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

You are welcome. As to the YouTube videos ....I'm waiting for someone to PM me as soon as they have posted a video on YouTube. I still go on YouTube each day looking if someone posted their video. I will create this thread..... I was about to bring it up in the next couple days....so, you guys know what to do Be the first on YouTube to have the Envy 17 3D SB vid....

KJ

 

Thanks Crimsoned~ Looking forward to it.


KJ

 

Thanks for the tips fiver5. I'll watch for the Vertex 3 next week. Will I need to switch slots on the drives in order to make the Vertex 3 my OS drive?

BTW - they delayed delivery of my Envy another 2 days. It's now scheduled to arrive on 3/23. That's six days after the build date, and four business days for delivery. I paid for 2 day delivery, so might have to give HP a call about refunding the shipping.

 

Quick question for anyone who has created a Recovery flash drive. Does the recovery software make the drive bootable, or do I need to do that first...then create the recovery environment?

 

UPDATE!!! HP.com finally put up the manual for the Envy 17 3D SB edition.


http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02707984.pdf


Of interest: If I read correctly on page 2 it says the 3D playback on 3D HDTVs only will work with the HDMI 1.4 cable and not using the Widi, correct? Also, what does it mean by "Content that asserts output protection, such as DVD and Blu-ray discs, will not play on Intel Wireless Display." Does it mean you won't be able to play DVD and Blu-ray wirelessly too?

They show you how to install new hard drives, memory...the usual stuff.

On page 82 they mention RAID0 and on page 83 how to disable RAID0.

Main support page for our laptop http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...link=ot_we/prodlink/en_us/5069367/loc:0&cc=us


KJ

 

WARNING! To reduce the possibility of heat-related injuries or of
overheating the computer, do not place the computer directly on your lap


I guess that's why they call them notebooks now.

 

I just ordered mine and they said it won't be built until April 5th.
Still, I'm looking forward to receiving it and will definitely post a video when it arrives.

By the way, if any of you still haven't ordered yours, use the HP Academy discount. It saved me about $180.00

 

You may get your ENVY sooner. Many people received after 10 days from the purchase day. Otherwise, some had to wait until the estimated shipping day + shipping method which you chose.

And I think you could have $400 off. Just keep calling and asking them, don't agree with their "NO." lol.

 

After reading the manual, I get the feeling the 2TB models may be configured as a Raid 0 array by default. I certainly hope not!! After waiting two-three weeks for my Envy, I'd be pissed to spend my first two-three hours creating recovery discs, disabling Raid 0, and restoring. I wonder which configurations are considered "select" configurations. Maybe I'll call HP. Hmmm...

 

The fans of the HP 17 3D SB which i have right now are always on. Should i leave the fan settings like this or should i change the fan settings through the BIOS? if i have to change the fan settings could someone tell me how to do so? Many thanks.

 

Call HP over a raid 0 factory installation?
Sorry but that is a little too far.

 

I'd just leave it like that assuming it's not bothering you (and running kinda low if you aren't doing anything cpu heavy).


I know that at least for the envy 14 if you go into the bios and change the fans to passive they just cycle on and off every 3 seconds (this may just be some sorta mess up with the Envy 14's bios but even with bios updates this happens so...who knows)

 

Thanks. The bottom left portion of the envy 17 3d sb seems to be getting warmer than my pavillion dv7tqe.

 

the fans always on on the envy is not a major concern but its mildly annoying.

 

$400.00 off? Were you able to do this? Who should I ask for when I call?

 

Are they noticeably loud? Or barely worth noting?

 

the fans are not loud but i can tell that they are on. besides the fan, the bottom left portion of my envy is getting warmer than my dv7tqe pavillion with almost the same configuration (same intel second generation i7-2820 QM processor, same RAM). The hard disk on this envy is only around 300 GB (not what i had specified--which is why HP is taking it back).
another thing--my envy hangs about once or twice a day. it just sort of freezes.

i am wondering whether i would have been better off with the dv7tqe rather than the envy.

