HP Compaq 6910p Full Review

Did anyone ever figure out how to solve this issue? I'm having the exact same problem...

 

I can't see how you could get your notebook replaced because of this!
All that I can remember is if you press the mute button at the login screen then it may end up off when you get into windows.
I personally have not had any other problem other than that.

 

Thanks for the answer. The mute button was just one of the reasons for replacing my 6910p. The second one was a hair (or some other trash) engrosed in laptops case

So you say that you touch your mute button and it shines orange until you touch it again? Well, that's good news, at least we know that there are 6910p's that work like they should

 

Just received my 6910p a few hours ago.

Specs are :-

Intel Naming Convention T7300
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 (2.00-GHz, 800-MHz FSB, 4-MB L2 cache)
Front Side Bus (FSB) 800-MHz
L2 Cache 4MB
Graphic Chipset ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 graphics with 64 or 128 MB dedicated video memory
Memory (std/max) 1024-MB, 667-MHz DDR2 SDRAM x 1 pcs
Hard Disk Drive 120-GB Smart Sata Hard Disk
Floppy Disk Drive no, optional via USB port
Display/Resolution 14.1" TFT WXGA Display
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive
Bluetooth Yes
Wireless 802.11a/b/g
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Business and MS Office Ready (with recovery DVDs included)
Security Features Integrated Fingerprint reader, Smart Card Reader and HP ProtectTools


Will have to buy another 1GB RAM tomorrow.

Took quite some time for the notebook to install everything and finally boot up.

Havent start to play with it.

Typing this reply on my very old Compaq EVO N1000v.

NO regrets buying the 6910p.

Cheers.

 

I can only get Kingston PC 5300 DD32 667 here at the local computer stores.

Is it ok with the 6910p?

I dont want to end up with blue screens.

 

After uninstalling the Norton, everytime i restart, the Intel AMT is disabled. What do i do?

 

I think I've fixed my mute button problem. I went to the driver's page for the 6910p and installed every driver there for Windows Vista Business (I'm running Vista Ultimate). I'm not sure which one fixed it, but the Mute light stays on now. Good luck!

 

Did a clean install using the Vista Business cd provided, then installed all the drivers from the other cd.

But the display card driver wasnt there, weird. Now running on standard vga.

Have to download the driver from hp website,107mb !!!

Damm!!!

anyone using the latest bios?

 

Even after a clean install, i still have 60 processes running. ARGH !!!

Need more RAM

 

hi guys

im from switzerland and last week i bought my 6910p. it has the same configuration as marmions. im really happy with it, but theres still one problem also other people in this forum mentioned. its the strange noise in the area of the hdd, but does someone definitely know if its a fan or simply the hdd (because a change shouldnt be a problem).

tia

rom30

 

As far as I can tell, its the hard drive spinning. In my nx8220 the hard drive does the same thing untill the HD goes into stand by/spins down.
This HD doesn't spin down or whatever it is.
I have taken the HD out, and also the keyboard off to have a look at the insides. There is the one fan as you can see from the underside. This is spinning slowly, but not audible.
So I conclude that its the HD spinning, not an extra fan, and its not a 'problem' with the HD.

 

did you ever try it with antoher harddisk?

 

hi there,

just got my brandnew 6910p and I also have noise-problems: when i plug in headphones, there's a static, electric noise coming. when i mute, the noise is gone as well. is this normal? it sounds quite annoying...

thanks
thom

 

great review man, nice laptop too.

 

I never tried another HDD as the only other one I have is from the nx8220, and its PATA, not SATA so it won't fit obviously. Someone else would have to try that. Its barely audible, so its not a big deal at all.
I haven't tried pluggin in earphones so I can't help there either!

Cheers

 

I just checked my task manager, i have only 22mb free memory...

Something is not right ...

 

I have 2GBs RAM

I also manually set the paging file to 3021mb.

It doesnt feel slow but 22mbs free is worrying...

I have 70 processes running, even after clean install

What should i do?

 

If it's vista, then i've heard that it uses up your RAM to provide quicker program start ups. I agree, it doesn't feel right - that's why I installed a fresh XP + drivers...

 

Now i got a problem.

Sometimes at the logon screen after keying in the password, it wont proceed to the next screen. Vista just stays there, not sure what it's doing. Not much HDD activity anyway. Sometimes for about 20 minutes or so.

I got to force it to shutdown, holding down the power button, then boot up then it's fine, working as usual.

This is weird.

I will format and do another round of Clean install.

 

Has anyone downloaded the F.0A Bios for the 6910p?

 

I have, but havent noticed any difference yet...

 

The DVD Drive isnt reading certain DVDs, including the included Application & Recovery DVD. I hear them spinning, then stops.

That is very weird, cause they work on my other HP notebook.

Am taking the 6910p to the HP service center in a couple of hours. Will demand a new unit if they dont know what is wrong. The notebook is not even 3 weeks old.

 

Having read this thread with great interest (would love to buy one) I would be interested to know if there are any ex ASUS users that have bought this notebook.

I currently use a V6Va and am a freak for noise and heat and would like to know how the HP compares to a Asus

 

I mentioned some problems with weird sound, spoke with HP support and they sent a guy with new parts. He changed HD and mainboard, and now its fixed!

 

i think i have the same problem as you yazzi.

the sound i'm hearing definately comes from the hard drive beneath that 3D drive guard thing. and it sounds like water running through a pipe to me, very annoying

yazzi, did you experience any unexpected spin downs/turn offs of your hard drive? i mean even if you had turned off the hard drive sleep timer.

thanks for you help

i guess you bought the hp care pack? well, i haven't, but i've had mine for less than 30 days only, and that still counts as DOA. i wonder if i have to go through the whole pick up & return process, if i really decide to send it back...

 

Hi, didnt experience any nexpected spin downs/turn offs...
I didnt think i bought any care pack, at least I didnt spesifically choose it when i bought this notebook at a webshop, looks like it was included in the offer...

Call HP support and speak with them!

 

Do i need to install any of the softwares from hp.com website?

I only install the drivers...

very smooth

i dont need the finger print thing. . .

just worried i left anything out

 

As long as you have all drivers installed there should be no problem, notice any difference on speed etc..?

 

a lot of difference without all the HP software junk...a lot faster.

less processes.

 

For those having issues with hanging after resuming from sleep/hibernation theres a new BIOS out: HP 6910p F0C BIOS page

 

Hey guys, when I use the recovery manager, will I get the possibility to choose between 32Bit and 64Bit as I could when I set on the PC the first time?

And if not, how can I switch to 32Bit?

 

Dont think so, at least i didnt...

 

Does this noise issue (near HD when speaker is not muted) really require a new systemboard? I just got a new 6910p this week and have this issue. If it is a systemboard issue, what is the chance you will get a replacement that corrects it when they are still shipping new units with this issue. My unit has a build date of 10/07, so it's not that old.

CTDW

 

hard to say, they changed the HD at the same time, so... actually i can still hear that sound, but not as high and frequent as before

 

I think I found a resolution for the strange noise coming from the hard drive area. Since it goes away when you mute the speakers, it obviously is related to the audio hardware or drivers. I had a similiar problem on a ThinkPad T61 last year (crackling noise) with Vista. I resolved it by removing the SoundMax drivers and rebooting so Vista loads a generic audio driver. I tried that on my 6910p tonight and the noise is gone so far. I feel confident that this resolved it since my noise issue was constant.

I suspect this will get resolved in a future SoundMax driver release (I was on the latest release before removing it).

Let me know if this works for anyone else.

CTDW

 

i thought you were talking about the noise coming from the HD itself (the blowing kind of noise)

now, if you mean the noise coming from the speakers: this can be fixed if you mute the "PC Beep" under audio controls in vista (Playback->Speakers->Levels)

 

I dont know about this other sound... The noise I reported had nothing to do with the speakers

 

My noise sounded like it was coming from the drive, but it definitely went away when I muted the speakers. So it sounds like we are talking about two different noises. My fix above resolved my issue.

