HP NC8430 review

A brief review on the HP NC8430 laptop. This probably wont be as detailed as some of the reviews I have seen, but it should get some of the major points across.

Specs as purchased:
Price - 2765 (+ tax and shipping).
T2600 - 2.16 GHz Core Duo
15.4" WSXGA+ with WVA 1680x1050 resolution
ATI X1600 GPU 256MB
2 GB RAM (came with DDR2-533, I replaced with DDR2-667)
100GB 7200 RPM SATA HD
DVDR/CDR/RW
Integrated 802.11B/G
Integrated Bluetooth
Integrated smart card reader
Fingerprint scanner
3 USB ports
Firewire
S-video TV Out
3-years parts / 3-years labor warranty

Benchmarks:
3DMark05 - 3809 (no overclocking)
PCMark05 - 4556
SuperPi (1M digits) - 28.54 seconds
Sandra 2007 – Dhrystone ALU – 14739 MIPS
Sandra 2007 – Whetstone iSSE3 – 10872 MFLOPS
I was playing UT2K4 on it at 1680x1050 with max settings and still getting 50-60 FPS depending on the map/scene.

General look and feel:
The laptop is very light and slim (I am coming from a Sager 9880). The feel is very rugged though. It feels as durable as the T60’s I have used. Very little screen flex. Pushing on the back of the LCD give no distortion that I can see. My LCD had ZERO dead/stuck pixels. Screen positioning is very tight and stays where you put it. Hinges look and feel very solid. The Screen is very bright and crisp and the wide viewing angle is very good (as shown in the attached pics). The keyboard is a pleasure to type on. It is as easy to type on as any Thinkpad I have used and much easier than any other Compaq, Sager or Sony I have owned.

Software:
Windows XP Professional. Contrary to what I have seen with other laptops, this one came with nearly ZERO bloatware installed. I uninstalled a couple of “help programs” and that was about it. I also removed (via built in utility) the backup and recovery partition and software as I use Acronis for my backups. The included security program (fingerprint scanner) works like a charm right out of the box. Register your fingerprints and choose your logon method and your good to go.
Upgrading:
Ugrading the RAM was a breeze. There is a single slot on the bottom. The second SODIMM is located, as with other notebooks, beneath the keyboard. Access, however, was SUBSTANTIALLY easier than most! 2 screws on the bottom marked with a keyboard icon. Flip it over – 4 slide tabs located among the function keys (left of F1, between F4 and F5, between F8 and F9 and right of F12) – slide them back with a small screwdriver (very little pressure required) and the entire keyboard simply lifts forward to expose the second slot. Took me about 30 seconds max.

Battery Life:
Battery life is excellent. I went nearly 7 hours of low to average use on accident when I brought it to work and forgot to plug in the AC adapter.

Pictures:

 

thanks for the quick review! it is nice to finally see information about this model. do you notice any light leakage on a black screen? and do you think you can give us a more exact battery measurement using something like battery eater?

 

Good work!

I have some questions:

1 - What can you say about the fan(s)? I know they start up pretty easily on the 8200 series.

2 - Does it get hot, especially under heavy work?

3 - What do you think the display, older models were a bit dim IIRC.

 

The light leakage on mine is minimal. A very slight amount near the bottom.

The fans, even at highest (when I ran PCmark) were not what I would call noticeably loud. Yes they could be heard, but only under a heavy load and not nearly as obnoxious as my Sager 9880 was. Under low to normal load I could barely hear the fans.

There is some heat, but nothing like a DTR. In fact, I had the notebook on my lap last night for well over an hour surfing, checking email and writing a few word documents and I was wearing shorts. It was never to the point of uncomfortable. My sager would have given me a painful burn in a matter of minutes. The palm rests were never hot enough to even be noticeable. My sagers left palm rest while gaming would get to the point of unuseable due to heat.

The display is very bright (under AC power) and crisp under default settings. I can actually make it quite a bit brighter, but it tends to get a bit washed out. I am sure with more tweaking I could optimize it, but the display is very adequate. At 1680x1050 the text and icons will be a bit small, but perfectly useable to me. I ran my sager (17") at 1920x1200 and had no problems so this is not much different.

I will try to get a more quantitative analysis on battery life.

 

Thanks a lot for your help! I'm really interested in this one, or maybe a NW8440 since it got a better graphics solution.

 

it depends on what you mean by better. the firegl in the nw8440 is based on the x1600 architecture. the firegl will be better for things like cad, but the x1600 will be better for gaming.

 

Yes, the V5200 would be a good choice for me since I'm working with Pro/E and similar programs. Besides, the NC8430 is not less expensive than the NW8440 if you want WSXGA anyway.

 

in the u.s. it is. the wsxga+ for the nc8430 costs $1999 on the hp website (cheapest is $1930 on the site you posted), while the cheapest nw8440 is $2299 on the hp website...

