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

i dont care about any scores ONLY in game performance

 

Sadly Notebookcheck, last time I looked really didn't have much in the way of benchmarks for the 5830 yet which could effect its ranking a bit. Also the claim exists that Nvidia tweaks their cards & drivers just to score better in benches. I make no claim as to the validity of this either way but the claim exists. RW performance is a bit different than benchmark performance as a rule. Go check the Envy 15 Benchmark thread if you want to get a better idea of how the 5830 performs. Most seem fairly pleased with the 5830.

 

is there any threads for GAMES, i cant see any info on how well it does it games like in game screens, videos and FPS counts

 

Are you aware of HP's very good return policy? You can order one and use it for 21 days and return it for full refund, no questions asked, they even pay return shipping. If you have the funds that may be the best way to test the performance on the games you play.

 

due to the price of them in the UK over £1,200+ so i will most likly be looking second hand or ebay plus the UK model has a small res

 

Sorry didn't know you were in the UK. Not much more I can tell you except there are some game performance posts in the benchmarks thread, unfortunatley they are few and far between.

At least with the benchmark scores you get an even comparison using the exact same baseline while in game performance is a much more subjective thing to 'quantify' with all the variables.

 

yeah it sucks! We get screwed Over by everyone
true in game performance is subjective for each his/her own
just wonna see how well it does...there should be a screenshot/ video thread for the Envy!

 

If it helps I recall reading info from an Aussie who comfirmed the Gen 2 with 1080 res is showing up (in limited quantities) this week. And I think a few from the UK have said the gen 2 is now listed as available in the UK but not in stock yet, not sure where they get there info....

 

i looked on the HP website and nothing came up, they better had release it over here!
its a joke to give it nice specs and then a crappy screen res

 

I did visit the HP UK site and they re listing Gen2 versions but it says on the page for the i7 720 with 8 gigs:

"SRP only £ 1500 inc VAT

Call 0845 270 4142 to discuss options. Currently may not be available direct from HP"

So maybe you can get one directly from HP soon or they can say who has it in stock in your neck of the woods to go look for yourself.

 

You probabl should check dell m15x or xps16. They are about same quality IMHO.

 

£1500 is a bit too much for me. i think if i can get a good from US it will be that maybe the Alienware m15x...any other good 15incher laptops?

 

will check the xps16 out

 

Here are the 2 links I located over at the UK site in case its of any use to you:

HP Envy Home Notebook PCs

HP Envy 15-1100 Notebook PC series - Overview

 

god that has to be the worst site ever! i searched for ages and couldnt find anything useful. thanks for the link

 

Sorry the second link shows right in the preview but then when it posts it screws up. Anyway here is the web addy of the page specific to the 15:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF05a/321957-321957-3329744-3995710-3995710-4075902.html

 

£1,500! No Thanks! i think that if i do get it, i will be getting the American model cheaper and with better res. i also heard the UK model doesnt have the same amount of hard disc slots - that true?

i heard that you can have 2 x 1.8inch and theres a 2.5inch slot.
could i have 1 x 1.8 say a SSD for the OS and have a 2.5(500gb) for apps and other stuff? even with that might need an external drive.
Can i use an external drive and install apps on it, take the drive out and put it back in later and still use the apps?

 

That above link is for the 1080 res screen, the price is so high because it's the i7-720qm CPU which runs about $400 USD higher (USA ) than a i5 version. As for drives, it's a single 2.5" space or they use a bracket and can fit 2 x 1.8" drives in the same space.

EDIT: Just checked HP.com USA and that model goes for $2350 USD. It has 8GB (+$300 upgrade) and external bluray (+$200 upgrade)

 

ah i didnt see the full specs, just thought it was the same standard one.
Not a bad a bad price for what you get, might see how much all of that would cost getting it from USA

shame about the Hard drives, 500gb isnt quite enough for me, at the moment i have 2 x 320 with one completly full and the other with like 20gb left lol

 

Just posted US price above, looks like the UK price is quite fair with exchange rate I'm seeing the US price $2350 = 1543 pounds, and I think your UK price of 1500 pounds includes VAT.

Why not just get a 500GB external HDD (~$100) for storing what you don't need for day to day use.

