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

Is it easy at all to put a SSD in later, or are the connectors and whatnot all completely different?

 

Should be same SATA interface but you'll need the drive caddy and proprietary cable from HP. Who will beat $85 out of you for it.

 

Hello NotebookReview, it's my first post here.

Where am I here? As you can imagine I'd love to be part of this exclusive club of Envy 17" 1011nr owners. However it's not that easy to get what you want when living in Europe. So I have some questions for you and I hope you guys find a minute or two to answer them.

FYI I've read some of the pages but to be honest, I can't go through all of them. So I'm sorry if someone asked these questions before.

First question: Is there already an European Envy 17.3" 1011nr owner? If so, WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BOUGHT IT? For God's sake I just cannot find a single ing place selling it here in Europe nor an American shop exporting it to the EU.

Second question to the American 1011nr owners: Where have bought yours? Are there any shops beside Amazon, HP-Store and Newegg selling these puppies?

Third and last one: Is anyone of you guys interested in buying and sending me one? You'd get at least an extra 50 bucks on top of the $1650 + shipping. (okay, I'm not very serious about that, but do you see how desperated I am?)

Thanks for your time,
Marc

 

It's as easy as a standard hard drive replacement. 2.5" SSD's are identical in size, connector, and connector layout as any SATA 2.5" hard drive.

The Envy 17's hd compartment is user accessible by removing one screw, and if you've replaced a laptop harddrive before there should not be any issues.

 

NIS11 is only a few months away, I've been using the beta for quite a while now and it's pretty good.

But if you subscribe to 2010 now, you can update to 2011 when it is released in September.

 

So guess what I noticed today? The wobble... now, I don't know if it has always been there, or if it happened because of a heat issue, but it is so small that it is hardly noticeable at all. When I looked for it when I first got it, I may have over looked it because I thought it was going to be very noticeable, but mine is so small that even when I intentionally push down in the corner, I actually have to be consciously looking for the wobble to even notice it... Anyways, it doesn't bother me at all, and I still love this thing.

I also go a chance to play some games on it at full settings, and it performs really well. The heat wasn't at all what I expected from reading this forum, it was completely manageable. I even played games with the laptop on the bed, where the vents were pretty much blocked, and it still didnt get too hot for comfort. Anyways, even if the heat does kill this laptop, I got the squaretrade warranty, and make regular backups, so I'll be fine.

 

Okay. While I've been letting my 5 whole backup DVDs burn, I have been eyeing the temperatures. The CPUs currently range from about 61C (141F) to 74C (165F). The left palmrest is pretty warm, and almost uncomfortable, but I'll probably get used to it. The gpu vent, however, is just like my older laptop. It could probably fry an egg. This is only when my laptop's on a desk. It's a LOT cooler when on my lap, due to more airflow. I'll definitely be getting a laptop cooler soon.

I've also noticed the (CPU?) frequency pitch when under load sometimes, but I've had computers in the past do the same, so it's not really a problem.

As for sound, I really expected more out of it, from seeing all the advertisements about how amazing it is. It's definitely much bettery than my other laptop, but a laptop speaker is a laptop speaker. I've also had trouble getting the HDMI audio to get higher than 2 channel stereo. Anyone know a solution? Google has failed me.

BTW- @LennonMOBILE:
Is the wobble noticeable when your laptop is closed? I can only see it SOMETIMES if I really look hard with the screen open about all of the way. (Heck, mine's suprisingly not even wobbling right now)

 

I thought that my Envy had a gigantic wobble until I tested in on various tables. Turns out that my main desk is unbalanced. Make sure you check different surfaces.

 

What are your specs?

 

I got the one from Amazon. I'll test the wobble tomorrow with different amounts of screen openness, but honestly, I'm not really bothered by it.

Also, has anyone tried taking the hard drive access plate off and seeing if the wobble stops... I wonder if the 5th leg that is attached to that plate is slightly raised which causes the wobble...

 

I'm somewhat curious with the battery life. Can you check how long can a 6-cell and 9-cell battery can last with "Power-saving Mode" on until it hibernates? Thanks, I'd appreciate it.

 

I havent tried power saver mode, but with balanced, I get 1.5 hrs on the 6 cell. I'll try balanced later and get back to you.

 

Well I first purchased a Sony Vaio F Series notebook from NewEgg about two weeks ago. The laptop wouldn't last more than a minute without crashing to a BSD. NewEgg offered to replace the unit but did not have any in stock with no ETA as to when more would arrive. They offered me a refund or the option to choose a different computer.

