*HP EliteBook 8730w Owners Lounge*

I truly wish you could find a deal like that for yourself - you'll definitely love it. Just keep an eye on kijiji, great deals are snapped as soon as they appear. As a matter fact, the dual screen setup worked great on the Windows 7 64 bit 8730w with Nvidia FX3700m that I got for $150 last year because of its poor CCFL screen. It took me no more than 15 minutes to get it to drive the 3007 at 2560x1600 AND the Viewsonic at 1200x1600 as a separate screen, not mirrored. WOW!!! You were right, it's dead simple in Windows 7. Or is it because of the Nvidia software? In any case working with both screens for a few hours now I'm starting to think I may get serious neck problems if I don't set these screens up better, that's how huge they are ;-)

For those who wonder about wide gamut screens such as the Dell 3007 WFP-HC and the fact Windows works poorly outside of the sRGB colour space, causing intense fluorescent colors, the Nvidia control panel has a desaturation slider that works GREAT to compensate for it. Of course it's not perfect, only a calibration solution will make that possible, but it's close!

As for myself, I do need Windows XP, not only for the control it allows me comparatively to 7 and Vista, but also for my 16 bit apps, one of which is an abandonware CAD for which I have built an extensive library of objects. On Vista 32 bits, the program works OK, with some caveats, but it works much better on Windows XP. So, my next step is to see whether I can run this dual external screen configuration under 32 bit XP...

Using Powerstrip, I was able to correct each monitor independently to get the colours close, so that is done as well...

One thing to note, using the VGA cable to drive the Viewsonic at 1200x1600, the picture is a bit fuzzy, like my old CRT used to look like when is was overdriven. I presume it's because of the cable (Analog VGA), I'll see how it goes with another cable. When I try the setup with my 8740w, I'll be able to use the DVI cable instead (the 8740w docking station has two dual link DVI and DisplayPort outputs), which shouldn't suffer from this image degradation.

All in all, I'm quite impressed by what the 8730w can do regarding external monitors. So, for those who are coming to visit today looking for information, if your work involves graphics and CAD, don't hesitate to grab one of these classics (the 8730w with Dreamcolor and the Dell 3007 WFP-HC) if it comes along, you won't be disappointed.

As for your laptop, Sotton, which card are you running, an Nvidia FX 27600M or FX 3700M, and what resolutions are you running on your external screens?

 

Great for you that all is running, however, I guess, XP is still not that easy? I hooked up a second screen (VGA, FullHD) to my old nw8240 with 128 MB ATI and it was also no problem. So, I guess, if you are not gaming then the higher total resolution is no problem even with smaller RAM. If you do CAD, gaming and so on it could be of course not enough.

I currently have only the FX2700 as a replacement after my FX3700 died. FX3700M are so rare and expensive, I guess also because these were the ones causing some problems of faulty manufacturing.

And I only use one FullHD monitor using DVI with the internal screen (yes, the ****ty one ). If you do no gaming it is all no problem. And for gaming I use only the external monitor.

 

Well after I finished my last post I attempted to shut down the Windows 7 Laptop and lo and behold "installing updates 1 of 46"... Well that killed it, upon restart I lost my screen and the laptop was frozen :-( Man, I hate the Police State we are living in!!! I got the screen working again after unplugging it then reconnecting to the Vista laptop, and all is back to normal, I'll see what I can do with the windows 7 laptop later. Looks like I'm going to be disabling the windows updating service on yet another machine. Last time it happened on my wife's computer, I had to reformat. Those who are willing to give up liberty for a little security deserve neither. But let's not get further into politics...

 

Interesting, the FX3700M story. Never had a problem before (I don't play games anymore - I pretty much stopped at Tomb Raider 3), It drove both screens beautifully before the windows update, so I doubt the card is at fault. But indeed the laptop was perhaps a tad warm underneath when I undocked it, so there could be something there.... The problem on the screen was, it showed the desktop OK right after the start for a couple of seconds (alongside the Viewsonic in vertical orientation) then suddenly the upper part of the screen went flat grey and the computer froze, when undocked the desktop would show on the laptop again but it was frozen and I could not uninstall the update from the recovery console. Then in repair startup and could not get back to a previous date due to some error, although it definitely recorded recovery points. Repairing boot showed no error. Anyway... Am I repeating myself here?

