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

Wow AU4U, thank you so much for the thoughtful and detailed post. That helps tremendously! I will wait until the laptop arrives, confirm that it has a msata port, and then consider your advice in the purchase.

This is ultimately going to be a Linux-based sound mixing and video editing system. I will keep a dual boot partition of Win7 around on the OEM hybrid disk drive, but I hardly ever use Windows. This is why I am concerned a bit about any limitations HP might have imposed in the BIOS with drive mixing configurations. Ultimately, I hope that the mSATA port will support any brand/size mSATA SSD and identify it as just another SATA hard disk. The fact that HP ships mSATA cards from two different manufacturers is a good sign that the implementation might be open. Though, I read a post on the HP support forum when a support agent said that only very specific drives and combinations are supported. Was that support agent reading those facts off an index card or did they actually know what they were talking about? I guess I will find out when I try to stuff a mSATA card in there.

Assuming that an aftermarket mSATA card identifies as a standard drive, I intend to run Linux from the msata, map temp and swap (really only used for hibernating) and other other large project files on the physical platter disk. That should give a pretty screaming fast setup. Though, I am a bit nervous based on the support response. I hope I made the right decision when assuming that ram, disks, and such can be user upgraded.

 

I wrote some scripts to help work with the numeric softpack sub-directories contained in swsetup.
Unzip the scripts to the swsetup directory. Then open a cmd.exe window, cd \swswtup and run the batch files.
The "Get-CvaInfo" powershell script parses the *.cva files for you.
The "Describe-SwDir.bat" will list meaningfull description of each numberic softpack directory.

 

WHOA DUDE,,,,,,you want this guy to DL SCRIPTS and run them on his PC??


>>>EDIT<<<
Running the DL thru VirusTotal

Describe-SwDir.bat 0 / 41 https://www.virustotal.com/file/973...45b728161412874c14feeb12/analysis/1337767279/
Get-CvaInfo.bat 0 / 42 https://www.virustotal.com/file/5e6...6b42e57a6df441716bbe4f59/analysis/1337767599/
Get-CvaInfo.ps1 0 / 42 https://www.virustotal.com/file/2f2...200f25f376db3bddcb501a57/analysis/1337767766/

Just checking Dude.....Ya Know,,,,,,

1> Everything depends on this? No Sir it doesn't. You can run UBUNTU or (if you are advanced enough) BACKTRACK (others as well) from a USB 2.0, DVD or in your case, duel boot from the OS drive.

2> The Envy 17-3090NR supports SATA III (6Gb/s) all 3 internal ports. It has 3x USB 3.0 and 1x USB 2.0
You have to boot from a USB 2.0, and in the new Envy lineup (32xx series) you will have 4x USB 3.0's. This might screw things up for the boot from usb option, unless the new INTEL chip (HM76) that ships with the 3rd Gen i7's allows for this, I haven't found an answer for this question yet.
Intel makes a 40 and 80Gb mSATA II SSD 310 Series MLC, the 128 (Samsung) is SATA III,,,,
BUT,,,,,
I had an up time (not from hibernation) of 12 seconds with mSATA II SSD!
Disable Hibernation with an SSD, it causes excess writes to the SSD, SSD (m)SATA II is fast enough, the INTEL SSD TOOLBOX should do this for you. Page files and swap on a separate drive (non ssd) defeats the speed (co$t) of the SSD.
I have run BACKTRACK from a memory stick (32Gb class 10), and, UBUNTU from an Intel 40Gb 320 series installed in an external storage case, a good quality USB cable is needed.

3> 1st, Depends if the hardware is soldered to the mobo, and 2nd, The bios allows the boot order to change.

4> Those guys read off an index card,,,,,the 3090nr is ONLY supposed to support the mSATA and a drive in bay 1. Oddly enough, the cable for bay 2 is in my machine, but no drive bracket?!
I had all 3 running, BUT, you will have to return it to the supported configuration if you send it in for any warranty servicing!

