*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

Valen, your the man - you can't spam us with good info!

Whiney, I'd send it back - the HDX18t is a great buy, but it seems to be buggy. I just got off the phone with tech support - now I am supposed to reformat everything again to fix MediaSmart - though they don't know why it happened. It has already been sent out to repair once. I'm sending it back to them - getting a whole new one. Hopefully adding a Quad core processor instead of by duo - but still waiting on supervisor approval for it. Good luck!

 

FYI NVidia 9600GT with 1024 memory is DDR2

 

Hey guys...got a quick question. I have the HDX18 with the 1 gig 9600m GT card on order and dying to get it, but not sure if I'll keep it. I keep hearing that the graphics card stinks in it. I play Battlefield 2 a lot and its important that the laptop can play it at full settings. Is that possible or will I have to drop the settings down on it? I don't expect to play Crysis or Far Car 2 at high settings, but BF2 is not exactly a new game. Any help would be great.

 

If you want to really run a game flawlessly, go for the toshiba qosmo going for 2 gees with SLi. I wouldve got that one but i read it's too bulky for its features and i wanted HD playback so i got the 18T. it's really a trade off between features, functionality and looks.

 

One thing to keep in mind, is many have had good success overclocking the 9600gt and getting a solid 20%+ increase.

Couple quotes I found from other sites -

"My PC spec:
Vista home premium 32-bit
2gb ram
Intel dual-core 2.2ghz
9600GT XXX edition (Obviously)

Call of Duty 4: Modern warfare
All settings maxxed out on 1440x900 and 4x AA and ive never seen the FPS drop below 40 even in the most heated online games (Creek with 64 players anyone?) Fantastic "

Couldn't get the full article, but the jist seems that the card will be fine - depending on your processor - http://planetbattlefield.gamespy.com/fullstory.php?id=148382

 

Thanks for the replies. Im not a super gamer. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake. I called HP this morning to cancel the order before it shipped to save them and me a headache. I felt bad since HP has always done right by me. The customer service rep was very nice and did everything she could to get me to keep it. I already optioned the 9600m GT 1 gig so she couldn't up the graphics for me, but she did offer me $150.00 credit if I didn't cancel. With the $200 instant rebate + $259.00 I saved using a HP coupon + $50.00 credit for memory upgrade promo that just started and now $150.00 to keep it...I couldn't refuse. I'll try it out for 21 days and see. Im sure I'll end up keeping it and just overclock the GPU if need be.

 

I think you'll be happy - do make sure that you put it through the ringer before making to many changes or overclocking - some of us have had quite a few build issues. Great computer as long as any issues are addressed!

 

Anyone who did not do a clean install notice this? I have a process called DpAgent.exe*32 that keeps my dual cores running at about 50%. As soon as I kill it via task manager, my cores drop to about 3%. Huge performance impact!

 

Digital Persona - you need that for your fingerprint reader - it should not take that much memory. I would try updating the drivers.

 

Good suggestion. Thanks jnickell. I'll try that out.

Also, I know I've read about some of you with dual hard drives who have set up a dual boot system. However I do not see an option in the bios to boot from the second drive. How are you guys getting around this? (HP support says, "Yep, the bios doesn't allow you to boot from the second drive. This should resolve your issue." WHAT?!

 

Yes, Valen is the man.... I'm just learning about this overclock stuff but I have a question for you guys. I want to test my 4gb ddr3 memory, is artificially raising your score a good idea, and will it increase ,my performance? Please check this out guys this is where I read it.
http://www.petri.co.il/artificially_raise_wei.htm

Tell me what you think, have any of you ever tried this? Or is this another -stable?- way to overclock or increase your performance?

BTW I'm noob at this but I find testing out gamecube emulation games is a good way to test. Right now I can run Crazy Taxi at around 40 fps consistently, though sometimes it jump btwn 50-60.
Also, if I overclock successfully, can I take it back into warranty if I change the settings back maybe? I understand that overclocking voids the warranty..

Anywayz Jnick, Valen, and all others get back to this post your opinion is appreciated..thnx

 

Can anyone recommend an external device that allows me to add more monitors to the HDX? I have one external monitor connected while also using the laptop as the primary screen.

I'd like to add maybe 2 more monitors? Most extra accessories use PCMCIA and we don't have that slot anymore...

thoughts?

