*HP Envy 15 (11XX / 12XX series) Owners Lounge!*

I read somewhere that the SSD in the Envy 15 isn't as fast as it should be or something? Is that still a problem?

 

Called HP and they are sending me a new adapter.... I have to wait 5 days until it arrives

 

So I'm thinking of buying this Envy 15 for $1350 after a random $50 coupon I found:

* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics [HDMI] - For i5 and i7-620M Processors
* 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
* External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
* Webcam Only
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
* Standard Keyboard
* Two 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Batteries (standard)
* No Productivity Software
* $20 OFF! Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Is that a good deal? Is the external optical drive option that comes with the Envy 15 a good one? I'm not going to use it too much. I'm thinking that I'll upgrade to an SSD down the road when they are cheaper and I have more money, by the way.

 

Dont get Norton but get lojack instead.... imo Theres tons of free anti viruses that do the job just as affective as Norton (i use Norton myself and I refuse to use it on my netbook)

 

Norton was just the standard HP thing. It was free (well, included in price, with no option to get rid of it).

 

I'm considering the same option too! I'm not sure if I should buy with just a $50 coupon or hold out for a better deal.

I've seen coupons (expired) for $200 to even $450 off the Envy 15.

How often does HP release new coupons?

 

I've order an Envy i7 with the 500GB 7200rpm HDD which I should recieve this week.

I've seen on the HP site a version with an SSD and HDD. I know the SSDs are 1.8" size, but what is the HDD size when combined with an SSD? Is it also a 1.8" drive?

Essentially, I would like to know if it is possible to fit an SSD in conjunction with a 2.5" HDD. If so, what is required to do this?

Any info would be great. Thanks.

 

you really shouyld state what model... there's 4 hp envy laptops you realise

 

Sorry - that was totally stupid of me. It is a 15-1110ea.

 

mike, where did you get that from? I have been trying to get an 1110ea for ages but they are always out of stock. there seems to be loads of the old 1060ea's left

 

I re-applied a nearly perfect layer of AS5 about a week ago. Here are the results after curing:



I would highly recommend reapplying thermal paste....the factory job was less than ideal, and I was even able to improve on my first application by ensuring a nice, even spread of paste on the GPU ahnd CPU. Pretty satisfied this time around.

 

I sent a question along to HP about the getting the 540m option back and thought I share there response.

So basically they told me nothing

Regards

Chad

 

sells reps from any company will just read the same web page you read and then argue that. Dell does the same thing although when I was helping my friend find one I typed in why I did not like the laptop she recemended for him... the rep told us to hold on for a minute then came back with a link for the same laptop with a completely different video card. thats the only time I knew of pre sales ever being helpful.... anyways I would see about getting the i5 520m it would work too

 

Hi,

I actually just spoke with another HP Rep. I asked why the 540m was not available anymore and when/if it will be available. Of course they really had nothing to offer me other then things are subject to change and they had no date on availability. I also tried asking about the 3rd gen and still the same thing. It really is sad to me that the 540m is not available. I am trying to meet my current desktop cpu which is the E6850 and the 540m is the perfect match.

Chad

 

Not sure if it is actually a 15-1110ea but it has the same spec. I've ordered it refurb'ed from the USA.

 

Yeah, same problem, I'm really hoping for a $200 coupon within the next week or so.

 

Hi,

Can anyone share with me about when the 540m was no longer offered?

Regards

Chad

 

Huh on the HP website right now they no longer offer the i7, just the i5.

 

Same cpu I have.... and my benchmarks with my 520m blow it away already lol

 

Your saying the i5-520m is blowing the e6850 away?

According to this the 520m is just below the e6850.

Can you confirm?

Thanks

Chad

 

Hey guys, I planned on getting the anti-glare screen because I'm going to use my Envy outside and where there are bright lights behind me, but I just thought I should ask how bad are the reflections on the glossy screen? Will I be able to use it outside or no? Thanks.

 

Not near my desktop right now.. But when I am doing video work as a hobby in cs5 my laptop renders my 5 minute film in about 50 secs where as my desktop with a 9800gt takes at least 2 minutes... Both are windows 7 where as laptop is ddr3 1066 and desktop is ddr2 1066....

I will say its a little hard to compare the ix to the c2d mainly because its completely different architecture, Aside from my gpu in the desktop my envy is at least 2-2.5x faster then anything I have tried to do on my desktop

 

Sorry if I am confused but you are saying your desktop has the E6850 c2d, correct?

Thanks

Chad

 

it does... I have it over clocked to 3.2ghz though and its still slower then my laptop... Im not saying dont get a the 540m im just saying that if i was to compare my i5 520 to the same cpu that it already outperforms it

 

Hmm this is interesting. I am going to research it a bit more but I think you might have just sold me.

