*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

I have had both and the Envy wins by a mile.

I thought the same about the backlit keyboard, but it really isn't that big a deal.

 

okay... weird. just received an Email from HP in regard to my replacement Envy 15 i7 720QM 4GB 410gb HD (160 SSD + 250HDD).

Dear XXXXX,

Thank you for purchasing an HP notebook computer. We would like to inform you that the webcam option you had selected has unfortunately become unavailable. So we have upgraded your order to include both a webcam and finger print reader at no additional cost to you.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and feel free to contact 1-866-217-6014 if you require further assistance. Thank you again for selecting HP as your product of choice.

Sincerely,
Customer Service

I thought Envy 15 doesn't have a fingerprint option.....

 

why do you need a backlit keyboard? I am impressed with the envy I would get it again if I had to. I like the keyboard its a nice feel, its super fast and its portable. Battery life sucks on mine, but an hour is more than enough, its the only computer I own so it doubles as my desktop too.

 

i am about to install a clean version of windows on the machine. i have it on a usb flash drive but before I do I want to make sure I am doing this right.

it's asking which parition i want to instal to and I see 4...

1) partition 1: system
2) partition 2
3) Partition 3: Recovery
4) Partition 4: HP_Tools

I know I need to install to partition 2. Question when it I should format first right? This option to format is a quick format right? Because I have SSDs and full formats = BAD for the for the disks. Just want to make sure before I proceed.

 

Not sure what the heck that email is stating. It must have meant something else and someone hasn't changed it (there is no option for fp reader and I highly doubt the webcam is in short supply).

sounds like that email was meant for a system with a webcam only option and a webcam/fp reader option.

 

Woot I'm also getting a replacement with the 410gb SSD option.

I'm so stoked for the G2 SSD.

 

Its 320 gigs I think. But cool!

 

I like to surf the tubes with dimmed room lights, so it's helpful to have backlit keys.

 

Seems like the i7 has more bugs than the i5 cause my i7 keeps crashing, and my i5 doesn't.

 

Does anyone have the USB drivers for the new envy? I connected a keyboard, and mouse and the laptop froze instantly. I do not seem to have the drivers for the USB ports. =/

 

I'm thinking about exchanging my Envy due to the slow wireless issue I'm having, although I'm also looking at the Asus N series (which I'm told has USB 3.0) and the Dell Studio XPS 16 (which supposedly has almost twice the battery time according to people on that thread). If I decide to stay with the Envy, and just get it exchanged, what's the recommendation on the slice battery vs. an extra 6-cell. I have the slice and will only use it if I have to because of the weight and increase in thickness it brings. Would you keep it or go with a second 6-cell instead? What are the chances that HP will make available a longer-lasting battery for our laptop in the future?

 

the e-sata/usb port works but not the other two usb connections =/

 

I wouldn't buy the Dell XPS1645 until they fix the throttling issue.

 

I've had a backlit keyboard for a long time, it's not so bad without it. You don't even notice it. =P

 

So is basically everyone having the terrible wireless issues? Or is it basically the 2 or 3 people who have complained about it only?

 

Mines a gen 1 Envy 15 i7 720 and not having wireless issues.

 

Perfect wireless reception here.

 

Ive got 2 new envy i5 540m versions and wireless is blazing fast and bug free for me

 

Add me to the no wireless problems list.

 

Actually that's good to hear...more reason to exchange

 

So you guys are getting the same or even better reception then your previous laptops? I guess it must have been a defect or something.

 

I assume they have very good routers and are pretty close to the source. I've had three Envy's so far (two 2nd gen) and all of them get much less signal/speed than all of the other cheap laptops Ive tried. Including a Dell SXPS 16, and DV7-Quad.

 

how to check the problem? any software ?

 

The signal seems weak comparing to my old laptop.
The link speed fluctuates between 200-300Mbps even in same room. My old laptop always stays at 300Mbps. File copy speed seems about same and very stable. I copied a single 12Gb file without disconnect.

I am using linksys wrt320n at 5G.

 

Crappy wireless here too... Two problems:
- Weak signal
- Connection speed keeps jumping, leading to crappy thoughput (50-100 KB/sec)

I'm on the 5100 card.

