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

Hello everyone!
My name is Nicolas, I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina and this is my first post: I'm a (happy) brand new owner of an Envy 17-1011nr.
This forum has been extremely useful while I was trying to decide between the Envy and other notebooks, so first of all I have to thank all of you for being so helpful.

I'll share with you my first impressions about this beauty after my first week of use:

* (Please, sorry about my poor English, I haven't written or spoken too much early so it's a little rusty!)

Before the Envy I had two other notebooks, an old Dell Inspiron 9400 and a Sony Vaio FZ-440, so most of my brief review is written with those two in mind.

I'll be using it mostly for work and some ocassional gaming. I'm a graphic designer and web developer, so this much power and ram comes in very handy, I can have photoshop, illustrator, flash, dreamwaver and many others apps running at the same time without feeling any slow down... it's fantastic!

So... first of all I'll talk about the issues that most of the users have reported since the first post of this thread:

.Mine has no wobble at all, it rests perfectly straight on any flat surface
.Just a couple of minimum gaps (I hadn't noticed if there were not too much discussion about the gaps!)
.No tweating, noises or morse code so far, just a very low and short beep every 30 seconds when using headphones (fixed with the mic trick posted on the first page!)
.Heat seems normal for such a powerful and thin notebook. My old Vaio FZ (Core2Duo T8100 & Nvidia GeForce 8400GM) had a similar heat "problem" so maybe I'm used to it and find it normal. The left palm rest goes a little bit hot, but it didn't become a problem so far.
.The touchpad feels nice to me. I read a lot of reviews complaining about it but compared to my Vaio touchpad which was less than half the size I feel very comfortable using Envy's one. Just a couple of times I tried to click the buttons and the mouse pointer moved away, but I think it's just a matter of time to get used.
.It's quite heavy, yes, but I didn't expect it to be lightweight and I won't be moving around a lot.
.The keyboard feels really nice and the backlit is a nice touch. The up/down arrow keys are a bit strange but after a few minutes I didn't even feel the difference, they're small but really easy to get used to.
.The screen is lovely! Extremely sharp and super bright. I'll try to compare it against the Vaio which also had a very nice screen (not as bright and sharp as the Envy's but with a nice color)
.Sound is pretty decent for a notebook. My Vaio sounds like crap and the Inspiron 9400 had an average pair of speakers, so the Envy is far better sounding than my previous two notebooks. I won't be using the speakers frequently so I don't care much about the sound.

Besides that I have to say that HP did a very good work on the packaging, It's obvious since you take it out of the box that you're dealing with a top of the line product (besides some flaws that we all know). I can't understand why no other brands do this as well, maybe they're afraid of getting sued by apple? A nice packaging changes your perception about the product from the first moment.

Also the 2Gb SD Card is a fantastic add on! Now I have two extra gigabytes on my camera!

In the next few days I'll take some time to do a clean install and see if there's any increase in system performance (I prefer the Spanish version of Windows, my first language), but it seems that my Envy didn't come with too much bloatware, just a couple of Corel apps, Norton Security, a lot of HP software and an few more little apps.

Well, I won't finish without asking a question, hehe. I'll be using my Envy as a desktop replacement, so I won't be moving it around too much and it will be plugged most of the time. I had my old Vaio plugged 99% of the time and the battery got ruined very quickly. How can I avoid this problem on the Envy? I don't want to ruin another battery without even using it! Is it safe to remove it and use the notebook just plugged? In this case, should I store the battery fully charged, half charged, empty?

Thanks folks!

 

If you don't know what are chips sets and drivers. I highly do not recommend that you do a clean install. If the country you live in has an HP Envy 17, you can have your laptop warrantied there.

 

Copying an OS drive is the same thing as the system recovery option you get in any new laptop. In Windows 7 the feature is found in Backup & Restore.

New drivers aren't that hard to install but read up on them first, especially chipset drivers (have to go in first) and ATI drivers (must use Driversweeper and Ccleaner to remove all old drivers before installing new ones). Stuff like that. But you need to learn this anyway so may as well start now right? You can find all drivers helpfully linked to one page here at NBR: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...3-dv7-gen-4-select-edition-envy-17-intel.html

Note that Envy 17s come with one of two different wireless cards, Intel or Braodcom.

 

Just picked up the 1011nr (Amazon) version...

Really nice computer. I'm looking to use it mainly for productivity with some definite gaming thrown in thanks to the strong 5850.

