*HP ZBook 15 Owners Lounge*

So...as there is still no Owners Lounge for ZBook 15 Users (aren`t there any?!) I opened this thread.

I have the following model:

i7 4700MQ
8 GB RAM (self upgrade crucial ballistix sport)
240GB mSATA (Crucial M500)
750GB HDD
FullHD

Impressions after 2 weeks of usage:

I really like the design of the ZBook15. With its black and grey colours it looks much better in real life then on photos or videos. The keyboard is the best I`ve ever typed on. I have an Elitebook 8570p at work and the keyboard is also great but the ZBook 15 keyboard is quite better. But the previous Elitebook models look a little more solid to me.
The Full HD screen is ok - not more or less.

Usually the fan is always on at minum level even while web browsing. I use the notebook fan control tool to manage the fans and no it is silent while office work.

Any questions that I might answer?

 

Hello, thank you for posting this.

What tool do you use to control the fan speed?

 

I use "notebook fan control".

 

Where did you find that program? Can you please post a link here? I also use a Zbook 15, and sometimes the fan is on unnecessarily. Thank You!

 

Thanks for starting the thread. I don't own one yet, so I'm gathering as much info as possible & I'm sure I will have questions.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

I'm assuming you didn't get the Dreamcolor display. Would like comments, reviews etc on the Dreamcolor display. I tried two different ones of the previous model & was extremely disappointed in the screen for the price one has to pay for it.


Any questions that I might answer?[/QUOTE]




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Some photo would be nice. Hp retail price is just ridiculous and make these machine a lesser option `~

 

Here`s the link to Notebook Fan Control Tool: [Vorstellung] NoteBook FanControl (NBFC) - Seite 38 - ComputerBase Forum

 

Thank you for that! Looks too complicated for me. I don't want to mess up a machine that expensive.

 

It is really self explaining. You start the tool once and choose the Zbook 15 from the list of configs. That's basically it.

 

Oh okay. I didn't see the English user guide on the first page of the thread. I assume this will work well with the Zbook 17 as well?

 

It should work with many notebook models but there might no config file available.
E.g. for the ZBook 15 I chose the Elitebook 8560p config and it works perfect with the Zbook 15. Maybe the config for the Elitebook 17" model works with the ZBook 17. You`ll have to try out.

 

Just in case someone isn't aware, there is an option in the bios that has the cooling fan always run when the notebook is plugged into AC power. With that option disabled the fan will rarely come on while doing light work, without any kind of control software needed.

Oh, and even the non-dreamcolor models now come with an IPS display. It is of the same quality of the IPS display on the Zbook 14, so no 10-bit color, but it does cover sRGB fine and has great viewing angles, as well as optimus support for ~7 hour battery life on the 83w battery. It is unique to the Zbook as well, it seems. Neither the M4800 or W540 have a 1080p IPS option this time around.

 

Cannot confirm this. Whatever I have selected in the BIOS the fan is always on - no matter if plugged in or not. And this while I am just webbrowsing.

 

I have this option disabled. The fan still comes on when doing light work using balanced and high performance power scheme. On power saver(when the computer is sitting idle for 6+ hours) the fan rarely turns on.

 

If this machine is not priced so high...

 

I could not find all anwers in the quickspecs for the zBook so maybee a owner can help
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/14722_na/14722_na.pdf


Service Manual
http://h20628.www2.hp.com/km-ext/kmcsdirect/emr_na-c03985204-1.pdf


GPU/display related questions:

Does the zBook 15 allow to select the GPU used like the zBook 14?

How many displays can be connected to the zBook when inserted into the docking station?

NVIDIA Quadro mobile professional graphics support up to four independent displays when using an HP Advanced Docking station (sold separately) without hybrid graphics enabled, and up to 5 with Hybrid graphics enabled NVIDIA Optimus is enabled by default. If you choose to disable this functionality, Intel® integrated graphics will not be used.

Displayport 1.2 supports 4 k displays according to the quickspecs, but not if this is this true for both GPU's and how many displays can be maintained at once. I'm asking because heise.de (c't magazine) tested 4k displays and they noted they encountered a number of problems with Haswell based notebooks, has anyone tried the zBook 15 with a 4k display and at which refresh rate?



