HP Elitebook 8440P

Sweet dap_pad, I've ordered mine and can't wait to have my hands on it.
Feel free to share the love (aka impressions and feedback ) once you got tired playing with it alone.

 

Just finished installing Windows 7, all the drivers and software. Loving it so far! The hardware feels great. The keyboard is springy and very comfortable to type on. Transitioning great from my old 2510p keyboard to this one. But i have a few grips right now that I'm hoping is just my stupidity:

1. I installed Windows 7 and bought the FN093UT model with 4GB of RAM... why the hell did they give me the 32bit Windows 7 Professional? Do I have to call in for them to ship me the 64bit?

2. Can't seem to get the fingerprint sensor to work and enroll my fingerprints. I've installed HP ProtectTools Manager thing, but every single time I've run the setup wizard it only gives me options for the Smart Card Reader and passwords... help?

Other than those two things, loving it right now. Feels VERY nice Post further impressions later.

 

I believe the preconfigured models only come with 32-bit windows.

 

Did you get the 8440w since the 8440p doesn't come in gunmetal grey finish?

 

Yes i did get the 8440w. I said that in the beginning as well but the models are quite similar and differ really only in warranty, GPU and metal finish.

Ah... I guess I'll need to acquire a copy of 64-bit Windows 7 then...

Anyone have a solution to the fingerprint reader problem?

Thanks so much.

 

The Windows 7 key on the bottom of the laptop will work for a retail copy of Win7 64 bit. I just follow the instructions in this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=432564 to download and make a DVD copy of Win7 pro 64-bit. Once I finished the install, I did have to call in MS for activation. Just follow the instructions prompted by the OS.

I download the 64-bit driver for the finger sensor from the Hp website, and the latest copy of security tool manager, and the latest bios as well. The fingerprint sensor works like a charm in Win7 pro 64-bit.

Hope this helps.

 

Yeah... I have exams soon. I think I'll do that over the summer. Thanks for the help!

Just to double check though, the FN093UT model DOES come with a fingerprint sensor, correct?

 

As for the finger print sensor, did you setup without installing hp security app ?
I am looking for enabling fingerprint sensor without hp application.

 

Afaik, the minimum you have to do is to install the validity fingerprint senor driver and the HP ProtectTools security manager. You don't need the rest of the ProtectTools pluggins.

 

Ok... fixed the fingerprint sensor problem. Just re-downloaded the Validity Fingerprint Sensor Driver and HP ProtectTool Security Manager from HP.com and re-installed between with the Driver first. Afterward, fingerprints were finally an option in the "Credential" option.

Very happy with the laptop now, other than the 32-bit Windows 7 thing... is there a way to make Windows 7 32-bit be able to use 4GB of RAM without installing 64-bit Windows 7?

Anyways... anyone have any questions?

 

No, there is no way. 32-bit software is limited to 4GB, but the OS itself needs to reserve memory, hence why max usable memory is typically 3-3.5GB. If you have integrated graphics, then again memory goes down since some must be reserved for that. Why not switch to 64-bit? There really isn't any drawbacks nowadays.

 

I have a thinkpad and can scroll the document or Web page directly with the trackpoint keys. Is it also possible with the 8440p ? (there are only two trackpoint keys)

 

It's just that i already have everything set up EXACTLY the way i want it and burning a copy of Windows 7 and doing the whole activation thing is kind of a hassle right now when I have 5 exams coming up in the next few week. I'll definitely switch over to 64-bit over the summer when i have more free time, but for now...i'll stick to 32-bit. I just read somewhere of some hacks to enable 32-bit Windows 7 to recognize 4GB of RAM, how reliable are these?

No, you cannot scroll webpages using just the trackpoint buttons. I tried pressing down both buttons and scrolling to no avail.

 

Win 7, Vista, and even XP recognize 4GB of memory, but no hack will allow you to use the full amount due to some of the reasons I've stated above.

 

Just wanted to point out that the OS RAM limit has nothing to do with 32-bit vs. 64-bit. It is purely a way for Microsoft to differentiate between the different editions of their software, and squeeze even more cash out of you by crippling your hardware on the cheaper editions.

In fact, the maximum ram of different 32-bit Windows versions on consumer CPUs ranges from 0.5GB (WinXP Starter) to 64GB (Win Server 2003).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension#Microsoft_Windows

32-bit OSX can address 32GB and 32-bit Linux can address 64GB (64GB is the maximum for CPUs with 36-bit address bus size, which is almost all consumer CPUs)
http://www.topbits.com/address-bus.html

Anyway, sorry to drag the thread off-topic. Carry on

 

Ah... well then I guess those sites are just bogus then... I guess I'll have to wait till the summer to re-install Windows 7 though.

Weird, got my first blue screen yesterday. Was just watching a documentary on Youtube and got a something DUMP BSOD... hope this isn't a frequent thing... other than that. The 8440w is perfect rite now.

Anymore questions?

 

Have done some gaming on this baby? (i know it's exam time but one can relax sometime, right? )

 

LOL indeed i have. Albeit briefly. I played a brief LAN game of L4D (the first one) native resolution 1600x900 with everything else on medium and got a 60fps with graphic intense scenes never dropping below 30fps. Not bad... this was running on "mobile" setting as well. (forgot to turn it off) LOL

P.S. Btw, I've heard alot about undervolting lately, but doesn't the Core i series dynamically underclock itself to save batteries anyways? So is it possible and worth it to undervolting the core i7 620m in my 8440w?

 

I've got the Win7 Pro 32 bit install up and running for 3 weeks. After the first install, I got the BSOD 3 times in a row, then got it up and running, and updated the graphics driver. Since then, no problems with BSOD. I usually put the laptop to sleep (non hibernate), as I leave it running plugged in w/o battery at work.


One major problem I've noted is that I tend to get a high 80%-90% CPU use ( 2 gigs of ram, Core I5-540 chip), but only utilization of my RAM at about 50%. This seems to run most of the time on my machine. I have the upgraded video card, and don't use the onboard video. I do output to a 23 inch monitor using VGA. Any thoughts on why?

I've included a list of my software I run below:
(1) Corel Wordperfect x4 (use this for legal work at office)--- runs all day
(2) Outlook 2007--- runs all day
(3) Google Chrome-- runs all day (firefox was too much of a memory hog)
(4) Trend Micro- runs in background
(5) HP Power Assistant and Power program
(6) other programs which run naturally with the system

I figure I'll upgrade to 4 gig ram and see if that changes anything, and if not upgrade to Win7 Pro 64 Bit, and maybe change the affinity of some of the processes?

Thanks

 

dap_pad,

You are right to wait off on updating to 64 bit if you are using Examsoft. I completed school in May of last year, and had nothing but problems for Examsoft and test taking. It had something to do with the fact that Examsoft installed into the Program files (x86) directory, and when it would reboot into the secured mode, it had issues accessing the Examsoft directory. Moving the Examsoft install made additional problems. I ended up using my old laptop for finals.

 

Hello everyone (first post),
Just ordered Elitebook 8440p. Specs are Core i7 2.66Ghz, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB HDD, nvidia NVS 310 Graphics with 512MB RAM, 1600 x 900 antiglare screen, and 3 year warranty.
The cost is £1014 which is about $1555. My current machine is a HP Compaq nc6220. Before that I had an HP omnibook 6000. That is all I have had in the last 10 years.
Anyway there are 2 questions.
1. The Core ix series have a TDP of 35 watts (unless LV or ULV part). The standard C, C2D and Pentium Ms were around 25 watts. So does the 8440p get hot and is the fan noise ever annoying?
2. And what about the 1600 x 900 screen? What are people's thoughts on the screen resolution. My current machine is 1400 x 1050 which is about the same number of pixels but 4 x 3 rather than 16 x 9.
I looked at the Thinkpad T410 and even placed an order 3 weeks ago but cancelled - they weren't due to get it in stock until late April.

 

Hi James,
I don't know about 1, but for 2, I'm coming from the same resolution of 1400 x 1050 and I think the transition will be fine.
WHat I'm losing in vertical space (150px) I'll get in horizontal, and I'll be able to use the news Windows7 side by side features and other things.
BAsically, I'm doing a lot of photoshop and fireworks and flash, etc, etc, I'll do more scrolling vertically but i'll be able to arrange my toolbars better horizontally.
I don't know how it'll work out (my 8440w is on order now) but I guess/hope I'll get use to it.

Where did you get yours from?

 

1. iX TDP includes the TDP of memory controller and dedicated graphics (around 10W which were implemented with additional chips in the C2D days). So TDP remains almost the same.
2. The amount of pixels will be the same but (supposing the screen diagonal size remains the same also) the screen area will be less so the perceptive DPI will be higher.
The biggest drawback of 16 x 9 screen is the low vertical resolution. It really sucks if you are using standard applications. It is only good for movies and gaming.

 

1. I have a core i5-520m. The fan is not audible at all until one of the two cores is reaching 50°C then it's a bit louder. When idle, the temps of the cores are around 40 - 45°C.

For those who own a 8440w, do you have the same temps and fan behavior?