 

I discovered that over the touch-sensitive buttons, theres a transparent plastic film, didnt know it was there before I scratched it. I removed the film and the sensitivity of the buttons improved alot! Big difference!

 

I briefly scanned around the forums but couldn't find any difinitive answer but I apologize if this has been asked (please direct me to a thread).

Anyway I just got a 6910p and love it but I have a problem with Battery Power.

Basically what happens is on AC Power the computer is perfect, but the second you take it off AC and onto Battery it seems to briefly stutter or lockup every few seconds for a split second. Under office usage it's less noticable but it is there, for example if you move your mouse in slow motion it will pause for a split second every 3-4 secs. Or if you hold down a key the same thing happens. The biggest annoyance is if you try to listen to music or watch a DVD, it will stutter every few seconds.

The thing is the instant you plug the computer back into A/C everything goes back to normal. I've tried setting all the defaults back, running high performance on battery with no luck. It only happens on battery, you can have a video playing perfectly on A/C but the second you pull the plug out it starts stuttering.

I have AC and Battery settings exactly the same to try to rule out any setting differences out with no luck

I also have all the latest drivers, and I did a clean re-format as well with no avail.

 

Solved my problem, turns out it's the Intel Gigabit Adaptor. There's a setting that says "Remove Power if Cable Disconnected". If that setting is on the computer stutters every few secs if the LAN cable is disconnected.

Turning it off stops the skipping.

 

I've heard that some users had problem with some noise the hard disk was making non-stop. Did anybody change the 160 GB disk or buy the notebook with a different hard disk? I'd like to have a notebook which is as quiet as possible and I'm thinking about buying a 200 GB or 250 GB HD.

Does anybody have experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have a hard disk that is a bit clicky, but not sure if the same issue. It has to do with the hard disk firmware having too aggressive default power management setting. My hard disk is a Hitachi 7k200 HTS722012K9SA00.

I have resolve the issue, although I am running Linux. Look at the harddisk power management section for a link to an explanation.

Linux on 6910p

I also have a short review and photos.

 

I'd like to know more about the firewire bus
in particular I wish to know the producer of it
(Richo like in the pavillion series or texas instruments)

 

The firewire bus is from Ricoh

 

this laptop looks awesome, i might consider buying one for college, but i have a few questions first
1) does the 6 cell battery stick out or raise the profile of the notebook?
2) for someone who has carried this unit around for atleast 10 minutes, would you say it suits its description as a light and portable notebook?
3) is the RAM bay on the bottom able to carry 2 DIMMS or just one? i've encountered a unit where one module was under the keyboard...naturally it was extremely annoying to upgrade ram.
4) would the ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 be able to run WoW, Battlefield2 and half life 2 at decent settings?
thanks!

 

1) does not stick out. Its completely flush with the rest of notebook.
2) Is light. 2.3kg. I carry it around in a laptop bag around uni all day etc.
3) Two ram slots. One hunder keyboard, one on underside of notebook easily accessable. To remove the keyboard is 3 screws and 4 slide out tabs. If you order 1GB then it is 1 stick under the keyboard first, with the underside slot empty.
4) I don't know but I can play AOE3 at highest settings, and World in Conflict around the low to medium settings. Don't know if that helps.

Good luck and Happy New Year

 

awesome, that helps a ton marmion
thanks and happy new year

 

ton247,

The 6910p is pretty light. I carry mine to and from work everyday. I have removed the optical drive and got myself a docking station at work so I don't carry the adapter. This makes my travel weight only 2.1kgs. Its a very good laptop if want fast cpu and harddisk, it only sacrifice the video card for portability. You also get the same size keyboard as the 15.4" hp business laptop.

 

After the BIOS Upgrade to f.10 from hp site ive got a problem .. my fan is running all the time now, and Cpu is at 50* in idle.
I have no idea if something is broken or they patched the ACPI controller ... the behaviour changed, it suxx.
Did you tried the Bios upgrade already?
Oh yes, its not possible anymore to undervolt the processor with this bios version.