*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 1*

A review of the ATI V4800 and V7800 (similar to M7820??), not the mobility variant though.

[Phoronix] AMD FirePro V4800 & FirePro V7800 Review

Hit the link if the 8740w still interest you.

 

As frustrating as the current 8740w situation is, let's keep it in perspective. HP certainly does not have a monopoly on mobile workstation problems. All the major brands are coping with serious issues right now:

M6500: audio problems, color problems, mid-cycle bump to cram in a USB 3 board
W701ds: no backlight control after resume, reported performance issues
8740w: problems with memory slots 3 and 4, etc.
All Three: delays, delays, delays

It's just a really bad time to be in the market for a high-end notebook. Right now, you basically have two choices: lower your expectations, or wait.

 

I agree with that.
In fact, currently using my gaming notebook as a business machine, lol. At least it got the quality,performance and a nice RGB LED screen. The only thing that gaming systems lack is anti glare screens. If Clevo or AW solves that issue I might never even look into the business sector again. These beasts have absolutely the best cooling/performance/quality and in addition they cost less than any of the 3 (M6500/8740w/W70x).
In two weeks the new Clevo's are gonna be presented at Computex. If they improved beyond the plastic and got decent screens - I'm game (provided, HP will further delay my order).

 

The non covet version of the M6500 certainly seems available from what I've seen at dell.com/precision... what made you think it wasn't?

 

Perhaps not canceled but certainly significantly delayed --- seems like HP canceled many such orders without consulting the buyers when the delays on the DC screen became apparent.

The memory issue is really serious though if it's a motherboard problem on all the quad core 8740w's.

 

Huh. Looks like they are back now. They weren't there when I visited the site yesterday; it literally was Covet only. I'll update my post.

 

My company is looking to purchase 8740W to compare to other systems. I am curious about your memeory situation.
Have you order 4x2G memory modules from the HP?
Based on your signiture, you have 4x2G DDR3-1600 memory modules.
I thought i7-720 and i7-820 only support 1066 and 1333MHz memory.

Maybe, your problem is due to DDR3-1600 memory which is not supportd by i7-720. If 8740W has this memory issue, I would expect 8540W to have same issue. I did not see any memory issue with 8540W. Did you talk to HP regarding DDR3-1600 memory?
Or, have you tested with 4x2G 1066 or 1333?

 

welp. workstation-class computers are now officially off my list.

good luck to all waiting for/hoping/needing any of these machines right now. God help you. lol.

looks like I'm either an Envy 17 man or a MBP 17" man.

good luck, gentlemen.

 

I officially wrote myself off the 8740W and 8540W this morning. I picked up an MSI GE600 for $900, which considering I just sold off my Dell E5500 for $750 and did some work on the side for $160, pretty much covers it without even touching my bank account. It's not as good as the HP. It's not as powerful as the HP. But, the price was right and I'll have it on Friday. Here's to waiting for the 8x50, I suppose.

I was willing to hold off until I read about the memory slot issues. That it for me; that pushed me over the edge.

I'll have the advanced docking station, newmode drive adapter, and 8GB (4x2) Geil PC3-1333 on the FS/FT forum as soon as I can get pictures.

 

It's the chipset on the motherboard supporting DDR3 and not the processor. 8740w has the QM57 chipset. Most memory module manufacturer follow the JEDEC DDR3 standard. RAM module speed usually works downward - for instance, putting a DDR2-1066 into a motherboard that can only support DDR2-800 should work fine.

I doubt it's a RAM module compatibility issue.

 

yep, that's correct. In fact, proper-HP-4X2GB-sticks were also tried with the same results, so it's definitely either mobo/chipset or a sloppy BIOS job (less likely).

I'm honestly surprised to see how many are out of the camp already because of the RAM issue! Wow!
It's either most of you guys are totally new to the world of computing or just obliviously rejecting the truth.
Up to date, there are no companies in this world capable of offering a flawless new product (notebook)! They all had have and will have issues. However I'll not enter the why is that discussion here, as it's pointless.
Just go to Dell/Apple/Asus/Acer/Lenovo/etc forums and see for yourselves. I've seen and reviewed enough notebooks lately to say with confidence - HP business notebooks rock and 8740w is not an exception. And as for every newly fledged model you have to patiently allocate the time-buffer and let the manufacturer polish it for a few months. Whether or not you decide to jump on it and go through all of the issues , or wait till the product is 6-12 months old - up to you. Bleeding edge is about blood

But saying - Screw it! I'll get an MBP is just jumping from one murky pond into another. Do you know how many overheating issues the new MACs have?

