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HP Envy 17 (2015) Notebook Review

All-rounder. The HP Envy 17 wants to be your desktop replacement laptop. It has the right hardware, but what about the pricing?

For the original German review, see here.

The HP Envy 17 is a 17.3-inch all-rounder. The HP Envy 17-k203ng is the Broadwell upgrade of the previously tested Envy 17-k104ng. In our review we will find out what advantages the new generation of CPUs brings over the Haswell predecessors.

The competitors of the Envy 17 include the Asus N751JK-T4144H and the Toshiba Satellite P70-B. The Lenovo Y70 and the Acer Aspire V17 Nitro can also be counted as competitors. However, those laptops do not focus on gaming prowess.

As both Envy 17 models have the same build, we will not discuss the case, the connectivity, the input devices and the speakers in this review. For more information on these sections, we recommend reading the review of the Envy 17-k104ng.

HP Envy 17-k203ng (Envy 17 Series)
Processor
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1084 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, 128 Bit interface, ForceWare 344.24 (9.18.13.4424), Optimus
Memory
12 GB 
, DDR3-1600, Dual-Channel, two RAM slots (both occupied)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, AU Optronics, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Broadwell-U PCH-LP (Premium)
Storage
Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP, 256 GB 
, + Toshiba MQ01ABD100 (1 TB, 5400 rpm), 1100 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC290 @ Broadwell PCH-LP High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Audio combo jack, Card Reader: SD, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Sensors: Brightness sensor, Accelerometer
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Broadcom BCM43142 (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
hp DVDRW GUB0N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 29.8 x 419.5 x 279 ( = 1.17 x 16.52 x 10.98 in)
Battery
41 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD-Webcam
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Avast! Secure Line, Cyberlink Media Suite 10, Cyberlink MediaEspresso 6.7, Cyberlink YouCam, Dropbox 25 GB, McAfee LiveSafe-Internet Security (trial), MS Office (trial), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.88 kg ( = 101.59 oz / 6.35 pounds), Power Supply: 455 g ( = 16.05 oz / 1 pounds)
Price
1199 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Display

HP uses a matte 17.3-inch panel for its laptop. The resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and good brightness (305.8 cd/m²) are sure to attract buyers. Contrast (508:1) and black value (0.65 cd/m²) are also acceptable but should be higher given the price of our laptop.

293
cd/m²
306
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
330
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
302
cd/m²
324
cd/m²
303
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 330 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 305.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 330 cd/m²
Contrast: 508:1 (Black: 0.65 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.35 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
60% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
66.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
91.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.34

The panel has an average DeltaE 2000 deviation of 8.35 out of the box. One would desire a value around 3 or lower. Furthermore, the panel has a blue tinge.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Gray levels
CalMAN - Gray levels
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Saturation

HP has provided a TN panel with stable viewing angles. In fact, it offers wider viewing angles than we are used to with traditional TN panels. Of course, the panel cannot compete with an IPS screen which offers nigh perfect viewing angles. Thanks to the high brightness, the Envy can be used outdoors.

