*HP EliteBook 8440p/w Owners Lounge*

Thanks x2 james 2312!

 

Hi,
I'm being torn between getting an Elitebook 8440p and Envy 14. Both systems sound great, but my concern is durability, since my last laptop was broken after only 2 years. FYI, I'm a finance junior in college, and plan to keep the new laptop till grad school (financial engineering). Does the Elitebook offer good enough entertainment features? Or do you think the Envy will be able to last 3-4 years?
Thanks for your help!

 

I'm in the same predicament (well no exactly), I'm comparing to other business laptops. I think as far as build quality (which is reputedly very strong) is concerned the 8440P will certainly outlast the Envy and probably come closer to achieving your 3-4 year goal. The Envy certainly had (notice past tense) a better display but it is my understanding that the Radiance display for the Envy is currently out of stock and it may be some time before they are able to replace it. Getting a similar display (1600 x 900) display on the 8440P gets costly if you customize through HP although there is a preconfigured model with an I7-620 processor and a 1600 x 900 display in the same price range as the Envy. However, from what I understand don't expect this display to be the same quality (color gamut, brightness, and etc.) as the radiance dis play was. Hope this helps!

 

The 8440p display is not nearly as nice as the Envy 14's display. I have seen/tested both and (for me) the best notebook would be an 8440p with the Envy 14 display.

With that being said, I'm perfectly fine with the 8440p display.

 

You are welcome!

 

Have you chose one yet ? i am in the se dilema...

Guys, more comment on the screen please...

 

I am wondering shat part number of AC adapter you guys are using because I just had quite strange HP service via online.

What happen was that:

I am using 8440w with 90W charger but I requested the AC charger replacement because it didn't work.

I got an email that they shipped it including AC charger part number(613152-001).

I have checked the part number that I am currently having.(519330-001)

I found the replace one is different from my current one.

Then I was curious if it is the correct part for 8440w and it is not available from HP website ( HP PartSurfer)


Instead of 519330-001, HP has currently a charger with 613153-001 for AC Smart power adapter (90 watt). (I found this from the my current AC adapter tag.)

Also, I did some googling and it(519330-001) might be for other hp laptop. (one ebay site says it is for pavillion, and another site doesn't have 8440w in the compatible list.

Now I am waiting and being curious which AC charger will arrive. (613153-001 or 519330-001)


If you guys have time to check about your AC adapter part number, it would be helpful for me whether AC adapter(519330-001) is correct part for 8440w.

 

Hello guys, is anybody running Ubuntu or some Linux on this laptop? I have 8440p with Core i5 540 and Intel HD graphics and I´m unable to run the latest Ubuntu. When I boot to the live CD I can´t see any screen. I also tried Wubi and there was the same problem. Does anybody know how to fix it? Thanks for the replies.

 

Hi to all, I have an 8440p with Windows XP SP3 OS however I am not satisfied of the startup because after loading the windows it takes 3 minutes more or less before the applications load successfully. (e.g. F-Secure AV will load after 3 minutes and if I click the IE browser will open later after the notebook finished loading the programs. The NVIDIA control panel icon and Synaptics icon in system tray are no problem in loading.

And also I noticed that during that time of waiting application loading, Usernames in Task Manager are missing. I already searched about that but they're suggestions are already configured in my settings. Hmmnn I already wasted so much time on this. Thanks for your help.

 

Hi to all,
Does anyone has problems regarding keyboard wear? My 8440p already has the 2nd keyboard and I will need new one again. The machine is just 4 months old. I thougt keyboard wear should not happen due to the Durakeys.
Can you see a film over the letters on your keys? Should there by any kind of film/finish? I think they have forgotten the Durakey finish on the keyboard I had so far.
Thanks.

 

Does anybody know which SSD (the 160GB version) HP builts into the 8440p?

 

Hey all,
I have a Vaio SZ770 and after 2.5 years I'm looking for a new laptop. After a lot of research considering a lot of factors (battery life, screen size, weight, performance...) my choice still is between two models the HP 8440w and the Dell Latitute E6410.
The 8440w seems "more solid" than the E6410, but the battery life in the other model seems better.

I visited the HP store to check the 8440w but (after read the 16 pages of this topic) I still have some concerns:

1) The touchpad buttons seems a little bit "strange", it isn't the simple "press-down anywhere in the button and release" as in the SZ770, but it's hard to evalute using only for a few minutes. Anyone has any problem with it? Is it something easy to get used to?

2) The 3.5 hours of the 6-cell battery life is using the mode with 100% brightness, the best performance and wifi ? Or reducing the brigthness of the screen and the performance of the processor you can get more time? If yes, which was the maximun time that you already got ?

3) The keyboard looks like the SZ770 keyboard. And the keyboard is one of the biggest cons in SZ, the keyboard is really noisy (people complain about the typing when you're in a quiet room). I tried the keyboard and feels a little softer than the SZ to type, but was impossible to evaluate the noise. Is the keyboard silent when you are in a quiet room - a class room for example (silent enough to don't bother the others)?

4) I read in this topic some complains about the fan noise, it happens all the time or only when you're using heavy applications ? Is the noise a "clean blow noise" or something different?

Thanks for you help .

 

Most likely the Intel G2. I believe it's the only 160 GB drive available currently.

 

I found it very easy to get used to.

I have found it to be very quiet -- much quieter than my Dell Latitude D630 or an Inspiron e1405/640m.

I have found the fan to be very quiet... I couldn't describe the sound because I haven't really noticed it! I don't think it would bother anybody.


Overall, I feel the 8440p or 8440w is a great laptop if you want something thin and light (ish) and have something better than the 1366x768 resolution on a 14" screen.

 

Hi ess,
I read on this website that the 160GB ssd-version is from intel. The 256GB version is from samsung however carrying the hp-logo on it.
Have a nice day.

 

does anybody have an answer regarding running Linux on this machine, with a Intel graphics?

 

On some Fedora forum I read a post, where was written that this problem have notebooks which internal display is connected by displayport. So it will be solved in newer kernels. But older Ubuntu 9.10 runs correctly. So you must wait or switch to an older distro.

 

Thanks, TylerW . I bought mine today.

Anyone already run the Passmark or Windows Experience Index in this model?
The first times that I tried to run the WEI and Passmark the computer simply shuts down.

Using the GPU-Z I saw that the temperature in the GPU easily increases to more than 100 degrees Celsius when running these tests, is that normal? Anybody else had problems with overheating?

 

Hi, I have been using this great laptop for two months with the pre-installed winXP OS. I am switching to win7 now. Everytime I install a new OS I prefer to delete all OS related partitions. My notebook (8440w) has a 2GB D:\ drive. Can some owner help me please by telling me what kind of files are they? If I delete all partitions/drives (including D:\) I will have only one unallocated space with the whole 320GB (298GB) which according to me is the best starting point to perform a clean install. In advance thanks a lot for your help.

 

Hi.
Does anyone got the Displayport working ok? In my 8440p with Win XP I connected Displayport to Dp-->HDMI adapter and then to TV with HDMI. The video is working ok but there is no audio. I tried to change the audio settings in control panel 'Sounds and audio devices' -> Audio -> Default device. But there is not even choice for NVIDIA audio device, only IDT audio. I have installed the display drivers couple of times but that does not seem to help.

If this works with Win 7 then it must be a driver issue, but I dont have win 7 so I cannot try this.

(In my other HP 8530p with HDMI output this works just fine.)

 

From what I have read, the two processors may have different clock speeds but the difference in their performance are highly negligible.

 

Hi all.

I received my 8440p yesterday and finally had a chance to unpack and start playing with it today. So far, I'm liking it. I'm noticing a few things, though:

1) My unit came with a small scuff mark (it's not quite a scratch) on the left side of the palm rest. It's not that noticable, but my eyes keep getting drawn towards it. It's more of an OCD problem than anything else, but it's disappointing considering the price of this baby. Not enough so that I'd return it, but still...
2) The delete key (the upper-most right key on the keyboard) sticks up a bit at the corner; i.e., it doesn't quite lay flush. Anyone else run into a similar issue? It appears to be seated fully in the keyboard, but it sticks up a little. So far, I haven't managed to remedy this -- I don't want to try removing the key and re-seating it for fear of causing damage. Other than this, the keyboard on this laptop is fantastic.
3) There is a moderatly loud popping noise every time I reboot the system. I think it's coming from the speakers at the bottom. Has anyone else heard this? Is this something I can fix? It's more of a nuisance than anything else.

Still getting used to the system. This is replacing a unibody MacBook, and I'd say the build quality on this is about on par with that. Aside from the minor quibbles above, I'm liking things so far. I'm curious if any other 8440p/w owners have run into similar issues.

Thanks for a great forum. This thread was one of the reasons I pulled the trigger on this laptop.

 

Quick update. I'm wondering whether I should return this unit for a new one? I got this from TigerDirect, and I think I should be able to exchange it. For the money spent, I would think the unit should arrive in pristine condition. The scuff mark does bug me, but the delete key not laying flat is what's really annoying. I'm not sure if this is fixable or whether I should just ask for a new unit. Any advice?

Also, is anyone else experiencing the popping sound on restart/shutdown?

 

My Elitebook fan turns on at top speed for a few seconds (then steps down), the dvd drive makes a noise for a second or two and you can just about hear the hard drive.
As for the keys, one day I didn't have any air duster. I dragged a yellow cloth over the kepboard and the P key snapped off. I didn't panic (I have HP carepack). I just snapped the key back on, pressed down for a second and it clicked and believe or not it was like new.
I would return the Elitebook. It might be worth buying direct from HP like I did. Although Ingram Micro (a massive IT products distributor and reseller) actually handle the transaction. Tiger Direct as part of Systemax, ie Ingram's main competition.
Another option is to buy a carepack, choose the NBD 9-5 service. HP will send over an HP approved technician with the parts and will fix it. This is the service I have and in my case covers accidental damage.

 

How are the noise levels of the 8440p with dedicated graphics?

 

Low. The most graphics intensive program I have is Tiger Woods 08. But the fan didn't need to kick in at top speed. For general tasks you won't notice it. It also doesn't get hot. My Elitebook has the nVidia NVS 3100. The chip has a top TDP of 14W.

 

Can someone with the 6-cell battery put their 8440 on a scale and report back? I've read this whole thread and and didn't see any hard numbers regarding weight.

Also, what's the difference between the 'p' and 'w' models?

Thanks.

 

So I just bought a used 8440p and I'm trying to make sure it's all a-okay as fast as possible. This is the list... anything else?

1. It has XP, so I'm going to install Win7 to make sure the number on the bottom of the notebook is valid.

2. Update bios

3. Run memtest to check ram

4. Test all ports with various devices

5. Test DVD read/write

6. Test how long battery holds charge with full brightness, etc... ie drain completely

7. See how long it takes to charge battery

Anything else?

Thanks!

 

Thanks, which CPU do you have?

 

Just placing an order or 8440p, i7-640M, 8GB RAM, 160 SSD, 14" HD+, 512MB NVS 3100, 9 cell batt
It's slightly cheaper than 8440w, i7-620M, 8GM RAM, 160 SSD, 14" HD+, 512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M, 6 cell

I don't do much gaming or heavy photoshop. Mostly having VM running my dev/test server. Thus decided to go for p which is cheaper with lower end graphic card but slightly better CPU and better battery.

As far as I know the difference between the p and w is only the graphic card and case color difference. Is there any other difference? The order will be place by HP this Friday thus still not too late for me to change, I guess.
Hope I make the right decision to go for p instead of w.

 

Another question, anyone know if the 9Cell battery a lot bulkier than the 6 cell?

