*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

trim won't work in a raid regardless though. i intend on doing a clean install and then doing a system image once I have all the basic programs installed... i'll throw the image on my NAS as a failsafe, and possible think about doing a incremental scheduled update... that way I will have a level of security and get to keep the raid.

 

right trim won't work in raid (yet), but tony has a program for g1 drives or drives running in raid. Can't remember what its called though (not tony-trim).

 

Which program can do incremental imaging? Windows can only do full system imaging I think.

 

I believe you can based on some previous posts. Not sure but I think JJb is one of those who have done the mem swap successfully but I could be mistaken. I actually picked up 8 gig's of Kingston HyperX 1333 based on those recommendations to go in mine. I'm just dragging my feet on doing the surgery to swap it all out. Try searching the 3 Envy 15 threads for Kingston and you should be able to find the posts, I just don't have the links handy right now, sorry.

 

Does hyperx fit the slots under battery too?

 

as long as its 204 pin. Whoever else did it posted some pic's with the deed done. Just remember, if you only replace the memory under the battery without changing the other 2 sticks then the system will still run at 1066.

 

AS-Cleaner

 

Hey Raidenfx,

If you posted it I must of missed it but when they finally got your replacement to you did it actually have a print reader deally or did they just goof in that email HP sent you? Just curious

 

it is a goof off from HP. in any case, I'm receiving another replacement due to another problem with the current Envy 15. Let's hope the 3rd one will be my last replacement. sigh.


FYI: Currently the If you were to purchase another Envy 15 via HP website. The Est build time is 4 business days(even thought HP website predicted 2/3 weeks - 03/04/2010). My replacement is ordered on 02/17/2010, and it is shipped out on 02/22/2010. Another interesting note is that Fedex/HP is currently using a different route for the shipment as well. Previously the laptop is shipped via Pacific side of the world(CN > JP > US-AK > US-NY), now it is shipped via Atlantic side of the World (CN > KZ > DE > ??? > ??? > US)
ETA: 02/26/2010 4:30PM
2/23/2010 8:31:00 PM FRANKFURT, HE, DE Arrived at FedEx Ramp - Germany
2/23/2010 7:07:00 PM ALMATY, KZ Left FedEx Ramp - Kazakhstan
2/23/2010 5:49:00 PM ALMATY, KZ Arrived at FedEx Ramp
2/23/2010 3:23:00 PM SHANGHAI, CN Package status
2/23/2010 1:16:00 PM SHANGHAI, CN Left FedEx Ramp
2/23/2010 3:22:00 AM SHANGHAI, CN Left FedEx Ramp
2/22/2010 11:42:00 PM SHANGHAI, CN Pickup status

Now... back to work *cough cough* ...... Starcraft 2 BETA...

 

I ordered replacement on 2/15, but ship date is 3/10.

 

Sorry if this has been answered before, but i searched and couldn't find: has it been confirmed that the Envy can drive a monitor with a 2560x1600 resolution? I read something about an HDMI -> Dual link DVI adapter but couldn't determine if it exists or not.

Thanks.

 

I don't know about the resolution, but I know you cannot split HDMI into two separate displays. There are splitters available but I believe you can only output the same signal, so you cannot extend the desktop with a HDMI to Dual DVI splitter.

Edit:

I did some research and it looks like the HDMI port will only output 1920x1200 according to the specs from AMD.
http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/GRAPHICS/ATI-MOBILITY-HD-5800/Pages/hd-5830-specs.aspx

# Integrated dual-link DVI output with HDCP11

* Max resolution: 2560x1600

# Integrated DisplayPort output

* Max resolution: 2560x1600

# Integrated HDMI 1.3 output with Deep Color, xvYCC wide gamut support, and high bit-rate audio

* Max resolution: 1920x1200

# Integrated VGA output

* Max resolution: 2048x1536

So it sounds like the GPU is capable of that but the HDMI port may be the limiting factor.

 

Yes I did upgrade memory to 2 X 4GB 1333 on my i5-540m system. The memory runs at 1066 and CPU-Z shows the timings table to match the factory supplied 1066 sticks at 7-7-7-20 when they run at that speed. Here are the modules I'm using: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=D3-13S4GS they are $145.99 currently but they just had a $10 off coupon 'BIGCAT10' which I think is expired now.

Can't believe you have not installed your memory upgrade yet--15 minutes or less and your done--it's easy

 

LOL, well its partly a case of needing the time alone. Other half will "FREAK" if they see me taking it apart hehe. Should have tomorrow free in the afternoon to do it. Plus I wanted to make sure this was the one I wanted to keep. I think I even have some basic mem heatsinks I may apply to the graphics mem if I can spot them easily.

Since I'm going to replace all of the memory will it default to 1333 or will I need to do something in the bios? Based on other posts this is the stuff I got. Supposed to be 1333 7-7-7-20

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

Now if I can find that link that shows what screws I have to remove I should be set. Thought I had it bookmarked but my Fav's list has gotten huge. IIRC I don't have to actually unplug anything on the MB right?

