A RIBBED BOX
Although the Envy Desktop shares the same boxy shape
that PC towers have used for decades, HP has jazzed up
the exterior to help it compete with sleek ultraportable
laptops and all-in-one desktops. The Nightfall Black
chassis has rounded corners and a ribbed front, which
gives it a vaguely Sydney Opera House aesthetic (if the
Opera House were rectangular). You should still
probably hide this PC beneath your desk if possible, but
if the front shows, at least it won’t look boring.
The Envy Desktop’s front ports are located in a column
along the right edge beneath the power button and
include a headphone jack, four USB Type-A ports, a
full-sized SD card reader, and a USB Type-C port. This
cornucopia of ports won’t leave you searching for a
space to plug in external storage or charge several
handheld devices simultaneously. Too many companies
cram a token selection of ports into a tiny area on a
desktop’s front edge, and it’s nice to see that HP is
bucking the trend.
HP Envy Desktop
(TE01-014)
PROS Sleek chassis.
Solid productivity
performance from
six-core Intel Core i5
CPU. Optical drive.
Gigabit Ethernet port.
Wi-Fi. Eight USB
Type-A ports.
CONS No discrete
graphics card.
Lackluster gaming
performance. Limited
interior room for
expansion. Only one
USB Type-C port. No
Thunderbolt 3 port.
BOTTOM LINE The HP
Envy Desktop is a
proficient everyday
PC, offering excellent
productivity
performance in an
attractive chassis
with room for
expansion.