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Review HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion Notebook

New ground. HP is the first manufacturer to equip its media-focused flagship with Leap Motion capability and a touchscreen, but is this worth the extra cost of 60 Euros (~$82)? Additionally, the internals of the laptop have been refreshed, including a Full HD touchscreen, an Nvidia GT 750M GPU and an i7-4702MQ CPU.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion and touchscreen (F0F32EA)
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion and touchscreen (F0F32EA)

For the original German review, see here.

It has only been a few months since we took a closer look at the HP Envy 17t-j003 (Nvidia GT 740M). The matte display has now made way for a glossy touch panel, and a blackish Leap Motion sensor has been included into the right hand side of the palm rest of the 17-inch laptop. We have already reviewed this gesture control system in a separate article (review Leap Motion gesture control).

Our verdict in August wasn't the most enthusiastic one: Since applications for consumers (games) as well as great Windows support was lacking, we weren't able to utter a recommendation for buying the USB-connected Leap Motion controller. Could this impression have changed in the last three months?

The second novelty concerns the Full HD panel which now comes with touch support. Thirdly, the graphics card has been upgraded from a GT 740M to an upper middle-class GT 750M, although this GPU is more often being used in more affordable Leap-less versions of the Envy 17 as well.

The competition? Most of our multimedia top 10, among them the Asus N750JV-T4110H (i7-4700HQ, GT 750M; 1300 Euros, ~$1786) with a comparable CPU and the same GPU and the (still Ivy Bridge based) Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 (i7-3635QM, HD 8870M; 1300 Euros, ~$1786) with its AMD GPU.

Because the chassis hasn't changed, this review will skip an extensive evaluation and description of the build quality, ports, speakers and other features (with the exception of the Leap Motion controller). All of these aspects have already been covered in our review of the HP Envy 17t-j003.

Input Devices

How we test - Input Devices

Keyboard

There is one thing we have to mention concerning the keyboard, as HP's quality control division has managed to get rid of one issue: The keyboard deck doesn't wobble any more when typing, including the numpad. Just a small area to the left and to the right gives in a little bit (even before the key is truly pressed down), but this is hardly noticeable. Other than that, the keyboard is just as good as it used to be (see the review of the predecessor, yielding a clear pressure point, medium key travel and flat keys), while falling short of an excellent typing experience (more key travel and perfectly sized, conical keys would be needed to deserve this moniker).

The reason for the increase in stability is easily found when the bottom panel is taken off: HP has inserted a massive piece of metal into the second, empty drive bay.

Touch Panel

When compared to the non-touch version, the touch panel of the high-end Envy 17 leads to an edge-to-edge appearance of the new panel, as with almost all touch-enabled laptops. This plastic layer in front of the actual display is a lot tougher, more scratch-proof and comes with better pressure resistance than ordinary laptop panels. The 10-finger touch panel (up to 10 fingers are recognized individually) works well, all input commands are handled with high precision and no noticeable lag.

Leap Motion

The Leap Motion controller is located at the right hand side of the palm rest, being activated via Fn+Space (works even when running on battery). The Leap Visualizer shows immediately what the shift to the right of the infrared sensor means, as the left hand will only be recognized as soon as it starts hovering right above the touchpad. The user thus has to relocate their hands to the right (which is not as annoying as it may sound).

We installed Touchless for Windows from the Airspace Store, although it did not work in one instance. Jack Lumber and a few other free apps can be controlled up to certain degree of precision. The sensor can be calibrated using a reflecting surface - which we did, in hope of better navigation results. Unfortunately, the situation didn't improve.

Other demo apps such as Cyber Science Motion do showcase the possibilities, but we still asked ourselves why this input method is supposed to be superior to the touchscreen or the mouse. The hyperactive cursor just doesn't want to stand still above the button, our little alter ego didn't move as intended and supposedly precise gestures often led to comical results. It definitely wasn't faster than using any other input method - even after two hours of trial and error, we didn't experience any truly captivating moments with this device.

Much more time and ambition has been invested by the author of our article Leap Motion gesture control, which is recommended reading for anyone interested in the Leap Motion. The following video stems from that article as well. 

