*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

Some people have mentioned this.

Thats probably your external drive trying to boot on its own boot partition. Did you make it bootable at some point then delete some files from it? Most likely your bios is fine but you told it to try to boot from externals first and your external is not properly set for that.

Thats well above what most people will get on a defaut setup that's not over-clocked. I would like to know what system those reviewers you mentioned used because they are better than HP ENVYs.

Aside from the bump I think your system is in great shape and that its your expectations that were a bit inflated by those reviews. Bear in mind this is a laptop and you will not get desktop gaming performance. Even tho I'm happy to say this box kicks the @$$es all of my friends 1 yr old- desktop rigs so far hehe.

 

NEW COUPON FOR $450 OFF :yes: on Envy 13 and Envy 15 CTO's of $1399 or more.

CODE: NBMY33241

Thanks to 'lepton'

 

Yep, saw at logicbuy. I hate to see it when I paid a hell lot more. Disadvantages of being the first few. lol.

 

ya now you realize why some AVS blog threads state no price talk!

 

I'm thinking about getting this laptop (the only real challenge to the dell xps 16 im thinking about). If I get this I'd get it stock+upgraded resolution (unless the highest res is already standard? sorry, been playing around with so many customizations that i forgot which is which)....anyways-i like the way this laptop looks because im in graduate school and frankly some of the other "gaming" notebooks would just make me look retarded in class.

There's a lot of discussion about drivers in this thread but not enough on whether or not the envy can actually run games at maximum settings and resolution? Can this lappy run say mass effect 2 at max settings? Or how about the upcoming starcraft 2??

Whats the noise like? I have an HP now (dv5z) and i honestly thought id never buy another hp ever again because this thing is loud, hot, and cheap looking. The plastic on it squeaks and creaks wherever you touch it. So how does the envy compare? Does it feel "expensive"? Does it look good? in comparison to other laptops you see do you feel like it really is thinner?

How is the screen? 1080p must be nice but is it THAT nice??

Thanks to anyone willing to answer my questions

 

Just ordered Envy 15 with 1080p anti-glare upgrade and additional ac adapter. Came out to $1037.88 /w NY sales tax. Now I just need to sell my Alienware m11x AND Macbook, rofl.

 

That's a looooooooooooot of general questions. I think you'd be best served by reading a few of the indepth reviews available on the web. They're really not that hard to find--I read maybe 5 before deciding to take the plunge on mine. Most all of these points are covered. The 1080p screen is an optional upgrade, and well worth the price.

That's what ebay is for

 

If you search this and the 2nd gen envy thread for 'mass effect' I think, IIRC, you'll see people running it at max. It's a very good card. The choice you have for a gaming laptop is basically whether or not you want it lightweight with a good-but-not-absolute-top GPU (the Envy) or if you don't mind a 7+ lb laptop, in which case you should hit up the MSI GX640 or RJTECH for the Clevo 15.4". I think they have the 5850 and 5870, respectively. I can't stand the red stripe on the MSI but the Clevo looks fine, though it's a heavy brick and pretty noisy.

My Envy is pretty much silent nearly all the time with the F19 BIOS. Fans are very quiet.

I do recommend the i5 over the i7. You lose out in USB3 and the possibility of more than 8 gigs of RAM (and upgrading beyond 6 will be a pain as the 2nd slot is under the keyboard) but your battery and temperature will thank you. As far as games go, the i5-540 will do just as well as the i7-720QM with a lot less heat. Take an SSD instead of the i7 if you have the budget - definitely worth it, even with the G1s you're likely to get.

Yes, 1080p is THAT nice.

 

The 4830/5830 is better than just "good", it's "very good": http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-4830.14954.0.html

A class1 card is nothing to joke about. Performance running the original Mass Effect at max was about on par with my old desktop with 2x GTS250. Either card will handle ME2 at max settings.

 

Another laptop for consideration for gaiming would be the ASUS G51JX. It has the nVidia GeForce GTS 360m which is on par with the Envy's Gfx chip but in a much thicker traditional 2-Spindle package.

