HP Envy 15 - 2nd Generation Impression & Review

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In my previous blog (LINK), I had mention the search for a new laptop and what laptops I had considered before finalizing my purchase. The laptop I purchased is the new HP Envy 15. This is the 2nd generation of the new design HP Envy 15 originally released towards the end of summer 2009. The 2nd generation was announced at 2010 CES and brought new breath to a fairly fresh laptop.

The 1st generation came the new Intel Quad Core i7 series processors (i7-720QM and i7-820QM). The laptop came in two models, the basic configuration and limited special edition. The basic configuration model came standard with 6GB of DDR2 RAM, 500GB HD, 15.6" Brightview 1920x1080 resolution screen, and ATI 4830 GPU. The limited "BEAT" model edition came in a glossy black casing and bundled with BEAT headset as part of the package.

There are a few things I noticed in the 1st generation preventing me to make the purchase. First, there was very limited on what you can configure to add/remove, as the result the price remain fairly high averages around $1999.00 brand new. Second, by having larger 45nm Intel Quad Core i7 processor in there, they didn't provide proper cooling systems. As the result, heat at the palm rest area and underneath was the number one complaint. A lot of reviews you find out there today with lower rating are from the initial HP Envy 15 (1st generation).



At CES 2010, HP announced a refresh to the HP Envy 15. The second generation brought a breath of fresh air to a laptop design that was almost the perfect laptop. In the revised model, HP uses the new 2010 Intel iCore family. You can now configure it to use the i5-430, i5-520m, i5-540m, and it was available briefly i7-620m. All of the new 2010 Intel iCore Dual processors are on the newer 32nm design. This made the laptop cooler to operate and uses less power, resulting in longer battery life. They replaced the older ATI 4830 GPU with the new more robust ATI 5830 GPU. The interior cooling system was improved to offer better air flow. With the help of the new i5 Core process being on a smaller 32nm and the new ATI 5830 uses less power, the over battery life and cooling of the laptop were hugely improved. On custom configuration, you can now purchase the HP Envy 15 using the new Solid State Disk. With all of these changes and among a few others not yet mention, they end up dropping the price to start at $1299. What puzzle me is the lack of 2nd generation review and impression out there. Most people got discouraged by the horrible 1st generation and haven't given it a revisit review. All of these feature making it a very strong contender in my book.

Now let's look at the HP Envy 15 2nd Generation. When you log on to HP website, you have a few thing to configure your base HP Envy 15 with. Below is an indication of a few of the available features to choose from.

Operating system Choices:

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Processor Choices:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-430M Dual Core processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-540M Dual Core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-820QM Quad Core Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to3.06GHz

Memory  Choices:

4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

6GB DDR3 System Memory (3 Dimm) - Only Available In i7 Configuration

8GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm) - Only Available In i7 Configuration

16GB DDR3 System Memory (4 Dimm) - Only Available In i7 Configuration

Hard drive Choices

320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

410GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (SSD 160GB + 250GB 5400RPM)

320GB Dual Solid State Drive Flash Modules (SSD 160GB + SSD 160GB)

Graphics card

1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i5 and i7-620M Processors

1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics - For i7 Processors

Display

15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)

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)

External optical drive

External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports

External Slot Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer with 2 USB Ports

Dimensions   14.96" (W) x 9.60" (D) x 1.04" (H) Thinness   1.04"

Weight   5.17 lbs

For my setup, I have the following configuration on my HP Envy 15 and that is what is being used to base this review as.

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-540M Dual Core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 410GB SATA Dual Drives (SSD 160GB + 250GB 5400RPM)
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics
• 15.6" diagonal Glossy Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
• Webcam Only
• ntel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• HP QuickWeb, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery
• BIOS Firmware 18A. 
• Total $1649.00 after discounts / before tax

I received my laptop few days a head of schedule, so excitement started early. I am sure on everyone mind right now are two main questions.

1. How hot is this the 2nd generation HP Envy 15?
2. How fast is the new ATI GPU?

These questions are the most basic questions most above average PC users go through They will use it for gaming, surfing the internet, and among other digital age activities. Maybe the following speed test and analysis might answer some of these questions. One main thing to note is, like any PC, it is it "tweakable". You can give an extra performance boost with the right set of settings and optimization. Bare in mind the analysis you see below are based upon STOCK OUT-OF-THE-BOX setup.

SPEED TEST
Someone I know in my life had a car with a license plate saying "I am not speeding, I am just flying low". With the HP Envy 15, that is what this laptop will do. It doesn't look like a monstrous laptop similar to Alienware m17x, but it can really dish out some pretty good result.

Like many laptop these days, it is all about how fast I can start up so I can browse the Internet. The Envy comes with with HP Instant On Solution, which allows you to boot directly into a mini OS with enough functionality to do the very basic function, like surf the internet, chat, email, and Skype. You can boot directly into this environment in under 5 seconds. Within this environment, to fully boot into Microsoft Windows 7 and be ready to use it fully in less than 12 additional seconds. Now that is FAST! Much of this is thanks to the primary disk being Intel SSD! If you look at the Windows Index below, it rated Primary Hard Disk 7.9! Wow!

