*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

I spotted that ad too, tl. I spent a little time tracking feedback back and forth between his various buyers and sellers and came to the conclusion that there just ain't no free lunch to be found here, if you get my meaning. It appears as if they are buying and selling among themselves; either that or all the buyers and sellers could be one and the same person (alledgedly, of course ).

Whatever is or isn't happening, I decided that if I do end up buying the 8540w, I'm going to bite to bullett and buy from a certifed dealer. Even though I may never use it, I kind of like knowing that the warranty I'll get with it stands a better chance of being honored.

-Shutterman
P.S. @Jon82 - Nice to see another photog on the board that's already taken the plunge. Your review was very helpful. Thanks.

 

@Shutterman

I can't think of a better laptop overall for media work. I can finally work on native 5d .mov files!

However, I'm taking it for repair or replacement tomorrow morning. My screen has been displaying some really annoying black flashes that I haven't been able to fix. This happens at any moment when GPU intensive task begins and 1800m kicks in (including photoshop, premiere, flash on websites, playing HD video, opening nvidia control panel, even switching tabs in chrome). This only happens with Nvidia drivers.

That being said, I'm also considering taking it back to the shop and paying an extra 150€ to upgrade to a better model with 1920x1080 display & i7-620M. I'm apprehensive about the small pixel pitch, but I also don't want only 900 vertical pixels. I hear FHD display benefits from better colors too.

 

Same thing with mine. I have one for work and it's got an i5-520M and the quadro fx 880m. I put 4GB of RAM (matched pair), install win 7 pro 64-bit and system properties only displays 3.86gb of USABLE memory as per the attached screenshot (and yes, it IS the 64-bit version - I almost second guessed myself for a moment)

Is this a hardware limitation that HP is imposing (similar to Lenovo and the T60 Thinkpads) or does the ram get allocated to the video memory (or something else)? If not, is there a bios setting that can free up the memory?

 

I use Power Plan Assistant for switching power profiles and creating custom ones. It helps a lot and has automatic power plan switching based on which power supply is in use.

 

Quick Question for those who already have the 8540w's...Does the multibay support inserting a battery into the multibay slot, or just optical and HDD options?

I know that Compaq and HP laptops from years ago allowed this to occur, but was curious about these new Elitebooks.

Thanks!

 

HP's multibay only supports optical drives and hard drives.

 

I have a similar problem with my 8540w (540M / 4GB), except more severe. My reserved memory shows 843MB in the Resource Monitor. On a no-brand generic laptop the reserved memory is only 2MB.

I don't know what the issue is, I have this problem in any 64 bit OS (Windows 7, Linux). Even memtest86+ shows only 3.07 GB. In 32bit I can only use 2.19 GB out of 4 (986MB are used by graphic card, 843 are "reserved").

I tried re-flashing the BIOS (it was F.08 already when I got it), reseting the CMOS (yes, I even removed the battery), re-installing the OS, the drivers, changing the memory. With 2GB installed I can only use 1301MB. With 8GB, only 6 are available.
Nothing worked. It seems to be related to the way BIOS (e820) is mapping the memory and all OSes are using that information.

I will contact HP support about this and I'll post their solution, if they have any...

 

Is anyone else bothered by all the colorful status lights? They drive me crazy to the point I want to paint over them with a black marker. I like to work at night and I need to focus on pretty graphics I'm trying to create on the screen, not a row of irrelevant lights.

My 3 day verdict: I don't love this laptop. HP got so many things right and built a superb machine in so many ways, but there are just too many small annoyances.

I've used a nc8430, 8510p, 8530p, Toshiba Tecra A8 and some low-end Acer I don't care to remember... All of them had inferior specs to 8540w and were more plasticky, but none of them were this annoying to use!

 

I ordered a spare battery from shop for battery and noticed that is was rated @ 14.8 volts instead of the 14.4 in the original battery.
I'm thinking of returning it so as not to over-volt my machine.
Anyone know the tolerances for batteries?

 

What else are your other annoyances? Since I've found out that the main point of disappointment is the hard drive's (instead of the fan's) noise, which is ammendable by replacing it with a SSD, I've been very happy with it.

As for the lights, use some tape strip at night if you don't use the buttons. Removable and effective. Transparent if you just want to dim the lights.

 

Re: Dreamcolor 2

in case you may not have noticed, the hp 8740 with DC2 does really exist, and pictures have been posted by those who received their laptops today.

