*HP EliteBook 8730w Owners Lounge*

WOW. Just looking at all the different power supply options. It's mind bending how many different models #'s exist out there? Are there really 4 different versions of the AC/DC/PLANE 90W combo adapter? Whats the difference between a PC628A#ABA and a AJ652AA#ABA and a AJ652UT? Other than PRICE!! does anyone know what the naming convention is for all this crap? I've noticed a trend of *****AA or *****UT - anyone know what means what? I noticed that all the "recommended" power supplies and docking stations for the 8730w are *****AA parts..... must mean something.

Only reason I ask is because everything with an AA on it is ten times the cost of the UT versions, in most cases.



The latter is the one listed as compatible with the 8730W but I cannot find one difference between the two.....

 

@rcboyit

Hey, I think I read that your problems are with online play? I do not play online so I really couldn't help you there, but if it will help that I run the test during regular campaign mode, I will do that - just let me know.

happy to help if I can.

 

From my experience with HP part numbers, typically "ABA" is the 'normal' part number and, for some reason, gets changed to a "UT" number when it's part of a 'Smart Buy' classification. As far as I've ever been able to tell, they're the same underlying product if the numbers before the ABA and UT are the same.

- J -

 

Sometimes different power supplies for different countries because of the different wall plugs out there but same specs because normally all power supplies can used world wide (changing just the plug and it should work in other countries). So you may get different plugs?

Important are that you get as much Watts as are necessary... so 150W is OK for the 8730w with the small docking station but for the advanced docking with Multibay II slot you need 180W. Maybe for some 8730w models the 120W is enough but more is better in this case, too.

These are only my thoughts, I am not the power supply expert!

 

Thanks for your answer.

i know, you are sleeping in us now...so....good morning!

about my call of duty problem: i have the fx 3700 card, with the q9300 cpu,
so from the performance, it should work. and like i did say, offline-mode everything works fine..... I did also try to update the lan and Wireless drivers....but still poor fps.... oooo, i know its not a gamer-notebook, but i don't see a better notebook for business and fun together......
thanks for the explination about the vbios!! my questions:

vbios-update: is there any on the hp page or should i found one on the nvidia page?
are you using drivers from hp, nvidia or i found some on laptopvideo2go.com?
with with resolution/settings in cod are you plalying?

thanks a lot

 

for capo18 and mkvoran: me and sotton have problems running any game online or not online beacause the quadro gets too hot (I think this is the cause!). could you play a game for at least 30 minutes and log your temps with gpuz while playing? a few post ago we described how to do it.
we would really appreciate it! and please let us know even what resolution you play, what settings, if windowed or fullscreen, what os and finally what driver you use. please please we need your help and you are the only one who can help us!

capo18: where are you from? just curious! check with gpu-z what bios you have and post it here. as far as I know there are 2 different vbios around. one is 62.92.51.00.05 that I think is the older one according to it's code and the other one is the one that sotton posted here 62.92.6E.00.10
these made no difference at all to me so I don't suggest changing it as it can be dangerous.
could you please check another thing for me? sorry if I'm asking too much! could you please check if you can overclock your qx9300 with rmclock or with crystalcpuid? if you need help drop me a line and I'll be happy to help you!

 

hi rcboyit

now i know why i never used forums before...i aks something and at the end i have more stuff to do as i would do for me! i understand to get help, you have to help.... about your questions:

i will update all my drivers next days... i found new drivers on
laptopvideo2go.com, additionaly i will try a new beta-driver from dell...
then i will update my chipset driver, also from the intel-page, i think
they have newer updates... i will check how the performance is,
also palying-around with different nvidia-settings... i did see some post
about problems comming from steam... i will check that also....

i'm from switzerland.... i know, my english is not soo good...

the only think i will not do is the overclocking of the cpu, sorry rcboyit, but the 8730w was not so cheap.... and i dont know if its soo easy to change the cpu on a notebook... (if only the cpu will be damaged..) on pc i overclock always, i agree..but on notebooks i have too much respect...hope you understand that...

i found also other posts about the motherboard issue on our notebook...
so i will also update the bios to version F11..... did you ever hear something
about the power-mode-problems? some people don't have problems if they use
the battery-mode-option...i don't know how they have set the power-profile in windows... but that will also be something i will check..


still think it's strange i can play good offline and online i have the problem..
could realy be about steam, or network....but why not on all games?? uff..sometimes i really don't understand why im spending so much time with
this stupid-it-stuff....its like a woman: you can't stay without!

