*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

For media files, there should be no noticeable difference.

 

So in reality, there's no performance lost from the SSD+SSD option to the SSD+HDD option....

I mean, ya the read/write times are lower....but it's already so fast. One guy on here turned off his raid and said he couldn't tell a difference.

Would all this be true?

 

Yeah, that works as long as you set the DPI to 125% at most. But when I set it to my preferred 140%, certain programs display at lower resolution (looks like 800 x 600 or something, really bad.)

It's frustrating because everything used to work fine at 140% in my previous installation...

 

you guys like...old or something?

 

I unraided my drives mainly because I wanted redundant backup of photos until it's conveinent for me to backup to an external source, and I have g2's so I could use TRIM if I unraided them.

When I said I did not notice a performance difference that was comparing RAID vs NO RAID performance not SSD vs HDD. If your storing large media files on your HDD the only place you will really notice a big slowdown is when your trying to access several large files in a row, i.e. scrolling through a folder of 15MB photos will have a definate 'time lag' to load each image.

An easy solution if you want SSD speeds is to just drag the 'storge' folder your working with from the HDD to the SSD and then back the HDD when done.

 

Yes.

Now, get back to me after you get your hi-res screen...

 

I have a 21in 2048x1152 i use already

 

yes... 21 inches! You'll find the Envy's real estate is somewhat less...

 

I'll beat you with my cyber cane

 

i just reformatted and did a clean install on my envy... what do i need to install from the swsetup folder or the intel website to make sure my ssd drivers are up to date and that it's running in raid 0?

 

wannaget.hai, can you check if the SSDs you received are G2s?

 

yes Kamzu, they are G2. my envy was delivered on feb. 3rd if that helps any.

 

Finally received mine yesterday! Got the 1104 model, with 820, 8 gig ram, 640 gig HDD and ATI 5830, along with nice screen.

Really do like the design alot. Nice and slim, plus it doesn't weigh much, a far cry from my Dell XPS M1730!! Its great to finally have something portable!

Snowed under with alot of work at the moment, but hoping to try benchmarking her tomorrow. Will try out a number of different games. Will have to start backtracking through this thread to find out the gouge. First on the list will be to update the video drivers I guess. Followed by figuring out W7, and installing/setting up all the necessary software.

 

JJB:

Oh, it was you? I had totally forgotten...

Ya no, I know what you meant...you kind of combined what I was saying. I was just saying that SSD Raid vs SSD, isn't a noticeable difference. And since apparently there isn't a difference if you're opening a music file from the HDD as opposed to if it was stored on an SSD...it's all the same. I know it's kind of confusing, but I guess I'm just trying to say I know what you meant.

By the way, how's the portability of the Envy 15? I tend to travel and I like taking it out when I'm stuck in the airport for 8 hours (I always find an outlet)...is the Envy too big to travel with and use on your lap or on the tray table in a plane?

Thanks guys. I can't wait till June rolls along and I buy me one! (hopefully)

 

My old Dell M1530 fit on tray tables (barely) and that was heavier than the Envy but the same screen size (and thicker). I can't imagine that the Envy would be larger than that.

 

Thickness really wouldn't have an impact on sitting on the tray table. It's the width that's the big concern. The M1530 actually had a fairly small footprint for a 15" laptop. It was 14.06". To put it in perspective, my Sony CW 14.1 laptop is 13.44".

The width of the Envy is huge. It's 14.9".

I'm not so sure you can manage on a plane and if you could it certainly wouldn't be pleasant (at least in coach where the poor buggers like me sit).

 

Actually the Envy works quite well on plane flights. I've had it on 6 flights so far and no major problems except with my 1st flight where I had taken the Envy with the slice battery attached, IMO it is just way to heavy with the slice to use comfortably on a plane (coach). It becomes to heavy (8+ lbs) to easily pull from a bag and manuver to your tray and the worst was when I had to get up to use the head, you have to do a lot of one handed 'shuffling' of the computer to close the tray, get up, move computer to seat or tray and then the reverse when you get back....pain in the *ss, especially if your in a window seat. With the 6 cell only it's like a whole different machine that is very easy to move around 1 handed.

The Envy fits perfect on some tray tables and on other narrow ones, where the tray has ridges around the edge, I've had to put a magazine under it to raise it above the ridges so it sits flat. I also found a Targus 15.6" 'TSA friendly' breifcase style bag that fits well under the seat, With the Envy, 65W travel adapter and spare 6 cell battery the whole thing weighs about the same as the envy + slice (w/o bag).

 

You really have to try the kensington 120w slim adapter. Its like half the weight of the 65w ta and gives you full power on the go.

 

Tayeule - what's the model number of the Kensington adapter?

 

Are you sure it's lighter?? The slim 65W ta weighs just .49lbs. and is 2.25 x 4.75 x .6".

Not a lot of details but heere is the link: http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/computer/categories/ac_adapters/1/accessories/VF685AA%23ABA

 

http://us.kensington.com/html/6330.html its that one. You can find it for around 40$ online.

 

I have had a Targus and Kensington fail on me, on other laptops, so I personally stay away from them.

 

well maybe not that light but its still full power for.8lbs and the form factor is nice to tuck it away.

 

Looked at specs and it says 10.25" thick lol, how thick is it (max.)?

Also does it come with the correct connector for the envy and are you sure it works without throttling the CPU to x9 or x13?

Most afteramarket adapters without the 'center "smart" pin' won't work with the envy or they get throttled...