As for CAD, it's working GREAT on the FX2700M equipped laptop with my CAD (TopDraw). Of course, this CAD is 1.4MB installed, 16 bit, 1000 times smaller than Adobe illustrator, designed at the time 10MB was the size of a standard hard drive. I could import its export format into Adobe illustrator, but with highly detailed drawings, it's real pain, forget about editing. It's one of the main reasons I stick to my old OS.

With my main graphic apps the dual screen configuration appears to be working just fine. I'll be testing it further along as I go, right now I'll go get the sick computer going again. If the video card is the problem (which I doubt), I do have a spare second hand FX2700M ;-)

 

Just an update - I looked at the 'fuzziness' closely with VGA and DVI cable and there is in fact NO significant fuzziness to speak of. It appears to be mostly a visual effect of the screen rotation due to the pixel striping of that screen (which is vertical): lines and text acquire subpixel fuzz which becomes perceptible in portrait mode because the smoothing lines up with the subpixel stripes. The effect is less apparent with Clear Type tuning off. Rotating the screen back to horizontal, the effect is basically gone.

 

A new question:
The 8730w with Dreamcolor which had problems (battery draining because of faulty light sensor) are still around in used sales. So, I want to avoid them. Can I be sure if I choose the later ones with Q9000? Or can these still have faulty Dreamcolor displays?

 

Good afternoon, Sotton

I wish I could answer your question, but you can get sensors for fairly cheap, if that's the problem. They aren't very common, those for the DC equipped 8730w, but I got one from a seller in the US for less than $20. This would certainly not stop me from buying a DC equipped 8730w... The difference between that screen and the CCFL is like day and night. Also, keep in mind that even with a fresh battery, you'll be lucky to get more than 2 hours of use out of it and to prevent excessive discharge it's a good idea to disconnect the battery from any laptops you don't use for a while because no matter what is said, they do discharge, whereas by themselves they keep their charge for many months.

 

thank you for your information. Since I adapted to the normal 8730w LCD I guess I give it a try if it gets not too expensive. 8730w are still wanted in any configuration, with Dreamcolor of course a lot.

I am trying to calibrate my LCD monitor (the external one). Any better way than using pictures like this? (which can be found in the internet, I am not sure the picture below is even working, maybe it is only a shot and not for calibration)

 

Indeed - I'm typing this on the CCFL 8730w (marvelous keyboard, much nicer than my old one, who has had much more use) and to be honest, I could live with it as well. Of course it is dull and hazy compared to the DC and even more when compared with the DC2, but for regular work it's just fine.

As for finding a good DC panel, as you probably know, getting a true OEM DC display is pretty much impossible, at least new ones, as the 'compatibles' simply don't work and could destroy your motherboard.The display I use in my main machine came from a donor that had been through a pretty horrible accident, but the sturdy case protected it well. So I wouldn't hesitate to acquire another one if I had the opportunity again, just look for the Dreamcolor sticker in auction pictures ;-)

Actually, this is very good. It should allow you to set brightness, contrast and gamma just right. You just need to get the pictures at the native display resolution for it to work OK. Of course as I don't run Windows 7 on my main computer, I use Nokia Monitor Test, but since it's a 16 bit program it won't run on Windows 7 (at least not the 64 bit edition).

You should also download a Macbeth color checker chart and get a hold of the card itself, this will give you the best of both worlds. Or simply get a test picture showing skin tones, scenery, etc., and set it by eye. For color adjustments I prefer Powerstrip by Entech Taiwan, but you can also use the Nvidia Control panel for that.

 

Well I guess I rejoiced too quickly. I looked at it closely again today in horizontal mode and the Viewsonic VP2030b, as driven by the Nvida FX 2700m and FX 3700m through the advanced docking station is definitely fuzzier, on any VGA cable, and it's pretty much the same when I use the DVI cable. I've read somewhere that Nvidia cards have problems with that screen, so this remains to be investigated. For now I don't really care, I use it just for viewing full page documents, it's no fuzzier than my old CRT was so I can live with it (for now).

 

After uninstalling the video card driver and making a clean install, the Windows 7 powered 8730w can again drive the Dell 3007 WFP-HC again, so problem solved. Of course, other applications were also broken by the update, but since it's a pretty bare install, I'll live with it (for example, the battery won't charge now). Thank You, Microsoft (NOT!)

