*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

I can configure one with the 5830 and i7 CPU... on my screen you have to select the option to choose the 5830 for i7 or i5. But yeah, I cannot configure an i5 with anything more than 4GB RAM. Really nice to see that there are a lot more choices for the Envy 15 now!

 

The Nvidia 300 series are just re-branded 200 series, which are re-branded 100 series. Getting an NVIDIA card right now would be a big mistake in my opinion.

 

@ xvivecuervox

You sure about the hard drive configuration in your signiture? I got excited thinking my 2.5" 500GB hard drive could soon be accompanied by a 1.8" SSD, but the order page does not show this.

 

I hear you loud and clear. It is strange because if you go with the higher power i7, you get to keep the 4 dimms. I would think that the higher power i7 along with the respective cooling system would bring the system from 4 to 2 dimms and not the other way around.

So basically if you decide on the i5's your're getting swindled on 2 dimms of Ram. Where if you get the i7 you have the full 4.

 

The i5 requires a different motherboard with the PM55 chipset, which I believe doesn't support 4 dimms. I really think 4 dimms is an overkill, but thats just me.

 

Just got off phone with HP ENVY support. Here is a synopsis of the answers I got regarding the new options:

1) The i5 (either version) will only support a max of 4GB memory. The i5 option uses a new motherboard which has only 2 DIMM slots. That is why you can't choose anything other than 2GB x 2. The reason is the i5 has a TPD of 35 Watts vs. 45 for the i7, this 35W also has to power the built in graphics on the chipset which the i7 doesn't have, thus 2GB x 2 dimm Max.

2) FSB and memory speed are 1066Mhz for i5 models. Still 1333Mhz on i7's.

3) The i5 graphics are switchable 'on the fly' via right click option

4) Preliminary battery life tests for i5 'rumored' to be 3 hours on 6 cell, still testing and no details on what was on when testing.

5) Screen is the same (no E2E) with the new option of non-glare version, the bezel is still the same crappy gloss plastic on all.

6) They had no info on the USB 3.0 outputs, could not confirm if it would be included on new units (i7 or i5).

7) They confirmed for me that the 5830 will support 2560 x 1600 resolution external monitor using an aftermarket HDMI to Dual Port DVI adapter.

In addition they finally acknowledged to me that there is a problem with the idle state on the i7 720 which does not allow all cores to go into low power state when not needed (thus the 15.34 Watt at idle power usage seen in CPUID HW). They are working with Intel on a resolution to this and when (if) they resolve it we will be provided with the 'fix' which will most likely be a new BIOS update or possibly a CPU firmware change.

So now I am still undecided on which way to go with my replacement which they authorized.

Any thoughts on real world performance hit for i5-540M w/4GB @ 1066 vs. i7-720QM w/8GB @ 1333 ? Does the higher core and turbo speed of the i5 help make up for the loss of 2 cores and 3 MB of cache ?

 

Thanx for the info JJB. I really don't think you will notice any significant difference from going i7-720QM to i5. It's good to have 2 extra cores to rely on but the 500$ extra, the missing switchable graphics, and the battery kill don't do the quad option justice. But that's just me. Apply some logic and you get your answer

I don't think there is any difference in max memory between the quad i7 and the i5. 4GB is definitely not the limit of PM55; 16GB is more of a better estimate.

 

Given this info, shall we safely assume improvement (significant... even?) on battery life and temperature in the future ?

 

Re-read my edited explination above regarding TPD. Tech support double checked for me -- the max support for the i5 is 4GB, that is it. You cannot even put in 2 x 4GB modules, there is not enough power available to support it. Remember the i5 is a 32nm process and can't provide the same current as the 40nm i7.

 

If the max is 4GB than that will be a deal breaker for me. The TDP has nothing to do with the maximum memory supported. The chipset predetermines the maximum amount of ram. Now, if they hard coded the mobo to support 4GB that is different story.

Intel specs the i5 for a maximum of 8GB but it's down to the motherboard.
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47341

 

Hey guys, I just got off the phone with HP Tech support, and the agent said that, contrary to what JJB said, the Envy 15 has no support for switchable graphics.

I was also told that USB 3.0 ports are not implemented as of right now and they didn't have any announcements to make about the implementation.

Can someone else call and confirm this information again?

 

Anyone have info on the Envy 17"? I want E2E and dual 2.5" HDD's.

 

Sure he was talking about the i5 version? Just having come out today, the C2D, and i7 wouldn't have switchable graphics, but the i5 certainly could. That would be a real disappointment and lost opportunity if true.

 

Yahoo News and the sales rep I spoke with say otherwise. This is new as of today mind you. Here is the link if you're interested http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100106/tc_pcworld/hpputsusb30portsinnewlaptops

 

The balls you need more than 4GB for?

 

Yea, I specifically asked about the i5 version. Hopefully it's there.