I chose to have them replace the Sony with the E17. The E17 was $200 more expensive but they were nice enough to offer me a $200 discount. The E17 arrived with (big surprise here) a large gap in the chassis by the cooling fan, and dead pixels. Once again, NewEgg was nice enough to offer me an advance replacement. The old E17 was shipped back and the new one arrived today.

While I would love to say that the new one arrived in acceptable condition, this is unfortunately not the case. Luckily, there are no gaps in the chassis (except for the bottom left corner but it's not really a big deal), but the rubber bezel surrounding the glass screen is severely warped on the bottom left corner, leaving a large gap between the glass and the bezel (I can take a picture if anyone wants to have a look). The metal chassis by the power jack on the top right has a number of marks that almost look like rust or burns (Another poster posted pics of the same issue he found on his E17), as well as various black scratches and nicks on both the aluminum chassis and the keyboard plate. Finally, three dead pixels (I honestly wasn't holding my breath on that one). And no, there is no wobble with this unit.

Now it's not like I am expecting a perfect flawless unit, but honestly.. I've owned three laptops over the past 8 years prior to this one, and have had no issues like these with any of them. Half of me just wants to say to hell with it and keep the unit, while the other half wants to keep processing RMA replacements until I feel I've received a unit that I find acceptable.

 

OMG what a horrible experience. You have every right to be very upset. I am wondering now if Newegg.com is selling all the Envy's people are shipping back to HP with problems.

 

Just to be sure, that's the i7-720QM, right?

 

Damn. You guys are making me want to go over my E17 with a fine toothed comb this evening. I checked for wobble (marble slab), pressed power, scrutinized the screen and then just started using the machine.

RE: BIOS: I want to say that my i5-540 is running, dare I say, noticeably cooler since the BIOS update. I know Bennypac had some evidence to the contrary but I remember being slightly worried seeing 55-70C when I first got it out of the box. Now, I'm seeing 45-60C as norm.

Interestingly enough, I don't recall hearing the fan, so I can attest that it's certainly not intrusive. IMO, the Vaio was louder; but that was quad and this is dual. Yesterday I had it on my lap at 45C, I felt the fan intake port with my hand and didn't notice the kind of suction felt during periods on high RPM.

The case still feels hot regardless due to the conductive nature of the materials but I'm getting more than acceptable temp readings.

 

Well guys, I asked Amazon to send me a replacement. It'll be here tomorrow. At first I was told that they would have to receive the original first and inspect it before sending out another. I had originally asked for a refund, but when I called back to ask for the replacement, they made an exception and were going to send me the replacement so I wouldn't have to wait.

Here's to hoping for the best.

If it wobbles, so be it. I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to fix it. Heck, I pretty sure all of us here would do a much better job than HP.

 

my 1920 display arrived yesterday and i installed it. the hinges have an offset gap on one side, but fit is perfect otherwise.....
1920 is sharper than the 1600, very plesant on the eyes. but one thing is bothering me a bit. ive been getting a slight high pitch sound from the computer. not sure if its attributable to the new display. had f06 bios and updated to f08.... that seems to have calmed it down a bit but still present.

wondering if reassembly tightening the screws might cause some electronics to emit the sound. ive taken apart laptops before i was very careful and didnt touch any internals with metal.
that small ribbon cable on the keyboard is a royal pita to get back on...

 

I have the same high pitched sound. High of like a high pitched whine, barely audible punctuated with rapid short breaks every now and then. Yes? I haven't given though to its origin yet although it is noticeable during regular use.

Then again, I sense/hear when someone turns on a TV in an adjacent room. So I may be sensitive.

 

*sighs*

I ordered the HP Envy 17-1011nr from newegg.com Friday and it should be here today. I'll let you guys know how the quality is on this one. Hopefully, it won't be like the Gateway P-7811FX was when it came out. I went through 2 or 3 of them to get one that was 'acceptable'.

 

The high pitched sound occurs when a core on the processor enters a c-state. It has been documented by Intel.

Basically, in the c-state (C1, C2, C3), the processor voltage drops really low. To keep a core in the c-state, the voltage has to be kept low. However, electric components do not run efficiently at really low voltages or really high voltages. They operate best somewhere in-between.

Because of this inefficiency, the components actually need to modulate the voltage much more rapidly. You can't get the exact voltage required, but if you modulate the voltage enough, the average voltage will be equal to the required voltage. The whine is caused by this modulation.

