*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 1*

hello, I saw that there are a lot of problems with th BIOS and for any version! Especialy with the four slots of ram and sometime with the display or the GPU. So I'm a little courious and it will be maybe interesting to try the new UEFI for this laptop and see how it work with it. Maybe it is more user friendly , more options and no crash. I found this one: HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation HP BIOS Update (UEFI) for Windows 7
Hoping to help you and know more about UEFI.

 

You guys can add me to the list of soon-to-be 8740w owners.

Oh, SNAP!!!

 

What happened? Were you sleeping and just woke up?

 

All Samsungs are equal and it would be identical to the Corsair on the inside. ODMs such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo can buy and hence sell the Samsung SSDs at much cheaper prices than retail. A few months back, Dell had the 256GB Samsung for <$500 (<$2/GB!) while retail were selling $800+.

 

Good to know. It's just mind-boggling that a system-builder would sell a part below third-party cost, and doubly so for a premium part!!

 

No, I was just thinking....
How messed up would it be if I get my 8740w before you guys? :laugh:
I placed my order today and I'm expecting it early next week.

If that happens and you guys still decide to continue waiting for your orders, all I gotta say is...... I admire your patience. :laugh:

Somebody pinch me!

 

@lostbuyer: The three errors were as follows.

@Sotton: I might try an older game soon, but no. Also, I have been watching CPU and GPU temps very closely, no issues there. Finally, I do not have a Sleep option in Safe Mode.

@lepierre: I installed all the updated drivers as part of my "jumping through hoops" with HP Support. It did not help.

@ RampageII: What config did you get? inquiring minds want to know.

 

If you ordered the DC2 and going to get it next week, I might very much like to pi( u)nch you!

Are these errors on a newly installed OS? Does it still crush as before?

 

Basically 720QM, 3800M, 4GB, 320GB, WUXGA+, etc.

BTW, what's with that SIM slot on the battery bay?
It says wireless SIM. I thought the intel 6300 card was taking care of the wireless functions. So what's the difference?
Is that standard on all Quad core models or what?

 

Do you really need CUDA? That card is gonna be EOL in a month and will be replaced by the Fermi based Quadro FX4800M. Plus the DC2 screen is 11 days away

 

Poor little ole' me had to settle for regular WUXGA and no backlit KB. :cry:

Nah, don't need it. I'm a mechanical engineer. I'm interested in the CPU/GPU performance, not how pretty it'll look on the screen. As long as it's 1920x1200, bright and uniform, then I'm good.
Although, from what I can see, these are suppose to be LED backlit, so they should be even better than the ones on the 8730w. And keep in mind, I thought my LG screen was nice.

 

hey guys, i need your honest opinion, will the HP Elitebook fit my needs?

I'm wanting a laptop for a multipurpose reason. Be it entertainment, school, research (either school or independent) or gaming (as i might not take my PS3). So this is what I'm planning to do:
What I know I will be doing is 3D modeling, simulation, physics simulation, HE Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Data crunching, Algorithms, Programming (both High and Low Level), image/video analysis, conversion of natural algorithms (Image, Audio, Video into pure data), research/analysis maybe on the unknown/unseen/beyond (hard to explain ), being able to customize and create specialized functions, hacking/cracking/modifying, etc.


Also how is teh built quality, is it reliable, did HP fill it with bloat ware? I want best performance decent battery life and good price

 

If only you knew how much it cost me, you'd probably want to kill me.
Quick, somebody pinch me! :laugh:

 

No point, you probably don't have any money left after the purchase. I know how expensive this card is - 800-900$ above the FirePro M7820 (which is much more powerful, BTW )

 

ORLY!!!
I'm not just talking about the graphics card....

 

I'm wondering if I'll really be able to handle the 1920x1200 resolution. I have that resolution on 24" monitors and it's just right. If everything was smaller than this it'd probably be too small for me. Is there any kind of scaling Windows does?

 

Are they still hiring at your company?

Now, honestly, I don't know.
This model is too fresh to be problems free, so I doubt you'll get it with zero issues.
Performance wise it should be exactly what you need.
You have 3 options: Dell Precision M6500, Lenovo W7xx and HP 8740w. They all have a very good build quality and equally powerful ( the HP has a little more power due to the newest ATI GPU). In terms of reliability I'd give Lenovo the first place, and Dell the second, HP might be on par with Dell when the product is refined with the drivers updates and BIOS fixes.
That's a big IMHO, of course.
Hope this helps a bit.

 

Don't we all!!?...:laugh:

 

Are you saying that you paid under 2k for the entire system? *** Starts sharpening the sword...***

Yes, you can increase DPI in windows to fit your needs.
I use a laptop screen (17" 1920x1200) same as this one for programming and find it perfectly acceptable after a few days/weeks of getting used to.

 

*** Runs away from the forums, never to be seen again *** LMAO :laugh:

Actually, once I get rid of my 8730w, I'll break even....yet again.