 

It turns out, after lengthy research, that the HP so-called 'advanced' docking station NZ223AA, although having two Dual Link DVI connectors, is only wired for Single Link DVI :-(. In other words, HP screwed us royally with this docking station. If I had known when I purchased it, I would have made a big raucous. The older 8730w docking stations that I got for a pittance on eBay all have true Dual-DVI outputs.

So... It was NOT Windows after all, but the fact this docking station is misrepresented as having Dual-Link connections. And guess how much they want for the Displayport to Dual Link Adapter that gives actual Dual-Link output? a Freaking Fortune, cheapest I was able to find was $100!! (more than $100 for a bloody cable adapter)

NOT happy...

 

That is really bad, is this also true for the 2012 advanced docking? I know they updated a few ports to USB 3.0 and Displayport to 1.2, but maybe more?

 

That's for all the four docking stations listed for the 8740w I'm afraid... I'll have to get an adapter or a screen that has a DisplayPort connector... I find HP's design choice in that matter really, really dumb and cheap.

Ah well...

Are there any other more recent docking stations? As for HP I read somewhere that they were phasing out dual link dvi at the time the 8740w came out, in favour of DisplayPort, so I'm not too optimistic...

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

there are a few USB docking stations but I guess these don't support Dual Link

 

I've located an adapter from an ebayer who's willing to send it to me without going through the dreadful global shipping prigram that typically doubles the cost of everything... It's more expensive than in the US, of course, but at least it's manageable (USD40) and it was used with the exact same monitor so I expect to work ok. It's a Dell/Bizzlink dual cable with USB power take off just like the HP part that sells here for CAD200...

What I can't understand is why did HP neglect it while it deliberately used dual link dvi connectors and for what savings? I find it totally unacceptable especially considering the docking station was specifically designed for their top of the line professional laptop. It just boggles my mind. If I hadn't invested so much into it that would have been enough for me to switch back to IBM (Lenovo). Totally unprofessional.

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

I guess they are a lot of cheaper ones around, however, before trying them and get frustrated because they won't work it is the better solution to by the right one in the beginning.

Yeah, I would by a docking to hook up multiple displays with the highest quality as a main reason.

 

Indeed. There are plenty around USD5, but they all go to a maximum of 1920x1200. Useless. Only the USB powered ones go to 2560x1600... And the seller used it on the exact same monitor, so I should be fine.

I've been given the famous eBay 'Global Shipping' run-around, or at least the seller had to go through it, the waste of time it causes is unreal. Must have sent 4 messages and tried as many bidding methods to go around it. Seems eBay doesn't want buyers from out of the US. The time I spent was more than the value of the item but hey, it's a matter of principle. I simply refuse to be bullied and fortunately the seller agreed as well, but many more just give up as they can't justify the time required fighting the system. As for myself I've considerably reduced my eBay shopping as it's become so user hostile.

Anyway... We'll see how it goes when I get it, I'll give my feedback and for the Dell 3007 WFP-HC as well if you're interested.

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

yeah, please let us (or me )know how it all works. So, currently Dual Link DVI (2560x1600) and VGA (1200x1600) work with the 8730w advanced docking without problems? And with the 8740w advanced docking you want to use display port and DVI?

 

Had the 8730w with Advanced 2008 dock, can confirm that the DVI-Ds on the port replicator and the advanced dock has dual link DVI-D.

With the new docks 8740w and onwards, all docks (assume limited by number of pins available on dock connector), the DVI-D ports are only wired for single link.
So: For the Dell 3007 the resolution at single link will be limited to 1280x720. Workaround: Buy an active DP adaptor with USB supplied power which gives DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI-D.

The 8740w dock and onwards have two different versions of the advanced dock. One with USB 2.0 ports only and one with USB 3.0 ports.
ALL docking stations following the new connector after 8730w have only single link DVI-D. This is not only HP, found Dell does the same since it opens up for more ports on the dock.

Now to get the manufacturers to develop/purchase a new docking connector with enough pins for 5 monitors, all I/O ports etc...

