*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

Hello, I have some problem with the boot order in the BIOS: Whatever boot order I adjust, the notebook always starts to boot from ethernet (which wastes 30 seconds of my life everytime the machine boots ). After making the changes, leaving the BIOS (saving the changes of course) and entering the BIOS again, the boot order is not preserved.

Any Ideas?

 

Sadly, I'm not having the same issue...

...so I don't know what might be causing it in your case.

I went with Crucial for the additional 8GB (annoyed that HP opted for Hynix for the first 8GB, oh well)

 

If the boot order is not preserve, looks like there could be major problem with some of the shipped 8540w BIOS or motherboard.

 

No, it's not the same. holmi's screenshot refers to 2 GB being used by Superfetch as cache and 14 GB being available to applications. All 16 GB are usable in some way.

 

Yea, that's true. But he also never shows his Task Manager or System Resource screenshot, only the System screenshot.

Hey what do you guys know about the power adapter for the 8540w. If I don't choose the DreamColor, will the 120watt be good enough? What's the advantage of the 150watt?

 

150W are necessary to fuel the GPU (1800M or M5800) and CPU (quad core) and charge the battery at the same time. See Apple as a bad example how throttling is necessary with an undersized power adapter.

 

Hello everyone

I just ordered one brand new 8540W with DC2 screen.

Has anyone seen demonstration of Dreamcolor2 in action ??

 

I have 4GB installed and shows "4,00GB (3,86 GB usable)"... (i7 [email protected])

 

Evidently, DC2 is exclusively for 8540W series.

-------------------------------------------------------
8540W CTO--->Dreamcolor "2"

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/MiddleFra...=3156&BaseId=32116&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=

 

so 32bit version of win7 variation installed in your notebook drive, is that correct ?

 

That's what appears with 64bit. 32bit address should shoe even less.

 

For that price, it better be an IPS screen. Please take pics and let us know how it is when you get it.

The 8740w is supposed to have a DC2 panel too, so it wouldn't be exclusive to the 8540w.

 

Now if the 8540w could just get a backlit keyboard...

 

Yup, i'm holding out for that as well. I'll give it a while to see if it turns up. If not, i'll just get the laptop and order the keyboard when/if it becomes available as an option

 

Should I hold out for Fermi Quadro? What do you guys think?

 

Thanks. Rep+.

 

Its not going to happen in my opinion. The 5870 is more power efficient and isn't an option yet. You'll have a long wait for the 460/480M based chips that apparently draw 100W!

 

I have read some of the user reviews in this thread. Seems like the cooler is pretty small if you take a look at the service manual. I'm guessing the heatsink is tall? I'm not sure how a quad + 5870 would work. Even an i7 dual core + M5800 needs the 120W P/S. Quad+Fermi+DC2 would need like a 250W lol.

I have an i7 dual with M5800 on order after considering W510, M4500 and various consumer laptops (Envy, G73, Clevo). I plan on using the machine for developing, surfing, gaming and seems like the elitebook is the best overall if you consider everything (antiglare screen, touchpad, trackpoint, keyboard, warranty). Reasonable performance, batt life, heat with reasonable quality (magnesium alloy). Price is a bit high though.

 

Not far off -- the 8740w with i7 quad and FirePro M7820 uses a 200W, although a 180W travel charger also works. (I think the same charger works with the FX 3800M).

 

But the more power efficient GF104 core will be supposedly announced in July.

 

Probably still going to be more power-hungry than the ATIs . . . they have a long way to go!

 

Considering it has yet to be released, I wouldn't be rash and say that it will be more power hungry than the ATI cards since yields are very good from product samples.

The HD 5870 is supposed to draw 75-80W using the same TDP calculation as nVidia. 100W isn't that bad, the last few nVidia workstation cards have all been 100W (FX 3700M and 3800M). Finally, ATI stepped up in the mobile workstation market though, before the last generation, ATI's only mobile workstation cards have been entry and mainstream level.

 

You've got to remember that this is still a notebook (and a corporate one a that). For most users mobility still matters. If you take a look at a number of the notebooks that use 5870 has horrendous battery run times (G73 is a great example). That's why most notebooks with top end GPUs are either gaming notebooks or workstation desktop replacements (17 inchers). The target audience of both those notebooks worry less about mobility than performance.

With 15 inch formats, mobility matters to a greater degree. There isn't much of a point of a corporate notebook if the best you can squeeze out is 1:30 of battery run time. So I doubt you'll see GPUs with that level of power consumption in this class of notebooks at least until switchable graphics is implemented.

 

I have 64bit windows.

 

I am experiencing this exact same issue. I just got the HP Elitebook 8540w configured with Windows 7 Enterprise (64bit). Each time I dock this machine and press the power button on the docking station, I either get a solid freeze at "Starting Windows" or I get a blue screen shortly after that. I am using the Advanced docking stattion (NZ223AA). I have tried everything (updating video drivers, ensuring BIOS is up to date, etc.) but can't get it to work).

