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

I really wish I had access to the quote buttons...

@mdsniper - That sucks about the delays. Mine is supposed to ship on the 15th, but I am having more and more doubts about that. Pretty annoying because by the time I get it there is going to be a whole new generation of laptops out. I'm debating canceling my order as well.

 

Nope, I haven't. If the tracking number isn't up after tonight I'll be canceling the order (not entirely because of the delay, but in addition to the pay downgrade I was just informed of ).

 

I did. In fact, I had my shipping number on the 10th. Looking at the status now, however, it shows:

On Schedule

At FedEx origin facility
SHANGHAI CN

...

|Apr 12, 2010 10:00 PM | At local FedEx facility | SHANGHAI CN | |
|Apr 10, 2010 7:25 PM | Picked up | SHANGHAI CN | Package received after FedEx cutoff|
|Apr 9, 2010 9:52 AM | Shipment information sent to FedEx | | |


(Can't make a table in this app - So I used a dokuwiki-style table instead). Anyway, so as of today, April 12, 2010 at 10:00 PM (Local Shanghai time), the laptop is in the FedEx facility in Shanghai (assuming I'm reading that right).

Was originally supposed to ship April 15th, and arrive "2-5 business days" after that. I suppose we'll see when it actually arrives.

 

Well, you can always manually add the quotes - replace "quoting" with "QUOTE" in the following:

[quoting]
This is something someone else said and I'd like to quote
[/quoting]

and you should be fine. To get more fancy, you can add a QUOTE=username;postidnumber to get the actual other fancy stuff (like "Originally Posted by username {link to post}")

 

I might just give hp a call in a couple of hours once I get out of school.

 

I haven't gotten a tracking number either. Still says April 12th as the estimated delivery. But its already the 13th in China !

Ordered specs: i5-430 , 320 gb, ultra brighview

erple2: what are the specs for your machine? Availability of parts the reason you got urs shipped early?

 

Hey all you guys making all these posts about shipping:

1) Call HP and complain if they are actually late, tell them you need to be compensated for the delay or you would like to cancel the order. Normally you will be offered a $50 coupon for the HP.com site or depending on your phone skills you can possibly get a refund of $50 (or more), especially if they did not inform you by email that there would be a delay in shipping.

2) If you can sign in here you should have full "quote" options

3) If you could please not tie up pages here with posts about shipping dates and fedex tracking pages it would be greatly appreciated.

4) What completely new generation of notebooks will be available before you recieve your Envy ?? Have I missed a press release or something?

 

Hey everyone,

I just got my envy this morning and I was wondering what that little plastic tab is on the bottom of the laptop (near the battery).

What should I do with it?

 

@Envi0ous - it's where the Slice battery connects to the laptop. You should leave it covered if you don't have a Slice battery and remove the tab if you do.

 

I tried the above steps it installed correctly but didnt notice any slight change in colors. Nothing changed at all. I dont think Im blind I think its defaulting back to the normal profile for some reason. Thanks for the effort anyways.

 

Try downloading and running this app which will check for any calibration running on your computer. If it shows any 'curves' in the graph then reset it and then try installing the profile again.

http://www.xrite.co.uk/product_overview.aspx?ID=757&Action=support&SoftwareID=546

 

It shows just a straight line across from top corner to lower

 

I think I remember having issues with CCC when installing an icc profile. Make sure CCC has a button that says "Reactivate ATI Color Controls" under desktop properties>Color in the CCC program.

If that option is not available I think CCC is taking control of your color profile.

 

Amazon has a good deal for the Targus Velos messenger at $20 and i think it fits the envy.

http://www.amazon.com/Targus-TSM08001US-Velos-Messenger-Charcoal/dp/B0017U87TS.

 

What temperature is everyone's GPU riding at as reported by the AMD GPU Clock Tool? I have my "Fans always on" set to disabled which is nice and quiet but every couple of minutes the GPU fan jumps to a medium-high and then slows down over the next 15 seconds. It does this when my TSS 0 hits 57C and this is at idle with the clocks set to 50/100MHz on battery. My averages at idle are:
TSS 0: 55.0C
TSS 1: 47.7C
TSS 2: 49.5C

I'm wondering if I should pop it apart and buff up the heatsink because going from silence to WRRRRR every 2 minutes is making me batty.