 

Now, leaving the 8730w aside, - did you manage to stay under 2k including the taxes? Mine came around 2.5k with DC2.

 

knight427,

I've got those same three errors on boot up. They appear to be for a Ricoh Media Driver located (by default) at C:\swsetup\Ricohdrv. When I ran service controller query config against the service names it IS a kernal driver service that is set to auto start. Since it is failing I'm betting it is for a device that is not on this laptop. This may just be sloppy programing. I doubt these errors are what is causing your problem, but, if you want to attempt to stop getting these errors you can try this:

start > all programs > accessories
right click on command prompt and select 'run as administrator'
then type this:
sc config rimspci start= disabled
<hit enter>
sc config risdpcie start= disabled
<hit enter>
sc config rixdpcie start= disabled
<hit enter>
exit

Restart your laptop and check the event logs.

This is using the 'service controller' command to disable the service from auto-starting. You can easily reverse the above command by typing 'auto' in place of 'disabled'. However, since the service won't start at all (no associated device) I don't think even keeping it around is necessary. It is probably only slowing down the boot sequence.

Here is the official documentation on the command for your reference:
Sc

I'm actually considering just entirely deleting all three of these instead of disabling them. (sc delete [service name]) But, I'm going to test first. Since I'm likely to blow away this windows installation soon I don't mind breaking things. Also, if you wanted to be really clean after you delete them go to c:\windows\system32\drivers and delete:
rimspe64.sys
risdpe64.sys
rixdpe64.sys

In case you are worried about deleting these and never getting them back if needed, i believe they install from the setup.exe file in C:\swsetup\Ricohdrv.

BTW, incase you were wondering, the memory card ready still works even after disabling these drivers.

 

If anyone is interested in buying a new set of 8GB (2x4GB) DDR2 800MHz SODIMM, let me know. I think I'll be selling it within the next week or two.

Made by Samsung. Same timings as the stock 4GB kit.

 

Yup. Well below that.

Hell, I don't even need to sell the 8730w.
But there's no point in keeping two laptops.

 

So what's the deal with that SIM card slot on the battery tray?
Anyone know?

 

No, I do not have my disks yet. I'll probably get them tomorrow. Also, I managed to play Portal for a solid hour with no issues. It seems that playing in a window rather than full screen helps for some reason.

Sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about.

I did that and the errors are gone. I wish I had a surefire way to cause a crash to test, but I guess I'll just have to wait. I think the problem is with the video drivers since most crashes happen when gaming or viewing media (last crash was when watching trailer for Oblivion on Steam).

 

That would be for the mobile broadband option I believe. I think AT&T (and possibly others) require SIM cards.

 

I have similar experience with older NVIDIA drivers and my 8730w (there were no crashes but lock ups but it was no problem in a window)

so, this could be a sign that the drivers are the problem

 

I see.
I know what you mean about the required cell phone SIM cards from providers like AT&T.
But when it comes to laptops, isn't that what wireless express cards are for?
Typically all you need is to get a compatible wireless express card from a wireless provider and sign up for the monthly service.

So how do existing laptops, which have wireless express cards but no SIM card, get by without it?

What is the additional benefit of SIM card implementation on laptops?


Thanks.

 

I have a favor to ask other owners. If you are having the Sleep Mode/fan issue, please update all your drivers. The easiest way is to run this in Internet Explorer
HP System Check

Try the hardware check, let me know if you get past the Video Adapter test, and which GPU you have (mine got stuck on that test twice, I've got ATI).

Then start a case file on the fan issue. They seem determined to reinvent the wheel over at HP rather than track down how the same issue was successfully resolved on the 8540w. Right now they seem to think I'm the only person in the world with this issue.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hey man, i love you no homo, I just love to thank u for your honest opinion. So you own the Hp 8450w, did u find anything to dislike? Can i pick this elitebook up from retail? Also there are many options, which config should i go for without an overkill

 

Nope, I don't have a 8540w. Ordered a 8740w 2 months ago. Still waiting due to the lack of Dream Color 2 screens.
Those should finally become available in 10 days.

You can try and look for a system among the resellers, but to get the best price and customization - go for HP directly. Call a sales rep to place an order and you might get up to 28% discount which is very good.

Regarding the configuration and specs:
I'd go for an i7-720QM, WUXGA+ screen, ATI M7820 GPU (unless you need CUDA, in which case - FX2800M should be enough), 2GB RAM and the most basic HDD option. The last 2 can be easily upgraded. Backlit keyboard is a nice option as well, but not mandatory.

 

For those interested in the new fermi quadro GPU there some update tests in game and 3dmark on the notebookcheck site and it is easy to compare with the 5870M and the others: Notebookcheck: Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards

 

I really never tried and used CUDA before, i believe some programs i will use are CUDA optimized, but idk if it shall help really. Will it potentially give me more processing power (like being able to do more high level procession owrk, or parallel computation) or just make things faster (like faster creation, rendering, etc)?