I dunno, the sales rep I talked to said it wasn't there. I hope my rep is wrong

 

Sales rep is on crack.

The Intel HD graphics are built-in to the CPU. It has switchable graphics...there is no way it doesn't. And let's assume it doesn't, a simple software "crack" would enable it.

 

Well I stand corrected regarding TPD and memory.

But I did dig deeper into Intel's actual tech data and found that the max memory support for the i5 is 2GB per DIMM not 4GB per DIMM as in the i7.

The max of 4GB ram with the i5 option is correct because HP has screwed up again by removing 2 slots on the i5 motherboard.

 

Hmm this is really disappointing, but I guess it's a good way for them to push the i7 as the higher end model. I'm still seeing the option to go up to 16 gigs when I select the i5. Will HP just adjust the order once it's submitted?

 

If you try to select the option, it will say it's not compatible

 

Try selecting above the 4GB option.

 

I agree with an earlier poster, more than 4GB is not necessary for the vast majority of users. Sure there are some that will need it, and for those they would probably benefit from having the quad core anyway and are likely to be less price sensitive.

Personally as soon as it's confirmed that this definitely has switchable graphics on, it's a done deal for me. Hope HP doesn't make the UK a poor cousin again and cripple our systems as they've done with the original HP Envy 15. Otherwise I might end up buying through a US contact and just pay the customs fees.

USB 3.0 - sure that would be nice. I've lived without it though for this long. I use USB ports for mice and, erm well that's about it. Wireless networks are plenty fast enough for transfer of large chunks of data for me.

The only tiny thing that still annoys me about this machine is the placement of the ports.......doesn't look like they've wised up and moved them to the left hand side - slightly annoying for the display cable which I nearly always have connected when at a desk.

 

I'm looking to buy an additional power adapter for my Envy 15. I note that the HP website lists the "slim adapter" among the compatible adapters for the Envy 15.

Has anyone here tried it?

 

Does anyone think there would possibly be a 5830 upgrade path for existing owners if they want to down the track?

Looking at the service guide ( http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01911053.pdf) I can see that the video heatsink assembly is removeable... but is the graphics card replaceable or attached to the motherboard?

Haven't seen any benchmarks yet, but I am assuming the 5830 has a bit more grunt so could be a nice upgrade as a spare part further down the line for those users (myself included).

Anyone opened up the Envy 15 and seen?

 

Ok guys. Just pulled the trigger and CANT believe I bought an HP system. Serisouly, I have always hated on HP but couldn't resist i5 and 5830 for $1350

Anyway, is the $100 ultra brightview display have a higher nit rating than the $75 brightview?

I got the $100 one and was wondering the difference as HP's website doesn't say much.....

 

The stated maximum supported 4GB of RAM on the i5 Envy 15 seems to be false information. Look at the XPS 16, which is configurable with the i5 and you can select 8GB without a problem. Due to physical limitations the maximum SO-DIMM DDR3 chips are 4GB on a single module, and thus the 8GB maximum right now. With a 64Bit processor the maximum addressable memory is 2^64 which is 16 EXAbytes, but who knows what the maximum supported RAM is on the PM55 chipset.

Edit: The dv4i which uses the i5 520m has 8GB option as well ( Link). So having only 4GB of maximum RAM supported on the top of the line HP Envy is absurd.

 

Try looking at right angle HDMI adapters, I've seen one that is low profile and changes the output to a verticle orientation so the cable would go directly back from the connector on the computer.

As for more the 4GB ram, I often batch processs multple image files (1GB+ total size) in photoshop CS4, on the i7 envy I dedicate 6GB of my 8GB ram to CS4 and it uses it all for the duration (up to 30 minutes). While it is very fast I have noticed that it primarily is maxing out only 2 cores of the i7 720qm. I am wondering how much of a performance drop I would see with the i5 540 and 4GB @ 1066Mhz ?

 

The Ultra brightview is the 1080 res vs. 768 for the cheap one

 

Well, is that the only difference?

I mean, I knew that the res was 1080p (that's why I orderd it )

Why would the anti-glare be $75 and the ultra brightview be $100?

 

dang it, do i want an M11x 3 months from now or an envy 15 now?

 

M11x has nothing on the Envy 15 performance wise, and anything but portability wise.

 

Well, whoever picks up one of the i5 Envys could try it out with a 4GB stick to see whether it really works or not. I've always found sales people to be a little lacking when it comes to any deviation from what's already printed.

 

Nooooooooooooooooo yesterday I just got HP to agree to send out a replacement Envy 15 for mine because it gets so damn hot, i love everything else about it though (but the bottom acting as one huge heat sink scares me).

They said it will take 2 weeks before they call me and then arrange a replacement to be sent to me dependent on the stock they have. I hope i get the new one

 

Anyone see any drivers for the 5830 on HP's site?

I see the 4830....

