*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

I tried the online tool, but it kept telling me to put in an eligible product number. So I guess the HDX9494nr isn't eligible. If anyone gets it to work for theirs VIA phone or online, please post it here. And Thanks for the link dugsterfresh, it was worth giving it a shot.

 

Ok guys. All this talk about using different versions of Windows on the Dragon have spurred me to try the near-impossible. Never one to take the easy road, I am going for Windows XP x64. I like it and use it more than XP x86.

I think by combining the drivers I got from Vista (SWSETUP folder and a backup of the drivers installed using Driver Genius 2008) and the ones I kept from my last HP laptop (DV7-1240US, has a lot of the same hardware as the Dragon), I think I can get it working. I was able to get it working really well for the DV7. No missing hardware, working sound and even the Quick Launch buttons worked. My only concerns are the following...

1. Fingerprint Reader
2. Tv Tuner
3. Video Card

I will post results soon as I am done.

 

Not sure what you are asking, so here are two takes:

If you are upgrading from a clean Vista (or the orginal HDX Vista, or an HDX restore) without a service pack to Win 7, then you need to let Vista at least upgrade to SP1 and that type of load takes 6 hours. Your fingerprint reader will work if you load fingerprint drivers when Vista was on the box.

As you have read, I was so very happy that Eclypse3D found the fingerprint solution as that was the only serious problem I had with my HDX on a clean Win 7 load.
How?
1) Download the drivers mentioned in the post on page 681 to an external drive (USB or SATA) or a non OS (DATA) drive in your HDX. ((If you don't have the drivers locally, then you have to turn on the communication, and windows will do an update and kill your fingerprint reader (unless you execute the aforementioned Eclypse3D graying trick))
2) Load Win 7 and kill the network before the final boot or right after the final boot.
3) Run/load the drivers from the local/external/data drive to your OS drive.
4) Turn on the LAN/WAN communication and allow a Windows update.

This straight Win 7 type of load takes about under an hour with a fast SSD and everything works on my HDX except the Bass/Treble.

Take a chance, install Win 7 directly, and if you mess up, you can do a system restore back to the clean Win 7 install before updates and try driver loading again.

Good luck. If you get it right the first time, send money to Eclypse3D.

 

Holy smokes 741 pages.


Aloha

 

Yeah my Win7 installation was a success, with fully functioning fingerprint scanner! Many thanks to all the great help in the forum!!

Now on to my only only issue which is with a game. Anyone here play steam games, specifially Half-Life mods like TFC or CS? I'm a TFC junkie, and I cannot get the video to work for TFC. I get the sounds, so I know the game is running, but all I get is either a black screen or the stock menu background (but with no clickable menus). I really wanna see the game!

Since I'm pretty certain it's a video display problem, does anyone have any ideas? I went into device manager and updated driver, it downloaded and installed something, saying I now have the current, still no results. I have the 9010NR model, meaning I have the lowly ATI card. Is there some newer released Win7 friendly driver that I can/should have my hands on?

Thanks a million!

 

hi all i have a problem and if there is a solution only you can help me! i have installed windows 7 to my hp hdx installed the latest nvidia drivers (186.03) but i can't control the brightness of my screen with Fn+F7 or Fn+F8 is there any fix for my problem thanks in advance for your answers!

 

Yeah, I had the same thing happen to me and that's why I called. My glimmer of hope was that I also contacted HP and they did not have my computer in their system as a recently purchased refurb. I faxed them my receipt and info and now my 60 day warranty is legit. I'm wondering if the Win7 update service was seeing HP's inaccurate info about the computer. Either way, their website eligibility states HDX and most refurbs are eligible, so I'm going to try to push hard for it when I call back and even escalate the issue if need be!

 

Know Windows7 not.
Problem under Vista: Go to Device Manager, View: Show hidden devices. Among non-PnP driver "eabfiltr"
Must be available and running!

Startup Type: System
Treber file: eabfiltr.sys
Version so that everything works: 4.20.02.04
(Part of the HP Quick Launch Buttons software 6.20 F2)

As far as I remember, it runs under Windows7 not.

 

i can't find the eabfiltr.sys what should i do?

 

You should already have the latest ATI drivers, as Windows update will do that for you. Make sure you have the latest game drivers from the mfg website. Try them first. If still a no-go, install in Win 7 using 'compatability mode.' Google "Windows 7 compatabilty mode" if you don't know what it is.

