*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 1*

I`m almost 100% certain that M7820 is the 5870 in all aspects, just certified for pro apps, that`s all. HP_FAN did some tests with it and claims equal performance in benches and games. This should be the best single card solution till Fermi.

 

From what i saw after dis-assembling the driver files few weeks back, it supports HDMI and HD audio. It's just a question of HP enabling audio over the display port.

 

good news! I've just fixed the toughpad. They just forgot to plug it in! LOL! Now I can fully enjoy the laptop!

 

I've found that the memory banks are placed in a bit confusing order... first bank is under the lap... second under the keyboard... third angain under the lap.. etc etc.
also.. my second memory is not HP its samsung m471b5673eh1-ch9 (2gb - CL9).

 

yeah, the cable... BTW, where is it and was it easy to repair?

and what about the pictures?

 

well it was just under the keyboard where the keyboard cable is.. a little 7mm white plug.

 

Very nice, Xsrx!
Good to see the system is working!
Do you have all 4 memory slots populated?

Also, could you please tell (or pic ) your max temps when @load? We are so desperate here, give us some pics!


BTW, how loud is the fan? Do you hear it all the time or just @load?

 

hard to say.. not very loud but louder than my DELL laptops (not disturbing at all but under stress It can do a bit of noise) the most annoying is the HDD..that noise is hard to describe... I assume that everybody knows the sound of 7200rpm laptops HDDs

I'll check the temperatures a bit later. Now Im uploading a few pics of the laptop.

 

a bit from the temperature sensors.. Im downloading a few files now + some office jobs + browsing (IE - a few windows) + uploading + chating + checking emails... and the temperatures are:
Core 1-4: between 53 and 56C; GPU 41C; HDD:33C; voltage 16.68V
Energy Consumption (HP power management) 44W

 

ok how to test the temperatures when the vantage is on ? when Im trying to swith between windows than the vantage shuts down...

 

That begs the question.... why a different Model instead of must a suffix to the Mobility Radeon HD 5879 name? It's the 1st thing that entered my mind when I read HP_Fan's report.

I guess I just don't understand the whole "certified" aspect then, and why another model would be called for if it's 'identical' in all other ways. But no matter. We'll know more/all in a few weeks as they hit the streets and a few of you who have access to the machines that use the 5870 do a compare & contrast.

 

Hotfile.com: One click file hosting pics of my 8740w (including a few detailed pics of the heatpipe and other stuff under the keyboard

 

Just keep the temp monitor running in the background while testing and it will show the max temps.

 

Game: COD - Modern Warfare 2 - aa X4; screen res 1600x; max details; taken in the middle of one mission (I've died to do this test )

Hardware monitor ACPI
Temperature 0 0°C (32°F) [0xAAC] (EXTZ)
Temperature 1 0°C (32°F) [0xAAC] (EX2Z)
Temperature 2 37°C (98°F) [0xC1E] (PWMZ)
Temperature 3 44°C (111°F) [0xC64] (LOCZ)
Temperature 4 70°C (158°F) [0xD68] (GFXZ)
Temperature 5 25°C (77°F) [0xBA8] (BATZ)
Temperature 6 69°C (156°F) [0xD5E] (EGXZ)
Temperature 7 70°C (158°F) [0xD68] (CPUZ)
Temperature 8 0°C (32°F) [0xAAC] (MCHZ)
Temperature 9 59°C (138°F) [0xCFA] (PCHZ)

Hardware monitor Intel Core i7
Power 0 55.04 W (Processor)
Temperature 0 70°C (158°F) [0x1E] (Core #0)
Temperature 1 68°C (154°F) [0x20] (Core #1)
Temperature 2 72°C (161°F) [0x1C] (Core #2)
Temperature 3 70°C (158°F) [0x1E] (Core #3)

Hardware monitor NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
Temperature 0 68°C (154°F) (GPU Core)

Hardware monitor WDC WD32 00BEKT-60V5T
Temperature 0 33°C (91°F) [0x21] (Assembly)
Temperature 2 33°C (91°F) [0x21] (Air Flow)

Hardware monitor Battery 1
Voltage 0 16.68 Volts [0x412C] (Current Voltage)
Capacity 0 73440 mWh [0x11EE0] (Designed Capacity)
Capacity 1 72850 mWh [0x11C92] (Full Charge Capacity)
Capacity 2 72850 mWh [0x11C92] (Current Capacity)
Level 0 1 pc [0x63] (Wear Level)
Level 1 100 pc [0x64] (Charge Level)

 

ok than the max was 70-75 on each core; gpu max 73

 

That's perfect!!! The GPU is well under control as well as the CPU. The later however can be further improved by a high quality thermal paste.
But you don't need to worry!
Whoa, HP!

