ENVY 15-jXXX / ENVY 17-jXXX Notebooks (2013)

I'm expecting my new envy any day now, now that'll be the first thing I'll look for..LOL hopefully It won't bug me too much

 

Can anyone please give me some advice on the following laptop:

HP Envy 15-J045TX

with the following specifications:

•Brand/Model: HP ENVY 15-j045TX Notebook
•Processor: 2.4Ghz Intel i7-4700MQ Processor
•Memory: 8GB DDR3 System Memory at 1,600MHz (4GB x 1)
•Disk Drive: 750GB Hard Drive (5,400RPM)
•Optical Drive: DVD-RW Drive
•Display: 15.6" diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
•Webcam: VGA Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone
•Connections/Ports: 1 HDMI, 1 headphone-out/microphone-in combo, 1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, 1 RJ45, 3 Multi-format digital media card reader for secure digital cards & multimedia cards, Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN, 802.11b/g/n WLAN
•Software: Windows 8 (64-bit)
•Warranty: 12 Months
•Graphics: 2GB Geforece 740M Graphics

I'm from outside the US, but the cost in US$ is roughly $1060.

***One of my greatest concerns is heating problems since I've had them with HP laptops before. Can anyone please advise me on heating issues with these newer ENVY 15 models?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

You can customize the quad edition with the same specs for 923 bucks. And besides the screen, it is the best laptop you can buy for that price tag.

 

received my envy j100, and so far so good. I see the flex, but it's not much. and as for the screen door effect, I see none at all. I gave it a good inspection, and see nothing

 

Then that's fantastic. It's basically my first impression as well. If you don't see it, then stop looking for it. Anyone else, let it be. congrats on ur new laptop man.

 

thanks. I noticed in my hidden icons, when I press the beats audio settings, nothing happens. we can't control audio settings?

 

Well I'm not a sound expert so I don't adjust any thing but I believe you can do that. Did you double click the icon or just single click? You can also look for it using the magnify glass in the charm bar.

 

Hey everyone. Great thread. I just ordered the following:

• Windows 8.1 Pro 64

• USB System Recovery Win 8.1 Professional 64-bit

• 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Processor (2.4GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)

• Intel® HD Graphics 4600

• 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080) Touchsmart

• 16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

• 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive

• NO mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache

• No Additional Office Software

• Security Software Trial

• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery

• No Internal DVD or CD Drive

• Backlit Keyboard

• HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ integrated digital mic

• 802.11b/g/n WLAN [1x1]

I'm mainly looking for the battery improvements. As you can see, I went with the touch, and the integrated 4600 Intel graphics. I see some of you saying you only get 4:30 hrs. I'm assuming you are using the NVIDIA and the higher powered wattage haswell. I'm coming from a portable ChromeBook Pixel (as my goto portable) which has a 14" screen that actually uses more power, and a 2nd gen Core i5 and I get 5+hrs easy at low brightness and constant wifi browsing and screen on.

Anyone here with the config I have and how much do you get closer to the 9.5 hrs stated doing normal browsing and lower screen brightness?

I think most of the issues with battery you guys have is that you selected the higher wattage haswell and the non integrated graphics and the higher powered NVIDIA. Close to 5hrs with discrete graphics isn't that bad if you ask me. My dv7t 3300 gets maybe 2.5hrs on an extended batt. lol

Thanks and Best to you all.

 

Thank you very much for the reply. Can you tell me anything about heating issues with these new 4th generation laptops please?

 

I have the i7 4800MQ which has been reported with heat issues however, under normal usage, it's super cool to the touch (that's true due to the aluminum material and it's winter here). When running intensive tasks, the fan will spin quite a bit and you can certainly hear it but generally, it just get a little warm even though my advise is if you are planning to do that or play high end games with CPU at 90% for a long time, you should get a cooling pad.
PS: i'm telling you with i7 4800MQ, 16Gb odf Ram, a medium dedicated graphics, I'm feeling like having a super high-end workstation like XPS or macbook at a much lower price (I spent $1100 on it). I have Handbrake coding a full HD 1 hr long video, playing youtube and hulu along with 20 tabs open while downloading 4 files using IDM and this thing does it like a boss.