 

Yep, that's right. 2560x1600 on my new old Dell 3007 WFP-HC on the Dual-Link DVI port and 1200x1600 on the the Viewsonic VP21030b (Portrait) on the VGA port of the EN489AA docking station. Here's a picture I took a couple of hours ago... o:

 

Remembered I have a Intel Core2Quad Q9200 ES, 45W TDP,12Mb L2, QAJF unused after I sold the 8730w with the different CPU last year. Say 40 EUR incl. shipping in the EU?
Very similar to the performance of Intel Q9100, same spec just slightly higher clock 2.26 -> 2.4 GHz.

Send me a PM if you are interested. Do not fill up the thread with questions, will NOT answer.

 

I find it quite disingenuous for a company that claims to have super high end components such as multi-thousand dollar video card such as the Quadro 5000M (when it came out) to essentially NEUTER it with such negligence, because that is essentially what it is. For a couple of dollars saved in a docking station your $5,000 laptop is rendered essentially useless (when it comes to using it for its intended purposes, such as cad, as for myself.

Here's a screen grab of a drawing I've been working on to be used as a visual glossary of construction terms. At 2560x1600, it gives a fairly detailed representation that has allowed me to actually discover some scale and technical errors that I am in the process of correcting now (feel free to comment, preferably by PM so as not to get too much off topic). It will be overlaid with hotspots popup definitions of terms and will eventually be split in two side by side letter sized pages (11x17).

 

I have a question regarding processor update on the 8730w and would very much appreciate feedback on this:

If I take a 8730w with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, would I be able to just purchase a cheap Intel Core Duo T9900, put it on the motherboard and have a better computer?

I am completely unexperienced with this but if it's that easy, I will go for it.

 

I also have another question regarding graphic cards. Is there any significant difference between the performance of these two 8730w cards?

1. ATI Radeon HD 3670
2. NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M

 

Ok... I'm going to try to answer both questions but take it with a grain of salt,hopefully one of the more adventuresome tinkerers will pitch in - there isn't much you can do from a base model as there are motherboard differences in terms of available power and for other reasons - I got one of the 8730ws precisely for the reason the previous owner realized he couldn't upgrade it for gaming... but as long as the parts you want to upgrade are also available in variants of the model (for example nvidia quadro fx 3700m instead of 2700m, or a faster processor of the same family) at least you wouldn't risk hardware damage so much trying.

As for the quadro family of cards they are true business devices mainly because they are certified for stability using professional applications involving cad and 3d animation. As for the ATIs I just don't know - apparently newer models are now considered as good as the nvidias in professional circles, but I'm not sure regarding this particular card. In other words the quadros don't shine in terms of performance in general but rather stability and proficiency with professional applications...



Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback, 83bj60.

According to the official Maintenance and Service Guide for the HP EliteBook 8730w Mobile Workstation ( LINK) the heat sink (HP# 494010-001) is " for use only with computer models equipped with the following processors: P8400, P8600, T9400, and T9600". The system board (HP# 493980-001) is " for use in computer models with dual core processors" .

I already own a 8730w with a T9800 and it has the same system board (493980-001). I am now considering to buy an older 8730w with P8700, so there should not be any problem replacing the P8700 with a T9800 or T9900... or am I missing anything?

Both, the T9800 as well as the T9900 were also sold by HP for the 8730w.


Concerning the graphic cards, this is something I have zero knowledge about. I do not require it for gaming but rather things like Illustrator, Photoshop and the internet. If there is not much of a difference between these these two cards, I will not look into this much further. I just need to know about the processor still...

 

Vitosha, I think you're definitely on the right track - If you look deeper into this thread you will find that the heat sink can be upgraded, some folks have done it with resulting lower temperatures, so that would take care of the increased heat output of the faster processors.

As for the motherboard, it was widely discussed when people started wanting to upgrade their CCFL screens to the DreamColor and were replacing their ATI card with one of the Quadros (ATIs can't drive the Dreamcolor screen in this model). Bottom line, HP support would insist it wasn't possible, but one of the tinkerers here was able to make it work anyway. You'd have to go back a couple of years to find the relevant posts ;-) (really, mods, there should have been a whole sub forum for this laptop instead of a monster thread!). I think it's mostly a matter of stability and like I said, basically a matter of having sufficient available power on the mainboard for the updated parts, at least that was the consensus as to the reason.