Thanks

Chad

 

Ya When i was looking at the same cpu your wanting to get I couldn't find much info about it now there should be a lot more out there benchmark wise.... it all came down to the price of the upgrade for me wasnt worth it

 

Yeah...I am getting the same result in my search for more information. It seems like no one really knows a concrete answer.

Chad

 

It lists it below, but in each of the benchmarks, the i5-520m is faster in each one (except for Cinebench R10 Rendering Single). So I'm not really sure how they rank the CPU's, unless there's a weighting assigned based on the number of responses given? Or is the benchmark ratings too "dumb" to realize that for some benchmarks, a lower number means a better performer?

Either way, the i5-520m beats out the e6850 in every benchmark listed there (except for Cinebench R10 Rendering Single), and in some, by a significant margin.

I have also noticed that my i5-520 is faster (sometimes SUBSTANTIALLY) than my Desktop E6750 in more or less everything I do, except when something is GPU bound (my desktop has a faster GPU than the Envy 15). However, my Envy has the SSD option, while my desktop has a 7200 RPM disk. Which may also skew results in odd ways.

 

Other than in a few odd benchmarks, I'd be surprised if the 520 was that much slower than the 540. I went with the 520m for a couple of reasons. First of all, the 520 uses a little bit less power than the 540m (OK, not a lot less, but a little bit less), and I use my laptop more at "like idle" conditions than anything else. If I was running a ripping station or rendering station on my laptop 24x7, then my decision would be a bit different. Also, most of my "heavy duty" application usage on the laptop is far more dependent on the GPU than the CPU - the 520m is plenty fast enough to keep the 5830m fully utilized in what I really bought the laptop for - games. Generally, the GPU will be the limiting factor when I'm playing games than the CPU will, and in those cases where the 520m is the significant limiting factor, the 540m isn't going to bring enough to the table to make any appreciable difference. Also, if you're not playing games, the Envy 15 is kind of a pricey solution - there are other, cheaper options if you don't care about 3Dmark scores.

So for reasons listed above, like Texanman said, the cost wasn't worth it.

 

Can Envy 15 Owners post their Frame Rates (ctrl+alt+F in game to show frame rate on top left) for Starcraft 2 along with their 3dmark06 scores if you have them?

I am looking to buy a laptop that can at least run SC2 on medium with 60+ FPS stable on all multiplayer maps.

 

I don't have 3DMark (limited disk space ) but I run SC2 at high 1920x1080 and it stays in the 30-40FPS range pretty much all the time. I'll bet at medium it'll scream... maybe not 60FPS, but the minimum will stay high. From what I'm reading and experiencing, SC2 doesn't have a huge difference between the lowest framerate and the average framerate, which is a great thing. You don't need 60FPS average if there aren't massive framerate drops. You might even be able to do multiplayer acceptably on high settings.

 

Hi,

Well after some research and helpful posts on this thread, it looks like the 520m will for the most part out perform my E6850. This about seals the deal for me and I believe I am going to pick one up. Does this seem like a fair price for the setup...

* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics [HDMI] - For i5 and i7-620M Processors
* 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
* Webcam Only
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery (standard)
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

$1,254.81 out the door.

As long as this price seems to check out with you guys I think I might pull the trigger.

Regards

Chad

 

Very similar to my machine when I bought it, and similar price (I got mine for a hair over $1400 with the extended battery). Looks like a decent deal IMHO. Did you find any coupons or anything to use with it? There's at least this $50 coupon kicking around.

 

Currently I am using a student discount which is knocking 10% (130.00) off it.

For comparison sakes I added the extended battery and it comes out to 1,375.47.

The coupon you offered won't work with the student discount. Do you think it would be worth the shot to call them up and try to get them to honor it?

Regards

Chad

 

FYI, new refurbs showed up on the HP small business list today. One matches the config and price I just got. Very happy with mine....

NX369AAR#ABA-CS93 ENVY NB HP ENVY 15t W7HP-64 i5 540M 2.53GHz 2-160GB SSD 4GB 15.6HD(1920x1080) 1GB Cam NIC WLAN BT 2-in-1 Rmkt NB PC $1,159.00

Linky

 

That is a dead link....can you tell me how to get to it.

Thanks

Chad

 

Odd, the link works on my end.

Oh well, search google for "hp refurbished small business" and goto the link that starts with h7. Once at that page, scroll to "Home & Office" and open the ENVY series.

Also, in case anyone buys one of these, you can get the various extended warranties for them. Haggle for price, they discounted mine.

 

Was there anything noticeably wrong with yours? Cosmetics?

Also, how do you tell what GPU is in one of these refurbished laptops?

Thanks

Chad

 

Mine had zero imperfections, ymmv though. Any i5's will be the 5830 as will any with SSD (regardless of processor). I think if you are going i7 non-ssd, you'll need to call and ask.

 

Hmm, now you got me considering this. I am worried that is refurbished though. I want mine to be flawless when it arrives.

