*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

According to the service manual for the Envy 15 that i currently have, it has (2) USB 3.0 Ports:



Have any of you seen this as well?

Strange

 

I wonder if they will start reducing the price now Lenovo and other i5/i7 cores are being released.

 

is it true that you cannot tilt the screen more than 90 - 95 degrees back?
thanks

 

True. I wish it had more tilt, specially when I have it on the bed, I have to tilt the whole machine to see well.

 

I just checked....I have 3 - 2 GB SODIMM Other 1333 MHz ELPIDA. Is there a 4th open slot? If so, where.

Also it is interesting that I had to upgrade the Bios even though I received a customized laptop 4 days ago.

 

Hi everyone here on NBR,

I'm Christian and I bought the HP Envy Beats edition using Bing Cashback. It came with the beats headphones along with the accompanying external sound card and DJ software i need because I am a part time DJ. I got this laptop around a month ago after waiting for around a month or two. Upon getting the laptop, I was totally thrilled about everything, now I don't know if I could say the same. I bought the Beats edition with the processor upgrade to the 860QM, and I upped the RAM myself another 4 gigs and added a solid state drive as seen by ITeaBaddedUrMac. I would expect this machine to handle much better for the specs it has.Core i7 860QM and 10 gb RAM, 500 gb Spin + 160 Solid Raid 0.

The machine runs everything superbly no questions asked, but I grief about a problem with heat that worries me. On a desk the laptop is fine, but if I take it on my bed, it becomes dangerously hot. The webcam has a purplish tint and I have troubleshooted this several times. I used the color profile posted on the OP and updated all drivers, but still nothing changes. I did notice that upon the bios .06 to .07 update, the webcam started using its face-tracking technology, but unfortunately it does not work if you are African American as my friend had tested. (Look it up on youtube, it's quite horrible). So, to this day the Webcam has a purplish tint. In addition, I would deem it false advertising stating the web cam has night vision. By no means whatsoever does the camera see anything with the lights out unless if my face is lit by the screen. Another point of disappointment is the keyboard, the chiclet style keys are very nice and pleasant, but the hotkeys to the left are always in the way. When playing a game, or doing editing, I open up instances of MS CALC at least ten times. It is quite annoying, and the lack of backlighting on keys does not help. I do DJ gigs, and there already is hardly any lighting there in the first place, so backlit keys would be appreciated. So the three downers on this lappie are the keyboard, overheating, and webcam. I feel bad bashing this laptop, but when I made an investment into a powerful laptop such as this one, I expected much more.

Now for the good things. For anyone buying this laptop, this thing is certainly sexy, from the piano black finish to the matte palmrest and multitouch pad. Sexy is the best word to describe the aesthetics of this machine. It runs just as good as it looks except for those few issues. I run Traktor Pro and Virtual DJ for my gig without missing a heart beat, but I do enjoy my occasional game. Here is a list of games I maxed out settings with: 1.Age of Empires Complete Edition 2. Grand Theft Auto IV 3. Crysis Maximum Edition 4. Dragon Age 5. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. This goes to show you that this thing is a beast. The screen is great, and everything is sharp, but E2E would be nice. I am really satisfied with the touchbad and I never really had any problems with it. Overall this machine, is juiced, but I have those few complaints.

If I am unable to accommodate to them I may ebay my machine. Something new has sparked my interest, and I believe, ladies and gentlemen, we have the Envy's biggest contender. In one corner we have the HP Envy series boasting Beats audio by Dr. Dre, but in the other corner we had Asus with the new NX90JQ which is a laptop which in my honest opinion totally reinvents the wheel. It boasts audio by Bang & Olufsen. This laptop which will premier in CES 2010 in the next coming days has the i7 a huge 18.4 inch HD screen, turntable style tackpads. It even has a slot load blu ray player and USB 3.0. This laptop make me rethink my investment into the HP Envy. Oh and did I mention it had Nvidia m335 gt graphics. I was blown away when I first read about. Please comment on anything I have send, and sorry if it is all a bit unorganized.

 

Just found the following on a list of CES new products:

HP Envy 15 with DirectX 11 – HP will be updating the Envy 15 to support DirectX 11. The perfect laptop to play some DiRT 2 on!

That's all there was- maybe more details tomorrow when the show actually begins.

 

xvivecuervox,
While I didn't have the beats edition, I completely agree with you. I ended up returning my Envy 15 since it was still in the Jan 11th holiday return cut-off. The small faults that it had (webcam, horizontal lines, lack of linux support, touchpad, etc) were enough for me to return it. HP offered me $100 to keep it, or to exchange it, but I doubt a re-ship would fix anything. The biggest thing to me was the lack of linux support. As an Electrical Engineering student we use and code a lot of applications in linux, not being able to use it and having to rely on alternative measures wasn't acceptable.