Power-supply related questions:

The wall/air/car power-supply for the zBook 15 weighs less then the previous power-supply AJ652 for the 8xx0 Elitebooks, but the specs do not mention if it also allows to supply the zBook only with power without having to start a charge cycle. I used only the AJ652 for my 8560p and after 3 years my battery is still good enough for portable use since I re-charged only on monthly basis or when needed after use.

Similar as above but for the docking station, but do you know of a power-supply strong enough for the docking station (the AJ652 is rated 90 W) that allows the same function for the zBook when in the docking station?

RAM:

DDR3L 1.35V SDRAM (1600 MHz)
Two SODIMM slots (Dual-core processor) or four SODIMM slots (Quad-core processor) supporting dual-channel memory
2 GB, 4 GB, and 8 GB SODIMMs

SD UHS-II ! Flash Media slot –
(Supports next generation SD (Secure Digital), backward compatible to SDHC, SDXC,
Integrated Smart Card Reader (Compatible with ISO 7816 compliant Smart Cards PC/SC interface support)


SATA related questions:

What type are the internal SATA connectors for the internal SSD, mSATA and the extension bay 1.5, 3 or 6 GB?

Has anyone tested a 240 GB mSata SSD in the zBook (as Boot device) sucessfully and which type/brand?
Note: Heise (c't) tested recently SSD for IOPS and noted that most SSD could sustain the advertised IOPS only as long as buffer was available, A crucial M550 dropped after after ~ 2 minutes from 90k to ~3 k (resolution not good enough) while the intel 530 was slower at the start with ~48k but dropped slowly to ~37k within 4 minutes. While th intel remained at ~37k the Crucial remained at ~3k after the first 2 minutes. I could not find a similar test run anywhere so far, but I will go for the slower Intel since continious 4k transfer is more important imho compared to impressed short time performance and higher peak rates.

Is sleep mode supported for SSD or not?

Thunderbolt

Does it have TB 10 or 20?


Boot question:

Which drives/ports are supported for booting e.g USB 2 only or also 3.0 port, expresscard?
Found this so inprinciple USB 3 may work
http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/si...x.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

USB:

zBook has USB 3.0 not USB 3.1

Are all USB 3 ports similar fast?


Audio Jack related

zBook supports stereo out only and mono mic in

Since stereo Line is impossible any recomendations for a soundcard?

 

Also of interest are the differences in warranty and care packages to extend to next day service and/or extending service up to 5 years.

In Europe/Germany we have 3 years national pick up and return in some models while other models with the same hardware have international pick up and return

Care packages will therefore be only like the notebook national only or international.

Care packages allow to extend the time up to 5 years (~180 € for extending from 3 to 5 years) and have to be purchased within 180 days after purchase.

Next day service is about twice as expensive. Since my last 1. HP professional notebook broke first after 2 month (motherboard totally dead) and next after 2 years and 11 month (display) just short of the 3 years, same as my last notebook also after 2 years and 11 month, I think I'll extend my zBook 15 to 5 years.

 

Be shure you have at least basic knowledge of consequenses doing this yourself e.g. impact of electronic discharge, mechanical skills, what you can do or not do, otherwise you may damage/fry parts of your zBook 15.
If you don't know what's in stake if you do it wrong
DO NOT attempt to work on your zBook!

There is a number of documents and remove/replace videos available
Search HP Support Center - HP Support Center

General to remove/replace precautions to be taken
http://h20628.www2.hp.com/km-ext/sm...gId=en&mediaItemId=97254285630502943536934515

Tools and material
http://h20628.www2.hp.com/km-ext/sm...882969975912120395342117006069476493443034227

While card and drive replacement seem straightford removing the RAM below the keyboard posed problems for some so here the links for both
Memory 1/2
http://h20628.www2.hp.com/km-ext/sm...ediaItemId=1569781452492539979328160000122930

Memory 3/4
Remove/Replace videos for HP ZBook 15 Mobile Workstation - Memory 3 and 4

 

So I received my zBook 15 with 4 GB RAM (2Rx8 PC3L -128000S-11-12-F3) a few days ago, and upgraded it with a 4GB (2Rx8 PC3 -128000S-11-12-F3) stick I had left when I upgraded my 8560p to 16 GB.

Did you notice a difference in the above RAM from my older and newer notebook?


(2Rx8 PC3 -128000S-11-12-F3) is rated 1.5 V
(2Rx8 PC3 L -128000S-11-12-F3) is rated 1.35 V

The 1.35 V is specified to work also at 1.5 V.

