*HP EliteBook 8540w Owners Lounge!*

Nice try You know how many ppl have been looking for this? There is no such screen. DC2 is a special order. LG made it for HP only and the panel is not available to the world. It also requires a special BIOS update, modified drivers, and a professional card to utilize


@Everyone,

Check this out, folks! Now you can create your own profiles with the advanced fan control options. It can be automatic! Kudos to Mumak!

 

Hi, Happy Birthday in advance! I am not sure that this will be helpful, as my experience doesn't seem to match others, even though our orders were placed around the same time, but I would say based on my experience, very possible. My order was accepted Dec 6 by wire, entered for processing Dec 7, Shipped Dec 13 from China via Fedex overnight, and received in Oregon Dec 14. Shipping was thrown in by sales rep when the order was placed.

Tracking progress, the website was of ZERO help, as my unit still (now) shows as being in config if I look at my order history - at the picking stage for over 40 days - must be a huge warehouse, where are those parts hiding?? However, on Dec 9 when I called in, the phone reps told me that their system showed a shipping date of Dec 13 and delivery of Dec 14, even though the sales rep told me 2 weeks before shipping, and about a week for delivery, and they were bang-on.

I certainly hope that your unit can make it in time for your day, it would be a great present, and the DC2 screen (for me at least) was worth the money and it has ruined me for other laptops, such as the one I am using now. So why am I not using the 8540W, you ask? You'll see why in a post soon, I think.

Cheers, and good luck.

 

Thanks for this information. Quite frankly, the website tracking is... a mess. I see an estimated delivery date of 2/3 on the first tracking page. In print preview I see an estimated delivery date of 2/23. In line config -> more info I see a delivery date of 2/14. Meanwhile, the config status remains in the picking stage. I guess this is all meaningless, then?

I did call HP a day or two ago and was told that they had an estimated delivery date of 2/7 in their system, so I guess we'll have to see how this pans out.

 

hello fellow hp users,

I have a few questions regarding the 8540w, especially for the users of older ones, 84x0 or 8510. I did some searches but in the end they were inconclusive.

Can the 8540w use older 90W chargers? I guess it should, the connector seems completely equal to the one on 8430. I have quite a few 90 and 120W chargers that can be interchanged with other HPs I have and I'd like to keep it that way

I'm speaking about this connector:


Also, can the older batteries (p/n PB992A) be used in the 8540?
Electrically speaking, the batteries have the same number of cells, same voltage and almost the same capacity. Judging by the shape, they seem very much alike, but the connector and latches may be different...

(I do know HP's specs don't say that it will work, but if I recall correctly, HP also said nothing about using some of 82xx batteries in 84x0 and 8510x series and that did work)


So while I'll have to get a new docking station, I hope at least the chargers will work. My plan is to get the dual core i7 w/ nVidia 880M and FullHD screen - that one should work fine with 90W charger.


Thanks for the replies!!

 

The new FirePro driver is now available on the HP site. I've installed it on both my 8540w and 8740w and we now do in fact have 30 bit support on our Dreamcolor screens. See my posts #1586 and #1588 in the 8740w thread for further details.

 

hi , i'm just experiencing isues with extrenal hhd in eclosure with my hp 8540w usb ports and perferomances are wak ..trying right ow a firmware update of the usb 3 ...it hangs at 75 on the set up !!(on the cmd page opened i read erase serial rom : 75 % !!



so tft ??? ?
Is anybody succed to make a firmawre upgrade ?
What's wrong with this laptop and the usb ....?

Ps : drives working well on otha laptops and desktop)

 

AFAIK the current 8540w was delivered with the latest USB 3.0 driver (v1.0.18.0 updated March, 2010). Which newer driver were you trying to load?

Also, is the enclousure rated for USB 3.0? If not, there is no real benefit to attaching it to 3.0 port. Try it on on both the left front and left back 2.0 ports, as I believe they are on separate controllers, and compare results.

 

yep the current version is ok for the firmaware and drivers , you're right (hope i ain't broke it )

but it's working great on the regular usb 2. but usb 3. are giving nothing but probklems with usb 2 hdd devices ...

