*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

I've got a LiveCD on my desk, I'll check it out as soon as I figure out my keyboard issues.

 

No Ubuntu, but CPU-Z shows:

Core 2 Extreme CPU Q9300 @ 2.53
Stepping A
Revision E0

Bitte!

 

Thanks for the feedback. I can't beleive you can't type 2 s and x? That's crazy I never heard of that before!

Don't feel bad though because over at the Mac forums, the new macbook pro's are full of horror stories and they paid TOP dollar for that!!

 

pdx-alpha .. dankeschoen
lancorp the e0 is definitely the 'retail' version, which is nice .. shame it's not the es but then, is there any overclock that you noticed in the bios ? e0 makes 'sense' if there isn't. does cpu-id show the cpu flags perchance ? those I am -really- interested in

 

The screen is not as bright as I'd like (just like the HDX16t). It's identical to the HDX16t as a matter of fact with regards to reflections and brightness. Not sure why they call it an ULTRABRIGHT display!!

The keyboard is also identical to the HDX16t. I like it for fast typing. The keyboard is a little springy, though, which I wish was different, but no big deal.

 

are you having any of the issues that PDX is having or does yours seem to be fine?

Didn't you buy TWO?

 

Well, I managed to clone my HDX16t drive to a new 320GB/7200 Seagate, pop it in the HDX18t, and fire it up. After a bit of driver updating, everything is working as it should--Audio, fingerprint reader kept my enrolled fingerprints from the HDX16, all the hardware is there.

The screen is nice. Perfect size and resolution. Brighter would be nice...

Now, to fire off some music from my Zune software and see how that sounds. My Dragon HDX20 is phenomenal in the audio department...I doubt it's smaller sibling will be able to keep up.

But, so far, relatively cool. The left palmrest is warm but not hot. That's where my single HD is.

Time to go play some more!

 

No lockup or keyboard issues. Knock on wood, no issues at all to speak of. Works perfectly. Give me more time to try out all the ports and things, though.

Also, with Vista set to High Performance, my CPU seems to be running 2.53Ghz all the time (which I like). I'll have to play some more and do more testing.

And YES, I did buy two. The other is for sale and will probably pay for my first one! Those QX9300's are rare, you know.

 

I did a search and other people have had the same problem with other notebooks... if I could get to the connector, I could probably fix it, but I didn't want to scratch anything up so I'm going to try to get a replacement.

I emailed Ryan, telling him to call me, and if I don't hear back in an hour I'm going to call customer service and hope they send me a new one NOW rather than when they get this one back.

Lancorp, I'm guessing you'll be looking for a second bracket & connector - let me know how that goes.

I'm so disappointed right now... I was excited when I saw there wasn't any dust behind the Infinity screen, and that they changed the rubber guards on the sides in a way that makes it not flex around them.

I'm going to go cry now!

 

Sounds like night and day between you and lancorp. Sorry to hear that.

Why can't companies just simply have good QA? Are they that cheap?

When someone spends $1000+ on a laptop, they shouldn't have to pray they get the good batch...

 

When you clone the drives, doesn't your new 18t have the wrong info about the default user on the laptop? Say you created a user: lancorp01,

then on 18t, it would also be lancorp01 with the same password right?

Also, if you clone, doesn't the devices under device manager pickup the wrong harddrive since the manufacturers would be different?


Please LET ME KNOW if your Quad gets hot, please run it at full throttle in Vista, (high performance) and let me know if the fan is loud and if you can put it on your lap...

I really need to know if this thing is loud (fan wise) and if after 20 mins of heavy use, you can put it on your lap....

How much would you sell your other one for?

 

No problems at all doing this. Yes, the user account just transfers over. No big deal. I renamed the computer name. Device manager just finds everything again (it seems to be so close to the HDX16t, hardware-wise, that I didn't have to download anything for drivers...it found it all in what was available from the HDX16t!

So far, I've been using it in my computer shop and there is a rather noisy server in there, so I cannot hear the fan. I have felt for hot air exhausting out, and there is some but not too bad.

I've been doing a lot with it and so far not a problem. My eSATA port works--transferred about 20GB really fast. I'll be doing some audio transcoding with Tunebite...that'll work the CPU quite well (and part of the reason I wanted a QUAD CORE was for Tunebite...I can probably transcode 28-40 MP3's simultaneously without hitting the CPU ceiling).

Good question. Probably as much as someone is willing to pay! I'll stick it on ebay as a BUY-IT-NOW and see how badly someone wants it. It doesn't look like HP will be selling QUAD's anytime soon due to their supply problem, and the cheapest QX9300 Dell is almost $4000 (and that's only a 17" display), so this unit is a real find for someone wanting a QUAD now, for cheaper than a Dell or Lenovo. Once HP starts offering the QX9300 again, I bet it will be closer to a +$900 option.

