*HP EliteBook 8530p/w Owners Lounge *

I received my 8530p today.... Not sure what to install... XP or VISTA...

 

Now if only I could customize the dang thing... it's still "within a few weeks".
Edit: first time I've run into the swear filter.

 

I vote for XP. Really though, it's a matter of personal preference. If you've never used Vista before, stick with XP. If you have used vista before, then choose which one you liked better!

Either way, congratulations on your 8530p! I hope you enjoy it, regardless if you install XP or Vista!

 

Mine arrived at my office on Monday, alas I am in Chicago but will be back in the office tomorrow to start playing with the new toys. I'll for sure give my opinion once I get at least one loaded. For what it's worth, I'll be loading it up with 32bit XP Pro.

 

Sounds great! If you don't mind, can you give a little mini-review of the display? I'm very interested about the quality of the WSXGA+ screen, as it's the only thing keeping me from placing my order after reading the excellent review on this site (the review unit had WUXGA unfortunately)

 

I agree. Please give us your first impression/thoughts on the screen quality. I am also interested in the WSXGA+ display. Thanks.

Edit: Do you guys know any place where you can see this notebook in person? A retailer store perhaps? Thanks again.

 

Yeah,

and please give us an impression of the fan noise when
doing office work and performance computing.
Is it completely calm in idle mode and
is it as loud as the review says when watching a video stream?

Thanks a lot!
Bassai

 

You guys didn't get it yet?

 

If the boys have finished playing with their elitebooks, a bit input here would be helpful

 

Just a heads up, you can know custom configure a 8530w

 

Here's something weird: the configurator is up... but there's no link to it.
Look here:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3329741.html
... and notice that you can't get from there, to here:
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/ct...owPrice=&familyviewgroup=1701&viewtype=Matrix
EDIT: In addition, the customize-to-order options are far more expensive than the prebuilt models. I'm wondering if the lack of links to the configurator is some indication that the prices are not final.

 

Really? I think the prices are pretty close to the CTO models. It's the same with the 8730w, the preconfigured ones are slightly cheaper, although the price gap doesn't seem to be that huge. Are you by any chance comparing a custom config to a Smart Buy model?

 

OK finally had enough time to bust out the units. First off, WOW...really cool looking with the brushed aluminum finish. Quality of build is spot on. Battery does not fit quite snug enough for me. Looks like it will stand up well to moderate abuse. BIOS is new and takes some getting used to. Haven't delved into that yet.

Upon boot the screen looks "marvelous". Display is really bright and crisp. I do not see any bleed through around the edges. Kind of wish I would have gotten the 8730w since I am coming from a nx9420. None the less, I am more than please with the graphics and display. My order listed the video card (FireGLv5700) as being only 256mb of memory. Not the case, it has 512. I have search and it does not look to be shared either. Running Illustrator and Photoshop is a breeze for this unit. I have a 20" L2045w on the DVI port and running both at the same time provides plenty of desktop space.

Hp did the right thing this time, they left out all the useless apps and leave it up to you to load. Bravo. They have included OS cd's for both XP Pro and Vista Bus if that is how you order it. Drivers and app's dvd is also included.

One complaint I have is the portable power brick. It is the huge 120watt you find with the docks. This adds plenty of weight to lug around And speaking of the docks, they changed these also to match the aluminum finish.

The nifty little pop out keyboard light could be a tad brighter, but I am happy it's even there. The camera, well it is a web cam, can't expect much, but like the keyboard light, it is there if you need it.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this unit, which has curbed my appetite for a MAC.....for now, and will be buying these for our developers as the need arises.

 

Which notebook did you get? Did you get the 8530w? For some reason, I did not see the ATI FireGL graphics card as an option. The only option was the nVidia Quadro FX770.

How is the screen quality? You said it was bright and crisp. Out of curiousity, if you saw Sony's Hi-color screens before, how does this notebook's screen quality compare?

Thanks.

I'm glad to hear that you're happy with your notebook. Makes me want to get one myself.

 

and what about fan noise?

 

You might want to hold off on customizing the laptop!
In my chat with a sales rep online, the sales rep said they intend to put it up tomorrow, not today or yesterday.
(Removing sales rep's name, because I don't know how people feel about posting the names.)

Code:

