*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

PART 1: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427278

WARNING: Could be a little heavy to load

Hi there fellow owners and prospective owners! Welcome to the HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge!

Feel free to join the discussion and post. And remember, you make the thread, I simply keep it organized up front. Send me a Private Message (PM) if you want me to add something in particular


What are the informations we can collect here, basically:

1. First Impressions
2. Reviews
3. Pictures
4. Benchmarks
5. Screenshots
6. Information

Basically to sum up all we have on this to help buyers make the decision or not.

I will constantly update the first posts with info provided by users and links you send me.



UPDATE 01/12/2009:
BIOS UPDATE F.06 to be found here:
HP Official Website



UPDATE 17/12/2009
New BIOS update to F.07
BIOS F/07 Info
BIOS F.07 direct download



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UPDATE 24/11/2009
OFFICIAL statement from the HP ENVY Team over at TheBench.com about the Horizontal Lines:

"Just to let you know - we take everything posted here pretty seriously. FredFrenzy and I take back what's posted here, back to the product and systems team and dig for answers. So thank you for taking the time to post.

There is a BIOS update due out this week F.06 - and the team has said that should fix the issue. However this is not verified - so I don't want to get people's hopes up prematurely.

Also I do know that a system returned for this issue was sent back to the systems team for investigation."

Thanks to lugnut for this info






For now, if you are looking for the standard Envy 15 go here.

So, any thoughts, comments, topic-related with the Envy 15, feel free to post it here. And welcome to the NBR Forums for the newcomers!



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UPDATE: 11/11/09
The Envy 15 is now shipping with dual 1.8" drives.

Choices:
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
410GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (SSD 160GB + 250GB 5400RPM)
320GB Dual Solid State Drive Flash Modules (SSD 160GB + SSD 160GB)

Source from: HPDirect.



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Internal Components and distribution of parts inside the Envy 15

​

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Matte vs. Glossy Screen
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Handy Tools and Accessories
Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor is a simple display utility which operates within the built in OS feature of Windows Sidebar to show increase in the processor frequency when applications request more performance.

HP HDMI to VGA Adapter Converts the HDMI output port on your ENVY to an analog VGA input with the HP HDMI to VGA Conversion Adapter. It supports full-size high-definition resolution of 720p or 1080p.



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Useful Tools to Benchmark your laptop:
Post your results here if you want, or better yet, post them and send me a copy of them so I can upload them here if you want.
CPU Z for CPU information
GPU Z for GPU information
HWMonitor for temps information
Futuremark for overall benchmarks
PC Mark Vantage gives results on the system, but offers better results on Vista.
PC Mark 05 more benchmark tools
HDTune for the HDD is a good way to measure its performance
3DMark Vantage for 3D GPU performance
Core Temp for checking your CPU temps
RMClock to be in control of you CPU
Battery Eater to test and know the maximum and minimum battery runtime.



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Useful Links
Envy 15 Dual HDD Answer by wlcheng
HP Software and Drivers Downloads
HP Accessories
Envy 15 Support
Latest Drivers: HP Envy 15 by justinkw1
Vista and Windows 7 Self Diagnostics by DetlevCM
Did HP fail you?
HP Optimization Guide by v3loc1ty2.0
Manual of the Envy 15 (PDF)
New Synaptics Drivers:
Running Linux on HP Envy 15 by HP Forum

 

New Envy 15 lounge - enjoy. The old one ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427278) was getting too large for our forum server to handle.

 

quick one, where can I find the Windows key?

I didn't see any documentation or stickers that have it.

 

Hey,let's distinguish both i5 and i7 threads from now on. This thread is only for i7

 

^^;; Wow, I wonder how many other owner forums have part deux counterparts =P

On a side note, can the Envy 15 run ME2 with all eye candy on? =D

 

that hurts.

 

It should be under the 6 cell battery.

 

Check out the Alienware section.

Lots of part 2 and 3's for those threads

 

Thanks Chaz. Indeed the other one was kinda big already.

 

Nooooooooo!!! I've read every page of almost 800, and I miss the troll/flamewar?

I deserve some entertainment for my persistence!

 

Yeah, those kids! They can be such chatterboxes! My two 14-year-olds just can text and chat all day and night!

