HP ENVY TouchSmart 15-j000 (Intel i7-4702MQ & Nvidia 750M) Haswell Quad Review

Is it possible to use the 24gb ssd cache from hp as a normal ssd? (To store some files and a game or two) I understand that intel smart response technology would have to be stopped but it would be nice to have some games on an ssd.

Also is there any benefit of having an ssd acceleration cache with a hybrid hard drive?

 

I used both SSD and Hybrid drives separately, and the biggest boost come from running a SDD on it own (if the drive is big enough for an OS) then follow by an acceleration combo. There will be a benefit using a hybrid drive over a normal hard drive, hybrid drives are not exactly amazingly fast (although better), but a caching drive is best bang for buck using maximum space and a small SSD for what its worth.

You could break the drives into separate drives and then return the SSD drive back the a caching drive later on. Just use the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software, search for it using the Windows 8 search feature. You can enable and disable caching at any time, therefore you got nothing to loose if you want to have a play around.

 

Could you try closing it in clamshell and jiggling the top right side, mines seems to not close all the way and jigglies slightly q.q

 

Got my envy 15t-j000 yesterday and tried it out. Unfortunately, I think HP has locked the BIOS so you can't boot directly from an mSATA. There's no entry in the BIOS boot menu for an mSATA ssd drive.

 

When the mSATA SSD is setup for caching it is in a RAID array, you won't see it in Disk Management as when two drives are in RAID they are seen as one drive. If it's not seen by the computer it won't have an option to boot from it.

If you disable caching, then you will see it and if you have a large enough mSATA SSD you can install the OS, then it will show as a bootable device. It should show up as another drive.

 

Thanks for responding. I actually bought and installed my own mSATA SSD (64GB), so it was never set up as a caching drive. The problem is that the mSATA shows up in the Windows 8 file explorer, but not in the BIOS.

 

Well it is a bit surprising that the 750M is scoring lower than a 740M in the Ice Storm. But still real world performance matters.

BTW, in the online stores for my region, the HP is with tthe i7-4700MQ and 2 GB 740M Graphics and a FHD Touch Panel. Is this Touch Panel the same as the one you had on the Richland HP which you returned? The Modep no. Of the HP is:

HP Envy TouchSmart 15-J001TX

And also one more thing, is the 740M used in this HP Laptop based on the old GK208 Architecture or the new Kepler GK107 Architecture? Because the old architecture is only 64-bit wide and performs worse on high and ultra settings in some games as compared to the new architecture.

Thanks.

 

In reality it shouldn't be scoring lower, and is likely due to something else (unknown).

The touch panels are all the same, and see through the overlay

740M is based on new Kelper architecture, which is actually slighly newer, as in a later release. Think of it like this, the GK208 is the same as a GK107 with one of its balls cut off. Basically half the through put on ROPS and memory bandwidth.

 

How do you switch the graphics ?

 

K nice. Well It would've been nice if it would have come with the 750M. And the Screen is again a disappointment if it is the same. Let's see if more models come out and they will as Haswell was introduced just last month.

Thanks.

 

Right click on something, run with-->NVIDIA or Integrated

 

Ahhh cool, thanks !

The average for the intel 4600 was about 1200 while the 740m was about 2000 on the mark11 test .

Is that 800 point jump worth the bulk of the charger to me is the question .


This is with no OC'ing .

 

Can somebody with the 750M option please comment on the size and weight of the 120W vs the 90W power adapter? Is it really that much of a difference? In the first post it sounds like the 120W unit isn't really to big and heavy?

Also what I would be interessting to get some more details on the screen, I'm looking at buying the 1080p version and would like to know:

- how about light reflections? the screen looks veeeery glossy (okay, of course having the glass covering the screen), but there is good or better glossy and bad glossy out there.
- View angles?
- Brightness?

Thanks,
fassy

 

I'm using 15" hp dv6-61xx quad edition from two years. Can somebody compare the keyboard and display of this Envy 15 with my laptop?

 

Can anybody comment on the sturdiness, style, and temperature of the laptop? Will it ever get too hot playing games for several hours? (Referring to non-Touch version)

 

Don't want to mess up this topic, so if you feel need to remove my post, just go along.

