*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

This link should give you all the info you need to decide on which i5 processor to choose: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html

And here is a link to a comparison I just posted on the matte vs. glossy screen: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=450884&page=316

Scroll down to post #3158. The link goes to the envy gen 2 thread which has more i5 model owners than this thread.

 

I manned up and bought the Belkin cooling pad, and it thus far has worked better than the NZXT cooler by 3-5C under full load.

Using handbrake, about 6C cooler.

Plus, the Belkin gets power from the USB port.

Only knock on it so far is that it's horrendously loud.

 

Oh I missed the graphs, only saw the chart with the specs. I see the difference now, and I guess it is worthwhile, big difference in vantage. Thanks once again!

 

Siluro:

I'm in the same bind. I've asked the same question and got that link too. lol. Question is, how do those numbers translate to the real world? From what I can tell, you're not going to notice any difference unless you're doing video work. For instance, if you're encoding a 750mb movie file with a multi-threaded app, instead of it taking 5.5 minutes, it will take ~7min. Something like that at least.

It's still basically more powerful than any of the P-series CPUs out there, since it has four threads. So at the end of the day it comes down to your usage. If you're pounding away at video work all day long, you may want to jump to the 520. If not, odds are you really won't notice a difference. IMO, the jump from the 520 to the 540 is useless. 130mhz? For $75? That I would not do. Intel themselves said the performance delta is only 3-5%...hence, nothing.

I also want my next system to last for 4-5 years...so I may jump to the 520, just to be safe. I don't know yet. Personally, I think it's more psychological than anything. I don't think I'll ever be pushing the 430m to it's limits. It's kind of like jumping from a 300hp V6 to the 340hp V8. Actually, in this case, it's even less noticeable on a daily basis, but I guess it's nice to have that extra juice just in case one day....

ninthparadigm:

I'm surprised you needed to get a cooler? What sort of temps were you getting before? I thought it ran very cool....

 

In terms of CPU heat, Handbrake has been the most taxing application on my computer. I've maxed out at 85C for a 300mb file. Playing Borderlands, CPU heat averages around 77C.

I can concede that the bottom is uncomfortably hot when on the lap (under full load), and the Belkin is pretty comfortable when paired.

I was also under the impression, based on reviews from NBR, that it wouldn't cool very well, but it has at least 3C in all applications. Not as if I even know if makes a significant difference in terms of increasing hardware life, but it's comforting to me. On top of that, it has worked better than the all-aluminum NZXT Cyro while powered through USB.

Pros
-Wal-mart had it for $25
-at least 3C heat reduction
-comfortable on lap

Cons
-loud
-no USB ports
-destroys all semblance of square, black-finished equipment on my desk.

 

Ninthparadigm:

Could you do me a favor man, and post your idle/browsing temps without the cooler? Thanks.

 

without and with cooler.



not completely idle...espn360 is on.

 

Unfortunately, I leave in 3 hours to fly to Sydney for work, will be there for 4 days. When I return it will pretty much be weekend. After that I only have a few more days before I take some leave, see the family, then head off overseas. Not going to have the time to send it in, plus, I need the laptop whilst travelling.

Its times like this that I miss the Dell warranty! I reckon I'll call them up tomorrow when I can find the time, and just log the problem. I can't see this being a major problem, more of an annoyance. Laptop isn't going to tear itself apart over there because of the annoying fan sound is it? lol

 

Are your fans always on or off? Those seem high...

Thanks. I tried giving you rep but I guess I can't give you anymore.

 

The Envy fans are at the default setting, so I don't know.

Compared to caps I posted earlier in the thread, they are higher, but they were also at work.

 

After going through like 10 notebook coolers and realizing that they've done little beyond add bulk, suck up power, and make noise, I opted to go the passive route-->thermaltake iXoft cooling pad. It's got gel crystals inside that reshape when exposed to heat. Keeps my lap happy, weighs almost nothing, it's black, and it doesn't look like a POS fan cooler... Picked it up for $10 on sale. Considering it's a combination synthetic fabric casing, it's surprising it has a cooling effect, but it does.

 

I have the 520 also, and I'm wathcing Hulu.com 480 res, and IM and 3 other IE8 tabs.

My core temps are 37*/43*, my Airflow is also 3* lower than you.

 

I envy all you have i5 processors... dream temps

 

Well, I knew it. After only hours of dedicated typing, my spacebar is beginning to show slight signs of wear.


