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

My BIOS is version F.15 and there is an update, do you think that updating might solve the problem?

 

@emilios1310: nope, I'm on latest BIOS version myself.

@Bobmitch: yeah I've already used Throttlestop. So in the end, you always have to use a "trick" to have both full power and stability/cooling, either throttlestop or raise your machine from the desk... that's a bummer.
Well, thanks again! I might take a look to the new ENVY 17-3XXX in the near future...

 

I downloaded SpeedFan to monitor my temperature, but I don't know what is considered high...

I will also buy a cooling pad soon, it must be pretty helpful.

 

Even if it doesn't why would you not update to latest BIOS? F.18 is latest.

 

I have been trying to figure out what to do from earlier pages, but I haven't found much yet...

I also found this: Why Computers Generate Heat HP ENVY 17-2290nr 3D Edition Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

...which wasn't really helpful...

 

I would suggest you check out my Guide:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/638263-new-envy-owner-guide-initial-setup.html

It may help you.. Also I would update your BIOS to F.18. You can do this and other upgrades via HP Support Assistant, again, see the Guide..

See if that helps..

 

I would suggest CoreTemp over Speedfan, but that is a personal choice.. CoreTemp has a gadget that sits right on the desktop, so you can monitor your Envy's temps constantly.. You can find the link for CoreTemp in my Guide as well..

 

I have both, CoreTemp before Speedfan

But CoreTemp didn't show GPU temperature so I downloaded SpeedFan.
Once the ENVY reaches 90C it hibernates and it has been happening much lately and I'm a bit pissed. I'm so confused why it is overheating so much, I can't wait to get my cooling pad this week.

I read the guide, I'm installing some updates from the Windows Update program, they're all security ones, I don't know how that could help the cooling, but who knows it might actually do something...

I also updated the BIOS.

 

I use HWINFO64 to monitor my GPU temps, since they are almost always the same temp as the CPU, at least on mine that is.. If you have CoolSense set to OFF, that is the performance mode, if it is set to ON, that will keep your Envy running cooler. So, using CoolSense and elevating your Envy off the Desktop, should ensure it is running cool. Like I mentioned, I have a 9 cell battery, so that elevates my Envy off the desktop. I also use the Allsop Monitor/Laptop stand to ensure adequate ventilation and eye level viewing.. Here is a link to the stand I use:

Allsop - Metal Art Jr., Pewter

You can see the stand has holes punched through it to ensure adequate ventilation happens, it works extremely well for me! Be careful with Speedfan, as you can sometimes over ride the systems control of your fan! That is why I never use that specific program, plus I can get the same desired results from other programs that are more user friendly, just my personal preference..

Something to consider, if your system is still running hot after all of these suggestions, I would recommend you do a re-install to Factory Default and start over again, using my Guide.. Than if it still happens, some thing may be wrong with your Envy and it may warrant a call into Tech Support.. Consider this, I play Skyrim and or Dragon Age 2 for 6-8 hours a day and my temps do not go above 86 degrees Celsius. Now mind you my initial Envy fried the GPU! I had to send my Envy into the HP Repair Depot to get the Motherboard replaced, since the GPU is part of it. Before I got it fixed, my temps were running in the 90's and than after about 30 days, the GPU fried. All that worked was the Intel GPU. Since getting it fixed, ALL of my temp issues have been resolved. So, that is why I am making the suggestion I am making above... You may have an issue, but you need to make sure, hence the recommendations..

 

I use that 9cell elevated battery too, pretty good.

I was just playing Crysis 2, after about 15 minutes, it blackscreened and hibernated. Then after 2 minutes I turned it on, temp was 72C which is pretty confusing. When it hibernated it was really hot but after 2 minutes it cooled down? :/

And the funny thing is that I wanted to overclock my GPU -_-'

 

Something is NOT right.. I would proceed with the recommendations in my prior post and see what happens.. You may be looking at a Repair Depot Visit...

