*HP HDX16 Owners Lounge*

I'm using HDX16t with an eSATA external drive without any problem.

The enclosure is ICYDOCK MS559US-1S and the HDD is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3.0Gb/s 500-GB

 

You don't have to manually scan hardware change for eSATA because it's PnP.

The only possible thing need to aware is that if the HDD contains partitions and data from previous OS, you may need to go in Computer > Manage > Disk Management and see if the drive is actually mounted but Vista didn't assign a drive letter.

 

Hmmm...never thought of that! I will have to try it in the AM- since dummy me left my power supply at work and well- i'm running on fumes right now with my batteries.

I did swap out the drive. I just bought a new Seagate 7200rpm 250gb/16mb cache, formatted it- then used Acronis easy migrate and just did a mirror of the old hard drive- and then did the swap- I have yet to do anything to the other HD. SO it's in essence still the same- so it MAY have some issue with the original OS....I wonder if I just format it? I have already did my Vista backup... Any suggestions?

Thanks for your advice!

 

hey guys i decided to get the hdx16 but i have to get a pre-configured model so i was searching and i only found one with 2.4ghz and one 2.53ghz and the rest are only 2.26. anyways this 2.53ghz one is the hdx16-1010TX and i dont knkow if any1 has mentioned this but it has the 8800M GTS instead of the 9600M so whats the pricing of such a beast?

 

Wow, didnt even know that was possible....that model you mentioned comes with NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS and even 9-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
instead of 12, very strange.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...74&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=uk&lang=en&product=3835447

 

Actually I have an ASUS P5W-DH Mobo on my desktop, along with nexstar hdd enclosure. I have to do manual scan for the hdd under vista, but not under xp. I use to re-start the pc in order to get that to work, but then i thought it's suppose to be PnP, and I searched and found that re-scanning the hardware got it to work. Still sux that I have to do all that when it should be automatically detected. But it does it only under vista, I install xp and install same drivers and it works fine.


@jabd91 & blue13x
I don't think those specs are right. If you note there are 2 hdds in the specs, and it is not do-able w/o redesign of the entire case, in that case it would be a different model than hdx16t. just my 2 cents.
"640 GB (2 x 320 GB) (5400 rpm)"

 

I never had the need to manually rescan hardware with my enclosure in both WinXP and Vista.

 

strange indeed. but i cant imagine the price that thing goes for...

also a 8800gts in relatively smaller body than a 17", i can see the heat issues being the main concern.

 

Now put that card in a hdx18t and you have a winner. Sell it for less than $1500 than you have volume. Lets see what happenes next but real gaming on an 18" screen would be really nice.

 

so i was in the other hdx lounge >.< but woo theres a hdx 16 lounge!
i ordered the hdx 16 a few days ago with the stackable coupons. heres what i got:

HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
* 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
* FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* No Productivity Software
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

...

The final cost was $849 + tax (free ship)

a few things, i dont care about blu ray, a DVD is amazingly high enough for me. and i dont care about 1080p, as i dont see myself burning the laptop to play games at that resolution. considering 50 inch tv's now have 1080p, i'll let them have it, and 720p is still really amazing.

considering there were a ton of coupons earlier, i'm wondering if i did actually get a good deal or not, lol!


what ram upgrades have you guys done that you recommend?
also the hdx 16 comes with the remote right?

 

yeah i think it does, its hidden in the compartment where a netword card would go to, i think....

ram is easy. go on new egg and find 2x2GB's of Gskill ram ddr2-800, its 50$ which i will be ordering soon, cant beat it

 

awesome! i'm wondering if its worth it going to 6 or 8 gb ram... not that i'll be running crysis , but i want to check out some of the new games : far cry 2, fallout 3, mirror's edge.

 

4 is plenty trust me, i have a desktop running all those games at max settings except for Crysis (who can run this game at max anyway...) with 4gbs of ram. your comp will never use that much even if you are playing 3 games a time. 6-8 is not only expenssive for a laptop but really not worth it since video is the main part holding you down

 

cool
all i gotta do now is get a seagate momentus

 

Ah i'll be getting my HDX16 in about 5 days according to fed-ex....

anticipation has been killing me.

Here are my specs....