 

elj: Well somehow you missed the NW8440 link you quoted from me...

9 stores sells it for less than $1930, starting at $1901.

 

Actually I'm a bit disappointed with the graphics solutions for the 8400 series, they're all based on the X1600 and all have 256 MB RAM. So the difference of the graphics between the cheapest NX8420 and the most expensive NW8440 are actual minimal, maybe only a matter of firmware/BIOS. The 9400 series is another story, with the NX9420 using a X1600, while the NW9440 uses a NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M which is based on G71, same core as in 7900 cards.

 

you're right. i completely missed that first link. my bad ^_^;;

it is quite surprising how much more expensive the nc8430 is. i wonder if the prices will drop once more stores other than hp get their hands on it. anyway, nothing better than the x1600 or equivalent can be put in 15.4". problem with the fitting the intensive cooling system into the 15.4" chassis.

 

Actually, if you compare the details of the nc8430 (#EY688AA) and the nw8440 (#EY695AA) that you are both referencing, you'll notice that the nw8440 omits a bluetooth module that comes standard on the nc8430...that is, as long as I am looking at the correctly specified units.

 

At least there was some difference in the old 8200 series, with X600 64 MB/X600 128 MB/ FireGL V5000 128 MB (X700) in the three models. The two boards used in the 8400 series could even be identical, and designed to work either as a X1600 or a V5200. Sounds cheap to me, compared to the 9400.

Except for the obvious choices you do when ordering a 8400 (CPU, RAM, HD...) there are not many differences between the 8420 and the 8440. The latter gives you a serial port and a point stick with dual three button set. That's it??

Yeah I guess the 8400 is a bit too small for fitting a faster graphics card in it. HP is not the best company when it comes to packing features into a laptop, at least not with the business series. Just look at the NC4400, not incredibly small, but maybe one of the biggest 12" laptops without a CD/DVD, too bad.

IIRC, the 7600 GT is much faster than the X1600 on desktop, while most people in this forum says they're pretty much the same on mobile. Now since we all know that desktop and mobile graphics aren't the same, it could all be true. I wonder if you know any tests with the two mobile versions?

 

i figure the NX8420 is the same as the NC8430, but without the pointstick, and slightly lower config?

 

you have to realize that the 7600 in notebooks is the 7600 go, not gt. it's odd b/c in pcmark05, the x1600 gets better scores, while the 7600go seems to win out at times on the pcmark06 benchmarks. this is based on what i have seen between the asus w3j and the asus a8jm.

i can't seem to find the specs for the nx8420. do you mean the nx9420?

 

nope i meant the nx8420

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2006/mobility/ds_compaq8400nb.pdf

http://h18002.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12442_div/12442_div.HTML

kinda confusing to have so many model numbers for the same product.

 

hrmmm....i don't think they are available in the states. they don't appear on the hp site, and i can't seem to find any u.s. resellers for it. the nx series of notebooks have only 1 year warranty, in comparison to 3 years standard warranty. i don't know what else is different, other than what you mentioned.

 

Yes, I know that the desktop and the mobile couterparts are not the same. I just meant that since there's such a big performance difference on desktop, maybe it is at least some difference on the mobile ones too?

 

The differences seem to be similar as they were with nx8220 and nc8230:
- nx8420 has 1-year warranty instead of a 3-year warranty that nc8430 has
- nx8420 is not available in the US, but is available in other parts of the world
- nx8420 does not have a point stick, nc8430 does have it
- nx8420 does not have a serial port, nc8430 does have it
- nc8430 has HP Client Management Interface and a client manager software
- nc8430 includes HP OpenView Radia Management Solutions
- HP software is preinstalled on nx8420
- HP software can be installed and selected by user on nc8430

 

i got myself a unit of the nx8420 today.

satisfied with the built quality, very tight.

 

I have a question about this notebook as well:

Is it capable of playing new games like FEAR or similar ones?

 

Dude, your mini-review helped me decide on an nc8430, which I just got today. I'm really excited to get going on it. I'm "tweaking" it to my liking now. Thanks for the helpful information.

The nc8430 is awesome so far. I look forward to taxing the X1600 graphics with F.E.A.R. and HL2: Episode One later tonight or this weekend. One of the bonuses of this "work" machine is to play some games in my off time.

 

Thanks for the review!

I have one question to which I would appreciate a quick reply.

I have been approved for the HP nc8230 with ATI x600, but would prefer to have the HP nc8430 with ATI x1600 graphics.

I am NOT a gamer so either graphics solution would work for me (Office apps and WEB, occasional DVD)

My question is this: I understand the ATI x1600 uses more power. How much worse would the battery life be between these two notebooks under similar operation conditions (wireless on, web surfing, and document/spreadsheet work).