 

I will try every possible solution, it might even be the PSU doing something... I am almost certain that when I get a cooling pad everything will be better.

Now the only way to play and have optimal temperature for the laptop is to go outside with the laptop and set it up there! (0C outside here )

 

Go to control panel...Power options...

1.Click Start.
2.Go to Control Panel.
3.Under Power Options, Change when the computer sleeps.
4.Now, click Change advanced power settings.
5.Click and expand Sleep.
6.Click and expand Hibernate After. This option will let you disable or enable (after a certain period of time) the famous Hibernation.

7.By the way, you can also turn it off and turn it on by using the CMD and entering: powercfg.exe /hibernate onpowercfg.exe /hibernate off

See if that helps

 

I will try it, I'm just a bit concerned since the hibernation is a security measure to keep the internal components safe. But I will see if it helps.

I also looked in earlier posts something about stop the 'throttling' and the 'turbo boost' of the CPU, I will try that too.

 

I am on my fifth laptop in 15 years...never used hibernation. Really only puts the machine in deep sleep...

BTW...bios f18 does fix some issues with sleep mode and awakening of the machine...have you checked it out?

 

Even after updating the BIOS, it still hibernates when on high temps and when I boot it back on it says 'Thermal shutdown' and a 'System Temperature (090D) error code if I'm not wrong. It still hibernates and wakes up at the same speed.

 

Is it CoolSense that triggers the shutdown?

I can push mine over 90C without a shutdown.

 

I have coolsense set to On, as recommended by fellow users here.

What about stopping the throttling of the CPU as said on earlier posts?

 

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster.
I really need some help. Next week, I will buy a new laptop, an Envy 17.
Its between 2100eo and 3000eo.
The main difference is the 200 extra Mhz on the Cpu, a 7690M XT instead of a 6850M and 1920x1080 (on the 2100eo), 1600x900 on the 3000.
Ill buy this computer, mostly to play Dota2.
Ive read pretty much every forum I can find, and been given alot of different information.

Which card is actually better? 6850M (1920x1080) vs 7690M XT (1600x900).
This could make or break the deal. And Im really sorry if the answer has already been posted, must have missed it.
Pricedifference is not that big, so ignore that

 

Like I mentioned before, I don't use coolsense and have don't have any overheating or throttling problems.

Maybe you should try unistalling it and see how it performs then.

 

actually on the contrary, you want coolsense OFF, if you want to game. As it actually throttles your CPU, hence it getting hot much faster. (it being taxed easily at a lower clock rate).

 

The 7690XT at 1600 x 900 is going to perform on about an equal level with the 6850M at 1920 x 1080. The 7690 won't have to work quite as hard to fill the total number of pixels. I can only speak of the 1600 x 900 screen on an HP Pavillion...which is OK but not great. I can tell you that the screen on my Envy 17 3D 17-2100 CTO is exquisite. Viewing angles on the HD 1920 x 1080 screen are great, where the Pavillion's 1600 x 900 are limited and narrow. The screen on the 2000 series Envy's are LG. Don't know what you will get with the 1600 x 900 screen. I think that it will come down to style, for you. Both machines are going to be fine. The 7690XT at 1920 x 1600 is about 15% slower than the 6850m. Hope that helps...

 

That is correct! Coolsense will override the bios and CPU internal settings to cause the fans to run a bit higher and to throttle the CPU speed, oftentimes, to 800 MHZ (speedstep speed). All mobile CPU's run at 800 MHZ when on battery to conserve battery time. Speedstep has been a part of CPUs for over six years now.

 

Was just playing some Crysis. It seems my GPU hit 92C and I was able to save that by playing only 15min. I disabled Turbo Boost using Throttlestop but nothing happened. Maybe I'm just doin' it wrong...

 

I wrote this awhile ago, when all the Envys had throttling issue. You should also tick "Set Multiplier" and leave on Turbo as well as "Disable Turbo" That should change things a bit...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/579857-running-throttlestop-envy-17-sb.html

Also...don't forget to leave Throttlestop running in the background...if you close it....it shuts off...

