*HP ENVY 17 & 17 3D (2XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Has anyone had a problem where they cannot update Tridef or PowerDVD. For both I have downloaded and installed the newest versions. The installation goes without errors but the driver version stays the same as the laptop came with and does not change. And I can confirm that they do not work because the PowerDVD patch is supposed to fix playback for the movie Tangled but it still doesn't work. Any ideas on why updates do not install?

 

1) What should a dv6t owner know about the envy 17 that's not readily apparent?

2) How does the 6850m compare to the 6770m? It's underclocked to 575 right? Can I overclock it to normal clock speeds without much risk?

3) The build quality is a lot better, right? Is it still plastic?

4) The 120 hz screen. How does it compare to the AUO 1920 x 1080 matte screen on the dv6t? Nice colors? What gamut? Brightness?

5) How's the weight/size?

6) Can I use 120 hz without using 3d?

 

1. Backlit keyboard. The Pavillion has the HM65 Chipset motherboard, the Envy has HM67. Pavillion now has dynamic switching with graphics, Envy still has muxer, so the switching is dynamic and you also have manual switching, where you can keep one GPU on all the time. Envy has better graphics card (more pipelines and faster memory....Pavillion has faster clock. 6850 clocked at 575, where the 6770 is clocked at 700). The Envy is a step above the Pavillion line.

2. Even though the 6850 is clocked slower it has 800 pixel pipelines, vs the 480 on the 6770. 3DMark 11 with 6850 is 1850 vs 1500 with 6770. The 6850 can be overclocked using MSI Afterburner with no problem

3. Lazer etched carbonite for the Envy. Only plastic is on the bottom.

4. Excellent colors. The screen in the Envy is the Best I have ever seen. Matte screen behind a glasslike cover. Gives the apprearance of glossy, but not. As far as gamut and brightness...it has been posted many times in the thread...perhaps someone else can answer that.

5. About 8 lbs. Pavillion is about 2+ inches thick. Envy is 1.5 inches thick. With six cell battery...about 8.5 lbs

6. When you are on the 6850, you are at 120 HZ all the time. When on Intel GPU, 60 HZ. Plugged in...you get 6850. On battery Intel. It's all good

Hope this answers the majority of your questions. Worth the difference in price? YES!

 

There is a ~100 dollar difference in price thanks to the coupon, so I'm going to return my dv6t.

Thanks a lot, Bob. By the way, do you have Vantage scores?

 

Not yet. I found issues with Vantage while 3D Mark 11 was installed. Will have to uninstall 11 before putting in Vantage. On the road, so can't until Weekend. There are some people that have run it ...check through the thread. Search Vantage and you might find...

 

Is the battery life really what HP says it is? ~2hrs with IGP is kinda pathetic tbh.

 

NO! I use the switchable graphics with Intel set to 6 brightness and no USB powerdown...with bluetooth enabled and get 3:25 minimum.

Six cell battery. HP is underestimating...but that is good. You do get a lot more than they tell you. Others with the nine cell battery are in the 4-5 hour range.

I suppose that if I ran only the AMD card with 7 or 8 brightness, I might get 2.5 hours...but only one person posted that a long time ago

 

all right I hit the trigger and I hope it'll be better than the dv6.

 

Totally different type of machine. More high end with more options. I see no reason for you to be sorry about your choice. The Envy 17 is one of the finest machines out right now...If you have any questions or concerns now or down the road...a great bunch of people on the Envy board...Welcome to the world of Envy

 

First real problem with my Envy 17 3D SB. It was storming really hard last week with tons of lightning (Florida). Not thinking, I continued to use the laptop without it being connected to a surge protector. All of a sudden, the lights flicker and my I see my internet connection go out. Turns out, my Ethernet card is now fried and I can only connect via the wireless card. Since the network card is attached to the motherboard I cannot use my in-house warranty to repair it so I'm going to have to send it in...ugh. First thing I did next day was buy a surge protector.

