HP Envy 14 and 17: Design and performance of portable

HP assumes its high-end machines in 14.5 and 17.3 inches, with Intel Core and Core i7 i5: seriousness.

After the 13-1050ef Envy and Envy 15-1130ef, HP is back and announces Envy and Envy 14-17-1010ef 1050ef. These laptops with screens respectively 14.5 and 17.3 inches, benefiting - according to the manufacturer - the meticulous finish of seniors. When testing the Envy 15-1130ef we could raise some faults of taste for a machine of this caliber. The question is whether some improvements have been made.

The Envy 14-1010ef to pay the versatility of the Core i5

Willing to pay 1,000 euros (999 actually) for a 14.5 inch laptop, you may still require a minimum of comfort. And if HP takes care of us the number of USB ports in the machine or the sensor resolution of the webcam, the key is indicated.

So we know that the Envy 14 has an Intel Core i5-450M (2.4 GHz), 4GB of RAM (2 x 2GB DDR3), a 500GB hard drive (7 200 rpm), a reader / DVD burner, network connections, Wi-Fi 802.11n and Gigabit Ethernet and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD5650 with 1GB of dedicated video memory. Here is a map that should not be reluctant to run some good games in the native resolution of the screen: 1366 x 768 pixels. Little bonus for night workers and casual gamers, this keyboard is backlit Envy 14. Conversely, a point that we consider regrettable: the media player is only compatible with SD / MMC (no Memory Stick).

The power of a Core i7 for the Envy 17-1050ef

To acquire the Envy in its 17.3 inches, it must still pay 500 euros more. For this price, the manufacturer suggests, of course most powerful components: Intel Core i7-720QM, 6 GB of RAM (1 x 1 x 2 GB and 4 GB of DDR3), 640GB of storage (2 x 320 GB 7200 rpm), an ATI Mobility Radeon HD5850 (1 GB dedicated) and ancillary equipment similar to those of 14 inches (No Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, webcam, etc..).

More efficient but also more comfortable, this notebook is equipped with a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) required to enjoy the quality of its Blu-ray player available here by the integrated machine. The error of the Envy 14 is repaired on the large size (3.4 kg and dimensions of 41.6 x 27.5 x 3.9 cm) because the memory card reader supports SD but also MemoryStick , Memory Stick Pro and xD-Picture Card. Finally, HP includes the Envy 17 a six-cell battery while the Envy 14 has an eight-cell battery. No autonomy is given.

Both machines are already available in Windows 7 Home Edition 64-bit.