- HP Pavilion HDX16t Entertainment Noteboo
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9600 ( 2.80GHz)
- 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display ( 1920x1080p)
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- No Productivity Software
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

??
I just ordered 2 days ago yet didn't see a free upgrade for the HD. Not that I like 5400 rpm but its like these upgrades change every day!

 

so i cant seem to find anywhere a place i can track my order, see if its being made, etc, all that on the HP site. such a thing exist?

 

argo he ordered before you orderd yours. he probably used a 250$ off coupon. that HDD promotion was running about a week ago so i assume he ordered then.

you should have recieved an email with an ordered receipt, it should all be there how to check it and etc

 

i used the same, it was NB0031 or something like that. i wish they offered a 7200 or something.
in total about 35% off. for $850 i cant complain

 

go to hpshopping.com, click on order status, type in email address and password, and it'll take you to your order page.

or go to hp.com and click on any laptop, and you will see the order status link on the top of the page.

 

thanks, says it will ship nov 19 >.<

i wonder if ill find any lucky upgrades, i hear if they run out of parts they will upgrade it

 

Thank you!!! I am now the proud soon-to-be owner of a 16t thanks to this coupon. And thanks to everyone in this thread for sharing your feedback and impressions on the notebooks you've received from HP

 

oh boy, Bryan why did you go with HP's memory at 4GB's? the memory can be bought for 50$ shipped thats not only faster but better all around and not some generic part... you coould have saved 100$ if not more...and why would you spend such a ridiculous ammount when they offered 3gb for free?

my setup which is the same as yours without blu-ray and 1 extra gig of ram was 1235 out the door...

 

well, I got mine and love it. no complaints. blu ray is incredible to watch on this.

Anyway, today I found that 30% off coupon, and called HP to get the credit back between what I paid and what it is today. (about $160 difference). They said I can't get it since I got an Academic Pricing, but said they would issue a return authorization for mine and then they would ship me a new one.

Does this make any sense at all? pain since I just set this one up with all my software, but worth the price savings. Are there any other coupons that stack with the 30%?

 

The 30% coupon is not stackable at all from what I found out. I just order the HDX18. It had the automatic 200 off but when I put in the code for 30% it took away the 200 and stated that it was one or the other....200 or 675 off...i took the 675

 

yes, I had the same thing, i took off about $670. Works for me, I got the same computer but with both batteries and an upgraded hard drive (400gb) and still saved $50.

 

hey can you guys give me the coupon code for 30% off i cant seem to find it in the thread, thanks

 

Actually, he got a pretty decent deal. Blu-ray isn't cheap, and he picked up Office Student as well. Also, while it is cheaper to get the RAM from Newegg, the price isn't bad, at least when I ordered, for 4GB.

 

im thinking of the following configuration give me your opinions guys.

windows vista home 64bit
2.53ghz centrino 2 processor
3gb ddr2 ram
9600M gt
400gb hdd (only 25 dollar difference form 320gb)
BD-ROM with supermulti (dont get y the lighscribe one is an extra 115)
no tv tuner (heard it was a waste of money)
6cell battery

im generally gna be taking this to school alot and although i heard it isnt that portable my friend has a vaio fw and seems to manage. all over it turned out to be 1700 dollars without taxes.

 

HP includes ram branded by Samsung. So far, i have not gotten anything bad from samsung. There is quality in samsung products. Of course, I don't know if it is truly made by samsung, or just branded.

 

Wow... today, HP just made a breakthrough in customer service in my mind...

Before this 30% coupon, my total price was 1573.48

Now with this coupon and the same exact config, 1374.18, a savings of 199.30

*Preface* My order is in transit

Normally, they would make you wait, then give you a return authorization number, send it back, and then place another order...that would have made me wait another 2-3weeks...very troublesome

BUT!!!!! Instead, after explaining to the rep, he said, well it would be a hassle and you would have to wait even longer, so he put me on hold for about 25 mins, then came back and gave me a credit confirmation number. Now instead of waiting for my laptop to arrive just to send it back, all I have to do is wait for my laptop and credit =D

my configs: If they had made me wait to send it back, i wouldve upgraded and still saved... 30% of 100$ 4GB ram = 70$, NewEgg 50$? 20$ ..eh.. i dont mind 20$, i rather not worry about damaging my internals accidently. you never know.

