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

Its doable if a little bit of a pita. You need to order a mounting kit from HP and I don't know about the availability of 1.8' 500gb Hdds but its definitely an upgrade worth looking into. Just installed two ssds in this gen 1 ENVY and its much faster (and cooler, for some reason).

There's several posts in here about upgrading and whatnot.

 

I dont get it, it's a premium notebook and you want to buy it so bad while keep whining about the price. If you can't afford it then buy a cheaper plastic-case notebook

 

Premium /= worst trackpad known to man, Aluminum means nothing when you can't get the basics right.

 

I don't know but I find this trackpad much better than anything I've used so far. Yes, I've used MBPs and it is nice but what use is a good trackpad if it has to be used in some OS made for kids?

/me runs for cover hehehe

Nah seriously it's the best I've seen after MBP. Does help when you configure it properly with the synaptics utility. my 2 cents.

 

Is there a way to overclock the GPU ? I tried using ATI Tools or RivaTurner , both software says the kernel driver is not found or No hardware detected .

What am I doing wrong ? I've Google this forum, but links to Page 239 & 243 doesn't seem very relevant

Thanks in advance to any kind soul.


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

ENVY 15 l i5 540M l ATI 5830 GPU l 4GB RAMl 500GB HDD l 1920x1080 glossy l

 

You need to use two 1.8" drives to do that and currently you can only get up to 250GB 1.8" HDD's , 320GB are in the works but no 500's. Also the 1.8" HDD are 4200RPM with some smaller size at 5400RPM.

 

Direct from ATI: http://www.techpowerup.com/?30555

Make sure you update to the 10.3a drivers... good boost in performance.

BTW, if you go to your user profile you can add an actual signature instead of pasting that stuff into your post.

 

FYI, 10.3a Has several issues with CCC controls. AMD actually pulled the original mobility version 70MB download off the site and now has just a 1.09MB file with no details of what they did, I assume it's just the actual driver. The final version is due to be out tomorrow...

BTW my OC numbers went down a bit with 10.3a vs. the preview version.

 

Plus for those of us stuck with a 4830, 10.3a is a big no go. BSODs on boot. Reinstalled them last night to see if they fixed it but its stilll sh@#$tty.

 

yikes, missed the bit about both having to be 1.8".
nevemind then

 

The original mobility version was available as a direct download, and since many manufacturers like Sony didn't want to use those drivers, ATI implemented the "filtering" in the 1.09MB downloader app. If you use that small app it will still download the same mobility package for you.

 

Hey guys

I thought i would chime in with my initial thoughts on the Envy 15.

I bought an Envy 15 1190eo last wednesday and have been using it since. Where i live (Denmark) we only get two options, both with the i7-720QM, so no i5 input from me.

I was dead set on buying a Macbook Pro 13" but have been waiting since december for Apple to update the current line, as i refuse to pay the asking price for such outdated hardware, good OS and build quality or not. So here i am with the Envy 15, which i'm returning tomorrow, unfortunately. More on that later.

My initial thought when opening the package, was how light this laptop really is. I'm used to an HP Pavilion dv9332 17" so most anything is light to me.
The screen simply is awesome. I haven't even calibrated it yet, but every time i use my old 17" Pavilion with 1440x900 resolution i see the difference.
It's correct that the screen doesn't tilt back very far, at least not nearly as far as a Macbook. This might be a dealbreaker for some. (Lets face it, the resemblance to the Macbook is undeniable, so i'm going to compare the Envy to this).

The keyboard is very comparable to a Macbook. I quickly got used to the "chiclet" type keys. Some guys in here have been against the extra row of keys on the left, but i think they are a nice addition. I use the calculator a lot, so a quicklauncer for that is welcome in my book. Also i haven't been hitting these keys by mistake.

The touchpad is nowhere near as easy to use as one on Macbooks. I actually think the surface is better, but two-finger scrolling, pinching to zoom and other features are not as smooth.
It is, however, about time that somebody other than Apple thought of this, so nice going HP. Synaptics still has a way to go, though.

