*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 1*

Guys!
The latest HWinfo32 beta detects a few more sensors: battery, motherboard, etc. Give it a shot.
Here you go. Remember to grab the beta!
Enjoy.

Here's what it looks like:

 

Looking at the Booq Boa Flow XL, I'm wondering if it's large enough.

Boa Flow XL Max laptop size: 15.5"x11.4"x1.7"
HP 8740w: 15.6 x 11.2 x 1.4 in

 

How will any of the Brain Cells work??

Brain Cell 2S interior dimensions: 14.5 × 10.8 × 1.7 inches
Brain Cell 1 interior dimensions: 15.4 × 10.3 × 1.2 inches
HP 8740w: 15.6 x 11.2 x 1.4 inches

 

They have soft stretchy sides, and a Velcro top that allows for closure of items larger than the dimensions shown. In the vertical configuration it's more important for the width (by that I mean the 11.2 in dim of the 8740w) to be close to the actual size than the length as the opening offers more freedom in that direction, which is why I pointed to the 2S. You remind me, I need to stop procrastinating and order mine already... calling now. If you want to wait I'll be happy to confirm the fit is good or not.

 

There's something I'm not sure about. It worries me the 8740w expansion capabilities. I know the CPU is upgradeable, hard drives (primary and secondary ones) too, but is the graphic card upgradeable too? The Precision M6500 doesn't allow to upgrade the graphics card, because it isn't MXM 3.0 format. Are the 8740w graphic adapters MXM 3.0?

And will the 8740w support Sandy Bridge CPU's?

 

Yeah let us know, and take some pics

 

The GPU is upgradeable 100% It's MXM 3.0b. You can upgrade it to FX5000M. You might also be able to put a non pro card in there (480M, MR5870) given BIOS support.

No SB support. The new CPUs are still months and months away and will require a new motherboard.
I won't move to Sandy. For 10-20% gain - not worth it.
Plus, there will be one clock for all the inner devices crippling any OC'ing options. And here we can safely OC' today's extreme CPU's by more than 20%.

 

The graphics card is upgradeable, I'm not familiar with the various versions of MXM, but you will be able to upgrade it to any card offered in CTO by HP. Additionally, you should be able to upgrade the CPU to any CPU offered by HP, though I have no idea if Sandy Bridge will make it into the 8740w

 

No. Sandy Bridge requires a new mobo (blame Intel).

Also, the upcoming ATI Mobility 6000 will still be MXM 3.0b.
So there will be future possibilities for more upgrade options.
At least in theory.

 

It will be a bit longer than expected. Got this in response to my order "Unfortunately we sold our last 2s vertical brain cell just a few orders before yours. We should have more in a few weeks. ..." Maybe one of those orders is from a member/reader here and will be willing to post the pix when it arrives.

 

@Aikimox & knight427:

Thank you, guys It's a shame Sandy Bridge will require a new motherboard. No upgrade capabilities for new processors -- too bad Intel

Then I must assume Clarskfield processors will be the only ones compatible with the 8740w architecture? Wow, in fact this machine will cost to me an arm and a leg (no kidding, $5000+) and I don't know if it's well worth if no new processors are compatible

Then, why did Intel release the newest QM-57 chipset if a new chipset is coming with the new processors? they're all crazy and they are trying to drive us crazy, we consumers, too

And the most important part: The 8740w, Precision M6500, Lenovo W701 EXPENSIVE workstations will become obsolete in less than 1 year!! Will we see a new 8750w in the second half 2011??

 

Why do you worry about 10-20% gain of performance? CPU is no longer a bottleneck. I can guarantee you that with fan control unlocked, I can safely land a 940XM in the 8740w, overclock it by 25% and beat the heck out of all Sandy Bridge processors 24/7. Even without the extreme CPU, my 840QM will be only slightly surpassed by a 2-3 out of the upcoming CPU's.

You should focus instead on the fact, that 1200p screens are almost gone.
This is probably the last beast with such a screen.