So far the reviews have been very positive and it has been confirmed to be a 10-bit ISP panel. See the 8740 owner lounge for more info.

from page 220
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...book-8740w-owners-lounge-220.html#post6467969

 

"Just tape over it" seems to be a common solution to tech problems nowadays. (iphone 4)

other annoyances: 16:9, off-center keyboard making my left wrist uncomfortable, dismal speakers, touch-style buttons with no physical feedback.

 

Hi!
I own Hp EliteBook 8540w but I could not find HP Recovery Manager on the preinstalled Windows 7 Pro x64 - it's just not there. I also searched the HP support site, looked at the Application disks that came with the notebook - no luck.

Any idea where to find it OR why is it missing ?

 

hi guys!

one question.
will the 8540w with i5 520 cpu read the 8 gigs of ram if i put the extra 2x2 rams inside?
i see here preople have problems with ram´s on their 8540w machines.

thanks!

 

i5 only supports two dimms. It supports 8G but you need to swap out the memory, you cannot install additional RAM.
It's basically the the MB for both i7 and i5, they just didn't bother installing the other two connectors.

You can see where your memory is located here and here.

Service manual is available here.

 

Has anyone gotten a DC2 8540w yet?

 

I ordered a DC2 configuration on the first day it was available, June 21, with "next day" delivery.

Anticipated arrival at that time was June 29; when July 1 rolled around, my delivery date was extended to July 29.

I was also given an additional 4% off, for a total of 28% off the CTO price, when I called at the beginning of July. (Originally the phone rep advised she could only give me 24% off, as I was (one of) the first to order the DC2, which I doubt is completely accurate).


HP 8540w i7-840QM DC2 FX1800M 2GB RAM 160GB SSD+500GB HDD

 

I've been experiencing a very annoying problem with my 8540w. (i5-540, 1800m, windows 7 x64 professional, 1600x900)

Whenever I do something that requires GPU, my screen blinks black for a moment.

I can replicate the problem by opening Nvidia Control Panel (Adjust Image Settings with the spinning 3D Nvidia logo).

Here's a few things I've learned:

• If I close & open it every ~7 seconds, it will blink every time.
• If I close & open faster, such as every 3 seconds, I don't get the blinks.
• Problem only occurs when Nvidia drivers are installed.
• Problem only occurs when connected to the stock 120W HP PSU.
• Problem doesn't occur when connected to an old 90W Kensington PSU.
• Problem doesn't occur when running on batteries.

If this happened only with opening the control panel, it would've been fine. But, if I work fast like I usually do (switching Chrome tabs, photoshop, premiere pro, anything GPU) it will blink several times a minute which is extremely annoying

I tried reinstalling, x86, x64, every driver imaginable, every setting I could find. No help from HP so far.

I took back it to the shop and got a replacement notebook/psu right away - exact same problem.

Any ideas or suggestions? Can any other owner replicate this issue? Help.

 

Hello All,

Got an 8540w from my employer and I did my own install of win7 business. Everything is working well...except. When I boot up w/o the Ac adapter plugged in the laptop boots all the way to the cntrl-alt-del and freezes. Sometimes I can get to the actual login, but 8/10 times it freezes at the login cntrl-alt-del.

Works perfectly with AC adapter plugged in, I ran the soft-paq updates. Only thing I have not done is rebuild the laptop from scratch.

I'm running the latest bios, have the FX 880M video chipset. Running just one HD in ACHI mode.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.

 

Hey there, I have been looking at the HP DV6T-SE, Envy 14, and the 8540w for some time now, and I am finally going to be buying one at the end of this week. I am a college student but attend all online classes, (from home/work). I play some games, WoW, D3(when released), Possibly SC2, and Counter Strike. I know this isn't the "which laptop should I buy" forum but I really like the look of the Elitebook, also I want a durable and good quality build for my laptop. I dont want little parts easily broken as well as heating issues (which the non-8540w options reportedly have. My question is, will the 8540w be able to play the games I mentioned at high settings easily? I know the GPU is formatted to run design processes more than game graphics, but I really don't know how much of a difference it would make, especially because the games I play arent the most graphic intensive ones. Also, is the direct HP site the only/best way to configure a 8540w?

Thanks in advance

 

a) Someone else will probably jump in with numbers or otherwise be more helpful, but you'll have no trouble with games.

b) It works well, but the best idea is to talk to a sales rep - they can give you better discounts than those CTO codes the website gives you, and perks like free shipping. (I don't know what the going deal is for the 8540w, and whether it's fallen since launch, though.) Configure the machine on the site so you know what you want, then get on the line with a sales rep to place the actual order.