 

Hi all,

I got my personal 8540w in December,2010 after I received my 1st 8540w in the company I work for. I bought the i7-740QM with 4 GB , 1920 x1080 FHD, ATI M5800. On my personal I am running Win 7 Ultimate.

The problem I have is with my personal laptop. The colors and brightness. Colors are extremely "blueish" on the laptop's 1920x1080 display. With my external monitor I have no problem, colors are beautiful. The company's computer has the 1600 x 900 with the FX1800M and I have no difference between the laptop's lcd and the external one.

Is anyone here having this "blueish" and bright problem with the 1920 x 1080 (No dream color) and running M5800 or FX1800M?

In order to correct the colors I used the ATI control center. Below are the settings that have corrected the color but not the bright. the level of bright for blue is -100!!

Red 1.15, -66, 127
Green 0.80, 19, 91
Blue 0.90, -100, 96

I have already the latest drivers and HP support has no clue at this time.

I am very interesting to hear if anyone is having the same problem.

PP

 

Hi, it is not uncommon for a monitor to have a tint. A friend's new LCD has a significant blue tint in my opinion, but it seems like yours is quite extreme.

I am still approximately a novice when it comes to colour management, but the fact that you were able to "fix" it makes me wonder if either:
1) You have an odd profile selected (check the Windows7 colour management panel and see what profile is the default for your screen)

or

2) A calibration (with a hardware calibrator) might solve your issue. If you can get a hold of one, I would try that, after restoring your ATI control centre adjustments back to defaults. The hardware calibrator will create the necessary offsets that the video card would need to make for colour and brightness, and hopefully all would be well. If not, then definitely a warranty issue.

If you don't have a calibrator or know someone with one, then personally, I think it is a great thing to have anyway, but you may not want to shell out the cash just for a test. However, if you do, and even if it doesn't fix the issue, the warranty replacement they give you would still benefit from periodic calibration.

I know there are a couple of photographers on here with more experience who might be able to confirm or correct me on this, or offer some other tips, but I hope that it works out.

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the reply Kgamadia.

The big question: Is the problem with the ATI M5800 video card or the LCD? The reason why is that the external LCD monitors connected to the eVGA or RGB ports have no problem with the colors. The "blueish" problem in only on the laptop's lcd. HP says that it may be a problem with the drivers which I doubt but I will get a BartPE cd with XP or linux PE and do more tests.

I would like to hear about the hardware calibration but still, the external LCD does not have the blueish problem.

I open to ideas on how test and have this fixed.

Tnx
PP

 

I've had the 8540w for a few days now and already had few problems. Do you think these are repairable?

1. Right side of the keyboard rattles and sounds cheap. Also sometimes it makes squeaky noises when pressing keys.
- Would a replacement keyboard help? My old nc8430 had much quieter keyboard compared to this.

2. There is a constant whine (from CPU maybe?) especially with browser open. After a few days it's starting to sound very bad. (Listen and mute the integrated microphone helped, but don't consider this a permanent solution)
-This problem seems to be quite common with other brands too. Can this be repaired at service?

3. Battery is very loose in it's place. It moves easily a few millimeters and doesn't feel very secure. (Makes also extra noise when it bangs around its place)
-Is this normal or does replacement battery help? Old nc8430 for sure didn't feel this cheap on this department either.

One issue I have to get serviced is the integrated microphone. As its dead even without the whine solution.

Apart from these issues it feels quite nice.

 

So, I'm helping a friend to configure this machine through HP's site, as I've been raving about mine (8540w, i7-Q820M, 16GB, 500GB/7200, ATI card) and during a walkthrough of the config, I saw that the memory option now allows you to pick 32GB of RAM.

Originally, this machine had a max of 16GB. Did something change? Is it just a BIOS fix to allow for this top end? Currently my BIOS rev. is 68CVD ver. F.08.

I checked the tech specs, and according to the memory section ( http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13529_div/13529_div.HTML#Memory) it says 32GB.

Did something change?

 

same issue here with a 1600*900 panel ..really blueish .....waiting to ask for some calibration from friends who do photos ...

 

yes for the 3 remarks !! in here to ...battery , cpu noise (noticeable cause i have a silent ssd ...).....seems like the 17" are better build !!!(for the battery , screen,...ect)

 

The IMC of the Core I7-QM processors supports up to 8GB sticks in dual channel mode, a size not generally available in the early days of this machine. Thus, I assume, why HP originally stated 16GB total as the max (4x4). As to your BIOS, you are now two revisions behind. F.0.E is the latest.