Anyway, I don't see how M6500 or W701/ds are any better than 8740w. I also fail to see how 8GB can be a bottleneck for your systems, unless you're into VT , but then the CPU is gonna fall on its knees just as easy, lol.

Screw the backlit keyboard, if the IPS screen is coming within a months from now - I might wait. If new notebooks appear within that time frame - even better

 

Yes, the situation is such. However, I'm trying to be a bit positive as I have had good experience and support from HP all along (>14years) with all their offerings be they storage/network/server/notebook/workstaion, etc. My 7yo is using my old 8230 (Banias, 2GB) for web surfing, doing her homework and gaming - that oldie is still functioning well!

Still waiting for confirmation.

 

Has anyone received an 8740w with a Dreamcolor panel?

I am asking this because after having replaced the Dreamcolor panels a total of three times on my recently acquired 8730w and having read several report about this problem, the latest suffers from the exact same coloring in the bottom left and right corners as the two previous panels, namely pinkish on th eleft and bluish on the right (but admittedly less intensely that on the first two panels).

Although I have nothing but praise for the HP's customer service, it is now obvious to me this problem is caused by poor backlighting design and that the technology is simply not mature enough for true photographic work and certainly not worth the premium HP is asking for it.

I therefore strongly recommend all prospective, discerning buyers to closely look at the screen with a pure solid white background and see for themselves whether the issue has been resolved in this new generation laptop and to refrain from ordering this option without having seen it for yourself.

 

What do you mean by "the technology is simply not mature enough for true photographic work"? The technology is easily mature enough, it's practically ancient in computer terms. Other companies have RGB LED screens that work fine.

But the dreamcolor screen in the 8730 has almost nothing to do with the dreamcolor 2 screen in the 8740, besides the name. Completely different technology.

 

Well folks, I just gave up waiting for my 8740w with backllt keyboard and ordered an Envy 17.

 

Same. I think I'll miss the durakeys, spill-resistance, and over-all ruggedness of an elitebook.

 

that spill-resistance is a joke anyway. Its got channels to remove a liquid but on the edges there is no rubber or something else to isolate it. So if you going to spill anything you have to spill it on the keyboard not the edges of the keyboard
If you do it wrong than all liquids will go straight on you CPU

 

that's why it's spill resistance, not water-proof

 

I would call it "wet fingers resistance" If you spill a tea for example.. I guarantee you that your lap will die in seconds Worst part is that you cant reverse the laptop to avoid the liquid going on to the motherboard because "the sink" is just above the dvd.. so if you reverse than the liquid in the sink will burn the mobo

 

so if it drains straight down and it's on a desk, will the liquid pool up and be sucked in through the fan vents into the insides of the computer?

 

I believe you just proved my point...

 

hehe thats possible too Im just saying that the keyboard spill-something is useless in situations when you spill something like standard 250ml glass of water/tea/coffe etc etc. If you measure the size of the keyboard and the height of the spill protector border around it than the capacity will be around 20ml ? the drain is 1mm thin no way it can protect it the liquid will go inside in seconds.

 

Technologically, it should be easy to make laptops waterproof and rugged, but it's never high on marketer's agenda because few people demand it or look for the best.

Look at case design. The HP 8730w may be rugged (it does feel so, admitedly), but why can't they make a cover that comes off on one piece to make it easy to seal? And need I remind you that keyboards are designed with one piece membranes, so there is no reason they cannot be made waterproof.

All this talk about non availability and every problem that has been listed comes to prove that the problem may be that as consumers we are all too willing to believe everything the liars (I mean, 'marketers') tell us about the products we buy and quality is shunned in preference for "new and improved" features that are really mostly fluff and bloat.

The old laptop I type this message on has seen approximately 2 million words typed and been carried around and bumped for almost three years and is still working fine to this day. And it cost half new what my 8730w cost slightly used, at almost a third of the price new.