I think somewhere around $2600 is a good start. That's a good deal for anyone shopping around for a QX9300-based notebook, and not far off from street price HP will be charging, plus a little extra for the supply/demand thing!

 

Wow, I had no idea eSata was that fast? I need to get with the program and stop using USB 2.0. My 1 terabyte external drive is only USB 2.0 but an eSata version would really make it fly.....


Question though, with eSata being so fast, wouldn't the 7200RPM HDD be the bottleneck?

Good luck on selling the 18t, I think you should put it on eBay ASAP before the holidays hit. If HP puts the quads back, they may discount it a bit because if the economy and trying to sell as much as possible before Xmas...

Let me know after you do some encoding how hot it gets...

My HP tablet PC burns me by the exhaust when I use it in high performance mode...perhaps I will put a thermometer to it tonite and let you guys know how hot it gets because it is BLAZING. And I just can't purchase another laptop if it's going to get that hot...

I'm a little disappointed to hear the screen "could" be brighter. I was hoping both you and PDX would say that it is SUPER BRIGHT.

Maybe when HP starts putting in LED backlit screens we won't have to worry about brightness anymore....

 

That's true of any single hard drive, though. The point being is it's a much faster option than USB 2.0 and certainly the current trend is towards portable storage with eSATA. (why they didn't make a portable eSATA "peSATA?" standard that had power in the connector also?) It
s a hassle carrying around a usb power cable to supply power to the portable eSATA drive!

 

Just got off the phone with HP... they tried to convince me I didn't actually have the QX9300! I spent so long on the phone with people who didn't know what they are talking about, I want to gouge my eyes out with spoons.

I've got the direct line to the *US* case managers, so I think I will bother them soon.

 

That's my new email I received from HP regarding my HDX18t and the Quad. Sucks. That's another month away.

 

One thing i noticed is the speaker grill right above the volume bar on the top of the keyboard actually rises up and i have to keep pushing it down. not a big deal but still... let me notice if yours do the same???

 

I don't know about you guys, but my blood pressure spikes anytime I have to call ANY customer support.

I feel like I have to put on a bullet proof vest, get all my ammo, night vision, everything to survive my battle with customer "support"..

 

My USB drive unfortunately has a power adapter, it's the full sized HD. Not the small mobile USB type external drives that you can use like those small laptop harddrives...

I am waiting for some technology that powers these drives and is FAST.
I want just ONE cable.

I am hoping that USB 3.0 can do that, I know it will provide extra power and much much faster bandwidth but what I don't like about USB is the data transfers are not consistent....

I don't know about eSata, are the data transfers consistently fast like Firewire?

Isn't Firewire 3200 suppose to come out soon? It will be a battle of Firewire 3200 and USB 3.0 right?

Where does eSata fit in all this mess?

 

No, but the clear strip the quick touch buttons is on is raised like a little hill right above the bass/treble slider.

I tried pushing it, but it doesn't move. You can't really see it unless you run your finger over it, though. No biggie.

 

I just checked, and after being on for about 4 hours now, continuously, I felt the bottom and it's barely warm. I cannot imagine that cranking the CPU will warm it up that much more.

Also, there is a BIOS option to run the fans all the time, and the default was ON, and I turned it off when I first fired it up. So, the fan's are probably not even running much!

The left palmrest is warm, not hot at all, still.


My HDX20 Dragon runs very cool, too...

 

Just got my Notebook with quad. Opening the box now....woooo

 

Just got this one yesterday. From first boot up the screen goes black for a while and it takes for ever for things like event viewer or msconfig. After turning everything off one by one in startup I discovered that the Cyberlink startup items are causing this. Not sure what to do from there except untick them.

 

How much are you selling the 2nd one for?

 

LOL!! Then, when you send it back make sure to put in a T8400 or something...if they question it, tell them they told you that you didn't have a QX9300!!

 

he said starting $2600....

 

That is great to hear! I will let you guys know soon how hot my tablet PC gets....

Hopefully HP has worked out the overheating issue....

 

It's on ebay if anyone is interested.

Update on impressions and performance:

The audio on this HDX18t is phenomenal! Almost as good as the HDX20 Dragon! For those of you unfamiliar with those units, the audio is about the best of any notebook out there. Actual BASS you can feel.

The audio on the HDX18t is just about as good. Since I cloned my HDX16t over to the '18, I'm not really sure what comes with the HDX18t, driverwise...is there an IDT Audio control panel with Equalization sliders? I have that now and it sounds great.

I ran Tunebite with 20 simultaneous WMA's converting to MP3's at 2x speed (40X overall throughput) and the CPU was only at 50-60%! That's better than my Dell XPS 720 with QX6800!

I did 62 songs and felt the bottom of the HDX18t, and there was negligable heat. Only the far back right was warm (that is where the heat exhausts). The rest was roughly room temperature. Nice!!!

I'm really liking this unit. With the display filled with Windows, it's very clear and sharp. The resolution is PERFECT for this size display. Icons are perfect size.