 

So does that mean it will support 32GB?

Not anymore...just updated the BIOS to the latest

 

Seems like there's some QC issues popping up in recent machines if you both are having the same problems, each of which has been separately mentioned by members in the past (but, as I remember, not all together in the same machine). Hope you get it all sorted out with HP support. As to comparative build quality between the 15" and 17", since I have both (configured exactly the same except for the size and GPU of course), I can say there is no difference in my machines, both extremely well made.

 

Sio, over in the 8740w thread, has 32GB in at least one of his machines. He did report a problem at first, but got passed it and the config works fine. By the way, since the 8540w and 8740w are very similar, it's good to audit those discussions as well for a lot of great info.

 

To be honest, if the problem is a bum profile, then there may be no problem with either the LCD or the ATI. The profile is attached to a specific device, which is why your external LCD might be ok under its own profile if different.

The PE CD is a great idea - get some generic video drivers and test their theory, as well as the profile theory. If you still get the same level of blue, then I would think it would be your LCD then. If it is blue but to a different level, then I would think a calibration MAY still fix it. But it is up to you if it would make you more comfortable to get a new panel / video card, or to pursue a fix.

If you do want to pursue calibration further, then where are you located? If in Canada (like me) or the US, I don't mind sending you my Optix XR calibrator if you've got no one else you can borrow from - the software has not successfully run on my Windows7, but I am apparently part of a small group that found this. Others have been able to apply the official unofficial workaround. If it doesn't work for you, then you would need to install XP for the test. I need to get a new calibrator, which is why I don't mind risking this one, though I would like it back. PM me if you're interested in that and we can chat further.

Cheers.

 

I first purchased a refurb 8540p from HP and it had all 3 of the above issues. I returned it.

Later purchased a brand new 8540w and it still has the squeaky keyboard and loose battery. However, it is slightly less squeaky and the battery is slightly tighter fitting, but still loose.

On both of my units, the BACKSPACE and ENTER keys were especially squeaky.

 

The USB port is totally screwed. I tried using a mouse but it reports malfunctioned, and with no options of in-OS repair. Additionally, the fingerprint reader is definitely defective as well. I cleaned it several times and it absolutely refuses to read my fingerprints.

Also, there seems to be something under my left shift button and renders it occasionally unresponsive (preventing it from depressing sufficiently to register). Would it be safe to irrigate the area gently with 98% isopropyl alcohol while off with the battery removed?

I think I'm just going to call in and get it serviced for the USB port and fingerprint reader. I bought an Elitebook precisely for its stellar warranty, but I did buy it from another individual and I was wondering: how easy is the process? Do I have to call in to formally transfer ownership first? I checked the serial numbers online and my warranty is still fully valid.

 

I would say call it in and have the tech clean out the key instead of taking chances - it is a next business day service and you've waited so long, so one more day should be fine.

Regarding transferrability, I think that the warranty is attached to the serial #. Did the old owner give you an invoice? Did s/he register it? When was it manufactured? I ask because in the post below, the OP bought a sealed box from eBay, an individual, not authorised HP retailer, and was able to use the invoice as proof of warranty commencement. If that can't be done in your case, then it would default to starting from the date of manufacture. But it does seem safe for you to call and request warranty service for it.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/420609-updating-warranty-start-date.html

Cheers.

 

I have tried the invoice method and they didn't honor it for my 8740w. It doesn't need to be a HP Authorized Seller to approve the requests however, you need the reseller to cooperate with you. Specifically, you need to ask the seller for the original invoice or receipt that they brought the unit from either HP or an HP authorized store. If you can obtain a copy of the original invoice on the unit, that is enough to honor the update on top of your PayPal invoices.

However for HP's Consumer Line, an invoice is all you need to update (at least for me it worked on my Envy 15). The Corporate Line apparently is more of a stickler on the evidence table, so yeah nothing you can do there. Unfortunately for me, my 8740w was a liquidation acquisition that the seller on eBay got from a failing and liquidating business. That business never got a chance to use them and had to sell just weeks after getting them shipped from HP last October. Therefore the seller never had the chance or a chance to get the original transaction invoices from the company.

