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

Hi,

I just purchased a HP Envy 17.

I have one of the quad core machines, and it seems to run hot/loud.

I've come from a mac, which was totally silent, whereas this thing is very audible. Even just idling the fan is quite intrusive - is this normal?

Cheers

 

Hot, not really...Loud...depends on how heavy the load. I keep Coolsense on Auto...the only time the fans get louder is if I am in 3D gaming mode. Normal temps during 2d apps...in the 40-50C range...gaming will kick that up to 85-92C range, which is warm...but not hot, nor dangerous

 

I just ordered a second hard drive for my envy and opened it up tmakke sure i knew where everything was going - Mine hasn't come with the second caddy. How do i get hold of one of theses?

Cheers

 

Congrats on getting your first Envy & Welcome to the forums! Did you get the 2nd unit or the 3rd gen unit? I ask because the HDD caddy's are allegedly different...

>>>>>> <<<<<< I hope this reply was helpful.. >>>>>> <<<<<<

 

How long ago did you receive your Envy? I am asking to help ensure you did everything you needed to do when you first got it up and running....

Regarding TEMP, +1 on what "Bobmitch" provided to you earlier... Also I would suggest you use a program called CoreTemp (Core Temp Gadget 2.7), which can run right on your desktop and continually monitors your Envy's Temp... You can get it here:

Core Temp - Add Ons

>>>>>> <<<<<< I hope this reply was helpful.. >>>>>> <<<<<<

 

Mines a second gen unit - cracking it open was a right pain and Ive managed to damage the bottom panel a little which is annoying. Nevertheless, Im still in need of a caddy.

I've opened coretemp - showing high 40's for the temps - I've only just turned it on, and it's already rather noisy.

What should I do to try and minimise this?

 

OK, Make sure you are using CoolSense to monitor your fans performance.. Depending on the version you have, set it either to AUTO or PERFORMANCE.. Let me know which one you have.. Also, how long ago did you get it?

 

It arrived today. Coming from a mac, this doesn't feel so great, and the trackpad is a real annoyance. However, it's far more powerful and will be far more suited to the CAD work I have lined up.

 

Everyone who got one here seems pretty pleased:



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

 

Here is a link for the 2nd HDD Drive caddy to get you started:

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

>>>>>> <<<<<< I hope this reply was helpful.. >>>>>> <<<<<<

 

"Teknokid" Again, Congrats on getting your Envy! It is the most AWESOME Laptop on the market! If you haven't yet, you soon will fall in love with your Envy, it is just that fabulous! As per your request, here you go:

1. Start the Envy and create your Restore / Backup Disc's.
2. Copy the following folders to backup media (DVD, CD, USB Thumb Drive, etc.. etc..):
2A~~ SWSETUP folder (C:\SWSETUP).
2B~~ (This step is for Envy 3D Owners ONLY) TriDef folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\TriDef). The TriDef folder contains your license for the program that plays games in 3D. Also, I would suggest you go to TriDef (TriDef 3D - Downloads) and get the latest version of the software. However, DO NOT uninstall the current version on your machine, just install the update over your current version, this will enable your license to stay current and activated.
3. Install your software (MS Office, Games, etc.. etc..).
4. Download HP Updates, via the HP Support Assistant, a must.
5. Download the windows updates, EXCLUDING the AMD GPU update. Make sure you do NOT download that. Find it, uncheck it and hide it. You will need check for updates about 10 times, depending on what MS software you have installed.
5A~~ While doing steps 4 or 5, I setup my start menu area the way I like it and setup my desktop using Fences and Object Dock (free download from Stardock: Stardock.com - Your Edge In Software.
6. Add any external devices (keyboard, mouse, UPS, printers, speaker system, etc...).
7. Run the Heaven 2.5 DX11 GPU Benchmark ( http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads...hmark_2.5.html ) to test your screen and GPU.
8. Run disc cleanup.
9. Run disc defrag.
** If you have a program like "Tuneup Utilities", run it last to tie off all your loose ends..

By doing it in this order, your not stepping on the toes of things not done yet or interfering with other jobs your running.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

NOTE: Hey guys if you find my Guide Helpful, please help me out by adding to my Reputation! Every little bit helps!

>>>>>> <<<<<< I hope this reply was helpful.. >>>>>> <<<<<<

 

know of anywhere in the UK? I cant seem to fnd anywhere, which is annoying. Was thinking of ringing HP?

 

know of anywhere in the UK? I cant seem to fnd anywhere, which is annoying. Was thinking of ringing HP?

