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

Product Documentation If you haven't seen it: http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c03092357.pdf

Radeon 7690

 

Hmm, looking at the above in the "Display Panel" area does it say it has a Radiance display. Honestly I am kind of disappointed with that information. I have to assume the starting at 1100$ means it has the minimum value thing in all those areas. An i5, a low res screen. If the upgrades cost more than like 100 bucks each than I think it may be Samsung for me, which is disappointing because I was waiting for this.

 

Yes!!! 800mhz gpu ftw! This is totally fantastic news! About 75 mhz faster than the 6770m hopefully, depending on what they are referring to!

 

That's still not US documentation. It is good to get a little more insight as to what specs we'll be looking at here in the US. They better not have dropped the slot-load Blu-ray drive as an option!

 

"Ultra BrightView Infinity" vs. "Radiance" vs. DreamColor...? All I care about is whether it comes with an IPS display option. Is there any way to decode HP's marketing lingo to determine that? There seems to be disagreement about whether "Radiance" actually means "IPS display".

Does anyone know if an Intel Core i5 CPU would run significantly cooler than a Core i7, at idle or in general? From my experience with my Lenovo T61p, I know that powerful 15" notebooks can run quite hot, and even overheat somewhat regularly.

 

Found this. Radiance looks to be a TN panel.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/551797-envy14-radiance-ips-tn-panel.html

 

Also, that ad looks to still be in production. It says BrightView in the specs area and Radiance in the screen description paragraph on page 2. Also, its missing the URL at the bottom and says FPO (For Placement Only) over the Intel logo. So that being said, some specs might be slightly off (designer typos).

 

I hope y'all or correct, and the above suggesting faster then the 6770m is wonderful news. I cannot wait for Wednesday. If these fools don't delay this. If they do I'm going to be seriously dissapoint.

 

I've been following this thread for a while, I'm in the market for a new notebook and really like these new Envy's, I was just waiting to see what the GPU was.

But can someone explain to me how "slightly faster than a 6770m" is "wonderful news".

The current Envy 17 already comes with a 2670QM and a 6850m, which is significantly faster than a 6770m. So this is essentially not an upgrade at all. Why is it good in the least?

I'm very disappointed personally.

 

That's why, earlier I was saying that there's going to be an even faster GPU upgrade option for the Envy 17.

In that model, the 7690M is probably the base GPU, and they'll tax you for the more powerful part.

(this is all just my speculation, btw)

 

Well let's hope so. Personally I would like to see something faster than the 6850m in the Envy 15. That would be the perfect point for me.

 

According to NotebookCheck.net

6850m Specs:
Core Speed * 575 / 675 MHz
Shader Speed * 575 / 675 MHz
Memory Speed * 800 MHz

According to this article: http://news.softpedia.com/news/AMD-...Spotted-in-Asus-and-HP-Notebooks-238362.shtml

7690m Specs:
[Core/Shader/Memory] Speed * 800MHz (Doesn't specifiy which, likely refers to Core speed)

Therefore the gpu is faster than the 6850m, but actual performance should vary depending on the number of pipelines (6850m has 800)? Comparing GPU's isn't exactly my forte.

 

But 6850M vs 6770M was 800 shaders vs just 480.

That shader count is the one huge detail we don't have on the 7690M.

 

Are you assuming they have the same number of SPs? I haven't seen any confirmation of how many the 7690 will have. I am going to go out on a limb and assume similar or less than the 800 in the 6850, considering that x600 is 2 tiers below the x800.

Also, according to the link you posted:

"At the heart of the Radeon HD 7690M part that is used by HP for its Envy 17 notebook also stands the Thames XT core, but his time this is coupled with GDDR 5 memory clocked at 800MHz.

The GPU frequency was not mentioned, but a previous report indicates that this is clocked at the same 600MHz as in the case of the HD 7670M we talked about earlier in this article."

So its not even clear the GPU runs at 800 MHz. It might run at 600, which is almost identical to the 6850.

 

I'll just throw out a guess of 560 or 640 shaders.