 

Maybe you would be better off. Generally on the upper end laptops with mid to high level GPU's the fans run full time. If that bothers you maybe something like the dv7tqe with its lesser GPU (which generates less heat) would be better for you. You should hear the MBP 2011 its like a jet engine when gaming.

Just as a side note you have both hard drives that you paid for they were just configured incorrectly out of the factory as a raid 0 array, depending on your skill level you could easily take care of that yourself and switch raid to AHCI in the bios along with a OS reinstall.

 

the computer hanging sounds like what my envy 14 did due to a bad hdd.

you say it's around 300GB? What hdd do you have? Is it a Toshiba?

 

I was a about to purchase my envy through the academy program for about $180 off, but I figured, why not call and ask for more.
So I called. Got a sales rep on the mainland and gave him the very old 300 off envy code. He told me, that that one unfortunately had expired, but he had a different one for 300 off. For a moment my heart stopped, since it sounded I would get it on top of the academy rebate....
Unfortunately after 5 minutes hold he came back and informed me that he tried, but he can't make it work on top of the academy rebate. But he could still get me the 300 off. So I took it. It's not 400 off, but 300 is better than 180.
Bottom line, call and ask for a rebate, they will give you one. I tried last night and all they offered was 50 off. So hang up and call again.

 

Quesion for those of you who have already received your new Envy 17s...

I was reading the Envy 17 3D manual last night, and it mentioned that you can make recovery DVDs or make a recovery USB flash drive. Can you only do one or the other? Or do you get the option to create both? If I opt to make my recovery on a flash drive, how big of a drive are we talking? Because if I understand correctly, it has taken others 5 DVDs, so that's at least 24 GB. I don't think I have a 32 GB flash drive lying around anywhwere, and I want to know if it's worth buying in this case. Any pros to doing the flash drive method (besides, of course convenience/speed of not having to swap discs)?

Thanks.

 

it's one or the other until you do some registry modifying.

 

thanks for the info on the GPU. w.r.t. the hard drive, i really think HP screwed up. i had specified for a 160 GB SSD + 640 GB 7200 rpm drive. and i got one 300 GB hard drive.

 

Yeah sounds like a biig screw up

 

After much deliberation I'm officially jumping ship for the MBP 15. Battery life, heat issues > 3D, gaming. Been a windows guy all my life. Now I'll just have to satisfy that appetite via bootcamp.

Thank you to all the posters and this community. It really does help prospective buyers to weigh their options.

 

Fixed for what more then likely happened.

 

Say again?

 

slotti welcome to NBR. I see you learned quick! Lol. Nice that you are sharing your positive experience with HP sales. I tried many times and they offered only $75, hung up, waited for coupons etc ....until I got my happy deal. patience is key with HP sales, also persistance. Some reps are lazy to give you a discount, others are sweet and go out of their way to please you.

By the way, as a side note.... I was biking today since the morning. I am beat....sore....but what a fun ride, beautiful day. Oh, did a crazy almost 50 miles!!! Stopped for some pizza, then headed for the beach, got sun, went to Wet Willy's (South Beach), lol, I know making you all jealous. Hope you guys are enjoying the weekend.

KJ

 

My exact sentiments. I'm guessing the person thinks you either haven't done enough research into making your buying decision (how would they know?), or they're simply annoyed with the fact you don't envy the ENVY as much as they do. Personally, I've been following the forums here and at the MBP sites for a couple of months and have come to the same determination as you, based too on "much deliberation".

"boot time isn't as good as I expected it to be. I recall a better boot time on my older Envy."

"HP CoolSense is there...it's really simple and doesn't seem to do much."

"what exactly is at the left palm rest to make it so dang hot."

"Haven't used it yet, but I'd suggest that its not a gimmick but perhaps it has been a bit oversold."

"I have dv7t with 2 HDD in it, and it did not get even fraction of that hot compare with envy. I have tried coolsense, putting first the middle option then the Coolest setting. It did help cooling it down with the trade of loud fan noise. At quietest mode it just too darn hot to work."

"do you have a small dent in the keyboard frame between the Windows and Alt keys? I have one."