HP Pavilion HDX18t Entertainment Notebook
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz)
- 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
- $40 OFF 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
- Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- No Productivity Software
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

For the 30% , NB3434

*Reminder, its not stackable with anything else, but its still alot better

 

if its anything like my old mac, youre not gonna damage internals putting in the stick of ram

if youre upgrading the cpu now thats a different story.

i think upgrading ram yourself is probably the easiest upgrade aside from plugging something into usb/esata, etc.

plus i think that in general generic ram isn't all that great.

i also don't see the need to go over 2.26 on the processor, don't know why so many people upgrade to the highest processor >.< .

for $849 + tax i got what i wanted, the cheapeset laptop with a good 512mb video card, not the crap ATI 3450 in the other HP laptops. and the 2.26 processor.

i just REALLY hope that the audio is as good as HP claims, and the issues were all driver related. its the final straw for me over the ASUS G50VT-X1.

 

Hi,

Well a while back in this thread I was asking about external monitors. I wound up getting the Acer 22" 1920x1050 $199.99 from NewEgg. It is a beautiful monitor! I have it hooked up to my HDMI port and my laptop on a Targus stand so that the laptop screen and external screen are side by side (sweet!) Only one problem... the image on the external monitor is 1920x1080 but it doesn't fill the entire area of the monitor. I can't seem to adjust it.

This mornign when I boot the system, I got the small image on the laptop screen, and the ext monitor was full screen, but after a few seconds it went back to being the same as before (with the smaller image on the ext monitor).

Anyone have this experience with other HDMI monitors? Any ideas?

 

i'm guessing the monitor doesn't have the same aspect ratio as the laptop? gotta be somewhere you can adjust for this

 

is there any way to overclock the HDX 16? I read somewhere that the BIOS doesn't allow for it, but maybe theres another way? magic?

 

Just for order time line reference for those with interest:

I ordered mine on the evening of November 3rd with estimated ship date of November 14th (and free 5-7 day shipping).

- HP Pavilion HDX16t Entertainment Noteboo
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P9400
- 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
- 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
- Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
- HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- No Productivity Software
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Order was shown as shipped on the 10th but missed 'FedEx cutoff time' - so really didn't get in the hands of FedEx until the 11th with schedule morning delivery for the 13th before 1030AM (Central).

Shipping went (so far) like this:

Nov 10, 2008 @ 1026 AM - Left FedEx Origin Facility
Nov 10, 2008 @ 1041 AM - Picked up (Pgk rec'd after cutoff)
Nov 11, 2008 @ 931 PM - In Transit (China)
Nov 11, 2008 @ 1140AM - Arrived FedEx (Alaska)
Nov 11, 2008 @ 144PM - Departed FedEx
Nov 11, 2008 @ 1143PM - Arrived FedEx (Indy)
Nov 12, 2008 @ 1255AM - Intl Shipment Release (Indy)
Nov 12, 2008 @ 521AM - Departed FedEx (Indy)
Nov 12, 2008 @ 1152AM - Arrive FedEx (Memphis).......

Then funny thing is, I live in Olive Branch, MS which is connected to the Memphis (TN) city limits. The package has arrived in Memphis, but will ship to Jackson, MS and then back to Memphis for local delivery. Seems like a lot of wasted resources to ship from Memphis to Jackson and back to Memphis for delivery....but whatever it takes to get into my hands tomorrow morning. I'm pumped!

 

No they have exactly the same aspect ratio 1920x1080. When I go to the onscreen controls it will not allow me to change the image size settings. It just skips right over them!

 

Will I be able to take my existing factory 320GB (5400 RPM) and mirror that image to a back up and put it on a 7200 RPM drive with little issue? Has anyone done this without having to start from scratch?

 

Mine HDX16 is due for delivery on the 14th which is friday.

Cant wait!

 

Actually, the monitor has 1680x1050, which I 16:10 ratio, and notebook is 16:9 ratio.
The monitor is not capable of displaying 1080P, which is displayed on the notebook. Even if the monitor shows 1080 on the screen, it will most likely take the 1080 resolution and scale it down, atleast thats what lot of TVs do.