 

@mcchea - how did you pay so little for your computer? Was there a 33% coupon?

Anyways this is a truly killer deal they got going on -30% on the Envy 17.

A couple more questions as my Envy will arrive in at least 10 days or so....how is the sound quality compared to the dv6? Does the subwoofer actually do anything? And which display you like better, the dv6's 1080p matte or the Envy 17's 3d "brightview"?

Also, I'm reading about a throttling issue with HP Envy 17. I have a 2630qm. Does this problem still exist? Has it been fixed?

 

Not sure about MCChea but a bunch of us used $500 off coupons awhile back and other offers that stacked with EPP pricing. 30% off is good.

The Envy's display is superior to the Pavillion. Overall, the Brightview name has a bad rap, but the display on the Envy 17 3D is perhaps the best out there for your average "consumer" laptop. Granted, I hear the Dreamcolour's are better, but I wouldn't put a $5k laptop in the "consumer" range.

No throttling with latest bios (F.15). Well not entirely true, the laptop will throttle when it gets hot but this is expected. Prior to the latest bios, it would throttle even when the cpu was nowhere near its max temp.

 

Just a quick question regarding the memory options. If one opted for the 12GB option would it just be two 6GB sticks?

Or one 8GB and one 4GB?

 

I have EPP pricing....that sucks I missed the deal! Whatever, if it ever comes up again I'll call HP and ask for credit.

Does this latest BIOS that stops throttling at normal temperatures come standard on the newest Envys or do I need to update it myself?

Another issue I hear about is the trackpad. Does this issue still exist?

What kind of clocks have you guys gotten when you OC'ed the 6850m?

 

A lot of deals don't stack with EPP pricing so generally don't expect them to; instead, be pleasantly surprised if they combine them when you call in your order.

I think it comes standard now but even if it doesn't, the HP support advisor will update it for you very easily.

I have one of the first revisions of the Envy 17 3D SB and it has the same trackpad as the gen1 systems. It's not the best but it gets things done. I personally use an external trackball almost all of the time. If I use the trackpad with ONE finger, it works great. As soon as I true to use two different fingers, it starts doing things I don't want it to do.

I don't OC.

 

It will be one 8gb and one 4 gb. There aren't 6gb sticks.

 

The latest bios infact, does stop throttling. If your machine doesn't ship with f.15, you can simply download and install it.

The trackpad can be funky if you use the HP drivers. I downloaded the Synaptics 15.2.20 drivers and I can scroll up and down and side to side. I can pinch two fingers in and doom out and go from center to outer edge to magnify. I have the trackpad pretty functional. I like the trackpad better than the one on the Pavillion...

Someone, earlier, OC'd the 6850 to about 725 and memory around 2200. Worked great....but like anything else, you get more heat with overclocking so make sure to use a cooler...

 

I have been considering the dv6t quad. Now, with the 30% off coupon, it is about $100 more for Envy 17 3D.

Sorry if these are asked before (cannot get thru 577 pages with bad search capability in notebookreview forum)
Questions are:
1 - it doesn't have Blueray writer, is there an option for it since I couldn't find it on hp.com
2 - how portable it is compared to dv6t? both size and weight
3 - with 9 cell, how many hours it will last.

Thanks and appreciate.

 

1) nope it doesn't. You may need to buy an external USB burner if you require one because the blu ray on the envy 17 is slot load and it doesn't appear very replaceable to me.

2) don't know as I don't own it yet, but I would guess it is fairly less portable. weight is listed as 7.68 lbs and it is a 17" model. clearly it's primarily intended to be a desktop replacement model with portability around the house.

3) HP underestimates their battery life, apparently, because some users have reported in this thread batter lives in excess of 5 hours with a 9 cell battery.

If you require portability you might be better off with the dv6t.

 

Thanks jaguare. It is so tempted to get the ENVY 17 since it is only $100 more. I will go to my local Frys to compare both of the side by side.

How is the touchpad buttons? I know they are part of the touchpad. If you click on it, does it cause the mouse pointer to move? And is it easy to click on it?