It works flwawlessly, but does not boot without a hickup. During bootup when the zBook identifies the (2Rx8 PC3 -128000S-11-12-F3) rated 1.5 V
it shows a screen saying Memory incompatible (2E3)

-- Where can I find a list of error codes for the zBook?

It offers two options "Power Button" = off
or
"Enter" - continue startup.

When I hit enter it boots and works in mixed modes in windows 7 as it should.

Has anyone tried the performance with slower rated RAM? I will do ventually remove the 16 GB RAM from the 8650p which my wife now uses, but may someone already tried it, and can tell what the performance is

Has anyone found a refernce that gives me a rule of thumb idea of the difference in power consumption running 1.35 V or 1.5 V sticks?

Has anyone tried 4 x 4GB RAM vs 2 x 8 GB RAM, and if yes what rating did the RAM have?

What are the differences in performance, and in the power consumption?

Until I have an idea what is the better combination 2x8 GB or 4 x 4 GB I will work with my mixed RAM setup.

PS.: I had to remove the RAM below the keyboard and moved it to the rear sockets which are easier to change. The HP video made it seem so easy to push out the keyboard from the rear. I had to use my fingers because the keaboard would not disengage from the "clamps locked to the frame" for a lack of a better wording. In dispair I used a flat strong party bambo stick to, inserted it into the gab I made by pushing with my finger and moved it then toward the clamp closest to the gap I had mad and with a audiable nack it disengaged. The same unwillingness for the other clamps at the top of the keaboard. After the first time the keayboard disengages easily as shon in the video, but the first time I really feared the keyboard would crack, because I had to exert force to unlock the clamps.

 

I was lucky, that I received my Mushkin Ventura Ultra USB 3.0 240 GB stick in time to image the HDD with True Image 2010 before booting the zBook. This way you always have a chance to swicht between your native language and English unless it already is.

Today I received a240 GB Intel 530 mSATA in the remaining slot and currently am restoring the image to the mSATA SSD.

++ TI identifies the internal HDD, mSATA SSD, the drive in the bay and the Mushkin SSD (Sandforce controller inside so it's really a SSD), This is nice since TI identified in my 8560p USB 3 storage only on a USB 2 port for some reason.

-- Took 40' to restore from the Mushking to the mSATA SSD.

The first boot was unsucessful, windows wanted to run checkdisk.

After that the mSATA drive is not shown in the boot options any more. WIndows 7 does not seem to start from the HDD any more. Just before I was going to restore the image to the mSATA again it wants to rum chkdsk on c: segment xxxxx unreadable others corrupt attribute record, file record segments not found orphan files to delete, invalid file name, minor filename error, and and and the whole works from chkdsk, I never so so many different measages.

Chkdsk seemed to help now it shows
all dries again in teh bootmenue and now starts again to install all updates. But it stops everytime it detects the 1.5V RAM after the reboot, which is why I removed the 1.5V RAM for now

Does windows 7 chkds also correct misalignement, which I expect to have since the image is from an HDD?


PS.: My mSATA came without screws for the mSATA drive and the zBook does also have now srews at the slot, and without the srews the mSATA lifts upwards from the PCB in an 45° angle

 

Did a 3. restore I hope it works now, I used the lower right USB port and it workes faster to without the previous problems I had when I used the upper left USB port.
I am still puzzled why and what happened the first times.

However I have 2 new problems

1. After downloading and installing thw windows updates and let it shutdown as needed. The zBook did not display the mSATA SSD, only after a boot into the windows on the HDD did the zBook show the mSATA SSD in the boot menu for booting again. I will have to wait and see if all works in the future.

The 2nd time the same it restartet after the upgrade, went into the Boot menu, but it again did not show the mSATA SSD. Again it booted with the HDD and only after i did a reboot dit it show the mSATA SSD in the Boot menus. I wish HP had provided a manual switch to disconnect the HDD from power if not needed or when the power draind not desired.

The 3rd time again it won't show the mSATA SSD in the boot menu unless I boot with the HDD and only the it works

PS.: And again as on other PC not all windows updates install or will be shown after a reboot for reinstalling unless I specifically ask it to search for updates again. STrange update policy by µ$. After the second there were still updates left even though the time before windows said all updates were installed. After the 3rd time again an importatnt windows explorer is not installed, and after doing the install, which was outstanding, it won't all me to search again for updates unless I reboot, with the above shown intermediated boots with the HDD before the mSATA SSD is available.