 

I remember your nice comment to my first post on page 49. Hope you have been well and keeping out of trouble, or at least not getting caught. I think it is safe to say many of us are waiting to see 2.0's next laptop will be, and will follow his migration, as he teaches us so much. He's kind of like Ward Bond, the wagonmaster. Reading between the lines and following the current pace, I think we'll have to wait another 741 pages as the HDX is that good.

 

The solution to this problem, you'll find in my Treats.
Since these are automatically translated, it is not easy to understand.
First read! Then ...

1.167.53 or 179.28 or 179.48 installed!
1.1 Drivers have no subsequent PerfLevelSrc in the registry database. (Although this can produce, but ...
1.2 Subsequent drivers require substantially more GPU Performance.

(Example: full-screen television with QuickPlay 186.03 under 383/301/766 with dropouts. Until 179.48 and earlier drivers is fullscreen television from 200/100/410 possible without dropouts.)

2.NVIDIA System Tools with ESA Support to install!
I recommend version 6.03. (not 6.05)
http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_system_tools_6.03.html
2.1 This program is needed to make the GPU Performance manually to be able to influence.

3.Powermizer disable!
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Video \ (** a series of numbers that are different **) \ 0000 \ PerfLevelSrc
Value from 3333 to 3322 set!

4.Now, with the "NVIDIA System Tools with ESA support," the GPU Performance to suit your needs.
My standard 215/110/465. This setting does everything except games.

Without "NVIDIA System Tools with ESA Support" would be the GPU is always in the highest level of Performance 500/799/1250. Fans were loud and very hot HDX.

to 3.IF then another Nvidia driver is installed, this value is (PerfLevelSrc) again 3333rd

 

Since I was no help, I question her again brought here. Back Prone already had some problems Windows7 with the FN keys.
Leaves look back!
Or someone writes the fast solution to this problem !?

 

Thanks goldpianogarden and RemyL75! Right now though I'm still too much of a whimp to really open the Dragon (though I've opened a bunch of other laptops before so the concept is not new to me). For now, its adding the 2nd drive which I have (hopefully the caddy should be in a couple of days). My next investment will certainly be the SSD though.


Regardless, its great to have the manual both online and in print.

edit: After watching some of the videos on the HP website, it doesn't seem to difficult. Some careful planning, note taking, paying attention to details, etc. should make it easier and smoother.

That being said, I'm still going to be a whimp for a while...

 

Install the latest version of HP Quick Launch (6.40.17.2). That worked for me in W7.

 

Yeah i know about compat mode.

Is there any point in installing this ATI thing for Win7?

http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?driver=videocard/win7-64-suite

 

As I recall from trying to upgrade from HDX Vista with Catalyst to Win 7 build 7000 (ATI video card only application), Catalyst bombed and it gave me a nastygram on cold boots, so I suspect if you do load it, you'll have to back it out.

 

can you give me the exact link plz i installed sp38171 from this link i found http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...softwareitem=ob-56605-1&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN is this the right one ? this link is general and it's not for my hp hdx cto that's why i think it doesn;t work the control of brightness

 

Maybe a few were made by others, but from asking people with the 8730 they say it was made by Inventec. If that's the case having double checked the numbers via their order sheet, box, and info on the device, wouldn't that mean it would be a better scenario?

How many regulars do we even have in here though really even? Whenever the topic comes up not many say much and while you'd think EVERYONE would want one you'd think more would say so no? As you said this thing is a one time "fluke" as such it's unique and beautiful. With thinner and lighter screens coming out I would think HP would be morons not to bring back the Dragon but apart from that how many notebooks not only have a 20 inch gorgeous screen but also has a dual hinge that allows wide viewing angles? Maybe this is one reason everyone after the 31 Days contest wanted them especially after they discontinued them. And perhaps why they continue to sell for high amounts on Ebay and else where even though it's been over a year. The 2.8s sell for between $1800-$2200, and even some go for 3200 as seen a couple weeks ago. From what I understand the Sager 18 incher apparently is not getting reviews on par with the Dragon, ditto for the Asus w90 from actual use with its overheating and other issues.

While I agree that that's usually the case, I dunno, they're very much in demand now and STILL sell for a pretty penny no? Couldn't it be "never" until now with such a unique beast? Honestly I can't conceive of giving this thing up for at LEAST the next 3-4 years or more, UNLESS they come out with another 20 inch Dragon that's at LEAST as good.

I thought I'd have the moolah for the 2.8 dragon already and did, but am needing to take care of the stupid car first. When I get that done and sold then I'll get the HDX and be able to do the 3700 hopefully asap. Wait, but if it isn't a pull from the HP notebook isn't it kinda pointless? Could you post the link anyway please?

