8540w 8540p 8440w 8440p spec sheets

crazy expensive is right, $3400 for what I want...and its not even exactly what I want so I'll wait til the ATI card comes out then maybe i'll feel better about it.

 

@sdk: it is hard enough to navigate to those pages from the front page, I'm almost convinced I'm doing it wrong.
http://hp.com/ --> Small & Medium Business --> Laptops & Tablet PCs --> picture of EliteBook --> 8540w Pre-configured Models
... gets me to this page, which looks different from your links.

To get to the pages you linked to, I have to navigate Configure Your Model --> Configure PC. By the way, the Configure PC button does not work on Safari/Mac.

Just saying, that's a lot of hoops to jump through. Is this the norm for HP's site?

 

What a ripoff. I just went in to configure. The base price is only $1449. I'm not sure how they are adding up to those outrageous prices just for a memory upgrade etc.

 

Holy schnikies...4.5K after I configure 8GB + SSD with the i7...dayum...

 

These prices have to be wrong... 2k+ premium for an elitebook over a simarly specd lenovo w510 is lunacy.

 

$4039 for my configuration. (820, 4GB, FHD, 160SSD+500HDD, ADP)

And that was after I switched 2GB memory to a "not factory installed" item.

 

Did anyone "Call 800-888-9909 for promotional pricing on your customized configuration" ?

 

I will tomorrow. Else I'm waiting for either the MBP refresh or Lenovo to re-release their FHD screen on the W510...

 

Honestly, I'm waiting for the 8740w. I decided that I just can't let go of WUXGA.

 

Does anyone have word on HP's promotional pricing? Having experimented with an i7-720 configuration on an 8540w, I found the price unbelievably higher than I had expected. I seriously doubt HP will offer enough of a discount to make it worthwhile, but I'm hopeful. For now, the HP pricing has me leaning strongly back to a Sony F11 model, although I'll probably hold out in anticipation of Sony's introducing its premium European display (matte, with 100% RGB gamut) in the US. In the meantime, I'll continue to hope for deep HP discounts and the Dreamcolor 2 display.

 

I just got off the phone with their small business sales rep. It seems by calling you will get about a 16% discount. I had a unit spec'd out at $3950 and he applied a $680 discount..

As much as I'd like this system, I don't think it's worth such a premium over the Lenovo W510, especially since this isn't a 96% gamut screen that is currently available.

 

Here is the 2nd quote he gave me on a reduced machine.

Summary
Quantity
Unit price
discount
sales price


Configurable - HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation Quad Core
(ENERGY STAR)
VD444AV
HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation - Quad Core
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
MS Windows 7 Logo Label ** doesn't apply to Win 7/XPP downgrade OS AV's
Intel® CoreT i7-820QM Processor (1.73 GHz, 8 MB L3 cache, 1333 MHz RAM - turbo boost up to 3.06GHZ)
Intel Core i7 vPro Label
Mobile Intel QM57 Chipset
Estar Label
Intel® vPro Technology (Only available with Intel WLAN)
15.6-inch diagonal LED-backlit FHD (1920 x 1080) Antiglare w/Camera
Webcam Integrated 2.0MP Only Available with and required selection for Display w/Camera
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800M with 1GB GDDR5 video memory
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2D)
250GB 7200RPM SATA 2.5 Hard Drive
DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with Double Layer LightScribe Drive
Full- sized keyboard with numeric keypad and dual pointing devices (touchpad and pointstick) with scroll zone
HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® 2.1 Wireless Technology
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3)
56K v.92 high speed modem
Integra ted Smart Card Reader
150W Hardware Kit 8540w
8 Cell 73Whr 8540w Battery ( 1 year warranty)
Limited 3 year standard parts and labor warranty (3/3/3)
Additional accessories added from categories below will ship and invoice separately.
1
$3,423.00
$581.91 <<< Discount
$2,841.09




Subtotal: $2,841.091

(Estimated) Tax: $293.522

(UPS) Shipping and handling: $21.99



Total: $3,156.60

 

No one knows exactly what's up with their crazy pricing, best guess is that they are discouraging CTOs until production ramps up...but that's pure speculation.

I'm a Sony fan myself, but I don't see how the F11 is comparable to the 8540w. You should look at the Lenovo W510 (available for way less than 8540w) or wait for the Dell M4500.

 

Thanks for posting your results. Unfortunately, HP is going to have to offer me about a 40% discount on my desired CTO in order for me consider it (even then it will be a bit more expensive than a similarly configured w510+3yr onsite).

Did the sales person have any concept of how crazy the pricing is?