Yup I'll go for HP directly i'll try atleast xd

Also u own a alienware m17x eh, are they good to? aren't they like price overkill. Since you own both a elitebook and alienware, which one u like better

 

ATI cards are generally not good at CUDA, lol. If you do need it for work - go for Nvidia cards (2800/3800/4800-coming soon).

Alienware is totally supreme in both performance and build quality.
The only problem is the glossy E2E screen, no matte options. That's why I'm trying 8740w for a change. I use my M17X for work 70-80 hr a week, no complaints here. The price is lower, actually. My system (with dual GPU's) costs about 2.7k total while similarly configured 8740w would be about 3.3k (with a single GPU) to begin with.
Will try HP and if not satisfied I'll sell it and upgrade the alien instead

 

oh sick...by the way im buying this laptop for both work, play and school Im going into aerospace engineering

 

If you don't mind waiting a couple of weeks, - I'll make an extensive comparative review - 8740w vs M17X .
Plus, there are few upgrades that are coming (better graphics, slightly faster CPU's, bigger and faster ssd's,etc) in a month-two from now.

 

While the ATI card is more powerful, a lot of physics sim stuff uses CUDA (requiring nVidia). That said, OpenCL (usable on either) is coming along very nicely, and DX11 (on the ATI card) brings you Compute Shaders.

The open and cross-platform nature of OpenCL is helping it to gain some real traction, and I at least hope that more research groups move that way. I've also seen some demos do better using OpenCL-on-CUDA than CUDA direct implementation, on the same nVidia graphics cards.

Anyway, any really heavy sim stuff you'll run on GPU compute clusters, so your machine won't be major a limiting factor either way.

Taking all that into consideration, and noting that this is to be a general-purpose machine, I'd go with the ATI (more power, less money) - just be aware that some physics acceleration stuff will, at least for the moment, be built for nVidia only.

 

Bro, im buying the laptop during july or august, I can wait a week or two

Oh that kinda sucks, but isn't ATI stream using the CPU and GPU, but mostly CPU while Nvidia's CUDA is fully using GPU computations?

 

The big benefit is that the HP GOBI system allows executives to have several wireless WAN options available so that they will have the ability to purchase laptop data plans with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint all at the same time - so if one doesn't have a connection, one will. Pay for three plans at once - at least one is bound to have connectivity.

The other benefit for less well off folks like me is that they can still only pay for one plan, but not have to carry around the expresscard dongle, thus resulting in one less thing to carry around.

HP Mobile Broadband - HP Small and Medium Business

 

I see.
Really? So the SIM card is suppose to replace the expresscard all together?
I thought it was suppose to work in conjunction with it, not replace it. Maybe as an extra level of security/verification for the provider.
Seems unlikely but if that's the case, then you're right, it would be nice to get rid of the dongle completely.

As far as signing up for 3 different services...that's definitely not something that I'll be using. LOL
But I can see how that could be useful to some.

 

When pigs fly.
You've been saying that for 2 months. LOL :laugh:

Ironically, I was the least likely person to upgrade to an 8740w any time soon.
Now it's looking like I'll be one of the first to receive it.

 

Yeah, maybe I should cancel the order

You will have to make the review instead!
There's a price to pay for being the first!

 

The first what?
The first with the most points awarded for lots of patience?
Yup, you definitely will be.

I'll be upgrading my 8740w to something else by then. :laugh:

 

On a side note....anyone with an 8740w know what part# they're using for the regular WUXGA display?
Has anyone started taking apart theirs yet.

 

Both are designed for GPGPU purposes - taking appropriate sorts of workloads and enabling massively-parallel computation on the GPU to complement CPU work. These two technologies are built to get things sent to and processed by the GPU, but in either case, the CPU is doing something as well when they're in use. So, no, Stream is not "mostly CPU" -- if it were, it would not show comparable performance. Nor is either *entirely* GPU - in some cases, either one can result in increased CPU utilization, in fact (that's down to implementation though).

Ideally, any GPGPU app will split work into things CPUs are good at, and things GPUs are good at, then send the different portions of the task to the ideal processor (and be able to shift work if total time is critical and the workloads are unbalanced).

 

So, are you traditionally a fast-cycle buyer/used-seller on notebooks, and if so, have you been doing it with high-end notebooks for long?

I'm kinda surprised that there would be a strong enough market in this category, since it's a small market in the first place and I'd have thought almost completely dominated by new-only buyers . . .

If you're willing to say, what % of cost do you usually recoup, and what's your usual cycle time?

 

Oh so the technology goes like.hmm i wanna derive and work with this data, hmm this part of the computation is serial so the cpu can do it..this requirs parallel work (like doing two things at once) so the GPU gets it. Thats what i got from ur reply

I wonder when cpu may be able to parallel compute

 

I might do it even faster, lol. Currently debating on that Clevo X7200... ...or M18X?

 

Once I get the 8740w, I'm guessing I'll be keeping it for a while since it's the current model.....maybe.