Thanks very much!

 

Stats by HP:

HP nc8230
Battery: 69 Wh
Average Operating Power: 25W
Battery Life: up to 4 hours 30 minutes

HP nc8430
Battery: 69 Wh
Average Operating Power: 39W
Battery Life: up to 4 hours

In minimal use, you lose just 30 minutes. In average use, nc8230 runs 50% longer (see Average Power Consumptions). However, nc8430 is more powerful, so it likely performs faster in "average work".

 

Thanks! I noticed that from the specs too, and it concerns me because I tend to have my screen on for hours while doing web-research and writing docs at the same time. I usually have my screen set to blank-out in 1 min, but rarely see the blank screen. I wonder how much the powerplay feature will lower the power consumption of the Graphics during non-gaming office use? 50% is a lot ! - that could mean 90+ minutes difference on one battery charge.

I also noticed that the access rates between the SATA and IDE drives is the same...

 

I just got the nc8430 and I abs love it so far. One thing you could do if you want to extend battery life and also reduce heat generation(its not much) but for normal work and non-gaming use you really dont need the entire muscle of the core duo or the ATI x1600. If you go to the ATI Catalyst control center you could set the graphics to lowest (this halves the clock on the GPU) while its still plugged to the AC. I increase it manually only when I play games as it doesnt make a difference otherwise while normal working and the machine runs cooler. Also install "Notebook Hardware Control" and set it to dynamic switching. This normally underclocks the processor to run at 1.0 Ghz most of the time depending on CPU load. I have found that the whole system runs pretty cool and the fan is hardly if ever on.

 

Is this one's screen matte or glossy type ?

 

Great review and pics!! It looks like HP upgraded the LCD from the nc8230/nx8240, which were replaced by your model. I had an 8230 for a few weeks. The build was solid, but the LCD was considerably dimmer than the 8430's even at the highest brightness settings. Congrats and enjoy!

 

Got a quick question.. is the warranty voided if you install/replace memory. Secondly, any ideas which of the memory slot comes empty on the 512Mb model, the one at the back or the one beneath the keyboard.

 

Thanks for the info!!!

Can you provide some non-gaming battery life numbers with or without your power-saving tweaks?

 

I think it's the one under the KB. Just open the one on the bottom since its easiest to get to, then you will know for certain.

 

Let me give it a shot tomorrow. Should get back with battery life numbers with the power-saving tweaks ;-) I can tell you without the tweaks I managed to get just under 4 hrs (3:55) of battery life out of it. This was during installing software and general browsing, so I was pretty happy with it. However, the battery mode automatically has the GPU set at its lowest so I wouldnt count on much more life out of it. I dont know wat effect having a dynamically switched CPU will have on the battery. Will run a test tomorrow and post it here.

One thing I will mention is that this laptop needs more RAM if you are going to run HP's suite of applications. I just bought another 512 Mb to take the total to 1GB. Other than tat I really like this laptop.

 

Joshuasgto, what's Super Pi time for 2 million digits? I'm trying to compare it to the s96j before I buy one or the other. Thanks!

Dan

 

The Super Pi time is 1 m 23 sec on my nc8430. Well just ran into a problem with this laptop.If you connect a headset to the mic and speaker slots there is a constant disturbance in the recording from the mic. I tried calling support but it seems nobody knows about the nc8430 Got the same error message "Sorry, we could not find the routing rule". Anyone know what I could do ?

 

Well, what kind of disturbance? Maybe the gain is set too low?

Beyond that, what number did you call? Good warranties don't mean much If you cannot find someone who can suppor the product in the first palce.

 

Some kind of constant clicking noise.. my initial guess is tat even wen the mic is plugged in sound is picked up from the laptop mic. It might be internal hard disk noise that keeps coming through in which case I dont know what they might be able to do. Called up the main support number around five times.. same problem.. Finally by the time they realised their mistake found the "routing rule" and put me to the right department I was soo happy to hear this "None of our technicians are able to answer your call, please try later" Spent approx 2 hrs to finally hear this helpful information. I am not new to assembling desktops, regularly set up labs in the past, but wanted my laptop to be nice and sturdy and dont want to void the warranty within a week.. i wudnt hesitate to do so with a desktop but with a lappy ... not right now.. cant afford to take a $1000+ hit right now

. So far the nc8430 has been great.. but hope this small problem doesnt spoil the experience. I do a lot of voice conferencing and the ppl on the other side have to face the noise.. doesnt exactly make for good conversations when yo u have a constant irritating noise in your ear


edit: just confirmed it .. it is the hard disk clicking noise that the laptop mic is picking up. Is there some way that the laptop mic can be disabled

 

Well, I'm mostly a Linux guy who has never actually owned a PC mic.... and I don't have a nc8430 (yet). But try this (assuming Windows XP Pro).

