DV8000t Upgrades

Sup everyone,
I just had a new DV8000t notebook ordered for me by a HP case manager. Thus I was not involved with the configuration. I will start out with my system that is on its way

My System:

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional with SP2
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2600 (2.16 GHz)
Display 17.0" WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900)
Graphics Card 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7400
Memory 1.0GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x512MB)
Hard Drive 80 GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive LightScribe 8x DVD+/-RW&CD-RW Combo w/Double Layer
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works
Accessories HP Mobile Remote Control

My Questions:

I took a look at ram on new egg and found: (CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1G667D2 – Retail)

1. Is corsair a good brand?
2. Would it work with my notebook?
3. Is it worth it to upgrade from 1 gig to 2 gigs?

The hard drives options were all only 5400 RPM thus I really want to stripe them with the raid feature for the speed increase. If I look for a hard drive at newegg.com

4. Would I have to buy the exact same drive I have now to raid them?

Thanks for any future help.

 

1: The dv8000t doesn't do RAID.... (if you find out otherwise please post back the details- I hope I'm wrong, I'd love it if the controller would do RAID.)

2: On RAID setup it is best to get matched drives... Depends on the controller I would think if you want differant type drives... Most controllers "like" matched drives.

3: Is it worth it to upgrade to 2 gig... I'm going to

4: On the ram ... If you get 240 pin you're going to be crying in your beer since the dv8000t takes 200 pin according to http://www.crucial.com/index.asp ...

Module Size: 1GB
Package: 200-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-5300
Configuration: 128Meg x 64
DIMM Type: UNBUFFERED
Error Checking: NON-ECC
Speed: 667
SDRAM Timings: CL=5
Specs: DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V • 128Meg x 64

 

corsair is a great brand

 

Corsair is a good brand. The value brand is probably not tested as much as the regular sticks slightly increasing the chance it won't work.

 

Thanks alot guys...but i was told by hp that it is a raid controller does anyone have info on this or know where to find it as well as does anyone know what exact hard drive it is if you get the 5400 80 gig drive???

 

Something else to chew on:

The dv8000t requires a proprietary hard drive bracket in order to mount the hard drives and unless you ordered the laptop with two hard drives it will not already have the second bracket. Unfortunately, the only way to get another one is to order the second hard drive, complete with bracket, from HP. This would solve the problem of having to worry about getting the exact same drive but they will also charge you for four times what it's worth. You can't buy the bracket alone.

 

will i be able to raid them for sure then?

 

Raid, two drive, all your going to do is mirror them if that's even possible. You are refering to stripping. I doubt a notebook is going to do that. The best is using a RAID controller. Software RAID is garbage.

 

So you were told the dv8000t does do RAID?


You need to call back, and get that rep to e-mail you the details on that. I just spoke with a case manager on the 11th, him during our conversation saying otherwise.

On the "exact" hard drive your going to get when buying a HP product... I get the impression they are sourcing drives from several vendors and installing what every they have in stock at the time. For example several weeks ago they were listing 7,200 rpm drives, now they're not.

 

On the second hard drive bracket.... It's not worth paying what HP is going to charge you for the second drive just to get the bracket. It looks like the part would be very easy to make.