HP Rep: Good afternoon!  My name is Jay, chatting from beautiful Colorado, and please give me a moment to review the chat so far.
HP Rep: How may I assist you on the 8530w today?
Guest: Well, the first thing I noticed:although the configurator is up, you can't get to it directly from the "Performance Laptops" page.
HP Rep: I see, and that is brand new today........not sure they meant for that to come out just yet, as it was slated for tomorrow.........
HP Rep: I'm checking on that as well.
Guest: Hmm, are prices likely to change between today and tomorrow? I'm wondering if perhaps I should hold off on ordering until the official link appears.
HP Rep: I would.........those could be with errors for sure.  I just got confirmation that was premature on that there too.
HP Rep: I'd highly recommend coming back in tomorrow for that configurable option.
Guest: In addition, the configurator itself has a few oddities: adding a camera to the screen adds $35 to the price... and then requires selecting to add a camera below, which adds another $35.
HP Rep: That is odd.......I'm going to shoot that to the site team now.
Guest: You'd think they'd either choose to have one format (dropdown with "display" and "display with camera"), or the other (dropdown for screen resolution, and then checkbox for camera.
HP Rep: Exactly.......and that needs fixed asap.
Guest: I'll intend to get it with Bluetooth, but that also points out another oddity:
HP Rep: I'd hate for you to get overcharged on that........no reason for being charged twice there.
HP Rep: What was that?
Guest: No Item Selected [Subtract$29.00] No Wireless Bluetooth device [Subtract ($28.00)] HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Guest: "No item selected" and "no wireless bluetooth device" -- odd.
HP Rep: That is odd.....like there was two options to add that.  I'm not even able to configure on that now.  May have actually pulled the configurable option there already.
Guest: I remember getting to it somehow through one of the links on the top-left.
HP Rep: I see it now too.........should be listed on the landing page of the 8530w though.
HP Rep: Pretty sure that link was not ready to go public at all.
Guest: Aah, small and medium business store -> laptops -> performance -> 8530w
Guest: It goes through a "different" version of the site. It's like there are two versions of the site in parallel.
HP Rep: Yup that's how I got it up just now too..........I'm betting if that was ordered now the order would fall through too.  
HP Rep: Again, I'd recommend coming back tomorrow, and I'm letting the third tier and pm team as well as site team aware of this right now too.

 

uhhh battery wiggle bothers me. Is it very noticeable?

Also can you comment on the trackpad buttons? The pre-production unit on the review had some problems with the clicking.

 

Where are all the owners? I need to make a decision soon and I'd really like to know more from 8530w owners.

 

HP should really offer an option for a Dream Color display on the 8530p/w.
This website really convinced me that the Dream Color display is by far superior in quality.
http://www.notebooks.com/2008/08/12/hp-elitebook-8730w-dreamcolor-goes-mobile-video/
Too bad the Dream Color display is only available for the 8730w...

 

Elite Cataphract --- I have the 8530W (KS055UT#ABA) which is the workstation. It does indeed have the FireGL5700. I have not seen the Sony's, but am very happy with this display.

bassai--- I have noticed zero fan noise and I have stressed the dawg out of this thing. It definitely runs cooler than my 9420 and the 8510p's we have.

blindpan--- battery wiggle is a concern for me as well. This is an area I will be keeping an eye on. As for the touch pad, I use an external mouse but it seems very precise and has not given me any issues in tracking or clicking. By far the best keyboard I have used on a mobile unit.

One thing of note, the rubber feet on the bottom of the unit suck. Expect them to disappear quickly. We have lost all of them on the smaller 6930p unit in less than 3 weeks. I am pulling mine and super gluing them in and hope they don't disappear.

 

thank you bone_scar!

so the 8530w seems to be quiet even under stress and the preproduction unit of the review was just not as good as the real one?

 

I haven't ran any type of software to subject it to abnormal stress, but I have ran CS3 Photoshop, Illustrator, Outlook, Navision, and slew of other small apps and not heard the fan spin up above idle. But when I fire up Crysis along with all of this it will start to whir but nothing that bothers me.

Update on the rubber feet thingies. HP sent this email "The rubber feet for you notebook PC are in back order, hence we are sending a plastic kit of a different model which has four rubber feet that can be used with your unit. " Can't imagine why they are on back order.

 

I have two question regarding the 8530:

- What are the weird looking holes on both sides of the touchpad?

- Aren't there any WXGA models? WXGA option appears in specs, so why are there no WXGA models?

 

1. Those are the screen latch holes. If you look at the top bezel on the LCD (where the Webcam and Night Light are located), you'll see 2 posts, which mate with the latch holes on either side of the touchpad.

2. I have no idea... but unless your eyesight isn't very good, I wouldn't recommend WXGA on any 15.4" notebook.

 

I just upgraded my old 8510w to the 8530w. I'm extremely satisfied with the new model.

• The UXGA screen is MUCH better. Colors are crips and the screen is evenly lid. My 8510w screen looks ****ty compared to this one
• As expected, the build quality has improved as well. I really like how they made the touch screen buttons more effective. On the 8510w, when you turn off the wireless or sound it would disapear completely. On the 8530w the color turns red.
• The Battery charger on my 8530w is HUGE! I'm confused why they couldn't keep using the charger from the 8510w.
• Less Bloatware with the XP Version. The 8510w had around 60 tasks running when you booted up for the first time. The 8530w had 43 tasks running
• The fan noise is much quieter now

 

Just got my 8530P.

It's great!!

A couple things I have noticed.

The specs say the laptop comes with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 w/ 256mb of memory but it has 512mb which is great!

The fan is very quiet even when running very intensive applications.

The only dislike I have is the power adapter it is huge! But I can live with that.