 

The matte screen on the Envy 15 is beautiful. I should have stuck with the matte screen on my 2nd order (long story). Took some comparison benchmark pictures between my M11x, the Envy 15, and my XPS1640. Reviewing the pics I took convinced me once and for all, matte LED-lit from now on if it's an option. The two glossy screens (m11x and xps) I see more of my reflection than the screen. Even the matte screen is BRIGHT, much brighter than the xps1640.

So what's so special about the Envy 15's speakers? The XPS16 absolutely puts it to shame, easily twice as loud (it is in fact too loud), crisper highs and deeper lows.

Is it possible to get Windows' estimated battery runtime to show on the Envy?

I'll post the pics if anyone is interested to see them. I just took the benchmark summary pics of SF4 on all three laptops.

 

Here is a link to some sound tweaks for the Envy speakers that should about double the volume. The link says 3 times louder but that was on the 1st gen models which had the settings even worse than the current models.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5668647&postcount=3614

The Dell will still blow them away but at least this gets loud enough to be 'acceptable' but no bass is possible due to the tiny speakers in the envy. The Envy's audio output quality to an external high quality amp is exceptional btw.

 

I just received my Envy 15, ordered on 3/31, projected arrival date was 4/15. It arrived 3 days early, maybe a good sign to those of you who are still waiting (and yes, mine went through Kazakhstan).

Frankly, I was concerned about build quality, considering all of the problems reported in this thread, but it turns out that the machine I've received is well-built. No wrist-cutting, protruding edge at the front, no flexing, squeaky corners, no scratches on the bezel. Overall, the machine has a very solid feel.

I'm coming from a MacBook Pro 15 (non-unibody), which I've used for 3 years. The reason I'm looking at the Envy is (1) support for Windows 7 (my MBP doesn't support Win 7 under Bootcamp, and although I'm a VMWare Fusion user, I've heard negative reports about Win7 performance under VMWare); (2) esata support; and (3) support for 64-bit apps. Most of the following impressions are based on comparisons with my MBP.

- Exterior: I was concerned that the etched cover and palmrests of the Envy might be too ostentatious / over the top, but the pattern is actually quite subtle and tasteful.

- Form factor: The Envy is about an inch wider than my MBP, because of its wider display. Even though they're about the same weight, the MBP "feels" more portable, as a consequence.

- Screen: The Envy screen is actually a bit crisper than the MBP screen, which was, until now, the best notebook screen I've used. The MBP screen seems a tad brighter at the highest setting, but the Envy screen is plenty bright.

- Bezel: The Envy's bezel is about twice as wide on all sides as the MBP's. I much prefer the thinner bezel on the MBP - for me, it reflects greater attention to good design and engineering. I feel like I'm carrying an extra 1/2 inch (width) of machine around, with the Envy.

- Keyboard: Hard to gauge, because I'm not yet acclimated to touch typing on the Envy, but it's a pretty good keyboard. I prefer the rebound / touch of the MBP keyboard, even though key spacing is closer, but that's undoubtedly due, in part, to familiarity. The MBP keyboard is, of course, back-lighted, but unlike some others on this thread, I'm not put off by the lack of backlighting on the Envy.

- Power brick: I thought the MBP power adapter was oversized until I saw the one that came with the Envy - it's early 1990s big. And the magnetic connector on the MBP is leagues beyond the physical connector (not right angle) on the Envy. If I keep the Envy, I will purchase a smaller Kensington adatper.

- Touchpad: I haven't yet updated the Envy touchpad driver or fiddled with the configuration settings. It's not bad, out of the box. But it's true that resting a thumb on one of the lower corners while moving the cursor frequently results in unexpected cursor jumps. I expect that this will go away with some config changes.

- esata: I've tried connecting 2 different 2.5" esata enclosures (Rosewill and Thermaltake) using 2 different cables (esata + USB power), and have succeeded in getting a drive connected only once (Thermaltake) - and then couldn't replicate the same combination, after multiple tries. Not sure what's going on there, so if someone has a suggestion, I'd appreciate ideas on how to connect reliably.

Since my MBP is still going strong, I'm not certain that I will keep the Envy, but I plan to load some software, experiment with configurations, and do a bit of load testing over the next week, before making a decision.