My question is, most of you seem to consider this a desktop replacement. Why?

It's only 7 lbs, that's a helluva lot lighter than most 17 inch laptops and my initial impressions of this thing was almost shock at how light this thing was.

Maybe I'm biased, because I used to have an M17x that weighed over 10 lbs and was as thick as a dictionary, but the Envy 17 feels like a featherweight compared to that, and with the slice I'm getting 2.5+ hours of battery, not too shabby considering the components.

 

My only concern with the laptop is heat.

I know this has been mentioned ad nauseum but I really haven't seen anyone indicate if the excess of heat is actually bad for the laptop or not, more just about the discomfort it causes.

I WILL be gaming on this thing, possibly for extensive amounts of time. Is the heat generated by this monster dangerous to its components? Or is it simply more dangerous to my hand?

I'm also spoiled by how well my M17x handled heat, but unfortunately I had to sell it because I couldn't justify owning a $4,000 laptop any longer ( I sold it for a good price, so all is well).

 

@SaosinEngaged ummmm....slice? I'm pretty sure there isn't a slice battery for the envy 17. Did you mean the "oversized" 9 cell battery?

@Everyone Random question: is there a subwoofer on this like there is on the dv7tse? Thanks in advance!

 

I also have the 1011NR from Amazon. Just run it on the 9 cell battery on a flat hard surface and heat won't be a big issue. On a cooler, this thing runs positively cool -- I've been posting HWMonitor grabs all over, including this thread. Also, on mine, the heat was brutal in the first 24 hours or so and then went down a lot. I'll bet a lot of the heat talk about the Envy 17 comes from that first time use. I don't have a heavy game that can push hardware though.

As for the "desktop replacement" issue -- don't forget the charger add that to the weight (and also volume; it's a big fat old school charger) and the pitiful battery life. I'm getting about 100 minutes on the 9-cell (that would be the big battery lol) browsing and watching a low bitrate 720p vid. Not worth hauling around for that imho. Plus it's big...

Btw I too worry about the heat issue, and the effect it has on electrical components. I game on consoles, so I don't have the shorter upgrade cycles of those who do, so it's possible I will use this a while. And on my other laptops, I've seen how quickly they lose half their power. That's why I'm using a cooler, the thing is fine without it on the 9 cell, but the cooler definitely keeps all parts of it cooler (according to HWMonitor), so I figure it's a worthwhile $30 investment. High 90s F idle; 100-110 browsing; 130 F watching hd video while browsing. I don't know too much about this stuff but those are not high temps for a pc.

 

question:

how does the envy17 do when it's plugged into a tv via HDMI ? i have a 46" 1080p tv that i want to connect. i believe the tv is set to support pc's via a vga connection, but HDMI is easier for me to run. if i connect via hdmi to a tv, is it also transmitting sound ?

 

YES, that's the whole point of HDMI

HDMI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You are on the internet - If you (google) search for it, you'll probably find it.

 

HDMI out works great. I can run my Envy either directly into my Panasonic 54G10 or through the aux input of my Onkyo receiver at 1080p.

I have to run at 1080i if I plug into the Samsung LN46B650 in my bedroom for some reason.

Dave

 

i understand the technology, i was asking about how the envy17 has been with this connection and a large tv, to which end ad901xx answered my questions

 

thanks for the tidbits. so you're getting good sound with the direct tv connection ?

if someone's got a receiver with hdmi input's it'd be interesting to find out how well it's doing with 5.1 and 7.1 transmissions

 

The sound from just the TVs isn't that great since it is going through the little, built in speakers. My AVR is currently set up in a 5.1 configuration and movies or music sound great going into the aux HDMI input.

 

i'm planning on going with a denon AVR series, still shopping around ...
reason why i ask about the hdmi is so i can plug it in and run some of my PC games on the TV

 