 

I just received my HP 8440 p, with downgrade to XP.
The installation offered no other options than installing Windows 7.
But I want to have only XP on it. Where do I start from here to do that.
Thanks a lot.

 

Another thing I found out is, if I stick to original 6 cell battery, it will come with 3 year warranty, if I change it to 9 cell battery, the battery warranty will be 1 year only. Now not sure if want to upgrade to 9 cell battery. Any suggestions? 80% of time will be at office.

 

I'm now an owner of an 8440W.

Picked up a 3 week old i7 model off another forum for $1200.

I already had the Advanced Dock and Upgrade Bay HDD Adapter from when I planned on picking up an 8740W or 8540W w/ DC2...so it's nice to be able to use something I've had sitting in my mini-fridge for 6 months (it's not plugged in, just being used for storage and a place to put my TV). I popped the original 320GB into the adapter and put in my 160GB G2 and wiped the OS.

I'm going to use it to replace all the work-ish stuff I did with my X201 (which I'll now be selling to recoup costs), at least until the next generation EliteBook comes out, at which point it will replace my netbook as my work machine. I'm still undecided whether I'll try to sell off 12GB (4x2 matching, 2x2 matching) worth of DDR3 10600 sticks for 2x 4GB stick of 10600, or just sell off the 4x2 and put that money towards a dedicated VMware/File server and just use the laptop for my non-gaming stuff.


So far I'm quite impressed with the quality. I'd put it slightly above the Thinkpad T series (14" models), but the input system still ranks a bit below. Sorry, I want my 3rd button for easy scrolling, and the Synaptics drivers HP has don't allow left + right combined for scrolling like I've seen earlier models do (nor did it seem to have the "plug in the mouse, turn off the touchpad" feature my G73JH has).

I was surprised by how much heavier it is...but this feels like it might actually win a bludgeoning contest against a Thinkpad.

The screen's nothing special color wise, I'd say it's better than the X201, but nowhere near as good as the W510 FHD high gamut I had for a few weeks earlier this year. I do like 1600x900 on the 14" screen (at least where the alternative was 1440x900. Here I actually gained horizontal as opposed to losing vertical).

I hate the BIOS of it. Somehow it's worse than the 8710W, 6510B, and NX6310 I've used before. It's nowhere near as intuitive as the Thinkpad's is...I spent far more time than I should have clearing out the previous owner's password and user profile.


One question I have: since HP has unfortunately opted for a non-external wireless switch that I can just flick off and on when closed and docked, is there any software out there that doesn't cause a headache and still will toggle to GigE when docked and wireless when undocked?

 

It sticks about an inch out the back. I don't find it that obtrusive, but I've used 9 cell batteries since 2003.

 

Thanks for the feedback. From your previous post, it seems that the 8440 is heavy by itself thus with the 9 cell it should add to the weight. I'm currently using T400 with 6 cell batt, also sticks about an inch out the back and find it quite heavy. I'm very use to the Thinkpad keyboard and pointing stick. I disable the trackpad on my T400. I heavily use the next & previous page button at the arrow key thus may miss it since 8440 don't have. But now will get a Logitech keyboard for the 8440p thus should not be a problem.

 

Update on downgrade from W7 to XP on 8440p.
I phoned HP, they said to reboot from the XP CD, and then eliminate all the existing partitions when asked, that should do it...
That's just what I am doing now, hope it works.

 

Dont forget that the w have a better wireless card and a better warranty... all in all the w always seems to be a better deal...

 

Thanks for the info. 95% of time I do not do any graphic intensive program. Most of the time I will use for web/app server & development thus I find p is a better deal with similar hardware except the GPU & wireless. I have decided to purchase p with the 9 cell battery for longer mobility.

 

Well, I decided not to send my unit back. The small scuff and the slightly askewed Delete key are probably a good test of my tech-OCD.

I did solve the popping sound problem. Turns out that the problem was I didn't install the HP sound drivers -- I let Windows Update do it. Once I installed the official HP version, the popping went away. I did a clean install of Windows Ultimate, which is why I ran into this issue.

