*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

Thanks Jaxx1 and Intoxicate. I figured as much. When it comes time to order I'll decide if its worth the trouble to save 200 dollars.

Anyone got feedback on the Audio from displayport/HDMI from the ATI card? Also, is the GOBI card unlocked for use worldwide like in Europe, etc?

Thanks

 

Yes and no, you can use the card worldwide but only in a HP notebook.

 

Thats what I meant. I'm hoping its unlocked so I can use any sim card with it when i'm using the 8540 whilst commuting or travelling.

 

Re: Keyboard
I prefer the 8530w keyboard to the 8540w, but my complaints aren't huge. The buttons for use with the pointstick are skinnier and higher compared to the 8540w and now reach the same height as the spacebar so my thumbs have to "reach over" the pointstick buttons in order to reach the spacebar. The feeling took a bit of getting used to, but it's not that bad. Also the "p" key feels like it has a longer travel than the other keys.

Re: HDMI audio out

No luck. I unsuccessfully tried the instructions HP recommends here for "HDMI icon always displays Not Plugged in", which describes my problem exactly:

HP EliteBook 8540p Notebook PC- HP Notebook PCs - High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) Icon Disappears from the Sound Properties in the Control Panel - c01518282 - HP Business Support Center

I just ordered a different model of DisplayPort to HDMI converter that others had reported success with on other HP models to see if that helps. If it doesn't, I will contact support and it will likely be either a driver problem, or this will turn out to be the same fiasco as with the Lenovo W500:

Displayport to HDMI with audio - lenovo community

 

I really hope its a cable problem or can simply be fixed by drivers otherwise its going to cost me 400 dollars (getting the QFX 1800m instead).

 

I had this problem too after I switched to the 197.43 driver. I realized that my TV is recognized as a DVI set! After I reinstalled 189.33 the TV is recognized as HDMI device (189.33 has more setting under video in the NVidia control panel). DP audio works flawless with all drivers (tried it with my Dell U2410), HDMI-audio just works under 189.33.

Displayport has to recognize the right mode (HDMI/DVI) so support audio over HDMI, which doesn't work with all drivers, so perhaps it's a similar issue with the FirePro driver.

There are some cheaper "audio out (3,5mm) + DP" 2 "HDMI" active adapters. I used one for my MacBook Pro (the Mid 09 Edition didn't support audio over DP 2 HDMI), worked fine.

 

I can confirm that in my case Windows thinks it is connecting to a DVI device because the first time I plugin in the TV after a reboot I get a dialog that says it is detecting a DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter even though I'm not actually using one... I'm using a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. I'm guessing Windows could also give this error if there were pins inside the laptop (or maybe in my adapter) that were not connected up to the right hardware, so the jury is still out on if it's hardware or software, though. There are no alternative HP-supported drivers for me to try and I don't know exactly which, if any, ATI reference drivers would actually work on the M5800.

 

I finally got around to testing my machine with the M5800 with HDMI to my Sony 55" and I can confirm that it works perfectly - both video and audio over HDMI. I'm using the drivers that came with the machine - no upgrades (that I'm aware of).

Joe

 

Good to hear rocky! Can you please link to the DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor you are using? Hopefully that's the culprit in my case.

 

Sure, got it from Amazon for 6.88 plus shipping. Here you go...

Amazon.com: This Displayport To HDmi Adapter Lets You Keep Your Existing Hdmi…

 

Yes! Now I just need some information on the DC2 displays and backlit keyboard. A proper high gamut display is the only thing keeping me from ordering. If I knew i could change it after the fact, i'd pull the trigger right now.

 

I'm currently working with my rep to figure out the backlit keyboard issue. I was pressing him for info on an firm release date and if I could upgrade the keyboard myself. Here is what he said.

--1. May 24th is the estimated initial offering for the backlit keyboard, but it’s only on the 8740w

--2. The backlit keyboard option will only be offered as a cto option, not an amo

I assume amo means aftermarket option or something similar. Anyway, I'm really on the fence about waiting for the backlit keyboard especially since it seems as though I could not upgrade it later later.

 

I had backlit keyboards on my last Dell Precisions and my MacBook Pro and just put it on to show off but I type without searching for letters on the keyboard, that's why a LED light is much more usefull for me (lighting up some papers...).

