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

No. Not all CPU/GPU chips are made the same. You also have to factor in ambient temperatures as well as number of processes running in the background.

 

I have an i7. Although the temps are seemingly ok, no skin burns or BSOD or hangs... but it is hot enough for me to worry about the longevity of the notebook.

 

What temperatures would affect the longevity? I'm aware of the danger and threshold levels, never of the affects-the-longevity levels though.

 

Well after using my E17 for the past 4 days I'm going to call up HP and send it back. I was trying to switch from my Macbook Pro but the HP is just too limited. The trackpad sucks compared to the MBP's, two finger scrolling and gestures just suck. And what c*ck-eyed guy do they have working there who thinks a trackpad should be off center?

My E17 doesn't lay flat on a table, it wobbles. The side metal isn't flush and the back top metal is a little bent.

I didn't think it would be much of a difference but losing 120 pixels from the 1920x1200 res of the Mac screen is a big difference.

The heat output and fans are a big change from my Mac which is silent all the time.

The battery. My Mac lasts 8 hours even a year after I bought it. The 2 hours of the HP just sucks.

The CPU whines at idle.

The power adapter is frickin huge.

It takes some force to pull open the lid and I have to use two hands, not very well engineered.

Over all, for a premium laptop its build quality is below par.

 

Yeah that wobble is a huge turn-off.

CPU whines can be fixed.

The power adapter is freakin' huge.

You won't be seeing 8 hours on Windows 7 (MBP) , I guarantee you that.

I have to use two hands to open my friends MBP.

No comment on the screen, 180 pixels...

The heat output is different because the internals are like the Ferrari compared to the MBP's T-model (also the MBP just traps the stuff in there, make-shift frying pan anyone?).

MBP has the best build quality of all laptops (external), no doubt about that.

Also, the track-pad is dead center from the keyboard's standpoint, and anyone who can properly type would know why.

 

Yes, I have the i7. The NC3000U helps tremendously.

 

Yeah the MBP is over priced .. to get a Macbookpro with everything in the envy 17 your lookin atleast 3,000 easy


And what graphics card is even in the MBP?


let alone windows 7 s*its all over MAC OS IMO

 

Wrong, to get a MBP with everything in the Envy 17, you'd need $3,000 as well as a year in time.

 

Bingo, Celibate.

The Envy 17 is about twice as fast as the average MacBook Pro, and MBPs don't have many of the features of the E17.

 

-Celibate

Wrong, you can get better specs on the Envy then MBP for 3000.. not even a question (17 in)


What is sick is you can get 512 SSD on MBP now thats tight but you can add 1,300...

 

I did state that they'd have to wait a year in time >.>... you know... decreasing prices.

Though you may be on to something, with those ridiculous premiums Apple charges.

 

thats true im sure theyll be a nice price drop ....yeah i love windows based machines but i was really considering a MBP but for so many reason especially bang for buck it isnt worth it... thats just my opinion n I love my new iphone and all the others before it lol

 

"CPU whines can be fixed."

As per my previous message, my i5 whines on anything less than 100% load.

Can this be resolved?


RE: Macbook

If all goes well my net cost on my i5 E17 will be sub $1000. (score!) I am not at liberty to disclose how though. For that kind of outlay, I can live with all the flaws (except screen related) and even a two year lifespan.

 

Yeah ..id be happy too thats a freakin steal!


I havent heard much talk bout the screen... do you guys think its superior to others.. from what I have seen i think its on the top of the hill.. correct me if im wrong please

 

IMO, the screen on here definitely up there with some of the best panels in the biz; Macbook, Sony Vaio Euro Premium, Dell RGBLED

 

The FHD screen? Is it possible to swap screens? I find the 1600x900 to be really lacking after using my 15" 1920x1080...

 

not sure if you were paying attention to my posts...you probably were not.

i did it on mine. FHD screen swapped from the 1600x900 that the 1010NR comes with.

if you are savvy with taking the machine apart, it's less than an hour to do. started up right away the resolution @ 1920x1080.

 

I did notice it. But I forgot about it because I read over it at the time before I received my laptop, and it was a non-issue then because I didn't think the 1600x900 display would be this lacking.

Where did you buy the screen and for how much?

 

i bought it from HP Parts Store, the number is on the web site. they will ask you for your computer serial number but you don't need it. search around here for the service manual for this laptop, you will find the part number you need for the 1920 display, then order it.

before tax, the display is $ 374 i think.

i installed mine, i am getting some low-volume high-pitched electrical noise, checked with some engineers @ work and it could be the display circuitry, so i've put in a request to get a replacement and it will be shipped out next week. another thing to keep in mind is that when they build a complete unit, the gaps are all matched to the laptop being built. after putting in the new display, the hinges have about 1/32" more shift to the left than the original display did. since the hinges have holes in them to seat onto pins in the chassis, there is no adjustment or error in install. fortunately the display lines up perfect with the rest of the notebook when closed.