Heat is an area for itself. Some have been complaining about warm palmrests and whatnot, but i do not feel it ever getting any hotter than when i am for example typing this or just webbrowsing. It does get very hot by the vents when gaming, though, but only on the left side, where the CPU vents its air.
I have the "Fan always on" feature disabled in the F19 bios, by the way. I can easily use on my lap, no problems with heat there.
One thing i have noticed is that the CPU fans speed up very quickly only to slow down again shortly after, even when in powersaving mode and running on battery. The air coming from the vent is really hot, so i guess the CPU gets really hot, even when not presented with a heavy workload. This have been annoying me as i use the laptop in class and the fans make an audible hum.

I'm somewhat disappointed with the batterylife. I do not own the slice, so the laptop is running only on the 6 cell, that came with it. I get around an hour and forty minutes out of a full charge. If you guys have any tips on how to prolong the batterylife, please share them! It would be greatly appreciated.
When i say "somewhat" disappointed i mean, that given the specifications of the laptop it would be unrealistic to expect 3-4 hours out of one charge, i still would have liked to go past the 2 hour mark, and maybe even reaching two and a half hours. I will buy the slice battery later on.

Performance wise there's nothing else to say than, wauw! I bought Bad Company 2 and was very pleasantly surprised when the laptop could run it smoothly at native resolution (1920x1080) with everything maxed (not MSAA). Bioshock 2 runs equally well.
Not only do games run well, but Windows is really responsive as well. I'm not a programmer or anything.

Now to the sad part. As i wrote earlier, i will be returning it tomorrow. I remember reading somewhere in here, that somebody received an Envy with a crooked case.
I saw something was off immediately when putting my new laptop on the table for the first time. I tried moving it somewhere else, but the thing still rocked from one side to another when laying my hands on it to type something. I have also noticed that the screen doesn't close completely in one of the sides, so the case really is crooked.
Furthermore, there is a big lump in the keyboard on one side. Its like something is pushing out on the case from the inside on the right side of the keyboard.

Anyway, i talked to the store where i bought it, as well as HP directly, and they will be replacing it immediately. I have accepted this offer in stead of getting my money back, because i really like the machine, and Apple has absolutely nothing to offer, unfortunately.

But that's about it on my initial thoughts of the Envy 15 gen 2. For people considering buying it, i hope some of what i have written can help you make a decision.

Here's the specs of my machine:

Envy 15 - 1190eo l i7-720QM l 4GB l 320GB 7200rpm HD l ATI 5830 l 1920x1080 glossy l

 

Anybody here have any experience with the i5 and AVCHD?

I'm trying to decide if the i5 will be sufficient, particularly with encoding. I assume that for editing the i5 will be enough but am afraid that my encoding times will suffer.

 

Thanks for clarifying that. Still doesn't change the issues with CCC controls for Hydra and Avivo....

 

This link may help you decide if i5 performance meets your needs, just keep in mind the tests were conducted using the onboard intel GPU not a discreet GPU like our 5830.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html

 

Ah so the tiny mobility download is actually a "download app" and after download and run it then it makes sure you have the right chip before it downloads the full driver package?

Also asked once before but didn't see a response. Back when I first tried the 10.2's from strags.com and then the first previews of 10.3 my chip started being identified just as 5800 Series instead of 5830. What do I need to do so its once more properly identified and does it really matter? I only ask because I swear that once its started being identified that way then my OC seemed to go down and wondered if the GPU being properly identified might have an effect on it.

 

@bratboy

It still shows as 5800 which is just the series number, makes no difference to which driver it installs. This '10.3a' version has some issues with CCC control options as I stated earlier and I get slightly lower stable OC clocks than the 1st preview version. The final version is scheduled to be released tomorrow, I would wait for that one.

 

see, this is the sort of thing that terrified me when buying this laptop online without personally picking it up from a shop. people are complaining about BIG build flaws on arrival (keys not working, deformed case, lines on the display), things any half-assed quality inspector should notice immediately before shipping the unit to retailers...does all of that damage happen during transport? or is HP desperately cutting corners?

