*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 1*

Anyone out here with DC2 also have Photoshop CS5 or CS4?

And did you go thru these steps to activate 10-bit? (from here)
http://www.amd.com/us/Documents/48108-B_ATI_FirePro_Adobe_10-Bit_FAQ_R5_Final.pdf

And did you find that the file ramp.psd (from here)
Professional Graphics Tools and Technologies
was displayed free of banding?

...because it's not working for me!

 

Here's the review! Enjoy!

 

Just following up... I think the anomaly is related to the "medium fan speed after sleep". It did it again just now, although I didn't think I was sleeping. In any case, after booting the fan was immediate on a constant medium and case stayed cool to the touch. I did a hard reboot, and now fan is on low and case is warm again.

I think Everest is simply reporting incorrectly for the PCH temps.

Talking to HP support just now, the medium fan speed after wake issue only occurs when on AC power. (Maybe already common knowledge here). I don't know if that means when on AC going to sleep, or when waking-up. I haven't verified myself yet.


________________
Kaliatech 8740W | 620M | M7820 | 2x4GB | DC2 | Backlit Keys

 

Nice review Aikimox. I will see if i can get some pictures with Crysis is action.

 

Here you go

 

Thanks. The raw data doesn't contain any additional model details, only LGD0270 (EISA ID) which points to LG Philips. Will try to seach a bit for the model number.

 

This is what i see.


Edit: Ignore the above line.

First when i enabled 10bit, i had problems seeing the HP Mobile display assistant. So, was not sure if it got enabled. The above attacehd image was when this confusion was there even tho the ATI catayst said it was enabled.
There is a easy way to see if 10-bit is really enabled - when u enter your password in widows logon, when the screen refreshes from the logon image to your desktop, you will like dark red and black patches for a moment. I was not seeing it when i enabled 10-bit.

So i disabled 10-bit, then booted into 8-bit, then was able to see display assistant. I opened it, and reset it to factory default. Then, went to ATI Catalyst and enabled 10-bit again and restarted. Now i can see the above referenced check during logon and display assistant was also there.
Now, i went to CS5 and opened the ramp.psd and Voila! i can see better image gradiation without banding. See atttched image below. Now, is this good or bad?



Note: The original attachment will look the same as above if 10-bit is enabled.

 

Both look to have banding to me, and is exactly what I see whether I enable 10-bit and Advanced OpenGL support in CS5, or whether I disable 10-bit and disable Advanced OpenGL support in CS5. By this I mean I see the exact same display of ramp.psd in any condition so it's not working.

 

In 8-bit, you will see the wider width bands of grey. In 10-bit, it will be smaller width and hence more bands. By bands i mean not the banding issue, but the differenciation of grey.

Edit: Another way of checking if 10bit is working in CS5. Enable 10-bit as mentioned the doc,open the ramp.psd file in CS5. Now just move your over the taskbar icon for any other app listed there (eg: you browser) and watch the psd file in CS5. It will change in grading of the grey scale. What essentially happens is, it is switching from 10-bit to 8-bit(what windows can display in the preview of the taskbar). Hopefully my thoery doesn't suck.

 

I'll agree that hopefully it doesn't!

I'm not 100% completely convinced tho, as my understanding is there isn't supposed to be any banding what so ever. ...with a billion colors @ hand, where 2^10 provides for 1024 shades of grey instead of the usual 256, I really expect a smooth gradient.

-steve

 

Try this link to verify. Mine looks as expected (how it should be) in the mentioned article. By the way, that article is nice tool to calibrate/test the screen.
I have sent a note to Greg to see if he can say anything on this. I doubt he will.

 

What about the brightness level/changing, guys?
Isn't 210cd/m^2 a bit low?
It looks (like M8o said) that changing brightness affects the color profiles. Is there a walkaround?

 

You have to control it thru the HP Mobile Display assistant's (Henceforth called MDA) Luminance. If you change it using the Windows, it will affect the color accuracy. Below is the quote from HP MDA.

 

We definitely do not want any color inaccuracies while playing Crysis. LOL



On another note;

It looks like the ebay post for the DC2 panels is not what it appears to be.

They jacked up the price (almost $600 now) on ebay and sent me this updated reply, after I asked them to provide me with a part# for the so-called DC2 display they're selling. LOL :laugh:

"Hello,
sorry for reply you late for holiday ,please not
order from us now ,I have just check it for stock
,this item is new one ,even LP171WU5 xxxx now very
rate of in the market ,and we try to stock those
item those day later all the time .
sorry for any inconvenience to you!"


With a title as specific as this;

17" LCD Screen HP EliteBook 8740w Dreamcolor2
WUXGA LED

you would think they know what the hell they're selling.

 

We may want to consider that screens that don't pass HP QC may still go somewhere and end-up in the food-chain...

edit: and might I add, there was likely a very high percentage of failures in the early release cycle just passed.

 

Perhaps wrongfully so, but I didn't take that as meaning we could/should expect dramatic red/yellow shift of the gamut, but that is what I observed on several occasions. Restoring the setting to the factory default in the HP Mobility Assistant, oop I mean MDA, was the only way to alleviate that.