Even though this is my first day with the machine, I can say, based on what I've seen so far, that some of the horror stories I've read about build quality are non-issues, at least for the unit I received. Hope everyone who is waiting for their unit has the same initial experience - this is a nice machine.

 

ok well hp cancelled my order cancelation request, it shipped, so now I have the msi and the envy coming, I guess i will compare.

 

BTW, if your Macbook Pro uses the Core2Duo (was purchased after October 2006 from Apple) processor, then it will support 64 bit apps. I'm also surprised that the MBP you have isn't supported on WIndows 7.

I thought I'd be put off by the lack of back lighting too, but I can count on one finger the times I wish I had a backlit keyboard. In that one instance, any simple LED light would have worked just fine.

Incidentally, I really liked the pre-Unibody MBP keyboards (My wife has the 12" G4 Aluminum Powermac - I really liked the keyboard on that laptop).

If it's substantially smaller, and full-functional, I think that I'll do the same.

The Envy should be quite a bit speedier than your 3 year old MBP.

 

Make sure you safely remove the drives from eSATA. That's more important than with a USB drive. And plug the power in first, and then the data. I personally just have a nice enclosure that has a single eSATA/USB cable that powers it and does the data with one plugging-in, and it's quite nice. Never had any problems like you describe:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HE-2521B&cpc=SCH

 

well, macbook refreshes are here and...just as expected, I guess.

the 15" now has i5 and the 330M which is about 30% slower than 5830, but has optimus, which means about 5-6 hours of light browsing and working on documents. Really makes you grind your teeth a bit about our lack of switchable graphics.
Still, I configured one exactly like my envy and it came in at about 2100$...

guess we're still ahead for this generation, performance wise

 

yeah, i love the 9 hour battery life or whatever, but like my 5830 more. if they ever refresh the macbook air, i will buy it.

 

Comparably equipped MBP to my specs is over $2700...just about $1000 more than what I paid.

 

people with the i5's... I am really unsure of whether to get an i5 or an i7, mainly for gaming and not sure if the i5 can handle it. Any gamers here able to tell me how their i5 rig handles gaming?

 

i5s are more than enough for gaming (and superior to the i7s in some cases).

 

The Bezel is now my main gripe about my Envy. It reflect a lot of sunlight, it's always full of fingerprints and now it's got a scratch. I think I'll take it apart and buffer it till it's matte. @#$%% I hate that bezel... and I have it right in my face all day long...

Did I mention it attracts dust like a mutha#$@%

 

Tayeule, instead of taking the bezel and sanding it, why don't you just paint it a flat black color or something not reflective.

 

still have to take it apart. besides, I'm pretty sure the paint would end up cracking away with wear and tear... but thanks for the suggestion.

 

I think if you gave it a light sanding and primer it well it won't crack or flake off. I done this to many items from toys to car parts. The plastic parts for cars take wear and tear and are still in good condition.

 

Apple's hardware is great but not at twice the price. $1000 more for the same specs. The extra battery life on a MBP is nice but if I just want more hours for light use (browsing, email, etc) then I might as well get a iPad for that and still have $500 left over to spend on booze and hookers.

 

Say what you want about Apple, but they do sure have some good designers and engineers. I think there are very few manufacturers that can match their quality and attention to detail, even if you looked for a PC of the same price. I'm not talking about specs, because clearly PC manufacturers would win in that area, but about the quality and build of the system.

Whereas HP had to give up switchable graphics and and internal disc drive in their flagship notebook series, Apple still managed to get it into their notebook through some ingenuity while still being not much larger than the envy.

Of course, all this comes at a price .

And I'm no Apple fanboy either, I do my fair share of Apple-bashing.

 

This discussion must have been had a million times just on these forums.

Nobody in their right mind would argue that Apple doesn't make a good product. Obviously they charge what they do because people will pay for it.

I wouldn't pay $1000 more for Apple's design over the Envy. Custom laptops are all about what you're willing to pay for and what you're willing to sacrifice, after all.

 

I haven't criticized Apple anywhere in my post except for the value for money. they make something like 30-40% profit margin on most of their products, so it's not like the extra you pay is all because of better build quality...

but that's beating a dead horse, the only thing I was concerned about was wether the refreshed macbooks would be able to outrun our Envy in gaming, especially considering Steam is coming to mac. Thankfully (for us), the Envy is still holding it's value.

