HP Elitebook 8460w partial leak

The guys at HP Fansite have some info about the 8460w, whose existence is directly acknowledge by HP in one of their documents: http://hpfansite.com/hp-elitebook/s...460w-mobile-workstation-energy-star-certified

Black casing, Sandy Bridge Extreme i7 and WS graphics? hp fansite has been spot on accurate in past rumors but I hope they have more details about any more new features on the 8460w soon since these three new features alone don't justify an upgrade from my 6930b yet!!

 

I don't need the quad core or anything as i5 would be fine for me, but I would fully be sold on this if I can get the dream color on the 14in model. The W models have the same battery option and life as the P model(same specs of course), right?

 

It says support for the i7, so I would guess you can still get one with an i5. Looks very intriguing.

 

Anodized black would be nice, I know it looked great on my MSI GX620.

But, nothing short of DreamColor coming to the 8460W will cause me to upgrade.

 

Yes, black would be much more better. With a nice amd firepro it would be beating out the 8740w and the w520 on my shopping list.

 

I'm really looking forward to learning what discrete GPU they've put in the 8460w. I'm really hoping it is more powerful than a "workstation" version of what is in the 8460p.

 

Doubt it will be very powerful. 14" laptops usually get the shaft for GPU power. We're probably still looking at a low end 128-bit or even a "higher-end" 64-bit.

 

what about the info for 8560w and 8760w?

 

I really hope you are wrong, but I strongly suspect you are right.

I don't understand why they do this. Based on what I've heard and read, the 14" is one of the most popular sizes. Wouldn't they sell even more (and perhaps even bring in some people from the consumer segment (e.g. Envy 14 buyers)) if they added a decent GPU? I understand why they will not put a high end GPU in it, but why not a midrange one? Even a lower-end midrange one...

Maybe adding a decent GPU in the 14 would cannibalize sales of the 8560. I wouldn't even consider the 8560 if the 8460 has a better than entry-level GPU.

Only HP knows why they do these things.

I hope they do something good with GPU in the 8460w. That would really give Dell and Lenovo a good kick in the pants.

 

I think HP offers the only 14" "workstation"...right? So the market for nVIDIA and AMD in this niche of a niche is very small. So HP has been stuck with only one option (in the 8440w). Maybe they will offer the 1000M in the 8460w. You will notice that nVIDIA did NOT update their website with a replacement for the 380M. It might still be coming, or maybe AMD will be providing a FirePro card. All guesswork at this stage.

 

Besides the new design and updated processors/graphics, there is nothing that intriguing about the Elitebook 8460w. Unless they offer a Dreamcolor 2 1600x900 display, there is nothing out of the ordinary here to justify an upgrade...

 

I'd love to see them offer DC in multiple resolutions. This would imply it is selling really well and should be around for years to come. However I doubt a 1600x900 DC will happen. For the time being at lest, DC will probably remain a very premium upgrade and will only come in one flavor per platform.

 

Certainly, but there is no reason for why they can't produce a Dreamcolor display for the rest of the Elitebook line-up and at a resolution of 1600x900 (as an alternative to the 1080p resolution, which would be unfitting for such a small screen size).

It's frustrating that they are so slow in making it more widely available on other models...

 

How is dream color on battery usage? Do the workstations models get similar battery life to their P counterpart(on the intel igp that is with the same battery option)?

 

Since the workstations come standard with (your choice of) discreet professional GPUs, this comparison can not be made, as there is no option to switch to the igp.

 

I did not know this. I thought you must be mistaken, but according to the other websites I have seen you seem to be right.

My apologies to HP, but this is a very stupid decision on their part if this is really what they have done. The inclusion of switchable graphics is a great way to extend battery life and keep the laptop cool. Considering that it's becoming fairly standard across newer laptops, they should include it.

 

I tend to disagree, many of us workstation users NEED the stability and rock solid reliability. I have had numerous switching laptops and while nice for battery life they are a nightmare for high end applications ( im looking SPECIFICALLY at Optimus ) if they were to make their own switching method with dual MUX's it would be better. but until Nvida inparticuar addresses the idiocity that is making the IGP doing all the final renders and output to the screen and causing so many issues with pro aps such as CAD, Maya, 3DS max etc I will happily forgo the switching until it is much more stable and driver issue free. I really hate system freezes and Kernel panicks due to drivers and GPU's when doing long renders.

 

How is the battery on the current 14in workstation model? What can't we have both good battery(switch for igp when power is not needed, like Sony does) and good screen in a durable business model.

 

The battery life in the 8440w is excellent. Last month I flew from JFK-SFO. I used the laptop for the entire time it was allowed. 1 hr of watching an HD video in VLC and the rest with wifi on and surfing the entire time (gogo equipped flight). When the plan landed I still had 20 mins left.

 

How hard would it be for HP to include a switch that allows the user to force the laptop into discrete mode? Most of the people I've met who use CAD (and similar) software know the difference between an IGP and discrete GPU. They could easily press a few buttons or move a physical switch (like the Vaio Z) to change GPUs.

 

The point is that switchable graphics still has a lot of problems due to poor driver solutions between companies. Business laptops need stability and that has been tried and tested with a single discrete solution or single integrated solution.

 

Optimus on the thinkpads suck. In Photoshop CS5 no files will open if Optimus is enabled.

 

In the datasheet, has it been mentioned the nit brightness and contrast of the lcd screen, or at least the name of the manufacturer that makes the screen?

Or is Hp just going to be reusing the same old screens from its last generation Elitebook line-up?

Just asking, because the screen on the 8440p/w was really bad...with a blue tint and not so sharp. One would expect a completely new and redesigned model to have something like a 1600x900 IPS display by now...considering that it is made for professional-use.

 

Yeah that the only thing really holding me back on the 14in 84x0 series, the weak screen. If they give in an IPS, or AFFS screen, even as an option, I would be fully sold.

 

Any more news on this laptop? I was leaning towards buying a T420s, but this sounds interesting...

 

I was speaking with an HP rep last week and said the P versions are coming out in about 3 weeks (let's hope). I have the 8540w (XT907UA#ABA) with the dream colour screen - love the thing! I7QM/8GB/7Pro64... but I am likely to be going to the 8460p (or w).. when that comes out.

I too would like to know if there is any other news on the 8460w?