 

If I do buy one, it probably won't be any time soon.
Certainly not at the current prices.

 

Just now, i was closely examining the screen in a dark room. It seems like there is infact couple of very very tiny dead pixel. I used black background and i see cyan color which is very very tiny at some places (around 5-10) especially on the top center. They are not easily noticeable, unless one goes close to the screen and see it.
Does anyone experience it? If so, is this situation considered dead pixel or it has to be visible normally to be considered one?

 

If they take it back, can you arrange for me to trade mine in for it, as-is? That would solve my crashing problems.

 

@knight

I didn't realize how frequently your laptop was crashing with 4 RAM sticks, until I read your "crash log" from 250 pages back. It was crashing every 30-60min.

I just added two more RAM sticks to my laptop yesterday and ran Prime95 for over 3 hrs.

Everything went smooth. My system has never crashed.
The only thing I noticed this morning was the freeze during startup that I described a while back. (e.g. the four flying color dots freezing during startup)
I think the last time it happened was over a week ago.

I've had my system for over a month now and this is probably the 5th or 6th time that it freezes during startup. So it's definitely not a big deal.

 

My system crashes like crazy when I install all 4 sticks of ram. I've been running on 2x2GB and it only crashes 1-3 times per day. Freezing happens every few days or so.

 

If there was a lemon law for computers yours would be on the list. HP owes you a new 8740w; perhaps you'll get a DC2 equipped one for your troubles! You deserve it.

 

Really? Even after going back to two sticks?
I thought it only crashed when all four were full.

Did the crashes start ONLY after filling all four RAM slots for the first time? Or was it crashing right out of the box with the 2 original sticks?
Also, same question about the 2nd laptop they sent you.

My system was probably built around the same time as yours.
I thought my system was gonna go the same route but so far so good.

 

I agree with the fact that he should get a replacement that is trouble-free.

But DC2 upgrade?.... Come on. LOL :laugh:

Gotta love the self-entitlement attitude that some people have.

 

My first system (2x2GB) crashed regularly on the 2 sticks it came with. New one came and it was crashing even worse than the first system (new one had 4x2GB). I took 2 out of the NEW system and it settled down to its current state of 1-3 crashes per day. I installed those 2 into the old one and it was completely unstable. I took them back out and shelved them for a while. I did reinstall them back into the new system at one point (not sure why) and it acted as it had out of the box...so I took them back out and have had them shelved ever since.

I have no idea when my new system was built, it could actually be older than my old system.

 

Err, Umm, entitlement? Perhaps I'm just more able to imagine what it would be like to walk a day in knight427's shoes and what monetary compensation I'd demand of HP for all the hours and work I'd lost. Hell, I just had a night of misery myself w/my machine with crazy screen problems for about 2 hours or was it 3? -- I restarted 10 times if I restarted once -- and I have what we consider one of the good ones! I have empathy for all who got the 1st lot of 8740w's and have crash problems. I hope them all well and really hope HP takes care of them.

 

Anybody have a good backpack or messenger bag recommendation for the 8740w?

 

I will soon be receiving a Dell M6500 with the ATI FirePro M7820 but by the looks of it the HP 8740w is the first computer to come out with this chip. What are your experiences with the M7820? Do you use the certified professional driver or a modded consumer driver? How is it for gaming?

 

Here is the review by Aikimox. He has reported the temps and performance of the GPU during Gaming and regular use.

 

try at TOM BIHN Bags - Laptop Bags, Laptop Backpacks, Laptop Cases
I've been using their backpack bag for nearly a decade.

 

Interesting how 3DMark even reports the GPU as being a Mobility Radeon 5870. I take that as an indication that games should run fine. There was no mention which drivers he was using, but then maybe it can be assumed they were the stock, professional FirePro drivers.

 

Yes, they were stock drivers.

 

Yes, all the drivers are stock and the card performs exactly as MR5870 both in games and synthetics. The review will be updated/edited when more tests are done (including long gaming sessions ).

Does everyone notice a little bump on the left side of the keyboard (reported earlier by Knight? )?


Also, if you need to clean the screen - use water and lint free cloth.

 

Requesting again, is anyone with DC2 noticing the above symptoms? I have called HP and put in a case for a replacement as well.

 

@knight427 - When you went thru the replacement process, did they get you a brand new one shipped or was it a refurbished one?

 

It was new, but supposedly "checked out" to make sure it was ready to go out fo the box (which obviously didn't happen). But this was through their recapture program. I had my choice of 3 models, they were all identical other than the GPU. I asked about DC2, but you guys hadn't even got your shipping notices at that time so that was not available.

When this deal was made, I felt like the guy working with me could move the world, after all he had a new laptop on my doorstep in less than 24hrs. I later pieced together that he actually has limited power, basically he has a small inventory of machines allocated to his group that he can trade away. If he was not given any DC2s, then he will have nothing of interest to offer you. Also, I did not initiate the trade-in, my case file somehow caught their attention and they contacted me.