And the most important,
Nobody knows when will the 8740w successor appear (probably in 8-12 months from now but that's a guess) and how many issues it will have.

On the other hand we have a system right now fully capable, stable with almost no issues. I've been stressing mine for over 3 weeks now - it's rock solid.

The revised PROs and CONs after 3 weeks of usage:

PRO's:

* Great Build Quality
* The Best Screen
* Amazing Performance
* Very good cooling
* Superb (regular) Keyboard
* Very good PointStick manuverability (after switching to ThinkPad red tip)
* Very good TouchPad
* Very light and thin
* Very quiet

Con's

* Bump on the Backlit Keyboard
* Very mild "tint" effect on white background


>>> Do your math.

 

I went back to my SSD RAID0 setup.
This time I installed my own tweaked version of W7U Lite and got rid of over 3GB of content from the regular install in the process.
I found out that some of the footprint I was missing from previous installs was due to "Hibernation" being on.
Once I turned it off, I got back 9GB that laptop was eating up during OS install.
Although by my count, I'm still missing another 9-10GB and it's not due to "Windows Restore".

Bootup times;
After fresh OS install drivers: 16.02s.
With programs and windows updates: 36.66s.

How about adding these to Cons? ;
* No SLI
* No cool glowing alien head (this counts as two). lol
* Plain looking.
* Lack of cool name.

There, that evens things out a little.
See? It's not so one-sided anymore. :laugh:

 

Those aren't necessarily cons.

I actually sold my M17x because I did NOT want SLI. A lot of people don't want/need SLI in a laptop, even gamers. I can max FPS in COD4, MW2 (on high), CS:Source (max settings), and Starcraft 2 (on high) ... and those are probably the most popular games out there right now. Oh and last time I tried, I can max FPS in WoW except in Wintergrasp where no one maxes FPS. There are games that SLI would be beneficial for, but the most popular games out there right now don't need it.

I also specifically wanted a laptop without a glowing alien head. That kind of thing is for college students. I need a professional looking laptop, even for home use. And the 8740w is not a plain looking laptop, it reeks of quality and a subtle style... it doesn't smack you over the head like Alienware.

An uncool name? Really?

 

I guess I'll have to make it more obvious next time.
*total fail*

 

LOL, nah My wifes 8740W renders her CAD, Maya and civil 3D a few hundred percent faster than my 17X with SLI .... cant call it a fail on what its designed for

 

Even though I own an AW system and won't be selling it any time soon, - I have to agree that, -

SLI/CF is useless and buggy. You lose more than gain eventually.

Glowing head is the most ugly thing in that system.

Plain looks of the HP has its advantages in many scenarios.

I don't care about names, though honestly, have to admit - HP logo and name are two the most unappealing things I've ever seen in the world of PCs.

 

I would not call the system "stable" looking at these recent posts:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6583380-post3031.html,
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6572415-post2993.html (two cases), http://forum.notebookreview.com/6554237-post2896.html.

The critical "sudden crash" is not fixed until HP officially admit the problem and tells us something like this:
"The problem was with motherboard. After changing its design the new motherboard doesn't have this problem anymore. The old motherboard has part number #XXX, the new and fixed motherboard has part number #YYY. The part number you may find (and here is a simple instruction where to see it, so everyone can identify it)"

The rumors that the problem is perhaps somehow fixed (just because the new laptops do not exhibit the problem) is not the resolution for this critical issue. We have to know the part number of the defective motherboard (or any other part that was responsible for the crashes). Otherwise how anyone could be sure that his workstation is not prone to it? How one could be sure that in a month or a year his computer suddenly will not start crashing? How one can be sure that after he sends his laptop for fixing some problem to HP, the "fixed" laptop returned will not contain the defective MB that works now, but will start sudden crashes some day in future? And here is even more. How can one even think about buying a new MB on eBay or from other places and to be sure that it's not a lemon without checking the ID of that part first? Without clearly identifiable defect part number - who will buy it at all, ever? Just think about it for a sec...