Since I only do lite gaming and most of my use is for S/W development I chose the qcore route. The heat is more but not unbearable and with a fan cooler its not bad.

HP has a good start now they just need to have better Quality Control and update to the next generation Core iX and ATI/nVidia chips when they come out in the 4th Quarter.

 

I don't imagine QC will much improve at HP. As a loyal buyer now for MANY years, I've noticed build quality slightly declining.

I was extremely impressed with my Envy unit as I unboxed everything--right until I took a look at the unit itself--there were fingerprints and smudges ALL over the screen, and the bezel had several longer scratches which will simply never come out. I could have kept it looking perpetually perfect with my chamois cloth kit, but noooooooo. Additionally, the bottom section of the bezel hadn't been properly snapped in along the screen. I consider that extremely poor QC for what amounted to a $2000 laptop still available for purchase on the HP site.

I'm not alarmed by the heat of my i7 unit. I think most people exaggerate or fail to use a cooling pad. I keep a passively cooled pad under mine, and the fan stays whisper quiet.

 

Definitely the Envy 15 is step above the DV series in materials (build quality is another matter... if you get a good one, they're nice, if you get a shoddily built one it'll creak). The case is a metal alloy that definitely gives that premium feel to the laptop. It's also the thinnest 15" 1080p gaming laptop.

The 1080p screen is just average for a 1080p screen. However, not many manufacturers offer a 1080p screen in the 15" form factor anymore, only the premium, gaming and enterprise level models seem to have that option. The anti-glare 1080p option was what got me hooked... I dislike glossy screens with a passion (for my own use, I can understand how others would like them.) You'll not be able to find many 15" 1080p anti-glare gaming capable laptops out there... add a metal alloy case, and you'll end up with a list that has the Envy 15 on it and maybe some $3000 enterprise level HP elitebooks / Dell Precisions. Add thin to the list and <$2000, then only the Envy 15 remains.

If you're looking for a competitive regular-price option (without the $450 Hp coupon that is), I agree with thereply, the ASUS G51JX is a really attractive option that has a faster graphics card and built in optical drive for less than a comparably equipped Envy 15. If you can make do with only "acceptable" gaming performance and a lower resolution screen, but better battery life, you might want to look at the ASUS N61Jv-X2. http://www.anandtech.com/show/2962/asus-n61j-x2-optimus-gt325m-meets-arrandale

Honestly, if you can still get an Envy 15 with the $450 off coupon, it's going to be hard to beat price wise and feature wise... just remember to buy an extra 6 cell battery to allow for 5-6 hours of battery run time. (The 9 cell slice for some odd reason weighs a lot more than the 6 cell battery, but only extends the run time to approx 7ish hours.)

 

I had the same with the three Envys I've received, so yours is not an isolated case. It's actually hard to believe a company would ship a "new" system in that condition. You get all excited unboxing that cool new toy you just bought, and all of a sudden it feels like a used system. I also spent the first 30 mins or so cleaning fingerprints and trying to get scratches off. Very disappointing. I kept the Envy cause there is no other laptop out there this powerful, at the same reasonable price (or at any price for that matter)

 

I'm guessing the 160GB SSD is the Intel drive. Do you guys know if it's the G1 or the G2 drive?

I know if I opted for SSD + HDD it'll be a 1.8" SSD. Do you guys know if the dual SSD option will come with one 1.8" and the second will be 2.5" (X25-m)?

I am very tempted to order one with the $450 off.. Thanks for any info on the SSD.

 

The very first batch of 5830 systems shipped with Intel G2s. From most posts I see here, it seems HP is now back to G1 drives. It's been a while since I don't see anyone reporting G2 drives.

 

Agreed. I also spent a good number of minutes carefully cleaning the unit. Anyone who nitpicks screen-cleaning knows just how difficult it is to make it look perfect--without those streaks. I shouldn't have to clean it straight out of the box. I've bought a lot of monitors and screens in my day, and this Envy arrived the most dirty--by far.

