ENVY 17-32XX Intel Ivy Bridge (AMD 7850M)

I see. When do you expect this revision to come out, then?

 

when haswell is released at the earliest. so around april. we will hear more about it in the months before the release.

 

I see. April is a bit too far away for me to wait I think. Do you think there's a possibility of them releasing a revision sometime this holiday season, with better GPU and larger/cheaper SSD options?

The GPU and SSD price/capacity are my only two qualms with this system as it is.

 

for gpu, there is no chance (or very very very slight) that there will be a revision cause the next gen gpus come out next year. for ssd, I doubt it will get cheaper, it might get larger. its a good idea just to buy an aftermarket ssd and install it yourself.

The only thing that might come with this model is a 35% off coupon. i remember the previous one got it once and it was around a holiday.

if you need a laptop right now, I would wait for the 30-33% off coupon and buy my envy then.

 

That's DDR3-1333 RAM and yes, that comes in CL9 as the default timing for it. DDR3-1600 comes as CL11 as its default timing. Since I had DDR3-1600 in here already and knew the laptop could take 16GB @ DDR3-1600, I went with the CL11 G.Skill 16GB kit.

So, no, you're not crazy in this aspect.

I had two bad sets of it, though others haven't. Make sure you test it at least 8 hours, if not 24 hours, with MemTest x86+.

I didn't realize I had made it to the point where I needed to be "taken down a peg".

For CL10 DDR3-1600 RAM, there's no reason it wouldn't work. After having two bad Corsair sets, I went back to CL11 as everything I had seen about the difference with CL10 vs CL11 were so small, it wasn't worth worrying about long-term. I never worry about using NewEgg's memory configuration as it's not always correct.

Of course, as you said, as long as it passes MemTest x86+, you're good.

30% off deal is about as good as it gets unless you want to wait it out for a 33% off coupon, which might be a month or more. On a $2000 system, you're looking at $60 difference between 30% and 33%, less on a cheaper system. I waited out about 2-3 weeks for a 33% off coupon back in earlier July and there has been one other occurrence of it since then.

We're not going to get anything major between now and late 2013/early 2014. Some CPU changes such as 3740 (2.7GHz) in place of 3720 (2.6GHz) and the like. Nothing more than that, I'd wager.

I think you're right about the model number changes. Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge is a minor refresh compared to Ivy Bridge to Haswell, which is why we went with 3000 -> 3200 instead of 3000 -> 4000.

Next-gen ones with Haswell will probably be 4000 model brand numbers.

 

I didn't realize I had made it to the point where I needed to be "taken down a peg".

I don't know if there is a point.....but I really do appreciate your input.
I have noticed that some people enjoying pointing out mistakes or statements that others make to make them feel bad or to make themselves feel superior.

I am just trying to not ever give that impression......because that is in NO WAY in my thought process!!!!

 

Well, tomorrow is the day!

My replacement Sandisk Extreme SSD will be here. I have a brand new set of recovery disks sent by HP. I also have an ISO image of Windows 7 Home Premium.

Tomorrow, I'm adding the SSD by itself and installing either

1) Windows 7 as a clean install OR
2) Use the new recovery disks to complete the installation.

I'm thinking I'll try the new disks first. If that has issues, I'll do a clean install.

One question I have. I've been reading about having to enable AHCI in the system bios instead of IDE. Do I still need to do this? It seems to me that this wouldn't be an issue with either a clean install or the recovery disks.

I'm hoping this goes well tomorrow.

Multiple instructions I have read say to set the SATA controller to AHCI in the BIOS. I don't have this option in the Envy's BIOS settings. The BIOS version is F.07.

Wonder if I should update the BIOS through the HP utility.

Anyone change this setting? If so, where?

Just saw there is an AHCI Controller driver installed. I should be ok.

 

You are correct. If your system says it is using the AHCI driver then you have AHCI enabled. It appears to be enabled by default in HP's BIOSes and there is no way to change it.

 

Thanks for the reply. It reads as:

Intel(R) 7 Series Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller

Looks like I'm in good shape in that department. (Thanks again!)

 

BIOS UPDATE

Released: 2012-08-31
Version: F.08

Fix/Enhancement: - Fixes an intermittent issue where the system functions slower than expected when CoolSense technology is running.