 

Well after some 'aggresive negotiation' HP has agreed to let me to exchange my envy to the new graphics card version. In order to do this I essentially had to buy a new one and return the old one due to 'technical issues' (I had an open trouble ticket #). Do to the new lower pricing I am getting the same version except with the 5830 and an upgrade to Dual 160GB SSD's, all for about the same price I paid originally.

Almost went with the i5 540m but they finally confirmed that 4GB ram is the max the new motherboard will support, they say this is by choice in order to sell the better and more expensive i7 option. I read this as a marketing error and predict it will be reconfigured for 8GB as soon as they see all the competition offering it on new models.

So all in all I am happy with the result even though it was a pain in the a** to get it done. Now I just can't wait to get rid of all the bloatware again! but it should go quicker with the SSD's

 

why was it difficult? is it more than 21 days since you bought your original machine? Are they allowing you to keep your machine until you get the new one?

 

my envy is all boxed up and is being sent back tomorrow. i don't know if I will rebuy an i5 variety or wait. i really want to see some reviews on the i5 and to make sure it has hybrid graphics and much improved battery performance. also would prefer that e2e was used, but it seems to be a dead issue. i might see what comes out when it comes to CES and see if anything catches my eye.

 

I'll bet that the Envy will work fine with 8GB's of RAM.

 

I already had an identical replacement ordered and due to ship next week (based on the 'trouble ticket'). That order was placed on the 30th, based on the assurance from HP that no new options were coming at CES.

The hassle was convincing them to take the new order and cancel the open one without billing me again and waiting for the credit on the other order as well as honoring a $200 dollar credit from my initial order.

This computer can be returned when I want but I won't get credit until it's recieved by Fedex. In other words I placed a new order and HP has my money for 2 envy's right now.

Regarding graphics on the 5830 with i5's -- tech support verified that it is switchable via 'right click' option on thier demo machine.

 

I cannot believe that HP would just leave the integrated GPU in the i5 and not use it.

That would be a huge waste, really.

 

Maybe the switching isn't completely stable/reliable so they (either Intel or HP) is holding off since they do not know how long it's going to take them to get it working.


As for the Dell having 8GB of RAM on the i5. They could be causing the system to throttle back when the power demands start to spike (aka, gaming, etc). Remember, they are also the idiots who shipped out a PSU that cannot fully support the XPS 16 with the ATI 4670 and the i7 during demanding power needs.

 

5830 Specifications From AMD

This should provide a substantial boost to the graphical prowess of the Envy 15 at lower resolutions. However, at higher resolutions the card will really become hindered by its memory.

 

i'll wait on the envy 15 i5 until some of you get to play with it. curious about battery life with this version... might be worth picking up. stuck with my vaio p until i find the right laptop.

 

Well that would imply that HP is going crazy because they do offer 8GB of RAM for the dv4i which is an i5 system.

 

lol, possible. But the dv4i is using a ATI 4550 graphics card. I don't know the power consumption, but it could the 4550 is brand new and probably consumes less power in order to make it all actually work.

 

HP don't have Envy 15's in stock to replace mine so I have asked for a refund.
The new i5's seem interesting but I think I'll wait to see if the screen issue has been sorted.

 

Yup, I did say that some people would benefit from having more than 4GB of RAM, but then those same people would probably also benefit from having the i7 rather than the i5 - and therefore the memory issue is not prevalent.

As always, it's a trade off. Ideally you be able to have more than 4GB on this platform. I mean for example me as a SQL coder, I'd benefit from having the i7 version with more RAM (4GB is never enough when you're talking about hundreds of millions of rows in a table with over 100 tables and then running complex views and deduplication scripts), and I wouldn't mind that in terms of work. I can see how our graphics department might want the i5 but with more than 4GB of RAM though - they tend to take their machines to meetings more often to present their designs - at which point battery life, heat and noise start to become an issue and this would be why they'd prefer the i5. This machine is clearly not suited to everyone, but it's still a nice machine that will be good for a great number of people.

Thanks for the tip about the right angled connectors though - I'll look into one of those.

 

Hi all

Ive tested the heat issue on my Envy 15. In gaming the cpu runs up to around 75 dgcel. When doing prime95 it hit 90 after some time. Is that too much and should i contact HP about it? Im running the newest bios f.07.

hope someone knows something about it ;-)

 

My 15 gets around that hot playing Dragon Age Origins. I called HP and after they knew i had f.07 installed they agreed to arrange a replacement for me (envy was bought for me on the 24/12/09).

They said id get something in the mail in 2 or 3 business days and then about 2 weeks later HP would call me to issue an exact or equal value replacement (im hoping i get the new version with the 5830 as that will hopefully run cooler).

 

Ive contacted HP support (im in denmark) and waiting on a response on this heat issue. I bought mine 10/12-09 so im anxious to hear what they say.