HP 8740w is available (at last)

In the US, anyway. Only preconfigured models so far:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/e...-3740645-3955549-4138087-4138089-4155898.html

 

The WH276UT model looks OK. But I'm waiting for CTO options before committing - 820qm and SSD is a must for me.

/looking-at-my-piggy-bank-with-evil-grin

 

do all have the keyboard with light?

 

Yah -- I agree. Though I wonder how much that will cost.

I also don't like that the weight and size has crept up a little bit from the 8730w (15.5 x 11.1 x 1.3"/7.5lb+ to 15.6 x 11.2 x 1.4"/7.8lb+) --- maybe it's negligable, but the relative portability of the 17" HP elitebooks is one of their main drawing cards for me. Has me wondering about the 6lb Dell Precision M4500 as a lighter alternative -- though the gpu is not nearly as good.

 

I at least want the 820QM and the ATI GPU. Ideally, I would like 920XM, ATI, and DreamColor 2. Seems like I get to wait for a little bit longer.

I plan to buy 16GB RAM and a SSD separately.

 

How about the HP 8540w and it's FirePro M5800?

 

That's certainly another possibility --- though it starts at 6.5lb and the M4500 starts at 6.0lb, and also HP has no models on their site with i7 820M or SSD. I guess these will come, but it looks like only in CTO models. Then again, Dell has no M4500's on their site yet, though it should be soon I think. I'm so confused about which mobile workstation to get right now.

 

OMG HP had brains enough to keep the 16:10 display!

 

I suspect that it might be due to Dell and HP sharing panel suppliers (at least in the last generation M6400 and 8730w).

As per the weight, I'd wait to see reviews since manufacturers' claims are rarely accurate/reliable.

 

16:10 = me a happy coder

I really want to discover which panels are going to be offered and what their nit measurements are.

 

True. But I've yet to see a manufacturer underestimate the battery life or overestimate the weight of a laptop.

 

Looks like the CTO option is up now --- i7 820 + dreamcolor display + 256GB SSD + FX3800 seems to come in below 5K, which is not as bad as I thought it might be.

 

Massive laptop. 16:10 and the DreamColor panel is there.
I am liking this one.

 

@Thecla: Thanks. Looks like I get to order this thing today and move to stage 3 wait: waiting for build.

 

so, there are two screens with LED backlit in WUXGA, with Dreamcolor and without?

edit: found it (the answer is yes)

 

CTO worked only once and now it is not possible, has anybody else tried it recently?

 

here you can find a little video http://www.notebooks.com/2010/03/24/hp-elitebook-8740w-mobile-workstation-announced/

 

CTO is working for me (USA site). About to call and see what the phone sales experience is like.

 

And do you prefer the ATI or stick to the NVIDIA?

 

Just ordered mine. 820QM, DreamColor, M7820, 500GB HD in MultiBay. I'll add my own RAM and SSD primary drive.

The sales rep answered some questions for me:

• DreamColor: It's the same DreamColor screen as sold in the 8730w. It is not the DreamColor 2. However, the line item detail in my order shows this: LCD 17.0 WUXGA+WVA DC2 f/CAM 8740w. So who knows.
• The "DIB HP PR 230w 1.0 Docking Station": It's the standard 230W docking station. The "DIB" means "Drop In Box": HP will ship the notebook and docking station in the same box. It's $20 less than the separately packaged docking station.
• Travel Support: The sales rep said that this was international support. I thought that the standard support was international already. Guess I was wrong.
• Does user install of RAM or HD void the warranty? No. However, I was advised to reinstall the factory hard drive prior to a service call.
• 12-cell Ultra capacity battery: Sales rep said it was a big thing that the laptop sits on top of. Sounds like a slice battery to me, but I didn't ask further.
• Discount: I got 20% on the phone.
• Lead time: Sales rep said 3-4 weeks, realistically. Given the experience of people over in the 8540w threads, I am expecting to wait even longer. Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.

In CTO, the ATI GPU is $425 cheaper than the 2800M. Certainly seems that it is being positioned as a lower-end GPU compared to the nVidia models. I'll be happy to report specs and run some benchmarks when I finally get the machine.

 

I have volunteered to maintain an owner's lounge thread. It is here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=470406

 

Sounds good. I'm in the process of ordering one, though they don't have educational pricing available yet.

Also, a couple of other things that the sales rep clarified for me: dual core models come with two memory slots, quad core with four memory slots; backlit keyboard won't be available till may.

 

@ Thecla:

Sounds pretty standard, as the Envys which have the same features. Most likely the i7 version is USB 3.0 only too, and the i6 is 2.0

It was confirmed 3.0, but never read on which model, so following HP logic, i7 only. Might want to have that into consideration.

 

Thanks -- I'll double check. The spec sheet just says 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports, so I believe that's on all models (whereas memory slots are stated to be 2 or 4, without explaining that's on the dual vs. quad core). I'm planning to order one with an i7-820QM, so it shouldn't be a problem for me in any event.

 

Sure, no problems with i7s, but as those who got Arrandales on the Envy and got screwed with the USB ports...it could be the same here, so a double check should be a good idea.

In your case Thecla, you are on the i7 Clarksfield side, so no problems. You're safe lol.

