*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

...the WEI rating is exactly useless for checking performance. Just take a look at some ACTUAL benchmarks:

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3589&p=8

Sure, the 1333 is faster. By about 1%. And that's well within the margin of error for measuring, so it's pretty much useless for anything you're actually going to do with your computer. I'm happy your WEI is higher than it used to be. In actuality, it does nothing for you.

 

Did you find out if the ram that came with our Envy was cas 9 or cas 7, because that also makes a difference. I remember running CPU-z after I got my Envy and remember it being a Micron chip and not samsung.

I know you said the windows experience index is not important but I remember a few people who bought the i5 post scores of 5.9 for memory in thier WEI in previous posts (way back in the part 1 of the forum) which is wierd since my envy with an i7 came with a score of 7.0 apparently on the same pc8500 ram.

It may not be noticable in current programs we run today, but it will be useful in the future 1333/1066 = 1.25 the performance theoritically even with margins for errors this should be a noticable jump. A higher frequency means more data can be transferred in the same amount of time, so seeing those test that was posted, I would say there has to be defects in the Ram they tested or the programs they were using to test were not testing intensively enough to show a difference.

 

Thanks to Pitabred for the find on the powered esata enclosure. I got it yesterday and it's got everything you need right in the box.

I also ordered the cable off Amazon just in case the enclosure didn't come with a cable, but it turns out to be just a regular esata cable and will not power the enclosure. No big deal as I could always use the cable, so nothing lost and it was cheap.

So, for those looking for a powered esata cable, this is a good deal for $14+$8 shipping:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HE-2521B

No need to order the cable from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SY-CAB-E...sr_1_sc_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1264707074&sr=1-4-spell

 

I just benchmarked my ram using specific ram benchmarking software.

Right now i have 1066 cas7, soon i will install the 1333 cas7 and run the benchmark again. we will see if it equates to higher MBps.

 

Good to hear it works! I'm not heading home to get to my Envy until tomorrow.

It may very well benchmark higher. But that's a synthetic benchmark... actual application performance should be pretty much negligible.

 

What brand of ram are you using by the way, I m just curious.

 

putting in 4 of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104158

Whats in there now is the default HP stuff.

 

Very nice, those are the same ones I bought.

 

like what?

 

"pretty much" works for me... every bit counts.

its like putting a k&n filter on your car... it isnt a turbo, and you wont feel the power increase, but that 1hp is still there.

 

http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm

 

If you know what you're getting into, go for it. I just don't want people under the impression that spending another couple hundred on getting 1333 memory instead of 1066 is going to do anything magical. You will see MANY more actual performance gains by going from 4GB1066->8GB1066 than from 4GB1066->4 or even 6GB1333.

 

Actually it isnt several hundred dollars, its cheaper than hp's website selling the ram at nearly 150$ a stick of 2gb (pc8500). You can get 4gb (2 dimms pc 10600 Hyper X ram Cas 7) for $120. Depending on how many sticks you buy, it could improve your performance a bit (I m going to be gaming a lot on my envy from now to the future, so I know it will pay itself off). If you have a i7, certainly cant hurt to get the ram that it deserves, pair it up with the solid state drives and the performance would make anyone drool. Sometimes people like to pay for potential.

 

If you have an i7, buying more RAM is a much better idea than buying different RAM. Really. Feel free to do what you want. I'll just bet you $5 right now that you won't even see 50 points difference in 3DMark with 1333 vs 1066, but you will see a difference between 4GB and 8GB. That $120 can be much better spent elsewhere to get better performance.

 

The new Elitebooks specify "DDR3 1333" straight up for all their configs... guess they get the preferential treatment. grrr

 

Well the new one will either have 6 gigs of 1066 or 6 gig's of 1333, won't know till it gets here. In case I decide I want to take the system up to 8 gig's can someone post a link to what the 2 gig stick is for each speed so I can start searching out where to pick up an extra 2g stick? I would just order from HP but they really do seem to like to jack up the price on that sort of stuff.

 

By the way, someone recommended this for anyone that is interested, http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1006&thread=34404099,
It is a upgrade to corel paint shop pro x3 for 19.99 and includes a copy of painters essentials 4. Since the Envy already comes with x2, the upgrade is a nice add on to those who may want it. I personally bought a copy yesterday and I think its a nice piece of software, very good alternative to photoshop.

if that 1 TB OCZ SSD drive on newegg would just get 99% cheaper than I could buy it.

