*HP ENVY 17 & 17 3D (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

for a new one?

 

If you wouldn't mind... Before you send it back, could you try moving the HDD (or SSD?) from the left to the right bracket and see if the heat on the left palm rest decreases?

 

Yep, hopefully fault free this time, wish me luck!

hmm, it already has 2 HDDs in it so I'm not sure if I can do that.

 

Here are my results, I didn't overclock it past 550/1000 because basically I don't know what I am doing and I didn't want to break anything. I did notice that the CPU tests (brown mountainous scene with spaceships) ran at 1fps, is that normal?













Temps at 500/1000:

 

Yep - that test always runs really really slow. I have a i5 desktop PC overclocked to 4.2ghz & it only went to 2 frames per second.

Did you notice a marked tempreture rise on the laptop when you were overclocking Jaxxy? My GPU already runs at 82c under load - I don't want to be taking it any higher than that

 

I've got my Envy i5 on a laptop cooler, so there is almost no heat that I can discern. Yeah, it's a tad bit warmer than if it wasn't on, but it's definitely not too hot to touch. At all. Not an apples to oranges comparison I realize.

This is the first time i"ve used a laptop cooler and it makes a huge difference. My HP dv2910 heats up like you wouldn't believe and the cooler makes a huge difference with it as well, and it's only got a lowly intel T5550.

 

Yes, see the screenshot I just added above.

It seems like the factory shipped core speed of the GPU is 405Mhz, but literature states it should be 500Mhz, so what's the story there? HP have deliberately underclocked the GPU to fight heat? If so then it seems a bit sneaky to me.

 

Jaxxy, can you post a picture of your Envy's keyboard looking at it from above and one from the left?

I think the escape key on my keyboard is lifted up a bit, but I'm not too sure. Maybe I'm just imagining things.

 

Not yet posted in Youtube a real full review by the Envy17's owners, WHY ????????????????????????

And Nevian ??? Where is gone ???

 

I noticed on the first page of this thread that shows the Envy 17 has RAID 0/1. However I cannot find this on the HP Store order page nor the manuals for Envy 17. So does the Envy 17 support RAID 0 or 1?

 

About to go to bed, if no one else has done it then I can do tomorrow.

 

It supports no RAID whatsoever because of the HM55 chipset.

 

Thank you for the clarification. I have sent a PM to get the first page specs changed to remove the RAID 0/1.

 

I think that the GPU underclocks itself when it is not under load or stress.
"ATI PowerPlay™ power management technology7

* Dynamic power management with low power idle state
* Ultra-low power state support for multi-GPU configurations"
-From the ati website for mobility 5850

Maybe if you use the Ati Catalyst Control Center there will be different numbers. Jaxxy Overclocked only till 550 Mhz, and it beat the 3DMark06 scores of the msi gx640 which has a clock of 625/1000 at the same resolution...

 

The SSD is now an option again, but only as a 1 drive config, which is weird....

 

My envy 17 is scheduled to ship on June 24. If they want to give me 10% back, I am willing to wait and let them delay my order for up to 2 weeks. Since I added a lot of extras, it would increase my discount alot. I assume this won't affect the BCB 25% discount but not sure??? Anyway it is just hypothetical since they haven't mention a delay.

I wondering. Hope this doesn't offend anyone but I would like to ask a non thread question. Is there any good websites that have vigorous discussions about printers? The notebook review printer section has a virtually non existant discussion group - only a few threads with very little info. The NBR articles don't seem to agree with customer feedback and look like advertisements for the products. I was thinking of purchasing an HP printer but the customer feedback on many of the All in ones have been terrible. Looks like HP makes lousy printers now? Hard to believe.

 

...Its been back for quite a while now.

 

I've enjoyed the site and thought I would share a few thoughts I hadn't noticed otherwise. I bought an envy 17 with an i5, single 4g memory, extra large battery. I chose the the i5 due to the 35nm process and 10W less power usage. I had just gone through a DV7 with an i5 and a DV8t with an i7. The i5 in the DV7 had much longer battery life and ran much cooler than the i7 but I really wanted a 1080 screen.