In other words: from what you're saying regarding processors, I can't see why you can't do it. Replacing the video card however, may be more involved. I'll try to find the links for you and update the post, but right now I've got to leave.

 

Thanks again for your post, 83bj60.

I was trying to collect info from this thread but could not really find anything relevant. It is indeed very dfficult to browse all these pages for a specific subject though.

Back to the subject...
As far as I understand the heat sink for any Dual Core Models is the same (HP# 494010-001), so I would not have to replace it when upgrading to a higher T9900. Only the Quad Core processor seems to be different (HP# 494210-001), no?

 

Close the laptop lid, use external keyboard and change monitor settings in windows control panel. I'm not 100% if that would work but it might

edit: apparently you already found a solution Yay for me not noticing dates correctly.

 

Hello to all
long time no see,

yes, all DC processors use one type of heatsink, and QC processors use the other type,
maybe it's not obvious but you CAN use QC (bigger) type heatsink with DC procesor.
also there is a slight difference between FX2700M heatsink and FX3700M heatsink.

The difference is in one more heatpipe
(better termal conductance thoward cooler fins and fan)

Having upgraded my 8730W from Dual Core CCFL to
Quad Core DreamColor I noticed these things

I read few posts before, some questions about DreamColor... true the difference is like day and night
DreamColor IS realy much better, but nowdays it's much too hard do find a truly functional panel.
(if possible at all, I tried 4 screens, one of them "working" = backlight being stuck at 100% but realy good in all other aspects)

There are ambient sensors for under $20
(I do have 3 of those, and all 3 behave slightly different and are different versions)

However the main issue seams to be with screens, these screens are not in production for more then 6-7 years or so,
so, if you find one even if its described "new, never been used before" it's actually not new and very much likely used AND with backlight issues
(brightness being stuck at 100%) the issue is NOT with LCD panel itself, it's rather the RGB backlight controller that is faulty.

You may end up with working screen BUT you may not be able to control the brightness or the backlight color/temperature
basically it may work, but not 100% as intended, and even as such it may look a lot better than most common laptop screens today.

so much for this time, regards
manjo

 

Hello, again,

does anyone know where to find HP SetConfig V2 utility ?

actually I realized that I'm looking for 1.36

how come this tool is so hard to come by ?

 

Thanks a lot for the confirmation on the heatsink and motherboard, manjo. This saves me a lot of time and money.

 

Hello friends, I recently bought a slightly used machine from a friend as i needed an extra for my work. Everything about this laptop is working great, only i am facing a strange problem.
whenever the laptop is connected to AC adapter, the things run smoothly but when there is power outage or the plug is pulled out from socket , the laptop immediately shutdown. But it never happens if i pull the power cord from laptop. i cannot understand the reason. here are some details:
1. battery is 4400 mah, 14.4 volts, 65 Wh (even when it shuts down and i boot up the laptop again, the battery easily lasts 1.3 - 2 hours, so i think battery is OK )
2. Ac Adapter 19 volt, 135 W
3. i am using a 2 pin converter for the 3 pins of power cord, could that be any reason.
Thanks for sparing time to read all this. all the helps are greatly appreciated in advance.

 

Difficult to say from your information, but you definitely need grounding on this adapter, try it on a grounded outlet and if it persists, replace the power supply.

It wouldn't be the first to fail, HP has a known issue with adapters failing well within the waranty period. Mine did and HP replaced it immediately no questions asked.

If you need a power supply and can't find one of the same capacity, you can get cheap non oem ones, but it may not work as expected and even if you probably won't experience shutdowns, you will get a message stating the power supply isn't strong enough and that the computer will switch to a lower power mode. I've got a 90w power supply on my spare 8730w, but it doesn't drive a Dreamcolor display and I don't care since I only use it as a backup for text based work, but I got it cheap precisely because the seller couldn't get his games to work well enough on it ;-)

Another thing to consider, that battery of yours definitely isn't OEM at 65Wh, so that could well be a factor. Can you boot the laptop on battery power only?

And what does the seller say about this?

To sum it up, check with the seller, try it on a regular outlet, check to see if it will boot from the battery only and, if you don't require high processing power, get a cheap replacement power supply to see if it will help, while you hunt for a 135W or, better, a 150w OEM charger.