5> Again, Disable hibernation, SSD SATA II is FAST ENOUGH, and it causes excessive writes to the SSD. Page file and swap to another NON SSD defeats the speed of the SSD. The Intel SSD Toolbox is your friend, it has TRIM, use it.

6> There are only 7 things that are user replaceable, plus the power brick:
2.5" Drives(2x) / mSATA / RAM(2x) / WLAN / WiDi / Subwoofer / Optical Drive
If you remove your battery you WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
There are 3 screws, they have a brittle plastic cap glued on the top, they will break/crack if you try to remove them.

Your best bet,,,,,IMHO,,,,,Get a 120Gb (+/-) 2.5" SATA III SSD, migrate your OS to it, partition it 80/40 (W7/Linux), put it in bay 1, your hibird in bay 2,,,,,,DONE!
Actually, you just have to put the SSD in bay 2 and change the boot order..............:yes:

 

AU4U, you are amazing. Thank you so much for the detailed and thorough answers. I really appreciate it!

 

Went with the Samsung 256GB SSD (about $300). Used the Intel/Acronis Data Migration software (free to use with an Intel SSD, available to download on Intel's website), and cloned the Intel 320 300GB SSD onto the Samsung 830 Series 256GB Sata III SSD via the USB cable that came with the Samsung Drive (Notebook Upgrade Kit Version - Newegg.com). Used the Proportional Cloning option, it was so simple, a caveman could even do it!
To test the Samsung clone, I opened the back of the laptop and replaced the Intel SSD (don't forget to disconnect the battery), with the Samsung SSD and powered it up. It booted up without a hitch! The only difference performance wise was the Samsung SSD has a Windows Experience Index of 7.9 where the Intel SSD has a Windows Experience Index of 7.6. However, I could tell the Samsung drive operated a tad quicker than the Intel drive did.

 

This is incorrect, only one of the SATA ports is 6Gbps. The other SATA and the mSATA are both 3Gbps.

 

OOPS,,,,,,got the 3 090 and the 3 290 mixed up.............
BTW, as you are so knowledgeable,,,,,,,does the 3290's 4x USB 3.0 support a boot from USB? As far as I know, you need a USB 2.0 to boot from, unless the new HM76 chip allows for this.

 

For all you current or future owners looking for more ram!

MEMORY DEAL: $77 Free Shipping

CORSAIR 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9

23% off w/ promo code EMCNEHF54, ends 5/30

$77 Dollars Free Shipping

This seems to be the best deal I've seen yet. Reviewers pretty much indicate it will work in everything from "fruit" machines to HP's. Oh yeah, and if you add the 1333 mhz 16GB option on HP's site it costs $466.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233217&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL052412&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL052412-_-EMC-052412-Index-_-LaptopMemory-_-20233217-L0A

Enjoy!

 

I'd never even use half that much...

Sent from my SGH-i917 Windows Phone using Board Express

 

True, average user probably wouldn't ever utilize 16GB but my work requires I run multiple VM's, Delphi Apps, and non related PS. At $76 it's a great deal seeing that if you just upgraded to 8 GB's on HP's site it would cost you $60 and 8 GB is not out of reach for most if your buying a laptop of this status IMO.

Has anyone ever used FatWallet to get the extra 5% back on their site? Is it for real and do they add you to mail blasts and .....?

HP: 35% off Customized HP ENVY 15, ENVY 17, and ENVY 17 3D Laptops plus Free Shipping coupon - NBP9634

 

Yes I got %5 back. it took a little over 4 months to get the money out but it showed processing within a day of purchase. no spam from them.

 

Thank you for the response! Good information as I have never tried them.

 

Since there's no sense using my brand new Envy 17t-3000 until the SSD and RAM arrive (planning to do a fresh Win7 install), I had time for a Sunday project.

This is a laptop stand / cradle. If I end up using a USB hub, I'll add a shelf on the right to turn it into a docking station.

The first thought that got me started on stands is ventilation. Some of my old laptops got way too hot, so I used to prop them up on bottle caps or pieces of wood.


