*HP EliteBook 8530p/w Owners Lounge *

Dell has a history of bad 1680x1050 screens (such as graininess). Does HP have the same problem with their 1680x1050 screens?

 

I don't recall anyone complaining with the WSXGA resolution on the 8510p.

 

I just found this and according to HP's spec sheet ( http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13093_na/13093_na.html)
it's the preconfigured model that includes WSXGA+ and the T9400. Unfortunately, it also includes the 250 GB 7.2k RPM drive, I'm guessing it will be pretty pricey...Maybe they'll have a SmartBuy version? =P

 

The ABA at the end suggests this is one of the models available for discounted purchase (student discount, etc.) so I'm looking forward to it.

As long as it's cheaper than an identically configured Precision M4400, I might go for it.

 

I talked to a sales representative on the chat thing, and he said that they hope to have the customizable option within "a couple of weeks". I just hope somebody will write a review of the preconfigured model (especially with the WUXGA (1920x1200) display) before then. So, when any of you do receive the laptop, please consider writing a review.

 

I wonder if the "couple of weeks" would apply to the new 8730 series as well?

Also I wonder why there is no integrated broadband on some of the new models...deal killer for me.

I guess its a race between the Dell M4400/M6400 and these.

Any thoughts on which will be better between the two in terms of features or build quality?

 

So far they only have the pre-configured models, but once they let you customize them, I'm sure you'll be able to add the mobile broadband option to any model.

I too am considering the M4400 and the 8530w. Both seem to have the same hardware apart from the display options but I think the HP might be better built. To me, it certainly looks better than the M4400 and I prefer the 8530w's WSXGA+ display, although I'd give up the LED-backlit display (and backlit keyboard) available on the Dell.

 

How do you get student discounted prices from HP business/workstation noteboooks? I've looked at the student purchase page before, and they only listed their consumer notebooks. Do you need to call in or something?

 

I got this link from my school (Columbia University):

http://gem.compaq.com/gemstore/home.asp?jumpid=ex_r3962_columbia/b2bvanity

It doesn't have any of the 8530w's listed yet.

Also, I was able to get to this page from HP's main page:

http://gem.compaq.com/gemstore/MatrixDisplay.asp?ProductLineId=9&oi=E9CED

 

Hmm, when I try to browse to that page, I get this:
Redirect Loop
Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.

The browser has stopped trying to retrieve the requested item. The site is redirecting the request in a way that will never complete.

* Have you disabled or blocked cookies required by this site?
* NOTE: If accepting the site's cookies does not resolve the problem, it is likely a server configuration issue and not your computer.

Edit: Oh, and my school (Cal Poly, SLO) and its bookstore (which is a separate entity) don't have any sort of deal with HP. They sell just Dell and Apple.

 

That's weird, both links work for me. The second one isn't even specific to my school. They don't really advertize the HP discounts like they do with Dell and Apple at my school, but they have a "Preferred Vendors" list which is how I got to the first link. From the laptops I've seen so far, the discount is about 16.8% which is actually very good, but I don't think HP lets us customize the laptops.

 

I managed to get through via the front-page "Government, Health, and Education" link, and anyway, they don't show the new EliteBook 8530p/w and 8730w.

 

I think at this point, I may have to just go with the 8530p as it is the only preconfigured machine from HP that offers the T9400 at a decent price and I don't really need the made-for-CAD 770M....

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but both the p and w are exactly the same with the exception of graphics cards right?

 

That is correct and the graphics card chip is interchangeable as it is a modular component.

 

Following up on the P8600 vs. T9400, here is a comparison between those and others.
If it is worth the couple of hundred dollars for the performance gain, is up to each and everyone to decide.

 

Just saw something peculiar...

According to this page
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/Mi...=2859&BaseId=27623&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=

as well as PC Mall
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/d...2.53GHz Mobile Workstation-Notebook Computers

that 8530w model #KS052UA#ABA has a WSXGA+ screen.

However that model is listed on HP's specifications as having a WUXGA screen and not the WSXGA listed...Which should I trust?

 

trust hp with model # i bought a 2133 #kr954 that vendor listed 1.0 ghz cpu but hp listed 1.6 , hp was right , vendor site was wrong

 

Good news, the 8530w model FY594AW#ABA (w/ t9400, WSXGA+, 2GB RRAM, 250 GB 7.2K) is now available from HP

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/Mi...=2859&BaseId=28069&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=

I'm probably gonna be putting in an order in a day or two...

 

Argh, still no ATI with WUXGA... and still not customizable. This waiting on an indefinite date is very irritating.

 

Does anyone know what 1680x1050 panel is being used in the current model ? Its manufacturer. Just have no will to receive a low quality samsung panel for such a price.
Thanks.

 

I guess we'll have to wait until people actually start receiving their units. The FY594AW#ABA unit for some reason costs the same as the KS052UA#ABA model on HP's education/public sector store (for my university), even though the latter model uses a 160GB drive. Is the difference offset by the inclusion of XP on the KS052UA model?

