*HP EliteBook 8760w Owners Lounge*

Depends on what you ordered. Mine was placed on May 26th and I'm still waiting... but it's too late to be canceled so I'll be doing the whole return cycle thing. I already ordered a Dell M6600 which will be here in about a week.

By spec, The Dell is way more machine for the dollar. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a POS.

Matt

 

[ MrZoontastic]

thanks for that, he is doing a lot of that already, but all insight appreciated.

there are issues also with moving licenses and passwords over, and, some of this low volume high priced technical software is even cranky under XP. Some bright spots, an old copy of PhotoShop 7.0 went over pretty easy, this is a program I use just for convenience and format changing, but the latest release not only is expensive, it is nuts on DRM. Old version is wonderful for my needs.

Machine is 60% built now, no crashes after all new downloads of basic drivers after installing a big Cruical M4 SSD into slot 0. I have great hopes, but it looks like another 16 hours work. I am going to sit with him tonight to advise on some of the quirkier stuff at least with respect to history of getting it to work on my existing XP machine.

 

[ rbs ]

Most welcome! I bet you're anxious to have it all "locked & loaded", and in your hands.

 

Ok,
It is finally "locked and loaded". no crashes, very solid for 6 hours of real work today. The keyboard (mine backlit for some reason, i did not expect this, could be there error) is not quite as good as the nx9420, a bit nore rattlely, but not spongy or non-deterministic like a dell. Fully adequate. I am now very happly with everything but the weight, but this is not any real problem for me. Rather have the weight and the super speed, which wirh the crucial m4 half terabyte ssd is superb. Day one, exteremel happy.

 

Got it 7/26

Core i7-2820QM
1920 x 1080 Screen
NVIDIA Quadro 3000M
RAM 16GB 1333DDR3

Got the primary Intel 320 160GB SSD configured.

Time to play....er work

 

Bah. Mine shipped too but I already have an RMA and prepaid label to send it back. They took too long. It should show up and go back on Monday.

Matt

 

received mine yesterday. ordered may 24th.

quadro 5010
2820qm
dreamcolor display

added kingston hyperx 4gb x 4 for 16gb
added 2 intel 510 256gb ssd drives. main compartment fits the intel 510, but the secondary hd bay does not. the 510 was a lil too thick. unscrewed the bottom base plate on the 510 drive, used some twist ties and now it fits.

u need to order the hd kit to install a second hd, as the system did not come with it.

can confirm both drives are working in sata 3 mode. very fast.

not a gamer, all i run are maya, photoshop, and lightroom... lightroom flies with the ssd drive.

if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. again, im not a gamer so don't have access to any gaming benchmarks.

 

Ordered my 8760w on 7/27

i7-2820QM Processor
DreamColor w/ webcam
16GB RAM
500GB HDD (plan to add 240G SSD later)
M5950
230W Advanced Docking Station

Now it's time to hurry up and wait.

 

I'm just trying to be helpful by pointing this out - the cost difference between the 4gb configuration and the cheapest 16gb configuration is $550.

If you wanted to save - a ton of money - on the previous model (which I own) one of the memory bays is under the keyboard, the other on the underside of the computer. The one on the bottom of the computer is actually easy to get into, you just undo a screw or two. The one under the keyboard is more difficult to get to (the installed memory is already installed there). Apparently with a little technical know-how you can get into it yourself, but while some call it easy I saw it done and would call it "I can do it but it would take a while".

Anyways - 4gb sticks of memory cost $80 on newegg, so with just the bottom panel for $80 (instead of $550) you could install 12gb of memory yourself most likely. Even if you weren't comfortable with that, you could have it done by a shop quickly and cheaply and come out hundreds of dollars ahead.

And then there's other configurations - you could order 3 sticks at $40/piece and install the one under the keyboard yourself, or have someone else do it, or order the computer with 8gb of memory in 2 sticks and assume they'll install them under the keyboard, only leaving the ones on the bottom panel to install yourself.

I'm just sayin' - you pay an exorbitant rate to have hp sent the computer computer with extra memory installed.

To be fair, I've read you can get a 25% discount from sales reps so that does lower the cost to...$412. Well...that's before they charge you for taxes which I don't think you pay through newegg.

On the other hand, getting the computer with a solid state drive isn't as bad of a deal. A Samsung 256gb SSD on amazon costs $444. The cost difference between the 500gb drive and the hp ssd is $500 ($550 vs the 320gb drive). If you get a 25% discount, that's a $375 upgrade to the ssd - you might actually be saving money if you really end up getting it anyways.

 

Can someone show some real life pics of the 8760w ?

 

Pictures are already available here and here.

 

[PaulRivers]

That's good advice Paul. That's actually exactly what I did - just didn't go into detail in my post. Mine will come with 4GB of RAM, but I ordered 4x4GB of RAM from Newegg for $110.

