HP has recently updated their Envy 15 with the latest in processors and graphics cards. This is a preliminary review that contains info on the processor and abilities of the new model. The Envy 15 can now be configured with an i5 (Dual core + hyperthreading) and i7 620m processors [It appears the i7 620m may have been removed from the configuration options. 1/21/09]. The significance of this primarily going to be found in increased battery life and less heat generated due to the i5 and i7 620m being manufactured on a more efficient core size (32 nm). Battery life is expected to increase from 2.25-2.75 hours to around 2.75-3.5, or maybe even more if HP enables the built in switchable graphics on the new processors (if HP allows switchable graphics, the battery life could reach over 4 hours without the slice and 10 hours with the slice). The new Envy 15 also ships with a ATI Radeon Mobility 5830, which is an upgrade from the 4830. The 5830 is a Direct X 11 graphics card and should give a small, but moderate boost in gaming performance over its previous brother (4830).  The other big news that accompany’s this is that the Envy 15 also had a significant price reduction. from $1799 down to $1299. Unfortunately, HP has already raised the price back up to $1399  [UPDATE: HP dropped the price back down to $1299. 1/21/09]. It’s nice to see that HP is looking out for those of us with a budget, but still want great performance. I ordered an Envy 15 with an i5 processor. Here are the specs:

HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC

• • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-520M processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L2 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz
• • 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• • 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• • 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5830 Graphics – For i5 Processors
• • 15.6″ diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1920×1080)
• • Webcam Only
• • Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• • Envy Instant On Solution, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
• • HP Color Matching Keyboard
• • One 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery + One 9 Cell HP Envy Slim Fit Extended-Life Notebook Battery
• • No Productivity Software
• • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

I purchased it for $1199.99 + 99.00 tax = 1298.99. I was able to use a $350 off coupon. It may still be available if you search the web for it. My understanding is that it is good for the first 1700 people who use it. [UPDATE: It appears the coupon is now disabled/used up. 1/21/09]

Let’s hope HP allows everyone to utilize the integrated graphics card built into the processor. I’ve heard reports from HP tech support that the integrated graphics card will allow switchable graphics, and I’ve heard reports from others in the same department who didn’t even know that it could be possible. There’s nothing on the Envy 15’s sales page about switchable graphics, but it wouldn’t surprise me since they still list the Radeon 4830 as the current GPU they are putting in their Envy 15’s on the info sheet (it’s only when you go to purchase one that it says Radeon 5830). HP amazes me at how incredibly disorganized a company it is. Here’s to disorganization and to hoping that they will allow switchable graphics.

I will review the HP Envy 15 when I get it in the mail. It’s going to take a while to get here (at least two more weeks). I’ll post updates to this page as new information comes in regarding the HP Envy 15 and switchable graphics (as well as benchmarks for the new 5830 graphics card). Stay tuned!

Preliminary 3DMark06 scores for the i5 Model with the Radeon 5830 got 8621; however, it is not clear what resolution this was ran at. It would be a fairly significant improvement if it was ran at 1280×1024, since the 4830 with the i7 score close to 7500 on the same settings. With an i7, Envy 15 should score somewhere north of 9000 points.

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