 

cool thanks. Will bench my cas 9 1333 and maybe we can compare with your cas 7 1066

 

Did your 2nd gen envy come with the pc 10600?

 

ya, 1333 MHz

 

3 things:

1. Is there an easy way to tell which memory you have? I ran everest and it says the memory installed is Micron 16JSF25664HZ-1G1F1 which it says is SO-DIMM DDR3 SDRAM DDR3-1066. I am not sure, until it shows up what my new build will have.

2. If the second unit also has the same memory does anyone know where I can pick up a single 2 gig stick in case I want to up the laptop to 8 gig? HP's price is kind of ridiculous as one 2g stick is $99 and I could order the Kingston 1333 memory 4 gigs for 119 when its available at newegg.

3. In the event it does have 1066 installed on the new one I noticed several ppl saying they went with Kingston DDR-3 1333 modules KHX1333C7S3K2. Has anyone had any compatibility issues and also just how hard is it to replace all the memory if I decide to go that way? Any issues with it fitting because of the heat spreader?

 

Wow interesting does that mean that their 4gb modules were all pc 10600 at 1333mhz and their 2gb modules were pc 8500 at 1066mhz?

 

JW, do you guys get really loud headphone volume?

with headphones plugged in, I can't turn the volume up past 10% or else it gets ridiculously loud

also, in case anyone is wondering, I used a program called keytweak to remap the keys on the left side of the keyboard. I couldn't get the print button to be remapped though :[ It sends a ctrl + p command into the computer, so the program can't remap it.

 

Since you have an i7, you have the option to upgrade all your ram to pc 10600 or have 4 gb (inaccessible without opening the case) and add 4-8gb more to the memory slots near the battery. As long as the ram is DDR3, it is 204 pins which means you can install different types of ddr3 ram on your motherboard without any compatibility problems. The thing is, your bus speed in your case will be limited by your lowest clocked Ram. The kingston hyper x ram pc10600 is a great deal now on newegg if you are also interested, its a bit more expensive than other pc 10600 ram but you do get cas 7 instead of cas 9 as well as a lifetime warranty. The reviews on the Ram are also very excellent.

 

If thats the case then my new replacement is going to be stuck with the same 1066 memory that they agreed to do the replacement to fix LOL. I'm beginning to suspect I'm going to have to buy my own memory and swap it out if I want 1333. Just how big of a nightmare is that going to be?

 

Thats the stuff I'm looking at but its OOS till the 8th. Is swapping out all the memory a daunting task or pretty easy?

 

I do notice that headphones are definitly louder than the speakers but I have no problem going 50% or more on volume without any real issue. Now I just need to find either a good headphone/mic set that will work with the single jack or does someone know of an adapter I can get that will turn my nice headset with a seperate Ear/mic plug into a compatible single plug?

 

Hmm well its easy but there are a lot of screws so it takes time, just be very careful when you open the case and know that you dont have to remove the keyboard to upgrade the ram.

 

If you're savvy with desktops, the Envy is a breeze.

For the i5, 1 dimm is accessible right by the battery (3 screws), the other requires you remove the remaining 14 screws (all visible once the 1st dimm is out).

After all 17 screws are out, you can press on the black material right by the battery bay which will push the keyboard up. Once the keyboard is up (there will be about 3 cables connecting the keyboard to the mobo), the DIMM is viewable right by the left palmrest. I didn't remove the three cables, so the removal will have to be done with one hand (other hand holding the keyboard).

After that, place the keyboard down and start screwing everything back in.

 

Okay, in case that is what I have to do is there a good guide/pic's of what I'm up against? I'm still going to hold out hope that my replacement has 1333 memory but have a bad feeling its as someone else posted in that 4 gig sticks are 1333 and all 2 gig sticks are 1066

EDIT: ACCK, you posted as I asked hehe

 

JW, did you do a fresh reinstall of the OS?

Maybe it's because I have earbuds or something. I'll try the audio port with my AudioTechnicas (which have a higher ohm rating) and see if it's any better.