I've discovered that I can rig up a keyboard cover using the silicone sheet that I purchased for my DV8t. It's not an exact match--the keys on the edges will need to be removed with an exacto-knife--but the vast majority of the keys (all the heavily used ones) will be properly protected.

No more worrying about ruining my keyboard.

 

What signs of wear are you seeing??

Your post made me look closely at my spacebar, wiped a few smudges off with my screen cleaning solution and there is absolutely no wear whatsoever, it looks brand new and that's after 5+ weeks of daily use.

 

Slight amount of irregular (smooth) wear in a small spot of the spacebar where my right hand taps. I gave it a good 10 hours of typing, and while it's not bad yet (ie not easily discernible without a decent macro-shot), I can tell it's coming. Maybe I got a bad board? I don't know--I wash my hands before use. Whether or not I'm being overly picky, I'm happy sacrificing a $3 silicone cover to ensure I never have to deal with a spotty keyboard. I'm just pleased the majority of my DV8t keyboard matched the Envy 15 layout... there are NO Envy 15-specific covers on the market yet. None of the big-name sellers on ebay have a timetable for getting them.

The touchpad however, still looks pristine after a good wipe.

 

IE8? As a web designer you make me sad. Why use the slowest/worst (other than IE6 or IE7) browser in existence?

 

I think your seeing things or have extremely oily skin, make that mutant oily skin.

 

Alternatively, it could also be that you're blind as a bat. Or, you're an android, incapable of secreting human oils. OR, you don't actually use the keyboard, as friction alone will wear down a surface and leave a shine over time.

I'm betting on the bad eyes--that's the only explanation for failing to make proper use of the multi-quote system. That, or laziness

 

I want to install windows 7 in my Envy 15, but the error message is occured in

progressing... that is " No drivers~ No drivers~" again again.."


don't know why,, & how can i fix it.. somebody HELP ME please..

 

If you have the i7 model with USB 3.0, you need to install from the esata / USB combo connector, the USB 3.0 drivers are not installed until after you get the OS installed so the 2 USB 3.0 connectors won't work yet.

 

any specific vendor you get it from?

most places have it for around $25+ from what I've seen.

i'm still at odds if I want to keep the Belkin. undecisive is I.

 

Too all of you users that (like me) use the laptop on the lap, the fan intakes underneath the laptop when blocked raise the temps A LOT! I did a test, my GPU running at 150 and 300 temp dropped to around 45C. I blocked the fan intake and it raised almost immediately to 50-55C. A huge change considering that I covered it for only a few minutes. My advice, keep the back clear. It DOES make a difference.

 

Well I just got my RMA, between the tracpad and the limited LCD til Its just a pain in my to work on this machine. I love the style and power, its just the small things that kill me.

If they redesign the hinge/tracpad in the future I'll take another look at them, but right now its just not to my liking.

I wish you guys the best of luck with yours.

 

FYI: Just noticed the Envy BEATS 15 is back, expensive but available with all options.

 

Think it came back on Friday.

 

It looks like Intel has a new driver which supports TRIM of SSDs in RAID0 in Win7:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/14574...support_for_trim_with_ssds_in_raid/index.html

Has anyone tried this on an Envy gen 2 with the HP branded G2 SSDs in RAID0?

 

It's not even limited anymore, stupid marketing

 

Anyone else having problems with the latest ATI driver? The beta driver I installed before fixed all my problems with the black screen and BSOD but the newest official release has my Envy restarting randomly if left to idle for too long. I know it's nothing else because that's the only change I've made to my system before the problem started occurring.

 

Yeah, looks like 9.6 supports TRIM now, even in RAID0. The thing is, once you install it, there is no way to know whether TRIM is working or not. I installed it on my Envy and took a 20MB/s hit in writes (using crystaldiskmark). So I rolled back to the previous driver. Some one on the intel site suggested I should install it back and let it run for a couple of days.

People using non-raid setups should probably give it a try too to see how it compares with Microsoft's driver.

I am also looking into a way to upgrade the G2's firmware, but I didn't have time this weekend. It may involve moving the drives to another system in order to flash them, so it's not a 5 minute task.

BTW, is there a video somewhere on how to open the Envy? The service manual I found is dated Sep 2009. Not sure that's the latest.