 

well you don't have to do all this work beacuse of me! if you have some time to play a game and leave gpu-z in the background that's enough for me! even better if you leave all your drivers like they are given that they work fine (at least in offline gaming)

I'm from Italy so I think we are the closer ones! And your english is good, for me at least!

I see your point, and I respect it. I would just need to know if it's possible to have the cpu running with the multiplier 10x instead of 9,5x (that is 2,53mhz). that would mean that chipset and pll are able to use the unlocked multiplier.

sure it will work fine on battery! when you run on battery gpu and ram won't run at full speed whatever setting you use, they'll be stuck at 383mhz for gpu and 300mhz for ram. it won't ever overheat! but it's like running a lamborghini or a ferrari in first gear only.

that's right! it's something we can't resist!

 

i will do the test.... but i'm strange in this case, also if i would not play online, if i know is not working, i need to fix it...

i was born in switzerland, but my parants are italian, from provincia di salerno...

but about the battery-mode, about the low-cpu-voltage, so you mean
the hole problem is that the card gets to hot?? thats the reason why
the card is then slow, to cool down?

 

@rcboyit - I will run a test for you next time I play, but it wont be for a few days, I have a pile of work and am out of town over the weekend. Sorry mate!

Just one more question for everyone regarding docking stations - What is the difference between the Advanced Docking station and the 2008 Advanced Docking station? From what I have seen, it looks like the color might be different, but that they are both compatible with 8730w...

So is there really no other difference except the finish? and about 100.00 (on ebay)?

 

if you read my previous posts you'll see that I have problems with overheating and it looks like only me and sotton have this problem. we both have changed the original 2700m with a 3700m so this could be a hint.

other people like you can play with no problems at all so we would like to see how hot the other 3700m gets. to do this we need someone to play a game with gpuz running in background and post here his log so that we can see what happens in their card. easy, right?

then there's people who have problems with online gaming like you and someone else. I don't think it's related to the videocard but might be to lan or chipset. MAYBE

finally someone said they can play fine while on battery power (regarding some stuttering and crashes while playing). I said it's quite obvious given that the card is never pushed at full speed and this can avoid problems like overheating or other defects of the card. but I don't want to do this as it seems quite stupid to have a great card and use it for half or less its power.

 

thanks I'll wait for your log!! but go and get a pause from your work! it's joke, do it when you can, no problem at all for me!!!

I agree with you that the 2008 seems to differ only for color. I have the 2008 one and it works fine. the other was meant for the 8710w which was all black. but if I recall correctly only on ebay they say that it's compatible with the 8730w while on hp site they say only the 2008 is. Marketing only? I have no clue. we need someone who have the older one and can test it.
have a look here: the connector and alignment pins are the same...it could work!
here someone claim he tested the older one and it works
give it a try you can find the older one super cheap on ebay

 

i can't find the post how to monitor with cpu-z? is that possible?

 

1) download gpu-z here

2) launch it

3) on the second tab "sensors" select "log to file" and "continue refreshing etc etc"

4) select where to save the log

5) play your game

6) post the log here!

if possible put here even a screenshot of the firts tab of gpu-z. click the small icon that look like a camera and save image.

thanks!!!

 

here the log... i did try everything, but it seems to be also on my notebook the same problem: to hot... do you know what the default temperature shuld be? i think the nvidia-driver from hp, also if it's an old one, is the best...
but still....can't believe it...so expensive mobile, and not able to handle the speed..... what do you suggest me?

 

90 is high... but if all works I think it could be ok... I would not play for long without breaks (cooling down the notebook and the player )

I hope gpu-z is measuring correctly?

Do you play with head phones? The fan must turn like crazy...

Sotton

 

thanks capo18 for running these tests!
Could you please let us know what os you use? and could you please tell us your vbios version from gpuz or post a screenshot? last question...sorry!what power supply do you have? in the label you could read 120w 150w or 180w or some values like 19v and 7.89A. please post yours!
have you experienced any problem while gaming? freezes, strange images, lines on the screen, blue screen?
if everything is fine then I agree with Sotton. there's no problem in hitting 90c-91c. the 3700m is one of the hottest card right now. it's not a low temperature but your not the only one round here!
someone could suggest you to buy a laptop cooler but imho they're not that effective.
the problem for me and sotton is that the card goes hot AND crashes. if your gets hot but can handle it without crashing then no problems at all!