All in all a wonderful notebook great job HP!

 

Hey Schj98

If you follow this link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=309753&page=5

you will notice that ppl have raised the issue of some whine present. As i am myself looking at the 8530p. I was wondering if you could address this issue and post some pics?

thanks
MadEngineer

 

I will try to post some pictures later.

I have not noticed any whine issues and my ears are very sensitive to those type sounds.

 

hhmm the whine started on using the laptop at max load....there are softwares available which puts extreme stress on CPU...maybe you can use them to gauge the whine level?

thanks
madengineer

 

My elitebook 6930p has the whining problem and they are now willing to upgrade it to a 8530p for around USD$80. If this one doesn't whine, I'm gonna go for this one!

 

WOW that's pretty nice of HP for them to provide an upgrade like that for only $80!

Yet another reason why I love HP...

 

This was partly due to an "Education Discount offer" they have running for university students like the one from Apple for macbooks.

But I chose the 6930p for portability, the power adapter is really heavy for the 8530p compared with the 6930p (120Watt vs 90Watt I believe). This one comes in at 6 and a half pounds! That's about an extra 2 pounds of weight. But its weird that the 15.4" Elitebook is actually thinner than the 14.1".

The upgraded display card (they are offering the ATI HD3650 for my case), HDMI, e-sata, multi-format card reader and 7200RPM HDD is a big plus though!

Decisions decisions!

 

Does everyone knows if the the 8530w will get the FX 1700M soon? If yes, when?

Cause the Dell M4400 has it already.

 

Even maxing out the CPU on my 8530P I have not noticed any whine issues.

I love this notebook!

 

When are we expecting a full review on 8530p?

 

Glad to know that I will have an alternative choice if the next 6930p they send me still whines like a baby!

 

I was thinking of using the configure button to add vista ultimate.....since it will be cheaper now $50 vs using the "upgrade anytime" once i get the laptop. ( I am aware of countless discussions that are on on is it worth to get ultimate or not etc....just that i would like to use the ultimate version)

Since i plan to purchase another 2GB module from newegg.com, i was wondering does the OS that comes installed with the laptop 32 bit or 64 bit...

If 32 bit, it seems i will have to do a clean install or is there a way to make it 64 bit? Will i need to upgrade or purchase another key for it?

 

Vista product keys are good for both (32-bit or 64-bit). You may have to call in to the automated activation line to re-activate the product on the 64-bit installation, if the included OS is 32-bit. It should be quick and painless though. For a while, there were links from Microsoft open to the public for the 64-bit ISO for owners of the operating system. Search Google, "Windows Vista Alternate Media", and the solution becomes apparent.

 

I think the sticky for "Clean Vista Install" at the top of this forum explains a way of reinstalling the OS without having to activate. There have been reports of successly backing up the corp license key from Vista 32, and then reinstalling Vista 64 by recovering the key so that activation is not needed.

 

I will check this on that thread....

 

Any opinions on the WSXGA+ screens yet; brand, quality, comparison with the WUXGA?

 

anyone received 8530p willing to take plenty snapshots and review?

 

Could you measure or show a photo of the AC adapter near the laptop, the 8530w? Its one of the things that bothers me since I have to travel a number of times each year. A giant AC adapter might make the difference in my choice.

Anybody have the 90w adapter, or pics or specs?

 

Here are the pictrures of the 8530w 120W adapter and the 6930p 90W adapter.

 

I have the WUXGA screen and compared to the WXGA+ screen of the 6930p, it has way better viewing angles, but it's less bright. The WXUGA screen of the 8530W also has better contrast, but seems to have banding issues similar to those found on the Dell 2007WFP S-IPS monitor.

EDIT:
on further inspection, the 8530W uses an LG panel and I suspect its a S-PVA monitor due to the greenish tinge when displaying the color black.
The 6930p uses an AUO TN panel which isn't very good for entertainment viewing.

 

Thanks! This might seem a bit picky, but what is the length of of the 8530w adapater there? Also, do I understand correctly that you can use the 90w adapter for travelling with the 8530w or am I wrong? If so, what are the drawbacks, just charging time?

 

About 16.5 cm. It seems that the 90W adapter does work and charge the 8530W. I would presume that the charge time will not be the same since the 8530W uses a 8 Cell 14.4V 73Wh battery as opposed to the 6930p's 6 cell 10.8V 55Wh battery.

 

Thanks, and I got some info back from HP, this might be interesting for others looking at this option:

"The choice of a 90-watt, versus a 130-watt adaptor is not going to hurt your notebook. The advantage of a higher watt adaptor is that it can more easily convert energy to a form that is usable to your notebook. The lower watt the adaptor, the hotter it will get. Therefore, a higher watt adaptor will tend to last longer. Using a compatible 90-watt adaptor for travel is perfectly fine."

 

Sound like the 90W adapter has more energy lost to heat, therefore decreasing efficiency. Probably not a good idea to use it at home.

 

How long is the battery life on the 8530 in real world usage?