I understand quality will suffer a bit--it's all assembled in China and other locations with underpaid workers--but shouldn't they be REQUIRED to wear gloves?? You'd think something like this would throw up the red flag with Quality-Control. Gloves aren't that expensive. I'd have paid $2 more to eliminate those annoying scratchings left by those careless workers.

 

My two previous laptops were MBPs and they both shipped from China. I have to believe there is no more perfect, new, better looking machine, when unboxed, than an Apple MBP. Regardless of where its built, it just comes down to company's QC and whether they care or not. Apple cares about details. HP doesn't. At least it looks that way.

 

As I have stated before several times, UNLESS HP DOCUMENTS THE QC PROBLEMS WE ARE SEEING there is no way for them to implement corrective actions in the manufacturing process!

Call HP Envy support at 1-866-408-5408 and generate a 'trouble ticket number' for even the cosmetic complaints. That will cause internal action at HP and enough trouble tickets will cause corrective action.

Should this be necessary? No. But rather than reiterating it here why not use the energy to let the manufacturer know of the problem. They can't fix something if they don't know it's broken

 

The way I see it, I don't owe them my time to help correct the problems they should be picking up on their own. If they have QC checking these units, they're aware of the issue--they apparently don't believe it's worth taking corrective action to mollify a few potential complainers. If that's the case, then they deserve what they get. I see the point in a general complaint, but that's not going to hold much weight unless I raise hell and threaten never to buy an HP again because of the issue--and that's simply not true.

If I have a serious issue, I will call them--otherwise, I avoid phone support like the plague. HP CS is generally considered "good" by most standards, but I still see no reason to waste 5 minutes of my time waiting for an agent, state my name, email address, and phone number just to tell them my unit has smudges.

I'm here stating my observations because I'm choosing to do so. The choice to call them is mine, and I honestly don't believe the CS agents care. If they want my input, they need to show me the money Good on those who feel the need to do so though

 

@mokofoko

I said to call the dedicated Envy tech support dept. not CS and generate a trouble ticket #.

I understand your viewpoint and I agree, to a point, with all you said. But I do have to point out that you have used more than 5 minutes of your time here on this issue and in no way will that ever get back to HP and help improve QA.

Your are 100% correct that these 'small' issues should not happen with a 'premium' notebook (or any high end product) but as I said they can't fix what they don't know needs fixing. It is likely many of these issues never get reported to the right people at HP because the product goes from China direct to the end user, HP management, CS, tech support etc. never see what we are receiving.... Yes, it's not our problem but.....

 

How did you like your M11x? How was the build quality, performance, etcetera.

 

@JJB Quick question, Is your Envy recognizing the DDR-1333Mhz memory at full speed? Officially the core i5 mobiles only supports 1066Mhz.

 

No, it's clocking it at 1066 and the latency timing matches the 1066 DDR3 that comes with the Envy , 7-7-7-20, when at the slower speed. They are actually rated at 9-9-9-?? at the 1333 speed.

Only reason I got the 1333 was that they were $30 cheaper than the 1066 x 4GB modules when I ordered.

 

The speeds make very little difference and you are better off with a lower latency part anyways with the Arrandales.

My replacement came with 1333 whereas my original had 1066 and I had Kingstons HyperX 1600 for the upgrade makes little difference since the BIOS doesn't overclock.

 

Anyone think it is worth it to send my envy for service as it has developed high pitch fan noise? This is not constant, but still bothersome. Will it get fixed or is it a waste of time?

 

I've never heard of a 'high pitched' fan noise, only a 'buzzing' sound at low RPM.

Are you sure it's the fan? I have read about a very high pitched noise issue with some USB mouse installs, they move the USB reciever to a different port and the sound went away. The other high pitched noise I've heard complaints about is from the HDD (right palmrest).

 

just did some more listening...sound is most prevalent in front right speaker vent. Meaning it must be the hd.

I have the 320gb hd.

 

Well I had the buzzing noise on the CPU fan (only at low 'idle' speed) and I opted for ordering a replacement fan assembly from HP parts for ~$62 + shipping, rather than sending it in for repair. If your comfortable working inside a notbook it's fairly easy but I wouldn't suggest it to a novice.

