*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

Blacknight,

Can the HP roller/backpack fit under the airplane seats? I wouldn't want to check in that back consider the bag will get toss like a rag doll.

Thx,
Noform

 

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3776485&CatId=1793

Get this bag instead.

 

Thanks,

That looked like multigiant, cost $30 more (but in stock). I like the multicompartment.

15.7 lb laptop (like Multi)
3 lb power supply
4.2 lb bag
2 lb of misc

25 lb total
My shoulder says ouch!

LOL,

 

But isn't it better that means we have 2 slots and we can upgrade both hard drives to 320 gb to 640 gb like hp website??

Have an 1TB external backup at home.

So which RAID is best? RAID0 is worst, I guess.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID#Issues_with_RAID

 

Raid 0 isn't the worst, it's the fastest with only two drives. You just have no back up if the array fails in any way. Raid 1 is good for protection, but isn't any faster than a single drive. Raid 5 isn't possible with only 2 drives, so it doesn't matter here.

It depends what you want out of the setup.

 

TARGAS MUST HAVE THE SAME SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER....

 

The thing about returning is this... to buy a new one, you'll have to do so at prevailing prices. That might not be a problem though. It is a no questions asked return policy except that they'll ask you why you want to return it. No biggie. But they may work something out for you.

Give it a shot.


As for question #1... I think you're the first.

 

Hi again 2.0-

I see the 175.80 driver on xfastest's site, but where do you find the modded inf file?

Thanks-

 

no i didn't have to do anything special. i just installed it and thats it. right now i'm using 177.40 and its working great for me.

 

with the xfastest site i didn't have to use a modded inf file. there drivers install with no modding.

 

Lol, wow a new one already, I can't keep up with you guys! Hrm, the 8800M GTS isn't listed as a supported product for the 177.40, but you say it is working fine?

 

yea its working for me. i got a 3dmark06 score of 8969 with 177.40

 

Did you bench it at 1024, or native res?

 

no all my benches was done at 1280x 800

 

No idea, I doubt it but I have only seen this picture of it:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/notebook/notebook_hp/carrying_cases/1/accessories/KD853PA

I am pretty sure you can figure out the size and the airlines requirements.

Nope I don't think so, all bags for 20" looks pretty much the same in terms of designs (see my post\link on page 100) but the details are kind of different. I have seen the Targus in person (the 15" version which is identical) It's a good option, but say goodbye to your shoulder.

 

well, not necessarily, 2 slots does mean you can get dual 320GB hard drives.

quick crash course in RAID that you're most likely to see in 2 hard drive configurations:
RAID 0: striped, it spans data across both disks writing in an alternate pattern (first bit to drive number one and the second bit to drive number two and the third to drive one and so on). the advantage to this is your read and write speeds are faster due to one head can be writing data that's supposed to be on drive two while the head on drive one can be reading data that you've requested. so the advantage with RAID 0 is it's faster and you can utilize all 640GB if you had dual 320GB hard drives installed, but no data redundancy.

RAID1: mirrored, it writes the same bit to the same spot on both drives. the advantage is that if one drive fails, the second will still have an exact copy of the other and you can take your time getting a replacement in and still using the system on one drive. the disadvantage is that data now requires double the space (so if you had 2 320GB hard drives, you would only see a total of 320GB)

I know Jonny covered this, but I wanted to go into a little more detail.

So if you had a RAID controller you could pick up 20 to 30% faster read and write times for your hard drive making it that much faster for load times for software.

 

To 2.0 or anyone that has already seen the answer. Thanks for all future reponses.

1. Does HDX support raid? I thought they are JBOD.

2. Will HDX support DDR2 800 speed ram or only 667(5300)?

Brembrad

former 9010nr owner deciding whether to pull trigger on HDX9494(newegg at $1549.99 plus coupon for free shipping) or wait for a new decent coupon that will allow 2 upgrades for a reasonable price. 2-120GB 7200 speed HDD and T9300 proc.

