NOW AVAILABLE - Updated ENVY 15, ENVY 17 / ENVY 17 3D

I don't think this "tally" is going to be accurate or of any use to this thread... I come here to find info and discussion, not "hey I got 2 of these on the 8th". But whatever floats your boat

 

Thanks Brody. I did some more research and came across this very article myself. Apparently AMD has been offering the Dynamic Switching (similar to Nvidia's Optimus) for a while, maybe on the last versions of the Envy 15, 17. I was particularly taken with Anandtech's mention of this from his article:

"Ironically, I’d rather have something like the HP Envy 14 or the Sony VAIO C without AMD’s switchable graphics and just give me a discrete GPU instead; that would make getting updated video drivers easier and battery life doesn’t even suffer all that much. AMD is actually a bit closer to my ideal of not needing switchable graphics than NVIDIA, as their mainstream GPUs tend to use less power."

Looks like the discrete graphics card on the Envy 15 might be the better way to go. I do know trying to update the switchable graphics on the Envy 14 was a real pain.

 

I believe the 1Gb gddr5 is referring to graphics memory, not system memory (ddr3 RAM).

 

For anyone that ordered one from Canada how did you guys do it? I've been trying to use paypal but the transaction kept getting cancelled.

 

two 17 3Ds

 

typically you can do this in the bios - disable 1 of the gpus. Not sure on envys, or if it requires a 'hacked' bios...

 

I used paypal for mine, it went through fine. You have to add a new address though, or it wont accept your canadian one. I used ship happens and their address - they already have my 17 3D's warranty and bag, but the 17 3D hasn't been shipped yet.

 

Thanks so much for the tips! I'm glad there's a new coupon out immediately.

Now that I've played around with configurations, I'm having a hard time deciding between 15" and 17", seeing that they turn out to be roughly the same price.

 

Here's some info on the 7690m from GPU-Z I found on a Chinese forum.





Link.

 

That review does make it sound really bad. I thought they had fixed all bugs since it actually been out for quite a while.
Makes no sense really to have a GPU on the i7 and not be able to use it for browsing etc as it was meant.

 

I don't know if it could be disabled; just left it on discrete graphics since the thing was plugged into A/C 95% of the time; isn't that why I paid all that money for the Envy 14? The "massive" graphics card! I guess HP is going to disable onboard graphics in these new units 'cause I think all the offered processors have onboard graphics capabilities. Have already wondered if we'll be able to hack the bios and turn them back on. Just another thing to think about while we wait for shipment, reviews, hands-on descriptions.

 

Here's another link comparing the 7690m to the 6770m and GT 555m. It looks like the 7690m is slightly better than both of those.

Link.

 

Wow, thanks! This is good !

 

Yeah, it is sort of a step backwards especially for the i7. It could likely extend battery life to be able to use onboard graphics. Problem is the AMD system was just so funky to try and upgrade drivers and still keep the switchable graphics. Had to go through HP and get their stuff then drop AMD drivers over that and keeping track of mobile driver numbers was ridiculous. Still think it is a great idea if it ever gets simplified.

 

yes, i was referring to the graphic memory, on the disassembly picture the envy 15 has only 4 gddr5 dims covered by the cooler 256mb x 4 = 1Gb gddr5 but the envy 17 has 4 more on the other side.
Unless hp is using smaller vram on the 17 it is possible that it could have 2gb gddr5

 

That is good news if that is the graphics card we actually get--do we even really know for sure yet? It is like waiting to open a surprise package and wonder what is going to be inside.

I figure the graphics card is going to bottleneck all the offered processors with the possible exception of the i5. And I don't even care. As long as that Radiance Infinity screen looks like the one on the Envy 14 ima just gonna stare at it and wonder why my TV screen can't look that good!

 

Wow thanks for NBT3886! Brings the price down very nicely. One question can i use paypal + cc to pay for the order? I probaly will give hp a call tommrow.

 

I am pretty sure it was confirmed to be the 7690m in the 15 and 7690m XT in the 17.
The difference? Nobody knows!

 

Actually, the XT gets 50% more FPS in the same games on the same settings compared tot he regular 7690M.