 

If the link I provided was not helpful, I would contact HP CS directly or let your fingers do the Google walk, sure you'll find it know that you have a name for the nomenclature.. By the way, did you get the 3D version or the Standard version??

 

I found this....perhaps you can contact them about the caddy...duh...the caddy is right on the front page...

Buy hp envy 17 at SHOP.COM UK Computers

 

+1 Great Find!

 

You don't want to do this if you have an SSD drive. Running one defrag won't hurt, but it also won't help. You're basically wasting a few write cycles of the device. Do NOT run defrag regularly on an SSD drive.

Also, Fences and Stardock are not necessary if you want to streamline your system. They make for good desktop aesthetics though, so it's up to the user.

 

Raxco's new Perfectdisk 12 and 12.5 have added a feature for "Free Space Consolidation" to their defragger. If you have an SSD...it will NOT defrag the drive, just optimize it. I use it once a week, in conjunction with running Intel toolbox and my drive is always giving me top performance. For 320 series, I am at 270 read / 220 write on Random...rarely less. Cam is totally on target...really no need to defrag...But if you have Intel SSD...get toolbox and use Optimizer once a week. If you have Samsung...get the Magician software....much like Intel toolbox. Not sure what other brands have...some none...

 

Rocket Dock is free open source software, works flawlessly with W7.
About RocketDock - RocketDock.com

 

Thanks CAM, since I don't have an SSD, info not known, however, I have updated the Guide accordingly..

 

its £90! That's insane.

I think Ill wait for something else to come up.

 

Amazon.co.uk: Used and New: MicroStorage 2nd Hdd Caddy HP Envy 17 serie, KIT344

What about this one? Or just google the part number KIT344 and U.K.

Fount it even cheaper, I think 39.19 on the right hand side of the page

http://uk.eetnordic.com/products.aspx?c=110001&path=Harddrive-solutions

 

Still seems an awful lot for how pathetically small it is.

I managed to find the sata cable on ebay for £11, so have ordered that. Im only using an SSD so I will pad it out to hold it in and avoid the caddy all together.

 

Make sure that it is snug. The HDD sensor will drive you crazy if you don't anchor it where it doesn't move...

 

BM is spot on with all his comments. My ENVY 17 2280NR has the 6200 card and it freezes the whole computer about 4-5 times a week. I have used several routers (most of them public so I don't know the brands such as in airports) along with a TP-Link and a local ISP provider nLink router I have at my own places. Every single connection I've tried has froze the computer so far.

It has been cheaper for me to plug in a generic USB wifi stick to the ENVY and disable the Intel card to stop this nonsense for the time being. I am still waiting for another Intel card to arrive off Ebay, maybe in a week or two. May have to order again if it doesn't show. YMMV!

 

Is the sensor in the cable or the hard drive?

Ill be using an SSD, so not sure if it will have one.

 

Hey guys,

I know the subject has been discussed already throughout the topic but I'll ask for advice again.

It's about GTA IV. Installed it this week and I've got some huge slowdowns from time to time, making it impossible to play (so it's not only bothering, it's really like running at 1 FPS!...). Note that it's not constant and may occur after only 1 min of playing, or may not after several hours...

I'm aware about the game being a crappy port on W7, and also about the whole throttling issue that occured before the BIOS update. But I guess the game should at least run properly, even with crappy graphics.

I have bios F.18 installed and GTA IV patched up to 1.0.7.0, and latest drivers from AMD/Intel. I've played with several graphic settings in the game but couldn't notice any strong difference. Whether everything maxed or set to "medium" I still have slowdonws randomly occuring. So it seems it's not really a (hardware) performance limitation issue, and definitely not a GPU issue. I rather suspect the CPU not being used at constant "rate". Throttlestop seems to help a bit although it's definitely not conclusive... (and it kinda bothers to use it me since any throttle issue should be resolved by the bios update!)

Also the laptop eventually reboots due to heat after some time playing the game if Coolsense isn't set to the "Cooling Optimization" setting...

Do anyone have some clue about such problem? Some params I could check or config regarding the laptop performances (Coolsense?) ? Anyone running GTA IV rather smoothly, and how?

Thanks!

 

It is installed in the OS. There are drivers for it. I have an SSD / HDD combo and it runs in the background. Basically it is there to park the heads on a mechanical HDD in case you drop the machine.

