*HP EliteBook 8730w Owners Lounge*

After hunting on the forums for several hours I finally found what to do... Get the HP Mobile Display Assistant (sorry, didn't get the link)...

I simply selected sRGB under Color and voilà... It's almost perfect now!!!

Before I waste a good night's sleep on this again... Can someone tell me how to tweak the individual colors? "User Settings" is grayed out...

As for the screen itself, I do notice a slight greenish cast at the lower left corner, over a roughly 2" tall by 1/2 " wide area... My wife's much less expensive Compaq (basically a budget HP, seems like it came from the same factory) seems much more even... Is that enough of a 'defect' to bother with HP service? I wouldn't want to start the service call merry-go-round...Is screen unevenness a common issue with this machine? Are there software solutions (color dynamic color map overlay depending on absolute screen address) that can alleviate the issue, or am I dreaming?

As always, thanks for your feedback... I just hope I won't regret paying a premium for that Dreamcolor screen, wondering about its reliability...

 

Well all I can say is that the folks at HP customer support are incredibly dedicated... It was determined after a couple of hours of doing all kinds of checks including in the BIOS (there was a noticeable difference between the white in the BIOS and the white in Windows, and there were no issues apparent on the external monitor), that I have one of the famous screens with pink bottom and greenish bottom sides... Turn out the panel was manufactured week 21, 2008 so I presume I got one of the early ones with that common color cast defect... Uncanny how much more pink it looked compared to both my desktop and my other laptop!

So I'll be getting a shipping box in the next few days... Great service considering where I live (in a small village way in the hills), and it's right up there with the level of service I got in the days I was using a Thinkpad. By itself it was well worth the price, especially considering I got this 6 month old, pristine FM875UT that was obviously only used for a few weeks, for... US$1137

I know I'm late to join the party but hey, I could never afford the $3,000 asking price new, and I am still covered under warranty for another 2.5 years...

Just to let you guys now, I tested the main 8 cell battery today, after 12 hours off, the battery level was at 98% upon fresh start, and it lasted.... Almost 4 hours! (casual work and diagnostics) I would have been happy with 3, but it definitely came pretty close and even slightly better than the 3 hrs and 40 minutes estimate of the "Balanced" power scheme!!!

 

delete.....

 

color calibrator. I recommend the X-Rite EyeOne Display LT if it's compatible with your display.

 

How expensive are decent color calibrators? Is it worth it for laptop screens considering they are not as even as standard desktop models?

As a matter of fact, I'm asking this to all 8730w owners out there: is your Dreamcolor screen as evenly balanced as your desktop screen when looking at a pure white screen?

As for service, I was flabbergasted by the speed with which I received the service box... Les than one day, never saw that before in my area... Unbelievable! It's off now for the regional service centre in Newmarket, ON. I just hope the technician will do a good job to make sure the Dreamcolor screen is a Dream and not a Nightmare Do they actually test the screens to make sure it is even? What are the brightness and evenness standards? I hope it will be significantly better and at least as even in backlighting than the one on my 2.5 year old el cheapo laptop!

 

I'm considering running two (2) external monitors with my 8730w (nvidia fx2700m, DreamColor panel) but when I tried to connect my plasma TV (via HDMI) and 19" monitor (via VGA), it wasn't supported.

Can anyone advise if I did anything wrong, or do I need something like the advance docking station with HDMI and DVI ports?

My ideal setup would be to use just the 8730w alone to achieve the 2 external monitor setup. If not possible, then I'll get the advance docking station should that solve the problem. Else, maybe I'll wait till a good deal comes along for the new 8740w as I read somewhere that it could support 3 monitors simultaneously.

My intended use for the 8730w with 2 external monitors (with the DreamColor panel active) is for online stock trading with different charting programs, not for gaming.

 

Well I got the laptop back and guess what... It's basically EXACTLY like my previous screen, with a noticeable pink spot on the lower left corner and greenish sides of 1/2"x1.5" on either side near the bottom corners. If it wasn't for the fact this screen does not have the Dreamcolor sticker on it, I could swear it was the same

I talked to the technician at HP Solutions Canada before he sent it out and he said he could not see a problem but replaced the screen with a brand new one anyway...

