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

Hi im new to the forums. Do you guys want pictures of the Envy 17 3d? If so, what?

 

Already a couple of complaints in regards to fan noise. Hopefully there will be some sort fix for this. How am I supposed to play tug-o-war with the one eyed cyclops with all that noise! Won't be able to concentrate! JK

 

From what I've read, they aren't going to release 28nm for their whole product lines. There's a cutoff where they will use existing 40nm parts. They are going to 28nm on more of their highend stuff first. So it will probably be a while before you see the transition to the mobile series, unless you're talking about the high end, 79xx series.

 

If you could take pictures of the keyboard, the back of the laptop, and a close-up of the track-pad, that would be great.

Also, feel free to give us your impressions on it! I'm getting mine either late today or tomorrow morning first thing.

 

Lol, the Clevo P151HM1/Sager NP8130 is much worse most likely. No matter what you are doing, the fan is always going around medium speed. Whenever it heats up even a single degree over 45 Celsius, it would go into full speed, which would be stupid loud, then it would go back to normal.

You'd have to deal with that constant switching back and forth the entire time you use it. So no matter what it is on the ENVY 17, I'm getting something better than my last laptop...

 

I've been a long time lurker on these forums, but since this forum helped push me to get the Envy 17 3D, I'm posting my initial impressions (first forum post anywhere in a decade). I received my Envy this morning around 10am ET. It was supposed to get here tomorrow with standard shipping so it was a nice surprise. I apologize in advance for the long post, just trying to get as much info out as possible.

I won't be able to do benchmarks or install much on the Envy since I'm still waiting on HP to ship the second HD cage. I have 2 hard drives in my current Dell Studio 17 that I must have for work, so I won't be able to transfer these over until the cage arrives next week or so. The Dell has an Intel 510 128GB SSD and Seagate Momentus XT 500GB, the Envy is using the 720GB 7200rpm that it came with. I definitely should have just gotten 2x 500gb HDs at almost the same price. While already fast, I should see another speed boost on the Intel 510 due to SATA3 when moving it to the Envy.


Cons

1. Like Stephan, I have a small dent on one of the USB ports on the left side. It's much less noticable than his, and I might have missed it if I hadn't known to go looking for it. It looks like I can use a screwdriver to bend it straight.

2. Beats - There are two problems. First, the beats button doesn't open the CP, although the volume dial does work. Second, setting the volume dial to counter-clockwise does not work. I'm going to reinstall the program to see if it helps. *While typing this part, the beats button suddenly started working, but the second problem is still there. ** After running 3DMark, the volume dial is now configurable...

3. Fan - I also hear a higher pitch whine that I'm used to, even at idle, and at night I can see it getting annoying. Loud at heavy use, but not unbearable. I wonder if they pumped up the fan due to the older Envys' heat problems.


Pros

1. Build - Quality is definitely good. No flex anywhere and it looks and feels solid. Outside of that factory worker that might be working overtime and denting USB ports, it feels like a MBP. I'm happy that it's the lightest 17" that I've had, although the MBP is even lighter.

2. Display - I haven't calibrated the display yet, but it looks very good. The viewing angles are better than the Dell and there is much less glare. I'd compare it well against my two 24" monitors.

3. Touchpad - Huge improvement over all the Windows laptops I've ever used, although I haven't tried a Thinkpad for years. However, I agree with the poster that mentioned it's nothing like Macs (I have access to a Mac Air almost 24/7 and a MBP on request). This surface is not as smooth and responsiveness is not as great. That said, the only real con for me on the touchpad so far is that they should make it vertically larger. This would make two finger scrolling a lot easier.

4. Keyboard - I hate the chiclet KBs on the MBP/MBA, but I love this keyboard. The backlighting is nice per key and almost no bleed (problem mostly on the arrow keys). Also, on larger keys, it doesn't light the entire word.

5. Speakers - So far the better than the Dell, which was a 2.1.

6. 3D - Was only able to view the packaged Puss in Boots trailer. Not sure what I was expecting, but it looks more like a diorama than 3D. It's not great, it's not bad. If it works for regular videos, it might be nice.

7. Heat - Barely warm after 3Dmark, and half the laptop is in the sun here in NJ. This is unlike all the other laptops I've used.

Config

Listed only configurable options.
2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2760QM Processor
1GB Discrete Graphics AMD Radeon(TM) [HDMI, DP]
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive


Other Info

GPU
From the ATI CP
7690M XT
Core: 725 Mhz
Memory: 900 Mhz

3DMark
P1592
Graphics: 1410
Physics: 7358
Combined: 1325

I ran two tests, one with a great notebook cooler I have and one without. It came back almost identical.
Link: Generic VGA video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2760QM Processor,Hewlett-Packard 168A score: P1592 3DMarks

WEI
CPU: 7.5
MEM: 7.8
GPU: 7.0
GPU: 7.0
HD: 5.9 (5.9 is a hard limit for mechanical HDs in WEI).

Bios
Almost nothing I see is configurable.

Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Thank god Wi-Fi has 3 antennas. I don't understand any laptop that comes with two these days.
Annoyed that it doesn't come with BT 4.0.

Design
Obviously a MBP copy. A deeper red stripe around the KB would have been nice but it's almost unnoticeable. A black beats version in 17" would have been even better.

Battery
No clue yet. Anything over 4 hours light work would be fine for me.

First Thoughts
If I can fix the beats button/volume issue and installing Windows 7 Ultimate fresh install (not from repair disks) goes smoothly, this looks to be a keeper with a happy new owner. I was betting on the Dell m6600 or the possibly the new MBPs coming out next year, but at less than 1/2 the price of those with the 33% coupon, I couldn't pass this up. The return policy made it a no-brainer.

If they come out with an Ivy Bridge upgrade and an upgraded GPU next year (even just a 2GB bump), I will probably get that and sell this one.

* So while typing this, the beats button is now working and after running 3DMark and the volume dial is now configurable. Beats me!

 

Just got my Envy 15 in. No USB defects or anything else that's been mentioned. The left side of the keyboard is a bit noisy though, especially the Tab, Caps Lock, and LShift keys. It sounds like something's loose on the left side, as the right side only makes the normal chiclet keyboard sound. Not too terrible, but somewhat annoying. Not sure if I'll try my luck and exchange it.

 

So, now that the beats button works for you and considering the USB dent can be bent back into shape easily - what score would you give it overall as a laptop? In comparison, what would you give other laptops?

Thanks so much for the detailed thoughts on it!

 

The best impressions review so far! Thanks. You just sold me on the 17" over the 15" I think. Was worried about the display not being IPS, but you sold me.

I honestly hope they will come out with some bios update for the fans, if its a problem with everyones.

 

Great review blardness! You've made me feel more confident with the purchase of my Envy 17.

 

can't wait for more reviews and impressions.not having loud or unpredictable fans and good build quality are very important to me. Im glad I waited, it seems like a case of rushing out the product before the holiday season? at least they have a great return policy. maybe you guys can fix the fan issue with something like speedfan? as for the defects you can just exchange the machine, thats what I would do...

 

I would give it a preliminary 7.5/10, but my scale would be a tough one to get a 9 or 10. As long as no problems crop up, I'll be happy with the purchase. I still think the MBP build quality is still better in some areas, but not even close for 2x the price and the problems I read about using Boot Camp. I like Win7 better than Lion.

For comparison, the laptops I've owned are a Thinkpad (long long ago), Dell Inspiron 9400, and Dell Studio 17. I also have a first gen MBA for testing my work, and also access to a 15" MBP, which I had to use for about 4 months exclusively at one point.

 

I think the display will be better once I calibrate it since the colors are way too cool right now. From the 15" viewing angle video, the 15" IPS looks to be much better in this area, but I'm happy with the 17" viewing angles. I don't move my head around a lot, but I don't notice a change like I did with the Dell. I think displays is a very personal thing, so you may still want to see for yourself.

About the fan, I don't think it'll be a huge deal for me, since the office is loud anyways. At home, my laptop is usually on a laptop cooler which is much louder than the Envy. Also, when I'm moving around, I'd want a louder fan rather than having roasted chestnuts.

 

Yeah, but I'm an enthusiast. If I wasn't a regular Engadget reader I would have never known about either of these. I'd likely have bought a macbook and loaded windows on to it.

 

Almost 4am in Shenzen today for those of us waiting for the 12/23 shipments to go out. From what I've seen from my earlier order, the 2-day shipping turns out to be 3 days. Mine shipped on 12/19 and just arrived. The 2-day didn't get me squat other than money siphoned away. HP should refund the 2-day shipping to everyone who didn't get it in 2 days, which is probably just about everyone on this forum.

 

For anyone complaining about fan noise, my Dell Dimension XPS 17 defines loud. Not opening my 15 until Christmas and my 17 when it gets here. No way they could be remotely close to as loud. My rangehood fan on low setting is louder than my Dell so the Envy's got plenty of room to impress me. Plus, my Dell's fan couldn't keep it from reaching searing temps so a little fan noise that equals cool enough to place on lap is ok with me.

 

What's the latest 30% off coupon?

 

The Good News: My 17 arrived.
The Bad News: I won't be able to do much with it until after the weekend. Damn you, holidays!

I know a couple guys here started their own tests and such....and teardowns. I'll be doing my own soon, when I can if you guys are interested. If not, I'll keep my laptop in one piece. ;p

 

That's awesome! We'll keep an eye on your blog for updates. Would love to see your opinions/impressions on the final product.

 

How about a Great UNBOXING video (Since yours are top notch) to include opening the back compartment and a review thrown in for good measure!

 

I second that. Darren, we're encountering a lack of information post-arrival; either the new owners are so star-struck that they have no time to keep us starved people at bay, or they have other things taking up their time.

At any rate, a more in-depth video than anything we've seen online would be useful.

 

NBT3886. Good until Dec. 31