HP 8510p Questions

I am very interested in this model now because of the good price, so I have a few questions...

Does it have a card reader, for example like the 8 in 1 card readers on Asus laptops that can read SD, MS, and XD cards?

How is the matte screen? I prefer glossy, so I hope it is a really good matte screen?

Do you feel it is very portable and durable?

How does the ATI 2600 GDDR3 compare with the NVIDIA 8600 GT GDDR2?

It has the 2.0 GHZ Santa Rosa, how does that compare with the 2.4 GHZ?

This is subjective, but do you feel it is a 'stylish' notebook, like a Sony VAIO, or do you feel it is more like a Thinkpad? Or somewhere in between?



Thanks

 

Think I can help on a couple of points (i've got a 8510p on order and have been reading the forums a fair bit).

The 8510p has an SD card reader that can also read MMC cards. But no CF/MS etc cards.

The ATI 2600 card (not sure if its GDDR2 or 3) is said to be better then the 8600GT DDR2 but not as good as the 8600GT DDR3. I think the difference between the 3 is not particularly massive though.

Regards processing power, I imagine that it'll be about 17% slower then the 2.4GHz In the real world it probably won't make a huge difference though.

 

Unless you really need the extra processing power don't get something like the 2.4GHz which is one of the top of the line Santa Rosa because getting the best/latest = really more expensive...it gives you bad performance/price ratio

 

Card reader: yep
Screen: very nice, good colours, etc. brightness is fine from 80% and above...little dim below that. you won't have an issue with this screen coming from glossy.
Durability: solid machine. I've carried all over the place so far and no issue. It's also quite light compared to other 15.4" laptops.
GPU: HD 2600 is GDDR3, and beats the DDR2 8600GT. the 8510p's HD 2600 is underclocked and lands right in the middle of the DDR2 and GDDR3 8600 GTs in terms of 3dmark06. Game performance is in a few reviews (mine below!) if you want to take a look.
CPU: 2.0 ghz is more than enough unless you're doing a lot of CPU intensive stuff all the time.
Style: I personally quite like the look. It holds its own well against "consumer" notebooks

 

Has anyone had problems when they received the 8510P? There are plenty of complaints with the Dell models having grainy screens even after multiple returns.

How good is the service for the HP Compaq models at the moment? I have had a bad experience with the HP service center. My Evo N1000C came out in a worse condition than it went in. I sent it back over 4 times and then had to give up as the warranty ran out.

Do those HP discount coupons apply to this model too?

 

No HP discounts for this model I don't think.

Gorgeous screen IMO, little dim below 80% brightness but that's about it.

Actually one of the criteria I was looking for in buying the 8510p was to make sure it had none of the problems of the new Dells. I almost bought a Vostro 1500 / Inspiron 1520 but held back because of the issues. Very satisfied I went with HP.

 

Thanks for that Ackeron.

 

Does it have a remote control, like on the consumer models? I did not see an IR port...can you get one if not...

 

Don't think it has an IR port. There is no mention of it in the datasheet . It does have a bluetooth option and there are quite a few applets that allow you to use your mobile to control your PC that way.

You could always get one of these things if you really want a remote. Also the USB TV Tuners have one.