 

640 SPs at 600 MHz and 800 MHZ GDDR5 would probably be noticeably slower than the 6850m. I REALLY hope you are right about there being higher end options, although if you have to pay over 2000 to get a decent configuration then suddenly these don't look like a very sharp buy anymore.

 

Brightview is HP's marketing name for their basic displays (not sure about "Ultra BrightView Infinity" though), Radiance is a high-end consumer display, DreamColor is their business-class IPS display. In the past, Radiance displays have been really nice TN panels I believe - I know my Envy 14 doesn't use an IPS screen. But at the same time, the Radiance name has gotten some good street cred among enthusiasts so if the Envy 15's high-end display is IPS, they might still use the Radiance name. However, one of those product pages posted a while back claims LED Radiance display, and I don't believe that a display can be LED and IPS at the same time, so that's just one more piece of evidence against it being an IPS display, though it could still be a terrific panel.

There was a post a few pages back stating that AMD's December 6th release date for the 7xxx series only goes up to the Thames units, meaning that the 7690m will apparently be the most powerful 7xxx series GPU available as of the December 7th release of the new Envy's. Count on HP to (probably, hopefully) offer better GPUs once higher-end 7xxx's come out.

 

It is wonderful news because in the context of the small envy it is a large improvement. The envy 14 now only has a 6630m. I am comparing this to the Samsung Series 7 with a 6750m. Both of them not comparable to anything better then a 6770m. Sorry that it disappointing you but I am satisfied.

 

This ENVY 15 is in a completely different league from the Samsung Series 7.

At ~2.7kg it is a heavyweight compared to the Series 7 at ~2.3kg.

However, I agree that when compared to ENVY 14-2000 series, it has similar weight and boasts better performance. Then again, you could OC the 6630M in the ENVY 14 to surpass the 6750M in the samsung since the 6750M isn't overclockable in the series 7.

I don't have high hopes because some people in the Chinese forums have seen only 480 shaders, but the architecture may be different (VLIW4 vs 5).

 

I dunno about an entirely different league, yes its heavier but the footprint is similar (from what I have seen). Also, does anybody have any ideas for a sleeve when this comes out. I am looking just for like a simple neoprene sleeve to put it in inside my backpack laptop sleeve.

Edit: footprint is actually further off than i thought, but still not massive insane amounts of difference.

 

The writer of that HP.com hands-on flat out said that the 17 has an even faster GPU that he couldn't talk about because it's still under NDA, plus he got to run his benchmarks on it.

Link. Compare the Envy 15 fps to the 17's. It's on a much higher level of performance.

Envy 15:

Quick Gaming Tests:
Just Cause 2: “Dark Sunrise” Test
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra:14.72 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:28.79 fps

Resident Evil 5 “Fixed” Test
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra: 25.2 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:58.5 fps

Total War: Shogun 2
720p Balanced, DirectX 11 Benchmark: 15.93 fps

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II – Retribution
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra: 31.65 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:41.9 fps


Envy 17:

Just Cause 2: “Dark Sunrise” Test
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra: 27.1 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:42.2 fps

Resident Evil 5 “Fixed” Test
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra 36.3 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:78.1 fps

Total War: Shogun 2
720p Balanced, DirectX 11 Benchmark: 33.6 fps

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II – Retribution
1920 x 1080, settings at high – to – ultra 35.06 fps
1600 x 900, settings at medium to high:53.87 fps

The GPU is already in there. The question is, when will it be available?

 

http://www.bestgaminglaptop.net/wp-content/uploads/AMD-HD-7000M-Series.png

The better GPU's (notably dual core ones) are only coming by june alongside ivy bridge anyway.

 

If the December 6th AMD release date really is limited to Thames and Seymour, then there are a few possibilities with those benchmarks:

A - The 15's running a 7670m like the Aussie site claimed, while the 17's running a 7690m. The DDR3 of the 7670m versus the GDDR5 of the 7690m might be enough, along with a few more shaders, to create such a discrepancy between the cards.

