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

you can get SSDs from newegg.com but read the reviews before buying any one. Intel's brand is usually the more popular/reliable, but also more expensive.

Newegg.com - SSD, Solid State Drive, Solid State Disk Drive

you would need to get a hard drive caddy to install the secondary hard drive:

the caddy can be bought here: http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index...id=341&zenid=f5474f12b36c70aaddd7ee8bb0046f1b

instructions to install the SDD here:
http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index...pter=0&zenid=f5474f12b36c70aaddd7ee8bb0046f1b

 

Thanks for the info! Ill check it out but the installing part seems complicated. I would definitely need a professional to do that for me for sure. Man I wish I had gotten the ssd/hdd combo from the HP site with the 25% coupon.

 

I think you're mistaken....Ivy Bridge is coming out NEXT year according to the very article you posted....

And are you getting an envy or not? Cuz it seems like you're committed to the dv7tqe so I'm not quite sure why it matters to you.

 

I got the Zalman 3000u. It had some good reviews. Not sure how effective it would be with the Envy 17 3d though.

Zalman ZM-NC3000U Notebook Cooler | Zalman ZM-NC3000U,Notebook Cooler,Review,Zalman ZM-NC3000U Notebook Cooler Laptop Thermal-Management Performance Review

 

Yes I have been following and saw the SSD/640 RAID striping issues. Didn't know how the dual 5400's would be set up. Thank you.

 

Nah, the SSD/HDD combo from HP is a huge waste of money. If you don't want to install the 2nd SSD/HDD yourself, just ask a friend or colleague who's a little more familiar with this stuff.

 

Well, I got the email from HP with the trackin number from FedEX. Pretty easy. Went to FedEx, and it said: "arrived at FedEx location after the cut off time). This was Friday. Since I know that FedEx will just have your shipment sit around over the weekend (unless you have next day delivery), I know it won't move again before Monday.
If yours was March 30 though, it does sound a bit weird, since it seems like most systems are now shippin on time. Well, it does go back to my previous post about HP's PR and the way how they might have decided to deal with delays. Once they got parts back in stock, they start shipping the undelayed systems and just hold for the delayed longer (better to have a few unsatisfied customers than a lot more). I am not saying that I agree with this policy, but from a marketing point of view that is unfortunately the most feasible one.
I sincerley hope yout system will ship this week though.

 

Foxhound98 - Thanks for the info. I see that some shipping companies will set up a US address across the border where you can either pick up or have it redirected to you. I'll check into it and see what works best.

 

It has gotten good reviews. I could not find if the fans are adjustable in position though. Also, the major difference in between the 3000 and 2000 series seems to be the HDD enclosure, am I correct?
I am leaning towards the LX performance wise, but the 2000 is soooo much nicer . And we have to admit it, we are all suckers for looks - after all we go the the envy right

 

I didn't know about Costco's return policies!... Thanks KJ

 

Hi - I'm looking for a cooler too. This site gives a favourable review of the Zalman NC 2000. A friend uses the Targus chill mat and finds it works well.

Best Laptop Coolers – Honest Laptop Cooling Pad Reviews!

 

Thanks for your reply. Thought maybe there was another way to find out about your order status of which I was unaware. Just have to be patient. Hope all of these newly shipped systems are near perfect. We are eager to hear about your impressions.

 

Ha, ok. Well, I'm only here to help.

KJ

 

Concerning Laptop Coolers for the Envy 17/3D SB: I have seen in the last day, some of you guys talking about getting a laptop cooler for your Envy 17 SB or Envy 17 3D SB. I'm sitting here wondering why?

The good news is HP did correct the heating issues that were rampant in the previous Envy 17/3D builds. They placed some of the hardware in strategic areas to promote better cooling and also included Coolsense which dramatically keeps the laptop cool. For those who did not realize, well I can tell you from my experience having the Envy 17 3D SB for a short time, it stays cool!

I would recommend this: Instead of buying a laptop cooler for your Envy 17/3D SB edition, use some of that money to get the 9 Cell battery. It will lift the back of the Envy higher, providing even better air flow and cooling.

I am not one to say don't get a laptop cooler. If that is what your heart is set on, go for it, but in my honest opinion/experience with the SB edition, it is not needed. We shall have real life temps by next week hopefully you guys running temp tests. Let us know how it goes.