 

the latest ver is 6.50.3.1:
http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/KE...S/HP-Quick-Launch-Buttons-Utility-65031.shtml

 

You can get a 3700M for US $310 these days - brand new, not a pull. I guess we will see price dropping further below US $250 by mid-2010. The 8800M GTS is now much cheaper than what it was exactly a year ago.

 

non-hp 3700M: http://store.buydirectpc.com/parts-laptop/video-card/nvidia-quadro-fx-3700m-w-1gb.html

hp 3700M: Google: KW899AV - for example: http://www.xpbargains.com/xpricer.php/lowest_price_search__pid--KW899AV.htm

 

Nice find on pricing the non-HP version. Though, those won't come with the backplane required for screwing down the heatsink. One would have to rip it off the 8800M, possibly destroying it in the process.

 

Yep, so they are made by Inventec. Serial numbers start with CNU. Would it stand a better chance? The more I look into it, the more the answer seems to be a disappointing... "no."

Well, since I took one for the team showing what's actually involved physically and the fact that the 280M didn't work has tempered everyone's enthusiasm. Plus the 3700M isn't going to be all that big of a boost over an overclocked 8800M GTS. Around 10%-15% (somewhat less with a WSXGA+ since the GPU isn't being taxed as much as it would be on a WUXGA.). Which means, if you are getting 30FPS avg in a game, now you'll get 33/34. Imperceptible gain. And you won't have the overclocking headroom on the 3700M since it's power consumption is much higher than the HDX was designed for. Likely, if the 3700M worked, you won't be able to overclock it at all. The 280M GTX would have been better since it's 55nm and would run cooler than the 65nm 3700M. But even then you probably wouldn't be able to safely overclock the 280M. But at least the 280M would have been about 25% faster at stock speed than an overclocked 8800M. That's something you can really feel.

The fact that the 3700M has twice the stream processors (128 v 64) doesn't translate into twice the performance.

They're not selling for high prices and they're not moving all that quickly. Consider that they are $4000 computers being sold for an average price of $1000. Resale/overstock values of discontinued DV5's are much better. Why? Because the demand for that form factor is high. HP is smart not to bring back the HDX no matter how much you like it. You, I and the rest of the HDX owners are a minority. The form factor doesn't sell well, period. In the majority of people's minds, a 20", 15lbs "notebook" is an oxymoron.

People wanted them after the 31 days contest because the price dropped dramatically. That's when I bought mine for around 40-50% less than when I was looking at it at the beginning of 2008. Sales have never been as high since August-October of 2008 when HP released the 9494nr's. But HP was taking a loss on each unit sold after the 31days contest.

The form factor that everyone is trying now is the AIO (all in one) which will become the new desktop replacement. Apple's iMac has been successful with it for years now. Desktop (big ugly box) sales are on the steady decline with no abatement in sight.

They're not really in demand relative to other notebooks. And that's how you have to gauge demand.

They'll (manufacturers) will come out with AIO desktops that will blow this thing away by next summer. Some that are out now are on par if you don't game. The 8800M is the HDX's strong point. The iMAC already blows this thing away. Only thing it's missing really is blu-ray and esata. But both of those things are already obsolete. USB 3.0 will have faster transfer speeds than esata and will be powered unlike esata. Most people watch blu-ray movies on an LCD TV and not on a computer.

Just realize that you are likely casting money into the wind with the 3700M as it probably won't work - either HP or non-Hp version. When I got the 280M GTX, I knew that if it didn't work I could sell it quickly as they would be in high demand. It sold within hours of listing on eBay. The 3700M is not in high demand because gamers won't want it. And they are the main MXM buyers. So if it doesn't work, which is likely, you'll be out of that money for a good while unless you're willing to take a big loss on a quick sale.

 

Hello there people
I am an owner of an HDX 9320EG and i recently decided to install Windows 7 RC.
Everything went smoothly and the only devices that were not recognized was the video card by Nvidia 8800GTS and the AverMedia tv tuner. There is also another unknown device listed as not recognized and i presume it is from the tv tuner. Did anyone come across to this problems and found any device drivers for this laptop for Windows 7?
If someone has any clues and info would like to know about it Where can i download drivers for Windows 7 or if there are information how to make the laptop work with all the devices.
Thank you in advance for all your help.