JBB,
Thanks for posting that. Maybe the revision will fix all my gripes about the system. They're small flaws and easily fixed.

I loved the machines power and style. Hopefully it's like the first gen iphone and will be fixed later. With CES around the corner, I'll weigh my options and do a little more research before getting out my checkbook. For now I'll use my trust old Acer laptop.

 

Doesn't sound like a very small powerful notebook to me

Anyways, your complaints do not really sound terrible. The keys on the left can be reconfigured. Blocking the air intakes is bound to cause overheating. The backlit keyboard, well you walked into that one

The webcam does cause some problems. Try configuring it manually through the HP software. You can change the colorbalance to get rid of the smurf vision

As an aside, what do you use for lighting the keyboard when you're on the job ?

 

"ELPIDA" ??

There are 4 slots; 2 buried inside the case and 2 right in the battery compartment. The open slot should be visible without even removing cover plate.

 

The HP web site now offers the Envy 15 with Radeon 5830 graphics. So i guess our wishes have come true.
It is also now available with core i5 CPUs that probably will save battery life for those who does not need quad processors.
The low res screen previously only available in Europe is now also customizable in the US.
Finally the prices for the new low end options is lower making it more availabe for those on a budget.

 

Quite a nice update, ATI 5830, cheaper starting prices, and definitely one of my favorite new options - an anti-glare full HD LED screen option. I think this just might send me back to the envy 15 unless something else even more tempting is announced tomorrow.

Even the beats edition seems a lot easier to swallow once you realize there's $300 headphones thrown in there.

Does anyone know if the 5830 possibly support GDDR5 memory at all? If it does I know I'll be looking out to see whether HP is offering it with the envy 15.

 

Mine has 3x2GB ELPIDA 1333MHz as well. Custom config US model, shipped around 12/7.

 

Here is an interesting new offering from Sony. Just released at CES

 

Oops, sorry for the small image. Not sure how to get it full sized, but if you click it it open in a different window to view.

 

Today is a big day guys with another refresh. Serg Good Luck Updating the OP . Well I started the process of calling HP over the phone. I am telling them that I will keep that laptop if they switch out my webcam and graphics card. I will see how that goes and keep you all updated.

 

Wow. The new starting prices got me hooked...

But I have a question:

I read in one review that the laptop is very cool thanks to dedicated cooling for the CPU and the GPU and that due to this there isn't much space left in the chassis. Then I read another review that says it runs very hot...

Has HP changed their internal cooling? I ask this because if it comes with two hard drives, I would think there wouldn't be space for the cooling solutions... maybe the first iterations only were designed for one HD so they had better cooling while these are designed for two HDs so their cooling is sacrificed. If someone could shed some light on the temps/situation it would be great. Thanks.

 

The 18inch Asus will be more powerful than the envy, but he envy is powerful and portable. Having previously owned a 17 inch heavy weight, lightness has its own strengths especially if its not to replace ur desktop.

Agree about the heat. This thing runs hot.

 

Does anyone know if HP can perform 4830 to 5830 upgrades?

 

Alright I just got off the phone with HP guys. They are agreeing to replace the envy with one which has the DX11 compliant 5830 along with the USB 3.0 ports. I can say I am pretty satisfied, and I did ask the support specialist about nu D's heating questions. I don't know if the guy was feeding me bad information, but he did say the new refresh on Envy's have improved cooling and that the older ones dissipated heat to the chassis on purpose making the whole laptop a heat sync. That didn't make me feel too good. If this refres did not go through last night I would probably have just returned this machine for the asus. The Asus does come out next fall so that is almost a years wait. It is a 5 Kilo beast, so as someone466 points out, it will be a monster. The refresh with the 5830 and usb 3.0 could have come earlier, but I am happy that it cam when it did. I told the support specialist the issues I had and he said the webcam is a very common issue which is going to be fixed by an update in firmware. Heating as stated earlier, but he did say that he was unsure about backlighting on the keyboard. So my new Envy 15t Beats is set to ship on the 25th and I still get to keep the cashback, plus I get an extra 150 creddited back. Not too shabby HP. I am all smiles for now.

 

I asked that over the phone, and they said the best thing they can do is a replacement which is what I opted for. Ultimately if you can do this, it is the better choice. Since you are further future-proofing the laptop whereas it will be DX11 compliant, and have the USB 3.0 ports. Great Stuff, if you return it, and you want these upgrades. I noticed Envy's fetch a pretty penny on Ebay because they are in demand overseas, so if you post it with international shipping, you can surely get your money back. Hope this helps.

