HP EliteBook 8540w/8740w Vs. MacBookPros

Hey considering between these, any HP owners out there that could give me some feedback (subjective+bonus objective benchmarks)?

Any reviews+video reviews of the EliteBook 8540w/8740w that you deem accurate?

How do you like the trackpad, multitouch anygood?

Display quality I hear is excellent but 16:9 format vs 16:10 for a pro line ok?

Refs:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6139295-post97.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...refreshes-macbook-pro-line-discussion-37.html

Apple Forum Post:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/app...le-education-discount-last-call-warranty.html

 

Not to answer all your questions, but here's a review on this site of the HP 8540p, a lot of which is applicable to the 8540w

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...89-hp-elitebook-8540p-review.html#post5769961

I don't know of any reviews of the 8740w. In general (leaving aside the OS) the elitebooks are heavier and larger than the corresponding macbooks but are significantly more powerful. I would say they're even better built, not to say that the mac books aren't well built notebooks also.

 

You are comparing the most powerful workstation notebook, with a crippled piece of weaksauce technology that can't even be used for intensive CAD work (even though it's called macbook "pro").

 

In fairness I would like to do much more video-audio-html-editing than CAD work..but I would like a versatile, multimedia (yet anti-glare) 3D capable mobile machine (that will be usable-last 3-5 yrs)..

 

if you don't need battery life, get the workstation.

if you need battery life, the MBP will probably be your only realistic option. most of the 15" and 17" markets that feature powerful processors made the assumption that such clients aren't really looking for a lot of battery life. only Apple seems to be catering to the large screen & resolution + battery life crowd.

if you don't need that battery life, you can do MUCH better with an Elitebook.

 

I switched from a MacBook Pro mid 2009 to a Elitebook. Main reason for me was, that I work under Windows and the Elitebook offers more power (Quadcore + FX 1800m). If you can use your software under Mac OSX and you don't need the raw power, than the MacBook Pro is a nice choice, great batterylife, great display, nice unibody design. But if your programms are a bit demanding, than I'd think again, the new MacBook Pros seems to get very hot. Builtquality is on par, but the Elitebook is less scratch sensitive.

Here my review of the 8540w:

Review Elitebook 8540w

 

I did the same with my Macbook Pro. Sold it and got 8540p with HD+ screen. I'm not really sure about MBP build quality. Mine flexed a bit on the bottom and top cover, so I don't think I would like to apply much pressure there.

HD+ screen on EliteBook is very nice, i like it more than MacBook Pro's. It has a bit less color distorsion when viewed from 90°. Today we measured the contrast and it was ~700:1. I guess the real number might be closer to 600:1 but that is still great. Gamut is not good as MBP's but since MBP creates color distorsion from even a smallest deviation from perfect angle, subjectively it is much better experience working on HP's screen.

MBP looks nicer, it's lighter, thinner and has better battery life, but for me it doesn't get the job done.

 

I have just received a quote from an HP small business sales rep for an HP EliteBook 8740w, which is the 17" screen option, for $2,983.08 (before taxes). My IMac Pro quote is $3,134 (before taxes). The specs for both are included below.

As far as the battery life for the Elitebook, you can upgrade the battery. I was glad that I asked that question, because the battery I would have gotten without upgrading would have lasted about 3.5 hours. I upgraded (as shown in specs) to an 8 hour battery for $159.

If you buy an Elitebook, work with a sales rep, because they apply significant discounts as opposed to the shopping cart method. Also, be sure to double check all specs, because it is highly configurable.

After reading this line of conversation, I'm calling to order my Elitebook.

Here are the specs for my HP EliteBook 8740w (configured model):

Windows 7 Prof 64 bit
Intel® Core™ i7-620M Processor (2.66 GHz)
17.0-inch diagonal LED-backlit WUXGA+ WVA anti-glare (1920x1200) with camera
NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M graphics with 1 GB dedicated GDDR3 video memory
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2D)
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Regular keyboard (did not upgrade to backlit, although you can for $75)
HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth®
2.1 Wireless Technology (i.e., wi-fi)
Limited 3 year standard parts and labor warranty (3/3/3)
I added the following:

HP Extended Life Battery - Smart Buy 1, which is $159.00
Accidental Damage Protection Service, 3 years $99.00
Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007 - OEM License Kit
McAfee 18months

Total before taxes: $2,983.08

Here are the specs for the MacBook Pro:

2.66GHz Intel Core i7
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CDRW)
MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
Microsoft Office Mac 2008 - Business Edition Accessory kit
AppleCare Protection Plan 3yr

 

I'd be interested in your review when you get it as I'm leaning toward the 8740w for the 16:10 1920x1200 anti-glare matte screen or anything better on the horizon (e.g. DreamColor 2, Light Peak, HD cams, hybrid drives or was hoping large SSDs would be more cost effective on my next notebook)?

While I've spent over 4K on notebook/s in years past it kind of seems more difficult to justify such an expense these days when I may actually prefer multiple devices for similar total expense (although they did remain usable for many years) as I have this notion-yearning for more device independent, energy efficient data management..

I wish I could see these elitebooks in stores..what's the return policy-did you happen to inquire?

How does a sales rep apply significant discounts?

When I get a chance I'm going to check out more owner threads at:

HP Owners' Lounge Forum

Appreciate the detailed feedback,