On this one, the large "bridges" on the left and right make it really easy to pick up the laptop.


The height really helps the ergonomics.
​

Not shown: dimples so the Envy's rubber feet can anchor themselves in the station.

For the finishing, haven't decided whether to oil it, paint, stain or use poly... any thoughts?

Wishing you all a fun week.

 

As seen on TV...FLEX SEAL! Black rubberized spray coating on that wood would look pretty cool...you guys get TV in New Zealand don't you?

 

Hehe, looks good. I also made a "stand" for my Envy to lift it a bit more from the ground. I was hoping for the fans to turn off completely. Didn't work out. Disconnectiing the battery also didn't help (it's used as a DTR). The battery is still inside the laptop, but disconnected.
But since I've got two 27" Samsung displays (and the K800, also ), my "stand" is below my desk and it's simply wooden, no color, no finishing I'd also say, that your finishing should be some kind of appropriate to the Envy...matt black or something.

 

Hi KWB, hi Smurf56

TV, no, what's that, I'm confused.

Thank you for your suggestions. I had no idea you could "rubberize" an object just by spraying it! For this time, the lady of the house steered me in the wood direction---will post picture when the third coat of varnish dries. But I'll keep that spray in mind for another time.

The 2x8GB arrived today. Life is good. SSD hasn't shipped yet, though---sounds like North America is having a holiday.

All the best

 

,,,,,,,(insert sarcasm here),,,,,,ROTFALMAO

My preference for wood is a clear polyurethane coating, rather than varnish, for hard wood trim and decorative objects such as jewellery box's and picture frames. My girlfriend is into antiques, so I've done a lot of wood finishing, and lots of final finishing with steel wool.
For softer wood, such as Pine, I have used a product called DURATHANE for floors, it's 5x tougher than polyurethane, and with several coats produces a rock hard, clear, protective finish that protects the softer types of wood from dents and scratches.

My 12' bench top was finished with DURATHANE 5x, its my main studio (home) work bench, the butcher block top is is made of Ash. The cabinets are finished on the OSG with 2x coats, inside 1x, trays 1x.



Whatever you chose, nice job on the wood work.

 

Buying a used one: Was there a 700gb HDD for the Envy 17/17 3D 3xxxx? If not, then is there a non-hybrid 750GB HDD they used or will all Envy 17/17 3d 3xxx will have a hybrid 750gb hdd if shipping with a drive in that size?

 

There are all sorts of configurations, some have a 80Gb mSATA SSD and a 750Gb 7200RPM SATA II HDD, some have a single 750GB 7200RPM Hibird SATA II HDD.
What you need to know is if its an CTO or a preconfigured model.

The information needed is here on the service tag:

#2 is what you will enter on the HP site to find your service manual 24/7 Online support for HP's Home and Home Office Products - HP Customer Care (United States - English), it will have the storage type listed, if more than one is listed, you have a CTO (configure to order), you will need to get the information from the notebooks HP Support Assistant.

---> NOTE <---
You may have to navigate to the region that the notebook came from to find the service manual on the HP site.

 

anyone experience this thing just going into slow motion during video operation?

noticed it get really hot, all audio and video go slow motion

cpu is off the charts for the game i was playing, but also for the audio - so i'll have to kill that process

really irking me, happened during both game and watching an .MKV

 

Hi,

I have some problems with the grapics cards.
I saw that the 12.4 for the AMD card was available and also for the Intel.
So I've try to install them but after installations I can't switch beetween cards.
I have an error message saying that the softwar for the AMD card is not compatible with the Intel. Also the AMD card is reconize as the 6700M with the 12.4 driver.

What should I do ?

 

Install the HP drivers again.

 

Yes but I won't have the updates then ?

 

Hi AU4U,

I like your work! That's a great looking benchtop.
Thanks for mentioning Durathane, I hadn't heard of that product. I'll check if they have it here in New Zealand.
For the stand, the "varnish" is actually some kind of tinted poly.