 

actually according to HP specs (I need to confirm once I receive my box ) it is QUAM. HP use Hauppauge rebranded card with:

Technical Specifications

TV Standards:

• NTSC Analog Cable and Over the Air TV
• ATSC Digital Over the Air HDTV
• Clear QAM Digital Cable TV

Features

• Receive ATSC digital TV or Clear QAM digital cable TV, up to 1080i format
• Receive NTSC analog cable TV with the built-in 125 channel cable-ready TV tuner
• Dolby-TV stereo decoder

I heard that few people experienced some problems finding this option but upgrading quickplay to latest version should help.

 

I don't know why you would want to artificially raise your WEI on our systems. I don't know of any software we can't run that uses WEI. Increasing your WEI artificially will not improve your performance.

I believe, when talking about your graphics card, your biggest risk is overheating from overclocking. Obviously, they can tell if your graphics card is melted from heat, but if it is a normal reason you are sending it back and you only used software to overclock, I would assume you could just set everything back to normal and then remove software. I am not sure of this though.

 

My box is on the way, I didn't make super deal as some of you did (I didn't have time to wait for better discounts), but on the top of $250 discount I used 15% discount coupon which saved another ~$345.

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.80GHz)
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
• 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
• Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti
• Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
• Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
• HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• No Productivity Software
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)

I don't plan to use this box for gaming and mostly I'm planning to do web surf, small media design, video / audio editing, web design stuff. I will travel to Europe, Australia and America so this need to replace my desktop during next months ~ year of travel.

I didn't buy a quad CPU since majority of the software is not there yet to take a full advantage, and I skipped Bluetooth because I never used it with any of my PCs. I plan to upgrade CPU to quad in the future (if possible) when prices will "normalize" and I plan to install at least 2x 250Gb SSD

....now I have few questions, maybe someone could help.

1. Is this CPU socket type or it is soldered (how easy is future swap to Quad)?
2. Does anyone use Intel SSD 250Gb or OCZ 250 SSD, ..if so... how fast is that drive in real life?
3. Does anyone use Victorinox 17" laptop bags? Especially Wilshire version?
4. Is it possible to use SDXC as a drive? with new 2TB SD coming it would be nice option at least for additional storage?
5. what was your delivery time from the point where Fedex shown that box is shipped to actual delivery? (I understand that time is based on delivery location, but I live near O'Hare international airport in Chicago so I expect short delivery time even if status show "estimated delivery Feb 24th"). FYI - My order was shipped on 16th while original date was 18th.

thanks for any help.

 

Delivery time - 5 business days -

What coupon code did you use for the 15% off?

 

I used SV0707 which is expired, but I've seen another 15% one SV0708 (not sure if it is still working)

 

As far as I understand QAM is available on the tuner. It gave me the option when I setup my tuner, but I have not tested, since I dont have cable.

 

How often do those 30% coupons come around? I'm returning the unit I have and considering waiting for another coupon. They won't let me change any of my specs, but the computer has come down in price, so I would like to upgrade to the quad core. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot though.

 

First of all let me just say thanks for all for the nice comments. It's great to know I've managed to help you all out with this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy

Artificially increasing your WEI will definitely not do anything for you. I believe the only use the WEI score has is for when you're using the windows live service for purchasing software/games. From what i understand all the software on there has a minimum performance rating. Kind of a protection thing to make sure they don't sell you software you can't run.

Apart from the usual driver updates etc which sometimes give you a slight performance increase there isn't really any way of making your machine run any quicker without overclocking.

Warranty wise, overclocking is not really an issue at all unless you get greedy and try to push your hardware too far and end up damaging it.
This is why it's best to run a stress tester in the background while you're tinkering with your settings. As soon as the machine gets unstable (temp spikes to unsafe levels, crashes or starts displaying artifacts on the screen) back your settings off by a good 10-15% and that's usually your safe max speed. Of course if you're up for it you can start increasing things a few MHZ at a time and try to find that "sweet spot". Though this usually isn't worth it, a few MHZ isn't going to make any noticeable speed boost

Also once you find your optimum settings it's best to run something that will push your GPU for a good hour or 2 to make sure your temps don't get out of hand, the last thing you want is to be 2hrs into a game and have the machine crash on you! Running 2-3 instances of rthdribl will be fine for this. would be good to also push your multisampling up to 16x for that extra bit of stress

In most cases it seems that the safest O/C speeds for your GPU are around 600mhz core, 1500 shader, 450 ram. Though in saying that some people are lucky and manage to push their speeds much higher while keeping a decent temp.

