*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

I had a Precision M4400 and a lot of Thinkpads in the past. The Thinkpads have a great shell. That black plastik shows no fingerprints. That is a advantage over the metall parts of the Elitebook or the Precision.
The W510 is a bit lighter than the 8540w but feels also a bit weaker/cheaper. The built quality of the 8540w feels like the real old Thinkpad. What I didn't like in the past with Thinkpad were the scratches you get on the rubber finish of the display cover. The Elitebook can even resist steel-wool. The cooling design of the M4400 was very weak, but they improved it with the M4500. Both M4500 and W510 have larger vents than the 8540w. On the other hand I didn't think the 8540w is more noisy than the W510. Somethink very annoying about the Precision and the Thinkpad are their speaker areas. Those tiny hole are always filled with dust and dirt. So I rather have a num pad than those dirt-catchers.

And you get the 8540w with a Quadro FX 1800m with GDDR5 memory or a ATI FirePro 5800 instead of only the FX 880 or the FX 1800m with GDDR3 in the Precision. When you're used to type on a thinkpad, you need to get used to the Elitebook feeling. I have to admit that I liked the thinkpad keyboard and trackpad more. But after typing some days on the Elitebook I'm very satisfied with it's keyboard and even trackpoint! I'd go so far and say, that the input devices are on par.

1) So far I only know 2 issues:
Fan is running almost maxed out after waking the 8540w out of sleep.
--> No fix so long
Multitouch is deactivated after updating the Synaptics driver to 15.0.10.0
--> deinstalling the driver and downgrade to 14.0.x.0 or updating to 15.0.13.0 fixes the isse

2) The ATI option is only available for a few days now. I think we have to wait a few week before anyone gets a ATI powered Elitebook.

3) The FHD is inferior to those high color gamut displays. But you can't put them all on the same level. The Dell M6500/XPS 16 use RGB-LED backlight, the Lenovo and Apple only WLED. RGB-LED has better colors but worse contrast (i had the a M6400 with the RGB-LED). The MacBook Pro screen is the brightest of all (had a mid 2009 MBP 15") and has a great contrast. I didn't see the Lenovo FHD yet, but don't think it will be better than Apples display.
In this thread you find measures about the HD+ screen that shows around 80% color gamut (which is on par with the MacBook Pro) and that the FHD is in the same range.
Anyway Dell, Lenovo and HP probably use the same panels, e.g. the Probook that was tested on notebookcheck.com has the same panel as my Thinkpad!

I never had a Elitebook and I feel HP was the best choice out of this years Thinkpads, Precisions and Elitebooks. On the other hand I got a very good price for a i7-720qm, FX 1800m equipped Elitebook. I wouldn't spend all that money for a similar equipped Precision. The Thinkpad on the other hand doesn't feel like the old Thinkpads. The last great Thinkpad I had was the X300.

 

Thanks a lot Intoxicate. Great info there. Funny enough, whilst trawling for 8540w reviews I found yours on a German website. The web translate was a joke. If you're willing I'm sure prospective buyers would be interested in an English translation.

Thanks

 

@intoxicate: thanks for the clarification, you got me there (was not 100% sure).
@techanimal: I can fully subscribe to the remarks of intoxicate, I have no real issues which make me regret the buying decision. Just Keyboard+Trackpad location, which is really a matter of getting used to it. Go ahead, buy the 8540w..!!!

 

There you go: HP Elitebook 8540w Review

In addition the more professional 8540p review here also helps to get a overview of the 8540w (both have the same case etc., just different color): HP Elitebook 8540p

 

I received my 8540w direct from China after ordering online in the USA.

It has this strange feature that after I shut it down using SHUTDOWN under the start menu it does as expected. Then 5 minutes later it restarts all by itself.
Woke this morning to find the machine had been on in it´s travel case until the battery was drained without ventilation. (2 hrs +) The outside of the bag was hot! Is this a windows 7 64bit way of testing hardware? Anyone else experienced this?

windows 7 restarts instead of shutdown - Google Search

BTW Machine goes blank with default Crysis settings after 4 minutes.

 

On my 8540w the RIGHT Loudspeaker sounds totally different than the left speaker. Left is good, loud and direct. The right side is much softer and "Indirect" like it was mounted pointing backwards... I switched off ALL sound effects+enhancements, and shifted the BALANCE slider in the IDT Audio Panel to both sides to verify this effect.
Can someone confirm this, or is it just my device? thanks!