I imagine I have been lucky so far with absolutely no hardware faults at all, but this sort of bad reliability on arrival will definetly be a factor I'll keep in mind when one day I'll be replacing my envy, should I find myself choosing between two very similiar laptops from HP and, say, asus...

 

Hmm.. I'm again reconsidering the Envy 15 as what I've read about the N82jv hasn't a very good screen (low res + bad viewing angles), plus I need a laptop relatively soon.

If I were to get the Envy, I'd probably get the i5, which would probably be less hot.

But these hardware defects... they're now the only thing keeping me back. If I purchase a premium-type laptop like the Envy seems intended to be, it shouldn't suffer from these issues. Whether it be defective cases, keyboards, fans, etc. This is troublesome for me.

I like some good white noise though, so maybe the loudness of the fans isn't too much of a problem for me as long as it's not high-pitched.

 

You pretty much need to weigh your 'I need it soon' desire with your 'I don't want problems' desire. It's not a huge pain to send a laptop back for repairs, though it is a pain, and of course should never happen to a brand new laptop, blah blah et cetera.

But for this particular niche, there's nobody else running. If you're OK with a heavier machine, go with an ASUS or a Clevo.

I wouldn't talk you into or out of buying an Envy - I don't share the loathing for the trackpad that some people have (I don't like it but it's manageable, and I have an external mouse anyway) and it's clearly a powerful machine. But it says 'HP' on it and there is some baggage that comes with that.

 

Well the n82 is out the picture for me for now. Apparently it could be released Q3 this year. Too long of a wait.

Now I'm going Envy 15 vs. Dell XPS 16. Both I can get for under $1200 with good specs.. the Envy has better cooling, weighs less, and a better gfx card, while the XPS has a better CPU (for the price), better build quality, and a nicer keyboard.

Aughhhghghgghgb... if only one could combine the pros of these two to form the ultimate laptop.

 

XPS has better build quality... ?

Are you serious?

 

As in there haven't been as many reported problems with the build of the laptop itself, be it buzzing fans, warped cases, creaking palm rests.

The heat problem is related to the build I guess, but that seems to be one of the only problems with the build (that I can find).

I also considered keyboard design, i mean, it's backlit on the XPS and isn't chicklet or whatever. Plus no stupid left hand column of keys.

 

I can assert that the XPS has a very solid build quality. Asus also isnt bad at all.

 

Oooh you have both. Which one do you like better? I am considering both the 1645 and the envy 15

 

If you notice his signature and he calling the HP Envy 15 the "All Powerful" even with this i5-540 configuration and his XPS 1645 was i7-720QM,

I suspect, he returned the Dell and kept the Envy eheheh

 

The 10.3 official WHQL drivers will be basically the same as the 10.3 preview drivers.
The 10.3a optimizations won't be in 10.3 WHQL release, since ATI missed the deadline to submit them for the 10.3 WHQL certification, and will most likely be in the 10.4 WHQL catalyst release.

 

Why not just order the envy and try it out, 21 days to play with it and if you don't like it you can return it, no questions, they even pay return shipping. Total cost to you $0.00. This makes even more sense if that $300 coupon is still valid.

 

Just bought it, but with the $200 coupon, because its valid. Yay? $1339 total (I needed 39 fast shipping.. no tax in New Hampshire. Hells yeah)

Core i5 520m, 4gb ram, 1920x1080 glossy. I'm just hoping for the best for no defects *fingers crossed*

Edit: I'm planning on doing a clean format/install before anything. Is this necessary? or does just uninstalling bloat work?

 

After using this laptop for a little over a week now, I have to say...

This laptop definitely does not warrant the $2k price tag they place on it. However, with the right discount and the recent price drop, this is one awesome laptop for $1500 price range.

For $2k, apple built quality blows this away.

For $1.5k, with SSD and 1080P resolution, I say this is an awesome setup and deal.