You can right click on desktop, Nvidia Control Panel, if this is the first time, select advance, and select "Resize HDTV" on the left panel. and then you can select to manage the resolution by yourself using the slider controls.

You can do it without any issues. I havent done it, but I read someone in this thread did it. Few pages back.

It is possible though. You can use Spotmau software or DriveImage.

 

I'm not sure about HDMI monitors. I know that when you hook up a regular analog monitor to the port on the laptop- you can go in and edit each individual monitor. Let me ask you this- are you cloning the laptop screen or running it in dualview? In the Nvidia control panel when i have the analog monitor hooked up I can control each one independantly- and it saves the setting. I have a 22" Samsung computer monitor hooked up to mine- and I run it in Dualview (that way I have a huge desktop)

Hope that helps...

 

On this one the HD is just as easy to swap out as the RAM is. (Just make sure you clone your HD before you do it-unless you plan on doing an clean install of vista) I used Acronis Easy Migrate. You can try it for free- I ended up buying it- because i will use it a lot. I just hooked up the new Seagate 250gb to the USB port and formatted the drive and then used the easy migrate- took all in all about an hour- then I just pulled the old one out, and put the new one in- VERY easy)

 

I'm with xtreme, I can't find a 22" Acer display that is anything but 1680x1050. 1920x1050 would be an incorrect resolution anyway, as it would be either 1920x1080 (1080p standard) or 1920x1200 (ultra wide-screen/laptop standard). Most brands start 1920x1200 at 24". I recently picked up an HP w2408h that I love to death!

 

theres a way to clone drive it, i read somewhere i think if you search clone drive you'll find something.

or wait for someone who actually has done it to respond.

but there definitely is a way!

 

Actually, it has 1920x1080 resolution, the same as my HDX16t, and an HDMI interface, which is why I bought it. Problem is Acer does not even list this model on their support site yet (or anywhere on their site from what I could see). Even their own tech support doesn't even realize this!

I don't know about the Nvidia Control Panel, but I'll try to find it and use your suggestion above. Thanks for the reply.

 

Its not listed on the Acer site yet, but it exists.

 

aha...its 21.5, i looked in 22" as you mentioned above. Ok this, you would have to go thru nvidia control panel. Its really easy once u get what you are doing.

 

Thanks for this thread! Ready to buy, but have some questions.

1) What do you think about the 2 or 3 year accidental damage warranty? I normally wouldn't get this, but I will be paying about 2x more for this gorgeous HDX16 and consider this a keeper.

2) I'm not ordering the TV tuner - will I miss it?

3) Someone mentioned that the BluRay drive seems flimsy - has anyone else noticed this? Why is the BR drive with Lightscribe $100 more?

Thanks!

 

I just got mine today and so far I am very happy with it. I uninstalled Norton and installed Avast for AV.

1. I never get the warranty - but then again, I've never had a need to and that is where it comes down to user security. I hope to get a few years service out of it, but not willing to drop the extra cash for the warranty myself.

2) I got the HD tuner, but haven't had a chance to play with it and see what its like. Apparently you can connect sources such as DBS/Cable boxes to it as well. I got it just to get it.....don't know that it will have any real value.

3) I got the BR drive without lightscribe. The drive track does seem a little flimsy compared to other optical drives I've used on other HPs.

I am ready to give a full on assault tonight!

 

1) Are you accident prone? If you drop things- or spill things (Or have kids that do) It might not be a bad idea. I personally opted not to get it- however that was a personal choice- and i'm the one taking a chance. Most experts say that it's usually a waste of money- HOWEVER so would having to dish out $1000 + dollars <again>

2) I already have a HD tv and I don't watch it on my laptop. I opted out of having to pay the $100 for something I wouldn't use. If I were in college- and this was my only source for entertainment- then maybe. Look at it like insurance (because that is what it is) You usually never need it- until you need it. (that's how they get ya!)

3) My guess on this one- is that it's an extra feature that they can charge more for- is it worth it? I have only used Lightscribe once- just to see it- and it took sooo freaking long to make one disk- I was like...I will just use s felt tip pen (unless of course I was trying to impress the ladies)

hope this helps!