The obviously bad glossy screen mad me look for an alternative. I ended up with an Acer Aspire V5 572G for 799€. It is only a dual core Ivy Bridge but the screen is a matte IPS panel, very impressive for the price and in general I do not regret it. I wanted to get the 573G with Haswel but there was only the version with the i5-4200U available, so I decided to take the Ivy Bridge i7. The only negative thing: The touchpad buttons are pretty crappy and loud, the touchpad is trangly sticky - so I would say the touchpad in general isn't great.

 

This is so people can understand why the keyboard has flex.

The entire underside of the laptop need to be removed, including the system motherboard just to get out the keyboard.

As you can see on the left hand side of the keyboard shield, there are 2 huge square holes. This is where the bad flex come into play around the SDFG keys and those around them, including other areas of the keyboard.
Funny that, the keyboard shield is actually a backing plate to support the keyboard, it pretty useless if you are going to have massive cut out in it. Unless it just a quote "shield" that offers no support at all

I have circled in red the substantial holes on the keyboard shield.



This is the actual keyboard (below), but without decent support (screenshot above) then the keyboard has nothing to sit on flush.

 

The 120w power adapter is thinner but wider then the 90w, weight wise the difference is negligible.

I have the 1080p matte screen so i cannot comment on the glossy screen. But the matte screen is wonderful, with great brightness and viewing angles. Make's me not even want to use my 24" led monitor or my 32" Sony Google tv,

 

I literally had the exact same laptop as you. I only switched because mine broke (i dropped it pretty bad), so I got this. By no means is this a terrible laptop. Keyboard is better on the dv6, displays comparing 1080p matte screen (no touch) to the 1080p matte on the dv6 is about the same.

Overall if you looking to upgrade, i would wait one more year, since your specs still should be able to handle most games and applications still decently, so paying the $1000+ now would not be worth it and get at least one more year out your current laptop.

 

15 with a matte screen ? Where ?

 

Hi!

Do you have a Part Number for the US keyboard? And where can I find a tutorial of replacing a keyboard on this model?
Could You tell me, where did you get this pictures form?

Thanks.

 

I agree, I would have paid an extra 50 - 100 dollars for a better quality design. I recently ordered two of these HP Envy's and hope I love them. I opted for the 16 Gigs of RAM Nvidia cards and the hybrid terabit drives. I played around with one of these at the local Windows Store and loved it. Most build Q on laptops seem weak in general. The ones that are good are super exp and many of them are weaker in specs.

I think for the price of the laptops, they are great. I will try to update everyone on my final thoughts after using it for a few weeks.

I opted for the following setup and got it for about 1030.00, which I think is a fantastic price.

•HP ENVY 15t Quad TouchSmart
• Windows 8 64
• 4th generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700MQ Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M Graphics with 2048MB of dedicated video memory
• 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
• 16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 1TB 5400RPM Hybrid Hard Drive
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• Backlit Keyboard
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ integrated digital mic
• 802.11b/g/n WLAN

 

I can't believe the 750m is not available in the USA. Shame.

 

They should release the 750M version with GDDR5 and NOT GDDR3 as its slower. And for the ssd, there should be an easy way of adding it.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

You shouldn't under estimate the 750M without owning it. The 750M is surprisingly fast, it high clock speed pushes high frames at normal resolution, taking into account it sustains boost clocks without slowing down at any time, maintaining 1.1GHz core.
I had my doubts and disappointment about DDR3 before I got the laptop, but was blown away with how fast it actually is.

 

Where did u get one with the 750m?

 

Thinking of getting this laptop but with the Intel 4000 graphics only. What kind of real world battery life is everyone seeing? Battery life is really important to me.
The original reviewer said he got around 6 hours with the dedicated video card......does that sound normal?

 

Oh that's really nice to hear. I was thinking it would not perform that well but looks like the GDDR3 can definitely hold its own. But if you can get the GDDR5 with some extra bucks, it's the best deal. The 750M can sustain boosts and that's why it sets a benchmark for next-gen Gaming. I really hope that more and more laptops come with the 750M GPU as it's one of the best GPU's in it's price. And if it comes with GDDR5, then it's even better.

Thanks.

 

I really do not get what HP is thinking... Here in Norway, I can get these specifications:
- OS: Windows 8 64-bit
- CPU: Intel i7 4702MQ 2.2GHz 6MB Cache
- RAM: 8GB DDR3
- HDD: 1TB HDD/ 5400RPM
- Screen: 15.4'' Full HD BrightView 1920 x 1080
- nVIDIA GeForce GT 750M - 2 GB GDDR5

Why not in the US of A?..

There is also a model with a 750GB HDD and a 1080p IPS screen too, but to my knowledge, both models come with IPS screens... Could anyone with the knowledge please confirm or contradict this?
EDIT: I came over some new information: both models come with 1080p IPS screens
EDIT3: HP has now changed it... TN panels -_-' ALL LIES!

EDIT 2: Use your time to browse for the best price! I found the difference to be extreme... 2000NOK(340USD) less for the model with 1TB HDD in two of the stores ' Seems like some of the stores are managed by greedy people.

 

It looks like the confusion is total with the different models... So many web shops have got it all wrong.
Here is a list of different specifications: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03733656.pdf

The HP ENVY 15-j007eo seems to be one of the models with an IPS display.

 

As far as specs go, just look up the current service manual, everything in there is the same as what is released.
e.g. 750M with DDR3, there is no GDDR5 model, no matter how many mistakes are made on webpages.
Also look at the other parts, if a certain part is not list, then it does not come out with it.
There is an IPS panel, although I am uncertain is there is a touch model with IPS or not, should be not reason why not.

This is the only current configerations that are Intel and Nvidia, and the fastest is 750M with DDR3 only

Graphics (continued) Internal graphics:

● Intel HD Graphics 4600 on
computer models equipped with a
Quad Core processor

● Intel HD Graphics 4000 on
computer models equipped with a
Dual Core processor
Switchable Discrete Graphics:

● nVidia N14P-GT GeForce 750M
with 2048-GB of dedicated video
memory (128-MB×16 DDR3 1-
GHz×8PCs)

● nVidia N14P-GV2 GeForce 740M
with 2048-GB of dedicated video
memory (128-MB×16 DDR3 1-
GHz×8PCs)

Support for HD decode, DX11, and HDMI
Support for GPU performance scaling
Support for Optimus


According to the service manual, IPS models do exsist, or at least have been provisioned with parts.

Panel Support for the following
display assemblies:

● 15.6-in, full high-definition (FHD),
white light-emitting diode (WLED),
BrightView (1920×1080), slim (3.2-
mm), UWVA (IPS), color gamut
72%, typical brightness 300 nits,
16:9 aspect ratio

● 15.6-in, full high-definition (FHD),
white light-emitting diode (WLED),
BrightView (1920×1080), slim (3.2-
mm), SVA, color camut 60%, typical
brightness 300 nits, 16:9
aspect ratio

● 15.6-in, high-definition (HD), white
light-emitting diode (WLED),
BrightView (1366×768), flat (3.8-
mm), SVA, color camut 45%, typical
brightness 200 nits, 16:9
aspect ratio

Support for low-voltage differential
signalling LVDS, co-layout with
eDP1.3+PSR)

Touchscreen and MultiTouch enabled

 

Well that's encouraging if IPS displays will also come with Multi-Touch support. Because the viewing angles are really important in a laptop especially vertical angles which most non-IPS displays lack to some extent. And also IPS displays might have a higher Contrast Ratio and better Color reproduction which in turn will enhance the viewing experience.

BTW do these screens come with 3D panels also? A 17 inch FHD IPS display with 3D will be an amazing viewing experience. And their BrightView Screens are good as I'm currently typing from an HP laptop. I'll check out some HP laptops when they are released in my area with the above mentioned types as only one model is released with the Haswell i7-4700MQ and GT 740M. Will be interesting to check out the GT 750M also.

Thanks for sharing the correct info.

 

I really would hope so. Actually I was hoping to just upgrade the screen I have to IPS (or something good FHD), but that will likely be near impossible, according to this the touchscreens are one sealed unit.
Need to check again, but I think even the standard HD type might actually use the same FHD cable which is LVDS. In any case the entire lid will have to be replaced on the touch model, meaning buying from HP, which means cost to much, which then means it ain't happening
lol none of us want to ever damage or break our touch screens.