 

Just checking in...
I don't use my Envy much....but I finally got around to getting my care-pack registered. I tried to do it about a month ago...and found out that the care-pack I ordered would not work qith a quick ship Envy. This if of course about 25 days after I had the Envy. I had taking screenprints of the HP site...but dreading the call. I finally got around to doing it today, and had noticed that HP had updated their sites (prior to the update, you could not tell that the care-pack only applied to the non-quick ship Envy's. In fact, the site had stated it applied to quick ship Envy's). After I was mentally pumped, I sent an email explaining the situation...and also stating I had screenprints of the site. 15 minutes later....I had an email that simply stated..."Your care-pack has been registered....sorry for the confusion".

Nice!
So....
My Quickship Envy 17 (non-3D) with 3 year Home Service and ADP was a heck of a deal.

EPP discount + $500 coupon + Discounted Care-Pack = $1089 shipped. Since it was quick ship, it went out in 24 hours, and I also had free 2 day shipping.

 

hi just got my new HP 17 3d sandy bridge oooo ! its lovely... had it since lunchtime. It's second hand.. and the guy I've bought it from changed it for an alienware, as he's a hard core gamer. So we're both happy

im in the uk, and getting one here, is seriously difficult as hp uk are not selling them yet.

It'sgot 8 G ram, 2820, the intel 160 G SSd, 600 G 7,200 rpm HD,
really nice.
though the guy had clearly done a recovey installation of the OS: as it looked "new" software wise, but for the first 10 mins, it crashed within a minute of being switched on. Going into safe mode, and doing driver updates etc got it working swiftly enough.

But... i've got one remaining problem. the mouse (i know i know)...

works well, except for draggin windows around, and refuses to click on the buttons top right of every window... i.e. minimise, maximise etc, Really weird. i can resize the window but not close it etc in every other way the mouse works a treat. Any body got any idea what's up ? I've got `all microsofts updates installed btw.

would love to get it working "normally"....
any suggestions ?

 

I would try newest drivers from Synaptics if you haven't already.

 

ty 15.2.4.4 (dated 15/12/2010) is the driver that reports as running: I'm not too sure where that's come from: but I've run the microsoft updates, and also the HP ones... and they report they are happy.

the device reports as being a synaptic clickpad v7.4.


The latest driver on the synaptics site is 15.2.20... so I'll try that next. might well post this and report back in case I brick my machine lol...

 

Hi all - I have a new Envy 17 3D on order and am curious to know if anyone has tried the Netgear Push2TV HD adapter with the SB Envy 17 3D. I've searched but can find any recent info/comments.

I know that the Envy isn't on Netgear's list of supported laptops but HP's website does say that the 17 3D is wireless display ready.

Any insight appreciated.

Thanks.

 

While the Envy may not write Blueray, it will write DVD's.

While I wouldn't consider any 17" laptop portable compared to the 14-15" counterparts, I find the Envy 17 to be relatively easy to carry around. I carry mine around on my back every day to/from work. It's much lighter than most other 17" models. My only gripe is the power brick you have to carry around. While I did buy a slim 90w travel PS, it wouldn't allow my Envy to work at full CPU speed (which is a problem when you run multiple VMs).

I rarely use my touchpad, but I just did a small test for you and the cursor stayed put while clicking. YMMV.

 

well, I don't have an HP brick the synaptic driver worked fine.-- and in fact it installed an additional piece of software "scybe" for recognising a whole host of "gestures" (inc. pinched zooming etc)... which I have yet to find how I turn on ironically... still later on... mid installing CS 5.5...

re the mouse, I thought all the trouble was gone: but.. the mysterious "won't allow me to click on restore, minimise maximise buttons" characteristic is back some hours later. oddly, double click on the top bar of a window it maximises, and reverts... but those pesky buttons top right won't work, with single clicks (or come to that repeated attmepts at clicking).