 

thanks alotttttt my friend for a very detailed answer... so tomorrow i am going to try as per your suggestions :
Starting of with providing a proper 3 pin socket supply to check that doubt.
Secondly as you have mentioned about the message that "power supply is not enough and you can try high capacity adapter from hp", i am already getting that whenever i plug in my adapter.
Thirdly about the battery, yes i can boot it very well on battery and the battery lasts about 2 hours easily. but as you have mentioned that a 65 Wh battery is not OEM so that may be a factor.
so from all your suggestions, what i am assuming is the problem lies in the step where suddenly the laptop has to shift from live power to battery power and the battery is not supporting that quick shift well hence the system shuts down. so step by step after 2 or 3 pin check , i should go for the battery check and then the adapter check. I hope that i will find some solution.
your help and time is greatly appreciated. i will update soon about the situation

 

I noticed that the connector hooks for the battery break off very frequently. I would like to fix this but am unsure which part is required. It also looks as if the whole computer needs to be taken apart to fix this, no?

 

Hi, finally the problem has been solved. I bought the new hp battery 73 Wh , the old one was a replacement battery and that too a bad copy.... but now things are running smoothly.... Thanks

 

So after looking around for many years an 8730w 'with Dreamcolor' showed up on kijiji! Needless to say I was incredibly excited and immediately contacted the seller to buy it.

Good thing I refrained from announcing my discovery, the seller had never seen one before and presumed from the nvidia card and wuxga screen that it was indeed a Dreamcolor...

When I fired my machine up the difference was undeniable and striking and all I can say is that once you've become accustomed to the picture quality there simply is no turning back. It's unreal how awful the 'anti-glare' screen looks compared to the Dreamcolor...

Ah well, I'm back searching ;-)

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

So, is it a DreamColor, or not? BTW a DreamColor 1 & 2 shoot-out would be nice

 

Sorry for the late answer...The new forum is incredibly infuriating... No more direct links to the email messages for answering... Sign in process aggravating... Hopefully won't be like that next time I visit. It is much simpler from Tapatalk...

Sorry if I wasn't clear enough... The seller THOUGHT it was a Dreamcolor because it was wuxga with nvidia, but it was indeed the dull tn 'antiglare'screen, no dreamcolor logo, etc... The side by side difference between mine and his was literally like day and night... How can anyone work with these dull, dark tn screens?

Anyway, he was kind enough to let me know that should he find one (he does company auctions and resells them on the side), he would get back in touch with me.

I've been searching for several years now on kijiji with no success (there was one three years ago that sold for more than a new high end consumer laptop!)... Still looking!

 

Yeah, a lot of people are dissatisfied from the new experience, so to say.

That's not very good, can you return it? Hope he'll find you a DreamColor. So both the panel and the machine itself are really hard to come-by.

 

Nonono, Triturbo... Obviously I wasn't clear enough, so let me start from the beginning and in detail, may I? Here goes:

A week or so ago, I saw an ad for an 8730w with Dreamcolor on kijiji. First time I saw one like that in 3 or 4 years, and I check practically every day, so I was super excited.

The seller listed the specs for the laptop and they were all right (Nvidia Quadro FX 2700M, WUXGA screen...) and he listed the laptop in great condition. In retrospect my only mistake was that I did not ask for pictures of the laptop, since he posted only generic images. But I figured, how else would he know Dreamcolor unless he had one?

So I emailed and texted him the same evening he posted the laptop, saying it was sold, and that I would come two days later to pick it up, as long as it was in as good condition as he said it was.

The next day he called back saying someone else had made a higher offer, if was still interested would I match the new price? So I did. As I was working insanely hard and could not free myself to drive the 100km to pick it up, I had no choice but hope for the best, that someone would not come along and outbid me by so much that I could match him. I even started to find someone in the area who could pick it up for me and told him so, but he said "No, it's OK, I'll keep it for you, it's obvious you mean business".

So far, so good!

So, a couple of days later I drove all the way to his place. Needless to say I didn't sleep much that night. I brought my own 8730w to compare screens, because, as we know, some Dreamcolors have significant reddish tinge in the lower left corner, and I had mine replaced TWICE under warranty for this reason.

Things started to fall apart when I first saw it. Although it was indeed in great shape, the Dreamcolor logo was nowhere to be seen. But since mine had disappeared when I had the screen replaced under warranty a few years ago I figured that wasn't a proof it wasn't a Dreamcolor.