So it's not a Bug that are features!



2. I inserted a µsdxc Card which works fine in my 8560p, neither are any other SD cards I tried. If I get windows to work I have to deal with this. Did anyone have similar problems.

 

So the problem of the unrecognized µSDXC card is solved, HP did not install the necessary driver. I downloaded it and it requred a media to be present, thats the first time I had to do this.

Had anyone drivers missing from their zBook?

 

I did not have any drivers missing. You did update the bios to the latest version before all these processes right?

Thank you for documenting your steps.

 

I forgot to check and just did, it's 1.07 the latest version, only the date is different 01/1/2014 from the date documented at the HP webpage 01/07.

Had also a short check with Atto of my UHS 1 µSDXC 64 GB from Samsung and finally values as in my USB 3.0 external reader, peak values of 20 write and 70 read >64k and starts both arround 8 I will post it later.

PS just saw that I was bumped up to Notebook Enthusiast and you will be to >10, but shouldnt't it say workstation enthusiast for all zBook 15 user?

 

This is just a general title given to all users of the forum who have >10 posts. Maybe at 50 it'll be different, or 100.

 

Like everywhere, as if many posts without something usefull could be better then staying ont topic, like I always do

Why HP and other consider the zBook and other notebooks a workstation ist beyond me, the difference between todays CPU's i3, i5, i7 normal Ultra low, mobile ... in performance can be small or large, depending on the number and type of programs used. With desktop pc I can see more difference between just the CPU, RAM/ECC-RAM then for NB/WS-portable.

Ichecked again the differences in PS and called them too for whiche type can be used. Depending at what list the use/you look up you find a compatibility between notebooks and workstations like the 8xyp and 8xy0w, but if you have a newer smart PS then you find most likely only the 8530 and the zBooks listed. So if it is 90W like my several AJ652aa, which won't charge the battery unless I push the additional charge button, is the solution I'll go.

Unfortunately HP officially does not ackknowledge this for me valuable, because battery life saving funtion anywhere, nore does HP describe the smart PS funtion.

From what I found, tested and meassured the center pin is used for communication between PS and NB. When I bought a Targus universal PS for my 6910p it said the PS has not sufficient power to charge the 6910p or sometzhing similar, even though it is rated 90 W out like the AJ652aa. Thats why I concluded that the center pin gives some kind of pulsewidth coded information to the NB battery circuit that let's it distinguish the different HP smart PS rating. I only have 2 different power rating, and we would have to measure differnt type of PS under load and idle before we could conclude more.

While I have no problem with the connector itself, they should offer the with 90° angle to save mechanical stress on the NB or go magnetic like ][.

 

I have been using my AJ652aa since I have received my zBook, and at first thought the power connector slipped out, like it sometimes does when I sit on my couch, because when I looked at the battery charge it hat dropped significantly. I had the usual light load, office 97, Firefox and music or TV display from my DVB-S SAT>ip.

The zBook recognizes the AJ652aa because it ackknowledges with a symbol that has a power cord and connector that it is connected but not charging. The AJ652aa has with a power output rating of 90W also enough power to charge the zBook while using it during average power consumption.

I have to accept it for now, but when I'm home again I will have to test this behaviour with my other two AJ652aa. If it still shows this battery consumption while the PS is connected I'll question HP, why battery is drained despite beein gon external power.

 

Hi, why is this laptop cost so much?

I am looking online and the cheapest i can find even on Ebay is a Zbook 15 with K2100m for $2600!!

You can get a Dell M4800 with k2100m and more features for about $1000 less...

I am trying to find some reason for the insanely high price of this laptop but cannot find any...

Also what about cooling? If M4800 has 2 fans to cool the CPU and GPU, how is the Zbook able to handle this with only 1 fan?

I really just dont understand why this computer costs so much. Especially considering the base one has the k610m which is a very weak card.

Thanks.

 

I am not trying to defend HP price structure, but within their models the pricestructure seems somewhat consistant.

Number of models offered in a market
Is it worldwide or national warranty provided (300 €
they don't sell the best GPU (K2100 difference to K610 ~???€ without at least a SSD (for the 250 G ~300€ and the fastest CPU i7-4800

All this adds up, but as you can see in Europe there are different versions with the same specs, different hardware combinations.