Don't they use instruments to test the screens they install? I just can't believe they rely on subjective assessments considering this is supposed to be a screen designed for exacting color work...

What's the record here for consecutive screens replaced? Is it a fact that newer screens do not exhibit this problem, that is was a defect of the early screens? The replacement screen is of exactly the same date code as my previous screen (week 21 2008)

As for courtesy and service speed, I got to tip my hat to HP for that. One day for sending in, one day for delivering it out is amazing. And their courtesy is first class. Which is why I am hopeful this issue will finally be resolved.

Here are pictures of the defect - They are as close to reality as I could picture them. Everyone who has seen it has noticed it. It's no joke.

Full Screen:


Bottom Left Detail:


Bottom Right Detail:


The chromatic aberration on the high contrast pointer is due to the lens of the camera. I have full resolution images available for anyone wishing to see them in detail, which clearly shows one dead pixel and several weak subpixels.

 

maybe it is not possible to get a perfect screen at all?

 

Come on, Sotton, do you find this acceptable?! On a color-critical LCD monitor, touted as being superior to any other one? I paid a real premium for this screen, and it's orders of magnitudes worse than the dim, but much more accurate screen on my cheap, consumer-grade, three year old laptop!

My wife, who is not into pictures, saw it right away, her own el cheapo $600 HP is oogles more even than this screen is!

I simply can't work on pictures under these conditions! I just can't. I can tolerate perceptual differences due to relative viewing angle (I adujst it to be perpendicular to my vision when editing), but this is totally different! This is basic backlighting unevenness, obviously caused by improper led light mixing!

Seriously, are you saying your screen has the exact same issue?! I just can't believe it!!! Come on!!!

 

Those of you running 8GB RAM on your 8730w....what brand are you using?

Anyone using Corsair VS8GSDSKIT800D2?

I'm getting conflicting information regarding the timings and voltage.

Someone at newegg said it's 6-6-6-18 1.5v.

Doesn't the 8730w require RAM with 1.8v?

 

Hey RampageII, I sure wish I could help... As soon as my machine comes back from the shop I'll let you know what's in it. That should be easier for folks to figure out than to open the case to check what video card heat sink they have

BTW, care to say how you finally did it? And how's YOUR Dreamcolor? Evenly lit or color show?

 

I'm looking for aftermarket RAM that is compatible and at a good price.

I know it's suppose to be 1.8v, but the review on newegg for the Corsair RAM, where the guy claimed it was suppose to be 1.6v, left me with doubts about whether it will work on the 8730w. Again, mainly because of the voltage that he claims they the RAM uses. I thought all ddr2 pc-6400 soddim was 1.8v.

I got this puppy really cheap ($1100), considering all the specs.
No DC though. But it really doesn't matter to me. Mine has an LG 1920x1200 panel which looks very even and it has no dead pixels. It looks great to me. I really can't complain.


Haha, you noticed my sig.
Somebody had to do it. The guys in this board that have 3700m equipped laptops (from factory) are either a bunch of wussies or they've never picked up a screwdriver in their lives. LOL
Removing your keyboard DOES NOT VOID YOUR WARRANTY.

Two things I can confirm;
1- The 3700M equipped laptops DO come with the dual pipe HS from factory. Unfortunately, there's no part # on it.
2- There appears to be a third factor. Something in that Mobo, besides the BIOS and VBIOS, that keeps the 3700M running stable.
I know, because at first I tried to do a simple swap from 2700 to 3700 with dual pipe HS and my system started to overheat. Just like it was mentioned earlier in this thread.
So updating the BIOS and HS doesn't appear to be enough.

In my case, I performed a full Mobo transplant. LOL
No, it was definitely not the most practical thing to do.
My 3700M is running stable (between 35-45 deg.) and now I'm very familiar with the internal components on my 8730w. LOL

 

I think we came to the conclusion that it depends more on driver version and operating system than on heat pipes but if it works now don't change anything

 

Good to know; as for myself, I do not intend to run a 64 bit OS so that point is fairly moot...

Well, I paid about the same for mine, WITH the Dreamcolor panel... So I consider my purchase a great deal... As long as the Dreamcolor issue is resolved!