But what I wanted to write is, that the Dell guys told the same about their backlit keyboard, not upgradable, no aftermarket sale... 2 weeks after they were available, the same guy called me to offer a backlit keyboard.
If a backlit keyboard will be available for the 8540w, than you can upgrade, I'm absolutly shure. HP won't design a new motherboard just for a backlit keyboard. Look at the connector:



a bit large just for some keyboard signals. The powersource for the LED is already implementated.

BtW: Could anyone with a ATI FirePro remove their keyboard and take some pics? Would be very nice!

 

Hi all,
Thinking seriously about making the 8540w my next laptop.

Sorry if this has already been covered, but does the BIOS definitely support RAID-1, so long as the drives are the same size? Do the drives have to both be the 500GB HP ones, or could a user-installed pair work?

What kind of battery life are y'all getting out of a 2 HD config?

And most importantly, is the 8540 on display in any stores?

 

1) Yes, Bios supports IDE, AHCI and RAID. It depends on size not manufacturer.
2) A HDD consumes around 2-3w, 2 HDDs --> 4-6W, the battery has 68W so a second HDD will reduce batterylife around 5% -- 3h with 1 HDD --> 2h 50min.
3) simply, but unsatisfying; No.

 

How frequently does HP, if ever, upgrade the graphics adapters on the Elitebook line? And if they do, are those upgrades usually available separately for us to upgrade our systems?

I ordered my 8540w with FX1800M before the M5800 were available. It just arrived last week but now I'm having buyers remorse after seeing the benchmarks for M5800. I don't care about CUDA or CAD, just want to play the occasional game in the hotel room when traveling. I'm within my 30 days, but the estimated ship date on a new one would be June 9th (which means I'd be another month without a new one). If I knew HP will probably have an updated ATI in 6 months - 1 year that I could upgrade to, it might sway my decision.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. But what if HP won't sell me the keyboard? Or what if doing the upgrade voids my warranty? I'm actually now considering the 8740w...I'm such a waffler.

 

Hi all,

Trying to swap QuadroFX 880M MXM module with ATI 4670 on my 8540w.
MXM is ver3.0 Type A, TDP is 35W for both modules.
Bought ATI 4670 module from ebay and swapped the module.

At first boot the screen had gone pretty weird (true black part turned into blinkng green),
so I opened the pc and re-attached MXM module.

At second boot nothing showed up on the screen (even the hp logo at startup).
At third boot hp logo showed up (screen was quite normal)
but in about 10 seconds the power went down

From that time on the power keeps going down in 10-20 seconds on every boot.
When I kept the pc off for a bit of time (like 1h+), it stays on for a bit longer.

What could be the cause...?

Might insufficient AC power cause this?
QuadroFX 1800M/ATI FirePro M5800 models comes with 120W AC adapter,
where my model comes with 90W AC adapter.
Ordered 120W AC adapter from parts center so I will check this later.

Or any insufficient heat radiation on CPU/GPU?

To swap the MXM module I needed to detach the heatsink,
which covers both MXM modules and CPU module.
I used a bit thick thermal gel sheets so CPU/GPU and heatsink should be facing tight...

 

1) Update comes with new series. A update in the same notebook is rather usally.
2) they show up on ebay or as spares from HP (more expensive)
3) If a new ATI card is available, a new NVidia card will also come available (think Fermi), which one will be cheaper or faster can't be said yet.
The difference between the ATI and the FX1800m is 5-7%, you probably will never notice that difference. If you can spare 400$ I'd reorder, if you just have to wait, I'd stick with the NVidia.

Keyboards are a user changeable part (see service manual), and even if not, just reassable the old keyboard in case of a defect. If HP won't sell you the backlit-keyboard you'll get it from ebay (search for Precision backlit keyboard on ebay, all languages 50% cheaper than from Dell)

1) no
2) no

The 8540w Bios just supports the FX 880m, FX 1800m and the FirePro M5800, you just can change to those models or you find a hacked Bios with support for other graficcards. When you start your Elitebook it checks the hardware, after it detects the non enabled graficcard it shuts of.

