Brand spanking new nc8430

Just wanted to let people know that I just got an nc8430 in today at work. I just booted it and I'm really excited! This should be a huge upgrade from the IBM ThinkPad R51 that I was issued last year.

I'll post more later. Ask me questions if you have them.

 

What is the screen like - resolution, your impression of brightness and contrast and viewing angle? Thanks.

Gary

 

GPU Core/Memory speed as well when you get the chance. And best guess on the response time for the screen.

 

The screen is great. It's a TFT 1680x1050 (matte), so it's a little small on the 15.4" widescreen. I upped the dpi in Windows from 96 to 105 and it is a lot better. It might be a little dim for some, but on the highest brightness it's just fine for me. Response time has to be pretty good since I played UT2004 without any ghosting in several games with tons of people on. I'd guess just as good as any 8ms LCD for desktops.

And no, there is not a single stuck or dead pixel.

Specs:

Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.0GHz)
1GB (2x512MB) of DDR2 (533MHz)
ATI X1600 w/ 256MB dedicated
80GB SATA 5400RPM HDD
DVD-/+RW w/ LightScribe
Creative SoundBlaster audio
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Gb Ethernet
3 USB 2.0 (wish it had 4)
Fingerprint reader
Bluetooth EDR 2.0
Just over 6lbs.

I played UT2004 at native resolution this morning on it, with all high settings. No lag obviously considering the age of the game. It was fun to play (I'm a UT junkie just waiting for UT2007). I'm going to load up F.E.A.R. and/or HL2: Episode One later this week and try it out.

I played parts of Black Hawk Down last night off DVD, and it looked pretty good. Not as crisp as those glossy "multimedia" laptop screens, but good enough for me (I hate glare). The speakers of course suck, but they aren't tinny sounding with the highs. There is no bass though naturally.

I have some home video of my son that I need to process into a DVD, so that will be a good test of the processor and DVD write speed.

So far, this laptop is great. I might try my hand at a full review for this laptop (first time writing one). At $1800 that I got it for, definitely worth it so far.

 

Hello!

How is the nc8430's screen brightness and viewing angles compared to say a Thinkpad T60? Is it superior to the T60?

I'm interested with the nc8430 mainly because it has WSXGA+, X1600 GPU, 7200RPM HD, lighweight (on paper), and it has worldwide warranty. I need a durable computer for work, good keyboard since I type alot, and good aftersales support. So far, HP and IBM have good service centers in my country so I'm choosing either this or a T60.

My ideal specs for the nc8430 are:
Core Duo T2500 or 2600
2GB RAM (does 533 and 667ghz have any noticeable diff since nc8430 comes with 533?)
15" SXGA+ ATI X1600
80 or 100GB SATA 7200RPM

How's the quality of nc8430 compared to say a T60 Thinkpad? I read some people say that HP's business line quality is totally different from their consumer line. I've had HP DV1000 before and honestly I was not very satisfied with the experience. LCD died within 6 months, memory card reader doesnt always work, casing got scratches easily, LCD screen hinges were weak, etc. And all of those problems started appearing within a year.

I'm willing to give HP another shot but I want to research a bit more this time. T60 is a safe choice for me because I've had 2 and I'm very satisfied so far. The T60p would have been perfect but they don't offer it with x1600 and I like to play games during my free time.

Thanks for the feedbacks in advance!