 

Was your Envy still under the 21-day return period? Mine is not so I'm wondering if HP will do the replacement for free.

 

He must have been...there is no way otherwise.

USB 3.0? Where'd you read/hear that?

 

I would call ASAP even if your Envy is not in the return period because it is still considered part of the holiday return period. They will most likely replace it. I bought my Envy on Thanksgiving November 26 and I received it on the 8th of December. So technically speaking, I am not in that period. Here's the number so you don't have to look for it: 888.999.4747

 

ELPIDA is what it stated in the HP "hardware info" software. May expand it to 8G down the line if that slot is open.

 

my launch laptop has been sent back for repair. i included detailed instructions as to the lines, and hope I get a tech with decent eye sight. if I get it back with the lines, my next call will be to HP Preferred account telling them they won't be receiving payment until this issue is resolved.

 

Thanks for the heads up....i just re-ordered my Envy and will return my original one in one week. USB 3.o and a better graphics card sounds great to me!

BTW -- My current Envy had the old Bios on it and it screwed up my iPhone...the new Bios is so much better. Though being a new laptop it would be current -- WRONG

Actually --- I have to call them BACK now....they screwed up the order....again. They gave me the wrong display (since there are 3 choices they could not figure out "Same screen as my previous order"). Very tiresome.

 

where is it stated that an envy ordered today will come with USB 3.0?

 

I returned and exchanged my Envy today for an updated one. Over the phone, the support specialist told me the new envy's will ship with the 5830 and USB 3.0 as a refresh. This refresh is in respect to CES 2010. I don't believe the website is totally update yet, because the refresh was posted last night. In lieu of this USB 3.0 I am deciding against getting an external blu-ray optical drive until they start coming out with USB 3.0 interface, the optical drives that is. If he told me USB 3.0 I am going to hold him up to it.

 

Was just checking out the refresh (lower price-point, yay!) and doing some research on the Core i5 CPU. Looks like one of the features of the i5 is a built-in Intel GPU ( http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei5/index.htm); so I'm wondering, will this new Envy 15 refresh allow switching between the integrated and discrete GPU's? I believe the Envy 13 already does this and allows for less power consumption and better battery life on the integrated GPU when you don't need the performance of the discrete.

 

Thanks for your posts about exchanges. I just submitted my exchange today for one I purchased on 11-25 so I can get the 5830/USB 3.0. Build date is Jan 26. No charge for exchange either. I told them about horizontal lines issue and slow SSD speed as a reason for exchange but it should still fall under Jan. 15 deadline for holiday returns. Hopefully SSD random read problem will actually be fixed with new hardware.

 

Just exchanged as well. I hope the heat improvements are real, but anti-glare screen and better graphics cards are enough. They'll let me keep the old one until the new arrives.

Speaking of which - does anyone know a good way to clone my HDD from my old envy to my new? I suppose I could physically switch them - is it easy? Does it void the warranty?

 

Anything you did to get this? On my previous exchange, they did not process the order until their system was able to track my shipment back to them. They told me I had to ship mine first.

 

I like the glossy screen....they actually screwed up my order and gave me anti-glare. I had to buy the computer again and return the old one by th 21st. I just went through 2 hours of hell opf having them release the original charge from my credit card. On top of that they asked for my Social Security number so they can speak to the credit card company.

If I didn't like the computer soooo much, I would have cancelled eveything.

Question - I was going to image my laptop, but being there will be new hardware, is it possible to place the new image on the new model?

The Customer service rep said it was USB 3.0, but I have very little faith in them.

 

They are charging me as a new order, and giving me an RMA for the old machine. So, I had to put the new order on my credit card, and will get credited back when I return the old.

 

That's what I am wondering as well. On the configuration page there is HD5830 for i5 and one for i7. So I am guessing that there will be switchable graphics, but don't quote me on that. I am really hoping for switchable graphics because that's the reason why I am still holding off from buying one, the crappy battery life. But i5 with switchable graphics will be a killer combo for great performance and battery life

 

i have called HP sales and was granted a full return for my laptop. So I will not be sending the machine in for repairs and just do a full return. Since my order wasn't charged until after november 1st, I fall into the extended return policy. Not sure if I will repurchase a machine or wait. Most likely will wait.

 

How did you manage to get the exchange and keep the old one until the new one arrives? I called HP support and raised the heat issue as well as some other problems I am having and the only solution they offered was to return it to factory config and send it in for repair. Is there a time limit for the holiday return. I purchased mine from Fry's in mid November.

