*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

New topic to keep us busy while waiting for our Envy's

AC adapters. The throttling issue apparently rears it's ugly head again if you use the 90W adapter. It was explained earlier that the HP adapters have a third contact or 'smart pin' that sends a signal to the computer and lets it know the max output power available. The Envy then throttles accordingly, I assume based on a BIOS or firmware set of instructions.

Questions;

How does this 'signal' work and can it be defeated (or changed / faked)?

What happens with aftermarket adapters w/o the third pin?

Can the 3rd pin in the HP 90W adapter just be removed so it doesn't know it's a lower power source ?

I am getting the i5 model with SSD's and no slice battery. I am almost certain a 90W adapter will be plenty of power to operate this configuration at full performance mode.

 

Hmm, I figured it would be a constraint of the physics involved? If you can only offer 90W and it asks for 110W then it knows it won't get it? Why would it need a smart pin? Where would it be located? I thought the adaptors were just the old timey cylinder plug into the side type adaptors?

 

nope the HP's have a very small center pin.

 

its possible that it doesn't need a 3rd pin and just uses a data signal over the power to identify the brick wattage. Dell does that with their adaptors. there is no 3rd pin. so I'm inclined to say thats what the envy does too

 

No Hp calls them 'smart charger' (even retail model at wallmart) and they have a third contact via center pin.

 

I got my 120W adapter up to 113W load, charging slice while running 8 threads all-out on the CPU, while not loading GPU much.

HP "Smart" lug has three connectors - outside and inside of barrel, plus the center pin. I've looked for specs on the connection but haven't found any.

I think I read somewhere about someone trying an aftermarket or non-"Smart" adapter and got no charging. Not sure where I saw that though.

Obviously the ThrottleStop experiment shows that multiplier and turbo boost can be unlocked when on a 90W power source.

 

I didn't see that info an the throttlestop threads. Was this on the Dell XPS 16xx series or was it actually tested on an Envy?

 

ah inside the barrel, I see that now, i always thought it was just outside the barrel and the pin.... then in that case Dell has 3 connectors too.. I am schooled now.

 

I did that test on mine.

 

Has anyone tested the USB 3.0 port with a 3.0 device? I think the only device out is the WD external hard drive. Please post any benchmarks if available. Thanks.

 

(referring to the .931GHZ throttling on battery issue)

I have been lurking for a couple of weeks and my Envy 15, i7 720 (see below for detail) is in transit, but I have to jump in on this one.

Here's something I really enjoy doing with my HP dv8t Quad:

1) Download a movie in HD
2) bring the computer to my SONY XBR 52" HDTV
3) connect via HDMI
4) kick back and enjoy a 1.5-2 hr. flick

Even with a power-hogging dv8t Ci7 I can do this (tho' just barely for 2 hrs)

Notice, I did not mention, after step 1), unplugging the AC brick, lugging it over to the TV (could also be the TV upstairs in my bedroom!), finding a plug for the brick, and proceeding with steps 2-4!

Why can I do that with my HP dv8 but not my $800 more expensive, soon to arrive/probably ship right back Envy 15? And, if I can't, why do I have to read some 700 pages of a forum to find that out?

Someone earlier said an issue was not worthy of a class action lawsuit (CAL); this one might well be! That said, life is too short and there are too many wonderful products out and about to come out to mess around with this. I'm actually almost an HP fanboy, having had great luck with products and, can you believe this, Customer Service! (you have to know how to get to the ones with functioning brains.), but I'm fast concluding this ENVY product line is just doomed to flawed greatness, and who wants that?

Thanks for letting me vent. Advice welcomed.

ENVY 15 l i7 720M l ATI 5830 GPU l 4GB DDR3 l 160 GB SSD l 250 GB HDD | 1920x1080 Matte l 9-cell slice - IN TRANSIT, arrival est. 1/29

HP dv8 | Core i7 720 QM | 4GB DDR3 | Nvidia GT 230M | 1080p Infinity| 500GB 7200 RPM | Blu-Ray Combo| Bluetooth | TV Tuner | additional 8-cell battery - promised to give to my brother after ENVY arrives!

 

Was the 113W load measured at the input side (AC) or at the output (DC) side??

If it was 113W AC then that is only about 95W on the DC output based on about 85% efficiency. I don't have my 120W adapter anymore to figure out actual efficiency. If you have yours just take the max DC output Watts divided by the max AC (120V) output Watts to get the efficiency ratio.

 

Thanks, that's good to know.

