*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

Finally it seems like full HD is coming to Europe. Two new models are announced in Sweden. Both with full HD resolution, Core i7 and Radeon 5830. Model numbers 1190 and 1195. The later one is loaded with options such as ssd, bluray and battery slice.

So finally i could get my thin, lightweight vmware workhorse

 

interesting, my envy beats has just shipped. i ordered it 3 days later. it has the low res screen, maybe that's why?? i5 processor.

 

how were you able to adjust the fan? can you please teach me? my envy runs at about 60c..i want to keep the fan a bit faster maybe it could decrease the heat a little.

 

you mean you ordered it 3 days ago? whens expected arrival? skill waiting here...if not today then tomorrow, assuming theyre reliable on their shipping estimate.

 

FYI - for all of those in the US upgrading from the old i7 to the new i7, Fed Ex does not ship lithium batteries via ground. I brought my Envy with the HP supplied shipping lable to Fed Ex and they would not ship it via ground. 1 1/2 hr later on the phone with HP, they finally agreed to "give their account code" so shipping could be upgraded to 3 day (it was only $10 with their corporate rate).

They at first wanted me to pay $60 to cover ship and not reimburse me as it was not their problem. Then they asked I send the batteries seperately. Totally backwards at HP.

BUT my i7 refresh should be here today at some time (I pray I don't have to return this one) lol

 

Well its the 18th, and I don't have a shipment notification. still says its in production... I guess I should give it until tonight anyway... but yea, it doesn't look like I am gonna get it maybe until the end of the week maybe should it ship later today.. I'll keep everyone updated, for those who ordered it on the 7th, which I believe was the announcement date.

 

Interestingly, I cannot really tell the different between the i5-540 and the i7-620M! Look at this comparison at intel.com. All the way down the chart, they're the same except for clock speed and 1MB cache difference! Why do they even call the i7-620M an i7??

In any case, when I had my dv7t, I found that my i7-720 was mostly in the low 2Ghz range when it was "turbo-ing" and only 4 of the 8 threads were really ever on. The even numbered threads were almost always off.

My theory is the i7-620M with 4 threads running minimum at 2.66Ghz and "turbo-ing" around 3Ghz would be a definite improvement over current C2D chips. 4 threads and higher clock speeds instead of 2 threads.

HP just needs to get that price adjusted. Seems they have it confused with some i7 Extreme chip!!

 

Well for those who have the Beat LE on order I just was told that model still hasn't been upgraded to USB 3.0. Kind of infuriating as I had 2 different sales people say the LE had 3.0 as well

Ended up having to cancel my Beat LE edition and place a new order for the regular Envy 15 to be assured of getting USB 3.0. What a pain.

 

is up with HP? I looked on the website and the Envy 15 notes USB 3.0, but the Beats edition doesn't. Seems like I may be returning mine AGAIN. Is it that hard to put a different case on the Same computer? its not like the Beats has different hardware with exception of the case!

I really hope this is the case of a mis-informed HP rep.

 

I wish it was but had 2 different sales people today swear to me that the LE hasn't been upgraded yet. Ended up replacing my order but at least between the credit they gave me on the new order I ended up getting the 2 TB personal drive added and it came out cheaper than before so I will make do without having the nicer case

 

Apart from the obvious of having the "latest and greatest", what's the real deal with needing the USB 3.0?? I think this HP is one of the first models to even include it, let alone there being any thing USB 3.0 to plug into it, and it will be well into this year before USB 3.0 devices start to trickle out.

For me, the only thing I need FAST external connections for is storage, and eSATA is more than adequate for that (especially cost-wise as eSATA peripherals can be had for VERY cheap). What else would really need that fast of a connection? Mice?

 

One thought comes to mind. What about using a USB 3.0 memory stick as a poor mans SSD leveraging Windows 7 Readyboost?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/readyboost.aspx

Of course, the other big one for me would be an external bluray burner. I plan to use this laptop to burn AVCHD videos from my HD camcorder to bluray and playback in my PS3. Should be much faster...