What makes a product "Professional Grade" and '"Business Class" is perhaps 25% content but unfortunately, mostly hype, and the prices are more designed for the intended market than for actual technological content.

So I completely agree with everyone who is looking elsewhere at this time. Most of you will to find that so-called consumer grade laptops such as gthe one I am typing this on are just as good if not better, under most business conditions and perhaps the only significant, defining difference between the two classes of machines is not actual technology and quality of construction, but rather the service level you get when you buy one of these machines (try getting a one week turn over on a major repair on a consumer grade laptop!).

****

I believe what consumers really need for making informed decision is true, in-depth technical analyses of products. Nowhere do I see reviews where a product is completely taken apart, where real life measurements are taken (for example I wish someone whould have measured the screen for lumunosity and color consistency before I made the plunge on my 8730w - they do that for cameras, why not for what the pictures are going to be shown on).

So I come back to my initial statement: you want a new 8740w, fine, but stop dreaming and realize, it's just another product and the more pressure there is on the manufacturer to bring it out (especially the Dreamcolor 2) , the more issues it will have.

 

I've owned two EliteBooks thus far.
Neither one has given me any trouble.

HP 8710w: This was my first business-class laptop. Made me appreciate the difference in quality between consumer and business grade laptops. Only thing I didn't like was that the platform was fairly outdated. Bought it brand new, but after all was said and done, I basically got it for free. I sold it after 10 months for a really nice profit.

HP 8730w: Oh man, the overall built quality and performance is a significant improvement over the 8710w. I love the bump in performance, the design and also the nice solid/heavy feel it has. This one I also acquired dirt cheap. I practically broke even thanks to the money I got from the 8710w.
Hell, if I wanted to sell this right now, I'm sure I can turn a nice profit.

Next upgrade: Most likely an 8740w, when the time is right. Probably around the same time most of you will be tripping over each other trying to order your new 8750w. jk
Wait a minute, come to think of it, that's only a couple of months away now. LOL :laugh:

 

Absolutely. There is no technical excuse for all laptop keyboards NOT to be perfectly spillproof. Keys and buttons are all membrane activated anyway so why is it not possible to make it truly waterproof?

As a side note, I see you already have your 8740w. How's the screen in terms of luminosity and evenness? Any colour mottling visible on a white background? How does it compare in brightness with the Dreamcolor screen?

 

Rampage, I do appreciate your input as always. Just to clear things out, I do not dismiss the 8730w's solidity. It is, by feel, in a class above, no doubt about it. But is it worth the asking price? Definitely not, in my opinion. On the other hand, getting it for what I got mine for (it's listed at $3,000 and I got it for $1,200), considering it went twice to the repair shop and the speed and courtesy of customer support, it is indeed great for the price (my latest screen still has the color issues at the lower corners, but on this one it's less noticeable). But my point is that "extended gamut" and "increased colour fidelity" is pure marketing BS, as it is definitely NOT suitable for exacting colour rendering of the type required for good photography (my old CCFL screen, although dull, is more accurate in that regard I use Nokia Monitor Test 2, you should check it out). I agree, however, that it is brighter and more pleasant to look after extensive tweaking, which is great for presentation to clients (and the reason I think it is great for that purpose and my main reason for buying this thing in the first place).

The argument I am making is for new prospective buyers is simply to consider this: would you prefer a cheap, run of the mill, old reliable Toyota Corolla or a nice, fast Jaguar that is fantastic to drive but is constantly in the shop? It's something NO reviews say about products: NOWHERE do you see durability studies! Everything is based on first impressions, reviewers get the machine and before they get comfortable with it and and can REALLY "look under the hood", it's taken away from them...

So folks, availability isn't there? Good for you! You'll probably be just as well choosing an existing, more established product and wait until the kinks in gthe DreamColor technology (among others) have been worked out. I may be getting the 8740w myself, but probably not for at least another year and then again, I may simply buy the DreamColor2 panel to replace the "DreamColor1".

 

How about keeping liquids (coffee, soda, open water bottles....) away from the computer in the first place? There, problem solved. No need for water proofing. :laugh:

Anyone?....No, I guess that would just make too much sense.
Instead, we demand that manufacturers save us from our own clumsiness.