 

HP Envy 17 with AMD Radeon HD 7850m Overclocked Spec Ops The Line - YouTube
Here's a video of Spec Ops The Line on Medium Settings. The AMD 7850m Card was overclocked and I was getting a smooth 35-45FPS. These numbers might not sound all that good but Gameplay was very fluid... Hope you enjoy...

 

I will get this! Installed the SSD and I'm using the HP provided restore disks now. Here we go again...

 

I love gSkill, its all I buy now. I run it in everything I own now.

 

Installed the SSD, swapped out the original 750GB drive to the other bay after the restore completed. All is fine!

I'm thinking it was the disks I made the first time around. The ones sent by HP did the trick nicely!

Booting into Windows, I'm getting a 7.9 rating in WEI for the new drive! Boot time is ridiculous!

Thanks again for all who helped me (even if you just provided moral support! lol).

Now, to upgrade my RAM and get that BIOS update....

 

16GB DDR3-1600 kits are $74 - $95 on NewEgg right now, so that's where I'd go to pick up some RAM. Whatever you get, test the heck out of it with MemTest x86+ for at least 8 hours. It's where I picked up my 16GB G.Skill CL11 kit that has been working fantastically.

 

Hi, a quick question, does anyone here know what the coverage is of the sRGB color space with regards to the display panel in the non-3D version of the Envy 17?

thanks!

 

Do you mean I can trade off my current envy for the next iteration when it comes out?

 

no i mean like the qc issues are widespread enough that hp doesnt give u a hardtime to get a replacement or a refund. thus u can create a chain of exchanges that extend ur waiting time to c if anything comes out

 

This may sound strange but could someone with the 3200 NON-3D model post their PCID and SB CT#?

I’m working on reenableing VT-x and iTPM/AMT, if I could bring back the IGPU so WIDI and QuickSync works at the same time I would be ecstatic.

First week is up if I can’t get this fixed next week I’ll be getting a return on it. Extremely annoyed with HP’s lack of documentations that they block CPU features on an upgraded CPU they charge $75 more then their competition.

Note: VT-x and AMT are features included on the 8M I7s, HWinfo sees them as expected but the bios has them locked off. I spent the extra 400 on the upgrades CPU so I could install VSphere but it won’t go due to the missing VT-x / SOL.

 

Never mind. Got the SOL VT-x enabled Just need to figure out how to get \\HP_tools\brand12\boot64.efi to load and install the mebx.

 

Aha, got your point. Thanks, Paki! Just repped you

+

There is something that irks me a lot. When I plug in my headphones, the sound (sometimes) goes randomly through the external speakers instead. Does anyone experience this? Is it a software or hardware problem?

 

thats a problem with the beats... i just randomly mess around with the control panel and/or restart comp and stuff it goes away. it only happens like once a month for me tho

 

Here's a video of CS:GO running on the Envy 17 with the 7850m.

It was consistent with teh FPS from 30-55ish even with fraps. Very smooth gameplay

 

Anybody try Borderlands 2 on this bad boy? Also, google the PhysX hack for AMD cards - allows PhysX to be turned on (hi, med or low via the .ini file I think). How's performance on that?

 

I cannot change the brightness on my brand new hp envy 17t-3200 cto 3d edition notebook using the brightness keys (coupled with f2 and f3) or using mobility center (the option to change brightness does not appear there). Out of the box my laptop was not able to change brightness as well (so that rules out a system restore).

I have tried installing hp drivers (intel chipset, bios, graphics) from both hp and intel websites with no effect.

The only thing that happens when I press the brightness buttons is a sun appears with an indicator suggesting my brightness is turned down to the lowest/highest setting (even though my laptop is always at the brightest setting) and no change in brightness occurs.

What else can I try and do to fix this?

 

Use only the HP AMD V card drivers (AMD's don't work) AMD's generic driver does not trip the Super IO to change 3D /2D correctly.

Make sure the HP Intel chipset is installed (it installs a non-standard ME driver labeled as something else).

Update BIOS.

Try the system restore anyway.