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/SuperSpeed-USB-Buffalo-External-Blu-ray,9175.html

 

eSata requires external power, if I'm not mistaken? USB3.0 opens the door for high speed self powered storage... much like current USB2.0 powered external hard drives.

 

I forgot to mention I stopped by Costco last Thu to check this notebook out after seeing your post. BTW, the resolution was 1600x900 (aka 900p/HD+). In looking through Windows, I was not able to find any evidence of the IGP. I also quickly paged through the BIOS and also saw no evidence of it. I didn't spend a lot of time in the BIOS, because an employee came over and didn't seem to like what I was doing.

This is pretty much as others have speculated; if switchable graphics is possible, it will be enabled via BIOS and/or driver updates in the future (on this model, at least).

 

Well there are a cpl things actually:

1. USB 3.0 does provide better transfer rates and improving power supplied to devices, as I understand things. This translates, to my way of thinking, to external items like external Blu-ray drives and such which will perform better.
Here's a blip on USB 3.0 vs 2.0 Click Here and here is another page that explains the benefits of USB 3.0

2. While there may not be too much out at the moment many companies are already pushing to get USB 3.0 approved and jumping on the bandwagon so devices using USB 3.0 standards may be out much quicker than on might expect. Several companies are already putting out USB 3 hard drives WD has one now 1 TB My Book 3.0 and they also list a 2 TB Version

3. At least in my case I plan on using this for several years so having the improvement now provides at least a hope of future proofing, although with computers thats really impossible

 

I saw that puppy. The price, at least initially, is a bit high but hopefully soon there will be competition to drive the prices down

 

True, but laptops that have the eSATA/USB combo port can utilize power and eSATA from the same port. Cables are available that allow that.

I agree the convenience factor of USB is good for that, but I already utilize portable 2.5" eSATA drives very frequently in my work and I just use the USB power cable that came with the drive to power it off a USB port. Takes about 5 seconds extra to plug it in.

 

Ah but see there you lose the use of an extra port. With USB 3.0 you won't have to use 2 ports, just one. With the envy you only get 3 to start with 2 usb and 1 usb/esata so being able to use just a single port is a definit plus for me.

 

Could you please clarify, 1st paragragh says esata + power / 1 cable. 2nd paragraph sound like you need 1 usb + 1 esata cable ??

What type of write speeds are you getting with the portable 2.5" drives?

Thanks.

 

Again, about the only category that could benefit from it is storage. A hard drive hardly begins to utilize the speed of USB 3.0 over eSATA, so apart of the convenience of a single cable over two cables (eSATA plus a power cable), it seems a bit of a wash there.

The blu-ray burner seems practical for some. 12x burn speeds? Is there even 12x blank media for it? If so, what price?

I agree that USB 3.0 is a natural evolution and it will happen, but I think it will still be some time. I remember wireless USB was supposed to be the next big thing. What happened to the proliferation of wireless USB devices and notebooks and PC's? Seems like it went the way of the dinosaur (or is it just taking longer for manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon).

I also think the 1st wave of USB 3.0 peripherals are going to be god-awfully expensive.

In any case, you all are right, if it's in there, might as well have it, but it just seemed that many were putting an awful lot of weight on having USB 3.0 now. For me, I'll have an even newer, faster, and better notebook in less than a year that will have USB 3.0 then, too!

 

While USB 3.0 would be nice, it isn't a big deal to me. The time I see myself wanting USB 3.0 is external drives and in that case eSATA better suited due to lower CPU overhead.

In terms of bluray, unless you buy a huge 5.25" drive there will be no improvement vs USB 2.0. Even if 8x slim bluray drives start hitting the market, USB 2.0 can still handle it.

I think it's been said that the ENVY 15 already provides USB 3.0 power on it's USB 2.0 ports. That could have been speculation though, can't remember.