 

its less thick than the base of the envy (about 1/4inch less id say) resting it flat just next of the handrest of the machine.

i get x22 on it and make sure it comes with n31b connector, its the right fit and does have the center pin... can't confirm if it does make it a smart charger tho... willl need to look into that.

 

Actually I just found this in here:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3522&review=Kensington+Power+Adapter

[EDIT]
The author must have reviewed an older version cause mine came with like 8 tips not just one. He also says its "very large" which i cant figure out... sure its wider but its also much less thick than most adapters ive seen...

 

Thanks, good info, I think I'll order one

FYI; the 65W ta does not have to plug directly into the wall as pictured the AC prong portion comes off and exposes a receptacle for an AC power cord, so it is very slim for packing. I just don't like to have to use the throttleStop app to get full performance and I have noticed that the battery charges quite slowly if I'm doing anything that requires high performance on the computer. The 120 should solve that issue.

 

I have also used the Kensington 120W PSU and can confirm that the N30B tip works with the Envy and does not throttle. I have not tested the re-charging capacity but it does charge the unit..

 

kensingtom 120w works great, bought mine but it was missing the b30 tip, they sent me one for free 2 days later. Its so slim, keep one in my bag, and one at my office.

 

em so I reckon it is already March. When is the official Catalylst 10.3 scheduled to be out? Sooo looking forward to it.

 

Is there a guide for preparing and installing SSDs in an Envy here... I finally got my mounting bracket in the mail and the G2s been sitting on my desk for 2 weeks. I'm thinking of setting it up tonight or tomorow but I'd like to read more on how to get it ready prior to installing.

Also, im shopping for Ram. Bit confused. The hp system info thing lists them a 1333. So i was shopping around and noticed this:

204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Laptop
and
204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop

? now I don't know which one to get.

 

Ok, DPI scaling mystery solved (if anyone cares). You need to have the "Use XP style scaling" box checked in the custom DPI window if you want all your programs to display in native resolution. On my machine, anyway...!

 

glad to hear you scored a bracket. did you have to buy the hdd with it, or did they sell it to you separately?

 

They are same I think.

 

Bring on the 10.3 ATI catalyst driver!

Well, my Envy seems to idle warm to the touch. Also, the fan is constantly on. Not as quiet as I thought it was going to be, the noise is a little annoying.

There were some very small scratches on the top right of the screen bezel, again, a little annoying. I like the look of the keyboard, but it feels a little "cheap" when using it.

I have yet to install a game to test out the performance! Will do that tonight after work.

Oh and that Kensington slim powerbrick looks bloody great. Might have to see if I can get my hands on one over here in Australia.

 

Pommie...which cpu do you have?

Edit:

Checked your posts, seems you've got the i7-820, which is why it idles kinda hot.

 

You bough two G2's x18-m? How much did that set you back, around 1k?

 

i bought one for $430. they aren't cheap. fast though!

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kensington-120W...s_Chargers?hash=item3a5893cc52#ht_4654wt_1163

$29 for the Kingston adapter. Can that be legit?

 

Yes mate, got the 1104 model with the i7-820. I remember reading a post from Serg a while ago stating that he noticed his idle temp's reduced significantly when he uninstalled alot of bloatware that came with his machine. Might have to give that a crack.

Not very happy about the scratches on the top right of the screen bezel, poor form in my opinion.

So much to play around with, so little time to do it!

 

Installed CPUID Hardware monitor, I am idling at an average of 55 degree's. Can anyone with the 1104 model (i7-820, 8 gig ram, 640 gig HDD and ATI 5830) care to share what they're idling at?

Installed Left 4 Dead earlier and had a quick 5 minute play on a survivor mission. It jumped straight up to about 79 - 80 degrees. Again, is that sounding normal?

On a plus note, the game did run flawlessly! Quite impressed with that. The big test will be installing SupCom the original though. I'm hoping the i7 processor and 8 gig RAM will show up some decent improvements on my last laptop.

 

It is normal and you should get a cooler if you're planning to play games. My envy hits < 79 degrees while playing GTA IV ( max out ) with Zalman N100

 

Cool, thats what I thought, was just double checking! Now to find a bag, thinking of the Diesel Joe from Rushfaster.com.au

Might have to invest in a cooling pad as well... For fellow Aussies, Envy's are trickling into the country, but you need to be persistant with calling the local stores to find out if they have any. I got this one by chance after calling a store that said they wouldn't be getting any for quite a while.

 

Seem the adapter for that price at other regular merchants. Only thing is if I read the list right that one doesn't offer the Envy tip, unless N3 is the same as N31b tip some have mentioned

 

The Ci7 quads seem to be very sensitive to CPU load WRT temperature - any background task poking the CPU just a little will keep the temps up. A clean install can idle at 30-35C but once you start installing apps the idle temp goes up. Running VMs will for sure keep the CPU constantly hot.

Best thing you can do to keep the temps down is uninstall everything you absolutely do not need, and take a careful look at the list of running processes to see what you can disable.

 

I want to buy this PSU or similar but I am still confused after reading posts about it. So it looks like it does not throttle, but there seems to be conflicting info as to whether or not it comes with the right tip, or what the right tip is. N30B? N31B? If it doesn't come with the tip, where to get it from?

It seems it does not throttle.

 

Don't forget, if they used a thermal-paste(not a thermal-pad) it will take about a week of normal use (using and shutting down) for it to set and you may see a 1-3* drop.

 

Its strange; my envy config is same as yours (in your sig) other than having 8 gigs of RAM and yet my envy stays 65 or below playing GTA IV.

 

had to get the hdd with.

 

1300 can$ about.