 

I can confirm the "fan on medium after sleep" issue...
Sleep mode disabled permanently...

 

I finally lost my patience and sent the laptop to be repaired. I tried everything, including reinstalling Windows, but nothing helped. This morning it wouldn't turn on again, so I called up the service company and sent it over.
Hope it gets fixed by the end of the week, 'cause I need to get on with my work.

 

Question for all DC2 owners:

Do you find white background not to be perfectly/evenly white?

 

Do you have one of these?
The Synapse Backpack: Small and Smart for Hiking, City Life: TOM BIHN
The Brain Bag Laptop Backpack by: TOM BIHN

It seems like they work best with a sleeve like the Cache:
The Cache: laptop protection with minimal bulk: TOM BIHN

 

I wonder if the DC is also plagued by the same tint issues as the Dell and HP IPS monitors. I had some Dell U2410 24" screens and one definitely had a very visible red tint. This is a common issue with people having green and yellow tints. It bothered me so much that I sent them back, and I'm waiting on some sort of resolution to the issue before I buy new ones.

 

@klezmer41, I have a Brain Bag. As mentioned, mine's almost 10 years old so it's a bit different, most importantly my sleeves connect with snaps.

Yes, you definitely want/need the proper sleeve to protect your laptop like a cocoon. I have one that's good up to a 15" 16:9 screen. About to buy their biggest sleeve for the 8740w.

edit: the 8740w needs the Size 2S Vertical Brain Cell.

 

I wish I could recommend my backpack. It is a Targus Spruce EcoSmart backpack. I bought it when I thought I was getting either the 8540w or M4500. It can squeeze in the 8740w, but the top corners are rather tight and I would not recommend it only due to the size. Otherwise I love the backpack, especially for the price. It is super-comfortable and my previous experience with Targus was very good. If budget wasn't an issue, this is the backpack I'd replace my Targus with. Booq Boa Flow XL.

 

Well, it's barely ever noticeable. Plus, I'm generally very picky. I had much bigger issue with the colors on M17X RGB LED. If it stays like this - I don't care. I hope, it doesn't get worse with time.


Backpack:
I really like the Orion Alienware Backpack. It has enough room
for a huge and thick M17x, so with 8740w I can shove a few large books in there along with an external mouse and a power brick, or put another 15" laptop
in addition to the 17" one. Been using it for 10 months on a daily basis. No complaints.

 

What's the status in terms of crashing? I know knight427 keeps having issues but is it across the board? I don't have time to be a beta tester, so I'm just waiting for some likelihood of stability. If I could find a decent temporary notebook I'd jump on it. I was looking at the HP 5310m but it maxes out at 4GB RAM which is really restrictive for me.

 

It's been said a few times but again, the machines after the re-release include a hardware fix; it's been stated by an HP employee. Noone I know has had a total crash since the DC2 equipped machines began flowing out'a HP.

I have had sleep/screen related lock-ups or several variations of boot problems; many of them. Which itself may be limited to the DC2 and/or ATI equipped machines only; that's TBD. It's almost an inevitability that whenever I change from 8-bit to 10-bit or visa versa, even with total shutdown instead of re-boot, even if I pull the battery and unplug, it's a few cycles of startup and down before things 'stabilize'. And then it's quite stable.

But no outright crashes like blue screens or other lovely variants. But the inability to use the machine is an inability to use the machine be it crash or lock-up, right? I think going into or out of sleep has a problem, but hibernate has always worked for me so I do that manually all the time.

 

Has anyone answered this question yet?

Supposedly the QM57 has FIS-Based Port Multiplier, but you never know with HP.

 

I usually use hibernate too, but I don't understand why you need to restart multiple times before you get stability. That seems very risky to me. Granted the 10-bit panel is something Windows isn't very used to.

 

I have been using my mine for few days now, although lightly so far. I've just now got some dev tools and photoshop installed. Only issue I've run in to is that the fan gets ramped to medium/high permanently every time when resuming from sleep and on AC power. HP support just left a voice mail for me to call them back about it. Rumor is that next BIOS release will fix.

I have had zero crashes so far. Until just a few minutes ago, no problems with resumes or boots. A few minutes ago I got a black screen then an error about a logon service crash when resuming. A hard power reset was required to fix it. This is the first time though, and so far, this machine has been more reliable in startup/resume than my 8540w was. (It would hang at boot about once a week.)

Fwiw, I have not enabled the 10-bit display (and probably won't).

Not sure. I think something might be off towards right side, especially the edge, but not positive. I'm getting a 2nd opinion on it tomorrow from a friend who deals with color reproduction more than I do.

________________
Kaliatech 8740W | 620M | M7820 | 2x4GB | DC2 | Backlit Keys

 

Regarding the quality issues of the 8740w:

How many users (from this thread) have noticed the keyboard bump on the left side? And, apart from this, do you have noticed any imperfection in the assembly? (please Aikimox, be strict in this regard).

I cannot understand why one of the best and most expensive laptops in the market has these quality issues. The real reason for this may be because it is assembled in China?