Look at video review sites and you see the pros do not use the onboard mic. Many don't use the laptop speakers. This is why headphone and mic sets are so popular.
I have an HP Envy M7 Core i7 unit which is overall a very nice laptop. It has some quirks that are annoying but I have found workaround for all but one.
The laptop uses an IDT audio device for the Beats Audio that is sold as an upgrade over traditional audio. This is the case in most circumstances but I have run into one quite annoying "feature" that I cannot seem to turn off.
The input/microphone volume likes to auto level. You can open the mixer and watch it just bounce around. I am not using this laptop for recording but can imagine the mess if I were to try. My main deal is I use it for VOIP communication. Sometimes the input levels get quite high and the person on the other end starts getting feedback and an echo of their own words.
The system is running Windows 10. I am using the newest Windows 8 driver I could find as it appears support for this device stopped before Win 10 was released. I have also tried removing the Beats Audio altogether and using the Windows default drivers. The same thing still happens.
I looked high and low on various forums and no one seems to have come up with a good answer on how to solve this problem. Any suggestions or should I just live with it or use a different laptop for communication?

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic