HP Envy 15? i7 meets 4830+15" screen!

Here's a review from notebookcheck.net

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Hands-On-HP-Envy-13-Envy-15-in-Review.20675.0.html

It concerns me that the envy 15 may get overheated when fully loaded. If it does, then will make envy 15 useless despite all the high performance parts it has.

 

The thing is, on battery, the average user rarely uses full load. At idle, the i7 consumes as much power as the C2Ds. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Envy/MBP aluminum case in terms of design or heat dissipation.

 

It's not a review, its just a preview. Real review will have battery tests, gaming benchmarks, etc.

 

yea and that wasnt a production model either. the question is weather the production model will have the same heat issues. if it does it will ruin a great computer.

 

Indeed. Having a hot computer is one thing, but it almost always implies a noisy one as well as the fan will be running non-stop to cool it down.

}:^)~

 

And a shorter battery life is translated, and (let the negative comments come) the components wont last that much...lol

But seriously, I hope they solved the heat that the i7 and the 4830HD might cause.

 

yea that would be a grave error for hp if they ship it like that.

 

Unfortunately for us, HP is not known for their super cold laptops, if you get what I mean...
But it seems like it has a good air flowing system!

 

I think the choice on the graphics card as well was to minimize heat because of it is a 40nm part that performs pretty well considering the size of the chassis. I have a feeling their cooling design took some advantage of the extra space that comes with not having an optical drive in there. At least I hope they did.

 

Well, there's probably a reason that envy 13 machines have gone out for review, but envy 15 machines still remain anonymous. I have a feeling that they're still completing the system. For example, I recall hearing that the envy 15 will ship with a edge-to-edge glass display, though all of the pre-production units featured a bezel. However, judging by how reporters make stuff up and call it news, I'd take this with a mote of sodium-chloride.

I have a feeling they won't be cutting many corners with this line, so that's encouraging.

I personally hope that they've listened to the reviews (for the envy 13) and upgraded the trackpad drivers to fix some of the quirky-ness for both the 13 and the 15. It seems that unless your fingers are perfectly horizontal, two-finger scrolling doesn't work. This seems like an issue that can be fixed with software.

Also, I hope that they include a back-lit keypad, which should be a simple part change. Again, this is a frequent complaint among the reviews. With these two things taken care of, and assuming the envy 15 runs cool, there's really nothing to complain about with either of these systems.... Other than price, of course.

}:^)~

 

What?

Every pic I have seen of the actual 15 has an E2E display. Haven't seen any bezels yet....

 

Oh, there's a bezel:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/hp-envy-13-a-macbook-in-hp-clothing

It's detailed in the video. Hopefully it won't be in the final..

Also, the chemical etched patterns are supposedly optional and can be selected prior to ordering. This is from a different source -- one I can't remember.

}:^)~

 

Engadget has an Envy 13 review up
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/hp-envy-13-review/

In summary, its a nice system with a horrible trackpad. They even said the wrist areas of the laptop were cool even though the fan was generally on, though quiet, most of the time.

I'm glad to hear the 13, according to Engadget, doesn't have any heat issues, though it doesn't sound like they tried to put it through its paces. They didnt mention how warm it got when they were testing the games, though.

The trackpad sounds like a joke though! I really hope HP releases a driver update before it is generally available otherwise people are going to go nuts. From what it sounds like, you cant use more than one finger at a time. I use my current laptops trackpad the exact way Engadget uses it in the review, so it will kinda suck for me until an updated driver is available.

Thoughts?

 

I see. Thanks for the vid!

 

They envy 13 has some pretty solid power-saving parts so I didn't expect heat to be too much of an issue. The envy 15 with its i7 is what I'm pretty worried about, because putting a quad-core in something that thin can't be easy.

The trackpad seems to be an issue that should hopefully be able to be fixed with a driver or firmware update like you said. Might be an issue they're ironing out on the envy 15 before they start shipping.

I am curious though about the special perks that come with getting in on the envy line, since I remember in some interviews they mentioned something about concierge service and other extras like that.

 

I believe it was brought up earlier in the thread about how the shipping models will have an edge to edge on the envy 15. These are just pre-production models.

 

The only perk I remember reading about was "premium" service.

From the press release when first announced on engadget

 

The Engadget review was quite ridiculous. In the review wrap up, the reviewer made the point of questioning the usefulness of this notebook based on the touchpad. This alone should hint at the reviewers credibility.

It's like dismissing the entirety of a ferrari becuse the radio knob is a bit tricky to adjust. Don't like the multi-touch? Turn it off. Don't like the pad-button? Turn on tap to click. Move on. The irony is that it seems as though this is a driver issue, which can be fixed.

*of note: there is a community-made synaptics multi-touch driver that's been available for some time now (for vista) that works with great effect. I'm sure a similar implementation could fix these woes.
http://code.google.com/p/two-finger-scroll/

I hope that HP fixes the touchpad issues, as all things being equal, better is better. However price non-withstanding, the choice of ANY OTHER NOTEBOOK in this class would arguably yield compromises of greater significance.

}:^)~

 

I sure hope they enable you to switch between media first, function second key setup (like the Dell Studio/Inspiron). It's one of those moves that I just don't understand.

 

I hope they do as well -- options are good. However I appreciate this implementation as a default feature. I personally adjust volume and brightness more frequently than I use the function keys.

Most of the programs I use, have much more convenient Ctrl-* accessible functions than needing to use the function keys.

Of course, you can always do an UI-level key mapping (can do in linux, not sure about windows), turning certain function keys into pretty much whatever you want, and leaving the others alone.

*edit:
There ya go!
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/map-any-key-to-any-key-on-windows-xp-vista/

}:^)~

 

Yes you can but we shouldn't hopefully have to use such methods - assuming they will still work in Windows 7. Re-writing 15 years of shortcut keys finger muscle memory.................. I'm the type of person who knows automatically what alt + e, s, v does in excel - I don't even have to think about it. So for example when using the Thesaurus in Word (Shift + F7), or some such, having to retrain myself really is not at the top of my list of things to do before I'm 30.

 

I fully sympathize. I should hope that there'd be an option to switch.

Are you planning on getting a 13/15?

}:^)~

 

Did they do the same thing with the keyboard on the Envy 15 as well? That is the system that I interested in. I haven't seen a up close and personal view of the Envy 15 keyboard on any of the sites yet.

 

Though the trackpad is terrible if does not bother me more than the non backlit keyboard (I use a mini mouse most of the time in class), anyone think there is a chance they will throw this on the final product?

 

I don't think its looking good for the backlit keyboard option. I know I was really hoping for one as well, but at this point I think if it ends up being offered it might be a optional upgrade/come later down the line as part of a revision.

 

Did the previous envy 133 have backlit keyboard? Kind of silly, hope HP sees all the people wanting backlit keys!

 

Yes it did. But that product was also designed and sold under the voodoo brand. This is an HP product that was influenced by voodoo but designed without their direct involvement. Still considering that backlit keyboards are becoming more common nowadays, I hope HP decides to add it in.

 

Yeah I know the whole voodoo and hp shenanigans, oh well been toggling between this and the m15x and hopefully they both get their kinks worked out so I can pick one

 

i hope the 15 stays cool like the 13. it does have more vents so lets cross our fingers. i could care less about the track pad. i take my wireless mouse with me at all times anyway. IMO

 

Yeah I was considering the m15x as well pretty seriously and still sort of am. Just took a look over at their forums and looks like there's already some issues coming up for some of the people who got them in. I hope a review comes up soon for the envy 15.

 

I care about the trackpad! I just want it to be usable as a normal trackpad. I dont really care about the multitouch features this thing is supposed to have.

 

Well hopefully if the software is being too finicky for the touchpad then it can just be disabled entirely and keep things simple but working smoothly.

 

Quite honestly I'm looking to possibly buy both. I tend to use a bigger, beefier machine at home and in the office; which is where the 15 would come into play; but I travel to the US, Germany, France and other places a lot with work, which is where the 13 would come in. I currently use an Inspiron for the work stuff (it was a quick replacement for a dead Precision), and a MB Air for travel. I don't mind either, but neither fit me 100%.

 

Hi all,

I've been following this thread for quite some time now, well pretty much since the Envy was announced.

I went to the HP site (UK) and found this...I don't think this has been posted yet.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/e...10-3995710-3995928.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_UKEN

So yeah...I wasn't expecting that price for the 13...

I can't seem to find anything for the 15 atm.

 

The Danish prices are shown on HP's Danish site, and are shown to be 13000 DKR for the E13 and 12000 for the E15.
That would be about 1350-1400£ for the E15

 

Ah, nice one. Lets hope thats true

 

According to what I read, on the track pad there is a little star/dot in the top left hand corner that if you press and hold it for a few seconds, will disable the track pad. I am in a rush to go to work so I havent found the pic. I will post it in a bit

 

I've come to the conclusion of multiple systems as well. The Envy 13 has epic battery life which is perfect for me, as I'm on the road frequently enough to need good battery life. The majority of work that I do is text-based (typing) and involves light web surfing, so knowing that I can squeeze 10-14h out of this puts this notebook into a class all its own.