 

mine was a CTO from hp.com. Orders charged after november 1st (mine was delayed from launch and charged Nov 10th) can return for a refund by Jan 15th. I am going to take the credit, and figure out what to do. Most likely will buy an ENVY when I am assured some of the issues are resolved.

 

Same with me, they would not ship a replacement until they received the old one so I had to charge a new order, but the build date is Jan 18 instead of 26. They said I would still get Bing CB from my original order.

 

wait you get to return it and keep the bing cashback? that's kind of awesome.

i am just doing a straight up return and I will rebuy when i feel ready.

 

I bought mine from the HP site so the return and exchange policy. Most likely, since you bought it from Fry's they're more reluctant to help you out sadly . I am sure if you try hard enough you can social engineer your way into getting the replacement. I am returning my current one while my new one is building. And then I send it it in(They provide a FedEx Shipping Label). Then while it is in the shipping system, they send out the new one granted its built.

 

that's kind of a better deal than they offered me, for me since i put this on an HP card they will just credit me the ~2000 dollars back. I am just straight up returning and rebuying at my leisure. i might wait until i am sure everything they promise is true. and I have to do research again on how to configure the machine. plus with CES2010, there might be some big announcements on machines.

 

As I mentioned earlier in this thread the Asus NX90 series parallels the Envy. Unfortunately, it will be a long wait(~Fall 2010). The thing will have probably no portability granted its 18.4 inch screen with a total laptop weight of 5 kilograms. It will have the 3.0 usb and a build in slot loa blu ray along with nvidia 335m graphics. This thing definitely blows the past Envy's out of the water, but with the 5830 coming in, the Envy can provide ample competition. The reason why I decided to stick with the Envy is that it has the portable form factor whereas I DJ and still go to college so its useful, its got power and now even more thanks to the HD 5830, and it has future proof tech like DX11 and USB 3.0. Yeah, a year down the road it'll be a tough match between these two powerhouses, but for the time being the Envy, for myself is the best possible choice. I have had issues as you can tell, but this refresh is quite promising. I will keep you updated when I get, and if I have the time, I will do a full review of the laptops performance with the new refresh.

 

the NX90 isn't comparable. it's not portable by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Plus, the 335m is slower than even the 4830, according tables at notebookcheck.net. I plan on buying an external Blu-ray player from other online sources, though the new one available from hp is pretty nice too. I also hear the NX90 is set to be $2500. There's a bit of a price/performance difference there.

I'm glad that these revisions are coming out. I may just buy another envy after the one I just returned.

 

i wonder if the revision will include the edge to edge glass that we were promised originally... i doubt it

 

Just looking at the new config at the US HP website... and it seems to me that there is a bit of a trade-off to getting that new 5830 graphics.

From what I can see, can only be ordered with i5 CPU (cannot be paired with i7), and you lose 2 RAM slots (can only have 2 DIMMs with the 5830). Anyone else notice the same?

To me, that indicates that it either puts out more heat that can't be paired with the hotter CPU.... or that it requires more internal space which would mean an upgrade path for existing Envy owners would not be feasible.

Thoughts?

 

I believe it is comparable in terms of specification. Besides portability, this thing is the closest any other company has come to matching the Envy. Let me explain:

Chasis Material: Both systems are made up of aluminum metal chasis

Graphics: Both systems now have DX11 compliant video cards, and top tier ones for that matter. The Envy now ships with the 5830 while the NX60 has the NVidia 335m.

Audio: Both systems have boutique designed audio. For the Asus NX90 it is Bang & Olufsen and for the Envy its Beats.

Input/Output: Both have trackpads and unique styles of input using synaptics. the NX90 has a regulat keyboard while the Envy has the chic-let style keyboard. These machines both have USB 3.0 and Blu-ray outfits.

Processing: These machines both have the higher power mobile core i7's available that be the 720QM or the 860QM.

Memory: These systems both have more than average RAM Dimms. The Envy has 4 slots while the NX90 has 2.

HDD/SDD: Both these systems have the option for RAID configuration with dual HDDs and offer combinations of HDDs and SDDs.

Screen: Yes the sizes differ, but they are both LED backlit full HD screens.

When form factor is taken out of the equation, one is left with almost the same guts. The price on the NX 60 is much higher, making me step back and it is not available yet, but in my opinion it is a better comparison to the Envy than the Alienware m15x. I hope this makes sense, I was just trying to explain how my mind works

 

Try again. I just paired an i7 with 16GB of memory and the 5830. Just make sure you choose the 5830 for i7.
Besides, there's no other GPU option. lol