Strange thing is that if I boot this machine with the lid open (even only partially), it boots just fine. I can operate as normal using all the peripherals connected to the docking station. I can even close the lid and shut the machine down and start it back up no problem. As soon as I undock it, and re-dock it I get the same behaviour. My next step is to contact HP but that sounds like an uphill battle. To me this sounds like a BIOS issue that HP needs to fix

Any additional thoughts?

 

Hey guys, can we cancel the order if it's in production phase? When is the last time to cancel an order? I see in this thread and in the 8740w owner's lounge thread that they cancel the order all the time.

 

So we have one user that shows a machine with the full 16 GB available, and a couple that don't (I'm in that group). Maybe we can narrow it down a lil?

I'm running the 8540w, i7-820, ATI with the 500GB/7200 rpm drive...

 

I just got my 8540w with a Core i7-620M and FirePro M5800 yesterday, and I noticed that the System control panel is only showing 3.86 GB of memory usable out of the full 4.00 GB installed. I am running the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, so it's not the 32-bit limit I'm hitting. Where is the 143 MB of RAM, and is there any way to get it back?

 

As the one who can see all 16GB...I have the same proc and vid you have.
I have a 160GB SSD as my primary and a 500GB Momentus XT as a secondary.

The only thing I can think of is that I reinstalled Windows from scratch. After the reinstall, I made sure to load the newest drivers from HP's site rather than whatever was in the SWSETUP folder on the 250GB drive I pulled.

HP Elitebook 8540w, i7-820, ATI FirePro M5800, 16GB DDR3, FHD, Intel X25-M 160GB, Seagate XT 500GB, Win 7 x64 Enterprise

 

I wonder whether HP's going to offer 8GB RAM sticks before the end of July.

 

But we might wait quadro version for months after announcement of GF104.

 

That's true. I'm not waiting anymore. I'm ordering soon. But I'm worry about the weak BIOS/crashing/other problems people are having.

 

To those that put the SSD in their 8540w, does it matter how thick the drive is? I'm getting my own SSD and am looking at the Intel's. Some of them are 7mm thick, and others are 9.5mm thick. Does it matter which one I get?

 

The system can accept normal HDDs, so 9.5 is I think what you want (standard 2.5" drive bay). I think the spacer on the Intel drives can be removed so that you can install it in a SSD-only thin slot (some netbooks use those). [IIRC, many 9.5mm drives, the Intels included, are the same as the equivalent 7mm with a spacer/shell to make them fit nicely into standard bays.

Also, anyone here having problems with the forum repeatedly logging them out?

 

So you're saying that all of the Intel's are actually 7mm thick, that the spacer is what makes them 9.5mm? Does the spacer really matter? Can I just stick in any plastic enclosure around it?

 

Hey Jacob, mind directing me towards the reinstall guide you used (if any)? The sticky one here seems to be vista oriented. Any help'd be greatly appreciated.

 

No, they are two different models. They are just physically different. The spacer will just make the 7mm drive fit more snug in a 9.5mm slot.

 

Thanks sgogeta4.

 

Here is a picture of the spacer:

Intel X25-M G2: Dissected and Performance Preview - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

The 7mm is slightly lighter and if it's the same price, I'd get that over the 9.5mm.

 

But would it fit nicely or will it be bumping around in its bay? Or can I just tighten it with the screws?

 

It won't move at all since the spacer makes the 7mm drive the same dimensions as any other 9.5mm drive. It won't bulge or anything if you tighten the screws correctly.

 

Okie dokie. Thanks again sgogeta4.

 

I don't really have a guide, or perhaps, better worded, the guide is in my head, based on a history of coaxing HP/Compaqs into playing nicely.

Prosignia 150 > N600C > 6230 > 6320 > NX9420 > 6910p > 8540W

That said, my basic process is:

Chipset and Rapid Storage Tech directly from Intel
ATI Video from HP's site.

Then, looking at each device on the HP site, I look at the revision history tab for the drivers that are linked from the main page.
I then grab the newest revision, instead of the version that is directly linked.

I didn't bother installing the IDT audio, and the only ProtectTools component I installed is the Security Manager - which was needed in order to use the Validity Fingerprint reader.

 

I have the Intel G2, which is technically a 7mm, but as others have mentioned, includes the plastic spacer that makes it 9.5mm. Either way, the way the drive is mounted in the caddy, you should be fine with our without the spacer.

 

Yes sir. I also figured that out earlier by looking at the service manual. Thank you for conforming this.

 

HP gives the dimensions of the 8540w as 14.7n X 9.9in X 1.28in (front). Can someone please measure the maximum thickness (presumably at the rear) and let me know what it is? It would also be great if you could confirm the other dimensions. I'm trying to get a notebook sleeve for it and want to make sure the size is right.

Thanks

 

Oops. Thanks for the correction, sgogeta4.