 

Is this fan problem serious?
Does it happen every time the computer wakes up?
Is it a problem for everyone, or just a few of you?
And is HP doing anything to fix it?

I'm considering this HP or the Dell M4500. I'm leaning heavily toward the HP at the moment, but the fan problem has me a bit concerned.

 

sorry, double posting.

 

It's a bios bug. It happens to any 8540x not just a few. In a german forum someone got a new 8540p which already has Bios version f 1.07, he said the bug has been fixed in that version. I hope HP release the update soon, at the moment only f 1.06 is online.

 

That could be good news for me, because I'm planning on ordering in a couple weeks or so and I could get one with the new BIOS version. Thanks for the info.

 

Let me elaborate on the fan/standby issue.
Just for starters I bought a pre-configured model. It seems that pre-configured models have less issues than CTO (cutomized) models do. Here are my model specs:
620m i7, 320GB 7200RPM, 4GB DDR3, 880M...etc (aka the FN095UT)
I also added an intel x25-m ssd 80GB by removing cd/dvd drive and installing it in a caddy.


The standby issue only happens when going out of standby on ac power...or going out of standby on battery then later plugging in the computer (without shutting it off). This isn't a really big issue since you can disable the computer from going into standby mode when not using the computer. (aka it will only go into standby when shutting lid/pressing the standby button). so if you leave your computer on it will not have the standby issue. What you can do is make your computer hibernate after a certain amount of time (hibernation does not cause fan issue).
This is a really small bug. As mentioned earlier standby is a finicky thing. It has issues with multiple laptops.

Now for the trackpad-only complains is the buttons are hinged (it really isn't that bad trust me its like finding out that your banana is not perfectly yellow-when unwrapping it it is still fine, and tastes great lol). It is also a bit small, but when considering you have a 16:9 screen and the trackpad is also 16:9 (get the picture) it isn't small at all and will work perfectly.

Keyboard-it is fine, like I said comparable to a thinkpad. If thinkpad keyboards are number 1, the Elitebook is either tied or number 2. Also you have a numberpad.

Finally the big one- It is not lenovo. This means no horrid driver issue stories. I have dealt with a t61 and let me tell you that thing had more driver/firmware issues than anything else I have dealt with in my life. The HP will have stable working drivers/firmware. As I have mentioned the pre-configured hp's do not have any issues (not including the fan-standby issue). It is one of the first laptops I have bought where the build quality, hardware, and stability are all top notch. Also customer support/warrenty for business notebooks at hp is amazing (no joke).
If you want to see what I am talking about just call them up @ 800 334 5144 and then say at the prompt business notebook. It is a 24/7 support and when I mentioned the standby-fan issue they responded that they would report it and the next-day (no remote diagnostics...etc) they would come out and replace my fan and see if that works. I said no, since I knew that the fan wasn't the issue, but the support they give is knowledgeable and they speak English!!!! not an Indian/English mixture of hogwash.

Also don't forget the price. If getting pre-configured the price is dirt cheap. At resellers you can find the same model as mine for 1400-1500 for what HP has with free shipping and no tax . just look at this link: http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Hewlet...66-GHz-Intel-Core-i7-i7-620M-Rugge-FN095UTABA and they have it for 1477 with free shipping @ California computer centre and with this model you can add the $99 accidental warranty hp offers on top of the 3 year on-site warranty that comes standard with the 8540w.

 

Thanks for the input semicolin. I'm just about sold on the HP, but I may wait a little while longer to see if the fan issue gets fixed. I put my computer to sleep a lot and don't use hibernate. A fast computer shuts down faster than it can save your information and hibernate so what's the point?

 

Especially with more then 4GB ram. Even with a SSD it takes some time to save 8GB Ram.

 

The point is not having to reopen all the programs and reload all those browser pages. Those take longer than it takes the computer to save and shut down

 

Oh, on another note, I noticed a 400usd price drop last night. If I wasn't waiting for the DC2 display i'd have pulled the trigger.

 

Please, can someone tell me about their RIGHT loudspeaker sound quality? I am not sure if its a design problem or a malfunction, so I would be glad to have this confirmed before I return the unit. My LEFT speaker sounds considerably louder and clearer than my right speaker. Thank you!

