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

Apple uses standard 2.5" hard drives so a SSD will fit and work in a macbook Pro. The only problem you may run into is loss of support from Apple, but I'm sure you can just swap your original HD back in and you'll be fine. I still think the Envy is a much better system, when it comes to the hardware. Where the Macbook shines is in quality.

Personally, I'm waiting for my 3rd Envy. I love the system but with the first two systems I've had various issues that shouldn't happen in a "premium" notebook.

 

I'm getting my HP Envy 15 in a couple of days and I'm wondering has anyone purchased a laptop sleeve which fits just right for the HP Envy 15?

 

HP Onyx 16".

It's not completely snug, but it has enough give so that adding the battery in the additional compartment isn't killing the laptop.

Adding the velvet sleeve it comes with helps out. I get crap for it at work.

 

I ran it but didn't notice any change...I'm currently keeping increased color saturation on avivo colors but that's about it...

 

I'll guess 7300, 7600 max.

 

I think you need to 'disable' the avivo color controls or it overrides .icm color profiles. You should be able to do this by selecting the CCC 'options' drop menu (advanced window) > preferences > restore factory defaults > OK. Make sure to write down your avivo settings so you can reset them if you don't like the changes.

 

Way off! My default score on 3Dmark06 is 8,011 and 10,273 with OCing. see link to screen shots in my signature. 3DmarkVantage scores are default P5,970 and with stable OC'ing P6,500+ consitantly.

 

Can anyone with the i5 give me their HDD temps, please?

 

I'll try and monitor later today but as both the i5 and i7 systems use the same hard drives any posts with pic's or info on i7 temps should be just as applicable.

 

Curious why you want / need the HDD temps?

I don't believe there has been an issue with the HDD running hot or anything. My first i7 had the 500GB HDD and the right palmrest never even got warm, in fact it was the coolest area on the top of the computer. The drive 'bay' is right next to the large air intake vent on the front right area of the envy so it's always got external air flowing over it. I now have dual SSD's and there are no temp. sensors for them.

 

Yeah, I have read that win7 drains the battery of a MBP, but still, if I wanted to use the laptop for school I could easily use OS X and get that extra battery life for typing up notes. The Envy couldn't compete with battery life, unless i carried extra batteries. Have you ever used the slice? I don't think I would enjoy carrying an extra battery around. The slice seems like a nice idea for an alternative, is there a review out there on the slice?

GPU: Does the 5830 blow the 9600M out of the water?

Yes, the G2 works fine with the macbook, it's a very simple upgrade. Much easier than a custom install for a envy.

I hope Apple tries to keep the prices about the same. Otherwise, my decision will lean towards the Envy.

 

odd, I'd say the hottest place on my i5, 500GB envy is the right palmrest (while gaming, otherwise it's barely warm), while the coolest is the left keyboard area.
good thing my right hand is on the mouse while gaming, hehe.

 

yes. very much so.

 

Tkae your pick

http://bagfinder.booq.com/index.php?manufacturer=HP&model=Envy+15&store=booqbagscom

 

CPU and the two fans would be on the right under the left keyboard area right? That would explain why it stays so nice and cool.

Man, the i5 Envy 15 will has some bat insane overclock headroom once some kind of overclocking tool is written.

 

..........

 

Who's on first.....?

That has to be the most confusing description I've read in a while LOL

CPU and 2 fans are on the left side, GPU nad 1 fan on right. AMD clock tool works great for OC'ing, see the benchmarks thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=453084

 

I THINK he means overclocking the i5 itself...not something I've ever read about for the mobile version...

 

Regarding the hard drives:

I would imagine the HDD temps would be higher with the i7 because of the much hotter CPU, so i5 temps would be preferable, but i7 temps would be good as it would give a worst case scenario of sorts. Someone pages ago posted temps with an i7, and his HDD was at 45C, which scares the heck out of me to be honest. Then again, his CPU cores were at 58C because his power profile was at 100%...so I'm not sure what the real temps are with the i5 which is what I'm trying to find out.

JJB:

I had a DV2500 and man...I need counseling. The HDD on that ran at 51C doing nothing, and by doing nothing I mean with the laptop in the "ON" state. After a couple of months it died, the HDD that is. Soon thereafter the ac adapter died. Then finally, my GPU committed suicide. It was a bloody massacre man. Everything just died due to heat on that mother (*&#$%. So to say I am a tad paranoid/obsessive/petrified with heat....would be an understatement. Heck, I even had the laptop on a notebook cooler the entire time, I even underclocked the GPU down to 50mhz... and the POS still died on me. Man, I even tried to add aluminum foil on the bottom of the hard drive... I drilled holes.... I mean, lol. I did everything possible to cool it down. Damn Nvidia.

So I guess that explains that. Heat really scares the crap out of me.

I love the cooling system on the Envy, first time I ever see dedicated cooling for the CPU and GPU. I think we owe that to the i7 being a heat beast and HP needed someway to cool it down, so on the i5 it's just chilly.