 

News on the HDMI audio front...

DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter model 2 arrived today. At first I couldn't get video or audio to appear on the TV, though the TV did show as a TV instead of a flat panel in Catalyst Control Center, so things looked promising. Eventually, after fiddling with every option I could find, it started to work perfectly with both video and audio coming through the TV on HDMI. However, I came back later and had the same no-video-or-audio problem and I haven't been able to fix it again.

At any rate, that does make for a confirmation that HDMI audio *does* work with the M5800. The DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter recommended by RockyJones48 will arrive next week some time, and hopefully that one will work all of the time.

 

From the discussion in this thread, the M5800 sounds like a pretty appealing option.

Anyone know if there are plans to offer a (US) preconfigured model with the ATI card?

 

FYI: My sales rep informed me that there is not a backlit keyboard coming for the 8540w. I trust the forum members more than I trust a rep, but I am assuming the back-lighting is at minimum a few months away. At this point I'm going to move forward with the 8740w though I was disappointed to discover the warranty is not on-site like the 8540w.

Also, I had my rep looking into the power brick required for the M5800. I pointed out that the power requirements for the M5800 were less than even the FX880M, let alone the FX1800M. He passed it along to the product specialists and here is what he came up with after a few days of waiting:

I spoke with a specialist and they do not have a complete answer for the power adapter, just that is the way it is. When the box sets where entered that was the required power adapter they choose. Sorry but that's the best I can do as they simply do not know.

Anyway, for now I'm switching over to the 8740w. Turns out it is lighter than my current 15.4" laptop, thought 200W power brick might even things out.

 

Errm why didnt you just order the 8540w with the m5800 or return it or at least try to 1st? Alot of people seems to have returned theres after like a month
not only have you wasted 200 dollars more having the 880m you spent maybe another 200 dollars getting the 4670 meaning you could just got the 1800m if it was just a choice of the two of them at the time.

 

Intoxicate, thanks for your answers! Too bad about 3

Anyone here installed two custom HDs (and bought a spare hard drive caddy) themselves, and enabled RAID 1? How has that worked?

Would I be able to do that using this and two of these?

Anyone found a cheaper/different option for the 2nd hard drive caddy?

 

Wow I finally figured out how to get pinch zoom and gestures to work.

I always thought that it was disabled because they weren't compatible.

 

1) Yes it would be possible. I used 2 500GB HDDs in my Precision M6400 but switched to a SSD + HDD. A good SSD blows any Raid setup away and in a mobile system a raid setup with two mechanical discs is very fault-prone. Any failure of 1 disk will lead to a complete data loss. I highly recommend a SSD, it's the best investment I made in years. None of the updates I bought (dual-core, quad-core, 4GB ram, 8GB ram) improved all day computing more than the SSD. Word, Excel opens directly, Photoshop in 3 sec. (15-20sec. with a hdd).

2) You can use a cheaper Thinkpad-type-adapter from Ebay. But I wouldn't spare the 20$, the neweggmode adapter are exactly like the HP original adapters. You get a front cover that exactly fits to the Elitebook. The hdd is fixed with 4 screws and doesn't move, the thinkpad adapter are a bit flimsy.

 

I think you meant newmodeus right?
2nd Hard Drive Caddy for HP Upgrade Bay - SATA (compare AK868AA) [HP-2BAY-8730] - $42.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

 

You're referring to RAID 0, right? RAID 1 should not be very faultprone due to mirroring?

Damn thanks a bunch for the hint, I'm definitely going to have to look at the SSD. Seems like there are performance advantages, the greater reliability of SSD obviates the need for RAID at all, and HP appears to be marking up the SSD less than they are marking up the 500 GB harddrives? I don't see a 256 GB SSD on Google for less than ~$600.

 

New question; Is there a pre-boot non-windows environment (for internet, media, email checking) preinstalled on the 8540w?

If there is, does HP still put this utility on your machine if you get it with FreeDOS?

Also if you get FreeDOS, does HP include a disc with drivers/windows utilities, or is it easy to pull that off of the internet?

Thanks again all!

 

Hello !

Since yesterday, i'm a happy 8540w owner (at last !)