Also to friend'scatdied, the warranty doesn't need an owner to make it valid. As long as it is tied with the system and you are utilizing the standard warranty, they just need your name, number and address to instate the repair case. However, they never need you or anyone to register the laptop's standard warranty. However, if you are going to extend the warranty on top of the standard, then you will need to register the extension package under your name of ownership.

 

Hi, I am new here, I have noticed on AMD Unified Driver 8.773.1.1 , which was released last 7-Feb-2011, that HP8540w is listed to the supported products. Does anybody here tried it?

 

That is indeed true.

32GB is only available on quad core setups. on dual core (OR if you have a dual core in a quad motherboard) you will get 16gb max at 1066mhz. (4x4 or 2x8)

You need a bios newer than september 2010 for 32gb to be recognised in both machines.

But the machine is sweet with 32gb, (IF you can justify the cost of it >.>)

 

Hey guys.

I finally received my 8540w with the DC2 panel on Wednesday and immediately noticed a problem. On a completely black screen, there were some visible "cloudiness" of seemingly uneven lighting on the left side of the screen. On anything other than a pure black screen it is unnoticeable.



Look at the left side of the LCD panel where there are differences in brightness. Most noticeably the two dark semi-circle bands being surrounded by "cloudy" patches of brightness. The right half of the LCD panel seems fine.

Is this normal? Or is this something I should contact HP about?

Thanks.

 

It looks like you are using an off-camera flash (camera right) with a concentric difussion grid. Makes it difficult to judge the degree of light leakage on your picture of the screen vs normal (and there will be some small degree of light leakage on even the best of perimeter lit screens like we have). In a dark room, looking straight on at a 100% black image, how far does the perimeter light extend into the screen and what is the degree of falloff. If beyond an inch or so, your bezel may be slightly warped or out of alignment.

 

There was no flash used in the image, and it's not the typical light leak. Instead, it's just cloudy patches of the screen that appear brighter than its surroundings.

 

My bad. Flash judgement was made based on the direction of the anomalies on the screen compared to the heavy shadow of the screen on the back left wall.

Anyway, checked both my dreamcolor screens with my black image test and have smooth renditions with minimal perimeter leakage. Yours certainly does not look normal and I'd report it to HP support for possible relief.

 

If you check INF file, there is no support on any of the mobility graphic cards.

 

Just got done contacting HP. They're sending a tech onsite to replace the panel.

They say newly installed panels don't require calibration. I guess LG calibrates them from the factory.

 

I've previously stated that I have not been inclined to do a full Spyder3 v4.0.2 calibration of our Dreamcolor screens (for various reasons if you care to go back and track my comments here and on the 8740w thread), but had the time to play today and decided to do so. Note that the calibration was made in Full/Native mode at full luminance in a semi-bright environment. Semi-bright was chosen instead of my preferred medium bright as a starting point for a mobile machine. Targeted Gamma was 2.2 and color temp was 6500k.

In a nutshell, the results are both good and bad and do, in fact, track the expectations as mentioned in my previous comments:

My only complaint about our otherwise fabulous screens has been the posterization of saturated colors in the yellow/orange space (both my DC screens), and have speculated it to be a byproduct of the accuracy of the colors in the blue/green space. I have wished for an adjustment to Full/Native that brings its yellow/orange about half way closer to AdobeRGB without affecting blue/green. My speculation about doing a calibration was that it would effect all the Dreamcolor spaces, requiring mutiple calibrations to be completed and individually loaded as required.

The results - calibration did very slightly improve the Full/Native yellow/orange in a pleasing way, but not enough, and as expected, caused a decrease in the accuracy of the blue/green. (see data below) Secondary results - changing the color space in MDA produced the same linear adjustments, but with unpleasant results. Example: reds in AdobeRGB took on a distinct brownish tone. Worse in sRGB. Although the calibration in Full/Native was somewhat acceptable, a separate calibration would still need to be created and individually loaded for each MDA colorspace (or at least the original calibration turned off). Verdict for color: If you don't already have a calibration device, geting one for this purpose is not warranted.

