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

Well today marks the 1st of Dec and officially the holiday season for me.. So I will pull out my collectors edition of the "Christmas Story" and will watch it when I get home as is my custom with that movie! That movie is so great, I will probably watch it about a dozen times this month and than away it goes until next year! I will really enjoy watching it on my new (this year) SharpAQUOS Quattron 52" TV. Watching movies on this is a whole new experience.... Sometimes I feel like the people are sitting right in my living room!

Glad to see many getting into the holiday spirit, Thanks!

 

Thanks for the ideas. I have the latest HP Support Assistant 6.1.12.1 which says all is fine. Unfortunately it isn't as the computer hangs. (Twice so far in a couple of hours since upgrading to F.18 BIOS.

Before I make the plunge and try an old Intel driver as some users on HP support forum have pointed, I was just curious about your "N" & "G" versions? What are you referring to "if your running it via the "N" version!"? Sorry I don't understand.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I have the latest HP Support Assistant 6.1.12.1 which says all is fine. Unfortunately it isn't as the computer hangs. (Twice so far in a couple of hours since upgrading to F.18 BIOS).

Before I make the plunge and try an old Intel wifi driver on the ENVY as some users on HP support forum have pointed, I was just curious about your "N" & "G" versions? What are you referring to "if your running it via the "N" version!"? Sorry I don't understand. Do you mean the router? I have a TP-LINK TD-W8901G which only does 802.11b & g as far as I know so no N issue here. All other 3 wifi laptops in my home and two wifi Androids work without hanging, only my new ENVY hangs when I download larger stuff it seems!

 

Thanks Bobmitch. I have the new HP Support Assistant which says all is fine whether I had F.15 or F18 BIOS. Now I have F.18 BIOS. Windows updates say all is fine. The ENVY hangs whenever I am downloading forcing a hard power off/on restart. I will try the older Intel wifi driver idea next....

 

Fra gee lay...it must be Italian...no, it says Fragile...oh yeah!

 

ROFL and lets not forget the LAMP!!!

 

For all using the Intel RAID Array, Intel has released a new upgrade, which is not reflected on the HP Support pages. Here is the link:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...duct=Intel®+Rapid+Storage+Technology&lang=eng

 

Well if your routers are not "N" capable, than you must be running the "G" version. I see your trying the older drivers, how has that worked out for you? Regarding HP Support Assistant, did you download the one specifically set for your Envy (I provided a link a page or two back)?

So your Envy ONLY hangs when downloading large files? Have you tried using the Ethernet Cable as I suggested to narrow down the possibilities? I would strongly recommend that if the older driver doesn't resolve the issue!

 

It's not just for RAID. Notice in your taskbar...Intel Rapid Storage Manager...update it whether RAID or not...it is your AHCI driver...

 

I just won a major award...it could be a bowling alley!

 

Now how are they going to deliver you a bowling alley, LOL!

 

Oh F-U-D-G-G-G-E-E!

:laugh: :laugh:

 

Hi Gunny,

Yes, I downloaded the HP Support Assistant from the link page you sent. It says my HP ENVY is OK with F.18 BIOS. I have now downgraded the Intel driver for 6200 Wifi to ver 13.0.0.107 based on earlier threads in this lounge and my HP Support Assistant still says the computer is up to date!? Anyway I'll see how the old driver works. So far no freezes but it only been 1 hour.

I have read the massive forum thread and this issue seems to pop up around page 600 and come to resounding inconclusiveness around page 657 suggesting that the issue is maybe related to the Intel wifi card with some suggesting to replace it with a 6300 card. Presumably there are a majority of successful 6200 card users and I am in the minority.

I haven't had time nor the resources to get online with an ethernmet cable yet but will try that next if the old wifi driver fails as well. The freezes are only noticeable when I have torrents running in back ground, but I am not sure if that is an issue.

 

"PALATKIK", Well I'm running the 6200 card and have never had a hiccup and I'm using the latest driver, and I think several others are in the same boat. However there are others that have had problems, but they were using the "N" version and solved it with buying the 6300 card. After I confirmed my wireless issue is non existent, I switched to the Ethernet Cable, since my Computer desk is in close proximity to my DSL Router. I suggested the Ethernet cable since I have Never heard of anyone having any issues with that, just to see if your problems would in fact go away. I also use Torrents quite often and never had any hiccups with those either.