 

A lot of newer notebooks have a combo esata/usb port. It can be esata or it can be usb 2.0 w/power. Some enterprising folks have made esata cables and peripherals that harness the power from the usb part of the port and supply power to the drive along with eSATA.

What I use, though, are just inexpensive portable 2.5" enclosures (Rocketfish eSATA/USB) and they come with a cable that plugs into your usb port and just supplies power to the drive, while using eSATA for data transfer. No AC adapter needed. So, two cables (eSATA and usb --> power plug).

Regarding write speeds, it depends on what drive I throw in the enclosure. eSATA spec is 3Gb/s...same as SATA II, right?

 

Not an issue for me. I never find myself using all three USB ports and needing 1 more! Two at a time, max, for me. (Logitech nano receiver in one, and another for usb power cord or something else).

 

Thanks. Guess you didn't know the Envy has 1 combo port (esata/usb) which will be coming on my new i5 model (no USB 3.0). I got excited at your mention of esata+usb power in same cable. With only 3 USB ports (2+1esata) the dual cable w/power could be useful for me.

As a photographer the freeing up of 1 USB could be useful. It's common for me to download 16GB CF cards via USB card reader to internal HDD and backup to external drive at same time, add in my USB mouse and I'm out of ports on the Envy....

You know of any pre-made esata drives with the 'combo' cable you mention?

 

Go Bluetooth

 

If need be, you can get a really tiny USB hub. Definitely nice not to have to carry one though.

 

Another use for USB3 speeds is faster card readers. My fastest 8 GB Sandisk Extreme card is rated at 60 MB/sec but my fastest reader is capped at 23 MB/sec. Sandisk already has 90 MB/sec CF cards out, I'm sure we'll see SSD speeds soon.

 

Any recommendations ? I haven't seen any relly good quality bluetooth models. Would like something equal to the Logitech MX series....

 

I've been using the logitech M-RBB93 for 4-5 years now, best bluetooth mouse evAR! I think they discontinued it, but i'd pick up whatever they had to replace it.

 

I just got the Razer Orochi, it does BT with 2000dpi and corded with 4000dpi. corded doesn't use batteries so you have a choice. Buttons for adjusting speed on the fly. Expensive though, I think about $80 stateside. MX is probably slightly higher build quality.

 

I'm curious if this Targus leather sleeve will fit the Envy 15 - specs indicate it could be a tight fit.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.aspx?sku=TES004US

 

I have a Logitech V270 and a Microsoft 5000. They both work good. Just easier with less things hanging out the side of my laptop.

 

After returning my original envy (4830), I purchased a new one!

I got the i7-720QM
4gb ram
320gb HDD
Brightview screen.

I used the coupon code, NBK11659, on the phone and they still honored it! grand total of $1199.99, much better than the $1500 (4830).

I have a couple of questions:
1) Which ram should I buy? I want to get 8gb ram total, but I haven't a clue about which speed is faster, matching clocks, etc.
2) Say I want to add two 1.8" drives later, do I have to order the bracket to hold them, or am I alright?

I just pray that the annoying horizontal lines don't return. I loved my old envy, but that and lack of Linux support made me return it. Linux has been fixed but the screen is still up in the air. Can't wait for usb 3.0, hopefully they use sata3 for when I want to get a SSD later this year.

 

Using the built in mouse is another way to avoid wasting a USB port.

I can't even imagine the hassle of pulling out a third party mouse all the time just to use a laptop. In fact, I can operate my laptop mouse better than an external desktop version.

Perhaps it is because I am addicted to the internet and using the laptop has become second nature.

 

I'll stick with my logitech G9 ^^;; Damn I love this mouse.

 

I agree with Kamzu, except I have a g7. Been rockin' it since 07.

 

I purchased HDMI to DVI cable at BestBuy and it works just fine.