 

According ot the spec sheets the KS052UA has a WUXGA, although HP's customization lists it as having WSXGA+

 

Yea, the KS052UA is listed with a WSXGA+ screen on the education store as well.

 

When will they offer an option for customization? I checked their website and they only have preconfigured models available. Any ideas?

 

Usually the launch date is set as X. Preconfigured models appear on the website approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to first shipments around X date. Orders begin to be taken between 2 to 4 weeks out depending on model series from launch date X. Finally, about around 3 to 6 months after launch date X, custom models are available. The speed at which configurable models are available usually revolves around 3 main influences to the manufacturer:

1) Parts availability
2) When initial pre-orders are filled and up to speed with production
3) Popularity and/or amount of demand for the specific model series

These three influences explains why different models from the consumer side such as the dv4, dv5, and dv7 were quickly available to custom build and why, traditionally, the business Compaq units take longer.

BBGus

 

Does this notebook have HDMI? I recently checked a review of the 6930w, and it only has VGA. It didn't have HDMI or S-Video.

 

I also forgot to mention that in the review of the 6930w, some people were complaning of a scratching noise when listening to music through the headphone jack. Will there be a similar problem with the 8530p/w?

 

Has anyone received an 8530w yet? I'm returning my Precision M4400 because of a grainy display and keyboard flex and my second choice was the 8530w. But it's slightly more than the Dell so I need to make sure it won't have the same issues before I spend money on it.

 

I received a notice today that my 2 8530w's shipped today so I'll have a report in a few days.

 

Can you post some pictures? Thanks.

 

Something to note in regards to the higher than normal pricing people have been talking about for the parts.

1) The parts in the models are of higher spec. The screens have a higher resolution, you get the Intel 5300 Wireless with 3X3 antenna array, 4 USB, a firewire, HDMI (which is rare in business series, but a lot of conference rooms that I have been to have started to utilitze 40 something inch TVs hung on the wall instead of projectors), etc.
2) You get standard with all models (including the more consumer oriented P series with ATI graphics) 3 years of parts and labor coverage on the business side which has been shown to be much more helpful and better at servicing equipment for people. Plus, you have the ability for a bit more to add onsite if you wish.
3) The Elitebook series has all the durability features. While the lesser business class models are in no way slouches themselves, they still lack the quality testing to be classified as military grade strength.

So, while I agree that if you look at the parts you get it does seem a tad much; if you take a few seconds and look at the notebook as a whole, you quickly see what the extra bit of money is getting you.

BBGus

 

Where did you buy it from? I pre-ordered the 8530w at Bottom Line Telecommunications on September 1st and just got a notification that it won't ship for another two weeks...

 

@bone_scar: Just out of curiosity, do both your 8530w's have the same configuration?

@BBGus: I realize that business class models in general tend to carry higher pricing due to the reasons you outlined, but it still seems like HP is overcharging here. The Precision M4400 may not be military grade, but the piece I got felt solid and looked it would survive knocks. Plus, it carries the same hardware and comes with 3 years on-site, WiFi Link 5300, 4 USB, Firewire, and DisplayPort (converters to DVI and HDMI are available). The only major difference hardware-wise is the WSXGA+ option on the HP and the WXGA+ LED option on the Dell. I'm not knocking the Elitebooks - but to me, they seem overpriced, even with the educational discounts.

 

Electrictool, that is why I added that last sentence lol. I agree that I feel it is over priced a bit and that is why I usually wait till closer to the actual ship date versus the pre-order start date because it allows me to get one through an HP vendor such as CDW or something to that affect and usually get it cheaper and faster than those in line. Case in point, I ordered one of the base smart buy models from the Elitebook 8530p series (KS045UT) from CDW for the company I work for and they stated that I should have it in 10 days or less when I checked with them today. There website even states 7 days if I remember correctly if you were to order right now from them. When I get mine, I will be sure to post pics and write up a review assuming no one else writes one up prior to me before I turn it over to the new owner.

BBGus

 

I guess I'm also a little skeptical since I've never owned an HP computer! I'm looking forward to all the pictures and reviews once people start getting their units.

 

We have gone through that many times, but there is no such thing as "military grade strength" here, the new HP business notebooks are hardly any different from the previous ones, which were durable enough anyway, excepting the added aluminum finish which make me dislike them, especially this on the palm rest and around the keyboard but that's a personal preference anyway.

Now the MIL-STD-810 are standards specifying methods of testing, and most of the time are used more as a marketing gimmick (a pretty old one) than anything else. Basically, you can "pass" even one of those "tests" and claim "military tested."

Moreover, there isn't any advantage of that if the competitive business notebooks can "pass" the same tests, you simply don't know that. Who says that some consumer notebooks won't "pass" certain tests as well? Most likely they will, considering there are number of consumer products on the market advertised as "military tested".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-810

Also, Lenovo was asked many times about this kind of "testing" last year, and of course, they answered like: "Of course, our notebooks can pass those tests, we tested them, they are even better than some rugged systems".