A massive metal plate built into the 2.5-inch slot stabilizes the center of the chassis.
A massive metal plate built into the 2.5-inch slot stabilizes the center of the chassis.
Leap Motion control panel
Leap Motion control panel
Leap Motion: Orientation visualizes the finger tracking routine
Leap Motion: Orientation visualizes the finger tracking routine
Airspace: Here, the Airspace Store apps are shown (both free and paid apps)
Airspace: Here, the Airspace Store apps are shown (both free and paid apps)

Display

How we test - Display

The now glossy 17.3-inch AUO panel (AUO219D) comes with a Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, yielding a pixel density of 127 ppi. It may not be an IPS display - apparently, few of these are available with 17.3-inches, as the Envy's competitors such as the Asus N750JV (TN) or the ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E (MHVA) make use of displays with worse viewing angles as well, but HP does at least use one of the best TN panels available.

The brightness of 260 cd/m² is decent, but not great. Some competitors such as the N750JV (331 cd/m²) offer more. Similar observations hold true for the contrast ratio of 753:1, which is a bit better than that of the N750JV, but not as good as that of the ATIV Book 8 Touch (1017:1).

257
cd/m²
243
cd/m²
244
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
271
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
274
cd/m²
285
cd/m²
250
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AUO219D tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 285 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 260.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 271 cd/m²
Contrast: 753:1 (Black: 0.36 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.81 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 10.65 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
64.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
87.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.34
Color space Envy 17 Touch vs. sRGB(t)
Color space Envy 17 Touch vs. sRGB(t)
Color space Envy 17 Touch vs. AdobeRGB(t)
Color space Envy 17 Touch vs. AdobeRGB(t)

Color space coverage is a crucial characteristic when it comes to professional programs such as Adobe Lightroom, Quark XPress or InDesign - a display should come very close to covering the AdobeRGB or at least the sRGB color space. Apart from a few high-end workstations, barely any laptop has ever come close to these goals, and the HP Envy 17 and its competitors are no exception to this rule.

We measured the display properties with a photo spectrometer before calibrating. Large pre-calibration DeltaE deviations could be observed, with ColorChecker measuring a DeltaE value of almost 10. Both the N750JV and the ATIV Book 8 Touch are better in this regard, reaching a DeltaE value of approximately 3, coming close enough to the actual colors for the eye to be incapable of noticing the difference. Similar results hold true during our grayscale examinations - once more, the Asus and Samsung laptops fare a lot better with DeltaE values of 2 to 3.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN color saturation
CalMAN color saturation
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker

Those who do a lot of work outdoors will miss the matte display of the Envy 17-j110eg's siblings. Despite its decent brightness levels, the strong reflections are difficult to overlook. In the shade as well as on cloudy days, users should be fine, working with a well-lit display.

Outdoor, some sun
Outdoor, some sun
Outdoor, direct sunlight
Outdoor, direct sunlight
Outdoor, shade
Outdoor, shade
Envy 17t-j003 with matte Full HD display
Envy 17t-j003 with matte Full HD display
Envy 17t-j003 with matte Full HD display
Envy 17t-j003 with matte Full HD display

In terms of viewing angle stability, both our Envy 17 test device and the Asus N750 don't stand a chance against the ATIV Book 8 with its IPS-like (in terms of vertical viewing angles) MVA panel. Although it takes a very narrow horizontal angle before contrast shifts can be noted (140 degrees overall), color inversions occur quickly when vertical displacements are unavoidable.

HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA) with touchscreen: Viewing angles
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA) with touchscreen: Viewing angles

Performance

How we test - Performance

The Core i7-4700MQ (2.4 GHz) as used in the Envy sibling HP Envy 17t-j003 has been quite the vulgar processor, being a true quad-core with a TDP of 47 watts instead of the much more "sexy" 17 or 15 watts which Intel has worked so hard to achieve. Things have changed in the case of the i7-4702MQ (2.2 GHz), with the TDP being decreased to 37 watts, being accompanied by a 200 MHz decrease in terms of clock speed. With Turbo Boost, up to 3.2 GHz can be achieved (4700MQ: 3.4 GHz).

The Intel HD Graphics 4600 of the CPU gets augmented by an upper middle-class GeForce GT 750M which might be something of a game changer for gamers. We will perform a detailed comparison with the GT 740M of the first Envy 17 sibling below.