Regarding question about battery life, every single review of this laptop has indicated the similar battery life which is not horrible i think for this laptop and its processor. Remember the Asus n550 has even slightly worse battery life than that. I do think excluding the graphics card might help a little but the thing is that i7 consumes 47W or something and with 6 cell, you can't really do much to improve it.

 

new gen 4 i7's don't have cooling fans...The cooling fan you have is not on the CPU its on the bridge or your GPU. That said a 47watt i7 doesn't suck battery, it wasn't built like that - the MacBook Air goes 10hrs @13". What sucks battery is adding a 33 watt NVIDIA 740M which can eat 33 watts. Most people are better off with just using the i7 built in 4600 graphics as it is part of the "47 watt" design. 47 watts is not what it is though and depends on the chip you selected - they range from 35-52. A 740M is 33 on it's own max so you are adding all of that to your haswell and screwing your battery life. With discrete you are basically adding a second processor and dooming your battery.

 

Anyone know whats up with the missing drivers for the 15t-j100 from HP's support site?

 

I just received the same configuration but with 8 gb ram and with the 1 tb hybrid drive and mSSD hardrive cache. If you really wanted to maximize your battery life you should've went with the hybrid drive, it's faster and makes your battery last longer, while a full SSD is the fastest and saves the most power. But, the battery life on my computer with this config is a little over 4 hours. There's no way to get over 9 hours on this computer, if you had got the 768p display and the hybrid drive, it might be possible for you to get 5 hours. HP knows the laptop's battery doesn't last long, that's why they offer an extra battery for $40 when it's really $120, they just started offering that about a month ago. I urge everyone to buy the extra battery.

 

Ugh, that is disappointing. I might return this then, I really need the 5+hrs. I do plan on swapping the HDD with a SSD day 1 though. I will let you all know when I get it. Less than 5hrs on a Haswell isn't going to cut it for me. Any other suggestions?

 

There's the Dell Inspiron 7000, it's pretty close to this one and the 1080p screen is actually IPS, people are also reporting 8-9 hours battery life. That was one of my options, but I opted for the Envy because it has a better processor and I didn't like the keyboard on the Dell. However, the Dell is much thinner, and has an option for dedicated graphics and and a 256 SSD. But people have been reporting numerous problems with the laptop, ranging from dead pixels on the screen, to random shutdown, and this one guy even said his touchscreen was touching itself (seriously it's on YouTube!)

 

Uhm if you need something as powerful with long battery life, the only option is xps 15 and rMBP but they are much more expensive. I happen to own an inspiron 7537 right now (with just i7 no graphics card) and I am telling you It is very well built with an amazing screen even better than my ipad retina (don't you dare compare the envy and the dell. Hehe) The screen looks kindda dark due to its high black level and saturation which always creates a darker tone to it. However, I constantly find myself using the dell with really low brightness bit still see everything just fine which will help battery life a bit. Also, when mentioning battery life, people usually imply that it is from 100% to 0% which you should not use often on your lap. I tested yesterday and i got 6:30hrs from 100% to 20% which is really impressive for me (people actually get almost 10hrs if you run the battery to 0% but still good. I am trying to figure out how to lengthen it a little more) My unit doesn't have those issues that you mentioned (well mostly because I installed all the drivers that people said in the forum instead of doing them on my own) the only issue I am having is quite poor wifi signal if you are far from the router (the envy has excellent wifi signal). On paper, the dell is .2 in thinner but that's really not how it actually feels. Dell is much heavier and thicker overall whereas the envy is super thin in the front. But i prefer The design on the dell more simply because it looks really macbook pro like.

 

my goodness, just looked at the specs of the new XPS 15 and it is amazing!! The only problem is that it's so expensive. After applying coupon codes, the XPS is almost exactly twice the price of the Envy 15t-j100. I'd rather get a refurbished Macbook Pro Retina.