 

i don't have the power-supply here, but will tell you tonight..

about problems: i have huuge problem, because the card is sooo slow,
i will use fraps tonight to check fps, but will not have more than 30...
in call of duty warfare 2, with alle extra disabled.. resolution. 1680x1024
and i think its because its puting-down voltage or what ever only to
cool down the card....

in GPU-Z:
Bios Version: 62.92.51.00.05
Driver version: nvlddmkm 8.15.11.8624 (ForeWare 186.24) / Win7

 

does it slow down during continuous gaming or is it slow from the beginning?

I have read somewhere that 25 FPS is enough to play COD2? I mean, do you just want more or is it not playable like you want to?

 

you said in older posts that the card was perfect while offline gaming. so is it fine or not? is it so slow only during online but good while offline? sorry but can't understand.

the card, according to the logs you posted here, never throttles to cool down, it's always full speed.

let us know your 3dmark06 so that we can see if the card works fine or not.

and, as sotton says, is it ALWAYS slow or does it slow only from time to time?

 

so, my powersupply: 150W, 7.89A...
3dmark06: something around 11500

i installed yesterday windows 7 64bit, but still same issue..

about the performance, sorry i didn't say anything, in call
of duty, offline-mode its also very slow, when i checked first
time, i didn't test good enough... (was very small map..),

my friends-pc has a 3dmark from 9000, and can play warfare 2 with
the 1600x1200 resolution.. (no AA), but still.... now i have my opinion
about this benchmarks...

 

Tellc ii have the same machine that yours w/out camera. elitebook 8730w and i am still having problems with vmware.

were you able to get any feedback from vmware yet? did you solve it?


lloyd.
[email protected]

 

what kind of problems?

do you have any kind security software installed? Which?

maybe you want to try something else? http://www.virtualbox.org/

Sotton

 

A few weeks ago, I had posted a GPU-Z log created while my son was doing a World of Warcraft raid (1MB graphics on a DreamColor 8730w). At the time, people were interested in a more complete log.

Well, I started GPU-Z last Friday night as he started his 'raid' and I finally moved it from his machine to my machine tonight. You can see the attached. Not much different though, this time, the temp went up to 52 - still not very warm.

I notice that the log got truncated early again. I didn't change any settings in GPU-Z to tell it how often to sample or to stop so soon. (My son's raid was about 3 hours but the samples here are nowhere near that frequent and don't even cover the whole three hours. And he didn't tell me he closed GPU-Z or that it crashed. Are there specific settings to get the more detailed logs people want? If so, let me know where to change the settings and I'll have him try again.)

Anyway... see the attached for what I have. Hope someone finds this useful.

- J -

 

Anyone know if the 8730 paired with advanced docking station will drive three screens? Including the notebook LCD of course. So I guess what I am saying is, if I plug into the two ports on the docking station, will the lappy screen still work as a third? Oh I have the fx3700 1gb.

 

I just got an 8730w (great notebook, btw) and am trying to buy the internal blu-ray drive to replace the current drive. I can't seem to find it on the HP website -- does anybody know how to get it?

 

Hey Folks,

So it seems I just acquired one of these "Dream" Machines (I'll believe it when it actually gets here). It's an FM875UT#ABA so it's got the DreamColor screen and a 512MB nvidia video card, so my question is:

What is the maximum resolution I can drive an external monitor at with this video card? I presume it can run more than wuxga, but cannot find any specs... I know I should have researched it in more detail, but will it run a 2560x1600 screen like the Dell 3008WFP?

I just did some work on my old Windows 98 box with 21 inch QXGA (2048x1536) Dell (Sony) CRT and just realized why I have been so fatigued in the past couple of years working day in and day out a tiny 17 inch, 1440x900 screen (Sure wish they made top of the line laptops with 19" and larger screens... It's just one more inch both ways at the end of the diagonal, how much more difficult could it be to make?)...

Thanks for your feedback, and if I posted at the wrong place, don't hesitate to let me know!

PS can someone explain why I need to login constantly here? Is there a setting I am missing? By the time I finish with my post I'm already logged out

 

maybe you have to allow cookies

 

The HP "QuickSpecs" document that I downloaded from the HP site a while back (and assume it's still there if you dig for it) says external display support is:

"Up to 32-bit per pixel color depth
VGA port supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 at 75 Hz, and lower
resolutions at up to 100 Hz
HDMI 1.3 port supports direct connection to high-definition displays with up
to 1920 x 1080 resolution and 7-channel audio with one convenient cable
(not included).
DVI port in optional HP Docking Station (sold separately)
supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 for single-link DVI monitors and up
to 2560 x 1600 for dual-link DVI monitors."