KJ

 

KJ,
this is a premier...for once I have to completely disagree with you
You are probably right about the envy not having the same cooling issue as the older model, but that does not really change anything. I agree, some people (actually probably most casual users) won't need a cooling pad. If you run any laptop for more than 6 hours continously, you should really consider getting a cooling pad. And I am talking about any notebook in the world here, no matter how good it's internal cooling is. Yes, if you are one of those persons, who is getting a new notebook every two years or less, you probably do not need to worry about it either. I myself run the laptop about 8 hours a day and plan on having it for the next 3-4 years.
Even one degree lower on your components will increase their lifespan.
And yes, I did order the 9cell battery , but it actually only help the natural air flow. It does not help to extract hot air from the notebook. This is actually one of the important parts you have to look at (which is what I am trying to figure out, though it is kind of hard without physically having the envy in my hands) is where are the fans of the cooler positioned relative to the fan openings on the notebook. A good cooling pad, will have a fan right at the location of the air vent of your notebook (which is why one cooling pad might be great for a specific notebook but might not work as well for another), to help to extract the hot air. Let's face it, those little fans in the notebook are not powerfull enough to really get the hot air out, yes they help, but it can be done a lot better. Look at the fans in desktop machines. They are HUGE and a good housing has about 3 at least. Yes desktops have more powerfull processors, but when you look at the heat, it's not that much higher than on a desktop processor.
Again, if you don't put any stress on your notebook for more than 2 hours, I would nor worry, but if it is a true desktop replacement...you will lengthen it's lifespan.
Just my 2 cents

 

slotti, so you're gonna disagree with me? Hahha, I kid. Ok, you actually have valid points. I personally don't plan on keeping my Envy on 8 or so hours a day, well, only when at work, and then if not in actual use I'll put it in hibernate, sleep, or just turn it off.

KJ

 

Tell me about it, I couldn't believe it myself when I did
And yes, I believe you are going to be fine w/o a cooling pad from how you seem to be using it.

 

I was expecting HP to give discount on its Envy line at certain point due to:

1. The Dell XPS 17 3D had been on sale for a while with $400 off (about 25% discount for a $1600 configuration). HP has to stay competitive or it will lose its business.

2. one would expect as technology evolves, cost to laptops will go down.

 

Why do you say this? Can you explain?

 

It's in Memphis, Tennessee. That was really quick. According to Google Maps it would've taken 3 days to send it by ground from Anchorage to Tennessee so I'm assuming that they sent it over air. If FedEx is efficient and follows the shipment model that I'm used to, it should arrive at the FedEx location in San Antonio within the next 11 hours. After that, I should see it by Monday or Tuesday.

 

Arithmetic.

~$600 premium for a previous gen 160GB Intel SSD?

Your money. If you don't have the chops to install your own SSD though, not much other choice.

 

You have an excellent point. I'm keeping the 1 Terabyte of space that they offered me and I'm gonna buy an OCZ Vertex for $194.00. I'm saving way more money than If I went with HP.

 

Here's the service manual for the Envy 17 -http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02160120.pdf

It's actually pretty simple and straightforward to replace the hard drive. All you need is a screwdriver and patience to keep the screws properly organized. Plus you'll feel good about yourself when you're done

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to clone my primary OS HDD? I'd like to buy a new Vertex 3 SSD and swap it for the 640GB HDD that came with my Envy 17 3D. I hoping that, if I can clone the HDD to the new SDD, perhaps I can avoid having to reload my OS and all of the software already loaded to the HDD. Will that work?

 

Better yet, here's an illustrated guide for inserting a new drive on the Envy 17 that you'll find on Newegg.com:
Add a 2nd HDD or SSD to a HP Envy 17 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

 

You may want to check the review for the LX on the the same site. Performance wise, it didn't look like a good investment. You are right about the 2000. It looks very. In my case, the black one matches my monitors and stands. Hard to make all go together ...

 

He is talking about the price. It is about $650 more if I recall correctly. You can get a HDD caddy for $50 and a 160GB Intel SSD for just over $300. So you pay around $350 for the same that HP is asking $650 > you safe $300. Get a friend to install it, give him hundred bucks and you still safe 200.