"my touch pad is pretty wonky and it's making me insane. It doesn't track smoothly and my cursor either jumps around, or hangs. Damn thing is just unusable for me at this time."

"I've spent part of the morning wading through the 77 page "clickpad sucks" thread."

"Backlit keyboard, i am not too impressed by it. i see light from every crack, it seem like the whole thing is litup, which is not helping me to focus on keys contents."

"3d Glasses, ok. I have LG 3D, those glasses are much more refined compare with these."

"I just find 3D to be a gimmick for the most part and I'm not really impressed by it."

"I have a stuck pixel (red) toward the upper right of my screen. It appears to be in every way just plain stuck."

"Great...my G key is really squeaky."

"I'm SO PISSED OFF that HP screwed up my laptop installation."

"HP took away the option of a single 640GB 7200rpm HDD from the configuration, unless you buy it with their 160GB SSD for a price that is way jacked up."

"Battery life is the weakest area of the Envy 17 3D."

"They increased the price and removed a 7200rpm drive? Cool, at least that settles my decision, thanks for the long run HP, but I'm out."

"I second that. Dell, here I come."


See you over at the MBP forums paul.

 

Thanks for the welcome and no jealousy here. Was a bit colder today, but living in Southern Cali I can't complain much eather . Especially since the humidity is much more favourable down here.

 

If you only look at the negative, sure.

I haven't drank any kind of kool-aid, HP or otherwise. There is plenty of competition in the market, once I get an Envy without a stuck red pixel I can either live with or work around the rest of the known "shortcomings"

Enjoy your MacBooks.

 

Actually the reason why I said that is because you are comparing a gaming laptop vs a laptop which by it's own right can't run the latests games without bootcamping, and ends up having to run games from way back if you want OSX.

What do you expect, great battery life and more?
But fine let me address each statement:
1. Yes well perhaps he should of ordered a SSD, you can't expect mechanical drivers to function the same, I noticed this already going through 3x Spinpoints F3 500gbs. Each one had different boot times, even though all 3 were used on the same computer.
Personally boot times on MBP's aren't all that better considering OSX is dumbed down, and running Windows on it yields the similar boot times vs a pc.
2. Agreed Coolsense=useless.
3. It isnt hot it's warm, if the new mbp is even 50% as bad as it's predecessor was I can assure you it will get hotter then the Envy 17 does on the left palm.
4. Coolsense I am thinking? Useless.
5. DV7T also has a what appears to be vastly inferior GPU (400 stream processors vs 800). Learn to make proper comparisons.
6. Unsure what happened there, perhaps bad QC? I've seen MBP's arrive dented NIB, and sometimes in pretty bad shape after they were sent in or dropped off for repair.
7. I am unsure were the issue with the click pad is. I have no issues except perhaps with two finger scrolling not working but I fixed that with technique.
8. Hmm, same problem as #7, are you adding stuff just to add?
9. Be glad it came with glasses I honestly am surprised HP didnt milk customers and not include them. What can you expect, it's a laptop your buying not a 3d TV...
10. I am kinda in the same boat however some movies really are great in 3D, it's a growing technology that needs better application from producers.
11. Stuck pixels are in any laptop, including MBPs.
12. bad build quality, no doubt about it. HP's fault.
13. Ah yes is this the person who was gonna call HP Over a raid 1 default installation. Wow. HP didn't mess it up, the client just didnt ask.
14. Agreed then again it's a powerful machine, actually my Dell M6500 had worse battery life and it had comparable specs.. This is a powerhouse, not a consumer laptop built for battery life. If you want battery life check on Lenovo's x220t and get your self on the 20 hour battery life wagon.
15. They didnt increase the price, they just removed a coupon for it. They are short on 7200 drives, just wait.
16. Dell consumer= no thanks. Dell business= my first choice.

 

Southern Cali? You suck! Hahaha, just kidding. Now I'm jealous though. My lil bro lives in San Diego...and let me tell you I love the weather there, but more so... I LOVE SAN DIEGO CARNAE ASADA BURRITOS!!!!! Love Roberto's! Yes, when ever I visit, I eat it so often, even for breakfast! LOL!