Should we see a recall from HP of all defective motherboards? Perhaps. It's be the best way for HP to keep its good image. Will it suggest to HP to make a better testing next time they put into the market a new product. I guess so, but I'm not sure about it. But what I'm pretty sure about is - the proper resolution for HP in this case could be publicly available information detailing the problem and not hiding it form its customers.

Until such information is available for public - personally I refrain form making any investments into 8740w.

I'm watching this old thread in offidial HP support forum and so far there is no resolution and no official response from HP...

 

How can you be sure that any other laptop won't crash on you?

At least HP admits that there was a problem and they will replace your system with a new one if for some reason you get a bad mobo (highly unlikely).

BTW, if the mobo is defected, the crashes will begin shortly after receiving the system.

While you're watching the threads, people enjoy their systems.

I say with confidence that 8740w rocks!
The best 2.5k invested this year, IMHO.

 

I agree with Aikimox here. With very few exceptions, one of the biggest bangs for your buck in today's laptop environment is to upgrade to an SSD hard drive and not worry about incremental CPU upgrades. Mass storage, for the most part, is the biggest gating factor on laptop performance these days, especially when you have at least 8GB of RAM installed.

As such, I would recommend, if performance is your biggest concern, either upgrading to one of our CTO options for an SSD or using a third party SSD - e.g. OCZ Vertex 2 or the upcoming Intel G3.

This is a spendy solution, but if you go with an 8740w with an i7 840, and 8GB of RAM, and an SSD hard drive, your laptop will be screaming fast for a very long time.

 

If you clicked on my second link above you'll see that the author has discovered it in 2 months. I suspect many may see it later when they start adding more memory blocks to the system...

I'm glad to hear that you have not experienced the problem, yet. But how do you know that your system is not prone to that? Do you know the part number of the defective part? Do you know the part number of fixed/redesigned one? How can you check/verify it in your system? How can you ask someone who wants to sell you that part number some day in future that is's not the lemon? And BTW, the same is true in case if you want to sell your MB or laptop too... (hint - think about your selling price then).

 

Hey RampageII - Got any cool name suggestions? I'll bring them up to the PMs. Keep in mind that you will lose all rights present and future to using that name and this is for no other compensation or credit other than seeing your cool new name appear on a laptop.

 

Give it a rest nbr99... It's clear there are two very different 'sets' of hardware out there. The set of machines released before DC2 was released, and the set after. It is an absolute travesty it happened, but it did and I hope each and every one of them gets addressed.

But otherwise, you keep filling out your spreadsheet... I'll keep catching up on the thousands and thousands of RAWs I need to convert to JPG on a machine w/all the speed and capability I expected it to have. Seriously doubt anyone over @ HP will lose any sleep that you won't take the plunge & get one.

 

How about with desktop systems, is SLI/CF buggy there too? I have no idea what I recently bought, but it's a recent Asus mobo that can do SLI.

 

Crap, how many people agree that a SSD is essential? This is going to be a very expensive quarter with 8740w, maybe a 30" IPS desktop display, and maybe SSDs for both computers

 

Haha :laugh:

You guys actually thought I was serious when I listed;
*Plain looking
*Lack of cool name.
as part of the CON's list?

I actually prefer simple, clean, professional looking laptops.
Hence the reason why I've owned an HP 8710w, 8730w and now 8740w.
I'm not a big fan of childish-looking, gamer laptops.


I was just poking fun at Aikimox's totally one-sided PRO-CON list.
He is very proud of his Alienware laptop.

AND because of classic lines like these;

I was surprised by this though;

I thought you would have been a great supporter of it coming from an Alienware.

 

Well, clear I feel better know that you guys have guaranteed a good performance for years

The fact is, I'm going to spend more tan $5000 (depending on my rep's discount) in this machine. It will be my main rig, as I'm going to use it as a desktop replacement 99% of time for many years, at least FIVE years. I cannot spend too much money to replace the system in 3 years or less.

