperately want to dual-boot Mint Linux (or even Ubuntu) because the performance is way better than running any derivative of Ubuntu 12.10 in a virtual machine. I may try again, but at this point I'm just done with re-installing Windows. All I want is the darn GRUB2 menu and the ability to boot to Windows 8 or Linux without issue.
I had it working but then something happened (not sure what) and then I couldn't get back into Windows. So I had to reinstall Windows 8 AGAIN. Not fun.
If you do decide to attempt a Linux/Windows 8 dual-boot, you've been warned about how badly it can suck. Be prepared to spend a few DAYS researching, trying different things, bricking your ability to boot into one or the other, etc etc etc.
So, bottom-line. To avoid any issues with the graphics card, be prepared to restore the BIOS EVERY time you re-install the OS. Once you get it working, it should be fine.
Each time I've re-installed Windows 8 I've downloaded the "HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Support Environment" from the HP support site, run it--which installs the HP_Tools partition, downloaded and run the F.23 BIOS update, rebooted the laptop, and restored the BIOS again.
The one thing I noticed is that it doesn't seem to matter what BIOS version you re-flash using the Windows-key + B-key at boot-time combination. All that seems to matter is that the machine be RE-flashed after the OS and NVIDIA driver installation. It must work out some of the kinks in the interrupt/memory addressing. I'm not sure.
Either way, once I re-flashed the BIOS using the above techniques, the GT 650M was working as well as it was the day I received the laptop (i.e., awesomely). I've had no problems since--other that continuing difficulties trying to get Windows 8 and Linux to co-exist peacefully. Ugh. I even stress-tested the GT 650M for well over an hour just to ensure that heat--which I initially suspected of causing the problem--wasn't the problem. It ran without issues for the entire time at temperatures over 185 degrees Fahrenheit.
BOTTOM LINE: Sorry for the rambling nature of the above, it's hard to relate several days of events in a cohesive narrative. Long story short, the GT 650M is now working, and if you utilize the above info, you shouldn't have any problems with yours. My initial problem was likely caused by the fact that I had not--when I initially installed the SSD and Windows 8--installed the HP_TOOLS partition, and "restored" the F.23 BIOS immediately after flashing it once. Without the HP_TOOLS partition you can't do a BIOS restore (as described above). So it's very important that you install that utility and create that partition. Also, it's worth mentioning that HP has been great. When I called the Repair Center, I was nice to Marco and just let him know that the issue I'd sent the laptop in for had not been fixed. He said "I'm sorry that we didn't fix your issue, Sir. I hope you'll give me the chance to see how we can rectify the situation. (or something along those lines)" Either way, it was nice to hear someone take responsibility for the situation, and hear my frustration. He also sent out a box (because it initially looked like the re-flash hadn't worked--until I disabled, reboot, and enabled the GT 650M) to get the laptop sent in overnight. Turns out I won't be using that box because of what I've discovered.
In fact, the only complaint I have at this point is that the Indian HP Tech Support person I spoke with a couple weeks ago didn't follow-through on his promise that the extended warranty I purchased which was somehow applied to some other computer (not this one) would be transferred to this computer, and that he'd send out a new set of restore disks to replace the broken set that came with my initial order. The warranty still hasn't been transferred, and the disks still haven't shown up. I'll update this review if they do.
Also, although I really appreciated that HP provided a direct number to the Repair Center, and Marco (and all the staff I spoke with there) were very courteous and helpful, it would be nice if hold times were shorter. Hiring a few more equally competent staff would probably alleviate this problem.
So now my beautiful, powerful HP DV6T-7200 ENVY laptop is back in fighting shape and running perfectly. Hopefully the information I've shared will assist anyone else purchasing this laptop and upgrading the hard drive. If the GT 650M isn't working, just ensure that you have an HP_TOOLS partition, and do the restore BIOS procedure outlined above. If that doesn't work (it should), then disable the GT 650M in the device manager, shut down, reboot, and enable it.
Or, just order the computer with an SSD (granted, you'll pay a pretty premium) and you won't have to deal with at least a portion of my Windows 8 booting nightmare.
Best of luck. Leave a comment if you have any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.
