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

Na, I meant the love and hate relationship. Didn't realize you meant clean as in cleaning the operating system. Thought you meant actual cleaning

 

OOOOHH lol! no, no, I meant purging the Envy from all that bloatware, as in using RevoUninstaller (personal preference and recommendation) and get rid of all those slowing down 31 processes.

 

Serg, a question for you. As things stand my plan is, since I have an MSDN membership, is to up the OS to x64 Ultimate using the Anytime upgrade start menu link. Should I do that first then wipe out all the excess junk or somehow uninstall all the junk then do the upgrade? I plan on using my own copy of Office and Corel

 

So I take it, today being 01/20/2010, no one received this yet huh

 

@bratboy:

Honestly, if I were you, and you can get the upgrade, I would wipe the HDD and install the new OS with a clean installation, and then re install those thing you will actually USE.

Other than that, download RevoUninstaller, use the method 4, to clean the registry and all leftovers, the moment you get the laptop. Erase everything you dont need. Use the guide stickied on the main HP Forum the HP-out-of-the-box Guide, it helped me a lot.

 

Agreed on getting rid of bloatware but I thought the Envy line was supposed to be free of this shenanigan. The best way is to install a fresh copy. Its always better to do a clean install and M$ is never the best at upgrades paths for their S/W.

Alternatively do a dual boot. In the case of Win7 this can be done using a VHD. The caveat is that Bitlocker and Hibernation are disabled but the current OS and Data remains fully intacted.

 

Well, it is NOT AS PLAGUED as the Pavilions, but remember, it is HP, it is quite known for bloatware.

 

The only problem I anticipate is that currently there is no download for the 5830 vid card drivers although I guess I could try to download the latest cats and use that mobility mod app to make those work on the Laptop.

Otherwise just formating and doing a clean install would be just fine to my way of thinking. Also one other question, how hard is it to boot from a thumb drive? I find installs go much faster and smoother using a thumb drive than using a dvd but I hadn't seen any comments on booting from a thumb drive to do the install.

 

No problems there since M$ has a USB tool to do just that, prep a thumbdrive for boot/installing Win7.

I highly recommend my aforementioned muli boot from VHD which works with Win7 and Win2008R2 only as long as you don't need Bitlocker encryption or Hibernation. That way your data and current OS config is preserved.

Here's the link http://wudt.codeplex.com/ for the Tool.

 

Okay, so you can apparently change boot order in the bios. Is the a hotkey to boot from USB? On my desktop sytem if I connect a thumb drive and reboot and hit the F8 key it lets me choose to boot from a thumb so I don't have to mess with the bios and was hoping there was a way to do this with the Envy. Also because they have their quick keys do you have to hold some other key down to overide and get plain function keys or is that also something you have to disable in the Bios.

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to be prepared.

 

Any win7 installation dvd or downloaded copy can make a bootable usb hd. Just need to copy the content and run BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 on it.

 

Are you Korean my brotha?

 

You can legally download windows 7...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=428068

 

Has anyone actually received their new envy 15 yet?


I have yet to see any benchmarks on the mobility radeon 5830 and would like to see some run.

 

Someone just got a Envy 15 Beats edition. He got 8621 on 3Dmark06.

 

for photo use...it's better antiglare or the brightview display ??

 

Core i5 Envy users please confirm if HP has given you USB 3.0 when you get the laptop. I am still wishing for HP to give USB 3.0 to all new Envy models.

 

The other Envy thread has johnnobts saying that it doesn't have USB3.0 in his i5 Beats edition.

 

Yeap beats i5 doesn't have usb 3.0

But really, how fast is USB 3.0??? Like 1.5x faster than USB 2.0?

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/156494/superspeed_usb_30_more_details_emerge.html?tk=rel_news

 

According to reports USB 3.0 is approx 10x faster

 

That's only the bandwidth. It doesn't mean your external hard drive will transfer files 10x faster.

 

External hard drives aren't limited by the bandwidth of the drives themselves currently And if you start having flash drives on USB... but I do think that USB3 is going to be only somewhat useful in the short term. It'll start hitting it's stride in about 3-4 years.