Hopefully the older driver will resolve your problem, but of course you will get faster downloads with an Ethernet Cable should you opt for that, plus if you do still see problems, it will help you confirm if it is in fact the card or not.. Glad everything is finally working for you and your able to truly appreciate the greatness that Envy brings!!!

 

Just read this post above on the Intel 6200 wifi computer freezing issue, and am confused on the idea it cannot be fixed by HP? Surely HP has to fix it if it is inside their laptop? Has anyone got a response out of HP to send out a replacement 6300 or whatever works or is everyone just fixing it themselves or making do with the 6200?

As for me I have reverted to latest 6200 drivers since the older ones didn't stop the ENVY freezing. So I now have an ENVY with latest drivers and a 6200 wifi that freezes each day. Until I can get my hands on another wifi card or USB device I have disabled N mode in the Intel driver advanced tab (3rd option) of the 6200 (not sure if this helps or not??) and it has reduced the freeze ups, but I did still get one or two.

My old ENVY17 series #1 never had this issue, but I cannot get my hands on it right now to see what wifi card was in there.

 

The issue is really Intel's problem. They created a chip that is not totally compatible with every possible router chipset out there. I have the D-Link DIR-655 router with Atheros chipset and have absolutely NO issues. Then you have both Buffalo and Netgear that use Broadcom. I have heard sporadic issues when using the 6200 in dual band mode (seems the issues arise when you hit the the dual band mode for 300N. Cisco / Linksys uses their own chipset. It's a "crapshoot". I asked people to post their router and whether or not they had issues weeks ago...got a few responses...nothing to base issues on. As far as HP...they are the ones that recommended the older driver, for I guess it has a slower "afterburner" setting that doesn't lock the 6200 up. My router is a single mode N and when I connect it is only at 130 kbps. I have FIOS internet and my speeds are insane. Heck...you can get FIOS 50/50 and still not fill G bandwith.

 

I wish I had access to FIOS, I'm still stuck using Verizon DSL. I tried Comcast for awhile, but they throttle your service (as many do), but Verizon DSL doesn't throttle at all, so that is why I switched to them several years back and why I'm still with them today. I was using a Belkin G Router, but when I was having connection problems with my Verizon DSL service (Turned out to be a short at the main box), they replaced their DSL Modem with a DSL modem Router (G) Combo (Westell 7500).

PALATKIK, have you tried using the Ethernet Cable yet? Just to confirm that the wireless card is in fact the culprit? That would be the very first thing I would do. If it resolves your problem, you can affirm it's the card, and as long as you use it (again, if the problem is the card), you won't have any problems while using the Ethernet Cable, thus no freeze ups and no headaches! Cable would be my next step and you probably have Ethernet cables laying around somewhere.....

 

Gunny...I have read that there are NO issues with G routers at all. Main issues were with certain chipsets of N and dual band. Again...it is hit or miss with what works or doesn't. Too bad about Comcast. Before Verizon, I had them. My brother loves Comcast...they raised his download speed and didn't charge more. I have heard stories about throttling, but have not encountered it myself. They were always top notch with me and many others swear by them. FIOS is nice...but it does cost. I got it the day it was released where I live. Here, Comcast traded with Time Warner and I ended up with Roadrunner...after the switch I had dialup speeds because TWC didn't anticipate that there were that many Comcast customers and the system crashed. I had TWC for two days...called Verizon and never looked back. Those that stayed with TWC had lousy speeds for almost a month before they resolved it....TWC is terrible!!!

 

Here Comcast throttles your service if you use more the 250GB per month (I'm guessing download??), which is insane! If I download a patch to just one of my games, there goes that limit. If I get a new computer and install all of the upgrades, there goes that limit! VZ DSL has no throttling whats so ever and that was the entire reason I dropped Comcast back in 2005 and switched to VZ! When I switched to VZ, I asked them one question, do you throttle, when they said NO, I switched! Every single month I download way more than 250GB of data, so until they expand I will not use Comcast... At least that's the way it is in VA...