I'm thinking about ordering a 840QM or a 920XM processor. I'm not sure if the 920XM could be overclocked with a 3rd party tool like ThrottleStop, and of course, I don't know if this will void my warranty

Also I want to order the 256GB Samsung SSD, as my primary drive, and the 7200RPM 500GB as secondary one (both shipped from HP).

Actually, I'm in love with the 8740w since it was released . The looking is the most sleek I've ever seen in my life, for me much better than a VAIO :rolleyes2:

But as you understand, I have to be 100% sure the $5000 (or more) are well worth :yes:

Guys, do you think with the 256GB SSD and the 840QM (or 920XM) this machine will be able to run a future Windows version like Windows 8 or the last KDE Linux/Unix desktop? As you know, both "programs" (the former is an operating system and the latter is a graphic desktop environment for Linux/UNIX OS) could be VERY HEAVY. Initially, I will put 4GB RAM on the 8740w, but I have peace of mind knowing I can upgrade to 16GB or even 32GB when 8GB sticks are released

 

Been a while since I reported back. My new order of 8740w just arrived (I needed as much CPU power as possible for code compilation, so I ordered one with 840qm).

There are changes made to the system:

1) Backlit keyboard is much more securely fixed in position now. I noticed that they added more "tabs" on the left side ("esc" key side) and all around, to make sure that the keyboard doesn't flex.
My first 8740w had the flexing problem, more on the num pad side though.

2) Battery P/N changed from xxx-LBx to xxx-OBx. It is the same part, but something has changed, I just don't know what... (This may have to be related to part of the fix for buzzing system when it is running on battery)

3) The speaker buzzing is still there, but much less noticeable. I can definitely work with this in a very quiet environment now (like 5am @ work )

Now something that I am not sure if you guys are aware of. (And may help stabilize the system somewhat, or even provide some performance gain.)

The Intel Chipset does NOT install correctly on Windows 7 systems!!!
I spotted this on guru3d, and promptly updated ALL my systems (desktops and laptop).

The symptom:
- Go to your system's "Device manager"
- Expand the "System devices" tree, and right click on ANY Intel related devices. Like "Intel(R) 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1". Or more IMPORTANTLY "Intel processor Integrated Memory Controller". Go to "Properties"->"Drivers Tab"
- If you ran the HP Intel Chipset installer as it is on a W7 system, you will see that the driver used is still the default MS ones released back in 2006!...

Yeah...

The Fix
I used the Intel Chipset package provided by HP.
- Run the pkg, and specify a location like c:\Intel Chipset Drivers
- When the actual installer of the Intel chipset runs, cancel it.
- Go to the folder that you specified earlier, (in this case c:\Intel Chipset Drivers), and right click on "Setup.exe"
- Under the "Compatibility tab" change it to run in " Windows vista (SP2) Compatibility. Also, check the "Run this program as an adminstrator" check box.
- Now, create a shortcut to "setup.exe", right click on the shortcut and go to properties.
- Add " -Overall" at the end of the path string in the "Target" text box in the Shortcut tab. (For my example here, the target box should read: "c:\Intel Chipset Drivers\setup.exe" -Overall)

- Now run the shortcut, and after a reboot, you will find that all the important intel drivers are now up-to-date (year 2009).

Hope this will help you guys.

 

FWIW, i made my own custom logo and sticking on top of the HP logo.

 

Lol, without the context those quotes mean very little, my friend. I can still sign under every word, BTW.
I am a proud AW owner, but as I said many times - I needed a good anti glare screen in addition to everything else.

 

BREAKING:
Probably the FIRST public REVIEW for this machine with DREAMCOLOR display.
I've found it on a slovakian site, it's only 2 days ago.

Translated to english with Google Translator tool:
LINK

Have fun

 

Lol, he's saying the system is too noisy... And I think it's very quiet, hehe.

Thanks for posting, BTW.

