HP's New ENVY 15 and ENVY 17 First Look: Good Design and 3D Discussion

It's weird, at different places on HP's website so far I've seen 6.5 hours, 8 hours, AND 9 hours for the Envy 15.

As for the Envy 17, here ( HP Envy17 | HP Envy) it says 8 hours, and HERE ( http://www.hp.com/united-states/personal_again/products.html), if you click on HP Envy 17 it says 9.5 hours...

 

It's more refined in the sense that window-opening and window-closing animations are consistently smooth in OSX, whereas they sometimes get a bit laggy in Win 7 for no apparent reason (better after a reboot). It's more refined in the sense that you don't have to manually do things like defragment the hard drive. It's more refined in the sense that it boots faster and doesn't freak out if you try to start opening programs before booting is done (in Windows, there's about a ten-second period where it appears to be fully booted, but is still loading programs in the background, and has trouble opening programs that you do). It's more refined in the sense that Apples tend to work well straight out of the box, whereas Windows machines sometimes require an all-out fresh install of the OS to get rid of bloatware, or at least extended tinkering with webcam and speaker settings and the like in order to make it all run smoothly (my Vaio F is the latter).

None of these things prevent you from using Windows 7 effectively. Overall, I prefer Win 7 because of productivity reasons, and my Vaio F is my primary machine, so I'm no closed-minded Apple fanboy. But OSX, in my opinion, definitely gives off a greater air of refinement.

Web browsing, word processing, email, viewing PDFs, basic business programs, etc. Programs seem to lock up far less often, and when they do lock up, it's easier to force a quit, and it doesn't seem to kick off a chain reaction where everything runs poorly after that. In Win 7, after one program has quit responding and needed to be forced-quit, you may as well reboot.

 

Okay, fine. But...

1. Window opening/closing isn't exactly a reason for buying an operating system.

2. I defragment my hard drive once a year and it works fine.

3. Windows MACHINES tend to need a reinstall - because manufacturers load trial software and all sorts of junk. That has nothing to do with the OS.

Apple designs their computers for people who know NOTHING about computers. I mean, they don't even list the processor names (ex. "2630QM") on their website for fear of scaring away customers with scary letters and numbers!!!

 

Not for me. I know, it's easier to force quit but on the Macs at my school I get the stupid beachball (a little too "happy" for a freeze, don't you think?) more often than I expected. And those are the powerful iMacs with 4850M graphics and a... Core i7 2600 I think? Currently I am working on a three-year-old HP Pavilion with the cheapest components possible - HD 3200 graphics and a Turion processor. And Windows hasn't given me the spinning thing for maybe a month already. I think Windows locks up much less than OS X.

 

Lol, I love how they have that beach ball for the cursor during a freeze, roflmao.

 

It's an aesthetic consideration, just like case design. You've made eminently clear that case design, for you, is the #1 consideration in buying a laptop you need. If you don't care about the aesthetic "smoothness" of the OS, that's fine, but don't pooh-pooh the idea of making it a purchasing factor. It's no more shallow than your obsession with the case design.

Since almost every PC manufacturer involves dealing with this, and Apple doesn't, that's a distinction without a difference. You're going to have to deal with this if you buy the Envy 15 you've been eyeing, and you won't have to deal with this if you buy the MBP 15 you've been eyeing. Of course it's HP's fault and not Microsoft's fault, but it's still something you're going to have to deal with when you run Win 7 on an Envy 15 instead of running OSX or boot-camp Win 7 an MBP 15.

I have some tech-savvy friends who prefer Windows; I have some tech-savvy friends who prefer OSX; I have some tech-savvy friends who prefer Linux. Both Windows and OSX are meant to be able to be operated by someone without prior computing experience. And of all the factors involved in buying a $1000-$2000 laptop that you'll use daily for two years, "I like/dislike X company's website" has got to be the worst.

 

They could have an animation of Jumbo the Elephant machine-gunning civilians for all I care. I care more about what actually happens when a program locks up. In my experience, a locked-up application in OSX seems to remain isolated to that application, whereas a locked-up application seems to spread instability throughout the rest of Win 7 until you reboot.