 

HDD Temps and CPU temp's, to the best of my knowledge have no relationship at all. No matter which CPU your using the HD is going to generate the same about of temp if its doing the same things. Now your overall system temp might read higher because of a bigger CPU but thats a different matter all together.

 

The CPU temperatures play a role in the HDD temps. I understand where you are coming from, but don't forget the HDD is sitting there with no fans or anything, so if the CPU is really hot it's going to heat up the HDD.

The overall system temperature most definitely plays a role in the temperature of the HDD. Heck, your room temperature plays a role in it....

It's basically convection. Like an oven. You put a turkey in the oven...it's going to heat up. If the CPU is chugging along at 100C, you can imagine the inside of the laptop is going to be nice and toasty....and thus the HDD temps are going to be pretty high. HDD don't run hot on their own, it's the other components that heat them up. For instance, my DV2500...I had two laptops, the same drive in the DV2500 would run at 52C +/-, but in the other laptop was at 30C. Why? Because the components in the DV2500 were running a whole heck of a lot hotter...

For instance, your HDD was at 45C when your CPU was at 58C, hopefully you don't run at 100% anymore....put it in the normal mode and if you're CPU temps drop down to 45C or so, I will bet you your HDD temps after 20-30min or so (HDD cools a lot slower due to the lack of active cooling) will drop down at least 3-4C.

 

Okay, I'll concede that other variables can effect the temp but in the case of the Envy with the way its cooling system and the various parts are laid out on the MB it just seems the CPU wouldn't play much of a factor as to the HD's temp with the Envy at least. From the internal pic's I've seen the HD is a fair distance away from the CPU or the GPU which are both located at the edge of the MB & vent their heat out and away from the inside so other than to some minor degree it "shouldn't" really effect the internal temp reading of the HD.

 

Here are the temp specs for the 500GB seagate drive:

"Seagate Momentus 7200.4 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive

2.10.1Ambient temperature

Ambient temperature is defined as the temperature of the environment immediately surrounding the drive.
Actual drive case temperature should not exceed 65°C (149°F) within the operating ambient conditions.

Operating: 0°C to 60°C (32°F to 140°F)
Nonoperating: –40°C to 70°C (–40°F to 158°F)"

Would have to be above 60C which due to the location of the drive I do not see happening in the envy 15. Remember it is located right next to the large air intake grill on the front right so the faster the fans run the more cool air will be flowing over the HDD.

Of all the problems I've read about with the envy I don't recall any heat problems with the HDD. I think you'll be fine with any confiiguration.

 

Use run HWmonitor and find out.

 

At work for about 8 hours and then playing Borderlands (everything maxed out except bloom and dynamic shadows)




edit:
work apps include excel/itunes/plants vs zombies

 

The usual working apps it seems.

 

and I did it on 200/200.

 

It does run on the iPhone after all. An overclocked 5830 is slightly overkill.

EDIT: to stay on topic, no temp over 40°C on my hard drive.

 

Ninthparadigm:

I'm assuming your first SS with the temps at 31/28/36 are just doing normal stuff while the other one with the significantly higher temps is when you were gaming..is this correct? The GPU clock tool temps again are when you were gaming? Kind of surprised it got to 70C actually...

Thanks so much! rep given!

----------------------

Well, as we see, the HDD temp jumped a good 7C. The temps in the case make a huge difference boys and girls.

 

just finished a couple hours of call of duty 5 at 1080p and here are the max and idle/browsing temps respectively:

ACPI: 58 C - 37 C
i5: 57 C - 30 C
HDD: 47 C - 36 C

this is with a Trust notebook stand that gives it a bit of space to breathe on the bottom.

EDIT: considering I am used to my acer 5920G's 8600GT which regularly worked at 80 C, this is amazing for me
the Envy really has an awesomely efficient cooling system. people are worried about warm metal surfaces but since the HDD can be the same in different laptops, the fact the heat comes through to the surface on the envy simply means it's dissipating more heat, aka keeping it cooler.

 

I've been wondering, how much am I hurting the battery when working it down to only 70%-ish and then charging it back up?

also, does removing it once it's at 100% affect it's lifespan at all compared to just leaving it in?

 

Correct.

The test was also kinda skewed in that I had a speaker immediately to the right of the GPU vents. I'll run another test tonight to see the difference.

 

WORD.

The XPS had a 8600GT with the same heat output, and the Envy runs significantly cooler. Even though the right side of my Envy has a slight obstruction, I'm curious if there will be much difference with the CPU temps. I noticed that mine seemed to get quite a bit hotter than yours.

My Asus UL80VT, which might be even be slightly thicker than the Envy, maxed up to 92C! One guy on here got up to 98C!

I love this laptop.

 

I just wish that my concerns about heat are pointless. The manufacturers should tell us!!!!!!!L;KNFA-02430-!