UPDATE!!! I found the very information we were wondering about while Googleing last night...It actually brought me to HP's site, but I did not copy link. Anyway, it regards how to find out your ram speed without even opening the laptop. Here is what you need to do:

1. At the Desktop click START.
2. Click ALL PROGRAMS.
3. Click on the HP folder.
4. Click on the HP SUPPORT ASSISTANT.
5. Click on the LEARN option. That is all. It will display your total ram installed. The slots the ram occupies, and of course the ram speed in MHz. Pretty sweet right? Hope you guys find this helpful. I can't wait to try it on my Envy 17 3D SB next week when she comes in.

By the way, as I type this on my dv7-4283cl, its ram speed is 1067MHz.


P.S. Just checked my status on HP's site... My Envy left Anchorage Alaska tonight! 3/19/11 Yes! Any of you guys on the same plane? I'm still hoping it will get here before the new estimated date of the 3/24/11.

KJ

 

In which you will find similar complaints and misgivings. People with problems tend to post more.

The truth is either will do well but for myself the MBP 17 was too hot and to noisy when gaming, ran an inferior OS, No Blu-Ray, No USB 3.0, lesser GPU, and 1k overpriced given similar specs.

 

Well, to each his own.... but we know the Envy kicks XXX, and is one sexy machine...for those who appreciate style and power all in one...there is no question. Yes, all laptops will have some flaws...some so minor you won't notice or mind...no matter MBP or ENVY, but I still feel the ENVY is for me, and I suspect for many of you guys.

KJ

 

Mine left as well at 6:11 PM with the same estimated delivery (for NY though). Pretty sure mine got a window seat

 

Dont get me wrong, I think the Envy is a great laptop but everyone has their own needs.

Right now I own an hp g60-230us laptop ($450 at time of purchase) that has a loud fan along with a battery that dies after 20 minutes. This bothers me so you can see how I'm biased in these two areas. These little quirks are MY big quirks.

Secondly, I'm not a gamer. Would I have bought crysis if I went with the Envy? Sure, but that is really secondary to me.

That being said, neither was 3d. The market is going hard after 3D and I can understand why. They have to feed an economy and keep selling tv's, laptops, etc. every year. Its cool to have and probably amazing to use but I dont need it. This area would have been a complete gimmick for me.

The only reason you find me here is because the ENVY along with the MBP are the only high end laptops that have the "look" we're all going for. I wouldnt mind being seen in public with it.

 

You miss a ton of other laptops are publicly presentable. But thats fine good luck with your MBP.

 

Out of all the high end gaming this is the only one. You cant be over 30 with an alienware at the coffee shop.

 

Sigh thought you just said gaming wasn't your priority. Battery life+heat was. Ah yes Alienware or nothing argument. Good job.
There are many other options with similar or better performance. I won't even give you a model, and I will see if your "deliberations" can lead you to them.

 

Prior to owning an Envy, I tried out the Asus G73SW, Sandy Bridge. Don't get me wrong...a nice machine. 11lbs, looked like a stealth bomber...Had the same CPU as the new Envy 17 3D, Had the GTX460 video card vs the 6850 in the Envy. Envy has Intel Wireless...Asus had Atheros. Envy has Realtek (my mistake) gigabit LAN, Asus had Realtek. Envy has Broadcom Blu Tooth. Asus has Atheros. Envy has a Samsung/Toshiba TS Blu Ray play, DVD/CD Burner...Asus has a generic brand (think their OEM). Each came with DDR3 1333 SDRAM. Additions: Envy has Beats sound. Asus has Realtek with Soundblaster X-fi. Envy has an HD Webcam built in. Asus has a 2 mp web cam. Envy's USB 3.0 is Renesus. Asus USB 3.0 is Fresco. Overall...having held both in my hands...the Asus is heavier, bulkier. Does it have more power. My 3D mark 11 score on the Asus was 1863. My 3DMark 11 score on the Envy was 1852. It all comes down to what does it for you. I can tell you this...after Envy...there is nothing to compare to it. It is elegant, clean, light and very powerful. Will do everything anything in that class will do. I don't care if it's Asus, Alienware, whatever...this notebook does it for me and many others.