I am starting to think that getting a DC panel may have been a mistake... I work a lot in B&W photography and having color variations in some areas is really a pain, and it would seem that although the DC panel is much, much brighter (you truly have to see it to believe it!), backlighting is still an issue... (Hopefully an exception rather than the norm, we'll see what HP Solutions Canada has to say about it)

I can say one thing about my 3 year old Toshiba laptop, it was cheap, the colors are washed out, yes, but the backlighting is even and apart from the usual TN panel issues (contrast and lighting varies off axis), it does not have backlighting color variations...

Absolutely, it's not called "Self Repair" for no reason, the maintenance manual is not a classified document AFAIK... But I can understand folks who have just gotten their machine being hesitant

Did you find the maintenance manual helpful? Seems to be a very good document to me...

 

My system is dual booted with xp and w7.
I'm also running the latest video drivers from the nvidia website.
Everything runs smooth under both OSs.
I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion.
the vBIOS on my 3700M is 62.92.51.00.05, but I believe someone mentioned before that he flashed both system BIOS and vBIOS and it didn't make a difference.

I ran the Furmark stability test at 1920x1200 for over an hour. Max temperature was 90C and eventually settled at 89C. Never saw any glitches. Keep in mind, I didn't replace the original thermal paste during the swap. So it's probably not cooling as well as it should. I'm waiting on the artic silver 5 I ordered.
I lifted the keyboard for a little while just to feel the heat pipes. Man, you can probably fry eggs and bacon with it. lol
Once I ended the test, the temp went down to the high 40's.

The dual heat pipe HS definitely serves its purpose.
HP doesn't just use it for no reason.
However, it does affect the CPU temp along with it since the heat being dissipated from the second heat pipe goes through the cooling fins on the CPU cooler before exiting. The single pipe cooler just pushes the heat through the rear exhaust.

I noticed that on my 8710w also.
When I upgraded to the dual pipe cooler, the GPU dropped by about 6-8 degrees, while the CPU went up by 5-6 degrees.
Fortunately the T9500 is a cool running CPU. It went from about 27C to 33C, which is still nice and cool. The lower GPU temps kept the fan silent most of the time.

 

rcboyit had problems even with the dual heat pipes but this changed after the latest driver update and a newer vbios. http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...cial-hp-elitebook-8730w-owners-lounge-85.html

I also have changed from 2700 to 3700 (done by HP) but the single heat pipe and no problems known so far with the latest drivers, however, not played using the 8730w for a while...

 

How do you guys upgrade the system BIOS and GPU BIOS on the 8730w?

For the system BIOS apparently you have to use the SSM program and command lines. But I haven't done it yet.

I'd like to see some instructions for how to do both.

 

the system bios can be updated using the windows based version, too (just look on the hp download page for the 8730w). I always use the windows version, it is easier, I use BIOS F11

the gpu bios can be updated using gpu-z, I haven't done that, though, however, the version I use and I think rcboyit, too (he updated it) is a few pages back in this thread available for dl

 

You mean the one where you have to install the HP security suite BIOS program?
My mobo came with F.0F

I thought you guys were using nVFlash. I read about it recently but I'm not up-to-speed on how it works.

How do you use GPU-Z to update vBIOS?
When I click on the button to the right of vBIOS it says "Save to file" and "Summit to online database". I'm not looking to do either one of those. I want to "update" vBIOS.
I thought it would say something like "update/change vBIOS". The other tabs don't say anything about vBIOS.

BTW, is Physx enabled with that new vBIOS you guys are using?
Seems to be the only thing disabled in mine.

 

I have used this to update my BIOS

HP EliteBook 8730w Mobile Workstation- HPQFlash for HP Notebook System BIOS (68PAD) - Microsoft Windows-Based - HP Business Support Center


you are right, I thought it would be able with gpu-z but it seems not, maybe someone else can help?

Physx is enabled (XP), but I think it could be OS and driver depending, too, not VBIOS... I use driver 197.16 WHQL

 

Thanks for the HP BIOS tool. I'll give it a try later. But I'd like to confirm if in fact that will enable physx, before messing with it. If not, then there's no point in updating it.

I have the older vBIOS (62.92.51.00.05), as described earlier, along with the system BIOS F.0F and the same 197.16 driver.
In xp, both cuda and physx are disabled according to gpu-z (gpu-z boxes unchecked)
In W7U64, only physx box is not checked.

