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I have almost this exact same set-up, except I have the i7-4900MQ, and the other difference is mine came with only the 1TB 54000 RPM Hard Drive. I added a 256GB mSATA SSD. But everything else is the same, so my system is:
HP ENVY 15t-j000 Quad TouchSmart
* Windows 8 Pro 64
* 4th generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4900MQ Processor
* NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M Graphics with 2048MB of dedicated video memory
* 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
* 16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
* 256GB mSSD (mSATA)
* 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
* Backlit Keyboard
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ integrated digital mic
* 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
The very first thing I did when receiving this was removing the back panel and installing the 256GB mSSD in the mSATA slot. You will need a M2.0x3mm screw since there is none supplied.
Next, I installed the battery and plugged in the power, and hooked up a usb DVD drive so I could install a fresh install of Windows 8 Professional 64-bit onto the mSSD. This is to not only cut boot times by 2/3rds but also to have a bloatware free OS and have the 1TB drive as a storage drive.
You want to enter your BIOS settings right away when you turn on the laptop and enable legacy boot, make sure the usb/external drive is first, and disable secure boot.
I was able to find all of the drivers needed from HP you will need to locate the fingerprint scanner software manually through HP.
With this set-up, my laptop boots from completely off to log on screen in 5 seconds.
So let me get down to the review of the actual laptop.
QUALITY: 5/5
This is a very solid, well built machine. Unlike some HP laptops I have encountered in the past, it looks like HP is really focusing on delivering a quality device. Because of this, I would not call this laptop lightweight, but at the same time it is not heavy. Solid is just the word that comes to my mind to describe it. It is also very thin and sleek looking, and the full keyboard and numpad exhibits very little flex, and all keys feel like they have some weight behind them. The trackpad is also quite nice. The only thing I found disturbing is that the power connection into the laptop is of the loose type, which means that much force is not needed to remove it it really can just slide out easily. I do wish there was some sort of groove to keep it completely in at all times, but I only found the cable popping halfway loose a few times so far.
DESIGN: 4/5
My biggest complaint is the use of a TN panel instead of an IPS panel. While the TN panel is bright, clear, and looks great on the Touchsmart version since it is glossy and has a nice glass bezel, the viewing angles are absolutely terrible. Since this is a laptop, this is not that big of a deal since you can tilt your display, however, you can only tilt the display back a short distance, as the design does not allow the screen to move back more than 120 degrees (estimate) from open. Another small complaint I have is that the F keys (F1, F2, etc) are not defaulted to F1, F2,and so on. They are defaulted to laptop specific functions like brightness, volume control, what have you. This is great for when you are just cruising around Windows 8, but if you are in a program or game that uses these buttons, you have to hold down the FN function. This is really hard to do while gaming. There might be an option to change this, but I have not looked in to it too much yet.
Other than those two issues, everything is laid out and works nicely. It is also a very quiet laptop, but then again I am also using the mSSD as the main OS drive.
GAMING: 4/5
If you are looking at this model, you most likely are looking to play games on it, or maybe use graphically intense software. The 740m is much more poweful than the integrated graphics, however, it is not that strong. On an old game like Mass Effect 1 with all settings high and resolution of 1080p, while it looked beautiful and the frame-rate seemed playable, there were times where there would be heavy freezing and lag. I think this laptop could play all older games at almost high settings and current games at medium at best. Another drawback is that the laptop gets pretty hot while using the 740m for a while not that long of a while though since battery life goes down quite a bit when using the dedicated card. But since I knew all of this beforehand and was getting this laptop for software development, being able to play some games was just an added bonus.
BATTERY LIFE: 5/5
These Haswell processors seem to use much less power, as I can go about 4-5 hours heavy use on a charge. Just checking emails/web browsing and keeping the screen brightness down, and turning off the keyboard backlight and some other non-essential things you can get 6-7. There is no way that I can see someone getting 9 hours as stated, at least not with the 4900MQ and 740M.
Overall, if you can get a good deal on this laptop, you have to jump. For the price I paid, there is no other company offering this blend of mobile power, solid build, and great design that you can find in this laptop.
EDIT 7/24/13
I forgot to mention, that the screen, since it is touch screen and with Windows 8, once you get the hang of it, you will be using your fingers for almost everything in the OS, is a huge fingerprint magnet. IF you are looking at something dark or gaming or watching a movie, you will see hundreds of finger smudges. This is to be expected, so just remember to pick up a screen wipe or something.
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This is not a bad laptop. Fast, nice screen with decent contrast.However, it came with the support partition defective and the first time I started it, it told me no boot disk available. After another restart it suddenly worked, but once in a while I still get the "no boot disk" error.
After 2 weeks of usage, the laptop touchscreen now started going crazy. I registers touches all the time if no one touches the screen. The cursor keeps jumping to the right end of the screen constantly. Makes it useless and it needs to go in for repair.
Another issue I have is that the screen cannot be opened far enough, so it is hard to use when you stand in front of it. The keyboard is fairly soft and flexing.
Best Deals for HP ENVY TouchSmart 15t-j000 Quad Edition Notebook PC (Silver);
This laptop is fast! I really like how quickly it can boot, or wake up from sleeping, and the finger print security is neat. I'm still getting used to Windows 8, but I'm starting to figure out how to work around it.Honest reviews on HP ENVY TouchSmart 15t-j000 Quad Edition Notebook PC (Silver);
This machine is fast, works well as a laptop or when running my monitor as a desktop replacement.When there was a problem with the solid state drive caused, as we eventually realized, by a program I added, those who assembled and shipped it responded quickly, helpfully, replaced the drive and offered full support in replacing it. It has worked perfectly ever since. I would not hesitate buying any product they put together or recommend. ted
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP ENVY TouchSmart 15t-j000 Quad Edition Notebook PC (Silver);
I bought this laptop because the great specs and the arguably low price. I'm using it mainly for software development and casual gaming.Regarding performance, it's perfect, everything as I expected.
The sound quality it's over my expectations. It's much better than any other laptop I have used.
From my point of view, the two most important things a customer should know before buying this item are:
1. The keyboard has some flex, and in general the material of the external components appears not to be the best. This is OK for me given the price.
2. Because it has two graphic cards using nvidia optimus technology, and the nvidia card it's relatively new, it's very difficult to make Ubuntu work on it. The only solution I found was using Ubuntu 13.10 *alpha*, which it's the first with initial support for nvidia optimus via the nvidia-prime package. Needless to say that using an alpha OS it's not recommended given that it's still in early development and will have many bugs. Anyway, in my case the only annoying bug I'm having is [1].
In summary. The laptop it's great, it is what I expected except for the Ubuntu experience, which is technically not HP fault.
1. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-prime/+bug/1220426
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