The Envy outdoors
The Envy outdoors
HP Envy 17-k203ng
TN 1920x1080
Asus N751JK-T4144H
TN 1920x1080
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
TN 1920x1080
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
IPS 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
IPS 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
IPS 1920x1080
HP Envy 17-k104ng
TN 1920x1080
Display
9%
-2%
-2%
-2%
-1%
6%
Display P3 Coverage
69.3
77.5
12%
64.2
-7%
69.2
0%
70
1%
70.3
1%
72.7
5%
sRGB Coverage
91.3
98.2
8%
94.1
3%
87.8
-4%
87.5
-4%
89.4
-2%
97.3
7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
66.7
71.8
8%
66.2
-1%
64.4
-3%
64
-4%
65.3
-2%
71.2
7%
Screen
10%
0%
29%
21%
8%
-4%
Brightness middle
330
347
5%
322
-2%
329.5
0%
353
7%
330
0%
303
-8%
Brightness
306
306
0%
303
-1%
325
6%
333
9%
317
4%
280
-8%
Brightness Distribution
85
76
-11%
83
-2%
91
7%
90
6%
92
8%
86
1%
Black Level *
0.65
0.68
-5%
0.48
26%
0.381
41%
0.44
32%
0.59
9%
0.45
31%
Contrast
508
510
0%
671
32%
865
70%
802
58%
559
10%
673
32%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
8.35
6.45
23%
10.42
-25%
4.45
47%
6.12
27%
7.19
14%
11.48
-37%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
9
3.39
62%
11.5
-28%
3.45
62%
5.97
34%
7.27
19%
13.28
-48%
Gamma
2.34 94%
2.3 96%
2.17 101%
2.03 108%
2.48 89%
2.54 87%
2.53 87%
CCT
10007 65%
7038 92%
12277 53%
6623 98%
7210 90%
7962 82%
21312 30%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
60
64
7%
60.4
1%
57.81
-4%
57.5
-4%
59
-2%
64
7%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
10% / 10%
-1% / -0%
14% / 20%
10% / 15%
4% / 5%
1% / -1%

* ... smaller is better

Performance

The Envy 17 is a 17.3-inch all-rounder, which means it offers enough performance for everyday use and gaming. Our test configuration is available for 1,200 Euros (~$1278) but there are also other configurations up for purchase.

Processor

The Envy uses the Core i7-5500U dual-core CPU (Broadwell). The processor operates at a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz. Thanks to Turbo, the CPU can boost its speed up to 2.9 GHz (2 cores) and 3 GHz (1 core). The Turbo feature is available while plugged in and while running on battery. Sadly, multi-thread applications cannot utilize the Turbo fully. In this case, the CPU can only operate between 2.7 to 2.8 GHz. The Envy 17-k104ng is equipped with a predecessor of the Core i7-5500U CPU and cannot compete with our Broadwell configuration - especially with multi-thread applications. The Turbo of the Haswell CPU is weaker than that of the Broadwell processor. Furthermore, the modern CPU benefits from improvements brought by the Broadwell architecture.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6365
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
9743
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4656
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.42 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
29.52 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.16 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
294 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
123 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
73.8 fps
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
294 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
499 Points +70%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
531 Points +81%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
508 Points +73%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
331 Points +13%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
660 Points +124%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
226 Points -23%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
123 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
116 Points -6%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
134 Points +9%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
132 Points +7%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
129 Points +5%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
126 Points +2%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
120 Points -2%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
3.16 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
6.55 Points +107%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
5.48 Points +73%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
5.44 Points +72%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
3.66 Points +16%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
7.13 Points +126%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
2.65 Points -16%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
1.42 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
1.48 Points +4%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
1.53 Points +8%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
1.45 Points +2%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1.52 Points +7%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
1.29 Points -9%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
1.35 Points -5%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
9743 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
15404 Points +58%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
16073 Points +65%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
14856 Points +52%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
11114 Points +14%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
19485 Points +100%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
8243 Points -15%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
4656 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
4700 Points +1%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
5184 Points +11%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
5040 Points +8%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
4963 Points +7%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
4944 Points +6%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
4523 Points -3%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2948 Points
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
3383 Points +15%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2938 Points 0%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
6098 Points
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
11025 Points +81%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
6311 Points +3%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
101.7 ms *
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
84.4 ms * +17%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
154.7 ms * -52%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
89.5 ms * +12%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
97.6 ms * +4%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2236 ms *
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
2018 ms * +10%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
1274 ms * +43%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2121 ms * +5%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
2375 ms * -6%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
14652 Points
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
16420 Points +12%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
29193 Points +99%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
16075 Points +10%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
14118 Points -4%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2759 Points
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
3182 Points +15%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
3025 Points +10%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

A strong processor and a fast SSD ensure smooth system performance. We did not encounter any issues: PCMark benchmark results are very good. A glance at the performance diagram reveals that the Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T performs much better than the Envy. However this is due to the stronger processor and stronger AMD GPU. The PCMark 8 Home benchmark runs really well on AMD GPUs.