Hope this helps.

- J -

 

Thanks! It sure clarifies things... A bit disappointing the high resolution is only accessible through the docking station, what other advantages are there to it? I would like to minimize the number of components...

As for direct VGA 2048x1536, since I already have a nice 21 inch CRT that will be a nice first step, provided the output is cleaner than that of my present laptop, which causes a noticeable degradation of quality at its highest setting... Has anyone else noticed any performance issues with this laptop running high resolution external monitors? I'm just asking, because I assume that as a flagship laptop designed for graphic professionals, it should be a top performer and I shouldn't worry too much about it.

Any photographers here using this as their main machine?

In any case thank you for the reply - it will surely help narrow the search! Purchasing a docking station shouldn't be too expensive when a good 30 inch 2560x1600 monitor runs around $1000 to $1500... BTW, really, I shouldn't complain... I paid over $1200 for my first 'high res' 17 inch monitor back in 1995... But that was before the kids became young adults and started needing BIG money

 

No, that isn't it, my browser is set to expire cookies at exit only. This happens with very few sites. As if it was set to kick you out if you do not make a meaningful input within a few minutes.

Needless to say every time this happens you have to login again and whatever you wrote is permanently lost. Poor coding, really. Fortunately I usually compose my posts in a separate word processor or notepad window. Don't get me started on the so-called merits of browsers as operating systems and cloud computing!!!

 

Well, it may not be up to the high-res standards you're talking about but I run my 8730w to a 25.5" ASUS monitor at 1920x1200 all the time at work and at home. (Only use the actual laptop screen when I'm not in one of my 2 offices.) Looks/works great.

I've run it through different docking stations at both VGA and DVI. Both are fine though I think the DVI output from the docking station looks a little better. But that could also be a quality difference between my monitor's VGA and DVI subsystems.

-J -

 

Drifting only so slightly off-topic, I just see that HPfansite.com has posted some info about the 8740w appearing on some non-US HP sites:

http://hpfansite.com/hp-elitebook/hp-elitebook-8740w-ati-firepro-m7820-multiple-hp-websites/

- J -

 

Many thanks for your comments! I am presently looking at docking stations on eBay and see there are quite a few listed, many don't come with power supplies, so I'm a bit confudsed at what to look for. Do they have to have these monster 180w power supplies that I see some insist on, or is that just for when you have the docking station loaded with an extra hard drive or DVD burner?

As for DVI output, indeed, DVI will theoretically give better output since it bypasses the whole digital-analog-digital conversion... Which becomes truly noticeable at the highest resolution. Hence the necessity to use DVI for 2560x1600... I'm just hoping it will drive my Trinitron 21 inch monitor through the VGA port as cleanly as the Matrox G400 does in my old Windows 98 machine...

 

I've been following that as well.... The IPS Dreamcolor technology surely will be a hit... For those who can afford it!!!

In any case I'd prefer seeing HP stick a borderless 19 inch WQXGA LCD even if it means slightly enlarging the laptop, to give justice to my architectural pictures and make reading full page documents easier rather than get the blast-in-your-face brightness of an IPS panel, obviously designed for viewing HD movies...

In reality though, I believe most people will be content with the regular WUXGA specification and 17 inch screen.

I just can't see justifying a super high premium just to get a brighter panel instead of a larger and higher resolution screen. Is no one working with their laptops anymore?! I spend at least 6 hours a day on mine and after 2.5 years, the front bezel finish has rubbed off where my palms rest and the keys have lost most of their original feel and some have started to rub off...

There is one more thing people forget about IPS screen technology... Super high brightness and contrast is actually bad for your eyes on a continual basis... Ask me how I know! I've lost a lot of my low light sensitivity over the years behind computer monitors...

 

I think with the simply docking station you can use your 150W of the 8730w but with the advanced docking station 180W are necessary

 

What's the difference between the two? Any part numbers to look for?

 

I just got an email, the laptop has shipped Hoping UPS ground was sufficient to get it in one piece... Good thing there's lots of (real) wood in my house, I can knock on some anytime

 

More info from the 8730w QuickSpecs where Expansion Solutions listed include the following:

"HP Docking Station EN488AA#ABA
HP Advanced Docking Station EN489AA#ABA
HP 2008 150W Docking Station KQ751AA#ABA
HP 2008 180W Advanced Docking Station KQ752AA#ABA
HP External MultiBay II PA509A#ABA
HP Standard Monitor Stand PA507A
HP Adjustable Notebook Stand PA508A
HP Mobile Port Replicator AK155AA
HP Dual-Monitor Stand AK084AA"

I found a good deal on the "HP2008 180W Advanced Docking Station" on eBay (well under the $300 list) and have 2: one at work, one at home. The 'Advanced' part (and what, I believe, requires the 180w power supply) is that it has a slot for a MultiBay II device. Lets you run another hard drive, DVD drive, etc. in the docking station.