Here's the result:

​

Now only a few days to wait for the SSD.
Wishing you all a fun weekend.

 

The butcher block top was manufactured by a company here in Canada called Western Arch Rib. They do the exposed open ribs for a building, and can make then as small as you see, 12'x2'(2"x4"), or as big as 156'x24', from 2"x4", 2"x6", 4"x4", 4"x6", etc, then cut the curve nessary for the arch. Quite the manufacturing process. I made the rest of the bench setup.

Durathane is ROCK hard, and that's what I needed for the top of my jewellery bench, I'm constantly working some type of material on it, pounding, flattening or straightening it, and it holds up to the punishment, and is close to 120 Lbs, a very stable working surface.
Durathane is the only product I would use on softer types of wood, but you will have to stain first, as it is a clear finish, and doesn't yellow. I hope you can find it there in NZ.

Nice finish on the stand, satin coat?

What SSD did you purchase?

 

Rock hard, really?
That's what I need! I'm about to start building a new workbench. Flooring-grade poly is okay but that's another dimension altogether.

Yes, satin coat.

For the SSD, a Samsung 830 (256GB). The price just dropped this week, so no hesitation. For my last desktop build (a year ago) I went with a Crucial M4, no complaints with it, but the rave on tomshardware about the Samsung have had me drooling for a while.
Best SSDs: $300 To $400 : Best SSDs For The Money: May 2012

What about you? Did you do a fresh install, clone, or did your Envy come with an SSD?

And did you make any modifications (such as the Touchpad mod) that enhanced the Envy's comfort for you?

 

Sad, but true.

 

• #1> This is a PC forum, I will PM you the my wood working details.
• #2> Satin coat is good, high gloss has it's place, its tough to work and get a good finish.
• #3> Intel,,,nothing but Intel for me. The reason is, the Intel SSD Toolbox: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455 has all the tools necessary for your notebook. Lots of other GOOD free stuff here:http://www.intel.com/support/utilitytools.htm I figure if the notebook has 3 Intel chips, comes with an Intel mSATA SSD, may as well stay with Intel.
  
• #4> Envy 17-3090NR has: Intel 80Gb mSATA SSD II + 750Gb 7200RPM SATA II HDD,,,,I added an Intel 330 Series 180Gb SATA III SSD for my games/astronomy programs/video editing/CAD, the programs that benefit from the speed of the SATA III. The HDD is more than fast enough for movies and music files. NO, I will leave the OS as is until my warranty runs out, especially the HP Remote Connect, that the tecks need to connect to your notebook. I have avast! as my AV, it as well has a remote connect option, through their server that scans and filters/blocks any malicious content that may be in the PC. This is extremely safe and handy option that avast! included in their AV program. I assist at the Safer Networking Forum (Safer-Networking Forums) as well.
• #5> NO mods until the warranty runs out, HP service tecks (you can find me at the HP Forum as well) get their $#!t in a knot if the unit isn't a factory setup, as for the touch pad, it works fine. I just have to remember not to rest a finger on the button area and try to navigate at the same time, something I somewhat miss with the mechanical button. HP did away with 2 more parts that can fail by using the new style touch pad.

 

Thanks, but I cannot get that info.
I took the gamble and will post what I will receive.
It was advertised as a 700GB drive, which makes no sense.

 

Hi guys im buying anew laptop and im wondering which one to pick. I was deciding between hp 17 3000 and 3d 3000. I don't mind if game is 3d but I was interested in cool sense. Does it really work? I want to run games like diablo 3, HON,LIKE and crossfire. Which is a good pick? Do you guys recommend dell xps 17 or alienware mx17

 

the 3D is useless

I have tried it and it is cool for the first 2 days and after that you will pack the 3D glasses and put them away.

p.s. 3200 series are now available to order with Ivy bridge CPU.