 

thanks for the pics

personally I find the GPU runs cool but the CPU a little hot, but this could be normal for a QuadCore

 

I'll do the vantage test tonight now I have to test the premiere cs5 vs nvidia cuda as I have one tv advert to do on this lap this week.

BTW.. on my pictures you can see a little syringe with some blue liquid inside Its just a pen.. so please dont ring FBI CIA MOSAD and other

 

Hi all, I've been following the thread for a while.

Ati and Nvidia have been doing this for years. It often comes down to a difference in firmware; reason enough for the huge leap in price. It's optimized to work with the popular professional software suites and sometimes has unlocked pipelines, etc, that exist but are otherwise firmware-locked in their consumer counterparts. As for the name change, I'm pretty sure it's just to better distinguish the cards from one another for the consumer--to justify the increase in cost between them, usually three or four times higher in desktop cards.

There's always softmodding; replacing the firmware on a consumer card with that of the professional variant. That could be why kaltmond wants to get a hold of the 3800M VBIOS from xsrx, just a thought. I tried it on an 8800GT--->FX3700, identical hardware both w/ G82 GPU and the results were promising, although, it didn't perform as well as the real FX3700 from what I could tell.

Also, xsrx, you rock. Awesome pics.

 

That is a normal temp for i7-quads with stock thermal paste.
My M17X with i5 (and superior cooling system) had the same temps till AS-5 was applied. Now, max is 65C under heavy load and 28C room temp.

And yes, i7-quads tend to run hot by default.

@Xsrx,
The beast is so elegantly gorgeous! Thanks for the pics! Now for the month of waiting...

 

Yep, the design is great. I love simple designs...
You dont have to wait I've found my on PriceGuideNetwork.com

BTW... the keyboard is not spill proof I think... there is nothing aroud the keyboard to stop liquid to go inside... no rubber or anything...

 

are you satisfied with the LC-Display? Since it is no DC but LED backlight...

 

The reason I'm willing to wait is the DC screen and backlit keyboard. But the screen is the primary reason for even choosing HP. If Alienware had anti-glare RGB LED as in M6500, I'd never even think of switching.

 

thanks for all the updates xsrx! The temperature and the pictures looked very good. Now the rest of us have something to drool over while we wait.

If Vantage is too much of a hassle to install, esp. since it is not something that you'd use regularly. I recommend OCCT. It is a very small and effective CPU/Mem/GPU stress/stability/OC testing tool. It also has a very nice test report generation feature.

 

If I understand the design correctly, they actually have the keyboard designed to let liquids flow through it with a drain directing it harmlessly out the bottom so it's more "resistant" than "proof" but explains why it doesn't look like it.

 

Yes, OCCT is a nice tool. You can also try the Furmark GPU stress test, but be warned it really pushes the card to its limits and thus not completely realistic as you won't be stressing your system that much in real life. Still, if you run this test, do it for only 10-15min and if your temps reach 95C - stop.

 

The screen can be upgraded later
BTW why you want the screen so much ? Im in design industry (TV ads) but I would never do any serious job on a laptop screen just because its too small. At home I always have 1-2 screens (Eizo CororEdge) connected.

BTW - standard full HD 1080 screen in 8740w is great I've calibrated it by eye one yesterday + a bit manual correction to match my Eizo screens and the result is just perfect.

I would spend the difference in price between DC and non DC for a good 22inch screen or fast 2 raptor discs.

 

ok so far occt test 15 min. 1st core max 74, 2nd 70, 3rd 71, 4th 74. gpu 45

 

OCCT GPU test - max 85C combined with unzipping 10gb file so the cpu was under stress aswell - cpu went up to 70C.