 

you have to go a few pages back. I've found that the screen (white led full hd) is the same as in Macbooks pro 17. Luminosity is about 200. After colour corrections by eye one display 2 I cant complain about the gamut range. It works well with my eizo color edge screens. For some people Lum. 200 is not enough but its just fine for me. No problems in my bright office (massive windows). Antiglare is doing a great job to cut most of the agressive reflections. I dont go too much technical about laptop screens. Its just fine for me (tv ad industry - postproduction - directing - effects etc)

 

delete.....

 

Well, first of all, I did not mention anything regarding display quality on that post. So I'm not sure why you're going into so much detail describing the DC panel to me.
As you know, I have the plane, old 1920x1200 LG panel. Brightness is good, backlight is uniform, no dead pixels....I can't ask for more.

Regarding the "solid feel", obviously that's just personal preference. Some people throw a fit when they find out their laptop is a couple of ounces heavier than they originally thought it would be. Writing countless posts in the process, expressing how disappointed they are.
For me the weight of the laptop is not an issue. 1-2 lbs it's not something I'm going to notice in my backpack.

As far as price is concerned, mine is listed at about $4300, not counting recent memory upgrade.
Overall, it has better specs than yours and I paid less than you did. Yours does have the DC panel, but judging by your feedback, it sounds like I'm better off without it.

Sorry to hear about all the issues you've had with DC.

 

well... when you work on your laptop and do a lot of different jobs in bacground + talking to people... directing.. shouting shooting people than quite often you spill something or drop or anything since 2007 I've killed 4 laptops (2 by coffe - 1 by tea - 1 red wine ) Thats why I have them insured. My other laptops died in tragic accidents too One was eaten by one of my golden retrievers.. i mean destroyed.. not swallowed

My insurer sugested me an army laptop Im sure I would kill it too.

BTW go to any movie plan and see how many boxes, screens and cables are there in complete mess

 

Most of those accidents could have potentially been avoided.
Some people find it easier and more convenient to pay for insurance (like we don't spend enough on insurance policies already), rather than to change their accident-prone habits.

 

Anyone seen a model with the ati and dreamcolor?
What's the model number... i can't seem to find it.

 

show me one not insured film crew and I give you 8740w free Thats just happens and the equipement is just a piece of plastic and metal... Business insurances are not that bad. For example to add this lap to the ins costed me 2 pounds a month

 

we can avoid any type of accident by changing our habits.. eat healthy, walk not drive, not to fly by airplanes, dont dive etc etc etc.

 

Thought HP removed the Dreamcolor 2 display temporarily?

 

Haha.....funny how people resort to extreme examples to justify themselves.

Let's see if I can make this a bit more clear....

Some situations can be potentially avoided by taking reasonable measures. e.g. don't keep open containers near your laptop, keep laptop away from your (unpredictable) dogs.
Four laptops damaged by liquids!? You can't just say s*** happens....no, it's you that happens. :laugh:

As for the same thing happening to the rest of your crew and thereby, using causality to say it's normal....that's like someone coming over and asking you... 'say man how come every time someone jumps off that cliff they never come back?'..... 'Oh, I don't know, s*** happens, I guess it's normal. Well gotta go, it's my turn to jump' :laugh:


Others situations, we have little or no control over.... "not to fly by airplanes". hahaha

 

That, I don't think you can do; or even if they are plug compatible you won't be taking advantage of all the new screen has to offer. You know this screen comes with a 10-bit driver hardware and yours with 8-bit, correct?

 

no no my dogs are very predictable If I live anything they can reach and forget to tell them they cant have it than they take it so it predictable but... that helps me a lot to stay updated with my laptops and other things like shoes

Im just taking the life as it is.. I dont cry when something like that happens... BTw a coffe around a computer for me is like one piece there is no work if I dont have my coffe around... but as you say.. s**** happens.. fortunetely HDDs never get floded in situations like that so the data is safe I know that from experience.

Ok lets stop it I like to spam but some users may not like it.. but what else can we do.. there is only 3 people on this forum (or 2?) who have the 8740w and we all know all the issues with it.
Soon we end up just with one user.. I've ordered m6500 clevo today. Im just sick of HP customer service and I've told them to take it back.