 

because all three laptops you mentioned could be equipped with radeon mobility 5650-class gpu, I'd say they are able to run your games. Definitely no problem in HQ for counterstrike, but for WoW and SC2 in HQ you could check out some benchmark first (There are SC2 benchmarks in guru3d and legionhardware). if you choose 8540w, just make sure you select ati firepro m5800 gpu.

If I were you I would also choose 8540w. Choosing a laptop is not only a matter of specs, but cooling system, battery options, and build quality also plays important role that affects comfortability more than specs, and there are traits that 8540w dont fail.

 

Thank you, and why would I choose the ATI Firepro over the NVIDEA Cards? Does it have drivers that would gear it more towards being able to game on or are you suggesting that I get the cheapest card and replace it with something like a 5650?

 

What is the price difference between the CPUs where you live?

 

The M5800 is based off of the 5730, so no, don't replace it, keep it.

 

for the sake of curiosity I checked TDP of mobility 5730 vs mobility 5830. WTH, 26w vs 24w??? I don't believe it! And Quadro FX1800, it is 45w, so basically the laptop can also handle Mobility 5850 which is 39w :-?

 

Anybody having any problems with the IDT Audio driver? Was bored at my hotel so decided to play some Borderlands on Steam. Hooked my headphones in and started the game and was surprised when the sound came out of the 8540w speakers rather than the headphones. Did some research and I guess other people have had similar problems with the IDT equipped systems (HP and Dell). The only thing that even partially worked was to disable every "Recording" device and then the headphones would work (which is pretty weird) but you had no microphone for voice chat. I tried uninstalling the IDT application and drivers and using the default Microsoft ones, but then the Headphone device disappears from the Sounds control panel completely. Apparently you have to have the IDT drivers/app installed do use the headphone/microphone jacks. The 8740w has a slightly newer version of the IDT driver so I tried that, but no change.

 

Nvidia states the total TDP, while AMD only specifies the core chip's TDP.
You can't compare the two.
My guess - M5800 is still more energy efficient (since FX1800M has GDDR5) but reaches ~40-45W for the whole card @load. Plus, it might have rare peaks of higher CC thus requiring a more powerful PSU for stability.

 

Plus TDP is a poor measure of actual power consumption.

 

I talked to a sales rep and the discount was 20% off with free shipping - not as good as the coupon for 24% on the customizer itself.

Has anyone used any of the care packs? I'm wondering if the next business day and accidental damage protection is worth it.

 

Just got the notice that HP shipped my new 8540w with dream color 2 display. It should be here by the 28th. If it arrives on schedule I will post some pictures!

 

Could you copy the config here, and maybe say an approx. cost?

 

Specs:
HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation - Quad Core
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64
MS Windows 7 Logo Label ** doesn't apply to Win 7/XPP downgrade OS AV's
Intel® CoreT i7-840QM Processor (1.86 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache), Up-to 3.2 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Intel Core i7 vPro Label
Mobile Intel QM57 Chipset
Estar Label
Intel® vPro Technology (Only available with Intel WLAN)
15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit FHD DreamColor 2 (1920 x 1080) Antiglare w/Camera - ONLY available with H/W kit 150W
Webcam Integrated 2.0MP Only Available with and required selection for Display w/Camera
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800M with 1GB GDDR5 video memory
2 GB 1333 MH z DDR3 SDRAM (1D)
250GB 7200RPM SATA 2.5 Hard Drive
DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer LightScribe Drive
Full- sized keyboard with numeric keypad and dual pointing devices (touchpad and pointstick) with scroll zone
HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® 2.1 Wireless Technology
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3)
56K v.92 high speed modem
Integrated Fingerprint Reader
150W Hardware Kit 8540w - Must be selected if Dreamcolor panel is selected
8 Cell 73Whr 8540w Battery ( 1 year warranty)
Limited 3 year standard parts and labor warranty (3/3/3)
Windows 7 Driver DVD - Recovery Media Available with any OS Win7 localizations.
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 OS Restore Media Available with any OS Win7 localizations. (not available with FreeDOS)

About $2,600 after 28% discount, but tack on another $500 for the 100GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD and 8 gigs I bought and will put in myself. I am really looking forward to the DC2 screen because I have yet to see anyone post pictures of it for the 8540w.

 

I have an Envy 15, but I'm not 100% happy with it. It's too hot and loud. I had to get the i7 with it since they no longer sell an i5 version, and this can't be helping my heat issues. I need a laptop with DX11, but it doesn't need to be amazingly fast. It's not for gaming. I need DX11 for software development.