On a slightly more positive side, calibration did correct for slight original errors in luminance, gamma and white point based on environment and provided important info about the screen (calibration adjusted luminance of 190.1):

Gamma went from 2.17 to 2.20 (spot on at up to 40% luminance, 65% to 75% and 95% to 100%). Final DeltaE (lab) for White Point (untargeted) was 0.1 and 0.3 for 50% Gray. Color Temperature was tracked as low as 6300k (30% luminence) with a linear increase to 6800k at 90% and back to 6700k at 100%. The target 6500k was only achievable at 47%. Contrast ratio measured 489:1 at 25%, 523:1 at 50%, 545:1 at 75% and 585:1 at 100% luminance (remember, in these cases 100% is 190.1, not 210). The only downside to knowing all this info, though, is that it is only valid in a semi-bright environment. A darkened room or fully bright space would require a different calibration to be created and individually loaded. Verdict for other measurments - the calibration did make a noticable difference (read that - better) in the screen for the ambient light environment, which did also help to reduce the posterization effect. If you have one, give it a go as you may like the results (and are willing to create multiple profiles).

Other measurments of note:

The screen uniformity tests showed best results at 100% luminance, recording variances of only 0% to 1% in most areas, but 3% in both lower left and lower right corners. At 83%, variances increased to 1% to 4% in most areas, and 7% to 8% in the lower corners. At 67%, 1% to 7% and 9% to 11%. And at 50%, 1% to 10% and 10% to 16%. Although 16% may seem large, in practical usage in a darker environment (when you would use 50% luminance), it is not all that noticable.

Chromaticity Data:

Red
Full/Native .686/.308; Calibrated .667/.291 ; AdobeRGB (MDA*) .640/.330

Green
Full/Native .206/.715 ; Calibrated .168/.696; AdobeRGB (MDA*) .210/.710

Blue
Full/Native .145/.045 ; Calibrated .153/.042; AdobeRGB (MDA*) .150/.060

*calibrated AdobeRGB not available as it would take a whole new calibation in the same ambient light.

 

Just an update, new panel is in. Those white cloudy patches are gone.

However, now there is a pixel stuck on green readily visible on a black screen. Gentle rubbing coaxed it away for now. Hopefully it doesn't come back on an otherwise satisfactory panel.

 

Quick question as I just (10min ago) placed an order for my 8540W.
Does the main bay hold a 12.5mm drive?
It looks like the expansion bay would but I am not sure about the main.

I am curious as the only thing I skimped on was the hard drive so I would like to upgrade that sooner than later (ie.. I will purchase one now online if the main HD can be replaced with a 12.5mm one)

Thanks!

D.

 

I just noticed in the lagom viewing angle LCD test some apparent gamma inconsistencies across the new Dreamcolor panel. Please excuse the crappy phone photos:




The lagom logo is supposed to blend into the gray background across the entire panel, much like my Dell U2711 display does. However, as highlighted in the second image, the lagom logo appears red outside of the two red lines, indicating improper gamma in those corners, most severely in the bottom left corner.

Is this normal, or am I being too OCD about my panel (I'm also starting to notice a very slight yellow tinge on the bottom left corner)?

If any other DC2 owners can chime in, I will greatly appreciate it.

 

From your photos, it appears you are set to native resolution (1920x1080), a must for this test. Make sure also that your browser's zoom (note - my results are with IE8) is set to 100% as any variation will skew the results. Best results are also obtained at the screen's highest luminance.

Next, view the image at exactly 90 degrees to the center and no more than 15.6" from the screen. The center should look good. To check the edges, move your head left or right parallel to the screen. Do not just move your eyes as this changes the angle of view. Your results should improve from the screenshots, which, by sheer physics of the camera lens, can not give a perpendicular view of the entire screen area.

If you read my calibration post above, you will see that luminance values are not perfect across the entire screen (although at 100% they are reasonably close to perfect on my 8540w). Following all the above "rules", note that I still see a very slight amount of the logo on the left edge of the screen, extending slightly further in at the top corner. Nothing, however that I would have a second thought about. Do you see any improvment in yours?

 

I viewed at full luminance, 1:1 image scale in Firefox at native resolution. Even at exact perpendicular viewing angles from mere inches away, the bottom left corner still exhibits reddish lagom logos at nearly the same intensity as the photo.