What I have is a headset that also includes a small USB sound device, so when I need a headset, I just plug in the USB thing.

 

4 new sticks of 2GB DDR3 1333 CL7 are installed and working well:



-My Windows WEI RAM score went from 7.2 to 7.5

-My Passmark Overall Memory Score went from 768 to 970

I had 6GB of DDR3 1066 CL7 prior.

The Envy has to be the easiest laptop to work on ive ever owned. Taking apart my multiple Sony 17"ers of past, my new asus netbook, etc are all more of a pain.

 

Can you do me a favor? Take out one of the easily accessible sticks of the new RAM and see what your scores are? That way you're comparing 6GB of 1066 to 6GB of 1333.

 

Wow very nice, congrats on your new and improved system. Funny thing is 970/768= 1.263 where as 1333/1066=1.25, which means this is fairly accurate to the theoretical speeds that your suppose to experience when you upgrade(its actually higher).

 

The Envy is the first laptop i've ever opened, and it was not hard at all. I was expecting a mess to be honest.

 

Humm, it doesn't look tooo scary. The 2 dimms in the corner, are they the 2 internal ones? Also did you actually have to disconnect any cables as its kind of hard from the pic to tell.

Also, once you swap out the memory, do you need to do any changes in the bios or is it basically swap em seal back up and power up?

 

sweet, i was going to ask someone with 1333mhz with CL7 post there WEI score.

I bought the Kingston DDR-1600 and for some dumb reason even though it is rated for CL of 7 at 1600 it runs at CL 9 at 1333.

I also get a 7.5 in the WEI

here is a link to what I bought
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104160

i am ditching my 4gb 1066mhz CL7 Micron memory that came with the machine on ebay

 

that hyperx ram just got delivered to my house today. I will be installing it on top of the 4gb of stock ram already installed, which is the CL7 1066. If I keep the notebook i'll buy 4gb more of hyperx and ebay the OEM ram.

 

My machine is registering 7.8 on WEI using 8gb of hyperx pc 10600 for some reason, how much ram did you three install. I guess the main reason why the hyperx ram is out of stock is because all us Envy owner with i7s are ordering it.

 

I put in 8GB of the DDR -1600

do you know what CL your runs at?

 

You don't have to disconnect anything or change any settings in BIOS.

 

same as your CAS 7

 

So basically its:

1. Remove the Battery
2. remove the stick in the accessible spot
3. remove screws and lift bottom
4. Remove and replace the hidden inside sticks
5. Close and put in screws
6. Insert the other 2 sticks
7. Add battery close it up and pwr up

Is that about it?

 

Good call on that box

 

FYI: Passmark turns off Turbo Boost, which affects an i7 more than an i5 so i7 scores at 1.6 GHz will not be as good as they could be.

 

I need a box that will break the HDMI so that I can have an HDMI cable running into my TV & a TOS cable to run to my Amp since it doesnt have an HDMI input. Anyone found a good, reasonably priced gaget to do that yet?

 

There are screws that hold down a cover for the first dimm, if it's an i5.

Outside of that, it's good.

 

Put 2 additional 2gb ram sticks in the accessable slots under the battery, got a great deal on them off ebay. one day i'll upgrade them all to 4gb, but not till the price comes down.

 

I play the star trek online mmo, photoshop cs4, lightroom, premiere CS4 on 1920x1080 clips from my canon 5Dm2.

my opinion is ditch the extended battery as you wont want to use this laptop on battery that often. otherwise it works very good with all of these apps. as for heat. I also have a macbook pro, and several older laptops and this one does not get any warmer than those. most modern laptops will get really hot when doing heavy processing.

in fact my Macbook gets much warmer than this laptop so hot in fact that it starts to burn me. ( I think that is why I have gone through more than one brand new battery a year) anyway... that is a good price worst case you may have a faulty extended battery and led screen if so hp will replace them and get you going again.

for a desktop replacement this is a good system if you want a bigger screen you will need to move to the sony F11, and there are tons of us that had or had on order xps 1645 units only to find out how bad they were. still that is a good price just be prepared to send it in for a week if you need to get the screen replaced. not all of them needed it but mine was one of them.

 

CPU-Z SPD tab

Not really. My second Envy had 4 2GB sticks of 1333MHz RAM.