Strangely enough, in the nvidia control panel, it shows that physx is "enabled", for both xp and w7.

So which is right, nvidia control panel or gpu-z?

 

Your system has 4GB right?

What CPU and GPU does yours have?

Cool, nice to know you got a great deal too. I appreciate the quality of these laptops but I simply cannot justify spending $3K-$4K+ for the privilege of being the "first" to use it.
Specially when you find one that has the specs you're looking for and is in like new condition.

I went to HP to check the price for an 8730w with the same specs as mine and after taxes it's more than $4000.

For a moment, I was even tempted to buy an 8740w, but then I found my 8730w and couldn't pass on it.
On top of that, considering all the delays the 8740w guys keep getting, by the time they receive the laptops, the new 8750w will be out. jk, jk guys :laugh:

I practically broke even after selling my 8710w.
And the 8710w was brand new when I got it and I basically got it for free.

 

FM875UT#ABA
Panel: DreamColor WUXGA, AutoDim
GPU: nVidia Quadro FX 2700M / 512MB
CPU: Core 2 Duo, EM64T, T9800 @ 2.93GHz w/ 6MB L2 running on 1066MHz Bus
Memory: 4GB DDR RAM 800MHz
HD: 320GB HD 7200RPM SATA 300
DVD: DVD-RAM+-R+-RW, Dual-layer, LightScribe
Other: Wifi, Bluetooth, Webcam, Mike, Fingerprint Reader... I also ordered a docking station for use with a truly high resolution external display (planning to get a 30 inch Dell 3008WFP, 2560x1600 and finaly retire my 15 year old, 21 inch Sony Trinitron CRT running at 2048x1536 that so far producces the best picture of any screen I have ever seen)

Absolutely. I looked for three months before finding this deal and it was really bizarre because the seller steadfastly refused to sell to me "because I'm not in the US". So it cost him $500, because he got no bids on his first and second listing. By that time I had told him 'look, you could have made more money if you'd accepted my previous offer'... No go... I ended up having to register a US identity and address, bid by proxy and had it redelivered afterwards . In the end it cost me at least $600 less than I would have paid for a comparably equipped version here. And to top it off, it was as new, had only been activated a few weeks when it was put up for sale, AND I got a spare battery as a freebie

As for value, as much as I want to believe it's unlikely for ALL of these Dreamcolor panels to have the same issue, I'll have to reserve my judgment until it comes back from HP, because after all, the first time the panel was replaced, it had the same color aberration and what are the odds of that happening, unless the technician faked the repair, which I doubt since he bent the switch cover when putting it back together My hope is, that the rumor that this issue was fixed in later production runs is true. I've given HP instructions to keep the laptop until they had fixed the issue because color aberrations in the backlighting are simply not acceptable, because I bought this laptop expressly for its superior screen to work with pictures (I produce in the course of my work 15,000 pictures per year on average, all of which I process), and as it stood, my cheap three year old laptop, that I paid $750 for full price three years ago, has better color fidelity than this Dreamcolor panel had even after extensive tweaking!!!

Yes, we'll see if "three's a charm". I'm willing to wait, because indeed, it has all the specs I was looking for: a high resolution screen (hopefully with great color), a Trackpoint (All my previous laptops except for my present one had Trackpoints and I sorely miss one), a tough magnesium chassis (my laptops get hauled every day), a fantastic keyboard (except perhaps for the one on my 16 year old Thinkpad), the ability to run XP... The only thing I would change if i could would be to turn that awful brushed aluminum black... maybe I'll have it powder coated... Unless I could find a way to anodize it?

Yes, mine was listed around $3,800, but how many people would REALLY pay that kind of money for these specs? In reality, wait a year and you get reasonable prices. Want it now, pay the full price. Just like cars. The price of vanity...

From what I have read, I'm not even sure it's worth bothering, at least for another year. Heck, they don't even have the Dreamcolor 2 issue sorted yet...

Exactly. The best time to buy computer technology is one year after it's been hyped (er, I mean, 'introduced'...). Hopefully by then its main issues have been basically resolved and the prices have become more reasonable. Like houses, the best ones to get are those that have proven themselves, usually 3 to 4 year old, before the end of the builder's warranty, after the house has had a time to settle (if it had to) and before its major systems have started to age in a significant manner.