Go into the Control Pannel, Sound and Audio Devices (use Classic view if needed).

On the Volume Tab, click Advanced.

If Microphone is there, mute it. Otherwise glick Options | Properties and make sure its checked. Then mute it.

 

Thanks celondil. Tried everything you suggested but to no effect. Searched the net for alternative drivers and found SoundMax drivers for IBM Thinkpads which I remember has an integrated mic as well. Installed those drivers and now my integrated mic and speakers dont work but the headphone and headset mic jack work perfectly.. no HD use disturbance. Talked with the support guys and informed them of this. They said they will try and let me know when they get an update to the drivers. I think its a combination of driver and HD problem. The integrated mic is sensitive enough to pick up the clickety noise the HD makes while in operation and the driver doesnt isolate the inbuilt mic when working on the headset mic.

There is an option in the SoundMax control panel which is supposed to do so but obviously is not working. Any other SoundMax drivers that I could use (maybe similar nc series laptop with integrated mic but different SoundMax drivers ??)

thanks

 

Does the mic issue affect headphones at all. Do you hear clicking noises when listening to music or dvds? I'm very close to buying this model, and would like to know if this is a huge issue.

 

Could owners of the nc8430 please post their make and model of optical drive (as listed in Device Manager)?

Thanks!

 

Nope no clicking noise at all. Its only when you are voice conferencing (in this case the person on the other line hears it) or if you use the mic to record something (you can then hear the clicking noise when you run the recording again). Got support again on it and confirmed its a driver problem. Hopefully they will work on it soon..

as for the cdrom its a

TSSTCorp CDW/DVD TS-L462C

 

just one more quick question before I finalize the order.

Is movie watching a pleasure to watch on this display or is the quality of the display lacking?

 

I like the display on the laptop. It is pretty good. It performs well inside as well as outside. Its not a glossy though. Two people can watch the movie well enough.. ;-)

 

Thank you for the drive information. It is made by Samsung (Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation).

I would recommend to also post your concern on the HP IT resource center forums so other users AND some select HP technical personnel can see it, and hopefully respond. You will need to create a login profile, but once that's done you will get notifications of posts to selected threads via email.

 

How does the cooling system work?... does it draw air from the bottom and spit it out the sides?

 

What do you think of the screen resolution? According to another thread, the blurring that occurs with such a high resolution (when not playing games) is horrible to work with.

PS I haven't been able to find any reviews on the internet, did anyone?

 

Hiya all,

Just got the nc8430 with the 2 ghz core duo...

Overall its a nice laptop but there is a few things i don't like with it...

First of all.
The screen isn't bright enough, even with the light sensing thingy off its darker than the nx6125 i had before.
I have the WVA Super duper swga screen, and thought it would be alot better...

Second.

THe fan noise, seriously....
It goes up and down in speed all the time, if i open IE it speeds up like a blowdryer.
And mine is 4 days old with no more software than it came with (except for MS office 2003).

Haven't tried games or anything, to scared it might take off and show down by the military....

Other than that its a nice laptop....

 

Do you get that noise right after bootup or after its been on for a while?

What kind of temps are you getting on it?

 

Haven't checked the temperature with a program or anything....


Its always on, but speeds up as soon as i open an application such as word or IE.
Have checked the CPU load and it isn't high...

So i am starting to wonder if the fans on the nc8430 are to small or what the problem might be....

Have checked on HP;s supportforum or for a firmwareupdate without any luck..

Is there anyone here that has one, and if u do, do u have the same problem ??

Thanx guys

//Hans

 

I don't have one (yet), but truth be told there are an awful lot of reasons for a system to run hot (and therefore kick up the fan more than it should) that have little to do with the hardware.

For example all of these could be factors:

Ambient Temperature
Surface the system is on
Power settings in the OS and the BIOS.
Proximity to other sources of heat.

The size of the fan probably isn't the issue -- they'll put in the biggest one they can fit since that is an easy way for them to get improved cooling. Whether the fan is a 'good' one is another issue altogether.

I'm not saying there couldn't be a hardware issue -- for example if the heat sink is not attached correctly during the build that could cause the processor to get hotter than it should and therefore kick the fan on.

You may want to consider looking into undervolting the processor and/or underclocking the video card. If the system is producing less heat, then the fan would kick on less.

Of course, this is a high-performance machine in a mid-size form factor. So some additional heat/noise has to be expected. However, everyone must pick a sweet spot between heat/performance/portability that meets ones needs and is therefore very subjective.

Which reminds me... is the fan loud because its just pushing a lot of air, or is the quality of the noise bothering you? There isn't a great deal that can be done if its loud because its pushing a lot of air, but if the tone is someone anoying that *could* be fixed by a different fan from HP.