 

I will agree with your statement...lousy port to W7...very inefficient as far as using CPU. The GPU is not the problem. On my Envy 17 3D, the game was totally useless in 3D mode...framerates were awful. Funny...BFBC2 and even BF3 are better, even in 3D. I basically left my machine on performance and played until I got bored with GTA IV and uninstalled it...probably halfway through the game. I can keep my machine pretty cool, if I keep it on my lap and allow the intake port to really take the air in. If you are even partially blocked, you will have issues. As you also said...Throttlestop helps but doesn't totally solve the issue...it is the game. The ONE thing that helped me was to uninstall and reinstall and only patch to 1.0.4.0 Anything after that was horrible.

 

My Envy 17 3D 2000 introduces the problem of shaking the left half of the screen when I use for 3D movies. Already updated the bios to F18 and drives. It must be software problem because when I reinstall the operating system it comes back to normal for several days. If someone can give a help, thank you.

 

What are you using to view the movies? Did you upgade your PowerDVD or are you using the version that shipped on the machine?

 

I'm using to watch movies on 17 "monitor it and use HDMI cable (1.4) to watch on Optoma H33. Use both Power DVD (That version shipped) as TotalMedia Theatre 5, only works normal when I reinstall the operating system

 

Just to see if it is PowerDVD...which I suspect...upgrade your version of TriDef by getting the latest version here:

TriDef 3D - Downloads

You are a licensed HP Envy 17 3D owner, so when you install the new version...just do over the old version...do not remove the old version before install or you will delete the activation...which can be redone...but a pain. OK...install the new TriDef, because the latest versions also have media players built in, so you can watch movies in 3D through the viewer. If you get the same effect...I would then suspect PowerDVD or make sure you have the latest video drivers for the 2000 as well. I remember that when mine arrived..it came with old drivers. Latest are on the product page here:

AMD High-Definition Graphics Driver HP ENVY 17t-2000 CTO 3D Edition Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

See if any of this helps

 

Anyone noticed a new 14.3 driver on the Intel site? I'm using it now, not holding my breath but no freezes so far. The Intel web site offers no explanations for the update that I can see?

 

Great find...

+1 rep

 

Thanks for your reply Bobmitch, you're still here for any point raised!

As a matter of fact I managed to play several hours this week-end with decent FPS by reducing the shadows to "none" and the distance to 10 in the Graphics menu of GTA IV (with Coolsense set to maximum cooling). The game was quite smooth and really playable with no major slowdowns!

I've set back the Coolsense setting to "performance optimization" while not playing for a while, and then when I switched it back to "maximum cooling" to play, GTA IV was all laggy again! Can't understand this thing... I couldn't manage to make it properly playable again yet...

The thing is when I switched back Coolsense to "performance optimization" and launched GTA IV, it was all smooth again! But I could play for only like 5 mins and then my laptop switched off itself because of processor overheating... so not really an option.

I've a feeling Coolsense is messing with my processor management settings... the processor not being used at full capacity with the "maximum cooling" setting. Anyone knows how to fix that once and for all? (I've Coolsense v1 by the way)...

 

In "Performance" mode...it lets the processor run full throttle with turbo. In "Maximum Cooling" mode...it will throttle your processor to slower speeds to keep the thermals lower. Have you checked the air intake to make sure that it is not being blocked when you are playing. It may be a pain...but for me to game with no issues, I need the machine raised a an inch or so...off the surface...then air intake can really suck air in. People with the nine cell battery don't seem to have these issues. I game with the machine in my lap..works about the same...just keep the intake clear of blockage

 

I thought we had to use the "maximum cooling" setting to get the most power from the processor ?! In "Performance" mode the fan is indeed activated less often and seems to turn slower, which is REALLY dumb if the processor is running at full speed in this case... thus causing the laptop to reboot because due to overheat!

Isn't there a way to combine both full speed for processor and fans ?!
Plus I don't get why yesterday the game was running real smoothly with the "Maximum cooling" setting and today it doesn't with the exact same configuration... This is really bugging me

Oh and the air intake is definitely not blocked by any means... I might give a shot with the machine raised a bit as you suggest. But still, I can't get the logic behind all this...

 

Maximum cooling "should" be a better fan control...but it is not. YES, it allows the fan to run higher, longer...but it is also designed to "Throttle" the CPU. Throttling issue with these machines was fixed long ago, beginning with bios f.14, HOWEVER...Coolsense overrides it. As you stated...doesn't make sense. Can't explain the day to day changes, except for the airflow. Perhaps temps in the room, etc might effect. I can see some minor changes in 3D Mark11 scores from one day to the next...but only 10 points or so.