 

Can anyone who has the ATI 10.3 Preview drivers please check if it shows as digitally signed ?? (mine is not signed)

Do this as follows: Open device manager > display adapters > Right click 'ATI.....HD 5800 series' > properties > 'Diver Details' button

What do you see listed for; 'Provider' and 'Digital Signer' ??

I believe the fact mine is not 'signed' is causing Adobe photoshop not to recognize the video card and openGL capabilities. Need to see if this is a glitch in my install or if it's just the way it is.... + rep for response

 

Hello gang,

I was wondering if anyone got the 4830 OR 5830 drivers to run stable under windows XP x64 (or x86 for that matter). Spent a few days trying to make it happen and still no dice. It BSODs on startup or hangs after displaying a ton of graphic artefacts... bottomline, its funky.

so far i tried on XPx64:
- ATI_Win7_Vista_Catalyst10.3_Preview: (CCC installed but no graphic drivers) had to device manger > update driver and point it to the 8.7002, same results as below
-8.700.0.0000-WinXP-2003-Vista-7-x86-AMD64: Systematic BSOD on startup
-8.702.0.0000-WinXP-2003-Vista-2008-7-x86-AMD64: Hangs after a few minutes or bsod on startup, have to mess with the f4 key to get to desktop
- Original HP drivers package: did not even install on XP x64


[EDIT]
Would just like to mention I've tried the above combos with bios f17, f18, and f19A.
Running revo uninstaller + autoruns + registry cleaner in between each test runs in order to make sure there is no contamination between driver versions.
Also not getting any problems under windows 7 in relations to the infamous black or blank screen, only under XP.
[/EDIT]

Just wondering if anyone got it to run. If so, I'll keep searching for solutions. Otherwise I'm pretty much done trying.

thanks

 

@Tayeule

You may want to try 'driver cleaner' to root out all the leftover ATI / AMD junk before you reinstall. It is desigend specifically to get rid of all associated files from video driver installs, I've been amazed at how much extra crap it finds that revo and cc cleaner miss.

http://www.drivercleaner.net/


Have you tried the original drivers from HP ?

 

hp drivers: tried, no go.
Buying and trying DriversCleaner (event tho i heard bad things about it... we shall see...

 

Just make sure and follow directions exactly and do not select the choice to remove the ATI / AMD chipset driver that is the firmware (not video driver)

I forget where it is but in the 'directions' they have a list of what each selection removes so you know what your choices are going to get rid of. It is not very user friendly software but it worked for me....

Are you running XP 64 in virtualization mode or can it run as a stand alone OS on the envy?

 

dual boot with x64 on second partition. Got everything else running except the video card.

 

I assume your having problems with both boot options?

I just checked strags.com and at the bottom of thier list they have a few other older drivers listed. I know the last one on the list 8.681 worked for me on the i7 w/4830 and XP64. It does show the 5800 series in the list. may be worth a try....

 

Nope just under x64

will try that one, i assumed latest drivers would work better so didnt go back that far in versions. thanks

[EDIT] link to 8.681 is dead on strags... any other sources?

 

Just google 'ati 8.681.0.000'

I got dozens of links to download it but I have never tried any of them so I'll leave the choice up to you Maybe you are familiar with one of them...

 

Thanks got em from the ATI support site... was under the impression those were specially modified strags drivers...

 

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This 1-inch thin, 5.18-pound laptop is powered by the Intel's Core i5 / Core i7 processor, updated 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5830 discrete graphics, USB 3.0 (on Core i7 + ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5830 units) and up to 16GB DDR3 memory. Its full metal case features a sleek, laser-etched metal design on the lid & palmrest. Other key features include Night Vision WebCamera, 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, Wireless-N and pre-loaded with Windows 7.

 

Thanks for the coupon info.

Could you please shrink down your screen shots in the future? They are so wide that it causes me to scroll sideways on the whole thread page until it starts a new one. A simple link to an image or the HP store would work great also. Thanks

PS; I am zoomed to 125% in windows and another 125% in IE8 which makes the normal forum pages fit full width.

 

+1 rep @ JJB Thanks for puting me on the older drivers track.

Took some tooling around but I've now made 4 BSOD free reboots and several monitor switch with this version. (8.672.1.2000-WinXP-2003-Vista-2008-7-AMD64-x86). *Knocks on wood*

Note: 8.681.0.000 did not find any compatible devices to install drivers for. Strange, it does list our chip as compatible.

 

Guys...regarding the i5 CPU choices...is the jump from the 430 to the 540 worth it? What about from the 520 to the 540?

 

Definitely.

 

I'm assuming the definitely is for the 430 to the 540...
But what about the 520 to the 540?

If someone could explain this chart to me...
http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/f3d52024f9.gif

I don't get how the 430m uses a lot more power than the 520 and the 540 while the 520 uses less than the 540. The 540 should use the most, followed by the 520, and then the 430. Or...the direct opposite for whatever reason. But ah...this is showing the 520 using less power than both. ?