 

any tips on how to keep the envy clean? like where your palms rest. damp cloth? I think I may also look for a keyboard skin

 

Has the new HP Envy 15t-j100's changed anything form the j1000's in regards to the keyboard flex?

That is, in my opinion, the only thing that is truly stopping me from buying the laptop (or even buying just to try the laptop out). I need a solid keyboard to program on, and the flexing would drive me crazy...

 

I only use a gas duster and screen wipes.
As for keyboard flex, yes there's still some but better than the old j000.

 

Can anyone confirm if there is a difference between touch and non-touch as far a screen quality? I recently ordered my 15t-j100 in the non-touch version, and I am wonder what the screen will be like. I was in Best-Buy earlier and compared several of the HP Envy laptops they had (all TouchSmart). I was unimpressed with almost all of them and kept eyeing the Asus with the IPS panel until I came across a certain model that had a great panel basically on par with the ASUS. It was the m7-j020dx. It's still touch screen, and their website says it has an anti-glare finish. Is there a possibility that there is a 15 inch version with that panel?

 

can any anti-glare screen protector fixes the screen issues or even improves it , has anyone tried ??

 

Hey Guys
I have the Envy 15 J000 - Quad
I have a few issues.
My screen has imprinted scratches of the keyboard and also there are some white spots on the screen. Is there a fix for this? The white spots are unseen with gaming and dark colors but in lighter colors it is very visible.

 

As a soon-to-be ex-owner of the envy 15 j100, I have to say that after a few days using the Dell 7537, I now noticed the screen door effect completely now and it is bloody damn awful. So yeah, there could be good TN panel (Dell 7737 for example), the screen on the Envy is just not worth mentioning when compared to an IPS. If you feel happy with you Envy, good for you. You got a great deal. For someone looking to buy this product line, unless you can't find anything else better (finance wise and power wise), please go with an IPS.
As for those concerns above about the non touch and touch, anti-glare, screen scratched, I haven't been through any of these so I can't really give you an answer.

 

could there be a difference between the j100 touch and the non touch? my non touch has no screen door effect at all. it's a shame you have to return it

 

@neveroffline: You really shouldn't state something that is false: The Haswell Family i's all have heatsinks, heatpipes, which are indeed connected to the lone fan. Don't know where you got your info: 'new gen 4 i7's don't have cooling fans...'

As per NoteBookCheck:

The advantages of the Haswell architecture and the optionally usable Nvidia graphics are seen in low load. The Envy 17 only consumes 14.6 watts even with maximum screen brightness. This is quite a good rate for a 17.3-inch device. It is even only 7.9 watts with minimum screen brightness and 0.6 watts in standby.
The power consumption climbs up to 69.7 watts during pure CPU load. Haswell is not known for working economically during load. However, the power consumption drops by over 10 watts when throttling occurs or the Turbo is not maxed out due to the system's temperature.
And the fan screamed like a BANSHEE! :laugh:

 

I received my 15t-j100 nontouch a few days ago and the screen door effect on the display is quite noticeable for me and is really the only thing that is keeping me from loving this laptop.

Does anyone with the touch version of this laptop see any type of screen door effect on their touch version?

 

Mine is supposed to ship on Dec 2 - will let you know when I receive it.

 

I tried the touch 15t-j100 at the Microsoft store, and yes the screen door effect is noticeable even at a distance. The worst among all other laptops at the store. I really have no clue what HP did because none of my old HP's had this problem. You guys should return the laptop and write complaints to HP, because it really strains your eyes.

 

Hey guys, I have a j100 with the full HD screen, and I can't see any screen door effect here. I've looked really close (and far) and I got none.
Overall, it's actually a really nice laptop (in my opinion). It has tons of power, and pretty good battery life.
I got the i7-4702mq with the 750m (the i7 is "overclocked" by .2 ghz and undervolted by 75mv) and I can get about 5 hours easily with a good amount of wifi internet browsing and the like.

 

Interesting. Can you check what display panel you have using HwInfo64 or something like that?

 

I got the AUO32ED.