Great move, I wish I didn't have to be such a hoarder

 

I have chance to buy 8730w for good price- in different configurations... Mine main concern is about screen- i have seen 1680x1050 at mine friends laptop and I do not like it (too dark)... What are expressions about wuxga screen (NOT dream color) is it good and bright???
Thanks

 

I think there are two versions of WUXGA around besides the DreamColor, one from Samsung and another from LG. I have the Samsung and it is not that good (light leakage, not so good black level and so on). It is ok for me (working is no problem) and bright enough, too (for me).

However, I have heard there are a lot of good deals of refurbished DreamColor versions around currently, maybe you should go for one of these?

 

Hmmm... Refurbished? It's a bit worrying, don't you think, when the most commonly posted issue with the Dreamcolor panel is the color aberration of the background light in the lower corners?

After my experience, I would definitely NOT get one unless sight unseen UNLESS I had the assurance of being able to have it repaired it if the panel had color aberration issues!

Sotton, I now understand your lack of bother about the screen; I am using a laptop that does have the weaknesses you describe and frankly, they are quite benign and not at all comparable with background color aberrations that really interferes with color reproduction. All the CFL backlit laptops I have seen so far had some sort of backlighting imperfections and contrast issues due to angle of vision, but none had background color mottling issues like the two Dreamcolor panels I have seen.

In other words, if I could give some advice, it would be to LOOK AND COMPARE SCREENS before buying, because although the Dreamcolor screen is definitely brilliant and in a league of its own in terms of brightness of intensity and color and is frankly superior in that respect (You truly have to see it to believe it... it's truly brilliant!), I personally could not live with background color aberrations... I always carry the Nokia Monitor Test 2.0 around to test monitors (you can also set the desktop to a white background, but it's not really full screen). According to HP Tech support, though, the best test is to go into the BIOS and check the background there, because it bypasses any advanced driver settings that could be at fault.

 

I prefer 1680x1050 if screen is OK... Also is P8600or P8700 strong enough... Which one is best price/ performance ratio...
Thanks

 

I suggest to buy the most powerful machine you can get but it depends on what you want to do.

If you want the 1680x1050 you are limited to two models only in your country?

RAM and hard disk can updated more easily than graphic card or processor.

I know nothing about screen quality however I would never go for less space so only if your eyes are very bad the 1920x1200 is nothing for you

 

refurbished means of course less warranty (because this normally depends on the manufacturing date which is coded in the serial I think) and maybe a little wear. But as I understand it if you have trouble you get the same service and this should mean an exchange of a faulty screen.

And it could be HP uses all the exchanged DC displays for their refurbished models right, then you will get a trouble screen from the start. And if you want the extra quality then you have a problem...

I really want to see a perfect DC once, maybe I understand then

 

Considering the human eye is suposed to be able to resolve about one minute of arc, that means looking at a laptop with a 17 inch diagonal from 20 inches translates into 2820 pixels (inverse tangent calculation), which translates into a maximum resolution of about 2400x1500, so I consider anything less than not optimal especially since you can always increase the DPI in Windows to match what you are comfortable with (1680x1050 is about 116 DPI whereas the WUXGA screen is 133DPI, whereas a standard 17 inch laptop resolution, at 1440x900, is 100DPI)

As for photography, every pixel counts, as long as color fidelity is there. What's the point of using a 6MP or more camera is your screen cannot go further than 1.76MP (1680x1050)?

As for processor speed, it depends what you do... Some applications really tax the graphics processor, some others, the CPU. Please describe what you do most of the time and what software you are using. I can tell you that the nVidia FX2700 is very fast and should run pretty much everything except perhaps the latest and most complex games. If you MUST have a high performance gaming machine, by all means get the FX3700. but I'm not sure it's worth it... Again, we need to know what your intended use is...

 

You did see the pictures I posted... The screen is otherwise actually good (I would not call a screen that is natively too red overall perfect, but that can be corrected to some extent) except for the areas pictured so looking at a 4:3 ratio picture bypasses the defective screen areas...