The recommended prices are underbid by >= 8% at the HP store and even more by vendors as you can see below.
zBook 15 | Geizhals Österreich

For more rebate in Europe some dealers may sell a naturalized version (keyboard power cord) outside the state it was bulit for a few hundred € cheaper then vendors at the country.

This offsets the prices defined by HP a lot.

 

<del>I suspect Intel charges a hefty premium for the Thunderbolt interface chip.</del>
Maybe ZBooks have a monopoly on the "workstation laptops with a Thunderbolt port" market.
<del>So HP has to charge a premium to cover the chip cost, and maybe to cover the fixed costs that are spread over fewer sales because of the higher price.</del> HP gets to charge a premium because of the monopoly.
Also, there seem to be reports of problems* with the competition, so the HP may seem like the least risky to some buyers. If each engineer costs an employer over 100K with overhead, then 1K is small change for better reliability and productivity, especially if spread over several years.

The workstation companies also seem to set prices by country: some countries have much higher prices than others. I wonder if it is influenced by cost of providing next-business-day service for the current population of users. For example, if most users are media/video editors concentrated in cities, the cost of a service call may be small. However, if most current users are engineers associated with mining/oil/gas operations far from cities, then the cost of a service call may be very high (either must employ a resident service technician near each site, or the service technician has high travel costs). For this issue, I think some companies (e.g., Toshiba) restrict their next-business-day service to within some radius of a major city.

(* freeze reports on some unlucky precision 4800s, cooling problem reports on long computations with latitude 6540 and maybe with precision 2800, touchpad problem reports with thinkpad 540w, less warranty service with tecra w50, ... )

 

In Europe HP you have to buy a next day support package within 180 day after purchase of your zBook. Included is only 3 year pickup and return, and in my case an xxxET thats limited to Germany only. Upgrade to 5 years was 170€ and 5 year next day 350 €. Even if you have Europe/worldwide pickup it make no sense to let them pick it up if youre in another country or even continent, and hope they return it repaired within 5 days or by the date your leaving. My last pickup/return took 2weeks, in part due to UPS excellent service " you were not at home ....". They even did not take the time to leave card showing that they stopped by at all, and while the transport to HP took only 1 day the return tok 5 days.

The TB controller is most likely part of the MoBo in the zBook 15 (my 8560p has an Intel MoBo). I could not find a picture of it, but found the price, $5.25 (quantity not specified ARK | Intel® DSL2210 Thunderbolt™ Controller). It's part of the MoBo of all zBook 15 (not the 14), does not warrant a premium price like when you get a faster CPU, more RAM, larger HDD or (larger) SSD.

 

Thanks, my suspicions about chip prices were incorrect.
HP advertised they are using Thunderbolt 2 since February, but Thunderbolt 2 chips are still less than $10 in quantity on that page.
(There could be other Thunderbolt costs, such as for drivers, connectors, and testing that each thunderbolt port works in a multitude of configurations before shipping to the customer, but that shouldn't be too much.)

 

Where did you find this information, because every document I found does not specify the thunderbolt revission.

I have been looking for the motherboard used in the zBooks (734304-601, 734304-501 for the i 7) to identivy the TB revission, but also came up with no information.

PS.: TB seems to be not partof the MoBo but it's a PCB
xpressCard assembly (includes activity LEDs and Thunderbolt port, Dual Mode, DisplayPort, and USB port) 734287-001

 

Interesting, looks like the QHD+ configuration option is finally available. I wonder if it is compatible with optimus unlike the M4800? Either way nice to see it available as it now is very feature comparable to both the W540 and M4800.

 

Both speakers remain on when stereo earphones are plugged in. The audiocontrols shows only two bluetooth headsets and the speaker, but not headset jack nor does it detect the headset like all other notebooks I own do.

Does anyone know how to switch between the speaker and headset jack.

 

Today the QHD+ 3200×1800 screen is not currently a configuration option on the US site.
(I saw it last week or so, only on configure-to-order; form said deliverable by May 26; price was about halfway between the FHD default and the FHD Dreamcolor screen. Maybe they sold out of their stock of screens, or maybe there is a problem, and so they removed the option from the customize/configure page.)