Since it is a multimedia laptop first and foremost, the Envy 17 requires a lot of storage space, and the 1 TB Toshiba HDD delivers. Unfortunately, HP neither offers an SSD-based variant nor is it easy to use the second drive bay to insert another hard drive, as the right (flat) SATA cable as well as an appropriate drive chassis would be needed.

System info CPU-Z CPU
System info CPU-Z Cache
System info CPU-Z Motherboard
System info CPU-Z Memory
System info CPU-Z SPD
System info GPU-Z GT 750M
System info GPU-Z Intel HD 4600
System info HWinfo summary
System info HWinfo summary
CrystalDiskMark 92 MB/s Seq. Read
CrystalDiskMark 92 MB/s Seq. Read
 
System information HP Envy 17-j110eg

Processor

Cinebench R11.5 Single: CPU@3.1 GHz
Cinebench R11.5 Single: [email protected] GHz
Cinebench R11.5 Multi: CPU@2.9 GHz
Cinebench R11.5 Multi: [email protected] GHz

So what about the CPU downgrade? According to Cinebench R11.5 (which we use to test both the pure CPU performance as well as to check the usage pattern of the Turbo range), the new CPU falls behind by 7 to 11% (single- and multithreading respectively) when compared to the 4700MQ as used in the HP Envy 17t-j000, not too shabby given the much lower TDP. It takes a low voltage i7 system such as the premium 17-inch laptop Dell Inspiron 7737 or the Acer Aspire V7-582PG to deliver noticeably lower performance levels. Both ship with a dual-core Core i7 CPU with a TDP of 15 watts and 60 to 70% less performance, making the choice an easy one for those mostly interested in a fast CPU. The Envy's two main competitors, the ATIV Book 8 and the Asus N750 offer more or less exactly the same performance levels.

The Envy 17 remains quite the performer even when looking at its Turbo Boost capabilities, reaching up to 3.1 and 2.9 GHz during single- and multithreading tasks respectively. While running on battery, the same high frequencies are being used (this holds true for all Cinebench R11.5 tests including OpenGL ident).

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
6.27 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
1.99 Points -68%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
2.63 Points -58%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
6.47 Points +3%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
6.46 Points +3%
MSI GE70-i765M287
6.63 Points +6%
HP Envy 17t-j000
6.94 Points +11%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
1.41 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
0.79 Points -44%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
1.31 Points -7%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
1.51 Points +7%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
1.38 Points -2%
MSI GE70-i765M287
1.5 Points +6%
HP Envy 17t-j000
1.51 Points +7%

Legend

 
HP Envy 17-j110eg Intel Core i7-4702MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304 Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
 
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
 
Asus N750JV-T4110H Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
 
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 Intel Core i7-3635QM, AMD Radeon HD 8870M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
MSI GE70-i765M287 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M, Hitachi Travelstar 7K750 HTS727575A9E
 
HP Envy 17t-j000 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.41 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.27 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
52 fps
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
67.3 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
575 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
125 Points
Help

System Performance

Still, exceptional application performance levels are not achieved, as confirmed with PCMark. The Envy 17 is pretty much as fast as all other HDD-based 17-inch laptops; even the Inspiron 7737 with its much weaker CPU falls behind by just 15%. The Acer Aspire V7-582PG takes the lead by + 34%, but mostly due to its SSD cache, as seen by a glance at its storage sub-score (+ 154%).

PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
3185 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
2715 Points -15%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
3211 Points +1%
MSI GE70-i765M287
3207 Points +1%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
3290 Points +3%
HP Envy 17t-j000
3359 Points +5%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
4255 Points +34%
System Storage (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
1441 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
1513 Points +5%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
1417 Points -2%
MSI GE70-i765M287
1548 Points +7%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
1522 Points +6%
HP Envy 17t-j000
1524 Points +6%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
3654 Points +154%
PCMark 8
Storage Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
1886 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
1913 Points +1%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
2381 Points +26%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
2788 Points +48%
Creative Score Accelerated (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
4134 Points
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
2922 Points -29%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
3420 Points -17%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
2990 Points -28%

Legend

 
HP Envy 17-j110eg Intel Core i7-4702MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304 Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
 