Thoughts:
1. The case is comfortably cool including the left palm rest. In fact, much cooler than the DV8 with the i7.
2. The laptop is quiet except when I use it resting on my bed on a blanket. Not a surprise.
3. The battery is pretty small at 62Wh. The extended battery is odd and raises the back of the laptop. I haven't measured it carefully but in power saver moder and the screen 1 click back from full bright I'm getting 2+ hours on the standard battery. That's adequate for me.
4. The keyboard is fine but has some oddities. The keypad is does not do double duty as pgup/pgdwn/etc those are all dedicated. The arrows keys are small but I don't find it bothersome. I am annoyed that there is about 3" between the page up/down/home/end; I have to move my hand when editting.
5. The escape key does look slightly raised since it's off by itself but it's not really raised.
6. The function keys come defaulted to the media functions rather than the fXX and I like that.
6. The build quality is far better than the Dv7/8.
7. So far I'm not getting marks from the keyboard keys pressin on the LCD. The rubber ring around the edge seems to prevent it.
8. Touchpad is fine.
9. The screen is gorgeous. Very bright, sharp.
10. The webcam is much, much improved and really works well in low light. The max resolution reported from Debut Video Capture is 10fps at 1200x800 and 24fps at 640x480.
11. It is *very* convenient to be compatible with the Dell power adapters.
12. At full volume, the sound is undistorted and moderately loud.

Criticisms:
I miss an Express54 slot and it should have one. The standard battery should be larger. The metallic case is not as distinctive as I expected. The front edge of the keyboard is a bit sharp edged. The bezel around the lcd is larger than it needs to be.

Overall, at the $1300 I paid this is a good product. I the 1080p screen is a big seller for me.

Good luck.
Tim

 

tlyons,

Could you please elaborate about the Dell power adapter? I am looking to get more adapters but I haven't found any dirt cheap ones yet. Please let me know if you have actually used the dell adapter without problems and what model number you are using so that I can look for one. Thanks!

 

How is the heat? This has been a big bummer for me, and I'm even considering an Alienware due to their phenomenal heating system and good build quality. Does it get hot during games? Normal usage?
Thanks

 

What cooler are you using and how well does it physically accommodate the Envy 17?

 

Hi guys, I just received my Envy 17 yesterday and now I have some problems with it, need your inputs please.

Once I got the Envy, I started to install games to test the graphical performance. I was very happy until my Envy shut down itself when running Resident Evil 5 benchmark for about 2 minutes. So I tried again and it shut down again after about 3 mins. Then I installed CPUID Monitor and observed the graphic card temperature while running the benchmark again. I saw that it climbed to 233 degrees F before shutting down. I also noticed that when my ambient temperature is at 75 degrees, the graphic card is at about 150 degrees steady with only Google Chrome running and the standard Hp softwares.

I want to ask is this normal? Did I get a faulty system and should I be returning it for exchange? My system is a Core i5 540M with 4 GB Mem and 500 GB hard disk. Thank you guys very much!

 

233 F? That's faulty, for sure. Return ASAP or contact an HP Technician

 

Sounds like your card is defective, 233 degrees is way too hot I believe, mine with overclock hasn't gone over 89 degrees Celsius

 

Temperatures should not be nearly that high. Are you using the laptop on a hard surface? Make sure all vents are free. Sounds like you have faulty hardware though, sorry .

 

Lol, put a pair of jeans under it and let it leave a burn mark first then sue hp

 

Thanks for the really quick reply guys, I was using it on a hard surface and for a part of the time I was leaving it hanging in the air to make it more exposed. Now I know it was faulty I will go for an exchange. So will this affect the bing cash back?

 

I'm wondering if the bottom of the laptop is plastic? Can anyone give me this info?

 

I did not open the machine, from the feel of it, the bottom outer layer should be plastic and there might be an inner metallic casing.