Hello everybody,
I've gotten myself an Envy 17 1010eg just yesterday from a local dealer. Many aspects of this laptop have already been discussed here. But I'd like to point out the one real weakness I've come across. I should probably mention that I'm working for a digital photography magazine, so I'm rather demanding when it comes to color reproduction.
There are many things that I like about the Envy 17. For a high end DTR it's actually quite lightweight, and of course - probably like everybody else around here - I love the great chassis.
Some people complained about this thing heating up so much that they can't touch it anymore. Didn't happen with my unit. Of course it's warming up noticably, but not uncomfortably.
The one thing that really lets me think about returning the laptop is the quality of its display. I've got the 1600x900 model which I presumed would be enough for my purpose, resolution-wise. I don't really need Full HD, since when I am at home I connect my laptops to an external display.
The two most notable problems are a lack of brightness (even my old 2007 MacBook Pro has a brighter backlighting), and heavy backlight bleed, depending on the viewing angle.
I suspected that the HP display wouldn't be able to keep up with a desktop LCD or newer Apple laptop displays, but I didn't expect it to be that bad. For a "premium" laptop clearly targeted at the same audience that uses MacBook Pros, the Envy 17-LCD is a joke. I've seen netbook displays delivering a better color reproduction than the Envy. And that's rather sad. Does anyone else agree on this?

 

The 1600x900 screen quality is way way way way way below the quality of the 1920x1080 screen.

 

@gooneysen

I am a photographer and contributor to several top diving magazines. You choose the wrong resolution for your Envy 17.

If you have a 15 inch monitor 1600x900 is do able

But for a 17 inch you want the 1920 resolution.

If you are still under the 21 day return policy, send it back and get a Envy 17 with a 1920x1080 resolution. My screen is so bright it is blinding. My friends who have Macbook Pros were drooling at my screen when I showed them my new puppy.

The only complaint I have is the 72% color gamut, I wish it were higher.

 

I also have the 1080p screen and I can't have it at highest brightness, it's blinding. I turn it down 2-3 clicks at least.

About the 72% color gamut -- what effect does that have on blacks? When I go 0-255 range on MPC the black takes over everything.

Oh and my space bar squeaks sometimes if I tap it left of center. Arrgghhh.

Man I love this Envy 17 though. I hope HP continues this line, I could see myself sticking with it.

 

Is the bottom of the Envy 17 metal or plastic?

 

Hey fellas, I have a question about the Envy 17..
I am about to purchase the ENVY17-1011NR from Fry's.
This model comes with two 320GB drives. I would like to replace one of the drives with a larger one (say a 500GB, 640GB or perhaps a 1TB drive).
Do I need any kind of special accessory to to so? And will that void my warranty?

Thanks alot!

 

You need a screwdriver, I believe. If it comes with 2 drives, you will already have the cage and connector required. Have you read the manual yet? got pictures on how to change HDD out......

http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=30&chapter=0

You are on the internet - If you (google) search for it, you'll probably find it.

 

A surfeit of assistance:

The_Snowman's link is good for pictures and an unobtrusive Youtube link to a video by the folks at newmodeus. It's so subtle, you might miss it, so I add it here:

YouTube - Add a 2nd HDD or SSD to an HP Envy 17

Have fun with the new drive.

 

OK, so I only just found out about this awesome laptop the last few days, even though it was released in May 2010; now, probably not the best place to ask this, but here goes, why haven't any of the other manufacturers come up with a response to this high end model?

I mean, what are Asus, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu, Sony, Samsung doing? Or am I just blinded by what I see of the ENVY 17"

Thanks, John

PS - forgot to mention that now I'm reading that there is a 3D model, crikey!!

 

@The Snowman Well Asus has the g73jh, which seems to be way better than the envy 17, performance wise at least. I heard from someone on here that because of the awesome cooling system in it, cpu/gpu temps barely ever go up, EVEN while gaming. The g73jh isnt nearly as thin, and i dont think its as light either, but a laptop with a 17"+ screen is normally a desktop replacement, so size isnt a big deal.

 

Imho the Envy 17 isn't a rig you look at for specs and benchmarks. It's a better looking, better feeling machine than firms like Asus make. I have no doubt that Asus model benches better and has better cooling. If gaming is the primary concern, you should probably look at something like that. But if you were to put your Asus next to my Envy 17, you would know why it's called that lol. This is a good looking machine. Go out to the Envy subboard topic list and look for my thread about cooling, I posted several pics in there for a guy who wanted to see the cooler fit on this model. It's niiiiice looking no?

 

The g73jh screams - look at me, I am a gamer! lmao

The Envy is more demure, but honestly it looks like a MAC, but at 1/3 of the cost with 2x the power. Every high end laptop I've owned gets hot, the solution get a heavy duty laptop cooler.

I do hope that other manufacturers also start making aesthetic laptops like the Envy in the future but with better cooling. Competition is good especially for the consumers.