I have a concern about the OS :
During initial boot, the system first asked me to choose between XP in french or in english (I live in France, and was forced to order a custom config, as the FHD screen is not available in France except in custom configs)

So I chosed French, then the setup process went on, it lasted about 30 minutes, and i could finally log on using administrator account.

So all is fine (for now, at least ...), but I was rather surprised, because i expected Windows 7, instead of XP !!

Let me tell you that there were a bunch of DVD in the box, including windows 7 32 or 64 bits restore DVD's, and Drivers and Applications DVD's, again for both XP and 7

Considering that i don't especially want to use Windows 7 for the moment (i'm not opposed to though ...), my questions are :

• which method should i observe if i want to install 7 over the current XP ?
• after just one try, it seems to me that the fan noise bug after sleep mode doesn't occur with XP : can anyone confirm this, or is it rather that i simply didn't notice the noise yesterday night ?
• do you know of any limitations that i would suffer from, if running my 8540w under XP instead of 7 (i mean, limitations due to incompatibility between hardware and XP, not limitations inherent to the differences between XP and 7)

thanks for your help
anthony

 

Yes, typo, I meant that adapter. I bought the 44$ adapter which additionaly supports 12,5mm hdds, the 42$ adapter support only 9,5mm.

I thought you wand a RAID 0 because of a better, faster performance. Securitywise RAID 1 is of course better than a single drive.
I use a 80GB SSD (Intel X25) for windows and programms and use a hdd for storage. At home I do a backup on a external hdd. That setup gives the best perfomance/money ratio and is pretty save.

Yes it's on a additional partition named "HP_Tools", it doesn't require Windows.

1) Backup your files and download the SoftPaq Installer from the HP site.
Format your hdd and do a clean install of Windows 7. Install the SoftPaq Installer. Run Windows Update and the SoftPaq Installer to update Windows and install all necessary drivers and programs (the SoftPaq tool will show you what you need and what is recommended).

2) You'll probably have Bios.07 which solved the fan-bug of hte 8540x (confirmed by 2 different people in german forums).

3) Incompatibility no, but XP is a very old system (almost 10years now) and wasn't built with todays hardware in mind (think of 4GB Ram, powerfull grafics, multicore CPU). I wouldn't use any new system without Win 7. It is faster and feels a lot faster than XP, more flexible, better suitable for multitasking (try to copy a large file with XP and do anything else) and last but not least it looks better. I don't have any program that isn't compatible with Win 7 and if so I could use the XP Mode.

Before you need to reinstall everything I'd directly install Win 7. XP will work, but you'll get that much more out of the Elitebook with Win 7. I'd even recommend to switch if you didn't get a Win 7 copy from HP

 

thx for your reply Intoxicate

- i suppose i should initiate the clean install by booting on the Win7x64 DVD which shipped with the laptop ?
- can you point me to a link where i could download this " SoftPaq" you're telling me about ? (i typed "download SoftPaq" in the search field at hp website, but couldn't really find something relevant ...) EDIT : i've found it, it's here : HP SoftPaq Download Manager

- i completely forgot to check that. I'll do that tonight ...

- i was pretty sure that i would get such a reply ;-) Well you must me right, and tonight i'll give it a try ...

- another last question : am i supposed to register my new 8540w somewhere online, in order to "activate" the warranty ?

thanks
anthony

 

I am about to order a 8540W with i7 820QM.
I was wondering if I put one bank of CL7 and one CL9 ram, will par of it be faster, or do I have to replace the included ram with CL7 ram to take advantage of the extra speed?

 

The registration can be done on the HP site, search for SmartReg. The registration is not necessary for warranty or service, 'cause the warrenty is related to the serial number not the owner of the Elitebook.

You won't notice any extra speed at all. As you don't notice a difference between the 1333 Mhz ram in the clarkdale systems vs. the 1066Mhz in the arandale systems. Just be shure to have matched rams in each bank.

 

thanks for reply

another question now, about the HP_tool partition :
it is true that no matter what i do to the disk partitions, as long as i don't touch to this HP_tools partition, using F10 at startup i will always be able to restore the machine to its factory settings ? is that correct ?

anthony

 

No the HP_Tools partition is not the recovery partition!
There should be 3 partitions
1. Windows XP
2. HP_Tools
3. System Recovery

On the other hands, you probably don't have a recovery partition at all, because you got all the DVDs, so you can recover from DVD anytime and use the space on disk. A recovery partition is useless and just used by manufactures to spare a few bucks for the DVDs.