 

Aware of that, but unless they fix the CCC issues on 10.3a I will try the final release version. BTW the 10.3a actually performs worse O.C. wise than the original 10.3 preview and the 10.2 version. So worse performance and missing CCC control features = no go for me.

I don't really care about the few features that will be missing, which are:

"The difference between the two is that Catalyst™ 10.3a Preview will contain future Eyefinty 6 updates and an Alien vs. Predator optimization which the Catalyst™ 10.3 WHQL posting does not have."

 

Your forgetting that to be fair you would have to compare the $2.8K version of the MBP 15 (3.06Mhz + 128GB SSD) and the envy will still run circles around the MBP performance wise without breaking a sweat and the graphics are not even in the same catagory, even the battery life would be close with the high end CPU from apple.

For that price difference you could buy the envy and then with the savings buy yourself a MBP 13 (with change) for travel / mobile use. LOL

 

Yeah I wouldn't even consider the Envy if it was over $1500 with coupon. It seems like the best laptop in terms of performance and size for the money at $1300 though

 

Actually there are many more performance improvements in the 10.3a build. Maybe they don't affect you, but it's nice to list all of them so others can make the decision themselves depending on which games they own:

Features: http://hardocp.com/article/2010/03/16/amds_ati_103a_catalyst_driver_update
Benchies: http://hardocp.com/article/2010/03/19/amds_ati_catalyst_103a_driver_performance

I've whittled down the list to include only HD 5700 improvements (since the Mobility 58xx chips are actually more similar to the desktop 57xx series than the 58xx series.)

 

People stop whining about the price on this lappy. I've owned MBP (13/15) and they're not cheap either. The build quality is AWESOME; however, there is no other performance/portability (2 hrs battery ) combo ... not even MBP.

I'm looking fwd to get mine this Friday (Envy 15, i7, 6 cell) and hopefully it won't disappointment me in:
1. Build quality
2. Heat in palm rest (this is huge on my list). If it doesn't get any hotter than MBP then i'll be really happy

I've research a lot and have looked at Sony viao Z, Lenovo T510/W510, MPB (can't wait for updates any longer) .... before finally landing on Envy 15.

 

No offense, but maybe you should read the official AMD 10.3 release notes, they include all those enhancementsn in the final version less the 2 things I listed earlier "...future Eyefinty 6 updates and an Alien vs. Predator optimization which the Catalyst...." Here is the link to the actual release notes:

http://www2.ati.com/relnotes/Catalyst_103_release_notes.pdf

Also you may want to note that the 'ehancements' listed do not specifically state that they are for the ATI Mobility Radeon HD GPU's, it just says ATI Radeon HD 5XXX, so they may not apply to notebook performance at all.

 

Well, damn, I am surprised!
After getting more than a little anxious waiting for my Envy 15, I started reading the forums, a lot, and totally freaked myself out. I began to believe I had bought, without ever seeing it, a plastic, low-quality, apple clone that had GPU driver issues, SSD problems...I was ready to return it without opening the box. I am glad I didn't.

The Envy is a Nice laptop. It is built solid, from good hardware and it performs like a champ. Don't get me wrong, folks have had real problems with their Envy's, but I wouldn't judge it until you've personally benchmarked it for a couple of days, stressed the processor, and decided if its worth the $ you've put into it. Maybe its not, which is cool as HP gives a 21 day 'trial', maybe you've got a broken one, or you ordered an i7 and it runs hot, exchange it, get your money back...realize that this is a unique machine that may not be for you.

Having said the above: If you, windows power user, are perusing these forums for the first time in a couple of years, pondering your upgrade to an iCore and tempted to go to the Apple side by the impending MBP refresh, understand that the Envy 15 could be your next rig. It will compete with the next MBP. Its flaws are minor, it looks good, its light, and most importantly, it is powerful.

FYI, I bought the 540 with dual SSDS.

 

Well, after reading the release notes for the as-of-this-post, unreleased 10.3 WHQL drivers, I stand corrected. Currently there are only links to the 10.2 drivers and release notes from ATI's driver section... I actually did check for the 10.3 drivers before posting the original response.