 

Thanks for the tips everybody, hey, had a quick look at the ASUS thread on here, not sure what a GSOD is but I think I would rather stick with the heating problems of the ENVY 17

 

“Green Screen of Death” (GSOD)

 

Guys

When I point my mouse pointer to the battery meter it only gives me a percentage. On my former dell XPS it would also give me a estimated time before I run out of juice. Is there something I missed installing?

 

or grey screen of death

 

yeah i have the same question as well.

 

The battery status indicator in Windows 7 relies on the ACPI driver. The ACPI driver currently used does not support predicting battery life or showing how much time you have left.

Even I have the same problem.

I ended up using Battery Bar. I bought the Pro version for $7.

 

Many thanks for the Info!

 

I like my desktop. That's all I had to say.

 

Very nice desktop Taetertot

Mine is a bit more minimalist.





I like the time and date gadget you have. Can you send me the link where I can also download it?

 

ooh that is a lovely background, can you link me?

 

Here is the link - Zippyshare.com - 25291_1600x1200-wallpaper-cb1283871334.rar - it is from the National Geographic Website.

 

Hello!

New Envy 17 user here. I was going to buy Asus G73JH, i5 and so on... but delivery estimate was over 6 weeks so I decided to choose the next best thing IMO. I was also looking at MSI GX740 but I didn't like the heat reports and noicy operation.

In Finland there wasn't really any options that you could choose on your Envy, but the sales person did recommend to buy it from another country if I would've wanted better performance with same money, but it wouldn't have worked with my situation.

Important specs:
i5-450M (even tho' stores website says 430M)
1600x900 Display
500Gb 7200rpm HDD
2x2Gb memory (slower ones :/)
DVD Drive (I would've wanted the Blu-Ray especially when I had it on my Fujitsu laptop which was 400€ cheaper)

Okay, now I have some questions and also some issues :/

The issue is kinda bad... left side speaker is broken... it might work and then it doesn't work... I guess only solution is to send it back :/ Tho' I use external speakers all the time, but still...

Questions:
1. Can I instal faster memory with my setup? Is motherboard the same as in the i7 version where there is faster memory straight from the box.
2. I'm planning on upgrading the HDD or rather adding a SSD in my Envy. I'm also planning to do a clean install when I'm adding the SSD. Is there something different that I need to do when I'm going to put the SSD on the primary slot, and swap the default HDD on to the secondary slot. (I have to order the secondary HDD caddy of course)
3. When I'm doing the clean install, what are the default programs that I will lose permanently?

Overall I'm satisfied with my new Envy. The heat isn't a big problem for me.

 

I can't remember which one I downloaded lol. Windows Desktop Clock Gadget | Paintbits

I could email you the file, it's 65.5kb.

Btw I notice you have your taskbar on the bottom. How do you give up the vertical space? One change I would like to see in the Envy 17 is 1920x1200 resolution.

One thing I like about taskbar on the side, which I hadn't run before, is that the windows take up less space each on the bar itself and you can fit a lot more open windows without combining or getting stacks:

 

I'm about to open my Envy up, pop out one of the 320 HDD and replace it with an 80GB Intel SSD, as well as a clean install.

Can someone please tell me which HDD in the Envy is the primary? I'm sure the information is somewhere in this thread, but I've read through multiple pages and haven't seen it. It's difficult to navigate such a large thread.

Thanks anyone.

 

it is the one with the cage that is not screwed into the laptop body. when looking down on the laptop, it's the one near the motherboard coin battery.

this is how it comes from the factory. unless you messed with a previous clean install and put windows on the secondary drive, the caddy with the rubber feet should be the primary hdd.

 

I was able to find the gadget through the link that you sent. Thank you.

I guess I am a creature of habit, I've always had my toolbar on the bottom. I'll try having it on the side for a week and see how I like it.

 

Do view this video of replacing the secondary:

YouTube - Add a 2nd HDD or SSD to an HP Envy 17

 

Hey guys, I am having an issue with mine .

I bought mine off Newegg about a month ago, just requested an RMA before I run out of 30 day grace period. There's this hissing noise coming from it, very high pitched, it is way more noticeable when I have something connected to any of the USB ports. Extremely annoying! Other than that, it has been great.

So, what i am wondering is if all of the Envy's are like that. I have read some reviews on newegg, and somebody has mentioned that there's a new batch out which has resolved many of the problems people have been having with this model. Would an RMA be a good idea? Or are most of these laptops like that?

My model is 1011nr and link to it is Newegg.com - HP ENVY 17-1011NR NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 640GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850

 

Posted in another thread, but figured that I might as well make a new one.