 

HP's Official response to me was it does not support RAID. whether it be due to the board doesn't have a RAID controller or it isn't addressed in BIOS, I'm not sure, only time (and tweaking) will tell.

I was wondering the same thing about the RAM. I have 4GB of DDR2 800 that I'll try out when I get my laptop in. I'll try to get you an answer as soon as possible if no one else answers.

 

To 2.0 or anyone that has already seen the answer. Thanks for all future reponses.

1. Does HDX support raid? I thought they are JBOD.

No, because there's no RAID controller in the unit. Nothing can change this.

2. Will HDX support DDR2 800 speed ram or only 667(5300)?

The HDX is on the Santa Rosa platform which can only handle dual channel DDR2 667, even though it runs a 800 FSB. You can put in DDR2 800, but it will downclock to 667.

Brembrad

former 9010nr owner deciding whether to pull trigger on HDX9494(newegg at $1549.99 plus coupon for free shipping) or wait for a new decent coupon that will allow 2 upgrades for a reasonable price. 2-120GB 7200 speed HDD and T9300 proc.

 

The HP rollerpak case will fit under the seat if it is not overpacked (that is bulging) I doubt it will fit in the overhead racks on the new smaller airliners (>727 version). My Multigiant is my fifth case and the only way to go. Wait for Amazon, can't beat the deal except maybe ebay. Dicota is a MUCH better case than the Targus....DavyG

 

Hi all!
This is one of the best sub-forums here, and I hate I’m not going to be a part of it. You guys are so lucky to have such a great looking lappy, that also performs as well as it looks. Although I’m getting a Sager, the HDX is the laptop I wanted. Once I get over “Buyer’s remorse”, I’ll be able to enjoy my new toy that will be arriving in 14 days. I’m sure you guys would agree with me, it’s also a comfort having someone like 2.0 sharing the same notebook as you. His knowledge and great insight on the matter sure makes things easy for you.
Enjoy your lappy HDX owners!

 

Thanks to Jony and Giga,

I would take the RAID 0, and back up the rest at home. Extra 320 gb means a lot of movies for me on the road..

 

I may have to go with the hp rollerpak, but I like the look of multigiant or targus.

I assume multigiant fits under the southwest airline seats, sounded like you travel.

I just put my 20lb dumbell in my 2.5 lb bag for a total of 22.5 lb, it is heavy but duable for me since I only travel one round trip a month. You kind of have to hold part of the weight with your hand.

Added another 6.6 lb dumbell for a total of 29.1 lb it is just too much. I may forgo my personal hygene items to reduce weight

 

well get 2 backpacks, one for travel and one for carrying this beast around. if you go with the HP rolling bag, no worries about weight.

I'll have some trouble with this beast because I do ride a motorcycle for primary transportation and carry lots of electronics, but I'll let you guys know when my back goes out.

also I'll play with the BIOS when i get the laptop in, see if I can't find out something about the board and see if they just disabled the RAID controller or removed it.

 

I just downloaded and extracted that 177.40 driver but now i dont know what to do. Theres nothing there to install it. When i extracted it did it already install it or what. Sorry for being such a noob at this.

 

You need to go into device manager and manually update the driver for the 8800M GTS. Make sure you got the modified inf and placed it in the driver folder before you do this.

 

For XP follow these steps:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33

For Vista follow these:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11997

Don't forget. You need to get the driver and the modded .inf file downloaded (2 files).

 

That's a pretty nice 3DMark score for a laptop. Can't wait till mine gets here, the HP order status page still says "In Production." <sigh>

 

Thanks you guys.

 

I have two questions,
one, did anyone find out where to buy the hard drive brackets? i am going to install a 7200 rpm drive in my open bay, but need brackets to hold it in.


second, can we make a stickey, or change page #1 first post to any new and upgraded drivers that we all find? that would be sweet as the HP driver list is not so upgraded.

thanks.

 

Just picked up my HDX this thing is huge. Any tips for first boot Thanks in advance

 

I emailed HP and they told me the bracket comes with the drives when you buy them.

