*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

I don't know about everyone else but the longer I wait the more excited I get about this purchase.

When I placed the order, I had to make the decision quickly based on the coupon. Figured if a better deal came along I would cancel and order something else.

Well, a week away from my scheduled shipping date and I can't find anything close in performance, style, and price.

How I pass the time:

- Read the User Guide
- Read the Maintenance manual
- Hang out on this forum daily
- Read every review I can find
- Cross check other forums and look for specials

I am hoping to make it through the week!

 

Below is a review of the HD5850, the HD5830's bigger brother. Surprisingly the card in the review performed on par with the 4670. The author says that this must be due to immature drivers, which might mean that the 5830 must perform even better when new drivers come out

ATI Mobility HD5850 Short Review (Translated)

 

I'll give you performance, style and price. What I want though is better battery life, and I don't want to sacrifice for it.

I will see what Apple releases on Tuesday/Wednesday.

 

Actually Apple isn't getting away with it. Apple Store has 1104 reviews on the 85W PSU, most negative or very negative. The problem is that it's an underdimensioned PSU, and the MBPs don't throttle properly.

 

Maybe what you want won't exist for a while more.

 

I have an open mind...show me something that will be available within 30 days that will have the same performance, style, and price.

Quite frankly, I am not sure MBP counts unless you want to include the added cost and hassle of running two separate operating systems.

 

LOL, I know the feeling. you forgot one tho

- Call CS to check if there's been any update as to ship time, hehe

 

I know. That's why I'm pissed off.

 

Thanks for the link. I am looking forward to reviews and performance benchmarks for either the 2nd gen Envy or the 5830. Kind of disappointed at the lack of reviews to date.

 

yeah..too bad i fixed that shut off thing.. and now i got this hairline scratch-like on my monitor i discovered lately. i emailed HP about it and their asking for the Order Number. I don't know where to get that.. I bought mine at staples.. wasn't able to see it on the receipt..

 

i think you might have to escalate that issue with HP.. call their tech support. maybe they can assist you...

 

Did you buy/pick it up at a local store? If so give them a ring. Heck the Envy hasn't been out that long to begin with to be out of warrenty but they ought to be able to help you. If you bought online you can always pull up your order on their site IIRC

 

Larsv, this is very insightful and I appreciate your conclusion. Although I would prefer a smaller AC adapter for mobility reasons, I also wish to game with my machine on the road (LAN party, anyone?).

So, I decided to use my $50 coupon on the 120W smart AC adapter from HP. Repped.

 

Ack, was just over at HP's site to look at the adapter and also an extra slim battery. I thought the problem with the battery not staying on/connected had been fixed. Apparently several ppl recently did reviews of the battery and are still complaining its not staying on.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/...ries/VL841AA%23ABB?tab=reviews&#defaultAnchor
Anyone thats actually gotten their Refreshed model noticing the issue?

 

the december model slab battery i had was on dang tight, didnt move around.

It might sound a bit ghetto, but 2 strategically placed pieces of velcro would solve the problem 100%. U see, the battery goes on straight... meaning it doesnt have to slide on. That means that the velcro will attach top and bottom directly, and once sandwiched together will not allow for any side to side shifting (without extreme force). It is also fully hidden and doesnt distract from the beauty that is "The Envy"

Might not be "your thing" but i guarantee it would stop the shifting.

 

Sounds like it could be a good idea if you're slice is shifting. One problem you would run into is that when you don't have the slice on you've got velcro touching your legs/surface the laptop is resting on so that it would rest evenly/flatly.

 

Well at least one side of the Velcro is usually soft so I guess put that side on the bottom of the computer, if its necessary.

 

You could always use a cable tie or strong elastic bands instead

Seriously though, I think as long as the fluffier part of the velcro fastening was on the notebook rather than the bristly part of velcro, you'd probably be ok - would probably be flush with the feet of the notebook anyway.

 

you are all very right!

use the soft part on the bottom of the notebook, the feet would still be a little taller and it would sit on them still.

Even if my new slice seems to click on well, i will probably apply the velcro anyways. Itll just be some extra security on keepin it on there straight!

yes, ill even be the guinea pig... if the thing ever shows up!

 

Another thing to remember is the bottom of the system may run hot.

So the glue may get all gummy and sticky.

Good luck, though...

 

You won't need it, the slice has long been fixed. I can't move mine for love nor money once the latches are closed.

 

I hope not! That would suck...

If it stays as cool as my first gen envy did, it should be fine. Maybe i was just lucky, but i used that machine on my lap many times and it was never beyond just warm. Ill do some infrared temp spot tests and find the coolest portions while under some mega loads if possible.

Thanks for the warning tho.

 

So what is the deal with the multiplier issue being fixed on battery? Does it exist in the i5 versions as well? What speed will the processor run at on battery, and is it fixable with an bios update?