 

You know, there is a lot of good natured and well intentioned talk of MXM GPU upgrades to our beloved HDX's going on for the last couple of months. Some useful information and some worthy experimentation, as well as some good debates. I fear that now, though entertaining, all the talk is accomplishing is increasing our post count. I think when it comes to super-powering our video capabilities via MXM or other internal means, the phrase "It ain't happening" pretty much sums it up.

Therefore, I submit that this product, in it's next generation that's supposedly hitting the market in a few months, will probably offer the most practical and cost effective way of somewhat keeping our video capabilities viable beyond our current 8800m cards. It is supposedly going to offer a bigger power supply and readily adapt the newer, more powerful desktop cards that are now and going to be on the market, i.e. allow for future upgradeability. Only time will tell, but seems promising.

Smaller laptop owners seem to poo-poo the concept because it takes away from their portability, but I think most of us rarely take our HDX's away from home. And on those occasions, I would think peeps would simply have to "live" with the 8800.

Anyway, here is the product link: http://www.villagetronic.com/vidock2/index.html

And here is a forum thread with lot's of discussion on it: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=390634&highlight=vidock

And another that seems promising on DIY for same thing: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=397667

 

Indeed.

Holy crapinski! Now that's what I'm talking about. Very, very nice find.

 

That's assuming our HDX BIOS/Resource Allocation won't pose an issue:
http://www.villagetronic.com/vidock/compatibility.html

 

Right. Likely it will pose an issue. Besides, the unit can only use ATI cards it seems.

Though that page you linked to seems to be for the original Vidock and not Vidock2. Or they need to update their website to reflect, proper.

 

True and true. I don't know/understand the BIOS well enough to know the answer to this, or the capabilities of our express card. I do know that future ViDock generations are supposed to include nVidia card integration though.

Don't know about the link, it takes me to ViDock 2 page. ViDock 4 (why not 3?) is supposed to be the next iteration according to the rep that communicates with our folks in the gaming forum thread. EDIT My bust, thought you were talking about my original link.

 

On the Vidock2 page at http://www.villagetronic.com/vidock2/index.html , it says "Take a look at www.villagetronic.com/vidock/compatibility.html for more information. " (look under 'ViDock 2 + Win 7 = Great Experience').

 

Thats not entirely accurate to say the ES are all test CPUs they are the samples released for focus groups, and testing yes but there versions released that are RC candidate CPUs a perfect example is the Q174 C0 stepping of the X9000 is a release candidate version and other than the ES stamp on it is in fact almost identical to the retail/oem version. Without the stamp of course. And a note of interest, technically almost all CPUs have defects and bugs, the process is not perfect in manufacturing them, and even AMD release a batch of 3 core cpus in the retail market and those are essentially borked 4 core cpus.

=)

 

Here's a link to the latest 9 revisions of Quick Launch at HP:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?swItem=ob-71106-1&lang=en&cc=us&mode=5&

 

Nope, the main reason you would want this version 6.50.3.1 is if you have a newer notebook like the TX2 running HP SmartMenu/QL under Windows 7 to fix the QL Keyboard Filter driver issue on these notebooks. HP don't mention this in the revision history, but it's one of the major fixes over the previous v6.40 release. On the HDX, I am running QL v6.20 F2 flawlessly under Win7.

 

I'm confused. Why did you post a link to 6.50.3.1 a few posts back if it's not appropriate for the HDX?

 

It is still appropriate for the HDX. QL Buttons driver is universal across all HP series, whether using SmartMenu or QuickPlay. I am simply not keen on updating drivers like this that work well on my system (when I said I am sticking with 6.20), but 6.50.3.1 should work equally fine on the HDX. It's the latest.

Tip: Run the softpaq from an Administrator Command Prompt rather than the usual elevated way, as it seems on some notebooks like the tx2 setup needs to write directly to the hardware (to program/reset the capacitative buttons).

 

ok i think everything is working on windows 7 apart from the mass storage controller that in the device manager is an unknown device what do i need to install and what is the purpose of this device? thanks in advance for your answers

 

I believe that is either the Intel Matrix Storage Drivers or the Silicon Image SiI 3531 SATA Controller. Both are for your hard drive(s).

 

Haha how am I not surprised you'd say no. How come.

Almost every single 2.8Ghz ones have been sold on Ebay the first week, except one that required pick up, between 1800-2200 or more. The others, not so much as you stated. Unfortunately I think you're right about peoples perception regarding the Dragon that is EXCEPT for when they see one in person/in public somewhere..

Yea but it's not like they gave the last/top configuration much time to sell..what 1-2 months?? That's the one I wanted and was saving for.

