*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

I love most of the envy, but the few parts I don't like really put the kaibosh on me purchasing one.

 

I don't care too much about E2E, but Dual SSD is a real deal breaker for me. Unavailability of 920XM is not good too. If they will provide dual SSD option in my custom config - then I am good.

 

Interesting wording... deal breaker means you'll instead buy what? There's not much out there to choose from if you want quad core and four dimm slots.

 

Buy from a company that doesn't use false advertising Lol.

 

Update for Ausies. - Still no word from my Harvey's store with regard to the delivery of the Envy's. I've been checking about three times a day with my purchasing manager. Grrrr. *fingers crossed* for today!

 

Hmm... Went to 2nd BestBuy, it's still frigging hot on the bottom left of the laptop. I wouldn't keep that on my lap, which almost defeats the purpose of it being so compact for a 15" system.

The 1HD bay change is disappointing. I was hoping to have 128GB SSD in bay 1 for OS/Office/Apps and 500GB HD for everything else in bay 2. I am also a bit surprised at the omission of the Express port. That should be a no-brainer in a notebook this size and especially without DVD burner.

 

unfortunately, its a choice between buying from a company that falsely advertises and gives us half of what we asked, or buying from another "more honest" company which just doesn't give us the specs we want (good CPU, GPU + 15" + light weight)

we seem to get totally different reports of this, some say its really cool, some say its really hot....can somebody do a actuly temperature reading? If they actually stock the bloody laptops in australia I'll bring a temperature sensor and just measure it

 

I see Officeworks has it up on their website for a really good price (although smaller RAM). Not sure if the price is correct as the product information page is currently broken.

 

it wasnt blazing hot...i hope i didnt leave that impression. But the fact that it was warm to touch while doing the same thing as all the other laptops in the store are doing is alarming to me. I tried it in three seperate bset buys and they all had warm palmrests. I think you have to accept that based on wut is inside this thing. Its the thinnest i7 out there and even the thick i7 laptops get hot. I can imagine that it will get quite toasty during gaming.

 

Elaborate please on what you dont like about it. I am interested in seeing why some arent choosing this laptop.

For me, its between the Envy 15, ASUS g51J or the Dell Studio XPS 16. The last 2, according to the NBR reviews, tend to get a bit hot so I am really hoping MobileTechReview.com Envy 15 review about the heat is accurate cause the Envy 15 will be the winner for me!

 

officeworks just lists the item but doesn't let you click for further info. The price is lower than the RRP given by HP which is great. DUn care bout the ram as I can upgrade later if i need but I hope they have the 1080 res version for less than 3000AUD given the US HP lists the higher res version for $1800

I'm choosing between the same 3 laptops, the Envy is winning purely because it offers similar computing power for less weight than the other 2 but am peeved that they are selling the model with the 1080 screen at such a high price (according to RRP in australia anyways)

 

I'm amazed that there isn't an HP 13 owners thread yet. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the 13 would garner more attention than the 15 does.

 

It's the processor and the GPU.. The 13 inch model isn't cheap enough in my opinion.

 

Possibly. I still think of the 2 it's the better option. But I know the gamers will say differently.

 

There are plently of other 13 inch C2D laptops. Its unique feature is a super bright screen. Its price point is high relative to decent alternatives.

As we have seen on the 15. Even if half of what HP promises is accurate it is top tier in many areas. There are alternatives, but i don't think any are as good in multiple areas like the 15 (we hope).

 

I also looked at those, plus the Alienware m15x. However:

- Dell Studio XPS 16: Not chosen because of glossy surfaces and the generally bad quality of the XPS series. I'm not happy with the GPU in this one either.
- ASUS g15J: Seems like a great machine, but I'm worried about the quality. The weight also troubles me.
- Alienware m15x: Terrible quality and way too heavy.

 

Has anyone confirmed the Best Buy units are the same as the custom order units? Wasn't sure what HP has said, i'm betting they are the same.

 

We'll find out for sure by the end of the week, since I should be getting mine on Friday.

 

Genryu,

Is yours estimated to ship on the 28th as well?

 

Yea it is, I was hoping for an earlier delivery but it looks like that won't happen.

 

There is basically no reason to buy the Envy 13 (besides the amazing screen), when a laptop exists called the Sony Vaio Z. Compare the specs and you will see that the Z is clearly the superior laptop.

 

Well, given the thickness, it definitely lacks the sexiness of E13.