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3312 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3829 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4444 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
3312 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
3328 Points 0%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
3939 Points +19%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
3096 Points -7%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2858 Points -14%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
3620 Points +9%

Storage Devices

The system drive is a Solid State Drive from Samsung with a capacity of 256 GB. The drive has an M.2 format. The read speeds of the SSD are good but the write speeds fall behind those offered by the competition. The Envy boasts an additional 2.5-inch HDD with a capacity of 1 TB and an operating speed of 5,400 rpm.

Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
Sequential Read: 527 MB/s
Sequential Write: 264.5 MB/s
512K Read: 421 MB/s
512K Write: 264.6 MB/s
4K Read: 28.33 MB/s
4K Write: 104.9 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 389.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 263 MB/s

Graphics Card

The Envy uses switchable graphics which presents a combination of the Intel HD Graphics 5500 IGP and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 850M GPU. The conservative Intel IGP is good for everyday use and battery use. The Nvidia GPU kicks in with more demanding graphics applications, like games. The switch is automatic but can be regulated manually.

The GeForce GPU belongs to the upper middle-class tier. It operates at 902 MHz and can be boosted to 1,084 MHz using Turbo. The results of the 3DMark benchmark are as to be expected. The Asus N751JK, which uses the same GPU, performs better as it employs a stronger, quad-core CPU.

3DMark 11 Performance
3910 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
44248 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
9414 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2569 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
3910 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
4495 Points +15%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
2830 Points -28%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
5081 Points +30%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2579 Points -34%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
5178 Points +32%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
44248 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
96955 Points +119%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
65135 Points +47%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
82166 Points +86%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
69310 Points +57%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
42871 Points -3%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
9414 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
13223 Points +40%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
9869 Points +5%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
13488 Points +43%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
6883 Points -27%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
16299 Points +73%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
8392 Points -11%
1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
8328 Points
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
6581 Points -21%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
5735 Points -31%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
11716 Points +41%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
2569 Points
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
2765 Points +8%
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
1866 Points -27%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
3518 Points +37%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1493 Points -42%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
3633 Points +41%
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
2510 Points -2%

Gaming Performance

The Envy can run most modern games in the HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) with medium to high settings. The Full HD resolution of the panel can only be utilized for some games. For more gaming performance, one would have to pick a stronger model: for example, models using the GeForce GTX 860M or the GeForce GTX 960M. These GPUs are to be found in the Acer Aspire V17 Nitro series where the pricing starts at 700 Euros (~$745).

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 205.1 111.4 64 30
Tomb Raider
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
111.4 fps
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
67.7 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
68.2 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
156.6 fps +41%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
64 fps
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
48.2 fps -25%
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
97 fps +52%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
37 fps -42%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
97.5 fps +52%

Emissions & Energy Management

System Noise

While idle, the fan operates at a low speed. This can be regulated in the BIOS: HP has an option "Fan Always On" which can be deactivated to allow the fan to switch off while the laptop is idle. The fan is barely audible during this period and is drowned out by the hard drive. At load, the fan does not get too noisy: we measure a max of 39.9 dB. Considering the hardware, we believe this to be an acceptable value.

Noise Level

Idle
32.4 / 32.4 / 32.7 dB(A)
HDD
32.6 dB(A)
Load
32.7 / 39.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

During the stress test, the Envy behaves curiously: the CPU runs at 800 MHz while the laptop is plugged in and while it is on battery. The GPU runs at 1,084 MHz (battery) and 135 MHz (plugged in). After exactly 60 minutes of the stress test (plugged in), the CPU accelerates to 2.5 GHz and stays at this level for a while. During the stress test (plugged in), we recognize two points on the case which reach 40 °C. This is surprising, as the CPU and GPU operate at nigh minimum speeds. However, the fan also operates at very low speeds.