 

Lol, yeah, I see where you're coming from. Never had any infestations from locked up programs in my experience with windows, but whatever.

Is anyone else irked by the fact that, despite the envy line being, "hp's premium line of laptops," we're worried that The gpu in this 15" might be much worse than the gpu available in a year old 15" dv6t? Frankly I need something durable, so if the new 15" envy doesn't measure up I guess I'll just have to take my buisness elsewhere. Why is it that to get some decent gpu customization options you have to go to gaming of companies like Alienware, and get WAY overcharged and have your laptop's nerd factor go off the charts!? There's no way that hp can't fit a better gpu in that 15", so why not keep the current gpu in there as default, and give us some customization in that area!?

Edit:
I mean, if the thing has switchable graphics we could put a freaking 580m in it and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference except when gaming, right? So why not give us that option? I of course know the answer to that is manufacturing costs, but if your going to stick with one gpu at least give us something good with switchable graphics.

 

What the manufacturers put on the computer has nothing to do with Windows!!!

 

Hey, that reminds me. This is a thing that's been bugging me for a long time. What is the relationship between the 6850M, the 6770M, and the 6750M? I know that, obviously, the 6850M is better than the 6750M - but by how much - is the difference noticeable? And by how much is the 6770M better than the 6850M - considering that the 6770M is only a tiny bit more powerful than the 6750M, shouldn't it be nearly identical to the 6850M - that is, considering the 6850M is a little more powerful than the 6750M....
Sorry, very confusing, but that's the best way I can word it.

 

NO. You CANNOT put a 580M into a laptop that thin. If it's that thin, then, presumably, it has the same cooling system as the MacBook Pro - which is just another way of saying that it has NO cooling system at all. It would probably catch fire if you put a 580M in it. That's the reason powerful laptops are so thick - because of the cooling system.

 

Just google 6850m, and go to the notebookcheck website (usually first result). Here's all the links:
6850m
6770m
6750m

6770m has better framerates than 6850m, which comes in just below the 6750m So basically both the 6770m and the 6750m are both better than the 6850m. Which pretty much means that even the 17" Envy is inferior by about 10 fps to the 15" dv6... which is pretty SAD. Keeping in mind that right now you can pick up a 14" alienware for about $1,100 entry price (same level as the envy 15 will be) and that has a 1.5gb ddr5 geforce gt 555m, here's the specs for that:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

This is about 10fps worse on medium than the 6770m gpu in Metro 2033, but 3 fps higher on medium in bf3 than the 6770m However the tested laptop with the 555m only had 1gb ddr3 dedicated video memory, so that may have scewed results. Basically nvidia's equivalent to the 6770m in terms of performance though (varies a lot depending on the game). However, the 17" alienware can sport a 580m, which is pretty much nvidia's top of the line gpu for laptops. The 17" with a 580m comes in to about $2,000, depending on the other specs used.

 

WOW WOW WOW!! Are you telling me that the 6850M is WORSE than the 6750M? How is that POSSIBLE? Is there any sort of logic behind AMD's naming system?

Edit: Wait hold on a second, I just checked here ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html) and the 6770M is 66th, the 6850M is 70th, and the 6750M is 79th...
The 6850M is much better than the 6750M, and, just as I predicted, the 6770M and 6850M are very similar - nearly identical. Where does it say that the 6850M is worse than the 6750M?

Naah, too heavy and thick. I'm looking for something MacBook Pro-style that is made for Windows. But now I am reminding myself, why do I care? The only games I play are Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Need for Speed Carbon, Dirt 2, and FUEL. I could run all those games at mostly max. settings at about 20-25 FPS on my old GT 130M at 1600x900!! (except for FSX which is a little more demanding)

So all these video cards will easily be able to accomplish what I'm looking for. I don't know why I'm looking for powerful computers.