I Thought that is possible to replace my beloved DELL but... I was wrong.

 

Haha, no I didn't just say s*** happens.... I said YOU happen. As in, you're the common denominator in all those accidents. And ultimately, the only one who can change.
I don't need to walk around like I'm on pins and needles to take care of my laptop.

Agree, there's more activity on the 8740w lounge, despite only 2 people being in possession of the laptop, than there is on the 8730w lounge, where most people have one already. LOL :laugh:

Good luck with the new Clevo. Hopefully it lasts longer than the others.

 

Xsrx and RampageII:
ROFL! You've just made my day, lol :laugh:

Now, seriously, 8740w doesn't have a waterproof case! If you need a fully rugged notebook - Panasonic or Dell might interest you with a few models. 8740w does not cost more than Lenovo or Dell and those two aren't rugged at all. You can thank HP for giving you a nice bonus for the same price.
Another huge bonus is the DC panel, but it's still in the works, so be patient.

 

I'm sure you guys meant Covet! Clevo is a laptop manufacturer, lol.

 

Rampage, I respectfully disagree. Liquid damage is one of the most common failure causes with laptops along with shock, and is the single most important reason for warranty service dismissal in cell phones. Like I said, there is no technical reason why it can't be done cheaply and efficiently. Silicone membranes are cheap, why not make them to cover the whole top of the case instead of just the keyboard?

 

Please xsrx, answer this question

On the other hand, where is NotebookGrail and Greg Staten's explanations? I think Greg replies might calm down to all of us (specially those who are waiting for the DreamColor panel, me included).

 

Well, we were talking about laptops.
But the fact that he said "M6500" AND "Clevo" threw me off.
I know there are Clevo laptops and there is a Dell precision M6500....but an "M6500 Clevo"?
Is that a cross between a Dell and a Clevo?......A Dellvo? :laugh:

Then again, I'm not familiar with the Clevo model lineup.


On a serious note. I'm glad to see people in this forum are mature enough to accept humor for what it is. Rather than letting go over their heads and loose their cool.

 

There, I fixed it for you.

I'm not debating the fact that it's a common problem amongst clumsy laptop users.
I'm saying a lot of those liquid-related accidents can potentially be avoided, simply by taking reasonable precautions.


Now, who is going to disagree with that?

Can you really blame them for that?
I mean, how many times have you heard of users dropping their phones on the lake, bathtub or any other body of water?

Hell, a lot of those incidents are not even "accidents". Considering that some people buy the "accidental damage warranty" with the sole purpose of intentionally damaging their phones/laptops, as soon as the the new models come out, just so they can upgrade at little to no cost.

 

yes.. I've made mistake.. ofcourse I didnt mean Clevo.. Im just a little ignorant when it commes to naming stuff...

BTW I've been looking at some new laptops today and I love the design of the new asus - like a jetfighter or something... but its got a glossy screen..

About "Clevo" hehe vel Covet - there is a few m6500 on ebat now - I think I buy that with i7-920 but I'll be visiting this topic

 

lol. people jumped this ship like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

 

Nah, just rambling on. I'm also a champion of run-on sentences, but I am better now

I agree. It doesn't bother me either, I carry much more than that to work.

Yes, quite possibly. But and it's a big BUT for CLIENTS, the Dreamcolor is DEFINITELY brighter (I have seen pictures of both side by side and the difference is quite striking). So, yes, the color unevenness at the bottom bothers me, but unless I show a white screen to people, their impression is "wow, it's like 3D!"[/quote]

I'm just a pain in the when it comes to image quality. My best computer monitor, the one that is the most accurate in terms of colour is still my 14 years old 21 inch Trinitron monitor. And I do agree with people who said that one of the problems lies in the fact laptops monitors are 6 or 8 bits only: you are always going to lose something. Driving the Trinitron with the laptop, I get fantastic results in terms of colour fidelity. Although the DreamColor display is truly nice to look at, I just wish it had the colour fidelity it was touted to have.

 

And why exactly HP must do it for you when their competitors don't even care? If you really must have it -
Do It Yourself