Sounds like around 80C the fan is swithing the last gear on.. its not disturbing or very lound but the air flow is so fast inside that you can feel it comming from udder the keyboard

P.S. sorry again if you dont understand my writing its not my native language if anything please ask and I try to rewrite it

 

Nice results xsrx, does the CPU ever go above 75oC?

As for wanting DC2. My reason for wanting it is bit foolhardy by normal standards:

I want to help support whoever that still values quality and reliability of a product, rather than just wanting to make a product that has a massive feature list, complete with bugs that will become "features" for the new model that comes out in couple of months...

So when I saw that there was a chance of an quality 10-bit IPS panel being used for DC2 monitors, I jumped on it immediately.

It is my, foolish and vain, attempt to slow down the "infestation of disposable goods."

 

Hotfile.com: One click file hosting charts form occt

 

no, didnt notice it at all. Funny that when I've tried that occt test the cpu didnt overclock for more that 130mhz but when I was unzipping it went up to 2700mhz ?

 

that is normal, the OC is not supposed to kick in if all the cores are being stressed.

The "Turbo" mode applies to when some of the 4 cores of the cpu are idle.

Edit: btw, what program are you using to monitor the conditions of your GPU? If it works for the professional cards, I'd highly recommend EVGA Precision.

Oh and running the OCCT 3D test in full screen will be more stressful on the GPU. But again, don't run these tests for longer than the prescribed time period.

Also, turning on "error checking" could help you spot any possible hw issues. Though I don't expect any, since you are not overclocking the GPU.

 

I think I'll do some real test by just working on the machine Now im converting a canon 5d II footage and all I can say is... its a damn good laptop workstation!

 

Lucky you.
I'm too mobile to have an Eizo backup, my work includes software development, design, analysis and management as well.
Being relocated too often I'm forced to a single (notebook) screen most of the time.
After seeing a presentation with 8740w was practically mesmerized by that screen.

 

Well, will look at that..
Fermi on laptops coming this June.

2GB of vRAM.

Your laptops have suddenly become obsolete, before they even reached your hands.

That's gotta be a new record. LOL

Let's see how long it takes for HP to refresh these suckers.
Complementary bag of ice included with first orders only. LOL

 

first of all I would never ever ever buy something like euroxxx clevo etc laptops. You just cant get anyting better than DELL/HP.. I mean the quality/support/warranty/screens etc etc.

no offence 8740w is not for games.. we are talking about business class laptops

 

What would be interesting would be if the 480m chips are made with 32nm technology. If that is the case... It would be pretty awesome, for my desktop, since I am sure the 32nm GTX480 (GTX485?) would soon follow.

 

First of all, lol to you back . Before ordering mine, I got a confirmation (it was mentioned here) that the Fermi 2GB GDDR5 GPU is coming to 8740w in June/July. HP has the info for quite some time on their website

Second, it won't be much more powerful than 7820, maybe about 10-20%, but it will be much more power hungry and helluva lot more expensive. In my opinion - screw it. I might upgrade down the road when the price/performance ratio is satisfactory.

It's confirmed to be a 40nm card, sorry for the bad news.

 

Nvidia has been all fizzle and no bang for the last year or so.

Sad to see.

 

It is indeed sad. NV has a lot of smart and hardworking people there. But in the recent years, I feel that they are over-reaching a bit too much. They should've just paid no mind to the assimilation of ATI by AMD, and focused more on their core. They esp. shouldn't have wasted so much energy making enemies left and right.

That said, Fermi is actually a pretty amazing achievement. They just need to hold steady and refine the core over the coming months. And they need to make more of them so I can order one

 

By the time Nvidia refines the core, there will be 6870s
I think it's time for the RED's to play the ball. I got really frustrated with both Nv cards (GTX280M) and the drivers during the last year. Since the upgrade to 4870s - happy camper!
Go, Hecatoncheires!

 

You do realize that new GPUs will eventually make their way into business class PCs right?
Hence, the reason why I linked the article.
The fact that they will be first available on what could be considered "gaming" systems is irrelevant.
Btw, being able to "play crysis" is not my criteria for buying a laptop. LOL :laugh:
I usually get bored after playing games for a few minutes. They just don't hold my interest anymore.