Asus N750JV-T4110H Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
 
MSI GE70-i765M287 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M, Hitachi Travelstar 7K750 HTS727575A9E
 
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 Intel Core i7-3635QM, AMD Radeon HD 8870M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
HP Envy 17t-j000 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
PCMark 7 Score
3185 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated
3447 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated
4134 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated
4479 points
Help

Storage Devices

The 1 TB HDD (Toshiba MQ01ABD100) is on par with most other comparable HDDs with 5400 rpm, being the same hard drive as the one used in the HP Envy 17t-j000. The increased 4K values (of 16%) are within the error margins of this test; an SSD should be much faster still, routinely yielding 20 to 30 MB/s instead of just 0.35 MB/s.

Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Sequential Read: 91.8 MB/s
Sequential Write: 88.9 MB/s
512K Read: 29.86 MB/s
512K Write: 34.24 MB/s
4K Read: 0.35 MB/s
4K Write: 0.708 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 0.656 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 0.68 MB/s

Graphics Card

R11.5 OpenGL: GPU@1162 MHz (constantly)
R11.5 OpenGL: GPU@1162 MHz (constantly)
R11.5 OpenGL + Prime95 Multi: GPU@966 MHz (constantly)
R11.5 OpenGL + Prime95 Multi: GPU@966 MHz (constantly)

This is not the first time that we have reviewed the GT 750M GPU. Its own DDR3 memory (4 GB) is connected via a fast 128-bit interface, with the GPU core speed reaching up to 1085 MHz when the turbo mode is active. GDDR5 might enable the GPU to yield even better performance levels, as shown recently by the Dell XPS 15, which achieved almost 30% more points during the GPU test of 3DMark (2013) Firestrike. The direct competitor, the Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E, fares even better, with an increase of 46 to 48% thanks to its HD 8870M. The MSI GE70 with its high-end GTX 765M is even faster, reaching +55%.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
1527 Points
HP Envy 17t-j000
1025 Points -33%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
1377 Points -10%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
1508 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013)
1953 Points +28%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
2235 Points +46%
MSI GE70-i765M287
2366 Points +55%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
1589 Points
HP Envy 17t-j000
1096 Points -31%
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
1483 Points -7%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
1573 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013)
2015 Points +27%
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
2346 Points +48%
MSI GE70-i765M287
2520 Points +59%

Legend

 
HP Envy 17-j110eg Intel Core i7-4702MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304 Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
 
HP Envy 17t-j000 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
 
Asus N750JV-T4110H Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
 
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) Intel Core i7-4702HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Samsung SSD SM841 512GB
 
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 Intel Core i7-3635QM, AMD Radeon HD 8870M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
MSI GE70-i765M287 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M, Hitachi Travelstar 7K750 HTS727575A9E
3DMark 06 Standard Score
13797 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
8632 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1527 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The gaming performance is good enough to allow for high details being chosen in most games, at least when the resolution is decreased from Full HD to HD (1366x768). Still, the GT 740M of the Envy's sibling had a lot of trouble with even these reduced settings. However, the XPS 15 (i7-4702HQ) is once again much faster thanks to its advantageous GDDR5 memory. Talking about AMD GPUs, the Radeon HD 8870M remains the better choice for demanding games when compared to the GT 750M with DDR3. The GT 740M cannot compete with these GPUs.

HP Envy 17-j110eg
GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
HP Envy 17t-j000
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
Radeon HD 8870M, 3635QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013)
GeForce GT 750M, 4702HQ, Samsung SSD SM841 512GB
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
1366x768 High Preset AA:8x AF:8x
39.9
31.3
-22%
25.4
-36%
54.4
36%
Tomb Raider
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
38.1
40.2
6%
23.8
-38%
58.4
53%
58.2
53%
BioShock Infinite
1366x768 High Preset
44.8
31
-31%
61.1
36%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-8% / -8%
-35% / -35%
45% / 45%
45% / 45%
low med. high ultra
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 39.9 21.8
Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012) 39.2 15.3
Dead Space 3 (2013) 64 38.6
Tomb Raider (2013) 38.1 17.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 44.8 16.3

Emissions

How we test - Emissions

Noise Emissions

The HP Envy 17 is quite the noisy laptop, even while idle, with an obtrusively active fan which never stops spinning. Almost all competitors are a bit more silent, with the Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E being almost inaudible at 30 dB(A). Samsung's laptop remains the least noisy one even under full load while the Asus N750 is much louder. Still, our test device remains the king in terms of loudness. At least, it produces a constant background noise without any annoyingly high frequencies, rendering its 38 dB(A) under medium loads more or less acceptable.