B/C - The 15's running a 7670m or a 7690m and the tester's 17's running a Chelsea or Heathrow card, i.e. 77x0m or 78x0m, but the December 7th release will only offer up to a 7690m in the 17 because of availability.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Chelsea, Heathrow, and maybe even Wimbledon will be included in today's release and the Envy 17 will be available with one of them, but that doesn't seem very likely.

 

So it's safe to say if you don't care too much about having the better graphics card and radiance display there's no real incentive to upgrade from the latest gen Envy 17? Personally, I like the look of the previous gen better than this one. That could change when I start to see reviews but right now I'm not seeing much reason to upgrade.

 

Does anyone have information on what event and when AMD/ATI is going to release their 7000 series chip information?

I have seen people say it will be at an event in London on Dec 6th? I wonder what time EST we can expect some news coming out of there?

 

hopefully the 7970m will be out in January when I get my notebook :3

 

Will this model be available in stores any time soon? I was holding out for the series 7 but I'm really thinking hard about the Envy. I would like to see it up close those before I make a purchase. I may just do a Best Buy run and check out the previous year's model to give me an idea of what to expect.

I'm not so thrilled about baseline resolution of the display though. I really would like the best screen available and the blu ray option but it all depends on how much.

 

Best Buy has not carried any envy models since the original series was launched, they were around two grand, and almost no one bought them. [They were competitively priced in terms of design and specs to the 15" mbp, though the 13" was vastly overpriced, ~600 dollars higher than the base cost mbp 13" - but it's not just the specs and the casing design that gets people to spend more on apple hardware in droves, its perception, and HP did not have that assumption of awesomeness and superiority that apple had at the time, and still doesn't for most consumers in the premium notebook space, which is why they started being much more aggressive in pricing their premium consumer line. A huge win for all those who choose more on the merits vs herd mentality perceptions] Best Buy got stuck and burned with inventory and so I don't think they will be putting those notebooks in the store again any time soon. They could, the highest price pc notebooks top out for around 1199 or 1249 now on the pc side in store aside from a few special cases like the original series 9 or the vaio z, but these do not sell well like the top dollar apple models. And the rest of the pc field has dirt cheap notebooks where cost is the biggest driver for most consumers.

Your best chance to see one of these new models in store in the US would be at a store like Frys or Microcenter if you have one nearby. Would be nice if HP provided a link to a retail partner that actually carried this model for people to go check it out in person. But even then don't expect to see any around the 7th. I could be wrong but that would shock me. You may have better luck with someone doing a direct comparison on video or something.

I have seen the series 7 in store though, not the chronos edition, but the normal metal series 7. It looks nice, the only thing that really turned me off was the screen. The resolution at 1600x900 was a nice change on the 15" but it looked... grainy and washed out. Probably in part due to it having a matte screen finish. That is a great thing for many if not a most people who despise glossy coatings, but the sacrifice of crispness and having text and colors pop off the screen was noticeable.

It's still the nicest 15" model in the store at best buy on the pc side, but if you compare the screen to say the 15" mbp you will see the difference in clarity. The envy 15 screen should match or exceed the mbp model if you go for the higher end panel.

 

Now that the day is almost here I'm starting to get really excited....

 

I "reserved" an Envy 17. They said I'm supposed to get a call before they launch (today maybe?), but who knows if that's actually going to happen.

 

Hmmmn what number did you call again?

 

Premium Laptop, Professional Audio Laptop | HP Envy

"Reserve your ENVY today
by calling 1-888-291-7996"


But be prepared to be thoroughly annoyed. It'll ask you if you're buying for personal or small business. You want "Small Business". I tried multiple times and the personal line takes you to CS in India or somewhere...they didn't know what the hell I was talking about. The small business CS sounded like he was in America. He didn't know what I was talking about either, when I asked to reserve a new Envy 17, but after a 3-4min hold he knew exactly what to do and created me a reservation.

Hope this helps.

p.s
None of the India/America stuff was meant to sounds racist.