Also, something I did to my power settings gave me more consistency...

Control Panel...Power options...I run the HP recommended with my own adjustments to it. In particular...go to Advanced power settings. Processor management settings. Set minimal processor state on power to 100%...see if that helps.

 

This is really dumb. Wonder what would happen if I just uninstall Coolsense ?!...

My power settings are on "High Performance" with minimal processor state already set to 100%... maybe I should try "recommended by HP" (which I thought was less performance-oriented) ? I'll run some tests tonight...
But you say it's best if Coolsense is always set to "Performance optimization" ?

Thanks anyway for your advice

 

I leave it on Performance all the time...that allows the CPU and GPU to run fully. Highest temps I have hit playing Crysis was 90C...still pretty safe. I do a lot of "adjusting" to the HP recommended settings...and can keep performance pretty high. I do like some of their settings for Battery use. They are way too conservative on the Plugged in side

 

Bobmitch Thanks for the help.
1 - I went into the control panel, appearance, video and screen resolution.
2 - Press and appeared to detect four monitors, basic, optoma, Intel and ATI.
3 - Click to show only the notebook display and the problems were over.
4 - Click to show only the Optoma and it worked normally.
I'm going to give you more information.
Thank you and hugging.

 

+1 on this.. I use the exact same settings and when I play Dragon Age or Skyrim my temps will usually run as high as 84-86 C, which is not bad at all and I have NO throttling issues whats so ever.. I have my Power Plan set as Bob suggested in his other post as well. I have my Envy on an Allsop Elevated Monitor/Laptop stand ( Allsop - Metal Art Jr., Pewter ) and use the 9 cell battery, just so I have the extra space for ventilation....

 

Hello, people of this forum.

I am a somewhat disappointed owner of an Envy 17 3D-2290NR. I have got the following problem:

When I play games, the computer tends to get so hot that it "hibernates" in order to not kill the computer from the heat. Depending on the graphical needs of the game, it heats up more quickly. It usually gets hot when I play games, and not when I'm using it for more lightweight tasks such as browsing. When I play games like Crysis 2 (pretty graphics intensive game) the fan spins like crazy.

Is there any solution? If I need to provide you any information about the laptop, please tell me so I can.

Thanks much.

 

If you read pages 744-745 Bobmitch and I (more so Bobmitch) have offered suggestions to people having similar issues as you are having.. If you follow those suggestions and are still is having problems, please report back with what you did, so we know what to offer you..

>>>>>> <<<<<< I hope this reply was helpful.. >>>>>> <<<<<<

 

I haven't understood how to use Coolsense yet... T_T

Can you help me with that?

EDIT: Is there any setting in the BIOS that I can control at what temperature it hibernates? Still what do I have to do to make it cool down faster? (I pretty much haven't understood much that's written here )

 

FWIW, I've been running my ENVY without CoolSense installed for going on 4 months without any problems.

I even OC the GPU and don't ever run into any overheat/shutdown problems.

 

I am now installing some updates, and I am also thinking of updating the BIOS too, I think some system tweaks are screwed up or something.

Well, h8isgr8, if I fix that problem, I might even OC the GPU too

 

Well Bobmitch I set the power settings as you suggested using the "Recommended by HP" settings and the minimal processor state to 100%... GTA IV is very smooth BUT still rebooting after like 5 minutes or even less, and the laptop is getting hot as hell.

I raised it by placing to pieces of metal of 1 cm at each top corner so the air intake would be more "vented", been playing for like 20 mins and no reboot... So that's great but that's not really convenient though, and the laptop is very hot (fan is not turning not as fast as with the "maximum cooling" setting) ! Isn't there a way to just speed the fan up? What if I were to uninstall Coolsense?

Thanks again!

 

Another thing you might try is Throttlestop. You can set it up, where you can let your CPU run at rated speed (example...2630 will run at 2.0 GHZ) and not go into turbo mode...which tends to make things a bit hotter.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/524257-how-supercharge-m11x-core-i5-i7-um-cpus.html

Just make sure that base clock runs at 100 MHZ...then disable Turbo. That will give you plenty of power to do anything you want and also help keep things cooler. In essence, you are using Throttlestop to act like a governer on your system...

Also, check to make sure that the intake and exhaust aren't blocked with dust. If they are...you can use canned air to clean them out...BUT...only do when the machine is cooled down. Do not blow compressed air into a hot machine..