Noise Level

Idle
32.8 / 34.4 / 34.4 dB(A)
HDD
32.8 dB(A)
DVD
36.2 / dB(A)
Load
38.3 / 46.2 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

High noise emissions equal low heat emissions? This once more holds true in case of the Envy 17, with the constantly spinning fan allowing it to run cooler than the Asus N750 or the Samsung ATIV Book 8 while idle (24 °C). Under constant full load (stress test), the HP does remain noticeably cooler (on average) than the ATIV Book 8, with its surface temperature of around 45 °C being on par with the N750.

The CPU does get up to 95 °C hot during the stress test, leading to a slight reduction in CPU clock speed to a range between 2.4 and 2.7 GHz. The GT 750M remains unimpressed, staying at its maximum Turbo clock speed of 1162 MHz at all times. As soon as the GPU isn't taxed any more, leaving only Prime 95 challenging the CPU, the processor temperature falls to 83 °C, leading to a stabilized clock speed of 2.6 GHz. While this is a bit less than during the Cinebench R11.5 multithreading benchmark (2.9 GHz) it is by no means throttling as the base clock speed of 2.2 GHz is never undershot even under full load.

Prime95 Multi: CPU@2.6 GHz / 83 °C
Prime95 Multi: [email protected] GHz / 83 °C
Prime95 + Furmark: CPU@2.4-2.7 GHz (varying) / 95 °C
Prime95 + Furmark: [email protected] GHz (varying) / 95 °C
Stress test: Power adapter under maximum load @99 watts
Stress test: Power adapter under maximum load @99 watts
Max. Load
 44.5 °C
112 F
31.7 °C
89 F
27.9 °C
82 F
 
 45.2 °C
113 F
45.1 °C
113 F
27.1 °C
81 F
 
 34 °C
93 F
30 °C
86 F
27.3 °C
81 F
 
Maximum: 45.2 °C = 113 F
Average: 34.8 °C = 95 F
26.8 °C
80 F
39.6 °C
103 F
41.9 °C
107 F
27.1 °C
81 F
31.3 °C
88 F
41.2 °C
106 F
27.3 °C
81 F
26.7 °C
80 F
30.5 °C
87 F
Maximum: 41.9 °C = 107 F
Average: 32.5 °C = 91 F
Power Supply (max.)  46.6 °C = 116 F | Room Temperature 24.1 °C = 75 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.8 °C / 95 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 45.2 °C / 113 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 41.9 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.9 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34 °C / 93.2 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-5.2 °C / -9.4 F).

Energy Management

How we test - Battery Life

Power Consumption

The Envy 17 is a rather efficient laptop: 7 to 12 watts while idle (minimum brightness) are better than both its sibling (HP Envy 17t-j000, 8 to 14 watts) as well as the main competitors (Asus N750, 9 to 18 watts; Samsung ATIV Book 8, 10 to 16 watts).

During constant full load (stress test with Prime95 and Furmark), the power adapter of the HP (officially capable of providing up to 120 watts) seems to be in trouble, as a popup notification suggesting the purchase of a more powerful smart power adapter shows - even though such an adapter is nowhere to be found on HP's accessories website!

In reality though, the 99 watts (constant power consumption during the stress test) aren't even that much given the powerful CPU and GPU with their still rather high TDP. It should be mentioned though that most other 17-inch laptops consume just around 80 watts under full load. 

During normal usage, the entire system with its 37 watts CPU is 25% more power-efficient than the Asus N750JV, remaining on par with the Samsung ATIV Book 8.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.5 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 6.8 / 11.5 / 11.8 Watt
Load midlight 75.6 / 99 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 960
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

The most exciting question here is whether the CPU downgrade leads to an improved battery life. Indeed, while idle, the runtimes are increased by 30% when compared to the HP Envy 17t with its Core i7-4700MQ. However, our more life-like Wi-Fi test reveals an improvement of just 8%, and the resulting 214 minutes are far from what we might want to call a decent result. Even non-low-voltage competitors such as the Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E (+80%) or the Asus N750JV-T4110H (+28%) offer much better battery life, albeit with higher-capacity batteries.