 

Eek, this looks like a real problem.

 

I brought my Envy to class today, theater type seating, no problems with the internet at all.

 

Same specs, RGBLED? what makes the Envy stand out over the XPS for you? I'm on the fence.

thanks.

 

Best Buy model looks like an earlier rev? ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics

Still a good deal?

 

This is at moderate to weak signal. Other devices at the same location (Samsung X120 w latest Atheron N card, Nokia N900, Thinkpad T61 w 4965AGN, old Sony VAIO A190 from 2004) get much better throughput.

It might very well be a problem with the Intel driver, or maybe the default settings are not optimal for weak signals.

Note that current shipping CTO Envys seem to get Intel's newer 6200 card. But someone here complained about that one too.

 

Mines got the new Intel 6200 and I had the 5100, little to no difference on my range and speed issues.

 

I am sitting in direct line of site about 12ft away. I just zipped up some files on a network share and saw speeds drift between 28Mbps to 108Mbps staying within 40 - 65 Mbps most of the time.

I would not call that great... However that is perfectly acceptable to me since my old laptops were only 802.11g and I never saw more that 20Mbps from that.

 

Hi,

I have the 1st gen envy with 4830 radeon chip.

I am still using the HP supplied 8.632 drivers, i have tried getting others working using the 9.12 and 10.1 catalyst drivers without success.

I have seen the 8.681 drivers on Strags.com but do not know how to use them.

Can anyone supply instructions on how to update the video drivers without failure with any method as i know that the 8.632 drivers are not the best.

Regards

 

I have a question. I think I'm going to try out the Envy 15. I found one for sale with these specs:

15.6 inch screen (1920X1080)
6GB of RAM
Intel i7 1.60 GHz
500 GB 7200rpm hard drive
Included external SuperMulti DVD+- R/RW9 dual layer5 optical drive
Included HP Wireless Mouse
Included Extended Battery for 7 Hours battery life
Included HP 4.1 MegaPixel Camera
Windows 7 Home Premium
Very thin and light weight
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 with 1GB dedicated
Webcam
Built-in hard drive protection: if the PC is dropped, the drive automatically locks to guard against damage

What I would like to know is this a good deal for $1300. I had heard that these get hot. I will be doing video editing, Photoshop, surfing the internet, and playing the new Star Wars MMO when it is released. I'm trying to decide between the Envy and the new Vaio F. Thanks

 

For $1300, that's not a bad deal. I wouldn't pay a whole lot more for that though, considering it's a generation of hardware behind what the current CTO Envy's you can order from HP are.

 

Is the video card the only thing behind? Is the 4830 a good video card? Is it better than the nVidia 330m in the Vaio F? Thanks

 

The video card and the wireless card are a gen behind, and the 4830 is very much better than the 330m. The 4830 is near the 360m GTS in performance.

 

Hey guys I have been following these forums closely in the weeks since I ordered my Envy15 and I have heard many good and not-so-good things about it. Here are my impressions of my first 1/2 day with it and a few questions.

My config:
i5 540M
320GB HDD
matte 1920x1080
Included the DVD burner

When I looked at Intel's new processor lineup I was under the impression that the MAIN difference between the Corei5 and the Corei7 (dual core) was hyperthreading. Mostly that the i5 did NOT have it and the i7 DOES. However, to my astonishment when I installed my favorite processor and RAM monitoring desktop gadget yesterday it showed four independent processor cores (just like my Phenom II on my desktop). Sure enough when I went into the performance tab of Task Manager it shows 4 processor cores.
I'm not complaining but, huh?

Build quality seems very good - perhaps not quite as good as the unibody MACs but excellent for a PC.

This notebook barely gets warm under idle. (web browsing word processing etc...) The right palmwrest gets warm during normal use but I am almost curtain that is the Hard Drive's fault (those with SSDs is your palmwrest warm?) The left one is cool unless gaming then only slightly warm. It gets lukewarm on the bottom but I had no problem using it on my lap.

Touchpad is great - I have had a little trouble with it, but nothing some tweaking won't fix. (Anyone thought of forcing the MBP boot camp touchpad drivers on the Envy?)