 

I like the Envy 3D, the games that have the best rendering for me are Portal, Alan Wake, Crysis, and a whole bunch more. Cool Sense works fine for me, I have an SSD that my games are on and that helps a lot, the HDD has my music and movies, the mSATA SSD has the OS. The notebook can take any &20 or 1080 movie and render it into 3D, works fine for me, no complaints here.

 

Did the 3200 come out yet? So hp envy 17 is good? M not a fan of 3d. What about dell xps 17 and alienware mx17?

What is different about 3200 and 3000

 

The 3200 has a better GPU (7850 instead of a re-branded 6770), the 3200 has Intel's new line of Processors (3rd gen "Ivy Bridge")... With those Ivy Bridge Processors, you can have 16 gigs of 1600 clocked Ram.

 

So form experience playing on hp envy 17 3000edition does the temperature get too hot? Or is it okay?

 

hi Envy owners, i currently have the dV7t-7000, thinking of exchanging this for the Envy 7 ivy bridge. how is the touchpad performance? battery life? thanks in advance.

 

I never had a heat problem, Cool Sense did its job and kept things cool.

I never had a problem with the touch pad, other than resting a finger on the button area and trying to navigate at the same time, a habit I had from a touch pad with a mechanical button. Battery life???,,,,It's 17" 1080,,,,play a game in 3D on high or ultra and what do you think will be the time???,,,,Surf the net, do some mail, post a few thing on a forum with the Intel graphic card running and I got close to 5 Hrs.


Envy 3090NR 3d is what I had.

 

For those of you who purchased this system prior to the Ivy Bridge + GPU Upgrades, how has your gaming experience been?

Are you able to play games in 1080p w/ Med-High, Max settings??

I know for Alienware, there is the ability to disable Enduro using Fn+F7 (I think). Is there a way to disable Enduro/auto graphics switching on this system as well?

Reason: I ordered both an Alienware m17x-r4 w/ 7970M AND an HP Envy 17 w/ 7850M... I'd totally love the M17x-r4 but its portability is not all that great LOL. I can take the HP with me to school with less strain. Also, all I ever play are Supreme Commander, SWTOR, and Star Trek Online without any plans to play future games.

 

cool thanks! i won't be gaming on this thing, i plan to use it for my photography stuff and eventually some video stuff in the future and want something portable with big nice screen. How is the glossy screen on this? i have the DV7t 1080p non-glare screen, it's nice but i want the colors to pop like when i look at my photos on my wife's iphone/ipad screens. one reviewer in youtube said it's like the new ipad (ipad3) screen. i'm looking at the Envy 17 3000, i'm about to call HP customer rep for an exchange..

 

I don't think anybody has received their new 17t-3200 Ivy Bridge laptops yet. HP is still making them. I placed my order yesterday, and the first ship date was June 13th, so it will be another week before you start seeing first impressions or reviews.

I'm also curious about the Enduro feature of the Radeon 7850's. I've read that the semi-manual switching graphics in the Radeon 76xx's is not very good, especially compared to Nvidia's Optimus which switches seamlessly on the fly. Enduro is advertised on AMD's site as being able to do this better, but I haven't been able to find reviews of the Radeon 7850 anywhere yet. I think it's still too new? I hope it works as advertised.

Edit: Found a good article on Enduro and the expected performance of the 7850's. link


On a side note, can anyone recommend a good sleeve for this laptop? I need something that will slip around and fit it snugly. If it has a pocket for carrying the AC adapter, that'd be great also, but it's not a necessity.

Thanks.

 

A couple of sleeves for you to consider:


17.3" SlipSuit Laptop Sleeve (Black, Red, Navy Blue, Orange) | Mobile Edge


Sleeve from eBay

 

Honestly I doubt you can take any 17" laptop to school without it being too much of a strain on you. I just returned my Dv7 which was literally burning my left hand whenever I wanted to play Diablo 3. It felt like I was lugging a boat anchor to Fedex.

 

LOL... maybe I can be super cool and have a rolly bag.

I don't really plan on gaming at school though so I am not too worried about heat issues but your remark about it burning your left hand sort of concerns me when I do game.