EDIT: Darn I must of put the heatsinks somewhere else, gonna have to dig around and see if I can even find them. Oh well.

 

Quite a bit of misinformation in the last few posts.

Wrong. All Gen1 envys had G1 SSDs. Gen2 envys started shipping with G2 drives, but there has been reports of people who have requested replacements that had received G1 SSDs on their gen2 envys. So it seems that HP still has some G1s, probably from returned systems.

Wrong. i7-820qms come with DDR3-1333, at least mine did.

 

i7-720QM is DDR3-1066. You must of been lucky there since the majority of Quad users are 720QM's (I know many complaints on how i7 Quad users are getting 1066 RAM but they might have the 720QM). Also my knowledge on SSD's are based on posts I read so, but due to the number of replacements people had, it looked like everyone still had G1's. I personally am not going to use a SSD for a while, so I use a regular 7200 RPM HDD.

 

Which Phone Number did you contact to get your replacement/RMA? I might go this route to get an RMA if it is faster and it doesn't leave me without a laptop to use.

I assume you just waited until the Replacement came before sending in the old one and just kept the replacement.

Thanks for the help

 

Think they went to 1066 even with the 820. Both my origonal one and the replacement one I got have 1066 otherwise I wouldn't of bothered to buy new mem

 

I first called the Envy tech support number. Its the one an the card with your laptop, 1-866-408-5408. We discussed the issues I was having, one of which was the issue of having 1066 with my 820 hehe. The TS person said she could do nothing about that as, according to what she could find and after looking at several other recent builds information she could access, 1066 is whats supposed to come with.

Anyway I had some other issues tho so she gave me an incident number and then transfered me to Resolutions to see what they could do. Then Resolutions made the arrangements for me once they got the incident number from TS. As for sending the other one back they issued a RMA the next day with a few extra days before it would expire and once I saw my new one had shipped I sent the old one to fedex. The day after FedEx picked it up a credit was issued for the first computer.

 

Ok does anyone have any suggestions on some keymapper. Those quick launch buttons are driving me nuts. I keep hitting them while gaming.

 

Alright, I'm getting frustrated with this thing.

The slice battery that came with my Envy 15 straight up would not work. The computer would not recognize it no matter how it was connected.

Today, HP sent me a replacement slice battery.

However, the computer will only recognize ONE of the batteries at a time.

If both batteries are connected, only the small battery will charge/discharge/is recognized by windows.

If I remove the small battery, and leave just the slice connected, it will charge/discharge/etc.

Am I not able to use both batteries at the same time? I read on HP's website that it would not charge both batteries at the same time (the small battery would have to be charged to 90% before the slice would begin to charge), but when both were connected earlier, the small battery fully charged (to 100%) and nothing happened with the slice.

Any thoughts? Is it possible I need some sort of updated driver? I'm using the drivers that were on HP's website as of October 2009. (I'm not sure what specifically I would need to update if this were the case though. Chipset?)

 

Sounds strange. I know there is a bios setting to turn on/off the fancy charge method. Did you check that the fast mode charge option is selected in your bios? Not sure if it will help but here's a link someone else posted on working with the slim battery:

Using and Testing the ENVY Accessory Battery

 

Guys, out of interest, what bags are we all using with the Envy 15? Also, anyone happen to be using a stand/cooler? I'm always interested to hear. Looking for a new travel bag to go with the HP Envy 15, plus fit in travel stuff and some work books for work trips.

Counting down the days till the local store gets some of these bad boys in...

 

I've got an Ogio messenger bag that works great. I actually carry both my Envy and my work T61 in it, plus all the toys and goodies that I want. My Envy also fits alright in my Targus backpack, but it's not a great fit... it's a little narrow and tall for the pocket.

 

KeyTweak. But it doesn't work for the printer button (which sends two codes).

 

I'm using Timbuk 2 Commute 2.0 Large (messenger bag) and The North Face Big Shot (backpack) for my Envy 15 ATM. Both are great at what they do, very durable, and comfortable to carry. FYI I'm a big guy, so size might be a little big for other people.

As for cooler, I would suggest COOLER MASTER Notebook Cooling Model NotePal U2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997730 I have used it for a good 1 year from my previous laptop. the main pro for this cooler is the small/open design. You can easily carry it together with your laptop as 1 package, and fan placement is really a big plus. You can move the fan directly under your laptop intake vents and boost the air flow by consider amount.

 

I had a problem too, at first, connecting the slice. Try this: When you line the slice up to the laptop, but before you latch it, gently press the slice down toward the laptop -- but only with your hand directly at the point where it plugs into the machine (i.e., not at the edges.) You shouldn't have to press too hard.

If you try to squeeze the edges or corners where the latches are, the slice can latch but still not be aligned properly.

