HP Envy 17-3290NR 17.3-Inch 3D Laptop (Silver)

First of all be warned that I don't have this exact model, but Envy 17-3290el which shows the following differences:

processor: Intel i7 3612QM instead of 3610QM (slightly lower power consumption)

monitor: 2D instead of 3D

disc: only 1Tb HDD, no SSD drive

I made the following additions to the product:

Crucial m4 256Gb mSata SSD drive: the 1Tb magnetic drive is a bad performance bottleneck and the 256Gb SSD used as system drive allows the computer to run 3-4 Windows XP or Linux virtual machines flawlessly

matte screen protector: the glass-covered display is way too reflective, so that the matte cover improves usability radically

wireless mouse: I just can't get used to any touchpad, but that's probably my fault

Good things:

performances: great CPU, good GPU, fast with SSD drive

expansion: good. 1 Sata6 2.5" bay, 1 Sata3 2.5" bay, 1 Sata6 mSata bay, 4 usb3, 1 Hdmi, 2 Display port

battery: lasts up to 6-7 hours of my normal use (internet, writing, light web development) and 3 hours of intensive gaming. I appreciate HP battery management, as it doesn't continue to charge a full battery when connected to the network: I had this problems with Acer notebooks and it took painfully careful management or the battery would die too soon

display: good, not an IPS one, but a TN display with good viewing angle, contrast and color rendition; just too reflective

audio: just the greatest notebook audio I ever heard

keyboard: good. To dim/increase backlight you should press the keyboard backlight button plus up/down arrows (this was not in the manuals and I had some issue as it was my first backlit keyboard)

heating: none at all. Unless the battery is charging, the 120w adapter stays cold or just a little above room temperature. Putting a roof to CPU performance at 99% in battery management in order to disable turbo boost, CPU and GPU stay below 50 C even with intensive gaming and CAD/CAE

Bad things:

display too reflective, but with a matte screen protector you wave this problem goodbye

problems with the installation of Windows 7 from recovery discs. After several trials I even gave up trying to install from the recovery discs to SSD drive: I finally downloaded Windows 7 Home Premium 64 from Microsoft website, made an installation DVD and registered through the registration key on the bottom of the computer. However, this way I lost the Adobe Premiere/Potoshop Elements and I am still looking for a way that get those back

support: well, the good thing is that you can find a lot of help in disussion forums. Tha bad is just too bad: at the first problem i get a "Shut down and disconnect the battery" suggestion from italian support, which doesn't fit with the integrated battery, and the support should know...

size: well, if you choose this notebook, just remember that it's size and weight are huge compared to some more expensive or less performing alternatives, altough it's smaller than gaming laptops with similar performances

I'm very pleased with this Envy. The price was great and it was easy to upgrade to 16GB of RAM, add a nice SSD and third drive (you need to get the drive carrier from another company--I used newmodeus and it was perfect).

The build quality is pretty strong and it's a fast machine. It replaced an aging Dell Studio 1745. Like others said, the battery is integrated, but I never swapped batteries in my Dell. While I wish the battery would hang on a little longer, it''s adequate enough to lug into the conference room for 1-2 meetings.

Yes, it is a large machine. It serves a niche for those of us that want a single machine that does it all. The Envy fits the bill nicely.

Buy HP Envy 17-3290NR 17.3-Inch 3D Laptop (Silver) Now

The Envy is a great line of laptops. They're built well, they look good, and they deliver straightforward computing with no surprises. I set this laptop up for my Dad before giving it to him and I'm happy to report there was very little in the way of promotional software that had to be uninstalled.

Personally, I would never buy the 17" model for myself as it really becomes more of a desktop replacement at that point and not very mobile. However, my Dad loves the larger size and he is very happy with it.

Read Best Reviews of HP Envy 17-3290NR 17.3-Inch 3D Laptop (Silver) Here

Received mine from Amazon at the beginning of the month and am very pleased. Mine did come with the Norton 2 years free. The 3D works fine. System start up is lightning fast. The light up keyboard is great and the machine runs pretty quiet and stays cool. Although I'm not thrilled that the 80gb hard drive is so small, I'm happy that it's a SSD. I foresee a day not too far in the future where it will fill up quickly and at that point I plan on replacing the drive with something larger but also SSD. I just have to try to make sure everything that's non-operating system is installed on the D drive. The D drive is partitioned into two additional smaller drives for a Recovery Tool and Recovery Data.

There wasn't much bloatware on the system, which is great for once. The speakers are rather nice for a laptop, it has two headphone jacks on the left side and two display ports and an HDMI port on the right side. Unfortunately, the HDMI port is too far up on the right side. So, it's near your mouse hand if you're right handed. However, on the rare occasions I plug my computer into an HDMI cord, it's because I'm using my computer for whatever reason with my TV; so wouldn't be using my computer directly anyway..but still annoying nonetheless. I like the touchpad, which is unusual for me. It operates multi-touch kind of like an I-pad or I-pod. You can also turn it on or off directly through the touchpad by double-tapping in the corner of it. The screen is glossy and the colors are vivid thanks to the glossiness. However, this also means it reflects like crazy. But, this being a 17" laptop and not that portable--for me anyway, I don't really see this as an issue as it probably won't be leaving home. One thing that worries me is the slot drive. I can see this possibly being an issue at some point in the future but will deal with it when it happens. There's an eject button on the keyboard. Another nice thing I like is the keyboard function key locks so you don't have to hold down the function key when using a function button. Also, love the num pad. This is a great desktop replacement!

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It is very good more then what I expected...perfect desktop replacement Laptop..

Only concern is 80GB SSD Hard Drive, it should have been at least 128GB. Overall very much satisfied.