Not only that, but the lower left corner of the screen seems to exhibit a warmer color temperature than the rest of the panel. For example, I can run MSPaint in a window, paint a small blue-gray patch, and then move the window from that corner to the center of the screen and watch the color become ever so more bluish in hue. However, without an actual tool to measure it, I can't get any objective data on it.

The HP tech that swapped out my panel this morning is scheduled to come back to look at the screen uniformity issue some time this week. However, the tech not only failed to even see the white patches on my original panel, he also completely failed to see the stuck pixel on the new panel. When I tried to show him the bright green pixel on a full black screen, his exact words were, almost angrily, "I don't see anything, I only see black!" Thankfully, the stuck pixel never came back after I "massaged" it away this morning. Though, seeing that the regional HP tech doesn't share my concerns about color accuracy and quality control issues on DC2 panels, I'm worried that he won't budge HP tech support about it to get another replacement and I'll be stuck with this panel.

Perhaps I'm being too picky, or maybe I'm just spoiled by my Dell U2711. Either way, I was really expecting something similar in quality to the U2711 given the amount of money the 8540w commanded. The uniformity on my Dell screen is perfect at wide angles using the same lagom test. Even the previous DC2 panel didn't share this big of an inaccuracy in this test either, and it also exhibited a more uniform color temperature throughout the panel. So, long story short, first DC2 panel had cloudy patches of brighter light on a black screen... second DC2 panel has noticeably inconsistent uniformity across the panel... am I asking too much in trying to get the second panel replaced? Maybe I should just live with these slight imperfections.

 

Hi LagginTimes, this is the issue I noted with my DC2, and will hopefully soon get resolved. See here - we're not alone, and it may comfort you to know that Aikimox actually had to wait till his 3rd panel before he found perfection on his 8740W.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...-review-full-metal-jacket-31.html#post7158736

No! That is why we spent the extra cash, right? Actually, I am fine with slight imperfections, like the minor backlight bleeding I have, but I need colour to be a lot better than what we've got now.

Cheers.

 

Got off the phone with HP support this morning. Unfortunately, they want me to physically ship the laptop out to them. My concerns now are that, to the undiscerning eye, the panel appears "fine." It is somewhat hard to notice the color temperature differences, but it's there... especially that yellow tinge in the lower left corner. If tech support is anything like the tech they sent out to replace my panel, they'll just open it up, look at it, say it's okay, and then send the unit back completely unchanged.

I'm going to attach a written report of all my observed issues. If they can get me a panel with the color uniformity of my first panel, and the black screen uniformity of my second panel, well that would be perfect. But I'm not sure if the support team are the kind of people who care about things like uniformity or color accuracy.

Here's to hoping HP tech support pulls through.

 

Hi. I have an unusual situation and would very much appreciate some advice from folks on this thread. Long story short, I ordered an HP Envy 14 with Radiance display when they were blowing them out with $500 coupons in January, when HP "found" they had some extra Radiance screens lying around. Unfortunately, my computer has a defective display and, surprise, surprise, they don't have one to replace it with . So, HP assigned a Case Manager to propose as close a match as they could from any product within all of HP's notebook product lines. Their pick: an 8540w with DC2 display!

I have great respect for the 8540w and even more for the DC2 (notwithstanding the problems noted in this thread), but we're talking apples and oranges here and, without going into detail, it is not just better than the Envy in many respects, it is very different and just won't fill the bill for the intended use.

So it pains me greatly to say I don't have the right use for this awesome workstation/screen they're proposing: a new 8540w (configuration below; list price: $3,288, "street price (25% discount): $2,400 as an "even exchange" for my $944, $500 coupon-reduced Envy 14! What I do have use for is the cash it's sale could generate. At first I thought, "wow, $1,500 difference at street price! Then I did some research and tentatively concluded: This is a niche product, not a popular or even enthusiast's product. Of the relatively few who will buy a workstation/screen of this caliber on eBay, they will be looking for a true "steal." Then I asked around, people who know this end of the market better than I, and some said I may not get more than $1,200 or so, based on looking at past sales. I think that's a low ball, but if it is even close to that, I'm not going to go through the bother.