 

Hi There, I'm new here and came here for some advice and will document my steps for others..

I am about to buy the ZBook 15 F059ET with the following specs,

Processor - Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ with Intel HD Graphics 4600 (2.4 GHz, 6 MB cache, 4 cores)
Chipset - Mobile Intel® QM87
Memory - 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM
Memory slots - 4 SODIMM
Internal drive - 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA
Graphics - NVIDIA Quadro K610M (1 GB dedicated GDDR5)

I'll be using the machine for Database & financial analysis, illustrator/photoshop and movie editing.

I've got a couple of questions i'm hoping to get answered.
1. Is the keyboard backlit?
2. If I want to expand the memory to around 16G what are good brands to consider?
3. I want to add a SSD drive as my startup disk. I think my options are: 1 order the Mobile Workstation HDD Caddy, move the 500 SATA disk into the optical drive and get a SSD SATA drive to put into the main slot; or 2 I've also noticed the mSATA storage bay, would it work to get a 256G Intel or Crucial mSATA disk and make this the startup disk?

I never heard of the mSATA before, so I'm wondering if this would be a workable and good solution to upgrade my machine. Any thoughts on this?
My total budget is around 1800 Euro and I will be buying in the Netherlands..

Thank you all!

-EDIT-
After re-reading this thread again i see some of my questions have been answered. The mSATA solution is possible, when i get an Intel Disk. I'm getting into the lingo a bit more. To make this my startup disk I should use True Image and copy the startdisk to an external drive?

 

Yes, you can see the icon for the backlighting on one function key (I'm using my 8560 p presently)

I'm planning to get Crucial, but so far I'm not shure myself if I should get 2 packs of 2 x 4GB or 2 x 8 GB (check 1600 DDR3L).
Having all 4 slots populated may increase speed but will add a few more Watt power consumption. 9-9-9-24 is the fastest ones I found and the crucial are not to expensive compared to the others Speicher mit Typ: DDR3 SO-DIMM, Kitgröße: ab 8GB, Speichertakt ab 1600MHz, Mindestspannung: 1.35V Preisvergleich | Geizhals EU
Look for yourself

mSATA is a new formfactor for SSD, you can see the size from the shape of the spare place around the mSATA slot. The zBook 14 has the newer and smaller m.2 SATA, which comes in 4 different length. If you order a mSAT it will come most likely without the screws you need to hold the mSATA down, which stays without screws at an 45° angle.

I bought the Intel 530 mSATA 240 GB (~115 € from Jacob.de at the time) in the mSATA Slot and replaced the internal HDD with a 1.5 TB 24h/7days a week HSS I had bought recently.
From the boot menu I can change between the mSATA and the 1.5 TB HDD, teh extension bay either the optical drive or a caddy with an HDD or SATA.
I suppose an external drive in a thunderbolt case can be selected, but can't verfify since I don't have a TB case. USB 3.0 could work too but again I have not tried it so far, but it may be a way to boot an iso from my fast USB 3.0 Mushkin Ventura Ultra 240 GB stick which a SSD inside too (~112 € but I do presently not have the time to try all that is possible.

As why I bought the Intel mSATA because c't identified it still the had continious r/w speed at small file sizes, while other supposedly faster SSD with higher IOPS dropped after 2-3 minutes to about 4000 and did not recover to the previous high IOPS.

You may consider to test your zBook first and find that it's fast enough to beginn with, and spend money on the 5 year warranty extension first. Price/size/performance of the upgrades will get better, unless you really feel you need everything right now.

PS.: and you don't necessarily need trueimage, other imaging too you can boot from a CD will work to, but you have to check if the mSATA is aligned correctly if you have more the one partition.

 

"Configure your Own and Save!" ...... Not quite. I'm considering a ZBook 15 and see that HP adds about a $600 premium to a identical configured machine. And that was after applying the 20% coupon which apparently has expired. Can't see them selling many of these .... so blatantly overpriced ..... I'll probably revisit the Dell M3800.

I was given incorrect information from the HP Chat person. The 20% coupon has been extended. Still a very expensive premium to get the configuration I want.

 

Thanks SSN47 for your response..

So if i order a 2*8GB pack I have to remove the keyboard to get to the main slots to make it the most energy efficient?

Is this a problem and if so what does this mean practically? Get some screws? Or just use a tricky technique by closing the lid to keep the mSATA in place?