Really it's just trial and error with a bit of luck thrown in

I also should mention that you don't want your GPU running above 90C, while the GPU's are rated for temps up to 105C it definitely isn't safe for long gaming sessions and will shorten the life of your GPU immensely. Try to keep around the 80-85C mark. Your GPU fan should crank up to max at 85C and keep things running at around 83ish.

Good luck!

 

For contrast here is the 9600M GT 512MB version.
(also DDR2 )

 

Try this thing Not sure of cost but apparently they work quite well
http://www.villagetronic.com/vtbook/index.html

Or there's always the Matrox TripleHead2Go.. quite expensive from what i've heard though
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/

 

Mine (bought in January) came with an AVerMedia internal card that only supports ATSC and Analog cable/ota. Not only does it NOT support QAM, but it's video quality off of analog cable has been a disappointment.

 

Laptop advertised as "xtreme" full HD with "xtreme HD innovations" without HD capable TV card ? that would be serious mistake.

but I see all over the net that HP sells Hauppauge rebranded cards as external option:





and HVR-1500 is QAM ready, so I guess this is just a matter of settings.

 

I'm kind of annoyed about this. They really lead you to believe it is DDR3 - even when talking to a live person in sales.

 

You still boot from the first hard drive, however a boot manager is installed either by you by using a third party boot manager from, say, Acronis or, in the case of Windows, the Windows installer actually installs a boot manager for you. Once the installation is done, instead of just booting to Windows Vista, you will first see a boring, usually text-based menu giving you a choice of operating system. If your second and third etc. operating systems are another physical hard drive, the boot manager will re-direct the boot sequence to that drive and partition.

 

Another quick one for everyone.

Rivaruner v2.23 has been released today. Much better support for 182.05 drivers. Still no ability to control fan speeds though gggrrrr I really wish HP would give us fan control. it's great that it's all BIOS controlled and all but i'd feel much better if i could crank my fans to 100% while gaming!

http://www.guru3d.com/index.php?page=rivatuner

Cheers,

Valen

 

I'm not 100% positive if I am interpreting your posts correctly, but I think you're referring to the memory in the graphics cards themselves and not the computer correct?

If that is right, then I will proceed. Basically HP never claimed to me that the memory in the GPU was ddr3. They only claim the RAM in your computer is DDR3. Correct me if I am wrong with this, since I read your posts, but am not 100% certain I am reading it right. I did copy the options in the CTO section of our laptop.


4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics

4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics

 

My HDX18 came with a 180W Smart-Pin AC Adapter.
I was told ( By HP Support Person) that I could use the 90W Smart-Pin
AC Adapter as a secondary or replacement adapter.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/KG298AA%23ABA#

If you look at compatibility for the 90W model the hdx series isnt listed.

You would think the 18.4" screen would draw more power than say a 16" screen.

So is HP support BSing ppl?

 

Interesting. Mine only came with the 120W adapter. I also have a 90W adapter (from another HP notebook) and it seems to work fine. What are the specs of your notebook? And yes HP is BSing people.

 

I just checked on the HP website and it states that the HDX18t should only be coming with the 120W adapter.

 

sorry about that I meant 120 W smart-pin adapter and not 180W.

It's good to hear that your 90W adapter works well with the HDX18.

 

Yea, as you can probably tell I was getting a bit confused. But, yes the 90W adapter will work. I haven't used it for long periods, though. I continuously use the 120W adapter.

 

GREAT HELP!! Thanks for the suggestions!.. I cant wait to get out of work to try this. Alright I got the balls to try this now! I'll give the folks here an update on the Frankenstein prject.
Thnx nick and val

 

HDX update since I've picked it up from Fed Ex.

**This machine is friggin great!!!**

I leave it on overnight before bed and it's cool, as long as it's elevated. No signs of slowing down. If you use it on a rug for a while it will get hot, so I have a wooden tray/piece I use while on while on the rug.

I've been playing burnout paradise, and it doesn't skip a beat and I haven't overclocked anything yet and the settings are maxed. I'm positive it could run SF4 if ever released on the PC.

I have it hooked up to my 42in plasma via hdmi and it looks great. NVidia has settings that let you adjust everything under the blue sky to enjoy your second monitor.

Programs work fine in it, I have FlashCS3 and no problems so far. I've upgraded the mediasmart driver so I didn't run into problems from previous posts.

It runs my gamecube emulator almost flawlessly which means it could all others. I have yet to test Adobe Premiere but I'm very confident.