 

What else should I do to fix that? I'm forced to close my games before it overheats...

 

I was just playing for just about 20 minutes when my PC overheated for the 10th time. According to ThrottleStop, max GPU temp reached was 98C (What the heck!?).

I guess it didn't help at all.

 

It almost sounds like you have too little Thermal Paste between the chips and heatsink. Perhaps it is time to call support and tell them that you have an overheating issue and that you need a tech to look at it...it sounds like it needs repasting...

 

Because I'm so crazy and wanted to play Crysis so bad, I geared up, got my laptop, my winter jacket and my gloves and went to play outside @ 0C.

The laptop didn't overheat at all during my 45 minute session. Why 45 minutes? I was cold as heck. When I got inside and started playing again I hit 85C and then shut Crysis down to avoid overheating again.

I am starting to think it's the environment's fault. And here's the reason I believe that. I was in Egypt for 2 weeks during Christmas holidays to see my father who got me this Envy. I was playing MW3 there without any problems. Our house there is big and has plenty of space and air. But in Greece, where I live, I live in a particularly small house, with the doors closed because of the cold outside. (and for the hundredth time) I think a cooling pad will solve all problems.

However, I'm confused. He has owned a CTO Envy 17 for about 3 years and he has never had a problem with overheating...

...strange.

 

Very odd, indeed! It still sounds like a bad thermal paste job. The 2nd and 3rd gen Envys should never get hot enough to shut down. Granted...taking it outside in the cold will help...think about it...the machine is intaking cold air vs room temp. Good thermal pad / paste job will keep this from happening. I can run my machine close to 100C with no thermal shutdown. Perhaps humidity has something to do with it. Your temps look good for GPU...what about CPU? Does the bottom of your machine get particularly hot? The CPU sits right next to your air intake...

 

The bottom of the machine does get pretty hot, but the part with the biggest temperature is the left side near the screen, where the fan is. My CPU temps get high to about 85C+ when gaming, otherwise they are normally about 55-65C

(in the previous post when I said "he has owned" I meant my father )

 

My machine with 2670 and 6850 running in 2d is currently idling at 47C...one core (the turbo boost one) is at 51C. Your temps are a bit high...right now it is 30F outside and 68F inside the house...

Also...at idle, my GPU is throttled down (by AMD design) and 44C

 

So, I have this laptop for 3 weeks now, and I feel happy.

The overheating issues are making me a bit upset, but otherwise it's a great laptop. I had been deciding between an Envy 17 and an Alienware M17x, turned out the Alienware was a bit too pricey, and I liked the Envy's design more, plus it doesn't make you look childish when you show it to non-gamers or people who don't use computers much, while the Envy's look is more professional, not to put off Alienware users, by the way.

I like the framerates the ENVY gives, about 25fps in Battlefield 3 Ultra settings and about 30fps Crysis 2 Hardcore settings, full res always. I like the 3D graphics, but I rarely use them, and the 6850M is not that powerful to handle 3D gaming in full settings.

I have read about many issues people have using ENVYs, so I am a bit scared of my ENVY having a problem, so I hope it'll do fine for 2-3 years until I get another computer.

 

So, I jumped in and got an SSD for my Envy. I copied the SWSETUP folder and made backups of everything I could. Somehow I missed that I needed to retain the TriDef stuff so now I have an Envy without the TriDef software installed. I had to do a minimal recovery to reload the OS because the SSD is only 64GB.

Anyone have a solution to getting the TriDef software working and activated again?

I do have one of the 750GB drives I can pop in and do a full restore to from the recovery discs. I'd rather not spend the time doing that unless there is no other way.