The biggest difference is mostly the level of brightness and the excellent dynamic range (very deep blacks, very bright whites) and, if you are using the native color space (I am not since I require realistic photographic representation), the incredibly saturated colors.

In other words, it's a truly magnificient screen. The problem I have had is the color unevenness of the RGB backlighting especially the very noticeable lower left red tint (which I am hoping HP will be able to correct, hopefully using a second factory run of that screen).

 

I wanted to add, the difference between Dreamcolor and non-Dreamcolor is STRIKING... The Dreamcolor panel is much closer (apart perhaps from the viewing angles) to the brightness of a good desktop LCD.

 

I've compared my Dell 3008WFP and 8730w LG screen.
But honestly, it's nothing that makes me wanna say OMG!!!

Yes, the 3008 is brighter, better colors and viewing angles. But not OMG!!! LOL
I usually keep the brightness on my 3008 at 30%-50%. Anything more than that and it feels like my eyes are burning.

Is there room for improvement? Sure, I suppose it could be a little brighter. Personally, it looks just fine to me. The only time "brightness" comes to my attention is when I hear people complaining about it. LOL

As far as viewing angles are concerned, that becomes relevant on bigger screens. But on a 17" laptop, where by default you're sitting straight in front in the optimal position, I don't see the point.
I mean, when you're using your laptop, are you sitting somewhere other than in front of it?
Does your OCD force you to constantly look at it from the side just to say "damn this thing has bad viewing angles". LOL

 

EXACTLY the desktop monitor I want to get to work with my laptop

There you go... modern LCDs are way brighter than CRTs ever were... But I can tell you that the Dreamcolor is natively incredibly bright and vivid, when compared to the LCD on my three year old laptop, and is also markedly brighter to my wife's laptop, which is a generation(one year) younger...

It's interesting that the non Dreamcolor panel would appear to be intrinsically bright, but nowhere have I seen a direct comparison of two 8730ws, one with and the other without Dreamcolor... Although it is brighter in nits than the non Dreamcolor panel... One thing I can say for certain is that blacks are noticeably deeper and colors are noticeably more vibrant...

It becomes important when you do presentations to clients, like I do. I like to be able to see a reasonable amount of the picture when I show it to them from aside... Other than that, indeed it's not a big issue. On my present laptop, the best viewing angle is basically perpendicular to the screen surface, with only maybe +/- 5 degrees. Lateral position is also important, you want your eyes a bit to the right of the center of the keyboard...

 

I am closest to choose T9600, FX2700, 1920x1200 NOT dream color model... Mine main point is about that screen- is it too dark or bad colors... I have reed many reviews: ALL are talking about dream c. screen... Can somebody, who have, normal one tell is it good...
Many thanks

 

I have this, mine is a Samsung. I am not sure if all non DreamColor WUXGA are from Samsung in the 8730w but as said before it could be that there are a few models with a LG panel (however, I have heard that the DC also comes from LG, so maybe that is a misunderstanding?).

It is bright enough for me but others may think different (my older HP has a real dim screen so anything brighter than that is better ) I normally use it one mark below the brightest setting. I have tried for a short period a Sony double lamp screen and that was too bright...

It is matte but not really matte so a little mirror effect is there.

Colors and so are nice but black level is not that good and I have light leakage from below (where the CCFL is).

For daily work and a little gaming I would recommend it but if you are into graphical design or do a lot of picture editing the screen is maybe not good enough (but then you would go for the DC anyway )

 

The Dreamcolor panel IS an LG, model LP171WU5-TBL1. And to be fair to ivanox1972, not all Dreamcolor screens exhibit the uneven colored backlighting problem some have posted. If you google Dreamcolor and LP171WU5, you will notice most pictures that are posted show screens with no backlighting defects (granted, a non white screen cannot give an accurate representation of backlighting color). I just wish laptop reviews were more in-depth about true LCD color fidelity, intensity, saturation, etc., like they usually are for digital cameras. It's unbelievable, really, when you think most pictures are destined to be viewed on a monitor rather than to be printed.

The light leakage would be fairly standard for laptop LCD screens and many desktop LCD have this issue as well, but really it has little impact on viewing. Color pollution, IMO, is much, much more objectionable. As for being too dark, I don't know where ivanox1972 is coming from but the Dreamcolor is NOT dark at all, quite the opposite, it is VERY bright and contrasty. Then maybe he means that shadow areas are much darker than a non Dreamcolor panel? Yes they are, this panel has much deeper blacks. It is a very, very contrasty panel. Regular LDCs looks washed out beside it. You got to see it to believe it.