I'm a happy camper! (and, no lockups, hiccups, screwups!)

 

You're making me jealous!!!

I will have to decide soon what I want to do. I really want the quad, knowing that quads are out there, I don't want to settle for anything less..

But the $2600 price tag is a lot to swallow. I would have to wait 1 year or maybe even 1 1/2 years in order to get a quad for $1600 for the total price of the unit and there's no way I can wait that long with this crappy keyboard...

The heat issue is a big big PLUS. The reason why I asked about the fan noise is that I like to keep my laptop on at night especially if I am downloading and I wouldn't want to hear the fan spinning all night long....

What about the rest of you guys who got the HDX18t? Any thoughts?

We already know PDX got his laptop from the bad batch...

 

I just talked to an "escalations manager" and he basically told me I'll have to wait until the quads come out again to get my system replaced.

Apparently it'll be ok if that goes over my 21-day return period. I'm going to use this time to try and fix the keyboard without scratching it up too much.

Still no word from Ryan, maybe I'll hear something different.

On a happier note, I got the 10% + $75 credit for my troubles with the delay.

 

Hey guys, I wanted to report how HOT my HP Tablet PC gets.
I pegged the CPU 100% and ran it with high performance setting in Vista.

The results......... 161.2 degrees fahrenheit!!!!

I put the thermostat right up to the exhaust which is in the rear right corner.

I took a picture with my iPhone just incase anyone doesn't believe me...

 

Tablet? So not the HDX18?

Also, exhaust temperature means squat. All that heat is being vented as it should, which means it is likely cooler inside.

What does CPUz or hwmonitor report?

 

Okay. I feel better now. I saw that too.

Shouldnt the express card slot be "springy" when taking the remote control in and out? I place it in but it doesn't "depress" to pop out. Kind of sucks for it to be stuck in there. Also the plastic right about the express card is really flimsy.

Other than that this thing rocks....drool.

 

What was the 10% credit for? And you got the $75 credit even though you didn't downgrade? (I did too, so I'm not complaining).

I did get a $200 price protection (price match) credit. Should I have asked for the 10% also????

Sorry about your HDX18t, btw...that is a real bummer. It seems like a few screws on the bottom, and the keyboard would pop right out. It seems like I have done just that on my HDX16t, but I cannot remember for sure.

You could hook up a USB keyboard and use that for the time being too...at least you can load up and test/use your HDX18t. Just an idea.

 

Yeah, I was thinking of using a different keyboard since I'll be using my own HDD and can swap it into the replacement.

I didn't get the $200 credit, but it came out to about the same - those credits were for, as far as I know from Ryan, the inconvenience. I think the price also went down after I bought mine, considering you bought yours on the 6th right? So I guess it's also a price protection thing.

I tried the screws on the bottom and then attempted to "unclip" the keyboard from the surface and put a lil scratch on it. I decided to stop there- I might try again tomorrow.

I'm also on the hunt for a service manual to help me figure it out.

 

No, this is an HP tablet that I bought last year before Xmas.

It got so hot it's hard to use, if I use it in balance mode, it doesn't get as hot...

I just wanted to make sure that if I purchased the 18t, it didn't get hot like this!!

 

On my HP tablet, the remote control is springy like you said, it pops in and out easily. Same with the pen that it comes with, it's springy too...

 

After playing with mine all day, it does NOT get hot. I'd pretty much say they did a good job with the cooling.

I've moved it into my quiet office, and the fan does run a lot. Of course, it's like 85 degrees in San Diego today, and we don't have the AC on, so that might be part of it, but it does run a lot. It's not real noisy, though you can hear it, especially when it first comes on...then it slows down and runs until it's cool enough...

 

Thanks. BTW, I've been looking for a service manual for you also...I don't think HP has the HDX16 or HDX18 online yet...

 

Sounds good enough....I can handle some noise from a laptop.

Did you get Vista 64bit?

 

Yes, as in my signature...

 

Where are the pics gang?

 

On HP's website and the pcmag.com review. We're too busy playing with our new QUAD's!!

Did anyone notice we reached 100 pages???

 

Could someone look at their power bick and tell me the part number please, thanks. Also, anywhere I can one just one stick of 4GB ram?

 

G.Skill 4GB DDR single channel sodimm 200 pinn

Power Brick: ct: wacmn0allw803g

Hope that helps...

Okay so where can I get a bracket and an adapter to install a second hard drive?

 

I didn't see it on eBay...link please.

 

No brackets have been found yet, but they should be available from third-party suppliers soon.

 

FWIW, the HDX18 and the HDX16 use the same bracket.

 

That's good to know - I liked how it has rubber "feet" connecting it to the case, probably to cut down on vibration. The connectors are still ridiculous though.

 

I've given up on the quad. I'm going to wait for the first sale and order the 18. (sigh) I'll just have to make do.