NOTE: If you're a pirate do not use a virus infected generic OA2.1 DVD. The PCID is your best friend. The HP purchased restore DVDs are option and OS flavor (hp, pro, u) independent.

Do not install R/W EVERYTHING, it blocks and crupts the super IO op code. Clean restore and reflash the BIOS if you did install it.

RTV: The SUPER IO/TPM is bad or missing it op. code. (The LCD is stuck in 3d mode).


Quick question to the group does the F5 go off with the rest of the keyboard? Mine actually got brighter and now its burned out.

 

its supposed to get brighter it stays on to indicate where the button is so u can turn it on in the dark . and its uncommon for the bulb to burn out already. u should contact hp and get them to replace it i think it is covered under standard waranty

 

hi everyone,

I've been looking at 17" laptops for quite a while and pretty much settled for this over the samsung 700z7c. I am not based in the US and the local HP office has confirmed they do not bring in the 17" of the HP envy series and cannot fully support the servicing.

Which means, while the warranty does apply, if the repair job requires parts unique to the envy 17, they will have to ship it in at my costs. So I can't buy the laptop, ship it half way around the world to me only to realise it has some problems and send it back to the US for a refund.

Re: AMD enduro
I will be plugging the laptop to an AC outlet because when I head to the library to use my laptop, I intend to stay there for quite sometime so battery life is not going to matter too much.

What's the real issue with enduro? it cant switch between the int. graphics and discrete graphics card? I thought it was only an issue with the 3D version.

overheating/heat issues I wont be running CPU intensive programs and I can probably use the dual core instead of the i7 quad core. If I choose the i7-3610, does it still run hot and noisy despite having individual HSFs for the cpu and gpu?

Does it sound like a leafblower even under normal use like playing
youtube videos, basic web surfing?

is it possible to downclock the cpu and gpu and control fan speed?

slot loading optical drive 1 of the reasons why i chose this over samsung is that some complained about the noisy slot load drive. is it the same for the envy 17t 3200?

anyway, here's the template to reflect my requirements for a laptop.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply,

I didn't pirate/re-install the OS on my machine, I used the OS that it came out of the package with.

I have re-installed the intel chipset driver, amd graphics driver, and bios from the following site (using the page matching my model):

Software & Driver Downloads HP ENVY 17t-3200 CTO 3D Edition Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (Canada - English)

Is this graphics driver the wrong one?
If so do you know where I can find the correct HP AMD V card driver?

Also, my laptop doesn't seem to have any trouble swapping from 3d/2d, as I have played several 3d compatible games in both 3d and 2d. But I could be wrong.... Is there any way I can test this?

Another system restore is a last resort for me at this point, since I am now into my school term I don't think it I will have enough time to re-install software. If, by January I still cannot find a solution, I will resort to that.

 

hey guys, enjoying my Envy so far, gaming and photoshop work. However today my wireless has become unstable, it will connect and then drop. I have 3 other computers and 2 Hp touchpads connected wirelessly without issues except the Envy. Wondering anyone of you had encountered the same issue and if you did how you fixed it. I already did start stopping the router, the wifi button on the Envy, actually talking to HP support now but don't think has found a solution yet, drivers are up to date etc. Thanks in advance.

 

have u updated with the intel driver?

 

Hi envy owners,
Is the screen that is used on the Envy 17 non-3d Version the same quality as the 3D version? Does it have the same brightness, color gamut, and general awesome of the 3D screen?
I would really appreciate the help! thanks all!

 

From what I understand the the only difference is the 3D screen is 120hz and the 2D screen is 60hz...

 

any help on my questions pls...

 

another question, how many parts do the envy 17 and envy 15 share? if they pretty much share parts like the slot loading drive then it will great as the local HP centre didn't bring in the envy 17 so replacement parts will cost me...

 

I see three questions in Bold Print.

First, The only Enduro issue I'm aware of is that the card isn't utilizing the AMD 7850m card all the way. Again this is from other users not me. For me the card has been great and I have not had any problems with switching cards. It switches instantly (No Screen Flashing). I have many videos on YouTube showcasing the card in action and I have never had a problem. Again I'm just one user...

Second, The battery life on the Envy is around 4HR max for me. Other users have claim up to 5-6HRS. Again I'm just one user...