Seeing the puny 90 watt power supply was the second telltale sign it couldn't be a Dreamcolor. As we all know, Dreamcolors take huge amounts of power - at least 135 watts with the Quadro FX 2700M. My hopes were fading fast.

When we fired up the laptop I just knew it couldn't be a Dreamcolor... I kid you not, I could hardly SEE the screen at all, it was that dim! So he said, "I'm not very familiar with it, I just loaded the OS, maybe I'm missing a driver". So I pushed the screen brightness buttons all the way up and the screen became visible, but barely, and immediately noticed the lower left and right bright spots typical of the CCFL backlight (I have one exactly like that). I was now pretty sure this couldn't be a Dreamcolor :-(

Since I could not find any HP Mobile Display Assistant on his laptop (nor did I expect to find it at this point) and to prove this could not be a Dreamcolor screen, I fired up my own machine, showed him the difference (much brighter in sRGB, much more vivid and better viewing angles) and installed MonInfo on his to determine what the screen was from its EDID.

Needless to say, I proved my point. He then admitted that since it had a WUXGA screen with Nvidia Quadro, he thought it had to be a Dreamcolor screen ;-). So I said that's OK, easy mistake to make if you've never seen one, it's hard enough to find out from HP itself...

So obviously, I packed up my things and left without buying that laptop (heck, I already have one exactly like it). Since he refurbishes laptops I asked him to keep looking and get back to me the minute he finds a Dreamcolor... Hopefully I'll get a call in the near future, but since they are so hard to come by, I don't have high hopes.

With the CCFL screen the 8730w is a totally different machine ( I only use mine in the docking station). I just can't understand how anyone could actually work on one as a laptop. Sure, it's not that bad... If you work in a dark room, that is. It's got good specs and I'm sure he'll sell it eventually, but it will take much longer, that's for sure.

Since I left, the seller corrected his ad to remove the Dreamcolor spec and its still listed for sale. Obviously, the other buyer lost interest just like i did when he realized it wasn't a Dreamcolor ;-)

The market here is very scarce for 8730ws and even more so for Dreamcolors. When they occasional 8730w comes up, it typically stays listed for weeks. At $200 like he was asking for his, it will eventually sell, although I doubt he will get his asking price. I have seen others listed at $300 staying up for weeks and even months ;-) On the other hand, the last 870w Dreamcolor I saw, three years ago, must have sold for the asking price ($650, IIRC), as it was gone 3 weeks later and the seller wouldn't budge at all when I when first contacted him, heck, he was even 'insulted' by my offer and said I was 'wasting his time' ;-)

So the quest for the elusive Dreamcolor 8730w continues...

BTW, Triturbo, I still haven't gotten my DC2 8740w working the way I like it and it is still 'in the garage' so to speak... I'm still stumbling on screen calibration - I haven't found a way to calibrate the RGB backlight (NOT the LUT, I need to find a way to balance the backlight RGB itself to eliminate the reddish cast). Since you also got a DC2 8740w, I'd love to have your input on this ;-)

 

Now I get it

Still - hard to find both the machine and the display. Just gathering information for another project I have in mind. Look at me, I'm not even halfway done with the current one and I'm thinking about another...

Yeah, old, used CCFLs are REALLY dim. They are pretty nice when new though and I actually prefer them over some WLEDs.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't had the time to get into it. It even stayed for a month without use (well not exactly, it got little use) before I got to swap the drives and start using it. Partly because of time, partly because, it was soooo new, and I knew that it would never look like that again. So I kinda feel you, although I'm happy with mine so far and to tell you the truth I like warmer pictures, so it's not that much of a problem, but I would love to have 1:1 picture when I decide to edit photos and stuff. Anyway, it started to get dusty I was thinking even before I got it about the possible paths. One way is to see if I can mod the software - reached Portrait Displays, they said that they made the software, but it's owned by HP and they can't alter it in any way, so it's up to me if I decide and manage to decompile it. The other - soldering stuff*. The third - PowerStrip? Have you tried this one? I'm yet to give it a try.