Thanks Paul!

 

Just to be informative.

Some time ago I posted a comparison between the DreamColor displays of the 8760w and 8740w (click the previous link to read it). Although the comparison was done with the specifications stated in QuickSpecs v3, there is no difference with QuickSpecs v5 (current).

As you can see, it looks like the 8760w DC2 display is inferior to the 8740w's, at least regarding contrast. Brightness is higher (100 nits of difference), but contrast is much lower (600:1 vs 800:1), and I can assure you for me (I have an 8740w with DC2) 210 nits of brightness is more than enough in normal light conditions, and even this max brightness value could be annoying for your vision. Since I'm pretty sure DC2 panels are using e-IPS technology, these panels can have lower-than-average brightness values, but at the same time a similar luminance level like other panels with higher brightness values. This is because e-IPS technology is very efficient transmitting the light through the panel matrix.

However, it's very weird, because the 8560w DC2 display has the same specifications as the 8740w's (click the previous link to read 8560w tech specs), and therefore they are on par. This means the 8760w DC2 display could be considered inferior to the 8560w's. If this is not a mistake, only HP knows the reason for this weird decision.

I hope this helps.

PS: You can read details about the e-IPS technology here.

 

As far as I can tell from the specs it's possible to install 2 hardrives while keeping the DVD-drive, am I right? If this is true, I could have a small SSD for Windows and a large 7200 drive for data, can anyone confirm?

Thanks

 

Yes, it is possible. I have the XU099UT#ABA model. There are two regular hard drive bays and there is also an optional caddy for the DVD drive bay. You can have up to three hard drives in a RAID 5 configuration if you want. I opted to leave the DVD drive in and install two 750 GB hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration.

I didn't purchase the 750 GB hard drives from HP and I had a tough time finding the part number for the try for the 2nd drive bay (even after contacting HP directly). I think that's because the previous EliteBook model only had two possible spots for hard drives (the primary bay and the DVD drive bay) and I don't think the technicians had come across people wanting to add a 2nd hard drive to the 8760w yet. They kept trying to tell me the part number for the hard drive caddy for the DVD drive bay. However, an HP technician that came onsite to do some repairs on one of the HP EliteBooks at work helped me find the part number of the tray for the second bay.

Here is the hard drive tray I purchased and used. It’s available through HP Partsurfer HP PartSurfer
642774-001 Hard Drive Hardware Kit (includes hard drive bracket and screws)
List Price (USD) is $13.30 on HP Partsurfer.

 

Just ordered my 8760w - although turns out we can't get the Dream Color option in South Africa. Just interested to hear if any of the 8760 owners on this thread have the NON-Dream color version, and if they're happy with the screen. Also, if it's possible to upgrade the screen to Dream Color after purchase?
Thanks

 

According to the specs on the LG672EA, it has a DreamColor screen:

HP EliteBook 8760w Mobile Workstation (LG672EA) specifications - HP Small & Medium Business products

It's available from all retailers I've found offering the 8760w. From lowest to highest price:

HP LG672EA EliteBook 8760w Notebook | HP | Notebooks | Techno Vision
HP EliteBook 8760w - Grab a PC
HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation laptops. HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation notebooks. LG672EA laptops specifications.
HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation laptops. HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation notebooks. LG672EA notebooks South Africa - sales to the Public in South Africa.Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.
LG672EA HP Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation laptops South Africa - sales to the Public in South Africa.Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.
HP LG672EA EliteBook 8760w Notebook | HP | Notebooks | Techno Vision
Pinnacle Africa - HP EliteBook 8760w
HP LG672EA 8760w - iSV certificated , with built [LG672EA] - R23,961.60 : Rebel Tech cc, For all your Computer needs

Have you been told something different?

 

First, I own an 8740w and do no agree about the brightness at all. Over and over again I find it slightly to dim whenever the sun is up, noticeably to dim if I'm by a window (though I can still see it), and useless if in direct sunlight. For such an expensive screen, I've definitely been disappointed by it's brightness.

Second, the last time I saw someone do a comparison I'm not sure but I feel like the label on the contrast changed somehow, so I'm not 100% sure if the values are measuring exactly the same thing...more of an fyi I'm not sure.

 

Robbilau - just found out from Pinnacle that the new models they have in stock are LG673EA, which is without Dream Colour. Apparently they had the LG672EA, but have now replaced with LG673EA...bit frustrating to "update" to models with lower specs...
Besides the Dream colour vs no Dream Colour, is there any other difference between these 2 models - as don't see any difference in the top level specs.

 

Paul - do you have the Dream Colour option or are you referring to the standard anti-glare FHD screen?