I'm liking the new system quite a bit. The only real issue I've run into is that the screen sometimes does not turn back on (it stays blank) when waking up from sleep. I'm not sure what causes this, and I can't recreate it consistently. When it does happen, I haven't found a way to get the screen to come back on. Putting the machine to sleep again doesn't seem to work. I end up having to manually power down the computer. Anyone run into this?

 

I did get the blank screen after wake-up a several times and tracked it down to fingerprint reader: after "blind" fingerprint authentication it logged with display restored.

 

On a different note: I'd like to shave some weight by removing the optical unit (which I only use rarely). I'm quite sure this has been discussed already but was not able to find it: how can I get an optical bay cap - just the cap and not the whole caddy assembly? - to plug in the gaping hole. And if not available, any other caddies out there other than the one from newmodeus? Thanks.

 

Mirocal: I can't send you PMs it would seem, but I have a blank from my advanced dock that I'll never use that should suit your needs.

 

Anyone use: Add 1TB HDD or SSD - HP Upgrade Bay (compare AU097AA, AK868AA ) [HP12-2BAY-8730] - $44.75 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks or 2nd Hard Drive Caddy for HP Upgrade Bay - SATA (compare AK868AA) [HP-2BAY-8730] - $42.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks in 8440p can show me a picture or two? I want to see how the faceplate look after installation.

Thanks

 

Thanks so much for everyone's input and feedback in this forum ... one of the folks in the office is considering getting a 8440p and this thread has helped me to begin to get a general idea of the laptop!

 

I am (the 1TB model), I'll take pictures when I get off of work.

It fits great though, not a single problem, looks factory original.

 

So I've had my 8440w since July or so and I really do like the laptop but I have to say there are times when I can't believe how poor the viewing angles are, especially when looking at darker images. Shifting the viewing angle just a bit and colours shift, if I try to look at the screen from a more of an angle and colours get inverted, like looking at a negative.

I also have backlight bleeding across the top of my screen, about the thickness of the top of an app window in Windows.

Can anyone else speak to the viewing angles on their 8440? Is this normal for anyone else?

I've called HP a few weeks ago and was told to go to a service center and have them make the call is I need a repair/screen replacement. I've been meaning to do this but I just haven't had the time as the aren't open on the weekend. It's also hard as this laptop is my main and only PC so I need to plan going without a PC for a day or two.

 

Hi,

yes, the screen really _is_ quite poor (got the 1600x900 one), the vertical viewing angle without color changes is minimal and I am also correcting the angle quite often when working on it.

Its a common problem with these "business" matte displays these days, which is quite unfortunate. From what I read the Thinkpads are also bad in this regard (I considered the T410s as well).

Its not a showstopper though, its a fine notebook overall but I really hope for the day where we get matte displays with better quality.

Michael

 

An interesting issue just popped up for me:

I have the 8440W plugged into the Advanced Docking Station, which is plugged in via DisplayPort to my Dell U2410 LCD. I do not put my system to sleep, but I do turn the monitor off at night.

When I turn the LCD on, I get a black screen, and my mouse cursor. To get my desktop to come up I have to hit CTRL ALT DEL then cancel out of it.

Any thoughts?

 

8440P i7 620M, Win7 64bit. Using DVD decrypter on any disk seems to be limited to 3x read speed. The drive is dead silent. I looked for something that might be controlling the drive speed to reduce noise but couldn't find anything. Any thoughts?

Other than that. I've been using the computer for a month and everything seems great except...
1) Time to the windows boot screen is fast but time it takes to actually get login prompt seems to be getting longer. This is probably a windows problem.

2) The screen is fine when you really get into your work and your head is not moving... but for casual use when you are getting up/talking to someone and looking back/forth at the screen, etc... it's pretty bad. I'm wondering if anyone has swapped out displays or physically modified their displays to improve the back lighting. This is on a 1600x900 display.