 

yeah i could do that, though still not 100% sure about the graphics card - why o why so many bench marks and not very many in game tests done
i am really considering a 15inch, my 9262 is a bit too big and heavy for me know i want something just as powerful (if not more) but in a sleeker, nicer and light model

 

Yep, coming out about the same ballpark price. As for drive size thats going to be an issue for some time I think. Just doing a quick search the biggest I could find was a 640 gig thats 2.5" @ 5400 rpm, 500 gig 2.5" @ 7200 rpm not sure if anyone makes a larger version yet and wasn't having any luck finding good sized 1.8" drives.

Since the Envy Gen2 does have USB 3.0 there is at least the alternative of buying something Like WD's new My Book 3 external drives in 1T or 2T size which use USB 3.0 but their up in price. Can buy direct from WD where it includes a USB 3.0 addin card or I found this link for just the 1T drive without the addin card for £122.99 inc VAT:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-330-WD&groupid=1657&catid=1659&subcat=941

 

As someone else mentioned with actual games it is a more subjective thing. What one person might consider a good score vs settings someone else might hate. With benchmark programs one can rely on everyone using the same default settings to use for comparison.

 

thats not too bad, my 500gb drive for my ps3 was £60 so about right for 1tb so that would be a very good option, can i install apps/games on that and then unplug it and plug it back in at another time and be able to still use them? i am thinking that unless the drive Letter changed then it should be alright? correct?

as for games, i have found some benchmarks on the Notebookcheck site, but i dont think that i would base it just on that - i wonna see what other people get as well in real life situations when gaming. I know its subjective at how good they are i would still be interested in seeing some just to get an idea, i dont think that i would game in native (1920 x 1200) res anyway so that should improve FPS a bit just wonna see what other people get with it

 

Should work. I use alot of external drives with my desktops and such and as long as the program doesn't have something that loads on bootup shouldn't be an issue. Keep in mind with those WD drives you would have to hook up external power, if I'm not mistaken. Also you can assign & reserve a specific drive letter for the drive and partitions in your OS then it will always give it the same letter when connected. At last thats how the externals work with my systems. The way I do it is by going to control panel/AdminTools/Computer Management/storage when the drive is connected and then select the drive and assign it a letter.

Hope the info helps

 

Yeah thanks very helpful, thats how my "game" drive got its W, i liked the letter so decided to give it to it - even if it has nothing to do with gaming

 

I was worried about the matte screen and whether I would like it as I had never actually seen a matte screen. So I went to my local best buy and unfortunately the only matte screen there was a Samsung Netbook. But it was very very very nice. I hope my Envy has a similar quality matte screen (which may be a given but I do not know)

 

Mine looks great, Had to download a profile someone posted here to warm the colors up a bit as it was too cold/blue at default but now very happy with it

 

What do you think about gaming on it? any good? do you get good frame rates for games with good settings (30+ FPS) Would you mind posting any screens or videos of the games you play - including the settings and the FPS counter?

 

Okay tossed Aion on my Envy. Follow this link to a cpl quicky screens and info. Will play around some more later and post the results there as well.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=453084&page=49

 

I think I may get back to you for that profile.

 

Starcraft II runs great on the Envy 15...

1920x1080, Ultra settings.

 

Just ran fraps.

I get just over 30fps in SC2 at max settings. You really don't need any more than that in an RTS.

 

Anyone tried Supreme Commander? It seems to bring almost every notebook to its knees according to notebookcheck, even with 720QM's.

Also, games like Mass effect 2 and UT3 should play smooth, since they are both on Unreal Engine 3, right?

 

thanks, that first pic makes me wonna try that game out
is it Pay Monthly? is it more graphically better then WoW? getting some nice FPS though

 

any screens, vidoes? with FPS

 

Here is the link to one I created for the 1080P glossy with default settings using Xrite Eye One Display 2:

http://cid-64267eea538c142d.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/Monitor^_2-4-2010^_1.icc

 

Aion is a monthly sub, when you buy you get 1 month free plus they started giving some decent monthly rewards they call veterans rewards each month your subbed. I never played WoW but its graphics are hands down better than DAoC and, IMHO, better than Warhammer too. I like me wings and flying hehe.

Oh and here is the profile I've been using:

MATTE_DISPLAY_100__BRT_6500K_2.2.zip

 

is there a free trial possible?

 

There's supposed to be a "refer a friend" deal for a limited peek, Think its either 5 hr's or lvl7 or 7days, but I couldn't find the link when I went to my master account. Wrote support and as soon as here something I'll get back to you.

 

That would be cool thanks.
Does your system get overly hot?

 

Not overly, I do notice its warm sometimes but nothin I'd call uncomfortable, but I'm an odd duck LOL

 

Okay thanks, what do you think of the metal casing and the pattern design on it?
if you could have afforded the m15x would have still picked the Envy?

 

New BIOS now available fellow Envy owners. It is to be found on the drivers thread for the Envy 15. BIOS F17.A

 

does this BIOS improve on anything?

 

Supposedly graphics, and heat tables. I must admit that I don't seem to notice any changes, but the fans working harder when I hit 85C compared to before, therefore it cools down faster. Supposedly graphics on the 4830HD were given a new driver, but I found little to no difference at all. I might have to run a benchmark to see if it really changed anything or it didn't...

 

what graphics card do you have?
is it that the fans ONLY go on full once you hit 85c
can you like the np9262 press like Fn+1 to set the fans to make?

what do you make of the in game performance? good?
do you play any high demanding games or just MMO or something?

 

Ok. Let me answer what I can...lol

I have the i7 720QM and the 4830HD with 1GB DDR3 (Engine 400, Memory 700 and overclockable and stable to E550 and M950 in my case).

No, the fans are always on, as I have it set that way, to keep temps low. As the Envy 15 has 3 fans, 2 CPU dedicated and 1 GPU only. Only 1 is running constantly, the CPU one. When the Envy is pushed to its limits, the second fan comes in for the CPU, and if the GPU needs it the third fan will kick in. Note, I rarely hit 85C, only when rendering or benchmarking (or gaming on my bed...which gets the laptop noticeably warm).

My i7 720QM, idles at a minimum of 31C, and on regular use it is in its mid 40s to 50s. Right now I have it at 56C since I was gaming a little and I have it resting on my pillow.

BTW, you can disable the fans in the BIOS and set them to run only when it is getting warm. I have it for always on.

No. BIOS only, or set it in the Power Options as either Active cooling or Passive cooling. Which influences when the fans are going to kick in.

For my taste, it is good. Albeit I play AOE3 and TS3 only at the time being, everything maxed out, on the full resolution and full AA. You name it, it was maxed out. I get a solid 30FPS on regular basis, but it can dit to 15 in AOE3 (using FRAPS) when huge naval battles or hundreds and hundreds of soldiers all together fighting. On TS3, it goes down to 21FPS when I switch views quickly from Town View to Sim View. Highest I've gotten on both games, are 60 on AOE3 and 70 on TS3.

Other than that, I am still looking for a game to play, but I am not sure what I want. Perhaps I might pick up [PROTOTYPE] and play it.

I dont like FPS or MMOs so I can't really say the real performance on this...sorry.

 

Can you set it so that ALL the fans come on no matter if the GPU isnt being for like games or anything?

what is AOE3 and TES3?
well i am thinking that they could be Age Of Empires and Thge Elder Scrolls
right? if so do you play any more modern games - say MW2 or something?

Prototype is a great game, i love it

Do you find the system stuttering or anything?
what kind of things do you do with it? just a little gaming and Internet?
or do you use any specific applications like CAD or anything?

as i have a few modeling apps (Zbrush, 3ds Max) so any ideas if they would work well
as i like just playing around with them and everything

 

Gaming xas the extra.

TS3 is The Sims 3 and AoE is Age Of Empires III... not the best games around to test the GPU I know, but I don't like to game that much, only on free times.

My first use, as I write this is for 3d modeling, using CATIA V5 R19. Primary use (besides bragging rights lol). I went with the Envy because it came out cheaper than the W500 I was getting. I placed then the order on the SXPS 1647, but when the Envy came out, I ditched my trusted Dell brand, and tried out HP. It had better GPU, more RAM and more HDD space, with native wuxga. The Envy was the solution.

What do you mean by stuttering?

About all fans on, I think it is possible. I haven't checled, but right now CATIA is running and 1 for cpu and 1 for gpu are on, but completely silent (or masled by the music).