[UPDATE 2/10/2013]
Just wanted to add a quick update to this review. My review caught the attention of an HP Social Media Ambassador who asked if there was anything they could help resolve. I shared with them that my hardware issues were taken care of, but that my extended warranty appeared to still be registered to the wrong machine serial number. I also asked if they would send me a set of replacement Restore Disks to replace the set that was damaged in shipping (I ordered the restore disks with my system--which I highly recommend as apparently the HP utility doesn't necessarily correctly burn a set of restore DVD's or correctly configure all sizes of flash drives. I couldn't get the HP Restore Disk utility to configure my 64GB USB flashdrive.) The Ambassador said that they'd correct the warranty information asap and referred my question about the restore disks to a Case Manager. The Case Manager called my phone, and then when they missed me there, they emailed to follow up (Wow!). I responded to the Case Manager's email asking for a new set of System Restore Disks. He emailed to say that he'd send them to my right away and they should arrive the next day. They did (another wow!). Then he emailed just to follow up and make sure the disks arrived in good condition.
All in all, I'm very impressed with HP's ability to address my various needs in a timely fashion. They're not perfect, but I've rarely seen such responsiveness from any company in recent memory. I am very impressed. And that's worth something because if you're like me, when you're dropping over $1000 on a computer, you're not just paying for the components (something which some computer companies haven't figured out). You do your best to buy the "rest" of the experience: what happens if the computer ever gets a cold, or needs an oil change (metaphorically speaking). Does the company care to make things right or do they tell you to take a hike?
My experience with HP indicates that they are very serious about pleasing their customers. With the single exception of the initial support contact which took too long (two hours of troubleshooting is miserable) and failed to send me the new restore disks I requested at that point, the rest of my experience with HP has been very positive.
All in all, not only do I recommend this laptop; I also recommend HP.
One more note on the keyboard and trackpad: the trackpad continues to be the best I've ever used on a PC (the Mac trackpad remains the best overall). The keyboard is serviceable: consistent action across the entirety, and solid with no flex. It is, however, the single low-point on the whole laptop. I have two qualms with it: 1)I prefer keys with a slight bit of concavity to them. On the HP keyboard the keys are like Scrabble letters: square and flat. 2) The key action requires more force to actuate the key than I prefer. Maybe I'm just getting uber-picky in my old age (35), but this keyboard is a decent amount of work to type a long winded review or update on.
In all fairness though--I've been exposed to a lot of laptop keyboards and almost none of them are great. The Mac keyboards--like their trackpads--are phenomenal, but they have that horrible Mac OS that I can't stand. In the PC realm I've never found the equal of a Mac keyboard. If you're exceptionally picky like me, there are probably two solutions. One would be to try a Lenovo Thinkpad. They're reputed to have the best keyboard of any Windows laptop. The other solution--which I'm opting for--is to buy and utilize at home a Mac wireless keyboard. This second solution gives you the benefits of an excellent Windows laptop (like this one from HP), AND an excellent keyboard.
Hopefully this will be my last update (unless I have any more issues and stuff to say about them). Please note, too, that--as far as I can tell--the HP ENVY DV6T-7200 (this laptop) is identical in every way to the new part number: HP ENVY DV6T-7300.
[UPDATE on 2/18/13]
After the Restore Disks arrived from HP, I hemmed and hawed about whether I should try to do another System Restore. It was running just fine with Windows 8 Professional dual-booting with Mint Linux 14.1. But... I didn't feel all that comfortable running the system in a "Legacy Mode." I also convinced myself that the system was marginally less stable under Legacy Mode than it was when running with the BIOS set to defaults (UEFI boot mode, etc). In any case, it's also tricky to setup Intel Rapid Start and all the other bells and whistles that otherwise come pre-configured when you do a system restore.
I decided to take the plunge this last weekend. To my surprise the HP System Restore disks executed a system restore FAR faster than the *6* system restore disks I'd burned from the factory hard drive previously. It probably took half the time to restore the system--which is significant when it's the difference between 2-3 hours and 4-6 hours.
I was more than a little bummed when near the end of the restore process it halted with the Restore Incomplete message. The only options were to retry the system restore. Ugh. Luckily, I did a search for the error message at the top of the restore log and discovered that supposedly setting the BIOS year back to 2012 would allow the system restore to complete. I was very skeptical to say the least. But I set the year in the BIOS back to 2012 and proceeded to try the system restore again. To my surprise it completed successfully! And the BIOS reverted itself to 2013 all on its own.
I've given up on dual-booting Linux with Windows 8 for now. It's probably wise to give the distros time to work out all the kinks and figure out elegant solutions to the curve balls Windows 8 is throwing.
In the meantime I'm just running Linux in a VirtualBox VM in Windows 8. Since the machine is sufficiently powerful I'm able to give it a lot of resources without impacting the performance of the Windows side. I give it 3 CPUs, 8 GB RAM, and 128 MB video RAM. Also I made sure to enable 3D-acceleration and did a Google search for how to speed up the slow performance of Ubuntu 12.10 in VirtualBox VMs. Following the directions I found I was able to get acceptable performance.