 

Has anyone grabbed an 8540w with aftermarket memory, and if so, from where and what type? I started looking at the possibility of buying from HP the machine w/4GB, and then grabbing another 8GB from Newegg...any information here'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

I've noticed this too, the left speaker indeed does sound a bit louder than the right, but until now, I wasn't entirely sure about this (I don't really use the built-in speakers). Weird... I wouldn't be surprised that the buggy IDT audio chip/driver is responsible for this. HP, why not Realtek?

Regarding BIOS updates: today I've received a notification from HP that a new BIOS update is available, version F.09, but I couldn't find it. Here are the details: HP EliteBook 8540p Notebook PC and HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation System BIOS Update F.09 - c02130797 - HP Business Support Center

 

Thanks for the feedback, so it seems this is a design problem. I would not blame it on the audio chip, as the headphone output is nice and stable and even on both sides. I am still unsure if I should bring back the laptop to check the RIGHT loudspeaker, but maybe there are more owners out there who could give feedback on the balance of the sound? thanks!

 

Yes, the headphone output is great, but the audio chip applies some filter to the built-in speaker output, which maybe is buggy.

 

Seems F1.09 seems to be released end of june. I have Bios F1.07, first tests shows the fan-bug is fixed:

Bios F1.07 download

 

End of May? How do you know? Anyway, thanks for the BIOS link, but I'd rather wait for the official release.

 

Somebody mentioned how the 15.0.13.0 synaptic's driver enables multi-touch. Well while yes it does, and quite nicely I might add, it does have its issues

the 15.0.10.0 Driver (or w/e is on the HP Driver website) will enable the middle mouse button to be a middle mouse button. Also, it will allow the nipple/track-point to be able to be press the nipple inwards to be used as a normal mouse button.

So you have to decide, multi-touch or to use the middle mouse button as a middle mouse button, and full nipple functionality. I'm sure HP will mass update their drivers soon enough.

 

That's what the link "a_afra" posted said. I tried to install the F1.07 but didn't succeed. It's only the bios image but no installer, I tried to implement that image into the F1.06 installer, but it didn't work..

The 15.0.13.0 offers nipple-click, unfortunately it only supports scrolling with trackpoint while holding the middle button if you select this option on both the trackpoint and the trackpad. It should work independently. I'd like to put the scroll funktion on the left button and left/rigth click to the middle/right button. So I can use my left thumb to activate the scroll funktion and the right thumb to click. That feels better to me, 'cause the Elitebooks buttons are all in a row instead of being shifted like on the Thinkpads.

... so HP has two things to fix. Standby-Fan-Issue and Trackpoint/-pad middle click.

 

That link is a bit confusing, at the top of the page it says "Release Date: 2010-04-28" but at the bottom it says "Date of Change: 2010-06-30". So is it not coming out until end of June?

 

Well, my new 8540w with the new Firepro M5800 is scheduled to ship on the 11th according to the HP shipping lady I talked to today. Hopefully it won't be delayed.

Joe

 

i get my japanese 8540w today! the suspense is killing me. i wonder if i'll have the fan issue on mine too...most likely i will. whatever the case, i'm glad to see HP is issuing a BIOS fix for it. it had to be done sometime.
now the new speaker issue is of some concern. hopefully it is just a driver issue rather than hardware. i'll be contributing my input later on.

 

Yeah, turns out that a 2nd restart fixed the whole trackpoint clicking issue. Go figure lol. My Bad.

 

Nice one rocky. I'm sure you know we're all waiting and praying

 

Great news, please post some benchmark of the FirePro when you get your 8540w. I'm even more curious for the M5800 benchmark than I was for the FX 1800m benchmarks ('cause the FX 880 was a approximation, but for the M5800 noone really knows what it's going to be).

 

I agree. If we could get full specs on the firepro including benchmarks that would be awesome. I'm also interested in whether it passes audio through displayport like the Nvidias

 

My 8540w came with 2x 2GB Samsung DDR3 1333MHz. I added 2x 2GB OCZ DDR3 1333MHz, works flawless.

 

finally got mine! man this is a nice laptop. i thought my fujitsu T5010 was built well but this one is no joke, it makes the fujitsu feel like a toy. the standby fan issue is there, but honestly i thought it was going to be louder. if that's really 100% then i have nothing to complain about. i don't think it'd bother me even if it was 100% all the time. i was worried about the screen brightness , but i don't have anything to complain about there either.
there's really not much to say since it's all been said before. i think i am going to like this laptop a lot.

edit:
the speaker issue is there as well. it almost sounds like it's directed towards the middle of the main keyboard not including the numpad, if that makes any sense. in other words, instead of aligning the center of the sound field to the center of the computer, it's in the center of the main keyboard...to my ears anyway.