2. My screen is 1366 x 768 and I am fine with it. Something between 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900 would have been better for me.

 

Well apart from 1920 x 1080 (though on a bigger screen than 14") 1600 x 900 will be awesome for video. In all honesty I think I would prefer 1440 x 900 on a 14" screen.
Why have HP gone for this resolution? Is this the start of an industry trend or have HP gone "rogue".
On a different topic I have always rated the magnesium clad HP laptops very highly. In the past I have seen some really nice Fujitsu Lifebooks and Toshiba Tecras but I have only ever bought HP.
And for the record I do know that these Elitebooks are descended from the Compaq Evos and Armadas not the HP Omnibooks. But that doesn't bother me my NC6220 is a Houston design not a Cupertino design.

 

I have the 1600x900 resolution and I find it fine. But then again, I come from a 12.1" 1280x800 and a 19" with 1280x1024 so I'm fairly used to high resolutions. If anything, you can use the excellent DPI scaling tools in Windows 7. I find the higher resolution pretty useful for multitasking. Web page open on the left, word doc on the right. Perfect.

I have the Core i7-620M, which is the top Core i series CPU and i don't notice the fans at all until very high temps, usually only when gaming and graphic intensive stuff. On idle and light tasks like web surfing, it's pretty quiet. Like right now, I have Windows Live Messenger running, 10+ tabs in Firefox, Zune Marketplace app playing music and a few other applications running. The CPU temp is still showing only around 35 degrees from SpeedFan.

I have the 8440w, but i think it should be similar to the 8440p.

 

Does anyone know if this notebook has switchable graphics to switch to built in i5 intel graphics. Also, how is battery life with the largest battery, and 540m?

 

I'm about ready to order up an 8440. But a couple questions first:

I won't be doing gaming or heavy graphics work, but will be watching movies on this computer. How does the 380M graphics card in the 8440w differ from the NVS 3100 in the 8440p? Would I notice a difference if not gaming and doing video editing? I hope to have this machine for about 4 years, so I'm thinking about things down the road more than right now.

Also, how does the 8440 screen (once calibrated) compare to Macbook Pro (matte) and Latitude screens?

 

You won't notice a difference in the GPU, not sure about the screens though.

 

If your not gaming, you're unlikely to notice a difference. Both have Pure Video HD support so both will hardware decode your videos just fine.

My roommate has a MacBook Pro, while his screen does seem a bit more vibrant it's a bit more saturated and non-realistic IMO. But by first impressions, it does seem a bit "nicer" looking, but the 1600x900 is just amazingly useful and I wouldn't trade it for the world

 

Ok, for an update. I am running an I5, 520m, with 4 gigs of ram in Win 7 Professional (32 bit).

I still am having high CPU use in the 60-70% range for basically the majority of my computing time, sometimes up to 90% whenever I attempt to open anything. Ram use has dropped from 50% to closer to 30% average, but CPU use still remains very high.

Again, I've included a list of my software I run below:
(1) Corel Wordperfect x4 (use this for legal work at office)--- runs all day
(2) Outlook 2007--- runs all day
(3) Google Chrome-- runs all day (firefox was too much of a memory hog)
(4) Trend Micro- runs in background
(5) HP Power Assistant and Power program
(6) other programs which run naturally with the system


Any ideas as to what the problem would be? I'm confused as I don't do any graphics manipulation work, and only run what I'd consider a barebones system at work.

thanks

 

I would remove Trend Micro AV. If you really need AV I would recommend Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud. I suggest replacing Chrome with Opera or even IE9 beta.
The other thing I would do is remove all the HP bundled software other than hardware drivers. I would also give FF 3.6 another chance. But just install ABP. I think your problems are to do with Flash performance within Chrome.
Also try and install as little software as possible. For example unless you own an iPhone or iPod touch Quicktime and iTunes are useless rubbish that will slow your system.
The other thing you need to go is visit the HP support page and grab the latest drivers and BIOS etc.

BTW what do people think is a better choice 32 bit Win7 or 64bit Win7?

 

I was also only shipped with Win7 32 bits PRO with my 8440w. I phoned HP support and they sent me Win7 64 bits PRO DVD + drivers a couple of days later.

64 bits is definitely better if you have more than 3 Gb of RAM.
I don't really see any advantage of having the 32bits version nowadays.

 

Hey Terminator81,

I see that your location is France, did you order the 8440W from the US and got it delivered to France.

I'm french too, but living in Norway and will get it delivered here (soon i hope).
As the 8440w isn't available in Europe through regular HP partners, I was wondering how you worked your order and warranty and other stuff.