 

1 7/16in. Front
1 5/8in. Rear (without extended battery)
2 7/16in. Rear (with 8-cell extended battery
14.75in. Wide (Lid)
9 9/16. Deep (Lid)

 

Alright, decided to put together a driver guide, for those who want to rebuild from scratch.

I'll take on Windows 7 x64. I honestly can't imagine anyone wanting/needing to run another version of Windows (except maybe Server 2008 R2 - which would use the same drivers) and I'm not Linux savvy enough to attempt to tackle items that might need to be tweaked after installing your favorite distro.

Alright, onto the Windows 7x64 Driver Guide

I'm going to break items down into four categories:
Required (Will leave in device manager if not installed)
Recommended (Mostly apps; useful for getting the most out of the notebook)
Optional (Take it or leave it - not required for anything, but may be useful to some)
Useless/Recommend-Against (Bloatware/junkware/negative performance impact)

I've reinstalled 3 times since my unit arrived, to test various driver/software options and come to personal conclusion about the usefulness and impact of HP's packages.

Where appropriate, I generally try to use HP's version of an application/driver, but in some cases, their tool/version is inferior to the root OEM's version (mainly Intel).

Additionally, I have not found order of installation to be anywhere near as important on this unit as it has been on other laptops I've used; although, out of habit and overall performance impact, I do tend to install certain items earlier in the process than others (chipset, video, network for example)

Last point, before I break my approach down - for reference, here's the config of my 8540w:
i7-820QM
16GB DDR3 1333 MHz
ATI/AMD FirePro M5800
Full HD Display, with camera
Intel x25-M 160GB (G2) as primary HDD
Seagate Momentus XT 500GB in newmodeus caddy as secondary HDD
un2420 (Gobi 2000) WWAN module (on Sprint)
Intel 6300 WLAN
Bluetooth module

HP's Driver Page
Required Drivers:
Video
ATI - 8.683.1.1-100228A-097203C (15 Apr 2010)
or
NVidia - 189.33 (15 Apr 2010)

SATA
Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) - 9.6.0.1014 (23 Mar 2010) (Replaced Matrix Storage Manager)
HP for some reason still pushes Matrix Storage Manager, which doesn't support TRIM, while RST does. RST is also up to version 9.6, while MSM is at 8.9

Network
Intel Gb/Wired - 11.5.10.1011 (24 Feb 2010)

Intel - 13.2.0.30 (22 Apr 2010) / Broadcomm - 5.60.350.6 (27 May 2010) Wireless

USB 3.0
NEC USB 3.0 Driver - 1.0.18.0 (12 Mar 2010)

Quick Launch Buttons
QLB - 6.50.16.1 (9 Apr 2010)
While this might seem more like a recommended - there are items in device manager that will show up with the if this package isn't installed

SD/Media Card
Ricoh Media Card Reader - 2.14.00.05 (8 Jan 2010)

Fingerprint Reader
Validity Fingerprint Sensor - 4.0.15.0 (18 Mar 2010)
ProtectTools Security Manager is all-but required as well, if you actually want to use the Fingerprint reader, listed below in recommended

The following items are either Required or Useless, depending on your specific configuration (e.g... no webcam? --> webcam driver = useless)

WWAN Module
Gobi 2000 - 1.1.130.0 (30 Apr 2010)
or
Ericsson - 6.1.13.8 (26 Feb 2010)

AMT/MEI/SOL
Intel Management Engine Components Driver and Interface - 6.0.40.1215 (28 Apr 2010)

Webcam
HP Universal Camera Driver - 1.00 (10 Mar 2010)

Recommended
Chipset
Intel Chipset Installation Utility/INF Update - 9.1.1.1025

Bluetooth
Software Support for HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth... - 7 (22 Jan 2010)
Recommended only if you use more than a Bluetooth mouse, enables use of devices like BT headsets and other more advanced BT devices

ProtectTools Security Manager
HP ProtectTools Security Manager - 5.0.7.711 (31 May 2010)
Recommended if you want to use the Fingerprint reader. I will personally be removing it once Validity publishes a driver that support the Windows Biometric Sensors framework

Wireless Assistant
HP Wireless Assistant - 4.0.7.0 (19 May 2010)
Recommended if you want finer control over which wireless devices are enabled at any given time (may want to disable WiFi but leave BT enabled); mainly for battery conservation purposes.

Touchpad
Synaptics TouchPad Driver - 15.0.17.2 (24 May 2010)
Recommended for enhanced touchpad functionality, like pinch-zoom, 2-finger scrolling, etc

Optional Software
I'll add another post with the optional (and avoidable) HP stuff in awhile - if anyone is actually interested

Questions, comments, improvements, etc welcomed

 

Great work! Thanks for the response on dimensions and another useful post on clean installs (which I will be doing ASAP). Rep!

P.S. When you say without extended battery are you referring to size with no battery connected or size with the standard 8 cell battery?