Just to confirm, the current ThrottleStop version will allow you to run at full performance (no throttling) on the HP 90W adapter?

 

update:
HP staff have confirmed they have no plans on unlocking the envy CPU speed from low frequency (idle) mode (locked at 933 mhz for 720qm, 1.2 ghz for 820qm and i5s) while on battery power:
http://www.thenextbench.com/t5/foru...sage-id/669/print-single-message/false/page/2

While the cheaper DV6t can throttle it's speed up to max speed and down to min speed while on battery power, the Envy cannot because the Envy uses a different battery technology (lithium polymer) than the DV6t (lithium ion). Lithium polymer enables the Envy to be thinner and lighter, but apparently doesn't hold quite as powerful of a charge.

When the Intel Core CPUs don't have enough power for turbo mode, it automatically gets disabled. When turbo mode is disabled, the CPU gets locked on to low frequency mode (multiplier gets locked at 7x or 9x). While 900mhz-1.2ghz is much weaker than most laptops in the past few years are on battery power(and low frequency mode doesn't allow throttling down to less than 7x to save battery power), it is the price you pay for transportability.

 

Measured at the wall, so 95W is probably a good guess. Not sure how 230 volts AC affects efficiency. I'll look at the specs when I get home.

 

That's what it appears to do, assuming total load is what the adapter can supply of course. I've seen the multiplier hit 20x at least (2.66 GHz). The version I have (1.89) requires you to disable and enable for the unlocking to happen every time you plug in to the adapter - it wasn't developed for an Envy so there seems to be a quirk there.

 

It won't by much. 230V is typically a little more efficient than 120V but shouldn't be enough difference to matter. The lablel will have max ratings for both voltages.

 

I don't have a USB3 model coming, but I DID just order a powered eSATA compatible enclosure: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HE-2521B Considering SATA should go faster than any drive will, I can't see any reason to want USB3.

In theory, it should work with a single cable in the USB/eSATA combo port on the Envy. I'll let everyone know how it turns out whenever I get it. I don't know if it comes with the correct cable (again, I'll let you know), but they're about $25 with shipping online.

 

Awesome! you found a EsataP enclosure in the states! finally.... thanks for posting the link.

Im gonna order one too, although i did just get my USB3 2.5" enclosure hooked up and its working nice and fast!

 

Yeah. Took me a couple hours of googling and poking around, especially since the product description itself says nothing about it (it's only on the box art that makes me certain it supports it, and the fact that it looks like a rebranded case of the German eSATAp enclosure)

 

USB 3.0 Enclosure?? Link please.

 

Can someone recommend a good case for the Envy 15. All the 15 inch cases I've found aren't designed for a widescreen. Ideally something that fits snuggly would be nice!

Incidentally, the Zalman NC-2000 is an excellent notebook cooler for the Envy 15. It's large enough that both intake vents on the bottom of the laptop are covered by the air outlet on the Zalman. Only caveat is you have to use the cooler back-to-front: I've propped mine up (to make it level) with two bits of foam stuck on with double-sided tape. It does an incredible job: idle temperatures around 30-35, running an overnight rendering job cpu temp peaks at 73. Normal intensive use is now 45-50 instead of 55-60 max temp.

 

One update, altough the CPU downclocks on battery, still all cores including the virtual cores work. So i5 520 gets 42 secs on battery which is far better than any netbook CPU out there. It is par with P7xx series basically. Yes, it is not very powerful but it is not sooooo bad.

Also this CPU pulls about 19 secs plugged in.

 

Do you think this will fit?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11038047

 

Update to this... found a MUCH cheaper cable at Amazon, just badly labled. If you look at the pics, you can tell it's the right cable.

 

Sorry I meant a case that fits tightly around the laptop. I'll then put the case in my shoulder bag, or a back-pack, so I'm not looking for a laptop carry bag.

The problem with most 15 inch cases is they aren't wide enough, and they have too much length meaning there's a big floppy gap.

 

Do you mean sleeve?

 

YEH that's exactly what I mean. lol ...

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...rds=15.6+laptop+sleeve&x=0&y=0&sprefix=15.6"+

Amazon is your friend

 

I know what you mean. I've been looking for one too. It's hard to find one with the envy dimensions. I was hoping the one incase makes for MBP15 would work, but it doesn't, the Envy is actually wider than the MBP15.