LOL
I knew current owners and soon-to-be owners would jump on the defensive as soon as they read my post. jk

But seriously, the article says they'll requires 100W, which puts it at the same level as the current FX3800M. These suckers will probably run even hotter than the 3800m though.
It'll be interesting to see the Quadro equivalents of these GPUs and how much HP will jack up the price for the new hotness.
By the time they make the switch to 28-32nm, the new 8750w will probably be released.

 

Much thanx for the details keptin. I repped you. Not that me doing it being a newb accounts for much tho ; someone w/a lotta rep help this man out.

 

The price will be less than the FX3800M's
The performance will be 10-20% above the 7820.
Don't really see a need to defend the product. I have the alien for this - . Will jam a couple of 6870s there when they are out, hehe.

 

Not trying to be mypoic and justify my purchase, but I'd pass on that myself if I had a chance anyway.

 

The laptops or the GPUs?

I linked the article because it stands to reason that new Fermi based Quadro cards for the 8740w should soon follow.

Not because I have an affinity towards the laptops being mentioned in the article.

I just think it's funny how soon the FX3800M will be dethroned (about a month) by the new Fermi cards (FX3900M I suppose).

 

I know you didn't ask me, but I have one you likely never would have considered...

I am together w/my wife only Friday night to Tuesday morning (plus an add'l day during the summer); we bought a small place in NYC to have 'cuz she loves the city and I need to be there at times too, and for her to live in so she doesn't have to commute 4+ hours each of the 4 days she works riding a very unreliable train service. Then, I'm also thousands of photos behind in my D-SLR->JPEG conversions.

So when my wife is home w/me, I don't want to be in my week-day office (I work from home) @ a computer performing pp work on my photos; I do have a pretty decent HP 2335 SIPS display to use there (pre-LEDRGB), but then I'm still away from her presence for a lot of extra hours. So when I learned I was likely only seeing 50% or less of the colors my camera can take on the laptops I'd used these past few years, and recently learned of the differences between TN & IPS where I'd already realized how badly the color & contrast wash out on laptops when I tilt the screen up or down and that IPS addresses this, and learned I could even get 10-bit per color now? ...for only about $600-ish more than the alternative notebooks I'd been looking at? The decision of what machine I wanted to serve as my primary DSLR PP machine was made clear for me.

 

The GPU. The ATI seems to be at a great point on the price/performance/efficiency graph. So I'd be likely to choose it over any of the NV options if given the choice.

I do follow; definitely get the focus of your original post. I agree it's quite comical how the 5870's reign didn't last very long. ...hope at least we're past the point where the NV's won't 'melt' and begin failing after the warranty is up! (I have an Inspiron 1720 that was made in the time-frame of the issue and I'm just waiting for the day when it happens )

 

About Fermi...

Ever since the bump material fiasco with Nvidias cards, I've been staying away from them. Their product line has been lackluster over the past couple years regardless, so it's not like I've had to make a hard choice between them and Ati. That being said, Fermi might be interesting for the professional users...but it's 6 months late to market, so Ati may have a superior offering fairly soon when it releases their next line of cards in the fall (with mobile variants available by Q1 2011).

Fermi does have some things going for it in the mean time. There's a massive increase in CUDA performance and it's twice as fast as the 5870 in OpenCL ( source). As for real world benchmarks, it seems to generally be around 5-20% faster depending on the program. The downside to this extra performance: substantially increased power consumption, heat, and noise. It's just like Nvidia to release a flagship card that's 20% faster and 50% more power hungry, not to mention that it's twice the price ( source). I'm more interested to find out what performance can be had for the mobile Fermi card with an equivalent TDP to the mobile 5870s. My guess is that unless you need CUDA/OpenCL, the Ati offering will be the better mobile option.

When it comes to laptops, the thought of a single 100w graphics card is astounding. To put it in perspective, the mobile 5870 is a 50w card. On the other hand, mobile SLI'd GTX-280's are 150w and the Alienware x17 cools them just fine.