 

I felt like I am in the men club, instead of the kids playground (AW, ASUS, no pun intended) with lancorp's post...hahahaha

I am thinking on going for 2 more GB of RAM and have 8...^_^ should I?

 

I have had a envy since the early days and now i have two... I also have an mbp15, and a lenovo t500.

So first let me say when i first got my envy I was super excited however I started to see some very big problems about two weeks after owning it. First and formost were the fact that the slice would cause me to crash when I moved my envy from side to side and a solid surface. the other big problem for me is the fact that my envy had horizontal lines that really poped out at me when using lightroom (i think becasue of all the gray used in lightroom). The trackpad had some big problems was always causing my curser to move while typing, and I had problems with the camera.

I can say with confidence that all of those problems were fixed on my envy2. in fact many of the problems were fixable on my first envy and now that I have the new one I will be working harder to get the older one fully fixed before I sell it or give it to a relative.

the only issue I see now is the batter cripples the processor just as it does on the Sony laptops. (the sony was really the only other laptop I wanted to get). and I will also concede there is a problem with the sata controller but that could also be due to the chipset and may not be HP's fault. more details are needed.

OK so to recap... for everyone that is STILL upset about the envy,

slice problem.... fixed.
WebCamera.......fixed.
Trackpad...........fixed.
horizontallines...fixed.


I would say they made a huge stride in fixing problems in less than 3 months. I have also been reading the other laptop threads and guess what almost all of them have problems. many of them are still having all of the issues from day one.

for the record I will keep this envy until a photoshop laptop comes out with an ips screen i am betting it will be an (in my opionion) "ugly" lenovo but i could be suprised.. until then I am going to keep and use this envy.

 

I wouldn't know about ME2, since I am playing Fallout 3 instead...

Seriously, run memtest86 from inside windows as opposed to the BIOS version. Apparently it is more stressful than the dos based memtest for some reason. It caught my bad memroy in my desktop in about 2 or 3 minutes. Run it for an hour or so, or until it errors out.

 

Can anyone run Dirt 2 or Stalker: Call of Pripyat and post the settings and average FPS? I'd really like to see how the Mobility 5830 handles DX11 titles.

 

I would run it if I could, but I can't get into Windows.

I've been attempting to load Windows through a fresh install and the recovery CD, but neither is working.

With the fresh install, it will prompt me to reboot about halfway through installation, and the Recovery CD will BSOD about halfway through.

And BTW, while ME2 was running briefly, I had everything maxed out, AAx8, and it ran flawlessly. Pity it lasted 30 seconds.

 

@ninthparadigm:

I had similar issues when one of my ram modules was bad

Do you just have the base (4GB) ram?

Has anyone checked if that ram is installed in the easily accessed DIMMs or the ones inside the case?

If its easily accessed, you might want to try pulling one ram module out at a time and running, it should be pretty obvious which one is to blame

 

Anyone have benchmarks/temps for a system a non beats edition i5-540 to offer up yet??? Ive only seen Johnobts beats i5 520 #'s and would like to compare...

 

4gb, i5, 500gb

 

Ninthparadign, I really doubt your problems are software based as well.

I would call up HP immediately and let them know they gave you defective ram (everything you do in software are usually loaded in ram first before they ever reach permanent storage devices).

I would assume HP uses direct imaging to the hard drive so Windows was never actually installed to your particular laptop, this would explain why they didn't catch the problem during install and why you are experiencing difficulties.

Call them. =\

 

I ran AA on my desktop, but it didn't have AA at all. I even tried to force AA in CCC and it was still really jaggedy. Where did you specificy AA?

 

I did it in the Steam launcher where you can pick all of the graphics settings.

Like I said, i'd have around 30 seconds, and then it'd start hanging up. I'm not entirely sure if it was even enabled...

 

Mass Effect uses deferred lighting so anti-aliasing will not work correctly in most cases. I believe supersampling and multisampling+transparency AA will still work. Though it still doesn't work as well as other games.

 

Mine also came with dual G2s. I have the i7-820QM config. This was an exchange from a gen 1 Envy. My 4x2GB RAM got downgraded from 1333 to 1066MHz though.