*This one can vary quite a lot - form couple of resistors, to entirely removing the LED strips and piggy-backing some CCFLs out of 12" display or something like that. Kinda related - I think that the red and blue are located on the left, while the green is on the right, wonder if we swap places of the green and blue... I mean I'm pretty sure the engineers have tried multiple variants, but who knows if the one we end-up with is the best one. It really requires some investment in parts and at least one spare screen.

 

Hey, sounds just like me Fortunately I have a very tolerant wife... Since the kids have left I've taken over extra rooms for my projects

I don't know what's with the 8730w CCFLs, but both the ones I saw are way dimmer than the one on my old, 2007 vintage Toshiba... However, they do get a bit brighter as they warm up.

Well, that's exactly my problem - I do work with pictures and must have perfect fidelity quality - I have been since been able to get the DC1 almost perfectly calibrated, using a 'spyder' device to create a rough calibration curve and Calibrilla, a fantastic utility to tweak the curve in a way more granular manner than anything else out there. My grays are now much more neutral than they ever were.

Once the gamma ramp is created, I load it as the base for Powerstrip which I use for loading the correct curve depending on what screen I use (the laptop's or my external monitors - I have a Dell 2007WFP-HC (wide gamut, natively very much Dreamcolor-like) at 2560x1600, for my pictures and a Viewsonic VP2030b in portrait mode at 1200x1600 which I use vertically for my documents).

Since tweaking the 8730w with Calibrilla, people who've seen my screen before have even commented "Did you change laptops?" So In know I must be doing something right

Funny you'd say that - I was quoted pretty much the same thing from the Portrait Display folks. Not very helpful at all... Apparently HP did this to protect its market, prevent people from using generic open source software and force users to purchase its proprietary tester ads a dongle of sorts...

What, you're NOT using Powerstrip?! It's an essential piece of software! If you haven't used it you don't know what you're missing! I've used it pretty much since it came out in the 90s first on my 21 inch old Samsung 19" (so that I could run it at 21048x1526) than the Dell Trinitron CRT (also to get it to run at 2048x1536 - that screen although dim and fuzzy by modern standards had the best colours of any screen I had - absolutely no gray color tinge like LCDs are so easily prone to). Powerstrip is the most versatile graphic tool there is...

BUT... if you REALLY want to totally control your gamma curve, you need Calibrilla, which I discovered late last winter...

Here, have a look at my Dreamcolor 1 curve, as viewed from my Dell screen :


This is for the Dell 3007 WFP-HC itself:


That one is for my Viewsonic VP2030b...



When you install Calibrilla, you need to click on "The Visual Correction of LUT" to actually manipulate the individual curves... The tool is a bit weird to use, it takes some getting used to but well worth the trouble!

When working on this, I always use the black and white level pictures from lagom.nl, which I have uploaded here (because browsers can do funny things):

blacklevel:


whitelevel:


These pictures allow you to really maximize the black and white dynamic range and get much more detail out of those parts of the image (ALL the numbered patterns should be visible) , and, best of all, while also maintaining perfect neutrality in those tones

You also need Calibration Tester, a free utility by the makers of the EyeOne Display calibrator by Logo GMBH (now marketed by x-rite), as it captures, stores and sets your gamma curve all in plain text data and is invaluable for backup purposes.

I 'm starting to think that if there was a way to access the red LED and put some kind of coating on it like nail polish to reduce its intensity it may well do the trick

 

Big news, I went yesterday on ebay and made a search for the dreamcolor screen and didn't find one but TWO of them, used and from the pictures, genuine! No need to explain I quickly jumped on them ;-) I'll keep you guys posted, touch wood, and by the grace of God may well be able to finally convert my non Dreamcolor 8730w to Dreamcolor and maybe even bring back the wreck to life!

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

Can you post the listing? I'm interested to see how it looked like. Do post some pictures when you get them.

 

Hi, guys
I bought 8730w dreamcolor for funny price... Screen is great. i suppose 8740w is better.
But, this one is also excellent- much better than, also great, b156hw01 v.7.
I need somebody to send me color calibration .icc/ .icm profile to apply. I tried hp application for dreamcolor screens, but it only have option to choose color space (sRGB, adobe or full)...
thanks

 

A grade: used and screen with no scratch
B grade: used and screen with scratch

The most important for identifying theses screens as genuine is the back picture. All the 'compatibles' out there are totally different. Here's a picture of my old (defective RGB LED Brightness control):