The current laptop I carry with me to school is already pretty hefty at 6lbs so another 1.5lbs shouldn't be all that bad.

 

Thanks ssfblue. Are these sleeves that you've personally used, or that you can confirm a good fit for the Envy 17? Or just ones you googled and linked?

 

I'm going to get the 3200. No one has probles with the 3000 not 3d? Should you prefer the 3200 or alien ware mx17 or Dell exps?

 

Yeah, I just googled and linked because I was interested in getting the same thing you were.

Those two should have a very snug fit since:

--it is designed for a maximum of 17.3"
and
--the stated internal dimensions sounds like it is smaller then the overall size of the Ency 17; thus it will have to stretch a bit to fit.

 

Honestly, I don't see any problems with 17 inch laptops... I have the envy 17 3k and really, I carry this around, along with my acer chromebook, various books, audio-phile headphones... Well, you get the picture. I carry a lot of crap

Anyways, I don't have any issue carrying around my large laptop... I have a swiss gear laptop bag that I bought for my first laptop (also a 17 inch), and that fit perfectly as well.

I can't seem to find the bag I bought.. I got it from Walmart about 2 or 3 years ago..

 

So its available for order now!?

I see that they didn't change the design though...sad face.

Anyone actually have one in their possession or has this just come out?

I've always had a 17 inch laptop and I take it with me everywhere. Never had a problem with it. Different strokes for different people I guess. But to me its not the end of the world....

Did anyone order this combination?

3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3820QM Processor (2.7 GHz, 8MB L3 Cache)
Radeon(TM) HD 7850M Graphics 1GB GDDR5 Memory [HDMI, DP]
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

If so do you think that it will get too hot? I know performance wise it will be a beast. But I want something that I can use for hours (plugged in) without making any noticeable noise or generating significant heat.

 

To answer some of your questions...

I believe that the Envy 17-3XXX has been out since 2011; however, they just did an internal hardware refresh. People will have this system but with previous specs. The 3610QM and 7850M Options just came out yesterday.


My order combination is:
i7-3610QM <<To me, that is plenty powerful enough for what I will be doing. Gaming mostly will depend on GPU.
160GB SSD+750GB HHD
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 <<Also, plenty enough for what I will be doing... not too sure what your primary functions are with the system; HOWEVER,
I highly highly highy suggest that you do not pay that $300+ upgrade for the 16GB RAM. Just get the base and purchase + install the RAM yourself. It's way cheaper and if there is anything that's easy to install on a notebook, it's the RAM.

Get: Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz 2x8GB (16GB) Notebook Ram
Amazon Link HERE
It costs only a third of the upgrade price AND it's probably better quality than what they use. This laptop I believe only has 2 slots for RAM.

If you are to upgrade anything else, it should be the Hard Drive to maybe something that I got; however, if you're comfortable enough to install your own SSD and restore your OS+drivers on the new SSD, then that is something you should also upgrade on your own. Beware though that you will need a hard drive caddy that's compatible with the Envy 17.

Good luck! I hope this helps.


Edit: As for it getting too hot--I would guess most likely in situations where many resources are getting used. I'd get a cooling pad. And as for battery life, I would guess 3-hour range. After I receive my system, which is well after June 14 (SUPER SAD FACE), I'll post my findings on temperatures while gaming with and without a cooling pad.

 

I know its been out since last year. I'm talking about the refresh...

I've been around here for a while but I've been busy with a lot of other stuff and was waiting to see how the Ivy Bridge Envy would turn out.

Thanks for the other answers. I've got an SSD and the HDD that I want to use. As for memory I prefer just getting it straight from HP but I'll definitely look into that link.

My one problem will be buying the caddy for new Envy 17 though. I have the old caddy for the 2000 series but of course that's useless now since I decided to wait for the IB refresh....I'm ambivalent though regarding the design. I just wish they had the dark coloring option of the Pavilion. That looks way more sexy IMO