*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

My non-raid gen 2 x18-m drives come in at 7.6.

 

Hi I have a hp envy first generation, but has some scratches on the base enclosure for the use, my question is, Can I change my Envy's chassis bronze color for a black color chassis of Hp envy beat edition?

 

yes you can but it will cost a lot approximately $400

I think the spare part ref number are :

580121-001 - Chassis base bottom enclosure IMR, BEATS
580122-001 - Keyboard top cover assembly IMR, BEATS
580128-001 - LCD panel back cover IMR, BEATS
593142-001 - LCD panel bezel assembly BEATS
576835-001 - Full-size keyboard 15.4-inch Windows compatible keyboard PT Muse - With Beats audio branding (If you want to keep your native keyboard you can if it is a US version)

 

Thank you very much Tchongy

 

I am having intermittent problems with my brightness controls. It seems that after my computer has been put to sleep the brightness controls on the keyboard no longer function. The slider in the power settings menu is no longer present. The only fix I can find is to restart the machine.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

Another question, Do I need to change my Battery pack - 6-cell, Lithium Io(Gray color)? To match with the color of beats edition?

 

HI,
I am looking at getting a Envy 15 .There seem to be two full HD screen options. Anyone got experience/comments on the options or know whats the difference between them in real life usage.

15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1920x1080)

15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)

 

One is glossy and the other is matte. The glossy is brighter and has slightly better color accuracy but its not very usable in direct sunlight.

 

Why doesn't the Envy 15 have a backlite keyboard or optical drive built in or i7 core CTO on hp.com!?

Why doesn't the Envy 14 have the Anti-glare LCD option but has i7 and built in optical?

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hey i was just wondering for those who have owned the envy 15 for some time whether they've been getting 'shiny' keyboard keys from typing on the keyboard.

Just curious because i've read somewhere that apparently the envy 15's have a special coating which prevents it from happening. I hate it when laptop keyboards go shiny because of wear from typing on it. I'm seeing if i can get one of those skins on the keyboards but so far i haven't found anyone who has made one especially for the envy 15.

 

They're not perfect.. I do have a little 'shinny' on the keys, but not heavy. I've had this unit since Dec of last year.

 

A workaround for the poor SSD performance has been found at the expense of battery time and CPU temperature. See this post (and the thread).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...e-full-advantage-fast-ssds-3.html#post6655397

 

FYI, I noticed that due to the CPU throttling on battery the 'idle disable' tweak does not have a huge effect on battery life. My 540M normally idles at ~5.5W on battery or AC, when plugged in and I disable idle that jumps up to ~ 19W at idle, when I switch to battery with idle disabled the CPU idles at 8.5W and temps are quite reasonable @ ~45C and the SSD performance is close to the AC performance levels with idle disabled. 4K write drops to 50MB/s on battery vs. 62 MB/s when plugged in, but do to the throttling on battery it only adds like 3W additional power draw instead of 15W additional when plugged in. In some ways this SSD performance gain offsets the throttling of the CPU.

You also may want to change the link in your post to the one on the next page of the thread with my more detailed instructions, there is a bit of detail lacking in the post you link to about changing the powere plan settings after you change the registry.

 

Found a refurbished 2nd generation hp envy beats limited edition the black model for $1200,i believe it has the infinity keyboard,it comes w/anexternal optical drive,is this a good deal? here are the specs-
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
* 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors
* Beats(TM) audio for superior sound
* File sharing with iPAQs and cameras via 2-in-1 digital media card reader
* External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
* Built-in webcam
* Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premiuim Edition (64-bit)
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)

 

as said on the previous thread, No.

 

For you guys with the SSD+HDD/SSDs. Besides de Intel SSD Monitoring tool and the tweak to improve SSD performance (registry+power options) what else do you guys recommend to decrease wear level/increase lifespan? Move the pagefile to the HDD? Disable file indexing?

Thanks in advance.

Ow, I discovered the problem with the touchpad. My usb Microsoft mouse. I had to reinstall the whole system.