The machine is still super fast and I love it. I did end up supplementing it with a Logitech K810 Bluetooth keyboard purchased off Amazon. The keyboard is much more pleasant to use than most laptop keyboards, including the one which comes on the HP ENVY DV6T. I can actually type rapidly on it without wearing my hands out. I also use a Logitech M525 Mobile Mouse with it (even though the trackpad on the HP ENVY DV6T is probably one of the best you'll find on a Windows laptop, period.). Sometimes a mouse is just more efficient than a trackpad.
Leave a comment if you've got questions.
Nice machine, great price point. Runs auto cad without a hic up. Memory is king. The more the better, and with the Intel 7 processor its as good as it gets.
Buy HP ENVY DV6-7214nr Windows 8 HYBRID Notebook PC; 16GB RAM Upgrade Now
I ordered this laptop about a couple of weeks back and i wanted to make sure sure that it got delivered before a certain date. Amazon made sure that it was so i am thankful to the customer care executive who initiated a conf call with the seller and and ensured a speedy delivery.
Now onto the Laptop.
Pros
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1. Screen is amazing
2. CPU i dont have to say much about because its quad-core Core i7 so its pretty awesome
3. Back-Lit keyboard is great but i would have loved to have two levels of dimness; something i have had on my dell studio laptop but not a big issue
4. Placement of the ports is pretty good
5. Design also looks pretty classy
Cons
----
1. SPEAKERSSS i really have to shout on this.. all the beats audio technology is good but if you pack in average sounding speakers then i am sorry it wont help
EXTRA
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Guys Windows 8 is bad WITHOUT the start button, it indeed is. but the moment you install the windows 7 style start button from , it becomes appealing and then you dont long for windows 7 anymore.
Read Best Reviews of HP ENVY DV6-7214nr Windows 8 HYBRID Notebook PC; 16GB RAM Upgrade Here
I have owned this notebook for over six months and I have had no problems running any programs. As for windows 8, it can be a little annoying until you learn the work arounds. I could not be happier with this notebook in terms of Looks, Weight, and Features. One thing that seems trivial, but is actually really nice for people like me who always lock their computer when they leave it. Is the fingerprint scanner, instead of typing in my usual 12-15 letter password i just slide my finger across the scanner and it reads it and lets me in.
I would recommend this notebook to any Gamer, Businessman, Student, or Just An Everyday User. Overall, it's a Great Performing Notebook.
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In reading some of the reviews for HP Envy DV6-7214nr, I was struck by two things. One, the machine is awesome in computing power and screen clarity, and two, should you need fast service, HP really doesn't offer it. But, does lightning strike twice? You bet!
Within a day or so of unwrapping the box and going through the tedious process of transferring files and programs, I finally got around to giving the machine a good listen to see if I could discern how good the Beats Audio is. Not very! Well, who knows? But it doesn't do well with one channel out, that's for sure. Thinking that maybe there's a balance control hidden and slid way over to the right I tinkered around a bit to no avail. And no balance control either...
So a quick electronic contact with HP service, gets me the answer I didn't need. We'll send a box and you send it back and we'll take 7 to 9 days to figure it out and return it to you. Sorry folks. That's a simple fail! A box that new should have been picked up by them overnight, and a new machine should have been shipped as soon as the busted one was tendered to the return shipper! So now, due to scheduling issues, I can't return the box for 3 weeks as I need a working laptop for this trip.
So, gentle readers, stay tuned and we'll add to this review as we have more fun and games... Oh, and I did mention windows 8! What were they thinking!!! (06/16/13)
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After using Macs exclusively for 3 years, I switched back to Windows because of one reason: I wanted a quad core laptop (i7 specifically) and Apple has yet to make one. Furthermore, I know that when they do it will only be offered at first on the highest end of the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models and will likely cost between $1800-$2200. When this laptop went on sale for $999.99, I knew I could no longer justify staying with Apple because $999.99 just happens to be the price of their lowest end laptop. For $999.99 (PC vs Mac) you can get processor quad core vs. dual core, HD 500GB vs 250GB, Ram 4GB vs 2GB, max ram 8GB vs 4GB, LCD 13.3" vs 15.6", and internal graphics of 256MB shared vs 1GB discrete. To me this is no contest. I was able to switch my Adobe programs over to PC by calling Adobe customer service and performing a cross platform swap. I needed to update my MS Office suite anyway so I didn't mind spending $170 to get MS Office Home/Student 2007 plus Outlook 2007. I will describe my experience with the Lenovo through a Pro/Con list, and I will compare the Apple and PC experience where necessary.