Look around this board. Go to Asus, Dell and others. What you see here in the Envy board, is people either that ordered it and received, are waiting or are going to order. The anticipation is very high and complaints very low. On other boards, you see faulty video cards, keyboards...overall painful experiences. Again....all relative! Again...it's your money and your experience for the next several years. Get what feels good, performs the way you want and gives you peace of mind. Don't knock something because it's not for you. Nor will I knock something I don't have. That is not a fair comparison. Again...my only comparison is the latest Asus vs the Envy...and for me...there is no comparison. Envy wins hands down. I have experienced technical support teams for Asus and HP. I give them a tie. Overall...I was able to get a four year on site warranty with accidental damage with my Envy...with other makers...you pay much much more! Asus service is two years with one year accidental...all depot service. You can add two additional years through an outside vendor, depending upon where you purchase. You can get on site from Dell at a very high premium.

Just my 2 cents

 

Envy has Broadcom ethernet? Was that the old one, or the new one?
Most of HP's AMD-based business desktops use Broadcom ethernet, so I'm guessing Realtek might be inferior.

 

Dana...I corrected my post. Both have Realtek Gigabit LAN. I don't find it inferior at all. Even my desktop with EVGA 3X SLI X58 motherboard has TWO Realtek Gigabit LAN ports on it. Very fast and reliable. Realtek updates drivers almost montly for it...squeezing out a little more performance each time. The Wireless on the Envy is the Intel 6200 btw. Not a big fan of Realtek sound, but have to admit it is better than it used to be. I do like Realtek LAN.

 

Cool. Good to hear that the Realtek works -- though, I still wonder, why don't they use the Intel NIC?
(Speaking of Intel Ethernet, I wish I could get Intel AMT / vPro on the Envy. Hardware VNC server.... totally awesome!)

Now, can somebody take pictures of, or write down an approximate listing (that is, all items, but not exact wording) of the BIOS settings? Bonus points if you try this: hit F10 A -- that is, F10, and then 'A' immediately thereafter:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/558891-hp-dm1z-advanced-bios.html

 

I'm glad to hear that you got a better deal. XD. So you did order your ENVY?

Actually I applied the coupon when it was available, I knew the "calling and asking for coupon" thing by my cousin, he did, and I believe that Killa Joe or someone else here also told about that.

 

I dont like to get buried in the details but as you know high end gaming rigs are usually the top of the line for manufacturers. The term gaming was used to highlight this fact as well as differentiate between business class and consumer oriented notebooks.

Being in the market for a top 10 laptop there are no other options for me. All the other laptops are hideous. As a man of particular taste and style it was either this or mbp.

@bobmitch - I agree with you 100%. At the end of the day I still say you guys have your win as I do mine. I'm having to pay $500 more for lesser specs but better battery life and cooling. Its worth it to me.

 

Same. Mine left Alaska yesterday and reached Newark, NJ today. And I live in NYC so it's really close . Pretty sure I'll get it either Monday or Tuesday unless they decide to hold it in NJ :/

And from some observations I think ENVY ships out in batches. Like my ESD is March 18 while others is March 28 and anyone between are shipped out the same day March 17. So for others that didn't get it probably have to wait till HP ships the next batch, most likely.

 

You do know MBP run super hot right? Cooling is not one of their selling points. There have been reports of shutdowns and crashes due to the heat issues.

 

Very good point. I didn't know that, and maybe paulionvc didn't either? So if its not for better cooling, then I guess $500 is worth longer battery life? Hmmm, I guess if that is what you want, that is what you want. Still, even if the MBP gets better battery life, you can just buy an extra battery for the Envy for less than $500 of course Lol, anyway, enjoy your laptop, and stick around our forums.

Bottom line as I stated before, no one laptop is going to be perfect....all comes down to users choice.

KJ