 

Hi Killa Joe,
I also had the laptop for a few days, before I had to exchange it (because of the raid issue with the hdd and ssd.) When I run some computer applications (I work as a statistician), the thing got really hot (don't recall the exact temp - but I used a laser thermometer.) I read somewhere that heat deminishes battery life. I had heat issues with other laptops before, where after running some programs everything would almost freeze, so I just trying to err of the safe side. I also got the 9 cell battery.
Cheers,
C.

 

Hi Charly2nd, and welcome to our little corner of the World. Sorry to hear about your issues and I take it you are getting an exchange? Hopefully if you do, it will be 100% perfect and then you can focus on optimizing it to suite your needs as all of us are planning to do real soon. Stick around, its great to bounce ideas of eachother. Oh, and good call on the 9 cell.

KJ

 

For me the cost difference was $580.00 but I also went from a twin 750GB 5400 rpm to a 160GB SSD and a 640GB HDD 7200 rpm drive and with the 25% coupon the cost difference for this was just under 60 bucks for the system I was going to order at the regular 10% off HPA pricing.

The best thing is I don't have to worry about breaking or damaging anything doing the upgrade myself, which I could.

But I wanted a Virgin Laptop, I'll feel better knowing the last time it was touched was the first time it was touched by its creator; that I shall be the one to use and peruse it! And you know it feels good to be the first one to ride em!

Really who wants to undress them, clean em up, put it back together again so it looks nice so you can undress them?
I want my new harlot ready to ride!

 

Hey KJ, speaking of the 9-cell. I didnt order it with my laptop but I just called to try to add it on and they gave this stpry of not being able to change an order once its placed. I said I dont wanna change the laptop I just wanna add an accessory. Can you believe I cant even do that??? Unreal. HP just puzzles me sometimes. Apparenty I have to make a seperate order for it. She said I have to call the "Parts department". Only thing is I used a 25% coupon and I really wanna be able to get that discount on the 9 cell. It would be $56.25. So I have to call tomorrow and see what happens.

 

i tried ordering a 9 cell this morning, and they're were out of stock so maybe that's why...

 

there's a video instructional for how to install secondary SSD:

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

 

I know, I know... But yeah, hopefully an accessory coupon will pop up for you somewhere...just Google for an HP parts coupon. After dealing with HP, who wants to pay full price every again? LOL To be honest, in the grand design of it all, $56.25 doesn't seem much after spending over a grand or more, but it sure helps to save a bit here and there so you can use it on really important things, like food, drink, and gas.

KJ

 

Yes, I am getting a new one (on the 12th I hope.) I was able to apply the 25% coupon to my existing order . With a previous discount, I saved almost $800 (I had my order with additional software), so I can't complain!
Thanks!
C.

 

Hi Charly2nd,

Thanks for your post and welcome. So sorry about the raid issue and hope that it is corrected with your next shipment.

Is this the first report of the overheating issue that we are in hopes has been addressed with the current generation Envy 17 3D? Anyone else? Please let us hear from you.

 

I just find it more comfortable to have a chill mat on my lap instead of the direct contact of a laptop. The angle is right and no heat is being transferred to me from the laptop, or vice-versa. (99°+99°= ) Of course, if you mainly keep yours on a hard surface and don't use it for extended periods, then perhaps a cooling pad isn't essential. Watching a flick or multi-tasking on a soft surface like a bed is another thing. At any rate, I think it's a worthwhile investment to extend the life of any notebook. Just my 2 sense.

 

Ahh I see, thanks for giving me insight and thanks for those who actually answer my question. Yall are right. Total rip off. Unfortunately I do not know anyone who can do this for me and if I did I wouldn't trust them to actually perform this. Who knows maybe if I do my homework and research I can install it myself.

 

Thanks ill watch now.

 

And then after you replace the hard-drive you have to either re-image, recover, or reinstall.... Which is where the technical chops I mentioned come into play. It may not be hard for you, and anyone can learn, but it's hard enough for plenty.

 

Nvm, I was too slow.

 

This is correct. Unfortunately I am part of the 'plenty'.

 

If I had a Windows 7 Ultimate edition install disc and I want to install it to a new SSD that I put in myself is there anything special I'll need to do in order to get it to work for the Envy 17?

I only ask cuz I've heard that there have been some issues with "clean installs".