Battery Runtime - WiFi (sort by value)
HP Envy 17-j110eg
214 min
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk
238 min
HP Envy 17t-j000
231 min
Asus N750JV-T4110H
274 min
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304
385 min
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01
386 min

Legend

 
HP Envy 17-j110eg Intel Core i7-4702MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
 
HP Envy 17t-j000 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
 
Asus N750JV-T4110H Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
 
Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304 Intel Core i7-4500U, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
 
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 Intel Core i7-3635QM, AMD Radeon HD 8870M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
9h 02min
WiFi Surfing
3h 34min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 01min

Verdict

HP's multimedia powerhouse HP Envy 17 may have changed its face, but its character stays the same. The CPU downgrade from 47 to 37 watts is barely an issue in terms of performance. Quite the opposite, as the GT 750M replacing the GT 740M actually yields better gaming performance (one disadvantage: GDDR3). With a simple trick, HP has managed to create a much sturdier keyboard deck, increasing its ratings in this regard. The display is still of the TN variant, but now a glossy touch panel has been used instead of the matte non-touch variant.

Leap Motion, as it presents itself today, is neither a clear winner nor a disappointment. The extra cost of 60 Euros (~$82) is not too much to swallow given the much higher base price point of almost 1200 Euros (~$1648) for the HP Envy 17, especially since the Leap Motion edition is the only one which includes a touch panel.

The Envy 17 is best suited for tech enthusiasts who like to try out new technologies (Leap Motion, touch panel) while also being fond of demanding computer games. Those who prefer a matte display and a premium aluminum chassis might want to have a closer look at the Asus N750JV-T4110H which not only offers the same gaming performance but also an external subwoofer. If battery life and perfect build quality are the most crucial factors, Samsung's ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01 might be a sensible choice. The latter device also comes with the most vivid colors (albeit in a glossy panel) which is actually useable for professional usage scenarios (low DeltaE).

HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion and touchscreen (F0F32EA): Improved gaming performance thanks to the GT 750M, but the Leap Motion gesture control feels more like a gimmick right now
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion and touchscreen (F0F32EA): Improved gaming performance thanks to the GT 750M, but the Leap Motion gesture control feels more like a gimmick right now
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In Review: HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA), provided by HP Deutschland
In Review: HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA), provided by HP Deutschland

Specifications

HP Envy 17-j110eg (Envy 17 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4702MQ 4 x 2.2 - 3.2 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1162 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, 128 bit, Forceware 326.80, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, Dual Channel, 2 x 4096 MB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, 10-finger multitouch, AUO219D, TN-LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM87 (Lynx Point)
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABD100, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combined Line In/Out, Card Reader: SD/MMC, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Sensors: ambient brightness sensor, Leap Motion gesture control
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Ralink RT3290 802.11n Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
DVD +/- RW Double Layer
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 30.6 x 416 x 274.4 ( = 1.2 x 16.38 x 10.8 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Ion, 6-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1.3MP
Additional features
Speakers: 4 speakers, 1 subwoofer, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, HP Utility Center, HP Recovery Manager, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2013 (60-day trial version), Beats Audio with SRS 3D, HP Connected Music, HP Connected Photo, HP Coolsense, HP Protectsmart, HP Simplepass, HP Connected ePrint, Cyberlink PowerDVD, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
3.359 kg ( = 118.49 oz / 7.41 pounds), Power Supply: 458 g ( = 16.16 oz / 1.01 pounds)
Price
1200 Euro

 