I wouldn't worry about the whine. Even my G1S has the whine.

 

m

thanks for the explanation ... i am thinking perhaps it could have been the display swap because this type of noise i associate with computer screens.

i was also looking at the drivers thread and theres a warning not to install turboboost on the envy17 since it doesnt do switchable graphics ... maybe i should uninstall it, my machine is the core i5 2.4-2.66 model. not sure if it has switchable graphics, dont think so.

i also installed an intel ssd (x25-m) but firmware and software are in place and up to date.

just want to get rid of the noise ....

 

Update:

Dissapointed.....Angry........Unacepatable!!!

I apologize to all those posts on this site that claimed to have heat problems and I sliently sat here and thought it was just folks being to picky or critical.

I opened my new CTO Envy 17 last night and was very excited. No wobble, construction of the body looks tight with no noticable gaps, and the packaging was first rate like a MBP.

Quick points of interest:

* Screen is beautiful
* Sound is good but the Toshiba with Harmon Kardon speakers and no sub-woofer is actually more powerful and has a fuller sound IMO
*Touchpad is a little hard to adapt to, but is easy to configure
*HEAT: HOT HOT HOT - Wow the left side of the laptop is extremely warm and this is even after installing the 9 cell which raises the computer and helps to improve airflow. The exhaust vent area is so hot that my 5 year old daughter walked up and accidently touched that area just being curious and it made her cry! (Yes it is that hot). The bottom of the laptop is too hot to have for any length of time on my lap, and that is the whole purpose of buying a laptop. We have a MBP and yes it gets very warm, but nothing compared to this ENVY 17. Even the new BIOS update didn't help.

I am wanting to keep the computer but will be returning it today.

 

Ship it back. But before you do, can you download CPUID and post some temperatures:

CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

BTW, is this a recent MBPro with core i5 or an older model? People want the greatest and latest and manufacturers are in the business of selling laptops. They want powerful processors inside slim designs on top of that everybody is chasing Apple. BTW, I have read accounts of 09/10 MBPros with core chips running quite hot, hotter than anything I'm seeing on my CPU id screen

That said, if you feel its too hot ship that sucker back.

 

Several questions:
1. How hot does the laptop get and how much of a difference does the BIOS update make in cooling it?

2. How is the screen hinge quality? I know to expect a little screen shake being a 17" laptop but are they solid hinges?

3. Is the keyboard flex annoying when typing?

Thanks.

 

I will download tonight and post my temp readings. BTW, yes it is a 2008 2.53ghz MBP and yes you are right about the newer processors running warmer, but when I did have the Toshiba Qosmio X505-800q for 2 weeks, it had the •Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor, and yes it ran warm, but not HOT

 

BIOS made no difference - Hinge quality is very good with no shake that I noticed and I never noticed a keyboard flex.

 

Perceivable, but subjective, on BIOS. Hinge quality is top notch! At least when new. Zero shake. Keyboard flex is a non issue and I feel its one of the more over analyzed things on this board.

 

J,

I hate to do this to you, because it has been done to me.

I just want to point out that the heat most are feeling may be more of a function of the materials used for the slim case in an attempt to put forth a product that competes with MB, then the actual heat given off by the chip.

The Toshiba was encased in plastic and I believe markedly thicker.

 

Hello everyone!

First post.

Just bought a HP envy 17 off amazon.com and I did notice the gap on the left (non issue for me), and the lint behind the glass on the lower right corner (another non issue for me), however, I did find one dead pixel. This kind of bothers me. Am I over thinking it, or should I overlook this minor flaw. I mean, I am ok with the gap on the left side and the lint behind the screen, but a dead pixel.... should I initiate a RMA with amazon. What do you guys think? Thanks

 

I could deal with a gap in the chassis but lint and a dead pixel no way... I would certainly RMA it ....


Certain things are acceptable but others are not and the screen is just to important to not be how you want it ...

 

I would RMA it if you can. It is a minor flaw, but why not go for flawless?

 

Shoot, I was afraid you guys would say that. What other flaws should I be looking for? I heard about the morse code beeps from plugging in the power and I don't hear that, and the keyboard flex, which I do have... sigh, guess it's time to call Amazon. Thanks guys for your help.

 

Is the CPU in the Envy 17 user-upgradeable? And can I add a SSD (like an IBM or Corsair) after the fact, or is it some kind of custom interface?

I'm tempted to by from Amazon because they seem to be a lot cheaper than hp.com, but I wanted the Core i7-740 as well as a SSD. Just trying to see if I can save a few bucks by upgrading after the fact.