 

Congratulations bait. glad your first impressions are positive. Could you tell me what specifications your machine arrived with?

 

thanks! i couldn't customize so i had to settle for one of 4 configurations that was offered, 2 of which are available at the moment, so i took the cheaper config due to price constraints. mine came with the i5-540m, fx880m, 2gb ram, 250gb hdd, and HD+ screen. i plan on adding more ram and an SSD in the near future. apparently it has 3 years international warranty too, something that i don't think the american version doesn't have...or at least i couldn't find any info on it.

 

The fan can get louder. I think it's only the 2nd step of 4:

1. step = off
2. step = almost idle (office, webbrowsing)
3. step = load (HD Flash Videos etc., 3rd step high load (cpu + gpu working),
4. step ultra high load (cpu + gpu full load, happened to my 8540w only when I tested its highest temps))

To me the noise is comparable
1.
2. like a 7200rpm harddisk
3. like typing on the keyboard
4. like a dvd-drive

 

ohh ok. that makes sense. i knew it was too quiet to be 100% haha (but hoped it was!).

 

I just realized the WD Scorpio Black in my 8540p runs quite warm (42° Celcius), is this still a healthy temperature? What HDD temperatures do you have?

 

i haven't measured my HDD temps in the 8540w, but 42C is nothing from my previous experiences. i think the caution temp for most hard drives is around 55-60C.

 

I have a Seagate 7200.4 in the Ultrabay, temps are between 38°C (100°F) and 40°C (104°F), but I use it just as storage.

 

Thanks. Actually I think Elitebook runs quite cool. The i7 cores are currently (light browsing) at 44-48° and the GPU is at 47°. But even with a lot of load I didn't manage to get the CPU much higher than 60°, and even when gaming (tested Crysis yesterday, runs perfectly fine on all settings high!) the GPU temp stayed at very moderate levels.

 

Your temps seem a bit to low. Which i7 and which grafics do you have?
My temp from that morning till now (i7-720QM):



Usage:
Webbrowsing, Gaming (Far Cry, GTA 4, Diirt 2) and right now decoding Audio from CD by iTunes

 

I have the 8540 p with

i7-620M and Nvidia NVS5100

Here are my temps:




(HWMonitor shows the i7 620M as i5)

 

I'll be sure to post benchmarks on the Firepro when the machine arrives. It's an I7-620m w/4g ram and FHD screen - Win7 Pro 64. Any particular benchmark everyone would like to see?

 

3DMark06 (1280x1024 or 1280x800)
Cinebench R10 and R11

Ok, 20W TDP less to cool, that makes sense. Unfortunately we don't get a i7-920XM to test in the Elitebook.

BTW the Quadro FX in the Precision M4500 with GDDR3 scores almost the same as the Elitebooks FX1800 with GDDR5, a bit disapointing.

 

ARGH!!! OK, apparently, HP doesn't want to sell machines via the phone...every time I call the SMB number I get shunted to tech support...

Does anyone out here have a line to SMB sales? I've been using this: 1-800-888-9909

This is f'n nuts...

Sorry for the rant...

- M

 

i7-620M has 35W TDP, your i7-720QM has 45W TDP = 10 TDP difference.

Frankly, I'm quite surprised looking at the difference in maximum wattage reached by archre's processor (25W, much less than 620M TDP) and yours (55W, much more than 720QM TDP).
Can we be confident than your tests are comparable?

 

Don't be surprised, his temps are @idle. If he runs some games for 10 min the max temps will be in 70-80C and the TDP will be 40W+

 

... in addition my FX 1800m has 45W TDP and his NVS 5100 has 35W TDP that leads all together to 20W higher TDP. Both headpipes are cooled by the same fan, that's why I wrote 20W less to cool

No we can't. He just took a screenshot after he opened the programm. As I posted above I recorded the temps the hole day during a lot a different situations. As you can see on my screenshot, the i7 had a minimum power consumption of 15W. 35W is just the thermal designed power which you can understand as an average consumption. During short loads the CPU can consume more than TDP.

 

Have you checked the balance of your speakers in the control panel? I just checked mine and they were off balance. I don't ever remember messing with the settings but I might have. I think it's worth taking a look at. However, I don't have any sound quality issues.