HP Envy 17 3D

2011-09-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

The HP Envy 17 3d is a beast of a laptop on paper. Our configuration here has an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor clocked at 2.0 Ghz (6mb L3 cache) with Turbo boost up to 2.9 GHz, a visually stunning 1920 x 1080-resolution 17.3-inch 3D display, 1gb of dedicated video memory from a descrete Radeon HD 6850M graphics card. But what's all that horsepower without some fast data connection options right? The Envy 17 3D has both an e-sata/usb2.0 combo port and a high speed USB 3.0 port for all your data transferring needs. Not to mention a Blue-Ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner slot drive that packs in the ability to watch both DVD and Blue-Ray movies as well as burn DVDs and CDs.

At First Glance

The HP Envy 17 3D has a solid build quality that makes it feel very sturdy and tough. Giving the impression it could survive a pretty nasty drop. Although I don't recommend testing that theory.

Usability

Wide, Spacious Design

The keyboard on the Envy 17 3D feels nice. The island style keys make typing easy and fast, compared to my standard desktop keyboard. Typing in low light is made simple by the included back-lit keyboard, a greatly appreciated inclusion. Good for those who aren't accustomed to typing without looking while in low light environments.

Large TrackPad mouse

The trackpad on the Envy 17 3D is very large. The grey horizontal line on the trackpad is tactile. As you run your finger across it you can feel a speed-bump like resistance. The small vertical line dividing the left and right mouse area is flush with the rest of the pad. Double tapping the top left corner turns off the trackpad completely, for those times you find yourself accidentally touching or clicking the pad while typing out documents. A small LED in the top left corner turns on when the trackpad is disabled.

Beats Audio

The audio on the Envy 17 3D was superb, especially when hooked up to an external sound system or headphones. Audio from the built in audio system was louder than most laptops on the market. Sound was rich and clear. Even when playing base heavy audio tracks, sound didn't crackle or lose quality.

1920 x 1080p HP 3D Ultra Brightview Infinity LED Display

The Envy 17 3D comes packaged with a pair of active shutter 3D glasses. These glasses fit over prescription glasses if you're wondering. The 3D effect on the Envy 17 3D is on par or better than the 3D experience you'd get from viewing a modern 3D movie in theaters. (Debatable) However, this great experience can only be obtained in full screen.

Performance

I haven't run any benchmarks on the machine, but I can safely say it has the graphical power to push you through some very demanding game titles at high to max settings. I was able to play Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV at close to high settings without any slowdown or lagging. However, the system did get quit warm on the top left side of the keyboard while gaming, and the fan was noticeably loud.

Games aside, this system can muscle through any task without breaking a sweat. File transferring was lightning fast, typing felt good, the trackpad's multi-touch gestures were hit or miss in most cases but the mouse movement on screen more than made up for it. (In my case)

Battery life was better than expected for a system of this size. I was able to get upwards of 4 hours of internet, light video viewing, and typing on the optional 6 cell battery that shipped with the system, while running on the integrated video setting. But compared to your typical 15.6 inch laptop, the Envy 17 3D gets low ratings, and gaming with the discrete graphics card enabled will drain your battery in less than 2 hours. Battery life on a desktop replacement laptop such as the Envy 17 3D has never been a selling point, and you'll likely never take the system from it's warm cozy spot on your desk, so its bulky 7.5 pound weight shouldn't be a problem for most.

Summary

After using the Hp Envy 17 3D as my primary laptop for two weeks, I can honestly say I'm amazed by the performance and overall usefulness of the system. Sure it's got some drawbacks, but the Envy 17 3D can more than satisfy my computing needs as well as my gaming urges to some extent. This laptop is a work of art and a solid choice for the work I do as a graphics designer and IT Technician. The large 17.3 inch display provides plenty of room for multiple windows and aplications and the Core i7 quad core cpu makes multitasking a breeze. In the end, I've decided to continue using the Envy 17 3D as my main system. The 3D is amazing, it can run my favorite games without a problem, and I can get my graphics work done on one of the best looking laptop screens on the market.

This has been a SeeJeeTech Review of the HP Envy 17 3D (2011)
For more great reviews and news on this product, see the links below. If you find a link to a great review, please feel free to comment and I'll add it to the list.

- Reviewed by Claude Gray-

Side Notes
The screen brightness was set to 80% during the course of the review
4 hours battery life was obtained at 30% brightness with discrete graphics turned off
Fan noise was only audible while playing graphics intensive games with the discrete video card enabled
Overall the system still runs warm while on discrete graphics, but not noticeably, unless one is running games

More Reviews:
Engaget: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/14/hp-envy-17-review/
CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-envy-17-3d/4505-3121_7-34205423.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody;1r

More links to come...

Tech Will Be Reviewed...

2011-09-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hello world, as the saying goes. My name is Claude Gray, and I'm fed up. I'm an avid tech consumer and collector. However, with so many tech review sites out there like Engaget, Cnet etc. So yeah, it gets very hectic when I get the urge to read, view, and take in the critique from the tech world on that bright, shinny new toy that just released. Or has been released but yet to be reviewed in some cases. My point being, it's becoming troublesome for the savvy tech consumer to fill his want for good reviews.

And so, I've felt the need to do it for you. With SeeJee Tech Reviews, I plan on bringing all the tech reviews that you crave into one structured blog. SeeJee Tech Reviews will link you to the best reviews for that shiny new toy you've been drooling over.

I hope our time here together will be educational, fun, and helpful.