 

For those with Dreamcolor background lighting issue, I just got off the phone with HP Canada about mine and guess what, the Dreamcolor panel is backordered.

Hopefully this means that anyone sending it in for this issue will be getting the latest generation where, presumably, this issue has been resolved...

What is HP's record for waiting times for backordered parts?

 

@83bj60- I am not sure you understand me (mine English is not so good I know)- I do not said dream c. is bad but I do not want to pay it...
I do not need this machine for any professional graphics usage, I just like hp business line and use it last few years...
So maybe it is good for me to save 300eur and take P8700, ati firegl and 1680x1050 screen...

 

From the little time I have had it, I would say you should be very happy with it. You will definitely love the keyboard feel. After all, it's a flagship, high-end model and since it's "last year's model", now is a good time to buy one.

For business use, unless your business involves high end, photo-realistic 3D rendering, any graphics card and any processor should do. I work off of a 3 year old laptop with integrated graphics, a 1.5 GHz core 2 duo processor, 2 GB or RAM and it works just fine for those tasks. It only bogs down if I attempt 3D photorealistic rendering, so I'm sure you should be happy with your selection.

 

Anyone here familiar with Akasa Thermal tape?

Is it better than the OEM cooling pads used in the GPU memory chips and chipset?

I have artic silver 5 which I'll be using on the CPU/GPU and I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading the cooling pads as well.

 

Hmmm, I must be missing something here... But isn't heat supposed to be transmitted to the heat sink EITHER by an adhesive pad OR a cooling paste?

 

yes. for cpu and gpu usually thermal paste is used as it has better heat transfer. for memory chip that do get a bit cooler and might not be perfectly placed on the card thermal pads are preferred as they can compensate mounting differeces or angles.

rampageII: I haven't used those pads but someone here used bergquist pads that are supposed to be the best around. just look for this brand here on the forum
for what regards the heatsink: the dual heatpipe gives a small improvement on cooling as the second heatpipe is not connected to any fin. check and you'll see I know what I'm talking about. My 8730w has been more days disassembled than up and running. it only helps distributing heat better around the aluminium heatsink. 90c while occt or furmark are the same temps I have and I have no glitches at all. the problems do come from some games, have a look at my posts if you are interested. the thing is that hp did an horrible job in cooling this card. as you can see from other users that run occt on their 3700m in the dell m6400 it never goes past 76/77...that is good cooling. 90c for this card is way too hot. it works but it MIGHT reduce lifespan.

 

rcboyit,

Thanks for mentioning the bergquist pads as an alternative. I'll have to look into that also. I'm not familiar with the thermal pad options that are available.

Regarding the dual pipe HS... yes, the lack of fins on the 2nd pipe was one of the first things I noticed about it, long before I even had an 8730w. I saw a picture of it about 6-8 months ago, while I was trying to track down a dual pipe HS for my former 8710w.

I always thought it awkward that the 8710w DP HS had fins on both pipes and yet the 8730w HS doesn't. Probably due to a lack of space.

From personal experience, using the DP HS on my 8710w with 1600m, I noticed that it provided a significant improvement in GPU cooling. However, this came at the cost of an increase in CPU temps.
This was due to the fact that the additional heat being removed by the 2nd HP and fins, must first go through the CPUs own cooling fins before exiting the system, thus effectively reducing the thermal efficiency of the CPU cooler.

Fortunately, the T9500 is a cool running CPU, so the impact was not so dramatic. As a result of the lower GPU temps, the fan speed was kept relatively low most of the time.

 

On another note.....

I swear, sometimes I wonder how many people use these laptops for their intended purpose.
For once, I'd like to hear someone comment on how great they are at running CAD software, digital imaging, video compression, etc, etc.