Reading the HardOCP article again, it seems to contradict itself. One part states that the only performance increase for 10.3a is the Aliens vs. Predator, and the bottom section lists the "quoted" list as 10.3a performance improvements. After reading the 10.3 release notes, the bottom part looks like it's a typo and they've just added the extra "a" to the list.

I agree there's really no point in using the 10.3a preview drivers unless one plays AVP.... because none of the eyefinity stuff works with the Envy15 anyways.

 

I'm glad you posted this ... i've been following this thread and bit on the edge w/ everything you mentioned. However, one thing I've noticed that people who got SSDS never complained about this laptop getting hot.

BTW, did you get i5/i7 ..... Please post your thoughts on heat on the palm rest (luke warm / hot), palm rest creaking, and humming sound while fans go off.

Can't wait to get mine.

 

I know you didn't ask me but I am going to answer anyway.

The palm rest is lukewarm while gaming. I haven't heard much humming sound, although I haven't done that much gaming maybe thats why.

The creaking right palm rest is there for me and is kinda bothersome, but its not a major issue for me. But I can understand why it can be something major for people.

 

Did you get G1 or G2 SSD's?

 

The palmrests on my i7 do get a little hot while gaming, but its not too much to handle. The only place that really gets hot is the left side of the laptop, where the vents from the CPU are placed.
While doing light work, they only get "luke warm".

There's absolutely no creaking here. The palmrests feel very solid.

 

it's weird how some have the creaking and others don't..is it simply a matter of fastening a couple screws inside tighter?

 

Besisdes gaming, do you do any heavy stuff on this puppy...if yes, then how hot do the palm rest get? This is gona be deal makers/breaker for me once i test things out.

 

Actually you should be able to fix it by loosening the 3 screws on the bottom that correspond to the front right or left corners (depending on which side creaks).

For right side 'creaking':

• Remove right corner rubber foot. Peel off carefullly and adhesive will stay on rubber side for reattaching.
  
• Fully loosen the 3 screws near the corner; under the foot, under USB area and under right trackpad / vent area.
  
• Using a lot of force, squeeze the keyboard panel to the bottom chassy very firmly over the loosend screw area and torque the screw in place very firmly.
  
• Tightening order; Trackpad 1st, USB 2nd, Corner 3rd. Squeezing very firmly for each location as you torque screws in place.
  
• Replace rubber foot

And the reverse for the left palmrest.

 

If your so concerned about heat then why did you order the i7?

As I'm sure you've read the i5's run very cool to the touch while the i7's do get warm when under load. Regardless of model, the heat is a very subjective thing to each individual so until you actually receive yours it's kind of pointless to ask everyone "how hot does it get?..."

Removing HP bloatware or ideally IMO a clean install can significatly reduce the heat output. Also be aware that it can take a few days of use for the thermal paste to fully set and for Win7 to fully index the HDD, so the temps may be higher during the 'break in' period.

 

hehe, today I checked out the just cause 2 demo on my friend's dv5 (core duo, 9600 gt) and compared to the envy it was an oven, with what felt like 85 C air blowing out from every vent...

 

Just got my Envy back from HP service with the repaired keyboard and was able to check on the dual SSDs. They are G1s.

 

Hi, i got the i5 envy 15 gen 2, I'm wondering if it has PGA988 socket or BGA1288 socket... Does any one know?

 

I code using Eclipse and Virtual studio <-- fans don't even start.
do some heavy duty PShop batch jobs <-- Gets a little warmer than usual
Play games in 1080p def with all eye candies on <-- gets warm but not so much i can't put my hands on the palmrest (even after 6 hours of non-stop gaming: DAMN YOU SID MEYER!!!)
Run 5 Virtual Box virtual PC appliances in x64 using hardware virtualization <-- Can cook eggs on the palm rest

But for normal use, heat is really not something id get bothered with. (And mine is a gen 1 i7 so even hotter than gen2s).