Now times I try my impressions in detail to note for those interested :) It's a little fidgety, but I hope I have not forgotten anything.
First of all: There are many good things, but also some negative criticisms, because I see the Envy 17-3010 with my used until now Toshiba Satellite X200 (with GeForce 8700M GT @ 1680 * 1050).
Please check also the two updates at the end of my review.
Style:
Happens to be subjective, but the Envy looks very classy.
The keyboard is surprisingly easy to operate (because I had concerns because these Mac-division with the gaps between me worried). Only the arrow up and down arrow keys are shrunk together to the size of a single button. That was me not noticed before in pictures. Yet is easy to operate. The lighting is also great. Not too bright and it appears nowhere out under any keys. If it is too bright but, you can also reduce the intensity by two notches. Schick. Yet chic affects the activation and deactivation of illumination. This happens slowly in two rows of the keyboard (especially with the proximity sensor quite a feast for the eyes). Only the lighting on-off button, speak F5 remains, always bright, so that one finds in the dark. Is not necessarily my cup of tea, but ok. It is a bit disturbing when one evening I watch a movie and a single bright button stands.
If necessary, ugly for one or the other: power and HDD LED are located on the right side. So they do not interfere, but you have to always Cocked, if you want to see if the computer hangs straight or still something is pottering on the HDD on.
Otherwise, the device looks very tidy, but it lacks one of (almost) nothing.
Annoying: The officially not removable by the customer battery (but still very easy if you can do without guarantee and warranty).
Processing:
Nothing to complain about. No dents on the device, no dead pixels, the screen is tight. Only the Caps, Shift and Ctrl keys on the left side a little rattle or have a little play, whereby the stop sounds slightly cheap and rickety. That's better when you insert a CD, strange to say. But I do not always have inserted a CD.
Mir is one more thing noticed when I first wanted to insert a CD. I did not know when the mechanism engages, so I pulled out the first CD by half again. Evil errors. It stuck some rubber strips from the bottom of the CD and no longer wanted selbige release. After some wrangling, the rubber strip was off and disappeared with a "Drüber swipe" back behind the foam slot. Strange thing. The mechanism intervenes only when the CD has been almost entirely reingeschoben. The same, I then had with another CD (both were fortunately only old junk). Until then I have noticed that this does not occur when you completely intercalates the CD and removed by pressing a button. It may be a processing error, but does not ... at least it can be annoying if you do not know and want to pull out a half-inserted CD again because you realize that it was the wrong ... but do not!
Power:
The disks seem to be fast, but I did not leave any benchmarks run, because that's not so interested in me. If someone wants to know something, please just ask and I'll see what I can do.
For this purpose, it should be said that I have relatively quickly the Kingston HyperX 120GB installed as the primary drive. This of course can not compare, but she runs immensely: D
The battery, I would like to expand, because the device is a DTR with me. But Well, according to the first charge, he nevertheless held over 4h. I think this is even expandable when something concerned with the settings. For such a device to have a super value.
Graphics:
I've tried Portal 2 and Crysis 2. With Portal 2, the Satellite had no problems, so also the Envy with max. Resolution and max. Details. Crysis 2 went to the Satellite only on lowest Details and 1024 * 768 or 800 * 600th The Envy I have just times gedaddelt the beginning. Max. Details, max. Resolution. Playable, but not really nice. Medium details and max. Resolution were wonderful (at least at the beginning of the building and in small outdoor area). In Crysis 2, the fans were really hear and had even something most annoying high pitch. But with acceptable sound.
Sound:
Here I have a lot expected. My Satellite has 4 Harman / Kardon speakers + subwoofer. Knotless, full sound. Something I also wanted to have again. Beat Audio is yes bepriesen always nice. And then the 6 speakers + subwoofer in Envy, because what should go. So I thought. If one beats out the boxes sound so bad, this is worse than my Asus eee PC. Not for sale. Like a '80s radio. Turns one beats one, it sounds full, even acceptable to me. Something tinny remains. But it's far from the Satellite. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high. As an example, one Klaus Badelts "He's a Pirate" take (title song of Pirates of the Caribbean). Sounds on the Satellite much heavier.
Or someone tells me what to adjust in beats to make it sound better.
What I noticed after reinstalling (and that's apparently in the Amis also an issue): The volume started after 30 seconds listening to music to sway. That made me mad. Remedy did the Windows settings. The beats were probably in the way. Now everything is back to normal. It may be that it was before also, I have not really heard before reinstalling music. Now, however, the function presets under beats no longer (ie the complete equalizer is dead, but the sound is again ok). Turn it back on the Windows configuration, the tone begins to falter again ...
Upgrading:
I have only once seen, as I am because of the hard drives because of the single switch at the bottom was a battery icon. And that the one should not change as a customer. Well, after a little more violent Slide the switch went to half cover. No screws, practically. Including the battery and the two hard drives appeared. The battery I have not touched (warranty reasons). The hard drives are mounted with 4 screws and can be replaced super. The 9mm height should be observed. Because there are sometimes differences.
