8510p - is worth it?

Hey, can you people help me out.
I'm having a really hard time in deciding if the 8510p is worth it - it's between this an the MBP.

- Is stable enough...it seems to have many issues?
- How is the screen for the $1500 model - this is very important to me.
- XP or Vista 32/64? - I have XP Corporate, so should I get the Vista and install XP Corporate if I Vista gives me problems?
If so, what is slipstreaming and is difficult to do?
- Is the AC adapter still a problem?
- If the GPU underclocked, can I "normalize" it?

I'm running out of time and need help. I'm going abroad in early December and need a laptop ASAP

 

I'm somewhat in the same boat as you here. I'm only a few days away from making my big purchase, and I can't find a better notebook than the 8510p.

I've done rediculess amounts of research on it. The AC adapter issue has been solved, and there are no other issues outstanding that I'm aware of.

I'd suggest getting Vista 32, and then installing your XP afterward for dual booting.

Slipstreaming is a breeze with nLite for XP and vLite for Vista.

The "underclocked" GPU is really a non-issue. This thing has great performance with it's GDDR3 as is, I'm sure there will be ways to up the clock soon through third party utilities in the very near future if you still feel the need.

I'm going for a custom configured model that's gonna set me back a good $1,800+, so don't complain about spending $1,500 on one, k?

 

I´m in this, too. Since Apple hasn´t done anything yet to upgrade the MBP I´m since looking for alternatives again. Naturally the 8510p is worth a look. But, guys, I´m confused, please have a look here.

1. The GR539AW is 500 Euro less than the GB956EA just because of UMTS and a 160 Gb instead of 120 Gb drive? Can´t be...have I missed something?

2. They both don´t offer n-draft WLAN? Is this a joke actually?

3. Next: this is a though one. Are the WSXGA+ (1680x1050) screen used in the 8510p series all the same models? Or are there used different models with different qualities? Any info on this one?

4. How´s quality of the WSXGA+ screen anyway?

5. Any info on HP support/RMA in Germany?

6. ignore this, cause it´s wrong -> (Is the 8600gt more underclocked than the 8600gt in the MBP?) A better question would be: How competes the 256 Mb ATI 2600pro compared to the 256 Mb 8600GT?

7. Is the fan issue solved? (see user comment here) In short he says that the fan is always running even at very low cpu usage and that it is actually loud and unworthy for business notebooks standards.

8. Is the harddrive exchangable easily with the 8510p models?

9. I don´t know much about this topic: Exactly what kind of pcmcia/pc-card/etc. interface has the 8510p series and is the one used the same as the MBP offers?

 

If I were you I would get the 1335 euros one and add the ram yourself since ram are very cheap at the moment.

Its HD2600 btw not 8600GT .......although video card mem doesn't matter most of the time, the 128 mb in the MBP just doesn't cut it i think....my 3yrs old Mobility Radeon has 128mb lol......

Yeah the HDD should be quite easy to change like most notebooks.

Well its still ''draft'' and it is a business notebook, if no one is gonna use N in their company then why put N in?

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for reply Johnny. Made a mistake with the gfx thing; changed it btw.
Just for clarification: the 1335 Euro model you mentioned is soooo no go, cause it only has 1280x800. I guess anyone is looking for a WSXGA+ version.

 

Q3. You guys are soooo lazy. Just check the HP website and it shows you everything on this.

Q4. I am happy with mine. Pretty bright and decent compared to all the consumer notebooks (Asus and Dell) I had so far.

Q7. Mine doesn't have a problem with the fan.

Q8. It is just like any other models. But definitely much easier than MBP. I just changed my hard disk to a Seagate Momentus 7200 rpm.

 

Either you haven´t read carefully what I wrote or you didn´t get it. I was actually talking about if HP eventually uses different screens (both being 1680x1050 models) for different laptops of the 8510p/w series, because I can´t explain the price differences otherwise... And you surely don´t believe this to be answered on the HP page, do you?

 

Yes they do have different screen suppliers and no, you won't know until you receive them. Quality should be pretty consistent as we're not hearing any wild variations as reported for Lenovo or Dell.

 

indeed they do have different manufacturers for the screens. I had the 8510p for one day ( it broke, still waiting for a replacement). The screen was very good, though it is by far not as bright as a the screen of the macbook pro. it was the wsxga+ wide angle

I did take a look at hardware manager, and i found i had a display from quanta. liked it very much. Hope the replacement will have the same screen.

 

Ok, I misunderstood your question.

 

It is definitely worth the price you pay for and i havent heard of any chronic issues, the power brick was something i became aware of recently but it certainly wasnt as prevalent as the grainy screen issue on the Dell vostro/inspirons.

The MBP of course is superior, slightly faster graphics, CPU and brighter-albeit lower res screen. But if you really want the MBP i would spend the extra money and get that. you can find a reseller that sells it for approximately 10% cheaper than apple does.

 

If you want OSX get the MBP. If you want windows get the 8510p.

 

I was also considering MBP and the 8510p earlier. After looking at the price, and my needs, I went for the 8510p.