So, my threshold questions are:

1) How much do you think I can sell the unit configured as shown below (and no, I cannot change anything on it; it's take it or leave it!)? It would be factory fresh in an unopened box. Again, I'm not looking for top dollar and just want to get a fair price, and sell it fairly quickly.

and a follow up question, if the answer to 1) is > $600:

2) Anyone know anyone who would be interested? PM me. I will make it win-win-win

Any other thoughts or comments would be welcomed. Thanks again for your time and your advice. Configuration is below - exactly that, no changes.

Configurable - HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation - Dual Core
(ENERGY STAR) NU515AV
HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation - Dual Core
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64
MS Windows 7 Logo Label
Intel® Core™ i7-620M Processor (2.66 GHz, 4 MB L3 Cache, 1066 MHz RAM - turbo boost up to 3.33GHZ)
Intel Core i7 Label
Mobile Intel QM57 Chipset
Estar Label
Intel vPro Processor Technology NOT Supported
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 880M with 1GB DDR3 video memory
8GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2D)
500GB 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)
HP 8-Cell Extended Life Battery

 

I don't see the problem. I put the chances of getting $1,200 or less on this machine at about 1%. And even if you only got $1,200, you got more than your purchase price back from a faulty consumer laptop...that is a great deal already. Why would you NOT do this? If $600 is your breaking point, I'll offer you $650 here and now. I promise that you won't have a chance to sell it to me for that low.

When you get it, don't open it. Post it for sale on the Marketplace here before eBay. Post it $2,000 OBO, going on eBay in 7 days. Take offers for a week, I can't imagine you'll need eBay. And if by some crazy chance you can't sell it on eBay for more than $600, I'll pay $650 for it and sell it myself.

 

indeed, i would second knights post there, you can sell it easily for more than 600 bucks, sheesh some people don't know a good deal when one drops into their lap lol.

 

Some updates, I suppose:

It's been a nightmare with HP service. I sought advice from Aikimox, who hadn't received an acceptable DreamColor panel in his 8740w until his fourth replacement. Following said advice, I changed the warranty service to on-site, since it made no sense that the only laptop I use for work has to be sent in to HP when on-site service is just as feasible and is unobtrusive with my fulltime job. A second on-site was scheduled to replace my second unacceptable panel as well as replace the QuickLaunch switch cover that had an issue resulting from the first on-site visit (Calculator button no longer responds to touch). This was Wednesday morning.

Wednesday afternoon, the on-site tech who serviced my machine last time (the tech who was unable to spot the white patches or the stuck-at-green pixel) emails me a message with his manager CC'ed to the letter:

To this, I "replied all" with a very lengthy report on defects I found with the panel after the tech had left. This report contained details and photos of the issues I saw and made posts about in the previous page of this thread. IMO, there is no excuse for a DreamColor panel advertised to be a color-critical LCD to have yellow tinges in corners, or have noticeably poor uniformity across the panel. I figured that this would clear up any misunderstandings or confusion as to why I want the second panel replaced. I sent the reply Wednesday evening.

Heard absolutely nothing on Thursday. No calls, no emails.

This Friday morning came around and I called HP to check on the status of my case number. The HP rep told me that he will get the local service center to call me with more information. Half an hour later, I receive a phone call from that same tech. He says that, because he personally saw nothing wrong on the laptop display panel, he is refusing to service it and halted the on-site service repair. He acknowledged reading my extensive report detailing everything that was wrong with the panel and shrugged it off, restating that he didn't see anything wrong (he didn't even see those test images in person) and is refusing to service the laptop.

I emailed his manager and am waiting on a reply. Quite frankly, I don't know what I'm more disappointed with: the poor HP warranty service team in my area, or the fact that low quality DC2 panels are allowed to pass HP quality control in the first place.


lovelaptops: if that DC2 panel can pass some simple image tests, maybe I'll take [Edit: at a price, of course] it off you and swap the LCD assemblies. It seems like it might be the only solution I have now. :/

 

The new ATI driver 8.773.1.1000 for EliteBook 8540w and 8740w is now available on ATI's support site. I have installed it on my 8540w with the following results:

1> It works.

2> MDA continues to work properly.

3> The machine appears to be stable so far with no graphics anomilies.