 

hey, yes I have the actual DreamColor screen. Actually my original screen wasn't "calibrated" at the factory like it should have been and I had it replaced under warranty so I've had two of them but they were both exactly the same.

 

Ok, I meant for normal use. I don't think you spend 100% of your time outdoors, don't you? But you're right, with sunlight is dim, but with normal light conditions I find the brightness fine and may be cumbersome when set at max at night, for example. IMHO.

The 600:1 contrast value is taken out from the official quick specs, and it seems this is not a mistake, because previous version of the QS showed the same value. Until there is some in-depth review of the DC2 screen for the 8760w, we can't know for sure, but it seems it's right. You get more brightness at the expense of less contrast. I think contrast values are more important than brightness, when achieved luminance is sufficient to work comfortably, IMHO again.

 

The LG673EA has 8GB of RAM as opposed to 4GB in the LG672EA, and also has a 128GB SSD as opposed to the 500GB mechanical in the LG672EA.

IMO the LG672EA is the one to get since I want a SATA III SSD, not SATA II and will use the 500 for storage in the second bay. Also the premium you pay for memory from HP is ridiculous, it's much cheaper getting it elsewhere, so I'm happy getting only 4GB RAM. And of course the dreamcolor screen, that's a must-have for me.

 

Sitting at home indoors where I have windows and it's sunny outside *are* normal conditions for me... In order to be able to work I had to move my desk around to minimize glare - something that wasn't a problem with my previous laptop.

And let's keep this in context. You said that there was no reason why you needed more brightness. And since I've had several annoyances with the brightness I'm just saying that I do think more brightness is welcome and useful based on my own experience.

If the contrast ratio really dropped I would also find that annoying as well as frankly it's "fine" on the 8740w screen but not exceptional in my opinion.

My recollection was as I said something about the term changing from "contrast ratio" to "dynamic contrast ratio" or...something like that. I just mention it as a note as I'm not really sure or ambitious enough to go back and look it up, just a fleeting rememberance...

 

The 600:1 contrast is listed as "600:1 (min)" - this implies some sort of dynamic contrast with a minimum of 600:1. How it works (and how effectively) is the question.

 

In Greece we don't get the dreamcolor screen. It is very expensive, while they promote the LG673EA model. Is there anyone that have the LG673EA and what are his impressions, because in a few days I will get one? In Greece it comes with the 256 SSD hard disk.
Thank you

 

My bad - it comes with a 256 here in South Africa as well.

 

Anyone tried using the system with 3 internal discs yet...just wondering how it does (or doesn't) handle the heat. Will be used for video editing, which apparently does stress the hard drives out.

Plan is for SSD for primary storage and then 2x 500GB SATA (one in the secondary hard drive bay, the other to replace the DVD/CD.

Any thoughts as to whether this is advisable, and if the single fan can cope adequately with the cooling.

 

I am new to the forums and new to HP laptops. Sorry for the dumb question. Can someone tell me how to configure my 8760w for raid? I cannot for the life of me find how to get in to the raid configuration.

Thanks
James

 

have you checked out the HP site? there should be documents for raid configuration, look for the drivers page and then documents and so on

 

I have checked their site but I found nothing.

 

How does the brightness of the 8760W compare to the older 8730W and NW9440/NX9420? I found the NW9440 100% better than the 8730W. I hoping the 8760W is more inline with the older NW9440/NX9420s. Can someone comment?

 

[Jroberts1]

You're probably looking for detailed step-by-step instructions specifically written for your 8760w, but the following may help:

If you'll be running Windows 7, check out this site:
Setting Up OS RAID With Windows 7 Ultimate | Overclockers

I just did a BING search on "how to setup RAID on windows 7", and found a slew of websites, and a number of video sessions on this topic as well. No guarantees that any of them will be exactly what you need, but they may point you in the right direction.

I too am considering implementing some type of RAID configuration, but not sure yet.

 

oh, my guess: it is not ready yet (because it is a new model which is a little different from the predecessor 8740w)

try if you can get information out of the RAID manual for the 8740w

HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation- Manuals - HP Business Support Center

look at the USER GUIDE entries, there is a document called RAID - ....

 

Standard 1920x1080 8760w screen is dramatically brighter and clearer than the nx9420. New one is led backlit. I just changed over. The 8760 aspect ratio is a bit irritating, though, so is the larger dimension set. But the non-DC screen is very good.

 

I admit I'm not quite as up on the model numbers - is the nx9420 the lower res screen on the 8760w, or is it the 1920x1200 screen on the older 8740w model?

 

I have installed Debian/Sid on my system using Nvidias driver (3.0.0.1-amd64 kernel and nvidia 280.13). I am pretty happy with this configuration and I think I will keep it. I have not yet done any virtualization tests. Should I not encounter any problems with these, Debian/Sid will be my configuration.