 

I think it has no Dreamcolor display, no logo and this would cost 1500-2000 Euros more and is only available with 740 or 840

 

On another note, has any successfully installed the 3rd party Optical Bay HDD Caddy from newmodeUS.com? It appears to not be compatible with the 8740w, even though it was said to be compatible.

 

I installed the original upgrade bay ordered from HP and it works like a charm. It was $20

 

That's exactly the one I'm using on my 8740w.
Where are you getting that misinformation?

 

What is the HP part# for the OEM upgrade bay?

 

I am not "getting the misinformation" from anyone but myself... The SATA connector doesn't match up with that of the 8740w. I don't know if this is because my 8740w is new, and they have elevated the internal sata connector.

 

Part 613682-001 Upgrade bay from HP ordered from
http://partsurfer.hp.com/

 

Thanks much. That is a different part number than the one in the 8740w service manual.

If it is not too much trouble, can you please check to see if the sata connector of the upgrade bay is elevated about 1 mm from the base of the bay please?

 

It is the same part number listed in the service manual. Look at page 30 of the service manual. Yes it is elevated.

 

It's not the connector. I think it's the little bracket that gets caught on the little screw.

Mine sometimes doesn't go in smooth.
It seems to get caught on the screw ever so slightly and prevents it from going in smooth all the way. You can see the top of the screw tilt when it bumps into it as you slide it in.
It's not a big deal at all. I just give it a little tap and it goes right in.
You can try wiggling the screw as you tap it in. That always works for me.

 

But it costs another $12 for shipping
Any promo code for free shipping?

 

Searching for a code.. I ordered it when shipping was $9.54. I don't know why they bumped up the shipping.

Even with $12 shipping, it would cost $32. I was not willing to risk my $3300 laptop (after discounts) and the $530 SSD with screws that don't go in smoothly or wiggling the screw while I tap it in etc. I would rather use a genuine part which is normally used in these machines by HP and which is cheaper than the other option.

 

Yeah I have been playing with it this whole afternoon, and with a little help from my hammer, I got it to fit. My problem were two folds, 1) the bottom of the caddy was bulging a little (probably because it sat there, unused, for months before I finally got 8740w). 2) the screws of the caddy didn't provide enough compression, so the caddy was a bit "fat."

Thanks for letting me know that your upgrade bay worked though. It gave me more reasons to not be lazy, and investigate why the caddy wasn't fitting for me. Thanks.

 

When I bought mine, they would only sell it as a kit with the 500GB HDD, which costs $200.
So $42 for the 3rd party alternative was a better option.
Actually, I didn't even buy it for my 8740w. Originally it was for my old 8730w. The part is interchangeable, so when I got my 8740w, I swapped it.

Naturally, if I had known about the OEM part being sold separately for $32 shipped, I would have opted for that. But it was not available by itself at the time.

LOL, :laugh:
Oh God, yeah you really have to be careful or it'll destroy your laptop.
If a little thing like that is enough to deter from trying things, I feel bad for you.

 

A hammer!
Damn, not exactly what I had in mind, but I'm glad you didn't give up so easily. LOL
All I have to do is give it a slight tap with the palm of my hand.

At this point, since you already have one, there's no point in spending more money on another one.
Unless, your particular caddy is really bad.
Mine wasn't so there's no point in buying another one.

 

LOL. Not everyone is comfortable using a hammer on their laptop.

 

Please, anyone can answer this? It's likely tomorrow I have to take a decision.

And do you think Intel may release new Clarskfield CPUs like i7-760QM, i7-860QM and so on (even when Sandy Bridge is in the market)?

Thank you very much indeed

 

To clarify, I didn't actually use the hammer (it was a small one! ) on the laptop itself. I just used it on the caddy to smooth out the bulging part, and to make sure that the top and bottom piece meshed together tightly.

On another note, I am sure some of you guys actually make use of the Intel vPro features, and the HP protect Tools. What do you guys think about these features? Are they worth installing?

thanks