 

Mine gets here next week (was a delay in production). I will test the config on battery, if I can get 6.5+ hrs I will probably keep it - otherwise I will return it. I went with the built in HD graphics to avoid the extra power draw. I did look at the Dell 7537, and it has the lower power draw, but not quite the power I need out of a laptop processor.

Has anyone tested the 15t-j100 yet with the HD 4600 on low brightness and screen on w web browsing (1920x1080 HD)? At least with HP's, aftermarket batts are common, so I'm sure we can expect a bigger battery that fits this line of envys within 6 months.

 

Mine should be shipped on December 6th, Here is what I ordered. Please tell me if I should cancel this order now due to the screen issues.
Your customized HP ENVY 15t-j100 Select Edition Notebook PC (ENERGY STAR) includes:
• Windows 8.1 64
• 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7-4702MQ Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M Graphics with 4096MB of dedicated video memory
• 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 750GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 24GB flash Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
• No Additional Office Software
• Security Software Trial
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• No Internal DVD or CD Drive
• Backlit Keyboard
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ integrated digital mic
• 802.11b/g/n 2x2 WLAN and Bluetooth® [2x2]

 

I have a really similar spec, (full hd too) and I find it perfectly fine.
All in all I'm really satisfied with it (esp with the price), and the performance is really good too.
Little suggestion though, if install Intel XTU on it, you can raise the turbo clock on it by .2 gHz, and undervolt it. You'll get more performance, run cooler, and use less battery.
I'm thinking of putting a new wifi card in here (Intel 7260 AC) and was wondering if anyone can confirm that it works. I hear that some other laptops blacklist other wifi cards but I don't know about this one.

 

I just checked my display panel model and also have the AUO32ED, I definitely have the screen door issue with mine. Looks like its mixed bag of what you will get.

 

how can you tell which display panel model you have?

 

Wow, good luck trying to cancel an HP order. What a crazy nightmare and it will probably still ship. I will obviously have to use the RMA process, I hope it doesn't suck as well. Never ordering another HP.

 

To figure out your screen model number, HWiNFO64 is excellent. Run the portable x64 version, click X on the CPU screen that first pops up, then click on the plus sign next to monitor, then click on the panel.

I have actually had a positive experience returning my HP. Just asked, they gave me a shipping label, and I sent it right back. Super easy.

Based on my research, I believe the screen door effect isn't the kind of thing that is a defect or would be different between different units of the same panel. If you have the AUO32ED, it has the screen door effect. I think just some people don't see it, depending on the particulars of your vision. I have a friend who absolutely could not see it on mine, no matter how close he got to the screen, whereas to me it was as clear as day. Lots of people also don't see it until it's pointed out (and then they can't unsee it). So I think it's less about it being a mixed bag of what laptop you get, and more about it being a mixed bag of what vision you get. . I could be wrong though. DoctorT, can you take a macro shot of your screen? Or even just a close up regular shot of the screen?

 

@kevin645:

Sounds like yours wasn't properly packed for shipping; you should have contacted HP and had it replaced immediately. You still should contact them. A damaged screen was never in the deal, eh?

 

I have the touch screen. I ran the HWinfo64 and my screen shows up as AU0219D Being manufactured in 2011. I have tried to look hard for the screen door effect, but like ZWolf said some people just dont see it. Maybe I just dont have it. Being that my screen is a few years old maybe they fixed it. I dont know. I am pleased and that is what really matters.

 

I used HwInfo64

 

when did you order it ??

 

i placed the order on the 1st of November. I go the laptop on the 11-22-13

 

is it the 17 inch or the 15 inch ??

 

HP ENVY TouchSmart 17t-j100 Quad Edition ,

What are you thinking?

 

It makes sense that the 17 incher has a different panel, and it may just be that the AUO219D (17 inch) doesn't have the screen door effect and the AUO32ED (15 inch) does. However, a quick Google search shows that some people with the AUO219D do see the screen door effect (e.g. http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...18849-asus-g750-officially-announced-143.html).

 

i thought they changed the panels on models after a specific date.

 

I did see that on google as well, but like I said I think the screen looks fine. I even asked other people what they thought of the screen.

 

I am not sure.