Third, The Envy for me has no overheating problems. In fact this Envy probably has the best cooling from any HP laptop. Temps while gaming for me are in the 70s and temps while doing normal everyday things are in the 40s. The fans do get real loud while playing games but I always have on headphones so it doesn't really bother me.

Fourth, The Blu-Ray drive only makes a sound whenever you boot up the laptop or when it wakes up from sleep. Then it goes silent.

Again I'm only one user describing my experiences with this laptop. I love this laptop and I have no regrets on buying it... I hope this info helps you on your next purchase...

 

1) idk if the enduro applies to our cards.. i have been getting 99% util but that also is with me having it OCed...

2) im getting 4-6 depending on factors. i got 5 with wifi on, lowest brightness, backlit off, prox on, just using google doc to take notes. I think 6 is possible taking notes in word with everything off.

3) i get the same performance wise. highest i ever got was 75 in a hot room (23C I think), no cooler, on a cardboard box, max OC at 740/1125.

4) my diskdrive in envy does make a sound when resuming from standby, starting up, or resuming from hibernate but it is silent after. look at my video to hear the noise (its on youtube under envy 15 ivy bridge 7750m)

 

Those are the right drivers, and should work. Have you tried the HP support assistant? See if you’re missing a driver or two.

Right click on you desktop select Screen resolution --> advanced settings --> monitor. Try changing the refresh to 60Hzs.

Ether you have something blocking the control software, missing the control software, or the system is defective. If it worked when you bought it I would guess its one of the first two.

HP states the 2D is a Radiance LED back lit display and therefore should be better then the 3D. The 3D comes with a washed out (in 120Hz) cold cathode LG display that is so bright it fry’s your eyes. Also the 3D shadowing is so bad even movies like Avatar gets them. If the R17 wasn’t $1500 (with discounts) more then what I paid for the 3D and to return the 3D just to buy the 2D is loss equation I would return it. In 60Hz the LG has a very good color gamut and isn’t as washed out.

@ supercharged

The 3200 has no switching hardware; on the 3D the LCD is hardwire to the dGPU, on the 2D the LCD is hardwired to the iGPU this is the reason the AMD surround view doesn’t’ work right on the 2D and WiDi doesn’t work right on the 3D. Even if the 7850 renders more then 75FPS do to limits in the Intel frame buffer, Enduro can only port 75 to the LCD frame buffer. Only 3D user need more then 75 FPS as the human eye could only detect about 55 at the most responsive and most people can only see 20-25.

I have the 3820 which unlocked and I set the float to 60 watts (XTU 3.0) I haven’t OC the V card yet but the hottest the system (VC) has got is 72C the CPU rarely goes over 60C. So considering the design tolerances (95, 105) overheat isn’t that mush of an issue.

Even at max temp the fans aren’t that loud, about equal to a mid end desktop CPU HSF. You do not hear them over game sound effects. They are quieter put together then one WD Raptor.

Noise ODDs affect any system with S4 support. Mine makes the buzz-wwerr sound at wake up and all spinning disk will make noise some disks are worse then others. It HATES Verbatim DVD-R media and tries to commit suicide if you use Verbatim (it acts like an Xbox 360 and slams the laser into the disk). Watching a movie the drive noise is only noticeable if you pause the movie long enough for the BD to spin down, it make a lot of noise waking up but once play back resumes it’s quite again. It is tough enough to have survived multiple suicide attempts (which beats the Xbox’s one suicide attempt per drive death).

 

hmm, on 2D there is no switching hardware??? there is a dedicated gpu and integrated GPU.

 

I see. I read from either this thread (i'm only 140 pages into this 248 page thread) or the other thread, something about the new bios update locks the gpu selection to dedicated gpu only.

anyway, while the amd gpu can be downclocked/overclocked via CCC, what about the CPU? I am using a thinkpad and it allows for power state controls and vcore. basically where I can fine tune how much vcore it gets at which multiplier in battery and AC mode.

I dont intend to game so i am willing to downclock dedicated gpu and/or cpu.

Any inputs on common parts between the envy 17 and 15?

 

My monitor's screen refresh rate was already at 60Hzs so I suppose it goes between 3d/2d mode fine.