 

so this dreamcolor is 30bit IPS panel with RGBLED backlight?
all these in Anti-glare finish??
OMG I WANT ONE!!!
I don't really care about all the other features LOL

 

8-bit TN RGBLED (majority of notebooks are 6-bit TN panels) to 30-bit IPS RGBLED - I'll believe it when reviews come out.

 

@straden: DreamColor 2 supposedly will be a 30-bit IPS panel. However, the 8740w shipping now might have the original DreamColor panel in it. That's what the sales rep told me, but my order detail lists it as "DC2". So who knows.

@sgogeta4: Well, if you want to compare it that way, you'd have to call it a 10-bit IPS panel.

 

So DreamColor 2 will be IPS? And DreamColor is not?

 

Ugh, I knew that. Sorry, brain fart.

 

Oh man, i can't wait for your review in next month... it will be long month! plz take some photos of different LCD comparison! which other laptop do you have?

 

According to this posting and others


http://blog.laptopmag.com/hp-eliteb...-display-shows-an-incredible-1-billion-colors



The panel appears to support the same color number as the stand alone monitor, it should be a nice step up from the previous dreamcolor display on the workstations which apparently only 15 ish million colors.


Seems like a great touch. They really are coming to play hardball in this space.


Video demo here, but the audio cuts out near the end. I hope someone posts a more detailed review/video later when they are out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2ZnxxKE6pc


Looks like if you go with the ati option it supports eyefinity, the guy was driving 4 monitors from the laptop. Again pretty nice seeing as it is a lower priced option, though raw performance must be less.

 

is it just me or that hinges look very old style, wish it was more modern look on that part.

 

Indeed hinges look out of place, as if they did not belong there. But somehow I still like the look.

 

don't forget: it is the business model

next to a round HP consumer model it even looks more "old"...

 

The developers at my current client have 8530w units. That was my first exposure to EliteBooks, and I was impressed. There's a bit of "old" to them, but more of "powerful, strong, official". The hinges don't bother me. According to the advertising material, those hinges actually are part of the durability design.

Frankly, I think the consumer line looks a bit overdone.

I'm not an experienced reviewer, but I'll do my best.

See sig. Beyond that, I have a VAIO AW that I want to get rid of. Owned numerous Dells and IBMs in years past.

 

I couldnt agree with you more...I like the plain looks and the Pavilion line has too much things, and the Envy etching, albeit nice, completely unnecessary, and I would have deleted it...

 

This is why I decided to not get those shiny, "chromey" consumer HP Pavilion notebooks. I can't stand those fingerprint magnets.

 

I cant stand that glossy touchpad most of all...why would they do that?!?!?!

Anyways, the 8740w looks like something that will give the M6500 from Dell a good competition.

 

4000$? What's special about it? :O

 

Screen, build quality, support, hardware, CPU, GPU, etc...not to mention it is HP's flagship.

 

I fail to see what's so special about this. It has a couple of USB 3.0 ports, and a GPU that's abou 20% better than their standard fare. That hardly justifies it being 3x the price of a DV7.

 

you cant compare an elitebook with any consumer line hp notebook, even the envy...

given my still present 8510p gb967ea works perfectly right now, and considering the improvements having been made to it for the elitebooks ##3# and even more now for the ##4#, especially the 8540w with the duracase, the best hp product line just gets better (except for some mis-chosen hardware specs - the gpu - with the 8540p, but that obviously isnt everyones opinion).

and that very much justifies the price, especially when comparing it with a pavillion

 

It's different strokes for different folks. Personally, I wouldn't touch an HP pavilion with a 10ft bargepole. The HP elitebooks are built like a tank. They have magnesium alloy construction, professional gpus, standard 3yr support etc. etc. So yes, they cost a lot, but they're well worth it for the professional/business audience they are trageted toward. Actually, I think they're also pretty well worth it for any consumer that wants to buy one also. But if not, be my guest

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=471064

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=421051

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=249826

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=470534

.......

(Not that things can't go wrong with elitebooks either --- but then that's where having good support is helpful)

 

It uses a professional GPU, which in some programs can give like a 100% boost over consumer GPUs.

 

Not to mention Elitebooks are more durable, more reliable, more dependable and have better support and more stability compared to Pavilions.

Also remember the DreamColor display, the CPU, the professional GPUs always up the price, for their performance is better in some areas and they are dedicated to real heavy load usage, have different software support and different drivers, etc etc. And of course, there is the little "this is HP's flagship, therefore there is a bigger price" it is marketing, as it is the flagship, it cannot be cheap, otherwise it would lead to think it is just a laptop and not the laptop...

 

And of course, it fills a niche category. Not too many people are looking for an ISV certified system that is capable of handling CAD, photo, art, and 3D work that is also portable, at least, compared to the number of people who are looking for a laptop to check emails and surf the web. It's the reason why those worksation graphics cards cost so much. Why go through all the work of making a card and certifying it, if you're not making much money out of it. They won't make money out of selling a lot, so they'll sell it for a lot instead. Those who see its worth will purchase it.

 

Damn only the 30 series is available in Canada at the moment.

 

Here have a look. Plus, I'm sure, you can always configure your own via phone

 

Do they do configuration over the phone in Canada? And how are the prices like (I hope nothing like what it is online)? I might just get the 8540W instead.