 

You think they would have noticed this by now and fixed it.

Well HP hasn't fixed it.

Dell's are huge too, Lenovo a little smaller. Why is it so tough to make it the size of my fist? And hello, license the magsafe connector from Apple.

I'd be content with 4-5.

Mine opens easily with one. No force necessary. The E17 feels like your prying a car hood open.

The extra 120 is extremely noticeable.

Well you can get a MBP with an i7 as well but it doesn't sound like vacuum running. And the heat is out the back vs the side on the E17.

I like the E17 keyboard a lot more than the MBP, but the all aluminum is just down right sexy on the Mac.

The trackpad placement is just retarded and not ergonomic. And Synaptics drivers are terrible.

No doubt the MBP is $500 or so more and does not have the ATI 5850 but when you are looking at a top of the line laptop the few extra dollars makes up for HP's shortcomings.

 

Wow, I'll just stick with my average display then.

@almostinsane: No offense, but you are obviously too much in love with Apple's MBP to even be here. I've had a MBP for a period of two months, whilst you had your E17 for a couple days, so I think I know a little more about the MBP than you do the E17. I'm not saying one is better over the other, but you really can't expect some of the things the MBP has to be available on the E17, because frankly, the E17 blows the MBP out of the water performance wise. This allows a little less room in "beautifying" the little things such as heat output and and AC adapter size.

And for the record, I'd prefer heat blowing out the vents instead of making my laptop a make-shift frying pan. Have fun with your MBP however, it is a great laptop.

EDIT: The track-pad is placed so because it is directly in line with where people normally place their hands whilst typing (index fingers on the 'F' and 'J' key). While you may think it's stupid, other people would think it stupid to place it directly where most people would rest their palms. But I guess you 'Applers' wouldn't understand seeing as how none of the MBP's have number pads.

 

Yes, that's what I meant.

I just don't understand why someone would purchase a laptop and not upgrade to the full HD panel, especially considering the reasonable incremental cost of $100.

 

Needed the quick-ship. NEEDED. It's fine though. I'll probably stop noticing the difference after a week or so.

On another note, is it possible to replace the current HDD with a 40 GB SDD? I want the cheapest route available, and I was wondering if 40 GB for the SDD is enough to act as my OS drive and nothing else.

 

i wouldn't be put off doing it, just for the reasons i mentioned. only pain is having to take it apart again if the display has a problem.

it's the same glass as the 1600x900, which i don't care much for, but the extra pixels, brightness & color gamut make up for it. it also emits much less light bleed from the bottom than the 1600 did.

overall very nice display. if i couldv'e gotten a refund for the machine i bought, i would've just ordered one direct from hp, but on impulse i bought the store model & got stuck with it.

then again, i prefer the i5 over the i7, so i'm sort of content.

 

Even though my i7 820 is running very cool in my opinion, I want to get the NC3000U. It's not avaliable in NZ yet but hopefully in a few weeks.

 

Geeks like me, I need your opinions please!

Here are my readings, what are your thoughts? I still think it is way too hot!!

9 cell battery installed- on desk- wathing a blue ray DVD and no other windows open.

Hardware Monitors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardware monitor ACPI
Temperature 0 59°C (138°F) [0xCFA] (TZ01)

Hardware monitor Intel Core i7 820QM
Power 0 13.78 W (Processor)
Temperature 0 60°C (140°F) [0x28] (Core #0)
Temperature 1 58°C (136°F) [0x2A] (Core #1)
Temperature 2 58°C (136°F) [0x2A] (Core #2)
Temperature 3 56°C (132°F) [0x2C] (Core #3)

Hardware monitor ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850
Temperature 0 63°C (145°F) (GPU Core)

Hardware monitor Battery 1
Voltage 0 12.98 Volts [0x32B2] (Current Voltage)
Capacity 0 93240 mWh [0x16C38] (Designed Capacity)
Capacity 1 87734 mWh [0x156B6] (Full Charge Capacity)
Capacity 2 87734 mWh [0x156B6] (Current Capacity)
Level 0 6 pc [0x5E] (Wear Level)
Level 1 100 pc [0x64] (Charge Level)

 

with everest im getting the following numbers at moderate tasking (web surfing, email i.e. nothing graphics intensive

Temperatures:
Sensor Properties:
Sensor Type CPU, HDD, ACPI
GPU Sensor Type Diode (ATI-Diode)