Unfortunately I think that's the case though trends can change thank God. You and I know that if the latest star like Jonny Depp or Angelina Jolie or something was trouncing around with an HDX Dragon everyone would suddenly want one.

Unless ViDock will in fact support NVIDIA cards no?

 

I've had no luck searching to see if I could find anything regarding anyone else having this issue......

I just got my Dragon (if you read previous post several pages back, I purchased 6 of these this year, and the 5 previous ones turned out to be "scams".....but I FINALLY got one --- 6th try and something is haywire). Anyway, the battery is not detected. It will briefly say it's detected and charging, but then almost as quickly will say battery is not detected. I spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone with HP trying to troubleshoot. They did all these updates, tests, bios this-and-that, blah, blah, blah, but nothing ever worked. Now I can't get it to say 'detected and charging' at all. I only get 'battery is not detected'. SO, they say it canNOT be the battery, because it would at least DETECT the battery -- whether it was faulty or dead or whatever. I've tried re-seating the battery a thousand times, it seems, with no results. So, my option is to send it in. I do NOT want to put my new laptop thru the whole process of the being thrown around during shipment there, being mangled by techs who don't care if they scratch it up or not, and being kicked, I mean shipped back. So, wondered if anyone else has had this issue. Thought maybe it was a common "Dragon" issue and just maybe there's a fix for it (like I could be so lucky). Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Ok, I've decided to "bite the bullet" and go with an SSD.

Nothing large, but since the hardware for my 2nd drive has come in, I can attach my new drive over there and install Vista & the majour apps. on the SSD.

Anyway, that being said, when I checked a few out a newegg.com, I saw the following types:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...eals&SubCategory=636&StoreType=2&N=2010150636

"SATA II Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail"

"Micro-SATA Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail"

"SATA MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail"

"PATA MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail"

"64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Notebook bundled accessory ... - Retail"

"64GB Mini PCIe Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail"

---

The HDX manual states:

"Hard drives Supports all Serial ATA (SATA) 9.5-mm, 2.5-inch hard drives"

---

Which one is the correct one to get? I'm a bit confused.

 

The only type of SSD I recommend:

From OCZ are Vertex, Agility, or Summit.
From G.Skill is the falcon series.

Nothing else since they don't have either an Indilink or Samsung controller. The others will have stuttering issues and poor small file transfer rates.

All the above mentioned are SATA II.

I have 120GB Vertex drives, plus a 60GB and a 30GB. You can get away with 60GB but nothing lower on the HDX.

 

Sounds like a mobo issue. Defintely not a common issue though. If it's under warranty, might as well roll the dice and send it in. If it's not and you're so inclined, you can replace the mobo yourself. It'll cost you ~$175 plus shipping. But you'll have to return the old mobo in the box the new one comes in. HP provides a return label with the new mobo.

 

Look for the ones that say SATA in the description. Not PATA, PCIe or eSATA. Just SATA.

Once you have narrowed down your choices, then you need to find the physical measurments of each drive and make sure their measurements fit that 9.5mm / 2.5" size drive bay. Usually Newegg has the physical measurements, but if they don't, you may need to go to the manufacturer's website and see if you can get the measurements from there. Or just look for the ones that say 2.5" form factor.

 

It's basically the same as the 280M GTX. Not to get too technical, it requires a higher voltage than the MXM slot on the HDX outputs. That's why the 8800M GTS is a custom made MXM as the standard MXM cards have different electrical characteristics. Also, different BIOS and different stock clock than the 8800M. Another interesting note, the 75w TDP cards all use dual heat pipes. Looking at the 8730W thermal solution, the HDX is NOT up to the task of cooling the 3700M at full load. Having had the 280M GTX with its thermal solution from Clevo, the HDX's cooling solution was certainly smaller.

But if you factor all of the model configuration sales, they (2.8ghz w/ UXGA) sell at a rate that is more or less per week as the others do.

They gave the top configuration over 9 months and it sold poorly. Too expensive. That's why they came up with the 9494Nr which sold well but at a loss.

LOL, perhaps. Likely, it would make it seem all the more ostentatious if a celebrity pitched it. Something to aspire to rather than a "must have" item.

But it's not really a trend, per se as it is an evolution in computing. Netbooks exist and are popular because they address the way people use their computers. Smartphones helped to evolve the "small is good" paradigm. Social networking is also driving down the need for big boxes. If you mostly browse the web, text, twitter, etc, what use do you have for a $2000+ machine. That niche is mostly for gamers. But gamers tend to buy far more powerful computers. Same with graphic designers.