 

This may have been mentioned already, but I've been having strange issues with my external eSata drives disconnecting randomly, and failing to connect sometimes.

I realized that due to how the eSata port on this laptop is recessed, the eSata plugs are not long enough to properly plug in and engage. So I just trimmed back some of the plastic housing on the male eSata adapter plug, and the issue is resolved.

 

TWEAKS FOR IMPROVING SSD READ / WRITE SPEEDS​

After many hours and of trial and error testing of 'hidden' advanced processor power plan settings the following tweaks appear solve the poor SSD read / write speeds that have plagued most notebooks that use the PM55 & HM55 chipsets (most others chipsets show improvements also). These tweaks have been confirmed to work on the following SSD brands: Intel, Samsung, Corsair, Micron/Crucial .....

For the full instructions to fix the slow SSD R/W speed problem go to THIS thread

HERE is a link to the original thread that got us to these tweaks. It has a lot of test data and shows how we came up with the tweaks in the above link as the best compromise for performance with little to no impact on temps and battery life.

 

Hey guys can i put a i7-840QM (taken out of the Envy 17) in Envy 15?

 

@noxep

Should work fine, unless it doesn't get recognized. If that's the case the Gen 3 service manual shows the 840QM so when the new BIOS (if there is one) comes out then there should be no issues.

I noticed you have dual C300's, If your 4K numbers are lower than they should be give my SSD tweaks (link posted above) a try. Several C300 users with the PM55 chipset have seen a vast improvement with these tweaks, all non-RAID so far but those with RAIDed intels have shown big 4K R/W gains....

 

Yeah, that's a good idea. And i guess i better update bios before swapping CPUs. Btw, every second reboot i get a "no boot device found" message and have to restart again in order to get it working... Any ideas why that might be happening..?

 

Does anyone konw why HP removed drivers supporting for Envy 15?

It just happened a few days ago.

 

seems like the stuff is still on HP's ftp server.

just get 'em from here I guess: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/426181-drivers-hp-envy-15-intel.html

 

Hmm I seem to have removed the LFM lock on battery... not sure what I did but I do get turbo boost clock on my 720QM just like when plugged in...

This is using ThrottleStop 2.85.
I might have explored the hidden CPU options that JJBdescribed in the SSD performance fix thread - not sure. Or perhaps latest Windows Update did something.

Anyways this is great news for anyone who wants to burn out their batteries quickly. Hehe. I should be able to get battery life down to well under an hour.

Still choppy performance in apps, perhaps related to graphics power savings mode. How do I ensure good GPU performance on battery? Power plan for ATI set to High Performance.

EDIT: Graphic performance seems to be good, I was mistaken about that.

 

@Larsv

If you figure out (exactly) how you managed to get to get full performance on battery please let me know. With my tweaks for the SSD and Throttlestop v. 1.94 it does not work for me, not sure if the newer version would make a difference or not and I don't want to lose the version I've got since i don't need all the features of the new version.

It could come in handy to have full CPU performance when I am running large CS4 batch files on battery, it currently takes forever (4+ times longer) compared to when plugged in, it may actually use less energy to process with full CPU performance in this case.

Edit: I just tried the newest Throttlestop (2.85) but I am still throttled on battery at x9, this is with my SSD tweaks... You must have some other tweak allowing full performance or it's an i7 thing (which I doubt) Did you change any of my SSD setting values ??

 

My versions and settings:

Core i7-720QM
Win7 x64 Enterprise
BIOS F2A
ThrottleStop v2.85

Power plan: It works regardless of power plan, and I did not tweak all power plans, so I conclude that power plan settings are irrelevant. We can explore that later, but let's focus on ThrottleStop first.

ThrottleStop settings:
Set multipler active, 13.0 (maximum for my CPU)
EIST active
ThrottleStop turned on (Red status icon)
ThrottleStop options screen:
Show CPU active
Show GPU active
Show MHz active
ATI GPU

Note on ThrottleStop: It seems that it's the Set Multiplier setting that makes a difference.