 

Hi antsiou,

Yes, I bought it in US and was delivered 3 days later. The warranty is 3 years on site around the world. I contacted HP France support for my request and they handled it the same way if I had bought the laptop in France.

 

3 days, "oh pinaise ça me fait réver". Who did you order it from, and for how much?
Mine have been ordered on 2nd April and after some banking shenanigans, only get it shipped from US tomorrow (I hope anyway, since the tracking package number i had, show the item going from somewhere in Georgia to Texas.... only).

Glad to know that local HP are helpful, I'll get in touch with HP norway to get a windows 7 64-bit dvd. Then just need to change the keyboard to use those lovely ø and å and æ
(know my azerty and qwerty layout by heart, still unsure about norwegian layout).

Et Voila

 

Really? Good to know! I was hoping that HP would do that... don't get why they don't just include it in the box if your getting 4GB of RAM in the first place Anyways, I think I'll just call them and get them to ship me a DVD and install it when I have time. I currently don't even use up the 3GB that's recognized so it's not TOO much of a problem.

 

Good news everyone the 8440p is now in the channel here in England (Misco, Insight etc) and at HP Direct. It seems a shipment of the 8440p with the Core i7 and 1600 x 900 screens arrived in England yesterday from China. The Core i5 ones with 1366 x 768 screens have been available for about 2 weeks now.
I'm actually thinking of buying an HP carepack. For £100 (about $150) I can upgrade my 3 collect and return warranty to 3 year next business day on site repair (from 9-5) and accidental damage.
I am usually very cynical about extended warranty plans. But to me this seems like a bargain. Imagine how much Apple would charge for this service if they offered it. They charge £280 to upgrade a 1 year C&R warranty to 3 years on a Macbook Pro.
I've tasted the Apple Kool aid as you Yankees say (I have an iPhone). And they are a brilliant marketing, interface and integration company with pretty hardware. But I've had enough of being ripped off. At least I can sell my iPhone for around £300 Sim-free and unlocked to some brainwashed person.
Can't wait for the HTC HD3 with WP7. I don't want all my mobile stuff going through Google's systems on Android.
BTW I mentioned Apple because of the MBP update yesterday.

 

I ordered it on ebay 1300 usd shipping fees included but unfortunately, i had to pay 200 eur for duty. Too bad but still, I am happy with it. And you how much did you pay for it?

 

Well I expect about the same in tax (in Nok equivalent) and it will still come cheaper than the local P model.

What model did you get for 1300 usd ?
(by the way, did I say i'm jealous you have it already )

 

I got the FN092UT. I replaced the HDD by a WD scorpio blue 500 Gb and add 2 Gb of RAM OCZ.

Be patient, you'll get it soon

 

Another glowing review here...
http://www.digitaltrends.com/produc...s/mid-size-laptops/hp-elitebook-8440p-review/

 

My 8440p has just gone on the pallet at the HP warehouse. Citylink will deliver tomorrow (hopefully) morning.
As for the screen I'm sure 1600 x 900 will be OK on a 14" LCD. I saw a 1920 x 1080 15.6" LCD on a Sony Vaio today and that was excellent. Although like many of you I really don't like glossy screens.
I have 7 days to decide if I want to keep it. But unless the screen is too dim (even at the brightest setting) or the underside gets hot enough to fry an egg or the fan drives me to distraction well then I think I've found the right laptop.

 

Has anyone used any of the new 8xxx elitebooks for music recording and production?
Thoughts on latency, AC buzz, artifacts from HDD?

 

(WARNING ... completely subjective and impossible to answer question in 3, 2, 1...)

I've been looking for a thin and light 14' computer for a couple months now, considering, among others, Vaio Z, Lenovo T410s, Dell E6410 and even some tablets for the heck of it.

The 8440w has come to my attention and looks great, but I'm worried that it's a little bulky (and there's nowhere I know of to go hold one). So, in your subjective opinions those of you who own one...is the overall feeling slim or bulky?

Thanks to anyone who provides their opinion!

 

The overall feeling for me is that the 8440w is "dense". It's compact, not slim, but heavy.

 

BTW I added the 8440 series Elitebooks to the HP owners lounge.

 

Hello,

my HP 8440p is making loud enough noise. Do you know what could be the problem, maybe the fan? How can I stop or control it? What is your experience?

Greetings,
Nikolay

 

No loud noises on my end but I have the 8440w. No sure how much difference that makes.

The fan makes a soft wind sound under heavy load but otherwise, no noises from it...

 

I wouldn't call it glowing but the review does seem to be fair. A trend is emerging at this point. It's a solid machine but isn't blowing anyone away.