 

You are incorrect the 6850 is much faster than the 6770 as I have owned both the Envy and dv6 . The clocks for the 6850 are not equivalent to the Envy 17. Check benchmarks I performed vs Notebookcheck benchmarks for the 6850 : http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/562094-hp-envy-17-17-3d-sandy-bridge-2xxx-series-owners-lounge-47.html#post7282558

They basically benchmarked a very low clocked 6850 not the Envy 6850. The Envy is much faster than the dv6.

 

I'm pretty sure the 6850M is worse than the 6770M... everywhere I've looked: these forums, Yahoo! Answers, etc. people say that the 6770M is better. I'm pretty sure they're almost exactly the same, though.

 

It can vary depending on clock rate and dedicated video memory, so there's a chance that he's right. The website I linked didn't exactly specify either, though you can see the specs of the machine that gaming benchmark's were performed on. Bottom line is that you can get something much better (or about the same) as what is in an envy 17" in a 15" laptop, while what's in the 14" atm isn't even worth talking about.

 

It isn't I have owned both laptops. The Envy 6850m is faster than the 6770m. The answers you are getting are wrong because most of them base it off the incorrect information at the notebookcheck site.

 

Okay, then, I guess...
That's good news. At least there's a reason for buying the ENVY now and I don't have to feel guilty about it.

 

I may be making a massive idiot of myself right now but... what exactly is a 14" atm?

Edit: Oh, nevermind, it's "at the moment." I'm such a fool.

 

given that the 6850m is a 5850m rebadged and it was pretty much on par with the gtx 460m...

notebookcheck aint that realiable all times

6750m = gt 555m
6850m = gtx 460m

 

Lol, alright, I guess I was a bit wrong then, lol

 

Well, it's not just Notebook Check. It's also Passmark ( PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmarks - High End Video Cards) - which ranks the 6850M A LOT worse than both the 6770M AND 6750M (weird ). Compare NVidia/AMD Graphics Card Benchmarks and GPUs tells a different story, though. It says that the 6850M is way better than both the 6770M and 6750M...

 

Actually 6850m beats the 6770m and 6750m in the second example by only ~20 points. The 6770m and 6750m both have scores of 94 and 92 respectively, while the 6850m has a score of 112. Not that much difference in performance for an extra two inches of monitor...

 

So, basically this is telling us that the 6770M and 6750M are identical. And the 6850M is a little better...
But what do you mean by "extra two inches of monitor?" Between what?

 

I'm guessing he's talking about the difference between a 15" and 17".

And the 6850m is a lot faster than the 6750m and 6750m. After all, it has a two thirds more shaders. I'm not sure why websites are ranking it lower than the 6770m.

 

That is very good news indeed! At least there's a reason for buying Envies now over dv6tqe's.

 

The face remains that the 6850 is still insufficient for modern gaming at HD resolution.

 

What, the difference in case design and overall build quality isn't enough for you?

Pavilion dv6s are like Sagers--they're "great bang for the buck, damn those who care about case design" machines. Envies are like MBPs--they place a premium on aesthetic design, tactile pleasure, refinement, and portability in addition to performance. If you're expecting Envies to outperform Pavilions in order to justify the higher price tag, you're missing the point.

 

Mitlov has a point. Also, the 6580M is actually pretty decent for HD gaming. The 5870M in mt M15x, which is very similar to the 6850M, was awesome, and maxed most games at 1080p. Heck, the 6770M maxesd several of my games at 1080p. (MW3/2, GRID, RAGE, NFS: The Run, F1 2011/10)

 

Well, hey, I wouldn't compare the Pavilions to Sagers! They're basically almost as thin as the Envies, have the same keyboard, are made of that nice aluminum finish - they're not aesthetically in the dumps like Sagers are!

 

Yeah the pavilions are quite beautiful and are by far the best looking laptops HP has right now. The new upcoming Envy is a step in the right direction. I just wish they had given both top and bottom the "black metallic" finish/look.

However I'm most hopeful that HP has drastically improved these horrible trackpads that are on the current Envy.

 

I got an Envy 14 Beats about two weeks ago but had to return it because it was dented. From the several clicks that I made, it seemed very nice to me. I saw no problem with it at all. I don't understand exactly why everybody keeps bashing the Envy trackpad!