 

HP ENVY 15-1015TX (VW507PA#ABG)

- Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor* (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
- Intel ® PM55
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4830 with 1024MB dedicated Graphics
- Internal speakers, Stereo
- 15.6" Diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
- 4096MB DDR3 (2 Dimm) Max supported = 16GB
- 500GB 7200RPM
- External SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- Intel® WiFi Link 5100 & Bluetooth™
- Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
- 2-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader* for Secure Digital cards & MultiMedia cards
- 3 USB 2.0 (3rd shared with eSATA port)
- eSATA Combo (eSATA + USB 2.0)
- HDMI
- RJ-45 / Ethernet
- Headphone-out/Microphone in combo jack
- Nightvision Webcam with IR LED for illumination
- AC Adaptor
- 6-cell Lithium-Ion Polymer (52.9Whr)

- Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium





HP ENVY 15-1021TX (VX313PA#ABG)

- Intel® Core™ i7-820QM Processor* (1.73GHz, 8MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
- Intel ® PM55
- ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4830 with 1024MB dedicated Graphics
- Internal speakers, Stereo
- 15.6" Diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
- 8192MB DDR3 (4 Dimm) Max supported = 16GB
- 500GB 7200RPM
- External SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- Intel® WiFi Link 5100 & Bluetooth™
- Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
- 2-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader* for Secure Digital cards & MultiMedia cards
- 3 USB 2.0 (3rd shared with eSATA port)
- eSATA Combo (eSATA + USB 2.0)
- HDMI
- RJ-45 / Ethernet
- Headphone-out/Microphone in combo jack
- Nightvision Webcam with IR LED for illumination
- AC Adaptor
- 6-cell Lithium-Ion Polymer (52.9Whr)

- Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium



These spec are for Australia and I ordered the 1021tx with the Full HD screen and was advised that it comes with the 9 cell battery slice. I don't know if the 1015tx comes with the battery slice or not.

Basically, go for the 1021tx if you can otherwise i don't think it's worth it with the 1015tx as the screen res is definately a no no for me.

 

where did you get these specs from???? I've been looking for that level of specs for ages!! Who told you that it comes with the battery slice??

 

I might be wrong on the 9 cell battery slice, forgot whether the sales person said it comes with it or it's an optional accessories... damn, gonna double check that. The spec above was emailed to me by a vendor when I inquired about purchasing the laptop.

 

what was the name of the vendor?
please check on the battery slice!

 

I have the Aussie specs and prices as emailed by a HP consultant. There is only mention of a 6 cell battery, no slice.

Basically HP are not offering any accessories or upgrades to these base models until some time in November. You can't even organise extended warranty till sometime in Nov.

 

I guess, but in my opinion the Z still has a cool and stylish design, even though the barrel hinge slightly annoys me. But whatever it lacks it designs, it definitely makes up in content. With an internal optical/blu-ray, vastly better port selection, similar graphics, more than ample battery life, if I were looking for a 13 inch in the price range of the E13, I would definitely buy the Z.

The Envy 13 can hardly justify its price.

 

Well, right now I am looking between XPS 16 and the HP. XPS is cheaper and similarly specced (better screen, little bit worse video, bigger, heavier), but Envy just did not quite deliver, IMO. Missing 2nd HD bay, hot bottom of the laptop, and no Express slot are a minus to me. I can live without the first, the other two suck.

Anyway, I'll grab couple utilities and a frigging thermometer and hopefully will get a temp reading next couple days in one of the BestBuy shops near me. Not sure what is heating up on the left side there, but those suckers that I saw at both BestBuys were almost scorching and not doing anything in particular.

 

The manual has a good layout of the internals.

Lower left corner is memory (2 slots), then the CPU (probably right under left palm rest). Has the dual fans, so should have good cooling.

Right corner is hard drive (can get warm, but shouldn't be hot).

GPU is probably under the enter key area. Should get warm and has its own single fan heat pipe cooling setup.

Shouldn't be any other hot spots as the only other major components are the southbridge (tiny heatsink on it) and WLAN card.

The mobiletechreview site said it didn't get hot, so could be something wrong with the BB display units or mobiletech didn't stress the system cooling enough. I thought they played games for a while on it, but maybe not.

 

yeah i think they should do a benchmark....

 

Hey back to the screens, whats the difference between the SVA and the WVA and which one is better? Also which ones do the BB models have?

 

hey mate,
did they say how long the wait is to receive one?

any one know of any coupons that we can use on the hp store, "like them dell deals that are always going on"

 

10-14 days, whether this is accurate is another story.

I have not found any coupons, it might be cheaper to wait till some of the resellers get stock as pricing would be better than RRP that HP is offering.

 

Hi,

Anyone knows where the mic jack is? I can only see the headphone jack.

 

Hi,

My Envy 15 is due to ship 11/3 and I'm really looking forward to it!

My question, and apologies if it's really basic or too off the subject:

I'd like to be able to easily use this laptop with typical projectors at various clients' offices. Don't those projectors often just use VGA, whereas the Envy 15 only has HDMI output? Assuming that, I tried to find some adapters from HDMI to VGA but perhaps that's not so easy because it's digital to analog so would require a more expensive converter. But then I found some references to using both of:

1) an HDMI (m) to DVI (f) adapter such as http://is.gd/4DNzT along with
2) a DVI (m) to VGA (f) adapter such as http://is.gd/4DNDR

Will that work reliably? Is there an easier way? Do those particular models seem acceptable? (I'd like to know it will work in most setups that I come across, but trying to buy this w/o any testing of them, of course.)

By the way, there's a nice full page ad in the current (November) issue of Fast Company magazine right on page 2.