 

I kept waving the Lenovo W510 around in a very respectful manner and he really couldn't say anything. I actually found it odd he didn't even try to throw in the 'better build quality' card you normally see with Apple. I personally think the 8540w appears to be a better product, but not with that much of a premium.

 

I chatted with Brian from Co Springs on HP's website. He couldn't help much, but I wanted them hear how crazy their prices are. Here is my half of the chat, there wasn't much useful in his half (plus I'm not sure if posting full chat histories is allowed around here).

 

I configured nearly identical W510 and 8540w units, and HP's price was $722 higher.

Nearly identical, because the cheaper W510 has the 95% gamut display.

 

Was that the FHD+touch of just FHD (not available right now). Also, remember any Visa card owner can get 10% off, and a single share of IBM stock will get you 15% off (not stackable though). Also, be sure to plug in a 3yr on-site into the w510 for true comparison (ofc you can chose not to, but it's a better place to start your decision from).

EDIT: on the HP side, it appears calling in will get you a 15%-17% discount off their price

 

How does one get the Visa discount, and on what makes/models is it good? Also, is the Visa discount stackable on top of whatever discount the manufacturer gives to those calling in?

 

1) Own a Visa Card
2) Go through here
3) click on the Lenovo banner
4) click on "Redeem Offer" button
optional: now is a good time to bookmark
5) browse to desired laptop...prices will reflect discount (which was 10% on the w510 last time I looked)
6) be sure to pay with your Visa card of course

I'm not sure if everything is discounted, I only care about the w510 myself. Other products may not be included or discount might even be vary by product...you'll have to look for yourself.

 

I didn't change the display, but I did add the 3yr onsite w/ADP.

 

I have a few questions about the 8440w.

1. As others have asked, I'm wondering if the 9 cell battery juts out of the back like it does on some other laptops.

2. I'm wondering how HP achieves data encryption for the hard drive on these new elitebooks. From what I understand Windows 7 Business edition doesn't have bitlocker. So why then do the elitebooks come with a TPM module?
Is hard drive encryption/decryption performed at the chip level or via the processor which could affect performance. Where is the encryption key stored?

3. The 8440w comes with a 3-year onsite warranty.
Does HP offer additional warranty upgrades such as accident protection or the option to extend the warranty to 4-years.
I can't find any link on the HP site that clearly defines all the warranty options and additional cost for the elitebooks.

4. Please educate me on why a 16x10 screen is so much better than a 16x9. There seems to be much frustration about this.

 

2 is incorrect, it has Bitlocker.

 

I can only address 4. When the aspect ratio gets wider, you lose vertical resolution. This is bad for people who do lots of work with text and spreadsheets b/c the shorter screen requires more scrolling. The 16:9 anger is further fueled by the previous change from 4:3 to 16:10. So it seems like a regressive march to cinematic screens which is quite annoying for people who want to use their laptop for typical work applications instead of watching movies. Also, the wider screen laptops seem to have bigger footprints and the wider body often requires a new bag.

Personally I'm not too concerned about 16:9 or 16:10. Sometimes I'm writing memos which would benefit from 16:10, sometimes I'm multitasking between 4-6 programs where having room to arrange small windows side-by-side is beneficial. It really comes down to how you use your laptop.

Note: others have suggested that the difference between these two ratios is pretty meaningless in the 14" class, but becomes more noticeable in 15" and above....I have no experience here, just pointing out what I've read

 

1) I have read that the 9-cell does stick out the back, but I have not heard anything else about the subject. If I get one, I will report back my knowledge.

3) I believe they offer a 4 year and a 5 year but I don't recall seeing a accidental coverage.

4) for the 14" class, 16:9 can be an improvement:

There are really two resolution categories in 14"
a) 1366x768 (16:9) or 1280:800 (16:10)
b) 1600x900 (16:9) or 1440:900 (16:10)

In a) you lose ~1/20 of you height and you have so much width that gaining any doesn't buy you anything when you go 16:9 over 16:10

In b) you have the same height and you gain width, so the change over is only positive.

 

Can anyone comment on the typical quality of elitebook screen versus thinkpad screens? Noise levels? And what's up with the single ram slot in these laptops?

 

AFAIK there are two or four ram slots on these laptops.

 

I sure do hope so. This page describes only 1 SODIMM slot, but it wouldn't be the first HP put false info up on their site:
http://h20386.www2.hp.com/CanadaStore/Product.aspx?pdetail=P97870

 

It has pretty much been confirmed by users and reviewers that it will have 2 or 4 slots depending on CPU (which in turn leads to a difference in the motherboard used).

 

Same case as the Envy 15. The Clarksfield models seem to carry more slots, while the Arrandale ones can't handle four, so far.