Performance is awesome for a notebook

Battery life is OK. I may end up getting the slice in the future but for now it works.

My matte screen is amazing, perhaps I am used to HP's color profile coming from a dv6563cl but it looks great, very sharp and crisp and non gloss-y.

I may do some research and put a cooler running Western Digital hard drive in it later just because I'm a big WD fanboy )

Thanks for all you guys' impressions, and assistance. I may try one of those color profiles that was posted a few pages back just to see the difference.

Rob

 

my ssd's generate little to no heat at all. when i had my i7 with 500GB traditional HD, i remember it getting noticeably warm.

 

I'm the "complainer"...haha. Mine is a 6200. As I mentioned before though, I'm showing strong signal...just not the speed to back it up. My girlfriend's 5-year old Sony Vaio is a 802.11g card I believe (I know it isn't N) and she is getting 18/20 Mbps consistently. Even with a strong signal mine is only managing (8 - 10)/20 Mbps. That is why I've asked. I've checked the wired connection on it and that is fine. I've also adjusted every setting I can think of on both the card and the Linksys WRT320 router it is connected to...nothing works. Sounds like a defect...but someone may be right it could be a driver or design issue. I contacted Intel and they had nothing to say on the issue except to go back and talk to HP.

 

You were under the wrong impression The mobile chips are different than the desktop ones. The i5 is 2 physical cores with 4 threads (hyperthreading). The i7 (except for the 620) is 4 cores with 8 total threads. The i3 even has hyperthreading, just no turbo boost. No mystery The two extra "cores" you show are not the same performance as the two main cores... they are good enough to run many background tasks though which just increases the performance of the main cores because they don't have to context switch out of your high-demand apps.

 

Different hardware it won't work. I actually think the Envy drivers are better than MBP boot camp drivers.

 

Guys, I want to stream the ufc fight on Saturday to my big screen tv. Its an older dlp with no hdmi, but I do have an hdmi to dvi connector which should stream the image. My blose (bose) system does not have hdmi as well, but has optical in as well as digital in but I'm not sure the laptop will output the sound via the stereo jack. Does that stereo jack output digital or a stereo analogue? Anyone know? Anyone see any faults to my plan?

 

Can you order a quad core i7 model and teh switch out the processor to an i5? That way you get USB 3 and 4 DIMMs.

HP is so stupid for not having the same motherboard for both. If they had done so to add switchable graphics to the i5 version then at least it would be a justifiable difference, but here it seems that they are just going out of their way to make the i5 less desirable, even though on balance I think it is a better chip.

 

It is stereo analog, and make sure to go through the options to make sure that it is outputting sound from the headphone port and not through HDMI.

If you plan on hooking it up to your TV a lot, you can buy a box that converts HDMI to DVI and optical seperately.

 

Why would you do that, the i7 is the higher performing, more expensive processor. I m sure the NEC USB 3.0 controller card that it uses does not cost as much as that processor. The only reason I can see why switching to an i5 would be better in that instance is because you want to conserve 20-30 minutes more battery life (on the 6 cell) and maybe it gets less warm.

The i7 on the other hand has double the cores (4 not 2), double the cache (6mb L3 not 3mb L2), hyperthreading, supports a higher frequency bus (1333mhz not 1066)

 

i can confirm that the i5 definitely runs cooler than the i7.

that being said, if i bought another i7 i wouldn't consider putting an i5...

 

I was thinking the i7 620 dual core in there. Very fast, very cool running, and you can probably cover up the price difference by selling the quad core on ebay.

 

The i7-620m runs a lot hotter and uses more power than the i5-540m for very little real performance gain: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html

Remember, the i3, i5 and i7 all have hyperthreading. It's just that the i3 has no turbo boost, and the i5 has 2 cores instead of 4 like most of the i7's. And the benchmark and real-world differences between 1333 and 1066 is pretty much negligible, even on things like video transcoding.

 

Its not true its not negligible, have you tried to install pc 10600 kingston hyper x ram on all 4 sockets with cas latency of 7. My experience rating went from 7.0 to a 7.8 for memory. Just remember the type and brand of ram you use to install is also very important. I m also using the i7 820qm, if I had solid state drives, this thing would be taking off like a rocket ( a faster rocket )