 

SS/MSAA is going to be murder at 1080p. The thing is though, AA is just a band aid for low res screens. You raelly don't need AA when gaming at 1080p on a 15.6", although if you can get away with 2xAA, it will help.

 

I think I can see the difference between 4xAA and 2xAA when playing WoW at 1080p. 8xAA and 4xAA looks same to me though.

 

arg, I just got my envy yesterday and the W key just popped off and will not stay connected, despite that none of the prongs or tabs are broken. I'm on the phone with HP now and the CSR just said that the replacement has a build date of Feb 24th!

Sadface.

 

For some reason, The Sims 3 with any AA activated makes the game look terrible...

 

Sadface indeed. Why won't they ship you a new one while you play with the old one? It's they're fault shouldn't they man up?

 

Yes, it can. Perfectly smooth.

I ran Dirt 2's demo last night. It had 4x AA on at 1080p by default. It was only getting around 22 FPS. I took off the 4x AA and it jumped up to around 26-30, which was very smooth. I believe all other settings were set to ON or Very High.

Where did you turn AA on? I can't seem to find where you would turn it on at.

Having 2x/4x AA is still a noticable improvement even on a 15.6 screen, though it is harder to discern than when on a bigger screen. The thing is that I will be using my 25" 1080p monitor to game on quite a bit, so it'll be nice if I can enable AA here and there.

I agree with you. It becomes very difficult to tell the difference between 4x AA and 8x AA in most games.

 

Good point, I will ask when they take me off of hold. I ordered it using the $350 coupon so now they had to bring in a supervisor to authorize the price different of "$470", although I have no clue from where they are getting that number.

update: I can't keep the laptop until the new one is sent, despite what the first CSR said. All the supervisor could do was expedite the build date, i.e. push it up to around Feb 15th and give me two day shipping. Also, because of the aforementioned price difference, they are charging me $50 which will be refunded back to me after I get my replacement. ughhh.

As much as I have fallen in love with this computer over the past 24 hours, I am thinking of flat-out returning it. I really hope this does not happen to anyone else...

 

Quick question: Anyone know where the Corel apps installers are located? I don't see then in SwSetup and have been unable to locate a corel msi. Thanks.

 

Well yes, in WoW and ohter easy to run games, there is no harm in going up to 4x. In newer games, you are better off sacrificing AA in order to increase other settings.

 

In general, due to the low gpu memory bandwidth, it might be better to skip AA

 

My first Envy had 3 keys that did this. I think they cheapened up too much on the keys.

 

Hi, everyone! I found a way to clean install windows 7 on ENVY using a windows 7 DVD. Here is the method.

1.Using your flash drive or external HDD to backup up the SwSetup folder in C drive (as you are going to format C drive, SwSetup contain the important drivers)

2.Download my attach files and extract it to your root C drive

3.Boot from DVD drive and install windows 7. If "required CD/DVD drive device driver missing" shows up, browse the folder that you extracted attach files.

4.select the first driver. USB 3.0 controller balabalabala..

5.clean install your windows 7!

sorry for my bad English, hope this method can help.

 

does anyone know where to get the drivers for the new I7 based envy's ?

I don't see them on the site and I don't see any usable files on the three recovery disks i made.

thanks,

 

Great first post! welcome to the boards. too bad I already destroyed my raid setup...

 

Even though some of you guys stated youve recieved your new Envy 15 with i5's, I see that not one person has posted info on battery performance. I also see a ton of negativity around here lately. I understand that this is HP's first real attempt at something premium, and yes they did some things fantastic, and failed at others, but I believe they are getting somewhere with this model.

Im also very weary of so many problems with these new Envy's. Broken keys, crooked track pads, buzzing and whiring sounds, squeaky palm rests, massive bloatware. May I conclude that the refreshed Envy 15's have not solved any of the first batch production problems, and that HP still has a massive quality control problem?

Warranty firm SquareTrade has just released a research paper analyzing the failure rate for 30,000 laptops comparing brands and hardware categories and I see Squaretrade is also quoted by Engadget, Gizmodo, PC World, Computerworld, Electronista, and other leading tech websites.

http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf

I understand netbooks are sometimes lower quality, and that market pressure has possibly led to overlooking proper quality control in the design and manufacture of these machines but HP's Envy should be premium right?