When purchased from HP, these docking stations come with the associated power supply.

- J -

 

Since I'd referred to it twice today, I decided to see if I could find the QuickSpecs on the HP site. Found it and it's a newer version than the one I had saved. Not sure what's been updated recently but here's the URL:

8730w QuickSpecs (PDF):

h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13092_na/13092_na.pdf

- J -

 

Thanks a Million, Man!

 

jea152 thanks for all your effort, it's really appreciated!
but did you select the option in gpuz to keep updating while in background?
it seems it got datas only while on focus, before playing the game and after.

about docking stations: I posted some posts ago a link with all the specs and differences for the 3 available docking solutions. I think you need one to drive the huge dell monitor as you need dvi-d connection that is available on docking only, not on the laptop.

now I have another question for all of you who have the dreamcolor panel. I got one off ebay (pm me if you are interested and l'll post details) and noticed a strange beahviour. is it normal that when you switch from a white image to a black one the brightness is visibly reduced in the whole panel? Try this if you have 2 minutes:
- open paint or similar
- make a totally white image
- then fill it with black
the whole brightness is lowered a lot, it's clearly visible and quite annoying. if you watch a movie with bright and dark scenes you can note it as well. even while web browsing brightness is automatically adjusted constantly. I enabled/disable the ambient light sensor and tried changing brightness value but no way to get rid of it. I've seen it even in some lcd tvs but it could be disabled (dynamic backlighting or similar) is it possible to do it on the dreamcolor too? or is it a problem of my panel?

thanks in advance again to everybody.

 

this is nice, if you use the Touchpad at all (like I do) and have used the extra features before you may be interested in this to get more features with 2 or 3 fingers

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/19/synaptics-driver-enables-multitouch-gestures-on-older-trackpads/

Sotton

 

Aha. I misinterpreted that check box. Checking it says to refresh the window in the background. I thought the log would be refreshed even if the window wasn't being refreshed. I'll change that setting and have him run it again sometime.

- J -

 

you can minimize the window and it will write the log and update the window, too

 

I tried to repro this on my 8730w w/Dreamcolor (Windows 7 x64 with NVIDIA 195.62 drivers). I tried a few ways ways including using paint in a normally lit room, in a fully darkened room, and with different brightness settings, but I don't get a noticeable brightness change when switching back and forth from white to black.

You might try covering the ambient light sensor with your thumb (bottom middle of screen), to make sure it really isn't picking up any light from the screen as it changes.

My other suggestion to determine if it is more likely a hardware or software issue would be to check if happens when switching light to dark screens in the bios.

 

it reminds me of this problem from Novaris_8730w posted in the beginning of February but it sounds different:

 

I must admit reading these posts it's a bit disturbing to see so many complaining about the DreamColor screen... There seems to be many people with this problem! How do you check for it and what are the symptoms? In other words, how did you discover the problem, how did it start? The seller gave me only one week after reception to check it out for potential problems. Any pointer would greatly help for testing this thing!

 

Hello All - this is my first post here. I posted a question over on the HP Support forums and was recommended I ask here as you all seem to have done quite a bit of work to your 8730's...either way - here is my issue that I am hoping someone will be able to help me out with:

I just upgraded the CPU to a Q9100 from a T9400. After this, Windows now takes forever to start up (4+ minutes) where before it would boot in under 30 seconds. Once in Windows, I noticed that the "System" process was constantly taking up 25% of my system resources (basically its maxing out 1 core) at all times.

I've tried reinstalling Windows as well as reflashing the BIOS, however none of it has helped. Has anyone else experienced this or know of anything else I should try to fix this?

Thanks in advance!

 

Well... I finally got the setting right and had my son play WoW with GPU-Z running on Saturday night. Of course, this means that the data file is now a whopping 12MB. I've tried attaching that and it appears to be too big. So, if you're interested, feel free to send me a private message with your email address and I'll email you a copy.

Didn't see any obvious problems with temperature, etc. But perhaps anyone who really knows how to look through this data could summarize and draw some conclusions for us.

- J -