Also the cloth that surrounds the laptop can be used as a screen wipe. I love this machine...
*Tear "'_'"

 

I just got an email saying that mine has shipped. I can't wait to get it!!!!

 

You are correct your RAM will be DDR3
Your VRAM (1GB) for you graphics card will be DDR2

 

To the best of my knowlege the internal tuner is a Avermedia A317. This tuner only processes ATSC and NTSC signals, no QAM. I don't think Hauppauge makes an internal tuner. I have a Hauppauge external tuner that has QAM. The Media Smart software does not have an option to detect QAM signals.

 

I have the built-in TV Tuner in my 18t and I'm able to receive OTA analog & digital SD and HD as well as cable analog and digital SD and HD.

 

Does the Device Manager state the brand of TV tuner installed?

 

I wouldn' think so because Hauppauge is probably manufacturing them under HP brand. I would suspect that name of the device would be just a internal p/n (but who knows)

I have seen numerous posts in different sections that HP laptops equipped with TV option have Hauppauge rebranded hardware. For some people it worked from the start, but some people needed to download latest drivers or firmware in order to see QAM option. Few guys said that they can see QAM only after they downloaded Hauppauge software (WinTV6 if I remember correctly).

So looks like most of them got it to work, this way or another.

My box just cleared customs so I will confirm it once it is here.

 

It does show the Maufacturer as AVerMedia TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. I also did update to the January 2009 driver from the HP website.

 

I guess HP use more than one vendor

Either way AVerMedia cards have QAM support as well.

which driver have you download?

AVerTV Hybrid Volar MAX(H826) ?
It should be fine ... description says:

 

There is a HP TV Tuner module for sale on ebay. The description says ATSC NTSC no mention of QAM.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-448168-001-H...ER-MODULE_W0QQitemZ250369115102QQcmdZViewItem

 

There is no mention of HD either

 

NTSC = Over the air analog and cable analog and digital standard definition.
ATSC = Over the air standard and high definition.
QAM = Cable high definition.

 

How do you know what volt you have? I looked with my poor eyesight and tried to read but saw nothing about volts. On the website, it said Information is not available on HP PartSurfer for this product. For parts information, please call (800) 227-8164 between 5 AM and 6 PM Pacific Time, Monday thru Friday.

I wondered if I could use my old Compaq's power cord and/or older HP's cord. Glad to know some might be usable.

 

Sorry, neglected the quote feature in my post above.

I'm getting tired but wanted to praise the HP Premium tier tech support, at least as compared to Toshiba's rotten service. Five of the seven tech support people I have spoken with have been pretty good. And one asked me to turn over this heavy laptop and in doing so I broke off my flash drive. He felt so bad he talked to his supervisor and got permission to have it replaced. I got a call from a case manager about it. After not getting called back three days in a row I was immediately connected to an Executive Case Manager and it was promptly shipped.

In contrast, Toshiba's Louisville Repair Depot (really UPS) lost my SD case, said they had to get an OK from Corporate and they'd replace it, then denied every saying such a thing and said they had returned it, Corporate said I should talk to the Depot.

BTW, the place I returned my first laptop too looked like the same address as this Depot. Those of you who've sent the laptop in for repair, was it there and how was the service.

I, too, got the bad touchpad. I was told it wasns't for the 16, just not aligned, they are aware of it and working with vend/factory.

Also told they know about the QuickTouch or whatever the lighted things at the top that are supposed to work not working well and are working on it but nothing out yet. I did downloadthe new driver, best improvement came after uninstalling the keyboard driver in Device Manager that starts with 105 and ends with a Q something (as I said, I'm tired, so not looking it up, it was the last of four.) For volume and bass/treble I was told to tap the +/- not to slide my finger along it.

Anyone have the occasional weird noise come out when playing music?

 

I would love to verify if the HP built in TV tuner is the Hauppauge WintTV-HVR-1500. Besides the software my biggest issue with the built in TV adapter has been the lack of an RCA/S-Video cable input that either comes with or is available for almost any other product in this category. It looks like the WintTV-HVR-1500 has the same antenna connection. If so maybe I can buy the S-video connector from Hauppauge.

--Rocco--

 

rivatuner....I checked this out, I saw something in the power settings tab that says fans, does this mean you can play with the fan settings? riva says I have to sign my drivers to use it.

btw anyone know how to tell if your pc is a CTO or EO so I know which drivers to update?