 

Without the TriDef folder...you don't have the license file. Basically you are gonna have to do a full recovery to another drive...and then copy the TriDef folder to the SSD. Once done...install the latest version OVER the older version...and it should activate. IF it doesn't...find the HP license file within the Tridef folder and doubleclick...that will license your software

 

I submitted a help ticket to TriDef, they responded with a link to download the software for the Envy. This was the file they linked - TriDef-3D-HP-1.0.6.zip

When I installed it, it added the TriDef Ignition software but not the TriDef Media Player. It created the HP license file named HP.TriDefLicense. I started up TD Ignition and it worked fine. Next I tried to update to the latest software (ver 5) but now it complains about the activation. I double-clicked the license file which said it installed the license ok, but only for 3D Ignition. If I open the media player it wants an activation key.

 

I installed 5.0 over an already activated TriDef and all the modules, including media player are licensed. Not sure what to tell you about that...The license in the directory covered all of that. Perhaps the one they sent you was just for 3D game license...

 

If you open the license with notepad (uncheck always open with), there should be 5 separate key sections.

 

Today I bought myself a cooling pad, seems to work pretty well. Today, I topped to about 85C, and not more. Although I need to always run in the fan in high mode and I also need to make the cooling fan aim the left fan in the Envy (a bit hard ) the problem has been (partially) resolved.

 

Which cooling pad did you get? I tried the Targus and it made no differences in my temps...so I returned it.

 

My Envy 17" has shipped! It's in the FedEx facility in Shianghai right now, gonna wait til Tuesday to see if it came in pristine condition or not

 

Only one section titled "Ignition". Guess I'll need to find some time to do a full recovery to my spare 750GB drive.

 

Cooling pad seems to be working like a charm. Never gone over 85C ^^

 

All the stories of overheating with the 2nd gen envy are perplexing. I have had mine for about 7 months and never experienced any issues.

 

It actually depends on the tasks you're doing. If you're just editing Word/Excel files or send e-mails and browsing the web or watching movies, it should never ever overheat. But when doing graphically intense tasks such as rendering a video or playing games in full resolution, it might overheat. I solved my problem by buying a laptop cooling pad.

 

The cooling pad works so well, that I even overclocked my GPU!

 

Well after some testing, GTA IV is definitely very laggy with the "Max Cooling" setting (can't understand how I've played for several hours a few times before with that setting... now it just won't work). With the "Performance Optimization" it's working fine, except my computer is still overheating and still rebooting EVEN though I've raised it from the table so that there is more air-intake...
I tried to use throttlestop and disable turbo but it won't do anything, because the temps log showed that it's the GPU that is overheating! The laptop reboots when the GPU's at 98C, while the CPU stays at 93C max (which is quite high)...

So it seems I have no options left. Basically my laptop has the power to run GTA IV properly as well as the ability to cool properly (with the "Max Cooling" Coolsense setting), BUT I can't combine them, and so can't really play GTA IV. Real bummer!

 

You could buy a cooling pad, set everything to high performance and play fine, that's what I did

 

Yeah well, the thing is I didn't buy this laptop to buy a cooling pad after... that would really bother me. It should definitely work properly on its own!

But then again, I did more testing tonight, and I don't quite understand a thing now, but the thing is I could play GTA IV properly for 10 minutes with medium graphics (could probably push them higher), Coolsense set to "Max cooling" AND the following Throttlestop settings:



Now as you can see the GPU temps are maxed at 83C !
I have to disable Turbo on the CPU because I tried the same settings with Turbo enabled and my laptop again did shut down because of overheating... With Turbo disabled it seems the CPU runs fine and is (largely) cooler (maxed at 75C! Otherwise it maxed at 92+C), so maybe the GPU gets cooler also as a consequence?

I get minor lags in the game with these settings but it's not really disturbing. Will try to test these settings and play for a long time (1+ hour), to see if they are definitely good.

Oh and also I didn't raise my PC from the table this time, so the cooling is quite efficient!

 

The GPU and CPU share the same heatpipe, so they transfer heat between each other depending on which is hotter at any given time.