What's the betting it's some kind of not obvious windows 7 "feature" lol ?

Any further insights I'd be grateful for!

Cheers everyone.

Jonathan

 

Thank you for your input.

I think I really need to go to a store to try it out to see how big and heavy it is. Does it get hot or this heat problem was from the prev. gen. of Envy 17?

Can the buttons be configured to not being part of the touch area? Please advise.

Thanks

 

got some Q's

1) How is the subwoofer / sound quality?

2) How does the 6850m on this compare to the 5850 on the first generation Envy 17's?

 

Am looking at the Envy 17 and am trying to decide between the 1600x900 or the 1920x1080 screen. Can the 6850 drive the 1080p screen at reasonable frame rates for gaming? Or should I stick with the lower res screen if the primary intention is to game?

Thanks!

 

In the Envy 17 3D, the 6850M does fine with frame rates using TriDef 3D. I would get the 1920 x 1080 screen. Better color saturation and more...for the Non 3D Envy...

 

Under normal load, it stays exceptionally cool. No problems like the old Envy's. If you are running the CPU hot around 100% of the time, it does heat up a bit but not as bad as the previous Envy. Under daily use, I never feel any heat coming from my palm rest. I don't game much, but when I do, it does get warm.

I really can't comment on sound quality because it's good enough for me. I mainly listen to XM radio. During games, it's good enough but then again I've never been one to immerse myself in the sound of a game because I usually have too much going on around me.

The GPU is fine for WoW.

As Bobmitch said, get the better screen; it's worth it. This is why most people by the Envy 17 3D instead of the non-3D version. It is usually cheaper to buy the 3D than the trick out the non-3D with similar options. If you buy the 3D version, you don't need to use it's 3D capabilities (I personally haven't used it other than to watch the demo videos).

 

What Cam121 says is true. I recommended to a few others and they all went with the Envy 17 3D. It is cheaper to configure, because by default you get the 120 HZ 1920 x 1080 screen.

As far a sound quality...it is very good! Now, with that said...don't make my mistake. I purchased the machine with a six cell battery. So when it sits on a surface, it is flat and oftentimes muffles the subwoofer. Get the nine cell battery...raises the back about 3/4 of an inch, BUT...it really lets the subwoofer do it's job...sound is pretty rich. When I want excellent quality sound...either headphones (mind blowing experience with BEATS), or put the laptop on my lap.

For gaming...I put laptop in my lap (should tell you it doesn't get that hot)...and put on my shutter glasses....it is a real kick! Again...the GPU is equivalent to the Nvidia 460M...it cranks out enough power to even play Crysis with full detail. There are some slowdowns during explosions...but that even happens on desktops...Crysis is THAT demanding. I currently have no issues at all with BBC2, GTAIV, or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat (both BBC2 and Call of Pripyat are running full detail DX11)...

 

Bob, in the Pavillion forums you mentioned that the new Envy 17 3d's have dynamic switching. Is it muxless or muxed? Can this be disabled? Can I force the dedicated card?

I want 120 hz all the time, and I'm not moving this computer, so battery life doesn't mean anything to me. I'd rather it be on the 6850 all the time.

 

The Envy 17 3D is muxed! You can choose which card runs all the time. Notice the switchable configuration. Just uncheck "automatically switch to power saving gpu" and you get 6850 on power or on battery...or you can do the other way and keep Intel all the time...choice is yours.

The 60XX models of Pavillion were the same way. All generations of Envy's have muxed, to my knowledge. No one has brought up dynamic switching on the Envy board. With 6850M, you will always have the 120 HZ refresh. Mind you...it is mostly for TriDef 3D gaming...but certainly doesn't hurt anything else...

 

youtube3d....

Anybody know how to get my envy 17 3d to play youtube 3d videos ?

I'm guessing firefox will be part of this: and I don't claim to be an expert...
but the real snag seems to be the software end. HTML5 again seems to be part of this, but I have no idea how I make the machine go "a ha ! time to go 3d!" I'm sure some clever person out there has sussed this already...