Display assembly

NOTE: The TouchScreen display assembly is spared only at the component level. The non-
TouchScreen display assembly is spared at both the component and the subcomponent level. For more
display assembly spare part information, see the individual removal subsections.

Description / Spare part number

15.6-in, BrightView, FHD, LED, TouchScreen display assembly 720550-001
15.6-in, BrightView, HD, LED, TouchScreen display assembly 720549-001
15.6-in, BrightView, FHD, LED, non-TouchScreen display assembly 720552-001
15.6-in, BrightView, HD, LED, non-TouchScreen display assembly 720551-001

 

Hey guys, just wanna contribute.

I recently got the HP Envy Touchsmart 15-j018TX. It has Intel Core I7-4700MQ and NVIDIA GT 740M (GK208).

The rest of the specs:
15.6" 1080p Full HD Touch panel, 1TB 5400rpm hard drive,
backlit keyboard,
16GB of DDR3 800Mhz RAM (I was surprised to see the speed, this is DDR2 level speed!),
No mSATA SSD.

I paid $1,100 for it (Indonesian price are crazy, I know) as it was the only Haswell quad core available besides the bulky Lenovo Y410 with GT750M.

I want to do 3DMark benchmarks, but having trouble to get 3DMark 06 to recognize the GT740M. Any help?

I played Football Manager 2013 on it and most of the times it runs great and fast, but I do get the occasional "Not Responding" freezes, which I never got with my desktop PC equipped with Core i3-2100, 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM and GeForce GT240 1GB GDDR5. I wonder what could have caused it?

I will post benchmarks once I got the 3DMarks running (I have 06, Vantage, 11, and 2013).

Cheers yo.



Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

Windows 8.1 upgrade has been a failing pain with this configuration. Best part of a week trying to figure out what is wrong.

The upgrade from the store would just about install but BSOD and roll back at the last moment with driver_power_state_failure quickly shown on the screen before rebooting

If you get this, then this is what should fix it. Not sure which one, what did it but if you do these 3 things, then you should be good to go.

From the programs and features menu in control panel remove:

1. Broadcom Bluetooth (weights in at around 250MB)
2. HP Registration (probably does nothing to affect anything, but was one thing I remove at the same time)

Then...

3. Update to the newest NVidia 8.1 drivers R331 (version 331.58)

Run update from store, should be successful now, and be on 8.1 without clean installing your entire machine. I already did a factory restore, which does not help the issue, so best work it out rather than wipe it out.

btw. If you change you hard drive size, or wireless card to the like of Intel, it seem like HP have written something into their restore partition to make restores fail if you alter the original config to much

 

Hello T2050,
Thanks a lot for your detailed review. This is a much awaited one from a long time.... I am looking for a new lap in Envy series (ENVY 15t-j100 Select Edition), i'm sharing the config with you here,

4th generation Intel® Core™ i7-4702MQ Processor
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M Graphics with 4096MB of dedicated video memory
15.6-inch diagonal Full HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1920x1080)
16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive

I use applications like Photoshop, Premier, Illustrator etc . . . I dont play games how will i utilize my Graphic card with these applications to get the maximum result ? i am sorry for asking a lot of questions am waiting for your highly valuable reply. Thanks in Advance.
Regards

 

I can't tell you about those applications as I don't use them. I am pretty much a gamer. One thing is for sure the 750M is the most powerful offering in the Envy and even with DDR3 it is a good performer, much better than the 740M, bottom line is you can't go wrong.

If anyone is wondering about running the Intel 7260AC wireless card in the Envy, it works perfectly, and is very fast.

 

is it possible to take the dvdrw out and put hdd caddy in for a second harddisk? how difficult is it to replace the dvdrw to hdd caddy?

 

Envy 15t doesn't have built-in optical drive - so what you asking for is senselessly

 

Hello to all, someone has fixed the problem presented by T2050? the keyboard flex of my TouchSmart HP ENVY 15 is very frustrating!
Regards

 

does anyone know what the uk equivalent of this model is? could this be it?

HP ENVY TouchSmart 15-j105sa Laptop with 2 yr warranty - HP Store UK