My Idea was to use the mSATA as startup disk for windows/programs and all the documents I'm currently working on and use the HDD for all the 'slow' data I use just once in a while. This would be possible right?

I will have to read more into this and figure out if I can do it myself our have some tech team do it for me..

Thanks again, Just ordered the ZBook and the warranty, can't wait..

 

Found this tutorial on installing Windows on the mSATA disk. Will be using the steps mentioned in the link.

Install Windows on MSATA (SSD) Drive - Windows 7 Help Forums

Have to wait and see if there is a Install CD or I have to copy the install on a USB for installation.

 

I think the primary slots are on the bottom, so you can likely just replace the 4GB that is included with two 8GB sticks if you don't want to remove the keyboard. If you do remove the keyboard, be very careful popping it out of its plastic channel that it sits in. Make sure to hold it so it doesn't move very far once it does pop out or else there is a chance that it could damage the ribbon cables attached beneath it. HP can send you a new one if it gets damaged, but it takes a few days and is in general a pain to use it without a keyboard hooked up. Also when reinstalling the keyboard try to use a ruler or something to make sure that all sections of the keyboard are level and popped back into place, its easy to miss them and then it will rub against the screen and feel mushy when typing.

The correct size is M2.0x3.5mm. I think you can borrow one of the screws from the wifi card next to it if it doesn't include any for the mSATA. You will want to have atleast a screw in place otherwise the mSATA card might short against the botton cover.

Yep, it is pretty easy to setup. I would actually recommend removing the HDD while you are installing windows, then re-install it after it is done. This way you can be certain you get the bootloader in the right place and aren't dependant on having the HDD installed for the mSATA card to boot properly.

 

Thank you for responding as well win32asmguy

The video links SSN47 posted earlier, link:, are very informative on how to remove the keyboard (and almost any other stuff regarding the zBook, except for the mSATA), so i'll go with the option of putting the cards in the first 2 slots. I found a good deal on a set of 2*4GB Crucial HyperX 1600mhz DDR3 cards...

Luckily I live almost next to a local store that sells screws like these if there not included in the package

Is the link I posted in my previous post the right way to do this? If I break it up I would do it in this order.

1. Make a install copy on a external HD/USB if I don't receive an install disk.
2. Install the mSATA disk
3. Clean both drives with the steps in the link I posted earlier. link
4. Shutdown and remove the HDD.
5. Boot from disk and install on the mSATA.
6. Reinstall the HDD

Thanks again to all, good information and usefull tips here!

 

I would advise agains using just one srew for the mSATA SS, I use 2 screws to be sure the mSATA won't accidentiall loose contact somewhere if it is fixed with juast one.

The zBook 15 i/ needs DDR3L=1.35 V. The BIOS would read the SPD RAM from the DDR3 and report incompatible 1.5 V RAM.
So far I have no explanation as to why how/my DDR3 with1.5 V from my 8560p works in the zBook since every source at intel says otherwise. But I am still trying to find out if the i7 provides despite documentation saying otherwise 1.5 V for the DDR3 and the DDR3L which is rated to work at 1.5 V too,
or if my DDR3 works well at just 1,35V which is the other possibility. I will try my two 8GB Mushkin SODIMM frommy8560p and see if it woorks too.

My 4GB SODIMM was below the keyboard, once I removed it I placed it in the sloton the rear. I wrotebefore that it took me some curage to remove the keyboard with a wooden posickle stick,and after the first removalthe keyboardis not a problem any more, and unklicks easily.

Cloning the installation partition to an image and then recover to a HDD or mSATA
I had made an image from my HDD before I booted it the first time using True image (2010 or 2011, can't rememberwhich) using the boot CD option. Later I recovered this imagae to the mSATA and then let the zBook do the clean install on the mSATA. The partition sizes were a bit large/small looking at the distribution of the sizes at the mSATA but thats something I can correct later. Since it works fine so far (never change a running system) and with only 8GB RAM there is presently enough space on c: until I will install larger programs and RAM (hybernate & pagefile size will increases to 16 GB each when you get 16 G SODIMM installed). This is in imho the bettwer way then recovering a image from an installed w7.