 

well it may be true that i don't have a recovery partition, because :
- when typing ESC when instructed while booting, there's no F11 option, whereas the quickstart guide suggests to use this option to initiate system recovery
- there are only 2 partitions : HP_Tools and the system partition

see screenshots below

so i'm about to boot on Win7DVD, and "follow the instructions" ...
thanks for your explanations
anthony

 

Be shure to check that your HDD works in AHCI mode (Bios-Setting). That improves hdd performance in Win 7 and if you're maybe upgrade to a ssd, you'll have TRIM-support.

 

Thanks again Intoxicate; if you're an HP salesperson you're really earning quite the commission!

A question about the "CTO8540w" 24% coupon code: I notice when looking at the "review your order" page that the the fine print on the coupon says that it is only good "from May 1, 2010 to May 31, 2010 for Small and Medium Business customers only."

1) Based on past experience, is the May 31 deadline for real or is it just a bluff? Did they have this coupon good for April, and then create an identical one for May after the April one "expired?"

2) One does not to actually own/work for a business to get this deal, do they? Does a student who buys the notebook count as a "small and medium business customer?"

Thanks again all!

 

Well I'd wish I was a HP salesperson when I bought my 8540w but now I'm happy I'm not

Those coupons apear from time to time, but they're never as good as preconfigured offers. I wouldn't buy only because of an 24% coupon offer.

 

Yeah there is a premium for custom config, no doubt. However, I don't see any preconfigs anywhere with the SSD, which you have convinced me on

I don't see any with the ATI FirePro either, and I don't want to waste money on Windows becuase I already have a copy.

So unless I'm mistaken, there are no preconfigs with the options I want?

Another question: does every model of the 8540w come with the fingerprint reader standard? I don't see it as a customizable option.

 

has anybody else noticed that speaker quality is just awful?

 

reelectclaydavis.

There was a an identical coupon in April that expired on the 30th. I ordered that day, not knowing if it would be extended.

 

I have a preconfig (no custom configs available in Canada) of the 8540w, on order. Even these seem pretty popular as the units seems rather scarce even among wholesale suppliers. The good thing with preconfigs though are the prices are quite reasonable compared to what Dell wants for a identically configured M4500 (~ $1000 less ) but still not a cheap as a W510/T510.

 

I was shocked too when I fist heard them. I changed the IDT HD Audio settings from big speakers to small speakers, better but still nothing special. After all I deinstalled the HD Audio driver and use the windows one. Better than an iPhone worse than a media-notebook. Well the NVidia Sound is far better, fortunately!

 

In the US, once you factor in the cost of a comparable warranty on the W510, the prices are pretty close (although the W510 gives you i7-720QM with 4 ram slots while the HP has i7-620M with only 2 ram slots). Here you can also get the i7-620M pre-config with free advanced docking station, which makes it a great deal if the pre-config will meet your needs.

Also, HP has had their 24% CTO discount set to expire at the end of every month. It will be renewed for June. Note that in the US, you can do better with a sales rep.

 

Well, Lenovo Canada has their semi permanent discount combined and when combined with EPP pricing makes it quite attractive. For the about price I'm getting the 8540w (620m, 4GB, 320GB, FX880, HD+), I could get a W510 with a 820QM, 500GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, and the Gobi WWAN card. The only thing it'll be short of the HP is warranty. The only thing is that Lenovo has been letting the quality of Thinkpads slip for quite a while, plus I'm a big fan of metal notebook chassis.

 

sorry, doublepost

 

Bios F.08 is available via HP Softpaq-Installer.

"TITLE: HP Notebook System BIOS Update
VERSION: F.08 REV:
PURPOSE: Recommended
SoftPaq NUMBER: SP48637"

Fixed the standy-fan-problem on my 8540w!!

 

Does the headphone output work for you with the Windows driver? Mine doesn't.
I also noticed a cracking sound coming from the speaker when shutting down with the Windows driver.