The RAM can be upgraded to'd like 16GB, especially for the prices. But 8 nevertheless rich well of first.
Volume / heat:
Unfortunately I can not say much about it, but I find it a bit disturbing that the fans always run. Immediately after switching on, no matter how hot it is (and it is not really hot). The sound is to something higher than my Satellite (which often completely silent is). Unfortunately, a bit disappointing, but it's under. Under prolonged (playful) load I've never seen the notebook, but I think that five minutes have Crysis 2 already shown that the device does not just remain silent.
HP provides a program called CoolSense off with the laptop. Since you can set how often the fan is intended to rotate and how cool the unit is to be held (probably because the previous generations (had 1xxx / 2xxx) heat problems. But it is just my guess, I had only read about it and even none possessed . Unfortunately I feel the program does not affect the fan ...
Other:
The screen is really great. Viewing angle is better than the Satellite by far (which is not hard), but in general the display is really good and appears straight towards the maximum setting. At first I had concerns that the resolution is too high, but I can still read everything super (yes, the eyes get older).
The installation of Windows 7 Professional was surprisingly easy. I have almost everything installed immediately get (with the original drivers from the manufacturers and not by HP, if possible). Hooked has it especially when Bluetooth. HP's so great and provides Intel Bluetooth drivers. It really nice. Unfortunately, in the Envy is a Broadcom adapter. Because one should first draufkommen when the setup constantly fails with another error message.
What I still lack: The proximity sensor. A driver is not available from HP ... or I'm blind. Would be great if that would even work. I have indeed copied the software from the original installation, which unfortunately does not easily.
What is missing:
I definitely lacks a fingerprint scanner. It was much more convenient to log per impression. But is bearable;)
Not tried yet I LAN port and DisplayPort or more external monitors simultaneously. Only the HDMI port I have tried with my external Samsung.
All in all I'm down to Sound and the constantly rotating fan very happy with the Envy. I hope because of improvement by driver / BIOS. Get me at HP Report also times ...
Would love to give 4.5 stars, but are not. And round up to 5 star I do not want.
Greeting
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| Supplement dated 29.02.2012 |
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I revise partly what I said about the sound. He is definitely not worse than the eeePC, even though it initially seemed so to me. The sound thing has left me no peace, and I had to try a bit around.
Have the original HDD installed again. In the original system varies no volume. The presets of beats go well. So this is my new installation of any software or any drivers. Will there continue to investigate, if I have the time and inclination.
But what struck me most at the first test of the functioning Sounds:
The Envy sounds even with beats like children's toys to the Satellite with Harman / Kardon speakers. I would prove to you, but to me there is a lack of professional audio equipment. If you sit by and between concurrent songs back and forth on (mute / unmute), not believe your ears.
First interim status:
Envy without beats: tin.
Envy with Beats: Acceptable (especially if you use just the comparison with "tin" has).
Pure Satellite: There wummst ...
These must be said that the Satellite is also almost twice as high as the Envy. It is seen that the upper 4 speakers with the Satellite occupy much space in the depth. The subwoofer I have not seen in the Satellite, but also sounds a lot "greater".
Now I was curious and have further tested.
My Asus eeePC 901 cuts the sound off worse than the Envy without beats. Until then, I thought that no longer would. But it is.
It continued with an Acer TravelMate 5760, a right-to-date model. I can not say exactly whether it sounds better than the Envy without beats or not. It sounds less tinny, but sometimes a bit too dull. Geichstand.
My old Asus M2400N I've just not here. But that falls due to its (huge) age anyway out of line.
Conclusion for the Sound:
4. Asus eeePC 901: What you would expect. And that's not much.
3. Acer TravelMate 5760 & Envy 3xxx without beats: tie, but a price not win the two also. TravelMate partially muffled, tinny to Envy partially.
2. Envy with Beats: apparently been unknowingly quite spoiled but probably better than I thought, am from the Satellite.
1. Satellite X200 (Harman / Kardon): Unbeatable. As Day & Night unlike beats.
So you realize in direct comparison that beats not as "bad" is how I initially suspected.
Audiophiles should look at Toshiba, as well as the latest upmarket models have Harman / Kardon speakers, as far as I know. Beats is all well and good, but without matching speaker brings the best driving anything.
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| Supplement dated 01.07.2012 |
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- With the new audio drivers from HP, there are no more changes in volume. All the best.
- The two display ports also work great with a cable DP to HDMI. Have now two Samsung SyncMaster S27 A350 connected and am completely satisfied. Whether a third external display (with a private, third screen) works, I can not say. That should be possible, according to HP, however.
- I have disconnected the battery some time ago by the current. You do not even loses the guarantee, at least not by damaging any seals. For this you just have to pull the plug from the battery only. The battery itself will remain in the unit. However, one needs to only the other half of the subfloor remove (only with screwdriver possible).