Regards

Chad

 

sweet i just got that same model at such a good price!!! dual ssd's alone are +$550... pretty sick deal

 

Man, now I'm thinking about getting a refurbished Envy 15, but I'm afraid it will be messed up too. Such good deals, though!

 

I just thought about it and if there knocking of 600+ then there has to be something wrong with it and to me that is not worth the risk.

Chad

 

I talked with the customer service guy and he said 80% of the time the refurbished Envy's come from businesses that order too many laptops for their employees and have to return some. Those returned actually have no problems/little-to-no use and simply cannot be sold as "new" because it has been configured already.

sounds good now doesn't it?

 

They do come with a short warranty in case something's truly wrong on arrival. I got the 3yr full warranty with accident coverage, so I figured if mine had a cosmetic issue, I could get it fixed eventually.

Chadsxe, mine was that exact config at that exact price. No blemishes and my benchmarks have been solid. I haven't crossed the 3dmark06 10k level yet, but am running 530/1150 for daily use without problem.

Not saying they're all perfect, just saying they're not all necessarily imperfect.

 

So would all of you guys recommend a refurb? Do coupons work with them?

Edit: mobilekrispy, could you tell us if you find anything wrong with your Envy? Even tiny things that don't bother you. I just want to know what to expect.

Edit2: How much does the extra warranty cost? And where could I buy an extra battery for the Envy 15?

 

Well I just purchased my Envy.

* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics [HDMI] - For i5 and i7-620M Processors
* 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
* Webcam Only
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery (standard)
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

$1,204.81 out the door.

As you might notice I got an additional 50 dollars knocked off of mine. I called them and told them I would not purchase this computer if they would not honor the LOGIC50 coupon with my Academic Purchase Program discount. Low and behold they honored it.

With a 1200 price tag (yes this included tax, and shipping) I think I got a great deal. The refurbished one would have not honored my APP discount and I am not sure about the coupon. With the refurb I would have def bought a extra warranty. When all would have been said and done (taxes, shipping) I would have been in the 1450 range. Not worth it to me.

Not the wait starts...

Thanks everyone

Chad

 

Seriously, zero blemishes, smudges, scratches, dents, etc. I looked very closely on arrival. I can only speak for mine though. My only disappointment was the ghetto packaging. Plain-jane cardboard refurb box.

I picked up the three-year total care w/accident coverage for $299. I was originally quoted $350. I will depend on this laptop daily for work and home use for a while, so I was likely to get that warranty for any laptop. It made the refurb decision easier since that I'd also have that cost with a new machine.

HP has batteries of course, but I have also seen a few 6-cell and slice batteries on eBay.

Congrats! My wait time was filled by planning my fresh win install and picking out accessories (sleeve, extra ram, wireless mouse)

 

Nice find mobilekrispy! I think I might pick up the same model as well and return the two Envy 14's I got.

 

Hey guys! I'm a long time reader and first time poster. First off I'd like to say thanks to JJB, Serg, Velocity and all the other posting animals on this forum (there's too many to name) - you guys all really helped me out with your advise and guides cheers

I just got a HP Envy 15-1104tx and all i can say is WOOWW. I love it! I'm so glad I wasn't scared off by some of the horror stories I've read about on this forum.

My experience with the Envy 15 has so far been flawless - it plays Starcraft 2, Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2 on full settings without a hitch. i've got Empire Total War installed too but havnt played it yet.

What's more the "overheating" issue for me is unheard of, under normal load (facebook, microsoft office, music) i would describe it as slightly warm and under heavy load (Fallout 3 on Ultra graphics settings) I would say it gets a bit toastier but nothing like burning to the touch as others have reported.. maybe because it's still a bit cool here in Sydney. as soon as i drop the heavy load it goes back to normal temps after about 10min. fans are quiet

I simply uninstalled the crapware and installed all of the latest drivers and BIOS as per the drivers thread by "justinkw1", no fresh install of Windows for me. So far so good

The screen is crisp and clean and the colours are right.

Out of the box i got approximately 1hour 40min on battery saving mode and lowest screen brightness with heavy downloading and installing/uninstalling of software (drivers, anti-virus etc) - I got about this time again yesterday at uni w/ similar load . . hopefully i can improve this but i'm still happy and impressed considering what a beast this thing is. im expecting good things once i get the slice battery

the form factor itself is very solidly built and compact, imho the weight is perfect - heavy enough to have substance, but not so heavy as to be cumbersome

i just have ONE issue. if i push down on the right side of the palm rest (say where your right wrist would be as you type) it seems to make a clicking noise. Perhaps the chassy wasnt snapped into place 100% correctly? It doesnt affect my usage of the Envy and I dont know what it is but tbh it doesnt really bother me

auxiliary 3rd party software runs great too - firebird, songbird (kinda crappy/glitchy build tho), google chrome, kaspersky anti-virus..etc

was i just one of the lucky few to get an almost flawless envy 15?

sorry about the long post, i just wanted to share my impressions of the Envy 15 and to say thanks