Last night I ran a benchmark suite from PTS (Phoronix Test Suite, see phoronix.com). The results are uploaded to "http://openbenchmarking.org/result/1108057-GR-1107302GR90". Apparently, with PTS you can pick an already uploaded benchmark and then run the same tests on your system. After the benchmark completes, PTS compares your results with the uploaded one. I just started using PTS and I am not sure how to pick a good candidate for comparison. I simply picked one at random.

During the test, the GPU temperature went up to 81 Celsius. Although the fan runs at full speed at that load, the noise is very acceptable. I didn't hear any whining fan blades or any other annoying sound - just a steady flow of air through the heat exchanger.

I understand that PTS runs also on Windows 7 - maybe somebody can try to create a comparison?

PTS downloads several GiBs of software and it runs for hours (I started it last night at 19:00, I don't know when it finished, but it was done today at 05:00). The benchmark I ran included also three tests from Unigine. These tests produce some of the most amazing computer generated graphics I have seen. Actually, they are so good, I pre-ordered OilRush - a game, Unigine is expected to release sometimes soon. The benchmark ran with some 30-50 frames per second, so the camera movement, panning and zooming was absolutely smooth. You can also download and run these tests directly from Unigine.com.

I have to say that I am very happy with the 8760w - the more I use it, the more I like it.

 

Pulled the trigger on the LG673EA, and it should arrive early next week. Couldn't get the model with the Dream Colour screen, so am glad to hear std screen appears OK.

My plan is to buy an external monitor anyway for home use anyway, so will invest in a good one - main use photography/videography (anyone have any recommendations)?

Will be installing Adobe CS5 Master Suite - will give some feedback on how it runs CS5 Premiere once it's loaded.

 

Congrats! Where did you end up buying it? Pinnacle?

 

Received my 8760W this morning. It's the model with Dreamcolor. As soon as we got it we took it completely apart to do some adjustments:

1) We added WWAN antenna's so it now has WWAN in a Dreamcolor model
2) We modified the black plastic that prevents the secondary HD bay to accept an SSD, it now holds a SSD.
3) We added 4x 8GB mem modules
4) We added 2x Intel series 510 SSD SATAIII 250GB








Overall I'm very happy with this model

 

is the picture with WWAN on (using it) still perfect?

I mean, there must be a reason why they don't fit the antennas...

 

We have done this with other series also and there was never a problem with the DC screens or WWAN. I understand your concerns and it was ours also but like I said, crisp screen and no problems.

 

Does anyone know if the esata port is actually an esatap port? The manual lists it as an esata / USB 2.0 combo port. Is that the same as esatap?

 

OK.


{For previous question, the nx9420 was an HP notebook model that I bought in 2006}

Keyboard is acceptable, not fantastic, but much, much better than any dell I have seen.

I have decided that I like the 8760W a lot, particularly with the double drives, the system and application one being a Crucial M4 SATA III.

It is plenty bright, it is fast, it does not have any weird windows problems like every other laptop I have had. It is big, and, when the fan goes off, you will burn yourself if you put your finger in front of the exhaust grid. I have not checked the battery life, but likely it is miserable. I did not order the external battery yet.

Overall, it is great

 

Thanks for writing back.

 

no WWAN antennas with a DC screen?
why can you configure a 8560 with DC and WWAN module?
I´m a bit confused...

 

I tried it on an 8760w -
HP's Small & Medium Business Online Store

And it gave me an error message there to -
- This selection HP un2430 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband (WX749AV) is not available when Dreamcolor Display is selected. [10170]

 

hmmm... sofar I have a TopConfig with HP in assembly and haven´t heard of a configuration error... we´ll see.

 

Unbelievable, but true!!!

Last weekend I ordered the S-HDD Upgrade Bay (in case I want to replace the CD drive with a 3rd hard disk) and the SPS-Screw Kit (in case I loose a few screws in this process). Today the package came. It was packed in a huge box. See the attached pictures. I placed the upgrade bay and the screw kit on top of the box. In addition, the upgrade bay was also in a smaller package and the screw kit was in a padded envelope.

It is hard to believe that HP packs a $7k laptop to be shipped from Shanghai/China to California in a flimsy box that holds barely itself together. And when they ship some tiny, cheap parts from Kentucky to California they use the biggest box they can find.

 

I have a question about installing RAM on the 8760w. If I'm not mistaken, 2 of the SODIMM slots are located underneath the keyboard, if that is correct, can anyone point me to some instructions on how to remove the keyboard in order to do that? Looks like KarelR knows how to do this, and I'm sure many others on this forum know as well.

I ordered mine with only 4GB of RAM, and then ordered 4x4GB SODIMMs off newegg.com so that I could save some $$$.

Thanks for your help in advance! (No rush, as mine hasn't arrived yet.)