 

Question from a SSD newb: Is 540GB of read/writes excessive for the drive being in use for just over 2 months?

I was just doing some casual reading of SSD stuffs and read a post where someone said they had their drive for a year and it was only at 300GB. I checked mine and was like.... oh, 540GB in 2 months can't be good then.

 

Not exactly sure what measurement you are talking about. I do know that most SSD's are built with the idea of at least 5 years of solid service. On my Intel SSD, using the SSD toolbox, it says that I still have 100% life left to my SSD. Granted...I have only had the machine three weeks. My other Envy had the Intel X-25 and I still had 99% life left after six months.

 

In the Intel SSD Toolbox under "Check SMART Attributes", scroll down to the bottom and there is "Host Writes" and "Host Reads". My writes is 547.81GB and reads is 522.09GB.

I don't see anywhere where is gives a drive life percentage.

 

You need the newest version of Toolbox...3.01

Get it here:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...Intel®+Solid-State+Drive+510+-+250GB&lang=eng

It is less cryptic and gives a lot more options...including flashing your drive's firmware in windows...big improvement. On the main page...I can see that my drive health is Good and that I have 100% expected life left...

On my smart attributes...Host Writes is 463.38GB and I am still at 100% expected life. I don't think you have much to worry about. My Total LBA Read is 1.12TB...

 

Hi, no I haven't been able to hook up a cable yet.. agree it will isolate issue. I'll need a couple of weeks to sort that out. Just reading this threads multitude of issues with the Intel 6200 wifi made me jump on that first. Anyway I am getting by with latest 14.0.2.2 Intel wifi driver with N mode disabled under properties and running better with far less freezes - more than 24 hours an no freeze is a record for me! Besides that the ENVY is working great like you said. Very impressed with the reduced heat issues, better battery life and switchable graphics vs series 1xxx ENVY 17 that I bricked.

 

Have you installed these two programs? I use them on my desktop:

Core Temp Gadget 2.74:
Core Temp - Add Ons
Intel Turbo Boost Monitor:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19105

Great ways to monitor Temps and Throttling...

 

I didn't notice that request. I have current access to a TP-LINK TD-W8901G which only does 802.11b & g ... it's not mine and I will try some other routers out later to compare...

 

Please share your findings...could be very helpful...

Thanks

Bob

 

Big user of Core Temp Gadget since my unfortunate days with the ENVY series 1xxx. Was worried it might burn the house down. Good to see the temps remain sensible in series 2xxx.

 

My ENVY never had any issues related to wifi. I have 3 routers in my house 2 of them are N type and the other is an old Linksys WAG200G, all of them work fine with my ENVY. One of those N band routers is the Apple AirPort Express. I can download a large file while streaming music, printing, and surfing the internet without any issues, and I know that I'm using it in N mode because I can see the speed is about 144.0 Mbps under the status of my wireless connection. Is anyone having problems with the AirPort Express?
My 6200 driver is the 14.0.2.2 (1/4/2011). The other N band router was provided by my ISP, so it's only known in my country.

 

The Apple Airport Express uses the Broadcom BCM4712KFB chipset...so we know that one works...

 

OK, now I know I'm crazy. Just ordered one of the new envy 17 3d with the 33% off coupon NBK3573. Now I have to choose which to return by Jan 15th.

Got 2760QM, ATI???, 8gb 1600mhz, 128GB mSATA SSD + 2x1TB 5400 rpm HDD, radiance display - $1,714.52

Now to find the 3xxx owners lounge... lol

 

Guys, what are your temps during gameplay? I am starting to get worried about mine (Envy 2199el 17-2630+ Radeon HD 6850), it jumps from 50C to 80C and almost 90 after mere 5 minutes of gaming. I am not even playing intensive games

Here are the idle temps

What's worse, the fan is really loud. And I don't recall this happening 2-3 days ago. The laptop is 2 weeks old so there's nothing to clean. I checked the BIOS (F18) as mentioned earlier in this thread yet I see nothing about the fans in there

 

Wait what other laptop did you have?