-Lars

 

Well I just tried all multipliers from 9 to 20 (my max in 2.85) and all the same settings you posted. I ran some Everest CPU benchmarks to see what the clocks would go up to, for the most part I am stuck at 1.197Ghz (x9). I did see 1 core (thread) jumping up to x19 (2.57Ghz) for a few seconds and then drop back down to x9 and stay there, this did not happen when Throttlestop was off. Not sure what to make of that except it seems to be trying to override the LFM but gets shut back down quickly. I also tried running the same benchmarks with the default High performance Power Plan settings and there was no change compared to the results with my SSD 'tweak' settings.

Thanks for the info and if you have any other ideas or find some setting you may have overlooked please let me know.

PS; I'm running F 02 BIOS and have Win 7 Pro and v. 2.85, don't think the OS difference should make a difference...

 

Are "HP Software Framework" and "Essential System Updates for Microsoft Windows 7" needed on clean install?

 

F02, is that a typo?

One more thing.... I remember now that I fiddled with PROCHOT in ThrottleStop.
Try this in ThrottleStop:
- In Options, check "Unlock bidirectional PROCHOT".
- Then in main screen, disable "BD PROCHOT".
On my 720QM that exits LFM allowing for higher multipliers than x7.

 

That did the trick, + REP!, now I can get full performance on battery

If I set the multiplier to x13 (1.73Ghz) the CPU seems to draw an average of 12.5W under full load (Everest stability test) to all 4 threads. That seems to be the most efficient power wise and doing some basic tests with CS4 it makes a huge difference in performance, even basic stuff seems much 'snappier' with the x13 setting.

One issue I found is that the CPU goes to full performance (x21 not max turbo of x23) if I turn throttlestop off after the changes or even if I close the app I found the only way to get back to 'normal' x9 on battery is to uncheck the options box and re-check the main screens 'BD PROCHOT' box, for some reason I cannot just re-check the BD box until I change the option setting first, so it's kind of a pain to get back to normal mode... FYI: Be careful if yours does the same because it would be very easy to turn off and close throttlestop but still be using max performance on battery, for you that could be a very quick discharge....

Yes that was a typo I'm on BIOS F .2A which is the newest one for the envy 15 1100 CTO (i5 models).... The only thing I noticed that is different is that it cut 6 seconds out of POST time, I now can get a 'cold' start in 20 seconds to windows music and a full restart in 26 seconds...

 

i have to ask, what sort of temps are you getting at full power?

 

I only ran the stability test at x21 / 2.8Ghz (100% load on all 4 threads) for about 10 minutes and it maxed out at 68C while drawing ~23W (CPU). This compares to a previous full hour run while plugged in where themps maxed out at 77C and power draw was ~25W. I think the power difference is due to the 'on battery' power plan settings which I did not run in the 'high performance' setting.

I don't think it's a good idea to run at full battery with a 100% load for very long since HP's whole reasoning for the throttling was do to the inability of the battery to deliver enough continuous current for full output (100+ watts with i7). Since I was just running the CPU to max I wasn't to worried but if you added a maxed GPU on top of that their may be issues, like when gaming...

 

If any of you need the slice battery, you can get it for $43 plus tax straight from HP.

Use SVMB39487 to get $25 off of 150 (It counts the before sale price. I tried it out on a Envy 13 battery and it took it down to $35 plus tax lol)

The bad thing is that its out of stock right now, so just keep checking back. 50ish shipped for the slice battery seems like a steal.

Heres a link for it.

Sorry if this is old.

 

Do they offer this for the E14?

 

For the 14, its a little more expensive. I got my battery slice for $123 with the same coupon last week. Now itll cost you $135 plus tax.

 

Got dang! How much of a boost in battery did you get from it?

 

Just want to know if the fan is defaulted as always on in Envy 15? If not, can somebody advice me how to make it as always on thru BIOS? (pls start from how to get into BIOS)
Many thanks~

 

Clean install VS PC Decrapifier

Is there much difference?