In everyday use, the CPU and GPU do not behave in this odd way. The CPU and GPU tests we ran delivered completely normal results, which means that in everyday use the performance should not be affected.

Max. Load
 34.1 °C
93 F
28.5 °C
83 F
24.3 °C
76 F
 
 40.4 °C
105 F
40.1 °C
104 F
24.2 °C
76 F
 
 33 °C
91 F
29 °C
84 F
26 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 40.4 °C = 105 F
Average: 31.1 °C = 88 F
25.2 °C
77 F
26.6 °C
80 F
39.6 °C
103 F
25.2 °C
77 F
27.7 °C
82 F
39.5 °C
103 F
25.7 °C
78 F
27 °C
81 F
28.3 °C
83 F
Maximum: 39.6 °C = 103 F
Average: 29.4 °C = 85 F
Power Supply (max.)  57.2 °C = 135 F | Room Temperature 22.8 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.1 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39.6 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.1 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33 °C / 91.4 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-4.2 °C / -7.6 F).

Power Consumption

While idle, the Envy consumes up to 12.3 W. During the stress test, the max consumption is 43 W, which is only reached after an hour of stress testing (the CPU then accelerates to 2.5 GHz). Before this mark, the consumption is much lower as both the CPU (800 MHz) and GPU (135 MHz) are throttled heavily.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.5 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5.4 / 11.8 / 12.3 Watt
Load midlight 21.4 / 43 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

In the practical WLAN test, we run a script which loads various websites at 40-second intervals. The "Balanced" profile is active and the brightness is set to around 150 cd/m². The Envy 17 reaches a runtime of 4:28 h. This value is decent for a 17.3-inch device and it beats its predecessor (2:56 h) by a large margin.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (IE 11)
4h 28min
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3 (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-k203ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
268 min
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
GeForce 840M, 4210H, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
208 min
WiFi (sort by value)
Asus N751JK-T4144H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4710HQ, SanDisk X300s SD7SB3Q-128G
298 min
Toshiba Satellite P70-B-10T
Radeon R9 M265X, 4720HQ
223 min
Lenovo Y70 DU004HUS
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
218 min
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
220 min
HP Envy 17-k104ng
GeForce GTX 850M, 4510U, ADATA AXNS381E-256GM-B
176 min

Pros

+ Bright, matte panel
+ Gaming laptop
+ Fast SSD
+ Lots of storage
+ Barely heats up

Cons

- No maintenance flap
- High price

Verdict

The HP Envy 17-k203ng. Test model provided by Cyberport.de
The HP Envy 17-k203ng. Test model provided by Cyberport.de

The HP Envy 17-k203ng is a 17.3-inch all-rounder. The Core i7 of the laptop ensures good performance with everyday tasks and the GeForce GPU provides gaming prowess, which can accommodate the latest games, such as Battlefield: Hardline. A fast Solid State Drive ensures good system performance and the second HDD provides ample storage space. Furthermore, the laptop barely heats up and has low noise emissions.

Unlike the 15.6-inch panel of its sibling, the HP Envy 15-k203ng, the panel of the Envy 17 is impressive.

Despite being a TN panel, the viewing angles are quite good and it offers great brightness and decent contrast.

HP Envy 17-k203ng - 04/06/2015 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
66 / 98 → 67%
Keyboard
73%
Pointing Device
82%
Connectivity
61 / 81 → 75%
Weight
57 / 20-67 → 79%
Battery
87%
Display
82%
Games Performance
86 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
86 / 92 → 93%
Temperature
92%
Noise
88 / 95 → 93%
Audio
81%
Camera
33 / 85 → 39%
Average
75%
81%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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Sascha Mölck, 2015-04-14 (Update: 2018-05-15)