 

My current DSL Modem & Router Combo is the WESTELL 7500 (from Verizon), running in the "G" environment. NO problems what so ever..

 

Well CONGRATS!!! You are the FIRST forum member to make the 3rd gen purchase, most awesome! So since your the FIRST, here come the questions:

1. You said you had to make the decision on which to return by Jan 15th. What is the other unit your talking about?
2. You also have a question mark next to the ATI Graphics, you don't know what your getting?
3. What is your anticipated date of delivery?
4. Did you order a custom or a ready made unit?
5. So the 17.3" 3rd gens have enough room for THREE (3) Hard drives? WOW, 2 1TB HDD's plus the SSD! Why did you opt for the 5400, instead of the 7200? I would have thought you would go for the 7200 rpm, since your looking at two 1TB HDD's...

Looking forward to your review and many pictures! If you have a video camera, maybe you can do an unboxing!

I'm looking forward to seeing the first unboxing video on the 3rd gens!! Good Luck and keep us posted.. What a sweet Christmas present to yourself!!!!

 

I do a lot of gaming, so I can provide some temp readings. Some of the games I play are; Dragon Age II, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mass Effect 1&2, Dead Space 2, Crysis 2, Risen, The Witcher 2 and LOTRO Mines of Moria (Online). I play some times for up to 8 hours, or as short as 2 hours. My first Envy ran rather warm (which was the only concern I had with it), with temps running high 80's to low 90's after an hour or so into one of the listed games. However, the Envy never had any hiccups or problems, until day 31 of ownership (Counting from out of the box till the problem). I was playing Dragon Age Origins and was about 6 hours into the game. The temps where in the low 90's and the Envy froze up, started to hiccup and than froze to the point I had to reboot the unit. When I powered it back up and got ot the desktop, I noticed that their were little flashing colored dots all over the screen. Nothing would resolve the issue. This happened ONLY when using the 6850 GPU, for when I switched over to the Intel GPU the screen was fine. What happened was the 6850 GPU got fried (IMHO). I sent it in for repairs on Nov 9th and got it back on Nov 15th, which IMHO is a Fast turn around {See my postings on pages 692-693 for pre and post repair comments}! So, what did they fix? They replaced the Mother Board! Since getting it back, it runs about 15-20 degrees cooler amd significantly faster as well. Now when I play those same games, my temps are running in the high 70's to low 80's. The Envy is now better than it was out of the box!

So, what games are you playing? Can you provide some time in, with temps, so we can get a better picture of what your experiencing? You may also want to install Core Temp, the desktop gadget version, which runs contantly on your desktop, providing real time temps and CPU/RAM performace as well! Also may want to install the Intel Turbo Boost Monitor (gadget) to run on your desktop as well. I think everyone should be running, at a minimum, these two gadgets on their desktops.

Other than the temps, are there any other concerns you have? The fan noise is hard to answer, since it is so subjective. However, I normally do not even notice mine during everyday use, but when I am hours into a game, I do hear the fan, but nothing that is a bother. It actually helps, since I know the fan is working properly when the temps go up...

Well I hope this helps and keep us posted!

 

1. I ordered a 17 3d Envy on Nov 28th, so 29xx cto
2. Yes, that is part of the crazy part, All HP lists online was 1gb discrete ATI. They don't list the exact model.
3. Ship date is Dec 24th, so I'm hoping the 30th.
4. Custom, I don't see any quick ships available.
5. One is a mSata, which my understanding is a mini pci ssd. I would have picked 7200, but it wasn't available with the msata.

 

I will post my thoughts when I get them. I'm planning on setting both up and using skyrim for my gaming test. I want to compare heat, the msata vs the oz vertex3 and battery. So lots of stuff. I will post which I end up deciding to keep and how I decided.

 

Awesome.....definitely take side by side pics for comparison. Should be very interesting to see the differences (if any exist)....

 

Yep, Don't know if my phone's camera is up to the task, lol.

 

WOW, you looking to adopt anyone any time soon, LOL!!! You MUST do an unboxing and side by side video... Clean up that camera phone lens as a whole bunch of folks are going to want to see what you have! Time is going to drag by day by day until one of those Envy's roll through your door..