 

I believe somewhere it's said to be magnesium? Feeling it myself, it's hard and cold, definitely feels metallic, and looks extremely clean with the laptops design. I originally thought it might look out of place against a MBP's solid case. I think I like this better actually.

 

it's plastic to allow easy access to internals

 

***GASP!*** What?! you mean to tell me i went through all that trouble of buying a new charger and ordering a second for nothing!? I own like 3 of those Dell chargers! lol

 

Computer is still chugging! However what is up with GTA IV. This game skips when I play it, but Dragon Age: Origin plays like a charm. Dragon Age by far is more of a graphics demand. Rockstar Games may wanna do some performance tweaks. I have a damn near super computer here. 8gigs of ram. radeaon 5870 i7 820.

Love the computer. I barely use it open though, I run it off a 27" monitor and i have a logitech wave pro so i dont bother with the touch pad and keyboard.

Also, I thought I was gonna be able to some video editing on this baby... nope no go, no firewire port :-/. Oh well, I'll just download the video on my old laptop and transfer it over.

[NEVER DEFRAGMENT YOUR SSD]
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/246283-32-defrag

 

great maybe i will get enough courage to try it again. is there a specific one you downloaded or just the basic driver fits all?

 

You should never defrag an SSD.

 

wow! thanks for correcting my ignorance. will definitely edit quote!

 

@pedromartinez

Go to the AMD site and you should be able to navigate to the notebook driver. You want to download the entire suite since that is the one that contains the driver.

 

Does It Get Very Hot Or Not?

 

haha, nice... *tips hat

 

it gets hot, but its what you would expect from a desktop replacement.

it only gets hot in the back left hand corner. every other part of my laptop is cool. that is where all the vents are and the fan. as long as you keep this thing on a hard surface, it should be fine. even better if you have the 9 cell battery it kicks in the air in the back a little which does help with ventilation.

like i said i dont keep this thing in my lap often, nor do i use it open a lot so im probably not the bets to give you an opinion.

 

has anyone set up eyefinity with envy17 and 3 monitors?

i have 3 monitors...al 24". i have all hooked up. individually, they each work fine when i send signal to it. however, when i try to select 3 monitors i can't. it only allows me options of 2x1

is there a trick to this?

 

If you're using it as a desktop replacement what's the point of buying the additional 9-cell battery?

 

I use several different Dell adapters at work and they are mostly compatible. I also use a Kensington with swappable tips. I say mostly because when plugged in with the non-HP Smart adapter the laptop reports it is not charging; it actually is charging and works fine. You need at least a 90W adapter.

But I wouldn't buy a Dell adapter for this purpose; they just happen to be all over the place where I work. You can get a 90W HP smart adapter for <$15 on Amazon resellers or EBay or lots of sources. The laptop might complain it's not running at full speed on the 90W. The 120W are $30-40 typically.

 

perhaps i may want to leave my desk at some point in my life....

 

I believe the monitor with mini DP needs to be a native mini DP monitor or the adaptor you use has to be an 'active' mini DP adaptor. There is a list of the supported active adaptors on the ATI site somewhere.

 

Here is why I am returning my Envy17.

The screen has vertical tearing. When something moves quickly in a vertical direction, you can see image problems. I've never noticed this before in a monitor.

The left side gets hot when watching flash videos or playing games. Hot enough that I use a cloth over the left palm rest when I play so my hand doesn't get sweaty from the heat.

The chassis has numerous defects. For these pictures, if you're looking at them on a 17" screen like the Envy17, they will actually be bigger than in real life, so while the gaps look like the grand canyon, they're actually not THAT big. But they are noticeable.

This is how the chassis should be all around (on the right side of the computer, near the Enter key):


This is the bottom right corner, notice the separation:


This is the top right by the power adapter:


This is the left side just above the esc key, it also makes a creaking noise when significant pressure is applied:


This is the right hinge, notice the left part of the chassis next to the hinge is raised up:


This is the left hinge for comparison, notice how nice it looks:


This is the back of the right hinge when the lid is closed, notice how it sticks out the back. The left hinge does not stick out:


Besides these issues, the bottom right "foot" of the laptop is slightly indented more than the others, causing the laptop to rock when pressure is applied. Applying the same pressure on other parts of the laptop does not cause rocking.