I see the moderator has moved HP Envy 15 to this new forum. Probably a good idea with all the problems posted on the other one, as Im sure HP does not like all the negativity. I also see how fast the moderator deletes any comparisons to other Premium laptop brands. Is this a true forum or just pro advertisement for HP?

 

I just received my envy last night and have been busy setting it up for use. One thing I've noticed is when I extend my desktop onto my 24" LCD there are black bars on all four sides of the image. The very first time I extended it, this problem was not apparent and if I duplicate it also goes away. After a reboot though the black bars have persisted and I don't see any way to get rid of them. Anyone have any ideas?

I have the i5-540, dual SSD in RAID, matte FHD screen.

 

Check the first page, a video comparing the glossy and the matte screen. Thanks!

 

Check you Catalyst Control Center, under the "Desktops and Displays" you should have the option to modify it.

 

I posted this but didn't get an answer before the thread was moved. I got my Envy on Thursday and am having wireless issues. I have a 20 Mbps connection in my apartment, verified on desktop using speedtest.net. Prior to this computer I had just returned a dv6t quad edition that was getting 17 Mbps on wireless...which is good for being in the next room. My girlfriend's 5-year old Sony is also getting the same. This Envy is only getting 8 - 10 Mbps...in the same place...even with the desktop and all other wireless devices turned off. I've tried optimizing settings, reinstalling the wireless driver, and spending an hour and a half online with tech support. No change. Do I have a bad antenna or something? I thought this was supposed to be one of Intel's better wireless cards? I'm thinking of returning of exchanging, as this computer should not be slower than the other laptops...especially for the price. Any ideas on the problem?

 

Thanks for providing your input. I agree that this forum is only as valuable as its freedoms provide as long as we are all reasonable and polite. No matter how happy, or disappointed we are in our Envy's at times, there is great information to be found here. And just as important is the ability to be critical as sometimes the truth hurts because of products shortcomings, but this is where the greatest growth can appear, as a healthy dialogue is key to informative feedback for HP.

I enjoyed reading last night, as there were many types of people on the blog. There were challenges, education, and true help from the vast majority of persons using this blog last night, and I too feel that there is a slight bias in moderation. With all the censorship in other countries, I optimistically look for critical thinking, and that’s what diversity can do at times. I see Serg has provided much valuable input here, but his is the only post about the fruity brand that still exists on the other site today even though it appears to be in retaliation towards some of the users who were challenging the reasoning behind some of the Envy's design and engineering decisions made by HP.

 

I noticed the black bars at the top and bottom - probably because the notebook lcd resolution is 1920x1080 (1080p) and my 24" monitor is 1920x1200. Apparently the HDMI to VGA converter reports a max resolution of 1080p. Haven't found a solution yet.

 

About the moderation team. Is not that they are biased with HP, 'cause they aren't. There are HP mods, as Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, and all brands basically. What was deleted was the trolling, according to our lead moderator, Charles P. Jefferies. If some posts might have been left behind, it was not on purpose most likely.

About my post. My apologies if I post sometimes a little biased to HP. Don't get me wrong, I was anti-HP normally, but this laptop has been good to me, and I am very pleased with it. The thing is that all these MBP vs Envy wars, have gone far too long now, and most don't even take into consideration all variables. That being said, I will reserve my response on the topic if further discussion takes place.

Now, back to the threads topic.

Hello. Have you tried going into the power settings and selecting maximum performance for your wireless? I had it to a medium performance.

Go to the Control Panel>Hardware and Sound>Power Options>Edit Plan Settings>Change advanced power settings>Wireless Adapter Settings

And change it to maximum performance.

 

Thanks for replying. Yes I checked and it is on maximum performance already.

 

I have the same problem. My last envy had terrible wireless performance, and this 2nd gen does too. I've changed nothing to the OS/settings expect changed to High Performance mode and confirmed in the advanced settings that it is at maximum performance.

My other laptops get WAY better range and speed than this. Can't believe it's even the latest Intel wifi card. Should be better than everything else.

Maybe it's the case that's blocking some of the wifi waves?

Whatever it is, I get crap wireless performance. I can't even see networks that I do on my other laptops.

 

6300 is better than 6200.

 

You can get the 6300 for $24 via provantage.