 

hi guys,

i got the hdx few days ago, it is just great! i have only 1 problem to solve: i cant make the in-built microphones work. I've checked all the settings, I have the Array microphones set as default and working, but still no results, it just does not record. would anyone have any idea hove to solv this problem? thanks...

 

any aussie hdx owners on here? LETS COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRICE!!!! AGH I HATE YOU HP SO MUCH BUT I LOVE THE HDX SO MUCH AGH AGH

 

Hi mate, not from Oz - from the mother country! I share your pain over the price though and the fact that for the 9300 series there are seemingly only 2 specs in the UK with none of the customisation available that our American cousins enjoy!

The upgrade I would like to see is the full HD screen of 1920*1200 - general query; would i notice the difference between the standard and full HD screens if they were side by side?

HB (Chelsea supporter)

 

unfortunatly no, i purchased a drive on ebay because it is WAY cheeper, and my lappy only came with on drive installed, so i need another set of brackets for the new drive (it will be replacing the original, and the original will become the second due to the rpms). any help would be appreciated!

 

you call HP? they don't always like selling parts, but you never know. I don't know how much it is, nor how long it will take, butt if you can get the part number off of them, you can google search it and find some that way. or hey, if the bracket has a bar code on it, look for any P/N numbers, I know the HP desktops have those plastered over everything inside.

 

Or even take the one out and go to a machine shop, they could make you a duplicate for maybe $20.

 

Just for thought,

I went to Bestbuy in US and pop in a blu-ray pirate of carribean on Sony all in one desktop 22"
1680×1050 WSXGA+ (The display suppose be similar to hdx 20.1")

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665430244

I wasn't impressed with the picture. Maybe 1900x1080 will do the trick. But it is still the best compare to all labtops in the store

 

well remember you're comparing WSXGA+ to WUXGA. WUXGA has roughly 30% more pixels than WSXGA+. (note: i do know that WUXGA is 1900x1200 and 1080p is 1900x1080, but it was the closest that is listed.)

Of course WUXGA will be better, but the average size is about 23" and I don't know about you, but that would be an absolute beast of a laptop. not to mention even if it were the same size, it would be $$$$ more than this one. so I guess my point is, what do you want to do with it? blu-ray movies primarily? if so I say get a 42" LCD and a blu-ray player which would be cheaper. if you plan on gaming/working on it with the casual movie, then I think this would be the winner.

here's the link to screen resolutions if you're interested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSXGA+

 

Yeah so I looked into it. What you have to do is right click on the speaker icon in the tray, select recording devices, recording tab and make the microphone array the default. That's the mics on top of the display. I beleve the other mic is the one that you plug in the front jack.

And double check to levels on that mic. I think they default to 100%. That might be a bit much. Slide back to about 75%.

 

Nah, just boot up. (Assuming you already did.) After you're done playing around and you have 2hrs or so to kill, make the back up disks. Recommended media so you won't run into any problems:

Sony DVD+R, HP DVD+R, or Verbatim Datalife+ DVD+R.

Also, check your quick touch panel and test your remote.

 

As someone mentioned or may have, when you get the HDX and you open up the drive bay, there will be numbers on the bracket. I don't mean the ones on the white sticker. The number and manufacturer should be imprinted on the bracket. Post that and someone can source it. I think it was made by Foxconn.

I know, I'm lazy. I could flip the HDX over, unscrew the 8 screws to the HD bay and take a peek. But at 15 lbs and just about every port with something in it, not to mention my Feng Shui...

 

j2-1 only numbers i can find....

 

found this for the bracket...looks VERY SIMILAR, what do you think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-Compaq-Presa...oryZ74949QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem?refid=store

 

mine should be here in a couple hours, when i get it, ill take a look and see if i can find the bracket p/n

 

thank you sir

 

That's the one. Pretty sure of it.

 

UPS blows...

they lost my laptop...

for those of you who order this through newegg, spend the extra cash and get it shipped via FedEx...

 

Bought It, I Guess We'll See