I am still waiting to see if HP will reimburse me for the defective fan, to me it was worth the cost I paid compared to the loss of a computer for who knows how long plus the hassle of shipping from Alaska...

 

LOL, you change your post while I was typing.

I've heard of the HDD noise issue but have no idea of what, if anything, was figured out to fix it or if it needed replacing. I have the SSD's...

 

hi everyone,
i just got a new hp envy 15.
i'm just wondering does anyone have issues with the paint scratching off on the bottom part?
it seems like the silver paint scratches off easily. i only took it off the box and i already found that some parts are scratched.
also,
how bright are the LEDs supposed to be?
i'm comparing it to my asus netbook here and it seems like its at most 1.5 times the brightness, and it seems to be brighter in the center area and not as bright in the corners.

can someone verify this or explain?

 

For any who care, here's an option for protecting your Envy 15 keyboard: take a silicone (or TPU) keyboard cover from an DV7/DV8/HDX16/HDX18, and chop off the four right-most columns. Near-perfect fit. Good way to keep dirt/dust/liquids out of the cracks for under $5. Note that there are currently no custom-fit Envy15 covers on the market yet.

 

i just bought an envy and i'm already hearing this low rattling sound coming from the left side.
is that the HDD?

any quick fix?

 

The paint isn't as great as you expect. I already got some very very very light hair-line scratches on my Envy after a month of use. Unlike acrylic glossy plastics though, they are really hard to notice even under light. The only easily damaged part of the Envy is the black bezel. However it is disappointing that the materials they used aren't as great as I figured it can be.

 

I for one do not have that issue. My Envy15 is mostly whisper-quiet. I'd suggest calling HP about that concern--sounds worrisome. Could be a fan obstruction of some sort.

That's pretty much universal--I've never seen a glossy bezel that didn't easily scratch. They honestly should have went with a metal matte--that would have matched and improved durability.

Get yourself a proper microfiber cloth and you can keep the bezel clean WITHOUT inducing those unsightly hair-size scratches. Not an issue for me, as I never touch the bezel area anyhow. Unfortunately, the jokers who assembled it added a few scratches before it even left the warehouse.

 

Forget it. It scratches with anything. I just underwent a $84 Bezel replacement as I was fed up of the crap my old bezel had. This new one still scratches but as long as I use compressed air, it looks like it won't have any damage what-so-ever. The bezel on the Envy is total fail.

 

My original Acer Aspire One came with a cleaning cloth for the bezel... which was just as bad. I can't comment on your situation, but I cleaned mine and it looks really good... and I'm crazy picky.

They charged you $84 for a replacement bezel? Did they just send you a bezel, or did you ship it in? If they mailed it to you, I'd say it'd be worth your effort to first wrap it with some of that shrink-covering, take a low-heat gun to it, and then install it. It may be going overboard a bit, but if you care enough to replace it to begin with...

$50 I can understand, but $84 just for the plastic bezel?!?!

 

I already did install it and I removed the cheap shrink wrap over it. Also, I ordered it as a spare part from a reseller. I agree it was very expensive (probably the most overpriced spare part of the Envy) but I got the Beat Edition one so I guess it looks more unique. I am more careful with this one and so far I have been using compressed air and lightly tapping the microfiber cloth over some smudges. Yea, the new bezel still has some minute scratches, but at least they are not as bad as the original bezel and not that noticeable. I will for sure shrink wrap or try to cover it up before sending it for any future repair services for HP, as their techs are not always careful with their consumer's product.

 

I know this is too late to be of consequence to you, but in the future you may want to consider demanding a repair or replacement, especially if the majority of the damage was present BEFORE you took possession of it.

Part of the reason I continue to do business with HP is that they've continually agreed to accept my repair requests when warrantied parts haven't been to my liking. Based on what you've said, I find it highly probable that they would have agreed to a free part swap.

You may also want to consider listing the original part on ebay. You might get something out of it, especially if someone's interested in refinishing it.