 

oh dear... thank god there aren't anywhere near as much problems with the envy 14

 

Buy HP Envy 17 from NewEgg. Same specs with Amazon plus it's $1500.

 

I was going to order from newegg as well, but they charge tax, so it was basically the same price. I went with amazon because I heard they have good RMA service compared to newegg.. :whoknows:

 

which model did you buy ? 1010 or 1011 ?

i have a 1010 but bought the 1920 fdh display from hp. i bought this notebook last week from a retailer, with the 1600 display, a few days later a dead pixel surfaced. hp would replace the display (even on the account of one dead pixel), but returned it for another one @ the store. the new one didn't have dead pixels for the 1 day i ran it before replacing with the 1920 display. there are no dead pixels on my 1920 so far, everything looks good.

 

Hi, I did get the 1011. I am on the phone with amazon to get a replacement right now, hopefully the new one won't have a dead pixel with minimum lint behind the screen. :fingerscrossed:

 

Hey guys, new guy on the forums, and new owner of an HP Envy 17, which is by far the best laptop I've owned to date (regardless of the left palmrest being slightly... warm..)...

I started philfering about with the GFX settings, because I noticed that the core clock was running a little low, compared to the clockspeed designated by the manufacturer (500MHz compared to the 625MHz of many other machines with the 5850 GFX)... Now, I believe this was done in order to keep heat down, or just to keep the GFX actually running stable at an acceptable temperature... If anyone knows the stock voltage of the 5850, please tell me, as it runs at 0.9v in the HP Envy 17...

I tried overclocking the card using the AMD GPU Clock tool, to the 625MHz stock speed which the card is supposedly made to run with... Apparently, it needs more volts for that, as it started showing artifacts in FurMark... Heat did not rise significantly, even with the increase in freq... 610MHz was smooth and stable in FurMark, so that seems just around the upper level for the reduced voltage...

This has lead me to believe that

a) HP lowered the core voltage of the GFX to keep heat down

b) due to the lowered voltage, the GFX had to be clocked lower to remain 100% stable.

This is not acceptable, but I doubt I would've noticed it, if I had not looked into it through some thorough searching on the web...

Now, to my real problem, as this was all a bit of a rant, although it does indeed relate to my current predicament...

A lot of people in here were reporting cooler running laptops with the new BIOS, and, as I am myself always happy to get cooler running components, I eagerly downloaded it, hoping that it might also "fix" the lower GFX clocks...

I can now sadly report that it is not the case... In fact, it LOWERED the GDDR5 frequency from the stock (and recommended) 1000MHz to 900! MHz...
So now, not only is the core underclocked 125Mhz from the recommended freq., when running 3D apps, the memory's is ALSO underclocked by 100Mhz...

This is IMHO unacceptable... Indeed, we're probably looking at a performance difference of about 10-15% from stock clocks, maybe even less, and it IS a stylish laptop first and a gaming-laptop second, and most people probably will not notice... BUT, it is a sad statement that they feel they need to underclock their components to keep them cool... Would rather they'd actually devised a better cooling solution instead, maybe even added another fan..

Currently, I will be using the AMD GPU Clock Tool to change the frequencies whenever I game on the laptop, to make sure I get everything out of this laptop...

Best Regards

 

Interesting find XaVier, I want somebody else to see if that is the case to confirm your results. If that is true I will make a note of it on the OP.

So if they can any Envy 17 owners check if the BIOS underclocks the GPU.

 

Actually, I remember seeing the clocks with GPU-Z. The clocks are lower than what AMD has listed.

 

Are there any good docking stations for the Envy 17? I see HP sells that monster laptop stand thingy, but I have no interest in having a 3 inch think stand under my laptop, as it will be in a fairly small hutch that wouldn't fit that anyway.

I want a docking station that has AC power, USB, and speaker cable connections. Ideas?

 

For the record, the easiest way to check what the clocks are when running 3D, is to use the GPU-Z tool located here:
GPU-Z Video card GPU Information Utility

It is right there, on the starting tab

Also, my old BIOS was the 0.6 IIRC, the new one is 0.8... The difference, as said, was: GPU clock was 500 MHz on both (AMD recommended clock is 625), memory frequency was 1000MHz on 0.6, 900MHz on 0.8

Best Regards

 

newegg cashback @ 10%, time to pull the trigger on the 1011nr? $1350 after BCB, not that bad

 

Dell's 5850 runs at 1.00v and there 5870 at 1.05v , the Clevo and Asus 5870 at 1.15v .... That just gives you an idea...