I've got a sandy bridge, "v2" envy 17 3d, which works a treat for google earth


Cheers
Jonathan

 

Ok so this is starting to drive me insane... Anyone has any idea about my graphics "noise" issue ?

As a reminder I have some issues with mostly dark/grey backgrounds, the AMD 6850 doesn't seem to render them properly, they have this noise/grainy texture that looks like it is "in front" of the actual display (i.e. it stands still on its screen position if I move the web page for instance, it doesn't stick to what is displayed, it's like a grain filter over the whole screen).

Note that this does not happen when I switch to the Intel GPU, and also not when I switch to 16-bits color depth in Windows for the AMD one (!). When in 32-bits color depth the noise pattern "changes" only when I adjust the Luminosity, Contrast or the Gamma parameters in the CCC. It's the only settings I've found to do any effect on it (sometimes the noise disappears on for some color shades, but appears for others).

I tried to take some pictures of my screen to show what it's like. It's not very noticeable this way but at least you can have an idea of what I'm talking about. Here's two examples that show the noise best (the noisy parts are supposed to be plain HTML background colors):



And here's a comparison in the same display conditions between both GPU's (Intel is on the left and AMD on the right):





I tried install/re-install all drivers versions but still the same thing, even without the CCC installed... also tried to reset the color profiles in Windows, but it won't do anything.

I'm kinda confused right now.

 

Only one thing I would like to try for the moment...will tell if it is the AMD card or something else. There is a VGA output on the left side of your computer as well as HDMI. Can you hook up both ways and see if the noise continues on those as well? I would think that if YES...you might have an issue with the AMD card.

 

Never mind

 

@Bobmitch: good thinking, never had the idea.
Well I connected the HDMI output to my LCD HD TV, and the result is that the display on the TV definitely does NOT have this noise issue ! I adjusted the gamma/luminosity parameters and still no issue on the TV, display remains steady as it should be.
Display was the same on the internal LCD screen though...

(couldn't test the VGA output)

It would seem it's not the AMD GPU then... but couldn't be my internal LCD display either because it doesn't happen on the Intel GPU as I mentioned!...
Maybe some bad driver interference?

 

Download the latest drivers from HP on the site for your model. Then go here and try to run this program in Safe Mode:

Phyxion.net - Driver Sweeper

If there a rogue files...Driver Sweeper should find them and remove them...When booting up, hit F8 to get into Safe mode...

 

So you can play GTAIV, nice. I don't know if you remember before the f.15 BIOS update when we suffered from throttle my GTAIV just didn't work, TS made it almost work perfectly. But I haven't tried it since the f.15 update but when I saw yours work now I'm installing it to test, can't wait to see how it runs now

 

I already used DriverSweeper when removing/re-installing drivers... but maybe I might give it a shot in safe mode.

Thanks anyway.

 

Also...make sure that while you are connected via HDMI, that you are running on the AMD card. Just double check everything...

 

GTAIV is actually pretty nice with TriDef...really enhances it

 

Really? You play it in 3D too? Wow that impresses me

I think my Win 7 is still messing a little bit with my GTAIV, Read much about that.

What settings and patch do you have on yours?

 

i have envy 3d without sandy bridge and i play gta4, but i had to install pathses for gta 4

one question, my envy idle temperrature is about 80 celcius, when playing games the temp can jump to 97 celcius, should I be vorried?

 

Just thought of something, the catalyst control center, what should the settings be in there for let's say best performance or what is that center really for, just thought of that

 

So is the 360 Slim deal compatible with the 30% off coupon? Has anyone tried calling up and combining the 2 of them over the phone with a representative?

Lastly if I graduated say this past Spring and I still have my school email address would I still be eligible for the free 360 Slim? I'm gonna call them as soon as I get a chance but I was curious if anyone on here had tried that recently....

EDIT: Just called and the 2 coupons/promotions are not compatible.

 

I always leave it up to the game settings. Don't trust CCC