There is keyboard flex. I realize 99% of laptops have keyboard flex, but I expected build quality on par with a MBP.

The speakers' volume is uneven. The right speaker is stronger. This is how much I have to adjust the balance to get even-sounding music:


The esc key is kind of... raised a little. I can't get a good shot of it, but once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it.

And my final gripe is the power cable coming out the right side of the laptop. I mean seriously? It's blocking my mouse a LOT. Port placement is perfect except for the power cable if you use your mouse right-handed, which even most left-handed people do.


So what did I like? The screen is nice except for the previously mentioned issue. The backlit keyboard is nice and the layout is much better than the Envy15's. Graphics performance is good, having 2 HDDs and a Blu-ray drive for very cheap is nothing to take for granted. The touchpad isn't bad at all. In my opinion, the second best trackpad, only after MBPs. The size and weight of the laptop is perfect.

 

A couple of thoughts after using the Envy pretty hardcore for work purposes the last few days.

First, It's an Envy 17, i7-720, 4Gb, 160SSD/500SATA.

1. I ran it for the past 12 hours working on graphic intensive apps. Photopaint X5 and Painter 11. Running with a Wacom tablet, MS Bluetooth Mouse, and Headphones for music.

2. I was able to paint up a poster for a friend who has a band doing a gig on Friday. I had to install/download/uninstall/reinstall multiple apps to get everything I needed for the project. The SSD GREATLY improved this process.

3. After working pretty hard for about 5 hours, the laptop was very hot. As was the restaurant table on the left side. I think it melted the ice in my drink faster.

4. All in all, a wonderful experience. Headphones, drinks and bigscreens showing sports while doing a job I love. My HDX18t would've done it, but will a bit more hassle and time. Kudos to HP for a very sweet laptop.

Also, the Bluetooth mouse works great. It's an MS 8000 presentation mouse. No dongle - just talks straight to the laptop.

4GB memory upgrade should be arriving tomorrow. Should help things a bit.

Oh, and I was also dorking around with a corrupt virtual machine the entire time, and surfing the web, playing tunes - talk about multitasking. I should've fired up a video conference just for good measure.

All in all the Envy 17 chewed up everything I threw at it and asked for more.

Question though - anyone else lose the numlock? I can't get that bugger to work anymore. Oh, and still getting a bit of static in the headphones.

 

BTW - there are some awesome media effects in the camera software. My kids loved playing around with it. I liked honest Abe. Pretty slick facial recognition.

 

I am using a Logitech V470 BT mouse and it's failed me a few times, it would just stop working for no apparent reason. Deleting the mouse and redetecting it resolves the issue. It's a pain when you're in the middle of doing something >.>

Which numlock do you mean, there is no numlock key for this laptop.

Yes they are great, our kids loved it too, cheap entertainment lol. The distortion mirror ones are the best.

 

Sorry to hear you're not happy with it. My casing also has defects, not as many as yours but they are there. Seems like the quality control is really lacking on this laptop as far as ensuring the chassis is perfect and not bent. I wish I'd paid more attention to my first unit's casing, but I guess it couldn't have been too bad if I didn't notice any faults.

The screen tearing happens with games or all programs? I can't say I have noticed it, if you tell us when you see it perhaps we can try to replicate it.

Regarding the heat on the left side palm area, it sounds like it is heating up more than mine. Even after hours of gaming it's not too hot to rest my palm on. Perhaps it's the heat in USA summer (it's winter here). I plan to use a laptop cooler with mine when I eventually get it.

I use my mouse in my left hand so I wish they would move all the cables to the right side actually!

The ESC key is a bit weird, but it feels solid and not like it's going to fall off so I'm not worried.