Speaking of WOW, I am able to play World of Warcraft Online w/o any lag and using all of the high settings! Having the newer ATI 5830 GPU, the HP Envy isn't shy on gaming either. It can dish out some fairly good speed. The GPU is plenty strong enough to play World of Warcraft, Modern Warfare II, and any other current game out there.With some tweaking and overclocking, there are people out there with HP Envy 15 having their 3DMarks beyond 10,000! See benchmark thread for detail.

HEAT

In terms of heat, the #1 complaint about the 1st generation HP Envy 15 is high heat in two areas. One is the palm rest and second the battery vent. I can safely say those complaint is non-existence in this new 2nd generation HP Envy 15.

After completing all of the bench mark, I created the recovery DVD and start preping for a clean Windows 7 install and other applications (i.e.: Adobe Photoshop CS4, latest drivers, etc.,). The whole process took 4 hours and the laptop palm area is still very cool w/o any sign of heat.

On normal internet surfing for approx 2 hours straight, the laptop averages under 30C. 

DISPLAY
The setup I've gotten for my HP Envy is a glossy 1920 x 1080 HD resolution 15.6" LCD. HP Envy 15 also comes in a matte / non-glossy finish with the same resolution, and a lower resolution. Of the 3, I believe this to be the best one as it is also the brightest. I do a lot of Adobe Photoshop editing with pictures and this LCD is sharper and more crisp than my Dell 21" desktop LCD. I believe it is approx 300 nit, if I recall correctly from reading somewhere. Please message me if that is incorrect. I have not use the HDMI slot and hook it up to my LCD TV yet, so I can not comment how is the quality watching playback. Beside, there is no internal DVD/BluRay Slot Drive :-)

SIZE & WEIGHT

I think this is the category where HP Envy 15 excel in comparison with other laptop in the same category (Alienware m15x, Sonystyle Series, Dell XPS 16, etc.,)

• Dimensions   14.96" (W) x 9.60" (D) x 1.04" (H) Thinness   1.04" Weight   5.17 lbs

For what it offers and being under 5.5lbs is really good. Granted you don't have a slot DVD drive, but how often do you really use one? That add weight. Yes it doesn't have Edge to Edge, but again hello! add weight.The only thing I say that huge about this is the power brick. At 120w, this is larger than the one I am using on my Thinkpad T61!

PORTS & OTHER DEVICES
1xHDMI, 2xUSB 2.0, 1xEthernet, 1xHeadphone, 1xESATA. Intel Wifi 6200 Advanced Centrino -N

SOUND
The HP Envy 15 is advertised with using Dr Dre "BEAT" technology in their sound. While I can't tell the difference between a good Bose quality and BEAT, I can say these speaker are better than the IBM Thinkpad T60/T61 Series, Sony CW Series, and my Asus Z71V laptop. It is clear and good quality sound.

NEGATIVE / CON
A few key things I noticed with this laptop I think they could improve on or I was at least disappointed with.

1. The lack of internal slot DVD/CD/Blu-Ray Drive. If Apple Macbook Pro with dimension very similar to this laptop is able to have a slot drive, why can't the HP Envy 15. Could it be because Intel iCore processor requires a greater amount of heat distribution versus the old Core 2 Duo? I guess I'll have to wait for Apple to announce the iCore family in their Macbook and see. 
2. The material while look nice, does feel a bit plastic. It would be nice to have comparable material used in Apple Macbook if this laptop is supposed to be compared to it. 
3. No Edge to Edge, to me this is okay, but would be nice to have. 
4. Lack of  Back Lit Keyboard.
5. Lack of Compact Flash slot, they do come with SD, should've include one more slot to it. 
6. Lack of HDMI to VGA/DV-I adapter. That should've been part of the package instead of having to purchase it seperately.  
7. Limited USB 2.0 Slot. There are only 2 USB 2.0 slot, 1 HDMI slot, and 1 ESATA slot. Would be nice to have a couple more USB slot. 
8. All of the plugs are on the right hand side, that does conflict a bit with those who are right hand mouse user. 
9. LCD tilt back at a very limited angle. 
10. Power LED Light is under the LCD Screen Cover. So if you close the lid, you wouldn't know the status of system.

OVERALL / CONCLUSION
Overall, I would recommend this laptop. There is no perfect laptop out there. You buy a laptop to the best of your ability and fit your need. Some prefer the looks of a laptop and can deal with the additional weight, while other prefer something else. At the time of this review, the strongest 2nd place contender in my opinion would be the Dell XPS 16. It has a lot of nice features, but an older / weaker ATI GPU and is approx 1.5lbs heavier. Another thing to note is this laptop has an even more powerful GPU at the time of this writting than Alienware m15x series. The CPU fan rarely goes on and if it does, noise is not an issue. It is a fairly quiet laptop, light, and low heat compared with other iCore series. Is this laptop worth $2000.00, maybe. But if there is a coupon floating around, I say this laptop is a great bargain one should jump on. I highly recommend the SSD combo setup as that definitely make a huge different in boot speed.


TIPS / TRICKS / & FAQ

• http://mobiletech.knguyentu.com/2010/03/hp-envy-15-2nd-generation.html
  

ADDITIONAL PICTURES