This is why it (20 inch notebook concept) always fails. It doesn't fill a lucrative niche. It's a grey area with no clear demographic. HP was actually a little late bringing the HDX to market. It was supposed to be a direct competitor to the DELL 2010. a ground breaking unit that also failed to sell well.

I bought the HDX because I don't like desktops because of their obscene power consumption, form factor, and lack of a 2hr UPS. (Yes, I'm kind of a green/environmentally conscious chap). The HDXs never leave my desks. I have other portable computers for that task. A tablet and a DV5. Right, plus I like to game and the HDX has an enthusiast level GPU. And let's face it, it's a hot sexy beast.

But, if there were an AIO (all in one) with the specs of the HDX and was thrifty with the watts, I'd would have bought that. I was actually looking at an iMAC 24" before HP dropped an 8800M in there.

Anyway, forgot the point was I making. Something to do with a demographic that is hard to pin down.

Don't know. But you have to use an external display with it. I have a 32" sony XBR sitting not to far from the HDX that I game on ocassionally. RTS games look great on the TV. But by the time the HDX can't play games at native res on its own screen with some detail scaled back or dropped a res, I'll probably be onto my next system. Or a console (gasp!).

 

well....I have finally slogged thru the entire thread and the information here is priceless! I started reading this back on the last week of May and finished catching up till now...a BIG THANK YOU to every one who contributed!

 

Thanks, 2.0. They said it was most likely a mobo issue....just my luck. I purchased the 4-year warranty from HP the other day after I got the Dragon (w/ the accidental damage protection - as my chihuahua thinks she wants to dance on the keyboards of my computers from time to time), so it's covered. I just know from past warranty work on my Toshiba laptop and my Gateway tablet, they come back with pry marks, scrapes across them, scratches on the outside, etc. I'm very anal about my computers. They all keep the out-of-the-box plastic stuck on them, for example, and I wrap them in a very soft towel BEFORE I put them in a laptop bag, etc. I know they don't give a flip about any of that at the repair depots. So, I'll have to pray about sending it in! ha! I may see if any more mobo issues arise, as I think I've actually USED the battery on my other laptops maybe 2 or 3 times. May save that to be done some time if I have to send it in for something more serious....

Does anyone here who has replaced the processor have a warranty thru HP? I mentioned doing such a thing to the rep/techie on the phone yesterday, and they said replacing the processor would void the warranty.... I don't know how practical it would be to swap the processor back and forth if and when the laptop ever had to be sent in. Just wondering if anyone else had been given any warranty issues from doing it.

One more thing.... I am thinking of replacing the dvd drive w/ a slot load blu-ray. I hate the "tray" load ones, and replace them on all my computers and put in slot load ones. I already am aggravated with having to keep moving stuff on the desk every time I put a disc in or eject one with the Dragon's tray-load player....so just wondering if there's any reason I can't replace it, and if there would be any issues involved other than "plugging it in". Thanks peeps!

 

I have replaced the CPU in mine with an X9000 I retained the original CPU in case there are any warranty issues, took about 35minutes carefully disassembling the unit and about 10 to put it back together. Now that I have done it once and know what to expect, it should take only 25-30 minutes to swap out the CPUs again.

 

I think that the bigger failure to be honest with the Dell part is that they included such a poor choice of SLI options for their unit, which ultimately turned off the high end gamers. It did for me. I personally think the 9494nr did much better than the 2010 in the end, I only bought mine because a friend of mine bought one and was mad jealous . I have never seen a Dell 2010 in any of my friends hands up close.

I agree though that I am pretty sure both companies lost money on the venture and not because they were particularly poor machines but the price and relatively lower performance over Alienware, XPS and the like overshadowed the need for its size and utility.

Still I think the Dragon is one of the best units I have bought to date. (and for $897) you cant go wrong with it. I however wish it had a better Bios than what HP used, just cannot do anything with dual booting from the bios, or clock multipliers with CPUs (come one X9000 @16x multiplier )

-D

 

I was thinking of going 32GB, but thanks to your invaluable insights and knowledge, I'll just wait a few months and go with a 120GB (when the price comes down a little to what I can afford)....

Thanks so kindly 2.0.:yes:

Thanks RemyL75. I was thinking that none of the other ones such as PATA, PCIe, etc. would work. I'm going to go with 2.0 on this one and just get one of the choices which he mentioned above!

Regardless, thanks mate!