 

It's been a looooong time since I've posted on here. That being said, I haven't had any issues, until now.

My AC charger is making a chirping noise and not powering my laptop. It will make the chirping noise weather it's plugged into the laptop or not.

HP is already sending a replacement under warranty, but i'm looking for a replacement until then. I've searched the forums, but there's nothing recent on the subject. All I've heard is the Kensington (some of which have apparently been recalled) and the Lamar....

Anyone have similar issues?

 

I'm maxing out at 85C in Handbrake in a 73F room.

I average around 40-48C on idle.

 

So I picked up the HP 'Notebook Smart Power Adapter' 90w, and so far it's charging my Envy.

Are there any applications I can use to gauge if my PC is being throttled or not?

I can't load SC2 in the office..

 

I picked up throttlestop 2.85 and now want to know if used correctly will my Core i7 820 run with full turbo mode as if I were running on AC? What settings would I use? If I can get this to work full power with turbo on it be amazing.

 

I run my envy 15 on 90w adapters all the time without throttling. I think it will only be an issue if you have a i7 quad.

 

To enable full turbo boost on battery (might damage your battery and void your warranty):

ThrottleStop 2.85, enable Set Multiplier, select highest value. ThrottleStop should be on - red taskbar icon. Go to options, unlock BD PROCHOT then save options. Back in main screen, disable BD PROCHOT, and save.

this works great with my 720QM, but I will avoid running the CPU or GPU under full load on battery. Theres got to be a reason why it locks down to LFM on battery.

 

Sounds like the same adapter I got for travel.
intel has a TurboBoost gadget for Win7 desktop.
Also, any tool that shows the multiplier will work: CoreTemp, ThrottleStop and other.
ThrottleStop can also help unlock turboboost if it is limited with your adapter or on battery.

 

Ok is there a way to enable full turbo boost tho? I mean like I have a 90w adapter that maxes out at 150w so I would like to use full turbo boost with that adapter at least on the road

 

I have a 1-month old Envy 15 v2 and the "y" key won't stay attached. The nice woman at HP support (and her managers) were unable to give me a solution that doesn't involve mailing the laptop off for a week's worth of repair. I won't even be back in the US for another 9 months so that option is out.

I attempted to convey that the chiclet style keyboard didn't need to be replaced, just the one key. I was then informed removing the keys myself would void the warranty (reminder, I was calling about the defective key popping off on it's own).

Anyway, does anyone know how to get a replacement key? As I see it now, my options are:

1. Buy a new keyboard (576835-001 = $70 USD plus intl. shipping for something under warranty)
2. Swap some less used key that resembles the "y" key (check-mark key?)
3. Go to a HP point of sale and 5-finger discount a "y" key (this option seems the best given HP's helpful product support)

 

Hello everyone,

My HP Envy just started having some keyboard problems. Basically, if I press E, D, C, or 3, I get two character input instead of just one (for example, if I press D, the keyboard inputs "df" where I'm typing. If I hit B or G, it activates a function (such as windows search).

It seems like the problems are all clustered in this one area on the keyboard, which makes me worry that the keyboard has gone bad and it's not a software issue. My warranty just expired a couple days ago . . .

Any ideas on how to fix this or what might be wrong? Where/how can I reinstall my keyboard drivers?

Please help!

Thanks,
N123

 

Look at my post on the other thread...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...15-2nd-gen-owners-lounge-696.html#post6857102

It seriously took no time at all from them to fix my key. Had I sent mine out after the weekend I would have had it back faster then I did. It basically broke down to a total of 1 day there, one day fix, and one day back.

By the time you decide to buy an over priced key and get it shipped to you, HP would have had it resolved.

Good luck...

 

I can send you a broken spare keyboard that has good keys on it for you to salvage if you want. If you can pay shipping, I can send it to you. It has a shoddy cable so it won't work 100% of the time, but the keys on there are perfect. Let me know.