Temperatures:
CPU 49 °C (120 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 51 °C (124 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 49 °C (120 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #3 50 °C (122 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #4 50 °C (122 °F)
GPU Diode (DispIO) 50 °C (122 °F)
GPU Diode (MemIO) 49 °C (120 °F)
GPU Diode (Shader) 48 °C (118 °F)
Hitachi HTS725032A9A364 39 °C (102 °F)
Hitachi HTS725032A9A364 32 °C (90 °F)

after 1 hours of gaming sc2 on ultra settings at full 1080:

Sensor Properties:
Sensor Type CPU, HDD, ACPI
GPU Sensor Type Diode (ATI-Diode)

Temperatures:
CPU 66 °C (151 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 66 °C (151 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 66 °C (151 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #3 67 °C (153 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #4 67 °C (153 °F)
GPU Diode (DispIO) 70 °C (158 °F)
GPU Diode (MemIO) 70 °C (158 °F)
GPU Diode (Shader) 68 °C (154 °F)
Hitachi HTS725032A9A364 39 °C (102 °F)
Hitachi HTS725032A9A364 32 °C (90 °F)

i should note that the temperatures start dropping IMMEDIATELY upon alt-tabbing out of sc2. i am gathering this data by alt+tabbing out and generating a report with everest. by the time the report is generated the temps have all dropped by 2-3 oC.


question regarding cooling fan:

today i purchased the zalman nc2000. are the ACC-NT-CRYO-LX or the ZM-NC3000U significantly better?

im going to try out the nc2000 tonight and ill post numbers

 

Wow meatdog, I get higher temperatures playing Crysis on an i5... not sure how it compares but...

CPU: 74/77
GPU: 78

These are the maximum, average a little lower but... can anyone comment? It's on Crysis with all settings on high, some at very high, and 1600x900 with 4x AA.

 

Your temps are about the same as mine, if I'm just browsing the net with 4-5 tabs, and maybe iTunes running. I think these are pretty reasonable with the 820 chip, don't know how much lower your expecting the temps to be without an actual cooler. I have an SSD in the primary bay and the right side palmrest is luke warm, and the 1TB towards the right is cold.

 

are you paying attention in this owners lounge ?

 

Okay, I'll play a bit of SC/SC2/WoW in the morning and then post the readings. My hdd's temp under constant load worries me. I'll be getting the NC3000u asap.

 

I'm assuming it was posted awhile back, since you put it this way. However, I don't recall. I'll be looking meanwhile, of course.

 

So who here got a Broadcom wireless card in their Envy?

Mine is BCM43224AG 802.11a/b/g/draft-n.

I spent over half a day trying to figure out why my wifi wasn't working on my clean install. I was trying to install the Intel WIFI drivers thinking I had the 6200 card like I had in my last 4 Envys. Furthermore, Windows 7 had no clue about the card and automatically searching didn't help either. Had to do a factory restore so I could go into device manager and note down the model.

The Broadcom website is little help. They don't provide any drivers and details of the chip are scarce to none. However, seems like this chip has some tricks up its sleeve compared to the Intel Centrino Advanced 6200.

The Broadcom chip supports Bluetooth 3.0 and can link both bluetooth and wifi together if the device on the other end supports it. Furthermore, the chip also has some Cisco specific security options, so this is better for offices that need this. Compared to the 6200, this Broadcom chip seems to get a stronger signal, but more testing is needed.

 

With the E17 (i5-540m) flat on my desk and the following open, CPUID HM posted the following temps
Val, Min, Max
O: 71, 46, 74
1: 75, 51, 77

Open:
Seinfeld DVD playing (the fix up; "I like a good cheek")
iTunes
Lightroom 3.0
Partition Magic (running surface test on 40GB partition)
CPUID Hardware Monitor
and
Firefox (four tabs)

Needless to say the left vent is burning up and left palm is no longer comfortable.

I propped the back of the laptop on a double CD case, cleared min max and let it run for a few minutes

Val, Min, Max
O: 62, 61, 65
1: 67, 66, 70

surface scan finished, partition scan still open, and temps are now 55, 61C.

Removed the double CD case from under the laptop, laptop is now laying flat, temps are 61, 65. (no surface scan)

Just FYI.

 

Mine has Broadcom wireless card.

 

It is stronger. And if you checked the Windows 7 2.0 Guide on the main HP forums, you'd have noticed I went through the problem and found the solution as well. The reason I feel that it picks up better signals (stronger) is because when I'm at my basement, I'd pick up 2 bars with the 6200 (always 2 bars) with an average downloading speed of 7 Mb/s, I'd get 4 bars with the Broadcom and an average of 21 Mb/s. Obviously it's a small sample size but it affects me so that's all I care for .