 

That service manual should be fine as a 'disassembly' guide. Just note that it is a bit confusing with the order of the process, they throw the keyboard removal process in the middle of the sequence, you do not need to follow that part but it reads like you do (60+ screws etc...). Just be careful removing the rubber feet, they are reusable as long as you keep the adhesive clean while they are removed, I used a dull butter knife on the corner to pry them up, peel slowly and the adhesive 'tape' stays on the rubber.

Also use something to protect the bottom edge of the screen bezel when lifting up the keyboard / trackpad assembly to disconnect the cables. The back edge can scratch up the bezel very easily if your not careful. If you kept your original packaging the black screen protection piece works perfectly for this as it is cut to fit around the hinge area.

 

Thanks for the tips. That will help.

 

I've been on the 10.3 since last Friday and I've had 0 issues since.

 

I really hope someone will confirm if TRIM works in RAID0. But I guess it still won't work on G1.

 

Any suggestions to improve my SSD G1 drive seeing as there is no trim?

 

I don't think so.

 

Why is there a problem with it? I have the same one and working fine for me. Who cares for Trim. Just be happy you are on SSD for a change hehehe

 

I did work for HP directly two years ago, and I unfortunately came to realize that the CPU time reported by their apps to the task manager is hacked. Without the hack, the HP apps (like Total Care Advisor) would actually report a much higher CPU usage average.

I like what HP is doing in comparison to other vendors, but it still boggles my mind why they insist on pushing such despicable software. If you saw the source code for Total Care Advisor, you'd laugh at its unnecessary complexity. Though, to HP's credit, Total Care Advisor began development during the advent of WPF as a technology, and there wasn't any documentation at the time.

 

Hey, Wretched Guru. Did you get the Core i5-540M or the i7 ENVY? I bought the i5-540M and it's arriving on Wednesday! I'm hoping your specs match mine. hehe

 

@DEAVON

Sounds like your a new Envy owner (almost). Congrats.

In case you have not found them yet, there are some other threads fro the envy 15; This one is the gen 2 thread which has more i5 owners: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=6051250#post6051250 And this one is a benchmarks thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=453084&page=54 (go to page 1 for benchmark listings)

Have fun reading....

 

i'm sure everyone already know, but I just noticed that the Catalyst 10.3 Preview driver has now been officially released by ATI. I don't know if this is any different than the leaked version or not.

 

That is the 10.3a version that has some issues with CCC. The 'final' non preview version is due out on the 24th, I would wait for it and hope they fixed the issues with CCC.

 

what issues? I had problems with the pre-offical release driver, not related to CCC. This Wednesday?

 

Yes the final version is due this wed. if they hold to the schedule. That link you posted has been changed with no details, it was 70+MB last friday and now it is only 1.09MB so I have no idea what it really is other than maybe the actual driver only. The larger file last week caused the CCC to lose the controls options for Hydravision and Avivo. and some had installation troubles. I'm running it and have slighlty lower max OC speeds and will be removing and replacing with the new 'final' one when it comes out.

 

Finally got around to installing my SSDs in a gen 1 1050-CA HP ENVY.

faaast... sooooooo faaaaast! hehe

Posted a couple pictures here

Btw, what is the utility you guys used to benchmarck the drives? NM <--- crystaldiskmark. got it now.

Funny thing... the system runs considerably cooler, even under stress.

 

Benchmark is Crystal Disc Mark; http://crystalmark.info/software/index-e.html

Looks like a brand new version 3.0 as of yesterday, found that out when I went to my bookmark to copy the link for you

 

Yep thanks!

Ran the thing got the results now looking for an explanation of what they mean...

 

Here is what I just got:

Looks like the change was just dropping the 'Beta' version. If you didn't put your drives in RAID0 then download the Intel SSD toolbox fron their website, it's what has the TRIM control...

 

Well I'm happy to see im pretty much in the same range. This is what I'm getting



They are not raided and I think I'll leave em like this. Installing the toolbox tho.

Almost fell off my chair when I started photoshop to paste the screenshot... damn like 2 seconds to boot.

Photoshop x64 won't run tho... crash on start.

 

Try the 1000MB setting, I think that is the 'defualt' size for benchmarks, don't know why. Run trim and see if it makes a difference.

I had a problem with PS 64bit , some sort of DLL error, ended up having to do a complete clean install again and reinstall of CS4. Didn't think it was anything to do with the SSD though...