As you can see, it shows the lid just partially open and facing away from the camera--very hush-hush. The product name is only found in the small print. I think it complements the product's design. (No cracks about this conveniently hiding the lack of E2E display, or sarcastic remarks that the lid won't actually open any wider!) And I can't vouch for the color/appearance in the image of the metal etching, but having seen it a few times in person I agree with those that feel it is sharp-looking and more understated than some pictures convey.

Thanks for the continued help in this forum,

Larry

 

how from australia you ordered? which seller? and what you paid for 1021tx version? I'm also keen to buy this laptop, I'm in brisbane.
wondering if one can buy from states as the exchange rate is pretty good, but do not know about customs and who will actually be interested to ship international.
why f***king things are so expensive in australia

 

I had this unit for a few hours now, and the only thing that i hate, is that the battery slice is easily disconnected... HP engineers really need to work out a solution for attaching the slice.

 

The headphone jack is a combo jack. It is both a headphone output as well as a mic input. My guess it will either automatically detect mic or headphone, or you can adjust it through the sound settings.

 

A hdmi cable only carries a digital signal.

dvi cables have extra analog pins built into the cable which carry an analog signal. Thats how the DVI to VGA adapters work, by feeding the analog data directly into the vga cable.

There is no actual "conversion" that happens within the cable, or those passive adapters.

Converting between HDMI and VGA isnt that trivial.

 

Care to explain more? How does it drop out?

Is there a way to secure it properly?

 

Damn. I forgot the questions asked...

Fragilexx, I was a tourist and they did tell me go that way and that it was right there, so there was me walking around entering every single place a see wondering about the HP. Anyways, got to see some Thinpads, and dang. They are "unappealing",!

About the laptop. Yes, i agree that the clickpad is a new thing, but I liked it pretty much. Consider it as a unpollished Mac one. With time it should get better (I hope/guess).

Forgot to mention that the lid is different color of the base (as the pics show) whether this is a concern for some, at least it didnt bother me.

Oh yeah, about the bend. My Dell does not bend at all the lid, but that is thick and big. The bending was small. Nowhere near the one you see on Sony Z's videos. It is something normal now, but the screen felt strong enough, and the flex was minimal. Either I did not press enough or there was ver little.
I agree the MBP feels stronger, and thinner, but for the price and hardware not for me.

And about the mixture of feelings on keyboard people is having, well, new layout. Not like the one I am used to, but not bad.

And again the laptop I tried was only lukerwarm on top, very comfortable, and underneath it was warm only after using it for a while.

 

Ouch, did not pay attention to the display ports. At work we are having quite a lot of projectors mounted in the ceiling and in walls, and all the drawn cables from them is VGA-only since there are a lot of laptops having only vga-ports.

So not having a analog video out capability is not an option for me sadly. I can't bring a ladder and a hdmi cable with me every time I'm holding a presentation.

So, does anybody know of any solution to this problem? Some kind of converter maybee? And i would prefer a solution that is mobile (small size and no requirement for a power adapter)

 

Hmm... For some reason I had it in my mind that the jack had stereo out + mono in (3 pins + gnd). But looking at the tables in the manual suggests you can either connect stereo headphones OR a stereo microphone. But not both? So talking in headset with the Envy is not going work?

EDIT: I guess one could use the jack for headphones and the two built-in microphones on the display for the input...

 

I thought HDMI->VGA wasn't going to work, but the Envy 15 service manual lists such an adapter as part #530607-001. And searching on hp.com actually finds such an adapter that you can buy for $52.25.

 

The best and most expensive way is to buy HP's adapter. I have no idea how they get it to work (and mind you if its the RGsB aka SOG aka Sync on green method, it will only work on RGsB capable projectors.) IMO check with HP how the adapter works. Allot of newer projectors work with RGsB so google that as well.

You may want to look into the Dell XPS 16 / Asus G51j too =/

 

yeah, you could do that. or, there are numerous headsets which connect via usb - provides audio and mic connectivity

 

I feel that one key question in regards to the current versions of the HP Envy 15 is if it will be possible to upgrade them to dual SSDs later on. The posted service manual and the review of a retail unit by mobiletechreview have told us that the current shipping version only features a single internal 2.5” drive bay. However, PCWelt’s pre-production sample featured two 1.8” drives (one Intel SSD and one Toshiba HDD).

I and others have speculated that the dual drive version will feature a drive bay with two stacked 1.8” drives that goes in the same place as the 2.5” drive bay. Dual drives of course will require dual SATA connectors so the question on my mind is if the dual SSD Envy 15 will feature another motherboard with an additional SATA connector or if all Envy 15 units (single as well as dual drive units) will share the same motherboard .

 

OK this one is a failing on HP's part IMO. It means now many many headsets are not going to work.

I guess we have to make do with USB headsets... A good one would be the beyerdynamic MMX300.

Windows 7 handles USB headsets much better now. In vista, every time you connect one, you have to restart the program which you want sound in for it to work (except for skype which auto-detects)

now, windows 7 auto detects it for you, so that is nice.

on the other hand, using a USB headset means bypassing the beats-audio soundcard's DAC.... design failure =/

 

Would you mind keeping us up to date in regards to the HP Envy 15 availability? I am getting tired of prowling the Harvy Norman store at Martins place every day and the staff is starting to look at me strangely .