HP takes one of the top spots in terms of implementing innovations.
HP takes one of the top spots in terms of implementing innovations.
The manufacturer integrates the Leap Motion gesture control system into its HP Envy 17 luxury laptop line.
The manufacturer integrates the Leap Motion gesture control system into its HP Envy 17 luxury laptop line.
Not much has changed in terms of looks when compared to the more affordable standard variant, the 17t-j003 ...
Not much has changed in terms of looks when compared to the more affordable standard variant, the 17t-j003 ...
...except for the infrared sensor on the right hand side of the palm rest.
...except for the infrared sensor on the right hand side of the palm rest.
It can also be controlled by the left hand (or both at the same time).
It can also be controlled by the left hand (or both at the same time).
But that's not the only innovative control method of the high-end model: Only the Leap Motion variant comes with a touch panel.
But that's not the only innovative control method of the high-end model: Only the Leap Motion variant comes with a touch panel.
The infrared sensor is located right next to the fingerprint reader.
The infrared sensor is located right next to the fingerprint reader.
The two greenish buttons activate Leap.
The two greenish buttons activate Leap.
The operation lights are easily visible when it is dark.
The operation lights are easily visible when it is dark.
The Envy 17 ships with the usual warranty infos as well as an HP setup poster including Leap Motion information.
The Envy 17 ships with the usual warranty infos as well as an HP setup poster including Leap Motion information.
The power adapter provides 120 watts, more than enough to account for the up to 100 watts required during our stress test.
The power adapter provides 120 watts, more than enough to account for the up to 100 watts required during our stress test.
It weighs almost half a kilogram.
It weighs almost half a kilogram.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): HP as a leader in innovation? It will take well-made apps for Leap Motion to reach mainstream appeal.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): HP as a leader in innovation? It will take well-made apps for Leap Motion to reach mainstream appeal.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Even with 62 Wh, only a little more than 3 hours of runtime is possible.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Even with 62 Wh, only a little more than 3 hours of runtime is possible.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): The TN panel comes with great horizontal viewing angles
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): The TN panel comes with great horizontal viewing angles
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): A metal plate improves the overall sturdiness of the keyboard deck.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): A metal plate improves the overall sturdiness of the keyboard deck.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Now with touch.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Now with touch.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Those who don't prefer glossy displays might want to choose the non-touch version instead.
HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion (F0F32EA): Those who don't prefer glossy displays might want to choose the non-touch version instead.

Similar Laptops

Devices from a different Manufacturer and/or with a different CPU

Review Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304 Notebook
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4500U
Review Asus N750JV-T4110H Notebook
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4700HQ

Devices with the same GPU

Dell XPS 15 Notebook Review
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4712HQ, 15.60", 2.1 kg
Review Samsung ATIV Book 8 870Z5G Notebook
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4700HQ, 15.60", 2.4 kg
Review Gigabyte U24T Notebook
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4500U, 14.00", 1.78 kg
Review Dell XPS 15 (9530, Late 2013) Notebook
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4702HQ, 15.60", 2.02 kg
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 Late 2013 Notebook Review
GeForce GT 750M, Core i7 4850HQ, 15.40", 2.012 kg

Links

Price Check

Pros

+TouchDisplay
+Leap Motion
+Good CPU performance
+More than enough RAM
+Battery life during light work
+Speakers
 

Cons

-Noisy fan
-Battery life under load
-Too hot
-TFT with a blue tint

Shortcut

What we like

The always-cool chassis thanks to a constantly rotating fan. The TN panel comes with great horizontal viewing angles.

What we'd like to see

A combination of an SSD in slot no. 1 and an HDD in slot no. 2 would be perfect for both performance and mass storage. Also, such a premium laptop with a GT 750 should be equipped with GDDR5 memory.

What surprises us

A simple trick is enough to improve the stability of the chassis and thus of the keyboard dock: HP fills the (anyway unusable) 2.5-inch slot with a sturdy piece of metal.

The competition

Asus N750JV-T4110H

Samsung ATIV Book 8 Touch 880Z5E X01

MSI GE70-i765M287

Acer Aspire V7-582PG-74508G52tkk

Dell Inspiron 7737 CN77304

Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F

Rating

HP Envy 17-j110eg - 04/15/2014 v4(old)
Sebastian Jentsch

Chassis
61 / 98 → 62%
Keyboard
67%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
64 / 81 → 79%
Weight
54 / 20-67 → 72%
Battery
78%
Display
73%
Games Performance
83 / 85 → 98%
Application Performance
67 / 92 → 73%
Temperature
82%
Noise
78 / 95 → 82%
Audio
30%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
66%
73%
Multimedia - Weighted Average
Sebastian Jentsch, 2013-12- 5 (Update: 2021-05-18)