 

I've been using the Zalman NC3000U with my Envy 17 3D SB for nearly a month and it's definitely worth the money. When I first turned it on I thought it was broken because I could not hear anything but it was just that quiet, even on the high setting. The Envy 17 3D SB is just a tiny bit too big for it but no big deal. Performance wise, I can't really say if it makes a difference because I've actually never used the laptop without it.

The following image is my temperature as I write this. I've just been browsing on Firefox 4.0 for 45 minutes with Outlook and Trillian open.



When gaming, I average around 61-64 degrees C for the CPU and for some reason I don't pay attention to the GPU temps (will next time). It peaks around 74-76 degrees C.

 

I've been following this thread for a month now, read every post, and have been following the HDX forum for years, since I bought my current computer, an HDX18t.

I've just ordered an Envy 17 3D SB using the recently expired coupon.

Basic specs
HP ENVY 17 3D customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• No Additional Office Software
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2820QM (2.3 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz
• 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6850M Graphics [HDMI]
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 2.25 hours of battery life +++
• 17.3" diagonal Full HD HP 3D Ultra BrightView Infinity LED Display (1920x1080)
• Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam
• Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Backlit Keyboard
• Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 9 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 9
• HP 3D Active Shutter Glasses
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: April 26, 2011

plus 1 pair extra glasses (wife really wants to watch 3D movies!)

Total $1577 after $527 discount (extra $25 for calling, but I want more discount after reading here
Plus I'm getting an additional 5% off through my credit card, as others mentioned before, plus 5% off fatwallet cash back (only showed up as 4% initially, but I'll contact them and have them adjust it).

I got a little run around at first with my order being cancelled and then being transfered and hung up on multiple times when trying to fix it (hence the extra $25 discount). I'm hoping to at least get a 9-cell battery thrown into the deal, or possibly enough discount to just buy it myself.

I have 3 initial questions:

Has anyone found a good quality keyboard cover? I bought 2 different cheap silicon covers for my HDX18, but neither fit (both too long, one side fit, other side was off by half a key). I've noticed that the Apple silicon covers fit like a glove though (don't even know it's on until you touch it), and my wifes cover (on her Acer with Island-style keyboard), also fits pretty well. What about for the Envy 17? My skin has a tendency to melt the finish off computers quickly

Second, like the first question, has anyone found a good way to cover the palm rests for protection? I've had the palm rests and touch pad on my HDX covered the whole time and it looks perfect underneath. At first, I used clear shelving sticker stuff, then used the clear film for putting over airbrushed art. Both started pulling and wrinkling up but still protect. I was wondering if there was something better (clear is great), that won't wrinkle and look bad after 2 months?

Last and most important, I've been looking at SSDs. I got the 1TB that I will use as storage, and put a 128gb as the OS drive. From what I've seen, the 2 I'm interested in the most are the 128gb Crucial C300 and the Vertex 3. Both are Sata 3 (even though we still don't know if the Envy 17 actually uses the Sata 3 speeds or not. I think the C300 still looks great in the reviews and charts, especially for the price.

Wanted to see what you guys thought though. Is there any reason to spend the extra money to get the Vertex 3, or the Intel 510 (which so far I've not been impressed with, scored behind the last generation Intel in some areas)?

Thanks! Can't wait until everyone starts getting their orders!

marcus

 

Issues with clean installs on the Envy in general or issues due to the fact you clean installed on an SSD?

I don't recall anyone posting in this thread that they had done a fresh windows install on a SB Envy. They could have and I just don't remember it. Couple of guys have done restores from the HP recovery DVD's that I remember.

There is a sticky here on NBR that gives general instructions for doing a fresh install on HP laptops, tells you about stuff like backing up swsetup, etc.

There will probably be a few minor nuances with the Envy, like you have to get the tridef software from the tridef people and not from HP. Beyond that I can't really forsee any major problems, doesn't mean they won't be there but I guess I'll just have to find out the hard way.

Bunch of people say not to do it because of issues when you call HP support, I have nothing more to offer in that discussion beyond what I've previously posted.

 

This will protect the palm rests. I had it on my old Envy.

Invisible SHIELD for HP Envy 17 | HP Envy 17 covers skins & screen protectors

 

Hey, great! I've seen the Invisible Shield stuff before and actually had it for my phone and camera.

How long did you have it on? Basic impression? (I assume if you recommended it to me, you must have a positive impression, but it doesn't hurt to ask

Thanks a lot