 

If using Paypal, you choose how you want to pay over there. So yes you can pay with credit card through Paypal.

 

Hey everyone! I'm from San Jose, CA. I just ordered my Envy 17 today, and it says, "Your PC will ship on: December 28, 2011". That means, they will only ship the item on Dec. 28? And how many days will it get to me? I'm worried because, there will be nobody at home from January 4 to 8, we're going for a vacation at Disneyland. Please, help!

 

Call FedEX tell then to reserve the package

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

You can ask Fedex to hold the package for you.

Also, you're actually pretty lucky, considering that I ordered on the 8th, and my ship date is the 26th.

 

So it is identical to the existing HD 6770M. Now to see what the XT adds.

 

Just start a separate poll in its own forum, the results will be much easier to see and get more participants.

 

Ooo tough luck.. if you don't get it by the 23th you're not gonna get it on the 26th cause fedex is closed

Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk

 

It was just a simple tally to see how many bought one.

We can stop now as I got a a good feel of the amount purchased.

It make me more hopefull that we might have ours by Chrismas.

Thanks everyone that posted.

 

No, it is not identical in performance to the 6770m.

According to Darren Gladstone that ran tests on late-stage prototypes of both the 15 and 17 on HP's Blog, the 7690m outdoes the 6770m by roughly 10%-15% (this number will only get better with drivers). The 7690m XT from the Envy 17 outperforms the 7690m by roughly 50% and slightly outdoes the 6850m of the previous gen Envy 17 (I found tests from the last gen Envy 17 online, too many people tried to compare the 7690m XT to benchmarks from a desktop 6850, which is apples and oranges comparison)

HP Communities - AMD?s Radeon 7600M Graphics for New ENVY Laptops - HP Communities

The new 7000 series mobile graphics from the 7300-7600 might be rebadges, but they are heavily optimized and tweaked. They are more efficient than the 6000 series mobile graphics. When you have the 7690m XT outperform the 6850m with much less power usage, things have changed obviously. This comes to the fact that 28nm has had multiple delays, and Southern Islands using GCN (AMD's new architecture) was designed for 28nm and would not be able to be produced on 40nm. Due to the possibility of more delays, AMD had to have a backup plan with 40nm production, they didn't have enough time to create a new architecture either. They went ahead and further optimized what they already had on the 40nm just in case of further delays to 28nm, thus the 7690m is not the same as the 6770m, it is a optimized 6770m that runs far more efficiently (higher performance, lower temps, lower power usage).

 

Your kidding me! ?,?++*!)(; &&

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

God, after looking at the disassembly guide, I'm REALLY hoping that the RAM i ordered with it is in the easily accessible spot when you remove the bottom, and I don't have to rip the entire laptop apart just to upgrade it

 

7690m = 480 SP's, VLIW5 architecture, 725 MHz Core, 900 MHz GDDR5, 8 ROP's
6770m = 480 SP's, VLIW5 architecture, 725 MHz Core, 800 MHz GDDR5, 16 ROP's

Half the ROP's and 100 MHz higher on the vram. Rest is pretty much the same if those GPU-z are true.

Then again, the software lists the release date of the GPU as Jan 4, 2011. So either that's a glitch in GPU-z's reporting, the image is faked, or this GPU is really a rebadge of something a year old.

 

To be honest, you are going to be more shader starved than memory bandwidth on these things.

I have a feeling the ROP reading is a detection glitch in GPU-Z.

 

All I am saying is that the 7690m and 7690m XT are not merely the same GPU as the 6770m. We can see that from benchmarks and deductive reasoning due to the problems with 28nm process and what AMD would have to do if further delays took place (eg further optimize what they already have, thus the efficiency gains of the 7690m and 7690m XT over previous gen 6000m series)

 

if the 7690m XT was anything more than slightly higher clocks they really would have named it something different.

I mean the 6750m and 6770m are literally the same card but one is clocked higher. If they have no problem calling the same card with different clocks a different model name, then the fact that they chose to identify these as simply the same model with or without XT should tell you something.