 

You got ripped off if you paid $84 for the bezel. You can order it directly from HP parts for $67 for either standard or the beats version and they are both listed as in stock. Standard version P/N 576810-001 or Beats P/N 593142-001.

Also IMO you are more likely to get one with fewer scratches from HP direct since it would have passed through fewer hands and fewer shipments, depending on how well it is packaged from China.

 

Does anyone know if you can somehow connect a Mac pro or MBP to a PC (envy) by USB to transfer image files ??

I really don't want to have to take the external DVD with me on a business trip next week. My largest client is Mac based and they plan to selectively choose images to purchase direct from my catalog which they will view on my envy. I know I could go the SD route but a direct transfer would be quicker and easier if possible...

 

Doubt you can do USB, but have you considered the RJ45 jack? Can you just use a network, even a direct connection with a crossover cable or something?

 

Most likely yes to both. I just don't have a Mac to test it with and really don't want to be fumbling around in front of the client trying to get it to work properly. Just trying to see if anyone has found an easier way than using SD or thumb drives. A simple drag and drop would be ideal....

 

@JJB why not use ad-hoc ? Both systems have pretty good WiFi.

I have tested to transfer files at upto 5.1MBps between MacBookPro and HP dv5; not sure about Envy.

Also use WEP as WAP gives alot of pain in MBP.

 

I'm definitely having trouble with the headphone jack. I have one "magic" pair of sony headphones that have no trouble and sound perfect-- but four other pairs of headphones produce weird, muddy sound on the wrong channel. Same goes for two different 3.5mm-to-RCA adapters I've tried for connecting the audio to my receiver.

Could somebody else tell me if their headphone jack seems to work consistently with different headphones and cables? All of the cables and headphones I've tried work correctly with my older laptop and my phone-- but I don't know if this is a defective jack, or if I possibly need some sort of adapter to properly use the combo mic/headphoen port. I would have expected that it was a standard 4-conductor 3.5mm plug (which are generally compatible with 3-conductor stereo plugs), but given the issues I'm having, I'm wondering if an adapter pigtail is necessary for the Envy 15.

Anybody having similar issues, or just want to report that they're not so that I know whether this is an expected annoyance or a defect that needs repairing under warraty?

 

I hear ya. Everyone seems to be giving logical options--but only logical in the sense that you'd have plenty of time to play around. Having to fiddle around like that makes you look VERY unprofessional. It also makes you look unprepared--so the impression is you either don't care about their business, or you're simply undependable.

There's at least one hardware solution out there:
http://www.geekalerts.com/itornado/

I actually have this exact product--ordered it from Staples about 9 months ago for $20. I don't have a mac to confirm it works with, but it works great between xp/Vista/7 machines. Don't bother checking the company website--apparently they need to renew it Solid product though.

 

what is the best notebook cooler to use with this envy 15?
is there a list of the best accessories to use with this envy?
seems like theres nothing much on the market now.
no zagg, no keyboard protector...

 

I seem to recall reading that perhaps Zagg was working on one. I know at one time they were looking for someone to "loan" them an Envy 15 so they could work on one at least. Someone else posted about using a different keyboard protector and you just have to trim one side of the protector.

 

I posted the picture of the keyboard protector on the previous page. Using it right now.

Don't count on zagg coming out with anything in the near future.

 

Unless everything you have is junk, I'd consider it a defective unit. I just tested with my Ultimate Ears triplefi 10vi (both TRS AND TRRS plugs) and Sennheiser 25-1 II's, and the audio sounds top notch.

 

First try plugging in the poor sounding headphones and, while listening try pushing 'control + b' , if that doesn't fix it then see below.

Second try plugging a set of headphones your having trouble with poor sound quality, click the 'speaker' in task bar > click 'mixer' > click 'down arrow' below speaker image at top > try selecting between the 2 IDT headphone options, one should work for all types of headphones.

If that does not work try opening the 'beats' control panel (which is really the IDT panel) and paly with the headphone/ mic jack options.

If you get things working correctly I would suggest you follow my sound tweaks for the speaker setup on the Envy, HERE , It should increase your volume level and sound quality significantly.