 

Hi Guys,

One of the exciting things I'd heard about the Envy 15 was that the webcam would automatically switch to some kind of night-vision mode when the lights were out. Does that still work with the Envy 17, and does it work well? (Or is it just kinda... creepy/zombie movie mode).

Currently trying to decide between the Envy 17 and ASUS G73JH-A1 - where the ASUS is only about 60$ more than the Amazon 1649$ Envy 17 setup for similar (and better) specs. From reading the reviews here on the Asus... the form factor and webcam (depending on the answer to the above) seem to be the leg-ups for the Envy 17, but heat seems to be a huge leg up for the Asus.
Any chance anyone has had access to both these machines, and could say how the speakers and screens between the two match up?

 

hey guys what do yall think about the tagrus dual fan? Not to expensive and looks effective... anyone check this out?... im thinkin about pickin it up and tryin it out.


The envy 17 screen is definetly nicer full HD Ultrabright View Infinity LED Display (1920x1080)

Not sure if the envy your lookin at comes with it ..

 

The Envy 17 has an HD webcam without the many problems the E15 has. I've scarcely used it but it looks very crisp when I had.

 

Just came across your testing post here. I'm from the VAIO F discussion. Check out my post with the results of my recent CPU/GPU stress test.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-3-a-275.html#post6538618
After reading some results in the Envy thread, it seems that it gets a little too hot and that's kinda scary.

Take care,
Jason

 

@anseio: I've noticed something. Try checking if your fans are on whilst playing games. I checked my BIOS (fans always on), yet I just noticed today that they aren't. Whilst idling, my fans are not on (I didn't think this was the case before as I 'heard' something spinning), and while playing, the fans are spinning at a low pace. I can tell because I still have my E15 and a seperate laptop to compare how the air blows out, sound, and the relatively little amount of air being pushed out. Meaning, my fan is pretty faulty. This actually has me VERY happy as my idle and load temperatures are only a little above average (in my opinion), and with a workable fan I'd probably have a very cool laptop.

Can anyone else tell me whether their fans are on whilst doing light work (with the BIOS option of fans always on of course).

EDIT: I do have the latest F.08 BIOS.

 

To my understanding, the Vaio F only has one fan and it's always running. Mine is pretty quite, as in I never hear it, but others have complained that it's a bit noisy at times.

 

Now this is confusing... it seems I have a faulty fan... so I suppose those with similar specs to me should have actually really low temperatures.

I've been getting idle temps in the mid 45's with a non-operational fan, as well as load temperatures in the 70's with 78 for the CPU. I'll be sending in for a replacement soon... my fourth HP laptop in under a month - -.

 

Wow! Good luck to you!

 

For those who have done clean installs of Windows 7:

Is there a separate driver for the Beats Audio Interface or is that built into another driver that HP offers. I'm about to do a clean install but I want to ensure that I'll be able to have same audio controls (aka beats interface) that I currently have. Has this been a problem for anyone getting the beats audio interface to work after a clean install?

 

I know that i could spend a few hours trying to find the answer to my question but i think id ask you guys first. I have an older HDTV which does not have hdmi, just component, i want to know what would be the best way to connect my envy 17 to this tv. Can anybody help, thanks in advance!

 

So I just installed my SSD today, and I'm loving how fast everything is. Well, like I said before, I bought multiple in order to get a better price, so I'm selling the two extra on here.

If anyone's looking for a 160gb Intel X25-M G2, then I'm selling then here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...-retail-intel-x25-m-g2-160gb-340-shipped.html

I'm not really trying to make profit on these, I just don't need 3.

 

i started using my envy on 6/23. as of today, 8/1, i received my very first bsod. i put my laptop to sleep after long hours of use probably 20+ hours, with roughly 2 hours of total sleep time within the time frame. i put my laptop to sleep right before i was going to take a shower. when i came back out, power was off. once booted, the issue stated for the unexpected shut down, was the bsod.

 

To all who need a NUMLOCK

Start menu
All Programs
Accessories
Ease of Access (win 7)
On Screen Keyboard
Click the Options button
Check the box that says (Turn on numeric key pad)
And BOOM NumLock key yourself crazy..
This I have tested and works as an on off switch so you don't have to use or keep the onscreen keyboard open at all. have not tested if it stays on/off if you reset the computer. Hope this helps

 

Okay, here's what I got for my ~3 hour run of Starcraft 2:

Min is pretty much my idle temp, after letting it sit for around 5 minutes after playing.
Max is the highest temp I hit during my zerg rushes.



I was using the 9cell battery w/ high performance power mode during my tests.