I was able to get the M15x(5850) i had to 800/1100 totally stable on 1v but since the GPU is integrated on the motherboard i am honestly not sure.... I looked at the service manual and it looks like there is nothing covering the GPU memory and its just left exposed ?...

 

Hi all,

I'm no my 2nd Envy 17. 1st one had extreme heat issues which caused the metal band to warp at the top left hand side heat vent. HWMonitor showed over 200*F.

2nd one I updated the bios to .08 right away to prevent any heat damage. It would seem that they've got it under control. It really doesn't even get hot at all anymore.

HEAT:
For me it would seem that the heat issue really takes off when AVG runs a whole computer scan. I would assume this is the processor generating the heat and not the GPU like others have noted. I'm not a gamer so no gaming to speak on.

WOBBLE:
I do notice a slight wobble, but on a notebook chiller it's not an issue.

GAPS:
Gaps in various places seems to be commonplace. They are different on the 1st laptop versus the 2nd. Guess we just have to settle for it.

TRACKPAD:
On the second laptop the right side of the trackpad isn't flush with the right hand palm rest so when you run your hand/finger across it, it feels like a sharpened knife edge. The 1st laptop wasn't like this.

HIGH PITCHED WHINE:
I didn't notice this on the 1st laptop, but after using the 2nd one for a few hours I hear the high pitched whine. Only a restart gets rid of this for me. It's really REALLY annoying.

LID:
The second laptop has 2 cracks in the top most strip where you open the lid. I couldn't believe my eyes. Isn't this strip metal??? Had to have happened during installation. Stress fractures? Perhaps it's plastic...
POWER BUTTON:
They can't seem to center or get this button level & straight. On both laptops this button was off center, tilted and crooked. Really? It's a freakin power button! I don't understand this.

At this point HP is sending a 3rd replacement. I'm truly hoping that the 3rd times a charm so to speak. I'm sick and tried of exchanging, waiting and nervously opening these laptops wondering what I'll find next.

I think it's an incredible laptop, the best on the market currently with regards to overall size, weight, aesthetics and performance. Even the latest updates Apple did today on the Mac Pro & iMac they still don't offer USB 3.0, HDMI or Blu-Ray... REALLY??? EVEN the CPU/GPU options aren't the latest ones... Get a clue APPLE!

 

@ThinkFr33ly

I looked at the docking stations offered by HP. Honestly, I do not think they are worth the money. They are limited by USB 2.0 bandwidth.

For a cheap, simple, and versatile docking station, just get a 4-port or 7-port USB hub. SIIG has a nice 7-port USB hub that gives you three USB 2.0/3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 only ports. Of course to makes use of the USB 3.0 ports, you need to connect the hub to the USB 3.0 port on the Envy 17.

For connecting speakers, just spend the 2 seconds to connect your speaker cable to the audio out on the Envy 17. Otherwise, invest in a $100 usb soundcard that will definitely be better than the on-board audio and keep the speakers connected to that while the soundcard is connected to your hub.

If you ask for a dock with video out capability, do not expect gaming grade quality. Again, the docks are limited to USB 2.0 bandwidth.

 

Yea, I saw the updates to the iMac as well, nothing much in it. If they simply put Blu-Ray and more port selection, could have really been something.

 

I'm going to purchase the quick-ship model of the Envy 17, have a few questions I wanted to ask. Some of these are newbie questions, and do note that I AM looking throughout the thread. But it's a couple hundred questions... so yeah...

1. My E17 will come with the i5-450m processor. In general, how cool (hot) will this run idle? On average.

2. It was purchased with a 1600x900 screen. Due to the relatively lower resolution as compared to 1080p, will it be possible for me to run games such as BFBC2 or Crysis on high without needing to clock it?

3. It came with two 320 GB HDD's. I'm assuming these are 1.8" drives. Will I be able to simply replace one of the HDD's with an SDD later on without having to purchase anything extra, such as brackets and the like?

4. Have most of the heat issues been fixed in general?

5. What would be the approximate combined battery life of the 6-cell and the 9-cell?

6. Would one recommend updating to the newer BIOS available in the drivers sub-forum? I've read about a user who said that it further under-clocks the 5850... Are the gains enough to offset the losses?

Again, I am reading throughout this whole thread. However it is quite lengthy, and some of the available information/posts are out-dated.