 

the i5 can handle ANY game.
the real bottleneck for laptops is ALWAYS the GPU.
so yeah, go for i5, unless you do renderings or numerical calculus.

 

Wow, great comparison. The bezel/size thing was of interest to me so I did a more quantitative comparison... this should better reflect what you call "good engineering design."

MBP 15: 0.95" x 14.35" x 9.82" 106.6 in^2 screen 75.6% screen / body area utilization
Envy 15: 1.04 x 14.96" x 9.6" 104 in^2 screen, 72.4% screen / body area utilization

Using this method the MBP is 4.4% more efficient at providing display area relative to the laptop's form factor area compared the Envy. Doesn't seem like as much from this perspective (instead of "bezel is twice as wide")

 

Since you are so interested in the precision of my comparison, and I actually have both machines to measure, here are the numbers:

MBP: 15/32" bezel width
Envy: 23/32" bezel width

The difference is 8/32" on each side, for a total of 16/32" = 1/2" difference in bezel width, side-to-side.

Please don't take my comparison between the 2 machines as a knock on the Envy. The fact that I bought one should tell you otherwise. But there are differences between the Envy and the MBP, and *in my opinion* some of these reflect superior engineering and design choices by Apple (and others by HP).

So if I write "I feel like I'm carrying an extra 1/2 inch (width) of machine around", I hope the above convinces you that I have reasons for my opinions.

 

somehow i'm going to have to make due with that extra 1/2 inch hanging out all over the place. hopefully i don't poke anyone in the eye.

 

How is the weight identical? Then Envy is closer to 5 lbs. The GX640 is closer to 6 lbs.

1 lb makes a difference when you're running through an airport!

 

Because games (and most anything else) looks better in the laptop's native (original) resolution.

But to your point, the Envy's higher resolution does give it more versatility to play videos at a higher res and games at a lower one.

 

read online that apple underpowers the cpu intentionally to maximize battery life. of course the envy is imperfect, but I think its still a cut above the refreshed macbook pro for now.

 

Can't wait for HP to announce their next high-end notebook with a 2" bezel all-around. Sounds like some contributors to this thread will be first in line!

 

actually, I just asked myself this the other day..take a 720p screen and this 1080p screen, play the same game on them at 720p...would the pixels be more noticeable on one of the two? because I definetly notice if the desktop isn't set at native resolution.

 

Is that the MBP15?

 

i definitely prefer to use native resolution in gaming and the desktop, and 720p is plenty for me on a 15" screen.. but even more important are wide viewing angles, and from all accounts the 1080p ultra brightview screen is significantly better in that regard.

still i'm a little apprehensive about it after the last 15" laptop i had with 1080p. it strained the eyes to look at windows XP at native resolution and changing the DPI setting caused as many problems as it solved. i have Windows 7 on my HPTC and the DPI scaling is a lot better, so i'm hoping it will work out this time. practically every laptop with a 720p display scored badly in reviews, for poor viewing angles, so there isn't much choice if that's important to you...

 

Yeah, Win7 scaling is very good. Easy as pie.

 

well, to apple's credit, OSX has been programmed with a maniacal attention to power consumption, even underclocking between keystrokes on a document, not to mention it only needs to work on 4 machines (macbook, pro, mini, imac). it really shows when one of my friends boots into windows from their macbook, they get almost a couple hours less battery.
of course, it shows even more when we both run a fluidodynamics model...the envy completely, utterly destroys the mac

back to battery life, I guess that is the price of windows' versatility and compatibility
hopefully windows 8 will bring some reasonable improvements there, especially considering the importance of netbooks now.

 

does anyone feel the 1080p 15.6" screen puts strain on their eyes? or is it bearable? No envy's left in the uk stores so can't check it out myself and was wondering how tiny pages would look in web browsers.

 

I can attest to OS X's battery consumption. On my MBP13 right now, I can get 6ish hours on OSX, but only 3.5-4 on Win7.

 

oh, I have absolutely no problems with 1080p desktop, as previously mentioned, win7 scales awesomely. large icons, increased font size and I'm a happy man. the only thing that I was wondering is how different a 720p game looks on a 720p screen and on a 1080p one, viewing angles aside.