 

So I bought one too $1207.49 after tax.

I got mine before the price increase and with a $350 off coupon code.

I got the i5 540m
4GB RAM
matte 1920x1080 screen
external DVD drive

I wish now I had gotten the slice battery but I'll see what the battery life is with (hopefully) switchable graphics and a 10w lower CPU before I pay $165 for it.

Mine still says ship on 28th and I bought it last Fri night

totally stoked about replacing my DV6563cl (great computer but 8400GS fails)

 

is a slice?

is that a slimmer battery that unlocks the true beast within?

 

The slice is a 1/3-1/2" thin battery that fits along the bottom of the laptop. Read almost any review of the Envy 15 and it'll have a picture of it. It extends the laptop's battery life to about 7 hours supposedly.

The i7 envy only got about 5-6 hours with wifi on and lower brightness. I'm thinking the i5 is going to actually be able to get close to the 7 hour mark, but will probably fall just short of it around 6.5 hours with wifi on. Idling with Wifi off + BT off + lowest screen brightness, we're talking 7-8 hours with the slice.

 

http://dansdata.com/usb3box.htm

It looks like 2x to 3x the throughput with a 7200 RPM 3.5" drive USB 3.0 vs. 2.0.
But, probably no increase compared to eSATA.

So instant gains NOW compared to USB 2.0 ... if you're willing to pay the price.

 

My Envy was delayed. I had an estimated ship date of 1/20 (order date is 1/12), but the revised is 1/29. I think that's ahead of some of you that previously received delays. So either that means delays are build-specific, they're now able to give a better estimate, or things are picking up (which could even be due to cancellations...).

 

Yes, lots of people have been cancelling their order and going back to Apple, the overpriced crp

 

Agreed that Apple is overpriced but elegant.

My guess is that Apple will offer Full Color gamut displays and maybe even OLED will be used. They will continue to have 8+ Hr non-removeable batteries and the same form factor but with the updated Core iX series chips and possibly discrete graphics. Actually having discrete graphics would be a disadvantage because its a battery drainer and wouldn't provide alotta bang for their niche market.

 

They'll be putting i5 processors in the 15" and 17" almost for sure. They couldn't place an i7 unless it was the i7 620m. I personally wouldn't be too surprised if they made a model with one of the i5/i7 UM processors (ultra low voltage i7 seems possible, though that would cut into the performance of the laptop). They'll likely be putting a ATI 5830/5650m or a updated Nvidia 340m for the graphics card. They must include a dedicated graphics card because that's one of the main reasons to buy a MBP, though they will probably have the lower end 15" MBP not include the dedicated graphics card as an cheaper option for those who don't need a dedicated graphics card.

I agree that they will probably try to keep the same chassis. I also wouldn't be surprised if they upgraded the screens again, although the screen they have on them now is amazingly bright and beautiful.

The question that relates to this thread is this: is the new MBP going to be better than the Envy 15? Maybe. But it will be more expensive, a lot more expensive. The only way it might be worth it is if the new MBP enables switchable graphics in the windows environment, which might be possible--however, seems unlikely. As it stands, the new i5 Envy 15 gets about the same amount of battery life (or more with slice) + suffers from less heat problems + performs much better than the MBP + costs hundreds of dollar less. Currently, the Envy 15 wins handsdown in my book (although the track pad is going to suck on the Envy 15 after using a MBP the last two weeks).

 

I have on its way from Amazon:

- SIIG USB 3.0 2.5" Sata HDD Enclosure with cable
- 500GB Seagate 7200.4 HDD (~100MBps sustained Read/Write)
- SIIG USB 3.0 PCI-Express Card (for my HTPC at home to connect up)

When My i7 Envy Refresh arrives, I can at least test it to the 100MBps mark...

What I would really like however: http://flashmemory-store.stores.yahoo.net/super-talent-usb-3-0-128gb-raid-flash-drive.html

 

That sounds like a plan. I plan to get one of these http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/28/brandos-usb-3-0-to-sata-adapter-gives-any-old-hdd-those-supersp/ to convert some of my gear like my bluray sata burner.

