HP Business Notebook Build Quality

Hey,

I'm considering buying an nc8430 notebook from HP in the next couple of months, and wanted to know what people thought of their build quality.

Just to give you an idea of why I'm concerned, I used to own an HP Pavilion zx5000 that died in less than a year...

Thanks!

 

The zx5000 is not a business class notebook. Generally HP's business class ntoebooks are well built.

 

I just bought a nc8430 this morning. I was a little worried about the quality too but I did some research and found that the majority of the comsumer line was made by Compal where the nc8430 is made by Quanta...which is probably higher quality as they make the IBM Thinkpads. I'll let you know how it is when I get it. But I think the quality should be very good...everything that I was looking at with comparble specs...like the Compal HEL80 and Asus Z96j cases are completely of plastic and did not have the magnesium chassis or shock mounted hard drive, the HP also has a pointing stick which most manufactures do not use anymore as it is more expensive to produce than a touchpad...which the HP also has.
I have never seen a HEL80 in person so I cannot comment on the quality but I know the Asus is a quality machine but it doesnt match the quality of IBMs or Dells Latitude line.

 

HP's Business notebook lineup has excellent quality - solid and sturdy, moreso than a Dell Latitude.

 

I'm assuming the build quality is a little (if not a lot) better than the Dell XPS line as well, right? I'm looking at near-maxed specs on the HP that would cost around $2500.

As of right how I'm considering the HP nc8430 the top choice out of: nc8430, D820, XPS M1710, XPS M1210, E1705, dv8000t.

 

Hey, if you could take the time out to write a review, I would really appreciate it. I'd like to have a little more information regarding this notebook before I bite on it later this year.

Thanks!

 

There is a mini-review in the HP forum.

 

I read though it and I cannot find any gaming benchmarks in it...unless I'm blind. Also, could someone instal Notebook Hardware Control (or some other software) that tells what the clock speeds are of the GPU?

 

The GPU is underclocked to save itself from heat and for better overall battery life. The benchmarks are still in the mid 3800s for the nc8430, which are just slightly lower than a nonunderclocked model.

 

HP's buisness class notebooks are probably twice the durability/quality as there regular notebooks, there just build durable. This also means you will pay a higher price for it, because there designed for big corporations with lots of cash.

 

It does not matter who builds them. The quality of the laptop is only as good as its design. Quanta and Compal are OEM manufacturers and will do exactly what they are asked to do by the respective brands. Quanta also makes cheap laptops for certain brands. Business models from any brand are almost always better built than the ones from the consumer line.

 

I paid a grand total of 1600 for mine - ~1500 once my rebate comes in

comparable macbook costs 2000 and comparable thinkpad costs...well....a lot more lol

 

How did you pull that off? And with what specs? I'm considering a T2500|2GB 667|100 GB 7200 HDD|DVD+/-RW w/ LightScribe|WSXGA+|Bluetooth|3-Year ADP On-Site Warranty

 

Yeah if you don't mind my asking as well, how did you get such a good price?

I too am considering a T2500|2GB 667|100 GB 7200 HDD|DVD+/-RW w/ LightScribe|WSXGA+|Bluetooth... my budget is a little less than straight configuring it using the site offers. If it's possible to upgrade RAM and HDD separately (as I assume it is, though sometimes HDDs can be a nuisance... can anyone comment on upgrading the hdd of a nc8430 and is it reasonaby easy?), then my price still drops only down to.. $1914.

Unfortunately educational discounts do not apply to business class models .

 

How did you get the $1914 price? The lowest I can get it configured for is around $2200. Please post exact model/steps taken and which options if you have the time! ~$1900 would be a great bang for the buck!

Thanks!