 

Lol thanks for the information and trust me I have the same issue every time I call HP. In fact 99% of the time the reps all sound the same to me. Like for real. And its hard to understand them to begin with but then combine that with a weak signal and you've got a recipe for disaster and frustration.

 

so have they anounced any new amd graphics cards? i thought that was meant to happen today!

 

I've been looking everywhere and nothin'. Other forums were reporting that it was supposed to happen yesterday. I'm still curious if the Dec. 7th launch for the new Envy is actually going to happen as well.

 

I would expect something to be announced here:

AMD Press Releases

 

If anyone happens to place an order tomorrow for the new Envy 17 3D could you please let me know what you're expected build date is projected to be by HP?

Thanks in advance....

 

I plan on ordering a Envy 17 (non-3D) as soon as I can. The lead times should be pretty similar. I'll post it here when I find out.

Also, I started a build of the current Envy to see what the current lead times were... which is 11 days. Hopefully the new Envy isn't too far behind that.

 

its 11:53PM EST, what time do you guys think they'll be opening up shop for the new refresh on their site?

Its 12:02AM EST Dec, 7th, refreshed http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/envy/index.html?jumpid=ex_r11260_go/envy#.Tt7zQ2NCo8k, still just reserve. what are they on central time or something?

 

They don't seem to refresh at midnight for stuff like this, it just kind've comes up when it comes up. They might also be late as well - the lack of information from AMD on the 7000-series GPUs is a bit ominous for the new Envys to release on time.

For reference, the Sandy Bridge Envy 14 was delayed a couple weeks from its original release date, and the announcement was made on Facebook a day or two after it was supposed to release, if I recall correctly.

 

Was there any word on the new line of AMD GPUs as was speculated? Or no....

 

that would explain it. well no use staying up refreshing the page, bed time, and find out the story in the morning (hah later morning)

 

7 minutes ago

AMD announces laptop-bound Radeon HD 7000M series - The Tech Report

 

I could be wrong, but I could've sworn I saw "Dec. 7th" mentioned somewhere on HP's Envy 15/17 product page. I don't see it anywhere anymore (again, unless I'm just blind??).

This is ominous indeed, especially w/ the lack of any news from House AMD about the 7000 series.

EDIT: Heh... ok just moments after posting, I saw ranmasaotome's post just above mine. So maybe I WILL stay up for a while longer and refresh the page!

 

Yikes, 7600M series is still 40nm? Not a good sign for performance or power/heat-efficiency until they announce the 7700, 7800, and 7900 lines...

I can't imagine that the rumors of 2x performance with Thames versus its 6000M counterpart would have any degree of legitimacy if it's not 28nm.

 

I deleted my post that I think that the new lower end GPUs would be just a rebranding of the 6000 series and 40nm instead of 28nm again, a couple of days ago, as I did not want to spread rumors without any source. Seems like I should have had confidence

Still, it is pretty much what we could expect of a laptop like this, the MBP 15 is pretty much the max you can get without making it thicker OR getting rid of the optical drive, and it is equally speced. So lets hope HP will release the Envy today

 

that and it seems ati is pulling some sort of trickery as to soften the blow of there credibility, buy going out and announcing the lower ends first, than releasing the higher end GPU's later for Q1 2012 (in line with The Ivy Bridge Release, Envy 15-4000, Envy 17-4000 Anyone?)

 

Hmm, not the best news in the world. We shall see manana if I shall get the Series 7 or the Envy. Good night and good luck to those of you that are staying awake.

 

What the hell?! What does this mean in terms of performance compared to the 6850M of the previous model? 480 SP?

 

Calm, calm, this is no surprise, we won't get some magical next generation thing here, but hopefully a very solid device with decent power for an acceptable price.

If you really need more power, then wait for Ivy Bridge, at that time there will also be the next gen ATI and Nvidia GPUs out and we'll see a couple of new Laptop releases. Dell for example is due for a refresh of their XPS line, as well as an Envy update. BUT this is in half a year!

Besides that, I am also getting to bed, have fun waiting and fingers crossed for a release today!