 

Here's to hoping that the shaders are more efficient on the 7690m

 

Just to clarify, I don't mind having a tally (not a thread etiquette n@zi), I just know that a separate thread would give more accurate results and be easier to see.

edit:

ancient envy 14 screen poll example

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/493534-envy-14-buyers-screen-option-would-you-go.html

 

I do not believe the HD 7690M XT is going to be 480 shader Whistler based core. It benches much higher than the stock HD 7690M. AMD also drew the rebranding line at the HD 76xx Series. The remaining higher end HD 7000M GPUs will more than likely be filled with new 28nm GPUs.

AMD's naming scheme more than likely left HP stuck with the maximum of the HD 7690M moniker for the ENVY 17 but they tacked on the XT. The configuration pages are also very vague with "Radeon graphics" too. It is probably a much larger GPU core but HP cannot call it a HD 77xx/78xxM, etc.

It is the same GPU core from the HD 67xxM lineup. Though 40nm is a mature process and it is going to be a little more power efficient than the slightly older HD 67xxM. I am more interested to see if the GT 555M to GT 635M transition lead to any reductions in power consumption. At identical clocks of course.

nVidia's 28nm lineup appears to be aiming to get a Fermi derived midrange, even mobile GPU in early 2012 before pushing the larger flagship GPU dies on the new process node. The rebranded naming scheme stops with the GT 63x. They more than likely feel confident enough to have something new fill in the remaining mobile lineup soon.

 

There's a 50% performance gap between the 5870M and the 6990M. Think about that, and the hardware differences which were necessary for that gulf to be possible.

If what he originally tested indeed was a 7690M XT, there's no way it has much in common technically with the 7690M of the Envy 15. All we know is it's not 28nm.

How are these details not settled by now? Ridiculous.

 

Personally I still am not sure those earlier benchmarks on "late prototype" hardware will match up with the actual release product. Maybe I'm just a cynic though.

 

i got a 15 inch thats better than all urs

 

I'm so excited to be ordering mine soon!

After the 30% discount, it really turns out that based on the configurations I want, getting the 15" or the 17" comes down to a difference of $15.

Say, other than the increased weight and bulkiness, is there really any downside to getting the 17" over the 15" in this case?

 

No, especially considering you can put in a second or even third hard drive on the 17, as well as getting 3D if you choose it. Plus, bluray comes standard on the 17.

 

Actually the bluray drive I think is + $75? I have no use for an optical drive anyway. And yes, the 2nd or 3rd hard drive sounds like the reason I would be getting the 17" not 15"

Do we know anything about the screen? Is there any difference in their display and graphics card?

 

The bluray+DVD writer is only an extra cost on the 15. On the 17 3D it comes standard with the system. Also, on both models of the ENVY 17, you will get the Radeon 7690M XT GPU, which has proven to get around 50% better frame-rates compared to the regular Radeon 7690M - putting it ahead of the original ENVY Radeon 6850M.

 

Some people say that the Envy15 gets an IPS Screen, not sure if that's only in regards to the upgrade screen. Also that the Envy 17 gets 7690m XT & Envy15 gets 7690m graphics card.

I guess we will all know more next week when people actually start getting their laptops. It so weird purchasing something and not knowing what the specs are...........oh well. We always have the option of returning it, if not happy.

 

15 gets zero blu ray functions

 

Ah yes, sorry, I just checked - I was mistaken.

15 gets no bluray, 17 gets it at a cost, and the 17 3D includes it standard.

 

Since we have users wondering who purchased what, a poll has been added to this thread.

Feel free to check off what you purchased!

 

yay to the poll im in for 15 !

JUST so u guys know

i was about to go for the samsung 7 series but because it didn't have a 1080 display, the HP won me over

I really really really hope im able to put in a blu ray burner in the near future

.... do u guys think it may be a possibility ?

 

You're easier off getting an external burner that will give you blueray for any future laptop you ever need (and also allows you to read dem blu rays on any computer you burned them for). Especially in the coming years where optical drives will certainly be totally removed from 15" models.
Amazon.com: ASUS USB 2.0 Slim External 6x Blu-Ray Writer SBW-06C1S-U/DBLU/G/ACI/AS: Electronics

Imo if you're removing the ODD in the 15, put a caddy and a 128gb system SSD in it and make that thing do some serious business.