I need to use Windows for programming. That means with MBP, I need to buy a copy of Vista as well. MBP has only 2 usb ports and so I need to buy a usb hub. I also need to buy a SD card reader. I want a 7200 rpm hard disk as well.
With MBP (15.4"), the full price (AUD$) would approx be:
3300 MBP (256 MB graphics, ect...)
200 Hard disk upgrade
50 USB hub
200 Vista
50 SD card reader
------
3,800

So, for me, the MBP would cost an extra $1,300 (50%) over the 8510p. Both has one year warranty but the 8510p has a higher screen resolution.

I haven't used the w series and so wouldn't be able to comment on that. But comparing with the consumer notebooks, there is just no comparison.

The only gripe I have so far about the 8510p is the screen brightness keep resetting back to the full when the computer restarts, when it resumes from the screen saver, etc.. Full brightness is too bright for me.
A little annoying but liveable.

In fairness, there are also numerous issues reported about the MBP. It looks very nice though

 

So far I haven't run into the brightness problem you mention. I don't know what would cause it. I think the 8510p has a three year warranty not one.

 

hello all. i was not considering the macbook.. but i did by a sager 5791.. honestly if i did it all over again i would have went with the 8710 instead. the only one single drawback was the screen was not as bright as i wanted but imo build quality is def superior to the sager i have used both in hand...

 

I guess I´m fine with that. I initially thought it might be possible that HP equips the lower priced 8510p models with lower end screens that the high priced ones.

I still have some questions you guys could possibly answer:

1. What´s faster? 8600GT 256DDR3 vs 2600pro 256DDR3. Are there any reviews on that topic?

2. How´s driver support/availability for the 8510p concerning WinXP pro 64 bit/Vista 64 bit?

 

If you reduce the screen brightness, make the notebook sleep/hibernate/boot, and then turn it back on, the last screen brightness setting is lost. The screen goes back to full brightness.
This doesn't happen to you??
This link also reported the same problem:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3939

 

I own the 8510p and recommend it. Everything is good about it, including performance, screen and build quality. Screen is non-glossy but very good and with good brightness, I am very satisfied with this purchase. Even the speakers are good, and the track-pad is the best I've ever used. The machine is also classy, thin and light.

The main issue right now for me is whether or not the HD 2600 in the 8510p can be over-clocked, because so far people have failed to over-clock it.

 

@Zam: And what´s wrong with the 2600 at default? Is it way weaker than the 8600GT?

 

1. I am pretty sure that the 8600GT is faster. If you happen to get the version with ddr2, the ATI is faster (at least they are real close). If the video card is a real problem for you, do like I plan on doing and get the 8510w version and run geforce drivers on it. It comes with the Quatro 570 and it's way faster then the 8600GT. In fact I hear some have overclocked it to be close to a 8700 in benchmarks. The only downfall to this is the cost is a lot more. But, it's cheaper then the MBP route.

2. I am pretty sure that the driver problems have been resolved. But, I defer to someone who is actually running these systems.

 

The Quadro 570 IS the 8600GT GDDR3...

 

THIS is what I actually thought, so there is basically no difference in speeds between the Quadro 570 and the DDR3 8600gt... To buy the 8510w therefore is pointless...

 

If that's true and I'm not saying it's not then why does the 570 benchmark so much higher then the 8600gt?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

 

Notebook check is a load of BS....dont ever believe em......

 

So your saying that they are lying? Do you have a better list of benchmarks? Or are we just supposed to take your word for it? I'm not trying to be dificult or anything but to just take someones post and call it BS cause you don't like the data seems a little weak.

 

Maybe the overall system was better in the 570 case vs the 8600 GT? For instance, faster HD, more ram, and/or a better CPU.

 

If you actually look at the lists of the benchmarks it's actually based on a lot more then one for the 8600gt (18-20 for most). The 570's are based on 1 on two tests and 2 on the other 2. I think you could be right. There could be system differences. But I don't think that's the whole reason for the differences in the data. Some are also saying they are getting 8700M numbers from over clocking a 570. I wish we had more benchmarks from 570 users so we could know for sure. Some are saying that the 8700M is nothing more then on overclocked 8600M. So maybe they are all 3 the same basic chip design clocked at different speeds. No one really knows except for Nvidia. After all, all 3 chips are 128 bit bus speed. Makes sense to use the same chip design with added features.

 

Maybe because FX 570 only uses DDR3 while some of the 8600GT tested might have had DDR2............in fact im sure thats what happened.

But i agree with the point that buying FX 570 over 8600gt is pointless. Unless of course you cared about openGL performance in niche programs like Maya.

 

The HP 8510 series doesn't come with the 8600gt. I prefer Nivida for the better driver support and better speed. I want ddr3 also. So most all off the others options only come with ddr2. Unless I get the Asus G1 (don't care for the size or the lights/gaming look). I would really like to get a vx2s. for the price of the 8510w I can afford it too. Still might as a matter of fact. I just wish it had ddr3. They all look so good. I was considering a f8sv-b1 except for the fact that it's really only a little over a half inch wider to move up to a 15.4. Less then a pound more too.

 

There is a thread in the gaming section of this forum that talks about the HD 2600 on the 8510p being between the DDR2 and GDDR3 version of the 8600 GT, so it is very comparable. Although, if you are interested in over-clocking to make the card even better, then I'm not yet sure if this is possible on the 8510p as no one has been able to do it yet.

 

I'll add that as the drivers mature this gap may close even further.