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=93 (at least they have a nice picture there.)


Still, if some people really want to take that seriously, which I'm against, you could simply see what exactly HP claims for the 8530p/w.

Only two? What a disappointment...

Nothing special really, at least the smaller 6930p claims to have "passed" a few more tests.

Btw, something that you can't miss is the disclaimer you can see all over the HP site. I will let you interpret it as you wish.

I'm not going to talk about marketing and propaganda anymore, that was, but I would advise you not to buy into that kind of marketing regardless of the notebook company, they are all pretty good and competitive at that....



As to the price debate (I don't care so don't expect me to compare prices), HP is one of the companies that has never been interested to sell their business notebooks to the average person, and they usually don't offer competitive prices or even proper customization. It's not that their notebooks are better or worth more than the competition, they have their pros and cons just like anything else, it's simply how HP does business. Corporate market gets their discounts for quantities and don't complain, average Joe just isn't the target group, the Pavilion (ehh) line is up there for this reason.

However, you usually can get much better prices through resellers (wait a bit), I think HP even encourages this process. Also, customization (when available) almost always come out much more expensive than the pre-config model, just HP isn't like Dell.

 

These 2 units are coming from HP Source. Both identical.


-Smart Buy - HP Elitebook 8530w Mobile Workstation KS055UT#ABA
$347 instant savings!
• Genuine Windows Vista® Business with downgrade to Windows XP Professional custom installed
• Microsoft® Office 2007 Trial Version included
• Intel® CoreT2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
• 15.4-inch WSXGA+ WVA display
• ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 (256MB)
• 2048MB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM 1 DIMM
• 250 GB SATA II 5400 rpm HDD
• LightScribe DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive
• 56K modem
• 10/100/1000 NIC
• 802.11a/b/g/draft N (Intel 5300)
• Built in HP Mobile Broadband not included
• Integrated Bluetooth
• 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery
• TPM & Fingerprint
• 3/3/3 Year WorldWide Limited Warranty

 

Did anyone get this notebook yet? If so, what are your first impressions/thoughts? I'm particularly concerned about screen quality.

 

So, no one has this notebook yet?

 

Patience, bone_scar said his are on the way

 

Can't wait. Post some pics! Thanks.

 

I got notice from CDW that the Elitebook 8530p that I have on order should be shipped Monday barring any issues. I have it being shipped overnight, so I will try to post pics and info if I receive it.

BBGus

 

Give us your first impressions/thoughts. If you can, please post some pics of the screen as well. Screen quality is very important. Thanks!

 

There's an oficial review now:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4631

Dragos

 

according to this review the prototype of the 8530w seems to be very loud
Please tell me how loud the final notebook is if you own it.
Is this noise acceptable when you compile something or run graphics intensive tasks? Does this model have separate fans for CPU and GPU?

I don't like noise very much and I think the Lenovo ones are much quieter....

Thanks for your reply

 

Just read the review. The HP Elitebook 8530p/w is far more better than Lenovo notebooks such as the T500 or the W500. Lenovo lacks screen quality, and the keyboards on the new models are not as good as they were before. For anyone interested, here's a detailed review on the Lenovo W500:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-W500-Notebook.11683.0.html

Anyway, can't wait for more pics of the 8530p/w! Seems like a great notebook!

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was contacted by CDW saying the two 8530p models I had on ordered are on backorder. I was confused since I received an email a day or so prior with the statement that they should ship soon. The rep told me that they did receive their first shipment today to be sent out to those who had ordered it, but she said the problem was that they were expecting around 25 to 30 units and only received 15 in the first shipment. Because they were expecting the higher number, they sent the first 25 orders they had email notices as a complimentary update. My order has units number 21 and 22 out of the queue, so I got the short end of the stick this time. The rep told me that they do expect more very soon and told me they would keep me updated via email. I don't really mind since one was going to be for me to use with the company and the other was for the boss/owner of the company. So, unfortunately that means nothing about impressions from me for a while as the qouted waited time would be another week to two depending on how fast HP can make and ship more of them.

On the bright side, the HP Elitebook 6930p that I ordered from Cost Central out of Erie, PA showed it was processed and when I called late today, I was told that they had 13 remaining in stock and that mine would be pulled and shipped first thing tomorrow, so I should be able to talk about the 8530p's little brother soon.

BBGus

 

I'm so glad that the 8530w turned out to be a great machine! The cons seem very minor, even the weight, especially since I don't plan on carrying the charger around much. It's just too bad the review unit had WUXGA rather than the WSXGA+ I'm eying.

Hopefully someone who ordered one with WSXGA+ will share their experience w/ us!

 

In Australia, Ingram Micro is showing ETAs of end December for all Elitebooks! This is scary. Looks like the production lines just can't get this out quick enough.

 

Also i wondering if we could get the make of the screen and if it is plagued by that grainy problem or not.

I know that the review said the speakers were average to above average, does it have that crackling sound or not....

waiting for the post-production unit so that we can truly know what the final product the customers are getting