 

Thanks, will check this out

Both these models don't even come close to the quality / durability of the MX series IMO.

 

G9 / G7 aren't available with bluetooth are they??

 

1) With RAM you would want to get DDR3 1333Mhz speed SODIMMs sometimes listed as PC3 10666 DDR3. I'm also planning to upgrade and since the i7-720qm Envy has 4 slots 2x2GB sticks can be added at fairly low cost. You could buy 2x4GB and replace the 1s already in there and leave 2 slots open for future upgrades but you'll be spending a bunch of mooola

I'm still leary of Linux support since the drivers are still wanting since ATI doesn't have as good a support as Nvidia. Also I don't know of any USB 2.0 drivers out there yet for older Linux kernels.

My 2 cents

 

EsataP is the great port located on our envys, which can be easily used as a single cable hookup for highspeed data and power to the device.

DeLock makes great esata peripherals, ones that have already had positive reviews at many independent sites you can find with a google search.

I was about to order this device: http://www.delock.com/produkte/gruppen/Geh%C3%A4use/Delock_25_External_enclosure_SATA_HDD_Power_Over_eSATA_42465.html but now i will wait for their esatap/usb3 combo version to have more connectivity options.

There are many different esatap devices out there, many of which can be ordered from delock over the phone (shipping is a bit high because it is from out of the USA, mainly taiwan and germany)

- EsataP to Compactflash
- EsataP Thumbdrives, in all capacities
- EsataP to Sata, for using bare hard drives over a single cable
- EsataP to Esata+USB miniB for connecting older Esata enclosures via a Single port to your envy!
- Retractable EsataP cables. etc

Pretty cool stuff, but USB3 is the wave of the future and will be supported 100x more. The cool thing is with a duo/trio of USB3 and EsataP you can have many high speed transfers simultaneously.

 

the envy comes preboxed with its own luscious highly conspicuous in your face leather sleeve. Im just gunna use that.

 

Youre welcome! Yes i went with an identical build (720QM, Dual SSD) as i really liked it!

I expect that since the 5830 is a brand new item on the market, it will ship with a very recent driver. We shouldnt really need to find a modded one for a few months, and hopefully HP will release some from time to time.

A fresh format on a new PC is almost a requirement to me these days, just makes it so much quicker and lighter! Try a little overclock of the 5830 and run the 3Dmark (default dettings, Free edition) and let us know what you get.

And I think we ALL want ALL the new info you can provide! Thanks

 

Ooo, Delock makes an EsataP CF reader! Great link, thanks!

 

I didn't realize it came with a leather sleeve. I thought is was just a cheap fabric microfiber type sleeve.

I have a feeling my Envy which is scheduled to ship today is going to be delayed. The anticipation is going to kill me.

 

pretty sure it's suede

 

If this thing gets delayed I am bailing.....

 

What will you go with instead?

 

My i7 that was returned came with a very cheap fake 'velvet' cover. In no way would I call this a sleeve or usable for anything other than scratch protection while using a real sleeve or bag. It is very thin and open on the narrow end with no way to close it.

 

I placed a rushed order the other day to make sure the $350 off coupon did not expire, but after doing some more research on the model I think I'm going to cancel my order.

The biggest reason is I bought this as a desktop replacement, and there doesn't seem to be a way to run two external monitors. I was kinda shocked when I noticed it didn't have Display port, DVI, or VGA. The HDMI will work for one monitor, but I doubt it will run two...and even if it could over a dual link connection, I'm thinking it will be a configuration process each time it is reconnected. Really a shame they didn't take advantage of DisplayPort.

Reason 2: I ordered the docking station, but there were no specs on the ports it provided. I wasn't aware it was just a USB connected station and would be unable to provide DVI/VGA hookups. This for me is a big deal breaker as I wanted to use this in the office as well, where I run dual 20" screens. My company provided elite book is so easy to simply set down on the docking station and off I go.