Here is what I really want http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227462a SSD with major flames.

 

Okay everyone - Attaching screen prints for:


CPU Z - Noting Chipset


3D Mark 06 - noting Score of 7989


3D Mark Advantage - noting Score of P4654



Hope this information is helpful.

 

Oh -- BTW, have not removed the HP Bloatware as of yet. That may have a slight impact of performance. Got to get going with Revo Uninstaller.

 

Awesome. Thanx for the info diablonyc2

 

This is great information, thanks! Did you run these tests on your previous Envy? How does it compare?

So far are you pleased with the laptop? How does it compare with the old one overall? Any cooler?

 

Can this thing run COD:MW2 completely maxed out?
1920x1080, highest level of AA/MSAA?
Oh, with an i7 720m config with either 4 or 6 gigs of ram.

I know it's not much of a benchmark, but I"m not a really heavy gamer so if it can do that I should be at least somewhat futureproof despite the relative weakness of the 5830 to its competitors. Also is the 5830 128bit and gddr3 or 5?

I want a notebook for a college and this is a perfect fit, except I"m not sure the graphics card is up to snuff for me. Everything else about it is great though, of course minus the current throttling issues. Amazing form factor, nice design, the mousepad is iffy, but everything else = sexy.

If any has this laptop who has tested it out or has ran enough benchmarks to figure out whether or not this is possible I'd be very thankful

 

Ur not gonna find a better GPU in a 15'' notebook.

 

That I agree with, your other statement not so much. There are far better options as far as pure gaming laptops go, but I don't want a pure gaming laptop per say..mostly because of the bulk. But yeah, just wondering, judging on those 3dmark06 scores I"m guessing it's close but of course I can't really tell until somebody has tried it..

 

Ahh I see what you did thar...
The only other 15'' I can think of are the Alienware and the Sager, but they are one hell of a 9lbs bricks. The reason why I went with the Envy is exactly that. Great combination of powerful GPU and portability. I will post gaming benchmark results when mine arrives (i5 520m + 5830).

 

The Asus G51J is also a 15.6" notebook, but it weighs over 7 lbs and is thicker. It also has a sucky battery life compared to the Envy 15. It is actually similar in size/weight with the Envy when the Envy has its slice on. But the Envy 15 has WAY better battery life at that point. If battery life/size isn't an issue though, the G51J would be a better choice as a pure gaming notebook. If you want gaming power + portability, then Envy 15 or MBP refresh is probably the best choice.

 

Dell m6500 and thinkpad w510 aren't bad I think. And soon to be available elitebook 8450w and MBP.

 

I agree, but their GPU's (not including the MBP) are not in the same class as the 5830

 

<.kanye>

AY AY YOO IMMA LET YOU FINISH BUT I GOTTA SAY....


rumor has it that the quadro fx 1800M will blow the 5830 out of the water with its GDDR5 128 1gb ram and the quad channel ram is pretty redonk as well...just word on the street, no idea if its true and im gunna get an 8540w....BUT YOU GO AHEAD...IMMA LET YOU FINISH.


<./kanye>

 

I also have looked at the Alienware M15x and Sager laptops. I am trying to get a new laptop that has portability along with power. Hence the Envy 15. Not as quick as the previously mentioned machines, but an excellent balance of power and portability (with some battery life).

 

I just wish they had options to stick in a 5870, maybe on the Envy 17 that was rumoured? I'll jump on that if so, even if the price increases a bit.
It's a pretty low power chip, 40w, so it's definitely possible in a 15" but I think the envy's form factor is a bit too thin for that. I'm just gonna wait for game benchmarks and then see, the envy is my ideal laptop I'm just worried a bit about the performance.

 

Have they already increased prices on the Envy 15?


Is there any coupon code available?

 

Looks like the Envy 15 beat edition is gone from the hp website?

 

woah, it IS gone :O

I wonder what happened?

It was called a limited edition tho, so maybe they decided to stop selling it