Is the 8540w with ATI graphics quieter than an HP Envy?

Are people annoyed by the off-center keyboard? I don't need a numeric keypad.

What's the battery life really like?

 

Sorry if it's a bit off-topic, but does anyone own a 8540 p model? I'd like to hear about the reliability of that machine. I own an 8740w and there are some issues I have with it, and other people have even bigger problems. Since the 8540 series became available earlier than the 8740 I'm wondering if the problems (if any) are solved?

 

Go to Control Panel -> Sound -> Playback, and set the Headphones as the Default Communication Device. Also, check out the Recording too in order to make sure that the proper microphone is selected. I think this should fix your problem.

 

I have an 8540p and now it's pretty reliable. However, the original IDT audio driver caused some stability issues, but installing the driver for 85 70w successfully solved this. It has been working flawlessly for several months now.

With the latest BIOS and drivers, I have no major issues, but there are still some weird things. One of those is the USB mouse problem which I've previously reported. You should look up the entire discussion, but the bottom line is: Windows may freeze while booting up if you move a USB mouse during that time. This does not happen with every mouse brand and model (my Logitech M505 did not cause freezes, but a Genius and a A4Tech did). Plugging it into a different port should fix this issue regardless of model.

 

Hi. I have the same configuration of 8540p. Can you please check if Windows on your Elitebook shows 4 GB of ram installed and only 3,86 GB usable ?
I have an open case with HP Support about this problem and I'm curious if anyone with 8540p has a ram problem.

 

@a_afra: thanks a bunch! What I understood from your post is that I won't make a mistake if I get one of those. I mean, from what I know about it, it should be a reliable business machine. I'm considering getting it for a client who is a manager at a local bank branch, and he'll be using it for office work, presentations, communications (e-mail, IM, teleconferencing), an occasional movie and a game or two (none of them very demanding). I think that this will be the right choice for him, and a 3yr waranty is also very very nice.

 

Yeah, I tried all that. No affect. One thing that worked, but not a keepable configuration, was to disable every Recording device. Then the game would play. What I finally ended up doing was purchasing a headset that had a USB audio adapter. The headset then shows up as a Speaker device rather than a Headphone device, and once you make it the default device, everything works fine. So I now carry the usb adapter around with me.

 

Yep, 3.86 GB usable for me too. But this is normal, the chipset reserves the rest. Other laptops (like the new Lenovos and even the i5/i7 MacBook Pro!) with this chipset (QM57) behave exactly the same as the EliteBook. Nothing to worry about.

 

You're welcome. Yes, I highly recommend it! It's a fast, well built, reliable machine. I use it mostly for development (multicore/CUDA applications), and it's great.

 

It's not really a problem, but I ask it anyway out of curiosity: does your 8540 start immediately after you push the power button when you are on battery? Mine waits for a few seconds, during which it blinks the battery LED a few times. I've upgraded the BIOS to the F.08 version, and the delay has become significantly longer than before (F.06). However, if the laptop is on AC power, it starts without any delay.

 

I got mine shipped with F.08 bios and it behaves exactly as yours.
About the ram. I think that reserving 140 MB of ram is a little bit too much.
I also got a Thinkpad T510 with same specs but with Nvidia 3100 and it had the same ram problem. It was fixed with the latest bios update so I'm curious what will HP Support do.

 

Thanks for the info!

I think most of that memory is reserved for the Intel GPU, even though it is not usable on the EliteBook. It seems that it's possible to disable it entirely. It's surprising that both HP and Lenovo made the same mistake. Regarding the MacBook: I forgot that it has switchable graphics, so in that case the significant memory reservation is justified.

 

Does anybody know what the difference between the wd927EA/wd927et/wd927aw Models is ? perhaps only the country they are sold in ?

 

Can someone who has experience with DC2 1080p and non DC 1080p screen comment about the quality/viewing angles?

 

Don't think anyone has one yet, but based on my experience with IPS panels and the 8740w review, the DC2 will blow the non-DC WUXGA (not 1080p since it's not 16:9 aspect ratio) out of the water in terms of quality and viewing angles.

 

I am supposed to receive my 8540w with the DC2 display the 28th and will post some pictures that night. I say "supposed to" because right now FedEx shows there is a shipment exception in Shanghai. Not looking to good right now.

 

From Shanghai to NY, in my case, was 2-3 days.
And another 2 from NY to Alberta...