For now I am just putting it in the "cloth" that comes with it before throwing it in my backpack

 

A word of advice - make sure you get something well-padded for your Envy. I had mine in my backpack, which slipped off my arm and fell about a foot onto carpeted floor. I didn't think much of it, but when I got to work and got the computer out, I found that a corner of the case had chipped off, right above the power socket ! The magnesium case may be nice and light, but it sure is brittle!

 

Reading posts is your friend

Finding 15.6 cases is easy. Finding one with Envy dimensions (As above poster stated) is much harder.

 

Try the 16" sleeve from HP yet?

Seems it would fit just fine....

 

I was thinking about using my $50 coupon on it....

 

That's what I did

Now I just need, you know, a LAPTOP to put in it. lol

 

So while waiting for my Envy 15 like everyone else here, I just went and ordered a Lenovo T410... i7-620m, 4GB RAM, 9-cell battery + slice (~22 hours total estimate), WiMax, Fingerprint reader, mobile broadband and... intel HD graphics for $1350 after tax due to educational discount and 10% coupon.

Obviously that video card isn't going to be anywhere close to the 5830, but the battery life and non-gimped performance on it make up for that and i always have my desktop for gaming. And this experience with HP has frankly just been painfully annoying (the switchable graphics situation, USB 3.0 situation, throttling, delays, charging of card before shipment, etc). Hopefully, returning isn't too hard for them.

 

My concern is that it was designed for the larger DV series laptops and that it wouldn't fit it very snugly.

Let me know how it fits tomorrow.

 

It seems like it will fit snug enough, but I'll let you know tomorrow

 

It's snug with the slice on, slightly unsnug without it. All in all, a pretty good fit.

 

Thanks for the info, larsv

Glad I bought it then....

 

Guess this one will do the job. http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=482703
"Fits laptops up to 38 x 27.5 x 4.5 cm"
this is readily available in the UK. Suppose it is equally easy to find in the US.

 

38.0 cm (L) x 24.4 cm (W) x 2.65 cm (H)

It's too wide. Most laptop cases are still made for 16:10 I think.

 

2 Questions:

1) Do you guys know if a signature is mandatory upon FedEx delivery? Tracking says "Indirect Signature Required" meaning someone has to be there to sign for the package when it arrives even if it's a neighbor (or you can leave a door tag authorizing dropoff without signature) but I feel like FedEx and UPS always leave packages at our doorstep without a signature. Is this a specific requirement for the Envy shipment, or is it just a general statement they put on all tracking numbers? Wouldn't be a big deal for me to print out a door tag but this is being delivered to a relative's house and I'd rather not inconvenience them any further

2) Might be a silly question, but if outputting to a 1920 x 1200 display, can the Envy simultaneously display native resolution on both the Envy's screen (1080p) and my external monitor (1200p) or can it just do one at a time when the resolutions do not match?

 

yes I am looking at the w510 but I have decided that I want a 17" screen instead. so I think I may just have to wait it out... As pointed out many times in this thread there are really no competitors to this laptop. so far sony's F11 is close but it too has the gimped on battery configuration. I have asked in a few of the lenovo forums to see if the 410 and 510 are gimped but no answer yet. otherwise the w510 may fit all but the asthetic needs in a laptop. (4dimms, 1080 display, decent video card, quad core i7, usb 3.0, esata/usb, hdmi). of course it looks like a thinkpad and that is the biggest downfall.

 

1
fed ex and ups alwasy drop of my stuff from amazon and newegg. however hp requires a signature and that was the case before.

2
yes you can have two different resolutions and you are within the limits of the video cards ram to run both of those resolutions.

 

What's wrong with thinkpad looking?

 

I agree they aren't the prettiest notebooks out there, especially compared to the Envy but they ain't bad.

Looked into the W510, just a bit too expensive when configured close to the Envy I ordered (FullHD screen, 4GB RAM, etc.) so I just decided to go ahead and settle for the T410.

 

Depends on what you are trying to do. If you are trying to copy one display to the next, no you cannot. One of the displays aka the 1920x1200 will be downgraded and displayed as 1920x1080 only. You can select to extend your primary monitor which makes it so you can keep both monitors at their native resolutions. When you extend the desktop both monitors act separately. You just need to drag a window or something to the other monitor to see it on the screen.

 

I tried both a Targus and Kensington slim ( K38030US) adapter (both 90W/4.74A) on my gen 1 Envy and neither was recognized, though the 90W/4.74A HP adapter works fine, so it seems that the pin is required. I was pretty disappointed because I really like the portability of my Kensington.

 

Thanks for the quick response! I'll look into getting them to print a door tag for the delivery.