For home, I'd invest in a proper desktop with a proper video card. I can simply VNC into my computer with my Envy 13 whilst around the house, if I want the additional power of the desktop away from the desk, and I don't have to compromise on power. But I fully appreciate your use of the 15 in these situations. That's a lot of muscle!

What ways will the Envy 13 be a better fit for you than the current laptops?

}:^)~

 

Well style is not massively important for the larger machine, but the smaller one that I take to client meetings etc, style is very important. This pretty much limits me to Apple, Sony or this Envy in my eyes. Whilst I like the Macbook Air, it is severely lacking in some areas; which is why I'm looking to replace it. I could go with another MBP, but ideally I want something built specifically for Windows now. There are a few Sony machines I'm considering also, but I just simply prefer the styling on this Envy.

The larger notebook still travels with me a lot, back and forth to work / home / friends etc. At home I do actually already have a core i7 with 4870s in, as well as a beast of a server sat in the corner. What can I say, I'm a tech collector

 

It might even get better. I've been calculating for a couple of minutes, and 1500 £ (English price for the E13) is equal to 12060 Danish kroner. The Danish price for the E13 is 13.999 Danish kroner.

http://h41131.www4.hp.com/dk/da/press/hp-forener-form-og-funktion-i-nye-luksus-envy-pc-er.html

The biggest difference here is probably the tax difference, which is 25% in Denmark - I dont think it's that high in the UK.

The E13 UK price is about 86% of the Danish E13 price - 86% percent of the Danish E15 price of 11.999 kroner is 10350. 10350 kroner to £ is 1287£.

 

Thats great to hear. Its just a waiting game now then. I'm looking for a new laptop, it's either envy 15 or dell studio xps 16 for me Looking forward to some benchmarks of the 4830. Does anyone have any rough idea how much better the ati 4830 will be over the ati 4670 1gb?

 

£1500 for the 13 inch?!? heck that's asking for ALOT...

 

Yep, my thoughts exactly. I was expecting the Envy 15 to be around the 1800-1900 mark if they want 1500 for the 13 model. Hopefully the link provided for the Danish site will mirror the prices in the UK and the 15 will be cheaper

 

trying to figure this out makes my head hurt

 

Hmm, ok:

Envy 13 Price:
UK: 1500 £ ( 12060 Danish kroner)
Denmark: 13999 kroner

That is quite a difference in price, which may be because of factors such as Tax, which is 25% in Denmark, probably one of the highest percentages in all of Europe, if not the highest.

I found out the difference in price in percent - 12060 kroner is 86% of 13999 kroner.

I use that percent in order to guess the price for the Envy 15, as the UK price might be 86% of the Danish price, just like the Envy 13 price is.

86% of 11999 kroner is about 10350 kroner, and 10350 kroner is 1287£.

Thereby the UK price for the Envy 15 might be somewhere around 1300£ - though it is only a guess.

 

So many math there.
Let us happy the E13 and E15 are worth it now. after all that trackpad readings, and heating on the E14 and E15 respectively...

 

I'm pretty sure the 4830 should perform noticeably better than the 4670 just based on the specs alone (640 vs. 320 shaders). Both are still 128-bit cards and the 4830 doesn't come with GDDR5 like it's higher clocked brother the 4860 from what I understand. Still, the 4830 is considered a high-end mobile card (albeit on the lower end of the scale). What kind of games were you looking to compare the performance for?

 

As far as all this pricing talk is going, I gotta say I feel sorry for people who're getting stuck with those high starting prices overseas. But that usually tends to happen though for a lot of products so I guess it's nothing that new. I know I'd like to know exactly what upgrade options we'll have to begin with on the envy 15 and then how much they'll add on to the price.

 

Wow, also found the pricing on the slice battery here: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06c/A1-329290-329223-329260-329260-4021441-4021444.html

£179 GBP. So for the portable setup at minimum spec it would cost £1500 + £179 = £1,679. Ouch. Unless base model comes with the slice?

Still, it looks nice at least............hmmm, me, vain much?

 

That is one expensive battery. I thought it comes with the slice though, It comes with the envy 13, so why not the 15?