 

on battery,
i5 is stuck at 11x multi ~ 1.2Ghz
i7 is stuck at 7x multi ~1Ghz

vs on power plug
i5 20+x multi ~2.2 - 2.5GHz + turbo boost to ~2.9Ghz depend on the chip
i7 15x multi ~1.6 - 2Ghz + turbo boost to 2.8-3.2Ghz

 

on the side note, what did you guys use the 50 dollars coupon for? so far i haven't find anything worthy of purchasing... still got 2 coupons left with 7 days to decide....

 

Display dying for no reason?

It might be a Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR).
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/wddm_timeout.mspx

I have set the TdrDelay to 8 seconds, and so far I have not experienced the screen disappearing for no reason.

Though, I am still experiencing heat that can get a bit uncomfortable along the wrist rest.

 

i bought a 16gb flash drive free next business day shipping and $0 charge for the stick.

 

For $20 I got a UPS, 2 pretty nice surge protectors, and a 16" HP neoprene sleeve.

I basically paid for shipping because I had 2 $50 coupons.

 

I need some sort of sleeve or case for my envy 15, since i'll be carrying it in my backpack most of the time. Can anyone suggest a good sleeve or case from the hp store that I can use my $50 gift card on? Or should I just get one of the backpacks specifically made for it?

 

HP doesn't sell this, but Frys has some really nice Kenneth Cole notebook bags and backpacks. The belkin and targis stuff is just lamn in comparison. I picked up both the Kenneth Cole Reaction "Laptop Computer Case" for $25 (which will just hold the laptop itself and maybe the power supply) and the Backpack for $60 which is extremely well made with tons of padding and oversized zippers that glide really easily.

 

So I'm eager to get my Envy 15 so I can bring it to LAN parties at other people's houses and fire up the latest MMORPG. I've read that the screen doesn't open that much, and I planned on using it with the Logitech Alto full size keyboard and laptop riser:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Notebook-Stand-Integrated-Keyboard/dp/B000LVKNN2

Do you think I'll be able to use this with the Envy 15? I'm currently using a Dell M1330 and it works great. I can type for hours with this set up.

 

I don't know if the display will bend back far enough

 

Is the riser adjustable? I have my envy 15 on a CoolMaster Notepal S and works very well because I can adjust the height but only ever use the last 3 low settings due to the limited angle of the screen.

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=3

 

QFT. The Envy can only open to about 110 degrees from what I've read. Way too shallow for that stand, unless the angle of the stand adjusts

 

I adjusted mine to work with my netbook but sticking a book in front of it to raise it up and another behind it to stop it from slipping. Not ideal at all. I hate this trend of making displays that don't bend back.

 

That's what I'll probably have to do with the Envy 15. I guess I'll know by the end of the week!

I'm interested to see what you mean by propping up your netbook with a book, however. Can you PM me and I can get a picture from you?

 

??? Guess I never noticed those. Their avail in the hp store?

 

actually, what I did was I propped up the front of the stand.

If you have the Alto box, it came with this piece of cardboard used for storing the batteries or somehting that is actually ideal for propping up hte sand. Just add some tape or whatever to help it keep its shape.

 

Anyone use or buy one http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=product_detail&product_code=VF685AA%23ABA&jumpid=oc_R1002_USENC-001_HP%20Slim%20Travel%20AC%20Adapter&lang=en&cc=usof these HP slim adapters with the Envy? If so, does it get hot, does it take long to charge the OEM battery, does it affect the CPU multilplier?

 

I'm also wondering the samething. The only other way is to submit a request and ship your laptop to them and have them design one for you for free. All you have to do is pay for the shipping cost to ship it to them. But I need my laptop for school so I can't ship it to them for a week.

 

I wouldn't mind an option to have a hard-shell case like those designed by Speck for Macbooks either. Too bad the Envy isn't as ubiquitous as the MBP, perhaps the market demand isn't high enough to warrant a new product line.

Although - I am willing to pay a bit more if necessary. Afterall, we do have the best laptop HP makes!!

 

I think I know what you mean, thanks. When I get my Envy 15 I'll prop it up with something and post a pic here to get everyone's thoughts.

PS - I called CS and they said my laptop would ship on 26 Jan with 2 day shipping. Hopefully I'll have news by the end of the week.

 

I don't know what i'm going to do without Mass Effect 2 for 2 days.

 

mass effect 2 runs great on the envy. thank you gamestop for accidentally breaking the street date.

 

I got the mousepad and the wireless keyboard and mouse (although everything is overpriced, its still a good deal with the coupon).

 

Can you max out the settings?

 

The only specs I see are in a review that say that it's a 65W adapter. I'm betting that there's almost no way it'll power an Envy properly. No way it could provide enough watts... maybe enough for highly downclocked operation or just an overnight charge.

 

imagine playing that badboy on a 50"


*dreams*

 

Hey for those with an external drive, Is your drive slot loading or have a pop-out drawer?

I had the DVD Drive on both my old and new Envys and they had the pop-out drawer, but in the first page in this forum (the reviews) of the Beats, the drive is slot loading. Is this how the Blu-Ray drive came?

 

The Blu-Ray is slot loading, I think the DVD is still a tray style.