I have read about Envy 17 having build quality issues, specially with the screen. I currently have one which I bought on 8/30 via newegg and so far it has been pretty good, aside from this very very very annoying high pitched hissing sound coming from the laptop. It actually is a bit louder when I have anything connected via USB. Since Newegg only offers RMA for 30 days, I have one waiting for me if i choose to send it back to them.

I was reading the reviews on Newegg, and some guy mentioned that they have a new batch of Envy's which are better build quality and all of the issues have been eliminated. Anybody know if its true?

This hissing sound is annoying, but I also do use my laptop for school/work and I would be out a week without it. Besides, I also have my own copy of Win 7 on it, and it is set up the way I like it. I don't want to send it to RMA just to get a replacement with an identical issue, or something with a dead pixel like some people seem to be getting .

Suggestions?

It's an Envy 17 1011nr model. Newegg.com - HP ENVY 17-1011NR NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 640GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850

 

Mine doesn't do that, 1011nr also.

 

Hmm, it is coming from the center, where there's a vent. It is not too loud and with music playing i can't even hear it, but as is, very very noticeable to me.

 

September 26, 2010
Comprehensive HP Envy 17 Hard Disk Parts and Installation Links:

Since this topic has come up frequently of late, I have assembled all the relevant links to help new visitors.

As with all laptops, 2 1/2 inch platter hard drives are mounted into the Envy 17 by mounting a drive to a "mounting bracket" using four screws. "Mounting brackets" are also called, "caddies". The caddy is then mounted to the laptop, either with four additional screws or with a compression fit. Since most (all?) SSDs (Solid State Drives) are manufactured to mimic the form factor of a standard laptop drive, the caddies will work for a disk drive or an SSD.

If you purchase an Envy 17 from HP that includes only the Primary hard drive, then you will NOT get the Secondary hard drive caddy with your laptop.

HP offers only a kit that includes both the Primary hard drive caddy and the Secondary hard drive caddy. These two caddies are differently designed. They are NOT interchangeable. The connector cables are also of different lengths. The Primary caddy is secured to the laptop within a compression fit of four corner rubber bushings and the laptop drive compartment case cover. No screws are used to secure the hard drive/caddy assembly to the laptop (but, remember, four screws are used to secure the hard drive to the caddy). The Secondary hard drive is secured, more typically, with four screws between the hard drive and the caddy and another four screws between the caddy and the laptop case.

HP forces its customers to buy both caddies even though they will already have the Primary hard drive caddy included with the original purchase of the laptop.

The HP Envy 17 HDD HARDWARE KIT (Primary & Secondary), HP Part # 603772-001
The following link displays 23 detailed pictures of HP's hard drive mounting kit beginning with the image below. The kit was purchased in June, 2010:
Picasa Web Albums - 11806062974673551... - HP Envy 17 HD...



Please note that this kit includes ONLY four screws when, in fact, twelve screws would be required to use the kit. HP shorted me eight screws. The kit costs $88.35, plus shipping, if/when the part is available.

HP uses a separate website and a separate sales organization to sell its parts and its complete systems. Below is the Parts website. Note that, on the day of this post, I tested the site for the kit with a search by part number, and the site erred. The search found the part, but I was unable to add the part to my basket.
HP Parts Store - HP Computer Parts - HP Printer Parts - Compaq Parts

An aftermarket manufacturer sells Secondary drive caddies (no Primary caddies) for the HP Envy 17 for less than half the price of the HP kit. This manufacturer includes proper sized connector cables and all necessary screws as well. The same company offers a very good text and picture tutorial on installation as well as an equally good video via Youtube. Links follow.

Newmodeus.com Caddy:
Hard Drive Caddy & Cable for HP Envy 17 (also works with SSD) [HP-ENVY-17] - $38.55 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

Newmodeus.com Text/Pictures Installation Tutorial:
Add a 2nd HDD or SSD to a HP Envy 17 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

Newmodeus.com Youtube: Installation Tutorial:
YouTube - Add a 2nd HDD or SSD to an HP Envy 17

I am not affilliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post.

 

have a read here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/501749-hp-envy-14-cpu-whine-poll.html

it's not isolated to the envy14, there's a hardware issue that is still unresolved with this series of notebooks. i've tried my best to make HP aware, but they still care not.

 

I've read some of it, sad . But, not everybody seems to be having an issue. Maybe if I do send it as RMa the replacement model won't have any cpu whine?