Again Congrats!

 

As I said in the previous post the temps jump from about 50 to 80-85 Celcius degree in about 5 minutes. I have never tested them for more than 15 minutes, I don't really have the time nor the will to play for hours. The games I have are Darksiders, Formula 1 2011, Street Fighter 4, The Last Remnant, Call of Duty MW2 and Need for Speed The Run. Here's a screenshot of the temps just 5 minutes after F1 2011 has been on

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/7797/ettet.png

I am not a pc gamer, and indeed all but one of these games are my brother's, so I have no experience with the temps. I have no idea what the temp of a i-7 should be

The fan is very loud, like I have never heard before, and there is A LOT of hot air being blown.

What bugs me is that 2 days ago this did not happen. Mybe it started after I installed this ...can't really remember

Another thing to note is that the Intel HD GPU is at least 10 C degree cooler. In fact when my brother plays his Facebook games, those by Zynga, the Intel GPU blows cold air whereas the AMD GPU makes some soft noise and is slightly warm. Pardon my ignorance but I think they she situations should be reversed

I got the laptop 2 weeks ago and it has been working GREAT, it's the best the laptop I have ever seen.

Yesterday I was playing with Darksiders when after 15 minutes the game froze for a few seconds but then it recovered itself.

I do have the Intel Turbo Boost Monitor, but the bar usually stays close to the bottom with occasional jumps to the top Here's a screenshot

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1294/hhhf.png

 

Ha, I did mention the part about one must go back by Jan 15th!!!

 

What type of platform does your Envy reside on? Are you using the Envy Monitor or an external monitor? What setting are you using for "HP POWER MANAGER"?
What setting are you using for "HP COOLSENSE"? Additionally, the temps you are showing are not by themselves indicative of a problem, you need to play the game for a good 30 plus minutes and see how your Envy handles the heat. The fact that the fan is blowing out hot air is exactly what it is suppose to be doing and the fact that you just noticed it is a reflection of the temps increasing, since the fan speeds up OR slows down to keep your Envy in a state that you choose, thus my COOLSENSE question.. Also the freeze at 15 minutes is also a possible reflection of COOLSENSE..

Regarding your download, I don't think that will cause you any issues as we all have that update or a 3rd party update for a higher version number direct from AMD.

So I will hold off anything else until I hear back from you in regards to COOLSENSE..

 

ROTFL........

 

^^The Laptop is on a very common wooden desktop, no external monitors

Here's a screenshot of HP Power Manager and Coolsense (Yes, that is my version) . Coolsense doesn't matter though




All I want to know from people here is their own temps as they play...

 

Today is a big day folks, if your not a history buff or a member of the Military, it may slide by unnoticed, so let me take a moment and make the following wish:

Remember Pearl Harbor! For if you don't remember our history and the lessons that it has taught us, it is surly bound to repeat itself!!

Best wishes to one and all, with a special wish for ALL of the WWII Veterans out there, as they surly are a rarity now a days.....

 

Sounds like a plan, I'll let the rest provide you with the requested answers... Good Luck!

 

I'd love to respond....but i'm still waiting.

 

If I keep my ENvy flat on my desk and fire up a game...I could see 90C (still 15C below the thermal threshold where the CPU throttles itself for protection)...if I keep it in my lap and allow the intake air to take in as it wants...my temps drop 5-8C. 85C is pretty normal for 3D gaming. My goal is not to purchase a laptop cooler...for most of them have fans that don't help the air intake, and also sometimes become a slight obstruction.

Gunny...in your case you get lower temps because you have a nine cell battery that raises the Envy off the surface by about 3/4 of an inch...and right where the intake is...

Think about it...your machine is going to heat up pretty quickly when you game. Your CPU is running about 70% and your GPU is at full throttle...they are going to dissipate heat. My new Envy came with Coolsense 2.0 and I removed it and reinstalled 1.0. I leave my machine on performance. Should you really get worried...put on Coolest mode for 1.0 or ON for other versions...and in essence, Coolsense will throttle down your CPU to keep everything cooler. Under ON with Coolsense...turbo boost is blocked!