Instead, it's always....."man, my Quadro graphics card sure does a great job when it comes to posting synthetic benchmarks"

or

1st guy: 'Man, I had to pull an all-nighter with my elitebook'
2nd guy: 'Really, how come? Did you have an important project due the next day?'
1st guy: 'Nah man, hell no. I was playing COD last night. It was down to just two of us and the other dude just wouldn't quit.'
2nd guy: 'So what did you do?'
1st guy: 'You know me, I wasn't about to let him tarnish my perfect record. So I kicked my professional-grade quadro card into overdrive and stayed up all night until he finally gave up.'
2nd guy: 'Cool'.

:laugh:

Am I the only one here who doesn't play games on his laptop?


Professional laptops for the ever-so-hard-to-please, distinguished gamer. LOL

HP Elitebook.....When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mother****** in the room! Accept no substitute. LOL :laugh:

 

..............:yes:

 

What panel 1920x1200 can be this one:
MS_0000???
said in Dev manager ... Hardware Ids...
thanks

 

Hello guys !

I've been reading many pages on this board as I plan buying a 8730w very soon.
I have a few questions about its issues :

- Does the battery drain issue affect every PC ? Has it been solved ?
- Concerning the Dreamcolor display : are there many displays affected by the backlight problem ? Was the 2008 week 22 batch the only defective one ? Is the chromatic abberation issue present on every display, or only on the badly-backlit ones ?

Thanks in advance =)

 

I can only speak for myself so here goes:

- My 8730w with Dreamcolor is NOT affected by the battery drain issue, and I have had three different DC panels.
- ALL three panels I have had exhibit the the pink on bottom left and blue on bottom right. The effect is most visible on a white background. Out of three screens the first was slightly visible, the second very noticeable and the third is barely visible. They all came from week 22, 2008.
- See the pictures I posted earlier in the thread for an idea of how it looked on the worst screen I had. Be aware these pictures were enhanced to look as much as it looks on screen, but perhaps because of the camera or the post processing, the backlight illumination appears much less even than it really is. The colour effect, however, is quite accurate if perhaps less chromatic on the pictures and the intensity of the white background could not be rendered accurately. In other words, the actual screen is so bright, it is indeed difficult to render its true effect in a picture, and the "colour" tinging is more akin to a bright white that is so bright, you can see its colour Am I making any sense? In any case my third screen is much more subdued in terms of colour intensity and area. Basically, the reddish area is about 1/4 inch square in its most visible, same with the blue, and on pure white background you will probably notice a wider area of less that perfect white purity, possibly 1/2" horizontal by about 2 inches vertical, but like I said, it is quite subdued and you will not be able to notice it except on a white background...

I got it... It's a bit like the gaussian colour effects on a CRT... You know, the slight colour effects due to magnetic fields? But over a very small area...

Being that sensitive to colour is a pain, not only for myself but also for others who have to wait for that "perfectly rendered shot"... One of the reasons I HATE to print photographs, as they are NEVER as nice as when I view them on a properly balanced monitor... BTW, get yourself PowerStrip, it's aMUST to properly setup the colours on this monitor. And expect to spend a weekend tweaking colours for different uses

Properly setup the colours are bright without being excessive, the dynamic range is fantastic (more detail in bright lights, more detail in deeper shadows) and a very wide viewing that, just like the lines on a Trinitron CRT, make these bottom corner colour effects become bearable precisely because the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Just do make sure you get the warranty when you get your machine, do NOT buy one without one!

Besides, the chroma effect will only bother you if you work full frame on a white background. The worst actually in when viewing web pages with lots of white background (such as here ). As I usually work with pictures on the left, full page document on the right I doesn't bother me. Only on pictures with light tones on the bottom corners is it noticeable. On landscape pictures with medium tones (I do a lot of landscape photography), it is hardly noticeable at all. Also since it's 16:10, 4/3 or 3/2 images don't reach the very edges so it has no effect on such images.

Finally, if I had to give advice, it would be to see one for yourself first. Make sure the proper, sRGB color space is selected using HP Mobile assistant, otherwise your eyes will hurt from the unbelievable color intensity.

 

Folks, I'm curious...

I just discovered where the "Smart Card Reader" is (under my CF PC card adapter) - What does this thing do?! Is this just corporate/military/security stuff or does it have any real usefulness for regular users? Has anyone tried to 'read' his credit card with it? Does it mean I could eventually use my laptop for people who want to pay me with a credit card? Provided I got a merchant account, obviously...