4> While it is a newer version than what we had, it is still old by desktop standards (currently 8.821). It is supposed to have the latest version of OpenCL support, but GPU-Z says otherwise. However, at this time I have not investigated further. And the HP branded CCC is still the legacy version.

5> Installation ran smoothly and required a reboot. Don't be alarmed when Windows boots and the screen goes black as WinSAT is executing for analysis and configuration of the graphics subsystems. This will last a couple of minutes.

6> 10 bit continues to work, but possibly, to my eye at least, with slightly inferior results to the prior driver, i.e. a little more banding at 400% magnification and 100% luminance in CS5. I am now alongside the 8740w, not updated yet to the new driver, and on-screen results for the 8740w look a little better.


And now my thoughts about color. Once again I perceive a small incremental change for the better. In Full/Native mode in a medium light environment with Spyder3 calibration turned off, I see the closest yet side by side comparison to my GretagMacbeth using color aware software. This is at approximately 20% luminance to minimize reflectance value differentiation between the two mediums. As expected, the higher variances are displayed in Red and Moderate Red, although Magenta appears near spot on. Purplish Blue, Blue Flower, Green and Foliage are also near spot on. Light Skin and Dark Skin unfortunately still contain a slightly warmer appearance. For those of you who use Canon equipment and printers, you know what I mean. When turning on the Spyder3 calibration, Red improved greatly but Moderate Red went off a little, as did the various blues and greens. Light Skin and Dark Skin, however, went spot on, a very big deal in my book. Overall, this is an update that I can work with.

Remember that these opinions are based on my eyesight, to me the ultimate judge in getting it done for my workflow. Others may only be satisfied with charts of machine measured reflectance values. So, YMMV, but I'm initially happier today than yesterday.

Edit: Clarification of 4> above. 8.821 is the latest ATI version of its Desktop (non-workstation) driver. The latest driver for (desktop) Workstations (V series) is the same as our M series units. The only difference in the V package is a slightly newer HD audio driver, as well as specifically including (optional) Stream SDK and HydraVision support.

 

UPDATE: After installing the new driver on the 8740w today and loading ramp.psd, I compared the results side by side with the previously updated 8540w. While the 8740w looked comparable to the prior driver results (I checked it before the update), what was surprising was that today the 8540w was also comparable, an improvment from yesterday. Can not explain why, since ambient conditions and internal settings were the same. Maybe I was just being too critical, since neither machine renders a perfect smooth ramp. Better than 8 bit though.

 

Ok, now I get it - all these horrific stories are meant to scare me into selling my 8540w at a lower price, lol! Seriously, I am debating with not even having HP ship it to me - a refund for the ill-be-got Envy 14 is the alternative. I have until around mid-next week, around 2/23 or so to decide, so if anyone is interested, I'll need to know by then.

@LagginTimes: Problem I see is, I don't to buy this thing, take it out of the box and do the "simple image tests" you refer to, have you decide it flunks, then I'm holding a computer I need to have service on! What's the alternative, you ask: I will either have it "pre-sold" to someone like you, or, if I decide to take some risk, I would have it shipped to me, never break the seal, and sell it to the highest bidder on eBay or here on NBR - "as is," but of course with the 3 yr. wtty intact. Frankly, it is you who have me scared to even let it in my house.

I will tell you that I have once had a great deal of issues with an Elitebook (2740p) and, after they felt they couldn't do any better, and I still had the right to return it for a refund, I told them I would be sending it back (this was the third one I had) unless they offered me a steal of a deal to keep it. They offered me a $1,970 ($2,700 list) computer for $675. I took the deal. My point: if you do replace it, with mine or someone else's, you might be able to get through to the customer support (not tech support) organization and make the argument I made: you can either give me a deal, keep some of my money, or take back a not-perfect, used computer to repair, spend $ repairing it, then sell it as a refurb. It worked for me.

 

I got a great deal on an 8540w today with the M5800 ($900 unopened). All work and a little play. Perfect.

 

lovelaptops: As you indicated, it is not wise to open the 8540w before selling. How much is the refund for the ENVY?

 

Having just bought one I concur that there is no way you would not get close to double what you paid for the Envy.

Don`t cry over the Envy 14. My Envy is a hunk of junk. One week of ownership and nothing but all kinds of strange driver problems. It`s headed back to the store this week.