 

I'm hoping this comes with a quad core i7 option!! Looking to move from my Z13 to a bigger 15" display and this seems to be right down my ally!

 

I was the same way...until this current one I have. I mean the laptop as a whole has a tone of unacceptable issues but this trackpad is by far the most in your face one since I use it a lot given that I'm keeping my wireless mouse tucked away for now.

The first Envy I had the trackpad was okay but still had a lot of lag and at times seemed to not even respond. Then at times when I thought I wasn't anywhere near it the trackpad would go haywire. But the one on this current Envy is completely disastrous. If you have a good one thats excellent but so far my experience with them has been less than stellar.

 

Like what...?

Okay, well, considering I only used it for a day, I should probably shut up...

 

This is DEFINITELY going to come with a quad-core i7 option. Almost all laptops for a price of that (~$900-$1000) have some excellent quad-core i7's....
I would expect options such as the 2630QM, the 2720QM, and the 2820QM (and maybe the 2670QM).

 

The top and bottom do both have a black metallic look. Actually, I believe they're both a matte type of material. The silver aluminum doesn't actually extend all the way to the bottom: take a closer look at the pictures here: HP Envy15 | HP Envy

Also: it does have support for quad core i7's, "Support for Intel® Quad Core™ processors1"

 

Actually, quad-core i7s are far from a class standard. Both the Dell XPS 15z and the Sony Vaio SE max out at dual-core i7s. It's nice to see the quad-core in the Envy.

 

Just really glaring build issues and extremely poor battery life. I've taken pictures and plan on contacting HP soon. I'm within my return period but right now I've got some applications to fill out and other stuff I'm working on which requires a computer....

@aspernation

I see the pics and specifically what you're referring to but I meant the entire look of the dv6/dv7t quad edition laptops when I was talking about the black finish. I just like the black surrounding the keyboard and the trackpad for some reason. Even the toned down grey of the current evny looks nice. However I suspect it would look quite ugly when placed next to the black lid and surrounding the trackpad.

 

Dare I ask... like what?

 

Anybody knows if it will be available in Canada as well?

 

The fans won't shut up for one thing. This is occurring as I'm typing this message right now.

The middle of the keyboard has a wide gap (the entire length of the space bar) and continuing to the left and right of it) which gets smaller as you go towards the end of the laptop.

The trackpad sucks which I've already mentioned of course.

When you're facing the laptop the ports on the left side jut out as if they weren't bolted into the main body correctly or all the way. Around the laptop there are weird warps and gaps that occur between the casing and the main body. All in all I'm not at all satisfied....

 

Interesting, you had the chance to play with one for a while?

How would you compare the sucking of the trackpad to the XPS 17 from Dell?
(I'm currently looking for a new laptop and lean toward XPS after a lot of reading).

 

You mean, in the spacing between the keys? I didn't notice that on mine...

 

I haven't had a chance to play with an xps 17 and to be honest I have never really given Dell laptops much notice in the past. From a design point they just look way too large and bulky for my taste. Thats not to say they aren't good laptops.

IMO I'd wait and see how the new Envy is received by all the critics/review websites before deciding one way or the other.

 

fudzilla is reporting 7000 series AMD gpu's in the 17" envy............. i thought they had 6000 gpu's.

what's going on?

 

Everybody was reporting 7000 AMD GPUs for the newest Envy. HP has been keeping the exact model number secret the whole time.

 

sadly this might explain it:

AnandTech - Introducing AMD?s Radeon 7000M and NVIDIA?s GeForce 600M Mobile GPUs

 

The new envy's are available on HP's website (EDIT: I only see the 15). I can't even find where it says what graphics card it has. For the 15 it just says "1GB Discrete Graphics AMD Radeon(TM) [HDMI, DP]". Judging from this article, it's probably just a 6750m. There's also no blu-ray option for the 15. Pretty disappointing.

 

Yeah seems like it will be a rebadged 6750m or 6770m.

At least we can still hope that the radiance display is IPS.... otherwise I'd rather just get a dv6qte.