Remember, too, that the default settings will first charge the 6-cell up to 90%, then start charging the slice until it reaches 90%, then charge the 6-cell until it's full, then finish charging the slice.

 

i'm using a bag made by booq. The boa flow xl. http://www.booqbags.com

great product, but definitely not on the cheap side.

 

I have the Timbuk bag and it fits snug, although I would like another bag without the velcro.

 

I use this belkin.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Belkin-15.6-Core-Back-Pack-Pitch-Black-Soft-Gray/11038047

 

I suppose that could be true of G1 Envys that were at Best Buy and then returned without ever being bought by a customer, for example. I sure hope they aren't giving away used parts. I would think that'd be illegal in some way.

 

Finally...

Taking the bloat out of my new Envy

joy

 

Thanks a million have them remaped. No more miss keys.

 

What is the screen like on this laptop?

Does it have good contrast levels? (black blacks rather than silver blacks)

I have an Asus F3JP at the moment and it has -really- bad vertical viewing angles. So what are the viewing angles like? Currently when I'm playing a game which has a dark environment, the black or dark bits along the top of the screen invert which isn't helpful at all, the black is also very silver...

 

No laptop has good vertical viewing angles.

 

That said (talking about the 1080p glossy), it's one of the better laptop screens. It's... not horrible. Gamut is moderate (close match to sRGB), it's on the cool side (8500-9500K) but profiles well - linearization curves are smooth if not straight. Blackpoint is fairly low, static contrast I think I got 320:1 which is respectable.

So all in all it won't be a disappointment.

 

FYI, with the spyder3 measurements I am seeing 440:1 contrast calibrated and ~460:1 uncalibrated. .46 nit balck and 201 (cal) or 213 (uncal) at max brightness.

 

I use the WENGER SWISS GEAR LANCER 16-INCH LAPTOP BACKPACK, which I also picked up from Bestbuy for too much ( just like my G1 Envy ). The only cooler I use is the slice battery...

An Envy 15, 7.1 surround headphones, and a 5+ lb. DLP projector - the ultimate in portable HTPC...

 

Any ideas where other comparable laptops like the Acer 5942G, Asus N61 series, Sony Vaio F, Dell Studio XPS 16 are in comparison to this? (still trying to narrow down my laptop choices, specs for most parts is easily visible but screen quality is something which is lacking and makes it impossible to choose without having something to compare, it's a big factor for me).

 

Is there really any benefit to using 7.1 headphones since the Envy will only do stereo out via the headphone jack?

 

I got the matte screen and to be honest once I used one of the profiles posted around here I am really pleased with it.

 

I use the burton zoom 28L backpack so nice, I'm thinking of buying a spare one and stash it somewhere for when this one gives up in a few years and burton doesnt make the model anymore

review and pics: http://quocamole.smugmug.com/gallery/4594890_ALn6X#270939110

 

Thats just way too much bag for me hehe. I want something small and convenient, just like my Envy

 

Hmm, the bag itself weight 4.5lb.

 

THAT'S why I was disapointed at my envy being so heavy and all!

4.5 really? damn never would have guessed so much...

You guys are right its a lot of backpack but its very vell made (so that it's not bothering you to wear it) and you can lug a boatload of stuff when you need.

Plus the Envy fits like a glove in the front pocket.

 

One question to the people who have the 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD option. What brand and model that HP provides? Western Digital, Toshiba or Seagate?

 

Hey, guys. I ended up returning my Envy 15 for a refund today. The horrible experience I had with HP Customer Support made me wary to keep this machine.

After finally getting to play around with the actual machine for a few days, I found a few things that really bugged me.

1. The screen, as others stated, doesn't open very far. I didn't think this would bother me, but it did quite a bit.
2. The trackpad is absolutely horrible. Yes, I installed the updated drivers and used Scrybe, but I could not get over how absolutely horrible the trackpad was. That being said, the actual feel of the trackpad was nice.
3. The right side of the palm rest creaked quite a bit and made me a tad nervous.
4. The screen of the laptop doesn't have a latch or magnet, and doesn't even close all the way. This made the laptop feel a bit cheap.

Over all, I didn't get a premium feeling from this notebook. It felt sort of cheap and premium at the same time. I'm going to sell my Dell Mini 10v and a few other pieces of hardware laying around and look into getting an Alienware M11x as an ultra-portable and then wait for the MBP refresh probably.

 

you probably did the right thing, considering that a replacement would likely also suffer from 3 and 4, and surely from 1 and 2. The machine does not feel premium at all to me either. But it's a true mobile powerhouse if we can keep it running.

 

Is it the outside case on the grill or panel itself?
My grill cracked after a few days.

 

Where are these machines cracking? I seem to have had exceptional luck with my Envy, because it doesn't get hot, it doesn't have any cracks or creaks or anything, feels very solid yet smooth, and performs wonderfully without having done a complete reload. What am I doing differently?