Since the HDD had w7 already installed, I had to make shure that the SSD was selected after it shutdown during installation of w7 to the mSATA.
Once it was installed the boot menu remembered from where I booted last which is for my my mSATA drive.
Before you ask I assume the initial boot partition on the zBooks differ from country to country, because mine offered my to install either German or English. While I know that we can change language now more easily then on previous older windows versions, Idon't know how many difference in the localisation to a country realyarepart of such an initial boot image.

SSD Alignement:
There are tools for checking if the memory from A SSD is "aligned" correctly meaning, that information is always written into a single cell of memory. If unaligned occurs it will write it into two seperate cells which reduces speed and increases r/w = wear & tear. Thats the way I remember mis-alignement was explained.

To align it I used the alignement tool that came with Paragons partition manager. It is documented that iTs part of the package but it's notinstalled with PMbut I only found it after searching for some time somewhere in a subfolder on the CD. Sorry thats all I remember when I used it the first and also last time.

So I hope that answers all questions you asked/wanted to know.

 

Does anyone remember/still use Firewire

Searching for what is available for thunderbolt I stumbled over a TB to Firewire 800 (IEEE1394b) adapter for the Macwhich is around 30 €. Since I still have a Fw800 HDD-case, serveral Fw400 and a Terratrak 800 videograbber that I use ocasionally, I will buy me one since it's cheaper then buying a TB dock or occupieng the expresscard slot.

Then of course you can still use Firewire to connect two PC, even though you have to download a 2nd source driver since w7 does not have them any more as part of the package.

 

So i should rather get Crucial SODIMM 1.35V 1600MHz DDR3L Memory ?

 

yes DD3L

Speicher mit Typ: DDR3 SO-DIMM, Kitgröße: ab 8GB, Einzelmodulgröße: 4GB, Speichertakt ab 1600MHz, Row Active Time (tRAS): 24, Mindestspannung: 1.35V Preisvergleich | Geizhals EU
Search engines seem tobe a bit tricky,even though I found yours using the type, it does not show it if I use the same parameter unless I disomething wrong. This one Crucial Ballistix SO-DIMM Kit 8GB, DDR3L-1600, CL9-9-9-24 (BLS2C4G3N169ES4CEU) is evenfaster for a better price, unlessshipping toyou makes the difference.

 

I'm glad I found this thread in this forum. Thanks to all who provided helpful answers here.

I'm on the fence whether to buy the Dell Precision M4800 or the HP ZBook 15.

I have read several reviews and it appears to me both are close though I'm not sure how the FHD display options compare especially since the ZBook 15 can come with one of three different FHD panels (SVA, IPS and DreamColor but which is much more expensive).

Any opinions?

Right know I lean to the ZBook because it is lighter, I can get it right away and I could order a service extension later. With the Precision I have to decide which service package to buy upfront and shipment takes 2..3 weeks when ordering from the Dell online shop.

Also some ZBook 15 configurations are currently available here in Germany for ~ 1450 € (incl. VAT). Like for example the F0U61ET with the "UWVA IPS eDP" panel, i7-4700MQ, 4 GB and 750 GB HDD with 32 GB SSD mSATA cache.

I'm thinking about to get that and replace the 32 GB mSATA SSD with a 512 GB mSATA Samsung Evo 840 I already own to install Windows on it. After reading the answers here I believe this should work (in the official HP forum is a thread where people reported about problems when doing that.)

I want to upgrade the memory too. But after reading here about the procedure replacing the memory under the keyboard I don't want to try that. Can I leave the 4 GB module under the keyboard in place and just install 2 x 8 GB modules in the outer slots? Would I than have 20 GB? I would not care if this config would be a little slower.

Thanks in advance

 

If the IPS eDP panel is similar to the one on the 17" Zbook .. it's an excellent panel . Can be calibrated to < 2 delta E for SRGB, good coverage for that gamut, and an excellent contrast ratio .
I've been researching the possibility of replacing the 32 G SSD + 750 with a 240 SSD . I think one of the issues is determining how to unwind the Intel RST that's being utilized for the SSD Cache + 750 . This puts the original factory configuration in a Raid Mode , which is specified in the BIOS and in an Intel Raid Control 'console' . I haven't figured out the proper sequence when certain parameters should be switched ( e.g. Raid to AHCI) , beyond disabling the caching before cloning. I might leave it as is, as we're getting satisfactory performance ( and the 17 has an extra onboard slot , where a 480 G Intel 730 SSD went ) ..