I have been using the HP support assistant to update recommended drivers, but there have been no more updates available after I ran the first small bunch when I first got my laptop.

As far as I can remember I had the problem right when it came out of the box, but I didn't think much of it, so there is a small chance it could have happened after a driver update that ran on the first day. If that means it comes down to a system restore then I guess I will have to figure out when I can do that.


However, I have read on previous HP Envy 17 owner's manual forums (3XXX) of solutions involving installing older versions of Intel/HP/AMD drivers to get the brightness control working.

"Brightness problem fixed!! Thanks for all people that helped me.
Here is a solution.
1. Uninstalled Ati drivers (and Intel if you have them), uninstall Hp on screen.
2. Reboot!!
3. Instal OLDER (9.2.0.1201) Intel Chipset drivers
4. Reboot optional ( I rebooted)
5. Install OLDER ati driver (from hp support page, 2000 version)
6. After reboot brightness is working.

Will now try to install newer drivers from ati and intel."

I have re-installed HP on screen, and some older versions of the chipset (not that particular one, though I will probably look for that next). I do not know what the ATI driver is though.


After coming out of sleep my laptop's screen brightness is turned to the lowest (it looks like) and then after rebooting it goes back to max brightness. This makes me believe that it is an issue that is possible to fix, just very difficult/obscure.

Again, any ideas are greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

Well, we got confirmation today from HP. Eyefinity is not supported by the current hardware so there's no way for them to fix it. My friend at work sent his laptop in 3 weeks ago for them to specifically test this feature. They called him today to inform him of the bad news and that an internal memo has been circulated regarding this mishap. They offered him a full refund or will work with him to get something else. This call came from the top tier of the Envy support line. The rep gave my friend her direct line so this really is the final word on this issue.

I will be calling HP tonight to get a refund and build a desktop instead. The only other laptop worth considering is the Alienware M17x, but it's twice as expensive. As much as I like the Envy 17, Eyefinity is something I did get the laptop for. That's a back breaking feature and I'd rather not just live with it for $1300 considering I can build a beastly computer at that price.

I'll let you guys know what HP tells me tonight.

 

Makes me think that we should all get some type of compensation if Eyefinity is broken like you're saying. It's a feature point listed on HP's website for the Envy 17 and something they tout in their sales literature. If it's not a feature they can fix, we should get something for the issue.

Still listed on the Overview page for both 3200-series models:
HP ENVY 17t-3200 Notebook PC | HP® Official Store
HP ENVY 17t-3200 3D Edition Notebook PC | HP® Official Store

For reference:

 

Maverick

Do you have the 2d or the 3d. The 3D eyefinity should work as endero isn't envolved.

2D LCD - HDMI - DP tied to the iGPU
3D LCD - HDMI - DP tied to the dGPU

How do you test eyefinity, does it work with HDMI? I’ll test my 3d when I get home.

 

well since it's open admission that the eyefinity doesnt work as advertised and i noticed the wireless display wording has been removed from the specs page.

given that, shouldnt they reduced the prices outright since they are giving customers who have the envy 17-32xx a partial refund/compensation?

 

I have the 2d version. It doesn't work. I have active displayport adapters as well. I called in tonight and the tech confirmed he sees the internal memo stating the hardware limitation. There's no way to fix it. He escalated the ticket and someone will contact me on Monday and see what they can offer me.

Well, both my friend and I are going to get calls on Monday. I'll post what they offer. They already offered my friend a refund. I think his laptop is the one that made them recognize it as a serious issue since they had it for 3 weeks specifically to "fix" the Eyefinity problem.

At a minimum I expect a partial refund. This is a feature that has worked in all previous models. It's unacceptable that there's a hardware design failure for such a prominent feature.

 

Delete please...

 

I can confirm that the 3200 3D, with a clean factory image, Eyefinity works when set up with Panasonic 3D TV on the HDMI and a VeiwSonic 3D monitor on the Display Port using a DVI adapter. Tridef IS not compatible. The Eyefinity wrap around effect may be more cool than Tridef and having the 3D LCD.

 

i hope they offer something good for current and soon to be users.

isnt this grounds for a class-action suit in the US?

 

If they are offering full refunds, no, there's no basis for a suit.