HP NC8430 review

lol personally none of the consumer line could hope to compare to an nc8430......i don't want to sound mean but it's not just another dvXXXX with something missing from the configuration - it's a VERY complete notebook that is properly built and resonably priced....try playing a decent game on a dv level notebook - you will have a nice slideshow if you are lucky at like 10fps....if you can even find an LCD at a decent res offered on those

 

So my DVD drive was in PIO mode so I re-installed the primary IDE channel and its now in multi-word DMA mode 2. I'm still getting poor quality DVD video playback . Any ideas people?

 

Hi,

I downloaded the latest version of Battery Eater Pro (2.70).

It seems to have some compatibility problems but when I started the test, both cores are running at 100% and the fan has never been this loud so I think it's working. I set the notebook to the Always on profile, turned of the ambient light sensor, made sure nothing turns off (except WLAN), disabled ATi PowerPlay. I'll report back when it drained the battery.

BR,
Peter

 

The laptop itself was around 3300 NZD (RM762PA, Core 2 Duo T7200, WSXGA+ display, 1 GB PC5300 RAM, exact specs can be found at HP NZ). The Ultra Battery was around 260 NZD. I bought them both at an online reseller, you can find the best prices at PriceSpy if you're in NZ. I'm here only temporarily, I'll be going back to my home country (Hungary, Europe) in April or May. When I'm back home I'm planning to get either the Advanced Docking Station or the 3-in-1 NAS Docking Station. While I'm here in NZ I'm also planning to upgarde the RAM to 2 GB but first I want to get the replacement unit to see what type of RAM I should buy (my current unit has a Nanya module. HP branded RAM seems quite expensive (+50% compared to other 3rd party good quality RAM sticks)).

If you're interested, my current mouse is a Logitech G7 (I bought this back in Hungary half a year ago) and I got a Sony VAIO sleeve here in NZ at a SonyStyle shop (it was 69.95 NZD). The things I'm considering buying in NZ except the RAM upgrade are:

- Logitech V270 BT mouse - this would be good so I wouldn't have to sacrifice 1 USB port for the mouse (70 NZD).
- Travel router: either an Asus WL-530G or a D-Link DWL-G730AP (both are around 110-120 NZD). I couldn't decide yet which one to go for. The D-Link is really pocketable, can run from USB power but lacks an ethernet switch, while the Asus is also quite small, comes with 5 ports (1 uplink, 4 downlink) but needs external power... Any suggestions/experiences are more than welcome here! My hesitation to go for the D-Link also comes from not being able to find ANY reviews, and very few user experiences (none on this forum so far).
- Targus CityGear Chicago Backpack - I just read the review here and it seems to be quite versatile and rugged (112 NZD).

BR,
Peter

 

Hi,

The result of the BE benchmark is 2:55. The system tried to hibernate at 3% (3% meaning overall capacity of the two batteries, the secondary battery was at 0% while the primary battery was at around 6-8%) but it hang. There were 70+ processes running in the background so this may become a bit better with an optimized system.

I attached the results in a zip file.

BR,
Peter

 

Did you try an external monitor to see if there's any difference?

BR,
Peter

 

No because I don't have the appropriate cables and no longer have an external computer monitor. Would a normal TV suffice? What kind of cables would I need?

 

you could probably do with an s-video cable

 

What is the battery eater pro results for just the nc8430 w/o the extended battery? 2:55 is what I get normally...not that BE is 'normal' usage.

 

Hi night_2004,

Sorry, but I haven't had enough free time to do the test again, I hope I'll have some time next weekend.

The good news is that I got my replacement unit today. The bad news is that it's even worse than the first one. Here's the new case that I just submitted to HP online:

Now I'm a bit confused... Haven't any of you guys had the hinge/lid not closing properly problem? 2 of 2 seems to me more than a coincidence... And these two units don't seem to come from the same batch as the replacement unit has an older BIOS (version F.0C) a different hard drive (Seagate instead of Hitachi) and a different DVD-RAM drive (TSST instead of Hitachi). I really like this laptop so if this comes to another replacement I'll probably try my luck again but after that I'll probably go for a refund and get a Dell or Sony or something... my only problem is that I don't really see any alternatives in this size/price range... in New Zealand... with ultra capacity batteries... and all the other nice features... I just want a laptop functioning according to specs... am I asking for too much?

BR,
Peter

 

Bupe,

It sounds like HP dragged you through a lot of crap too before you got your replacement unit. I had a similar experience in Canada, when the systemboard on my NX8220 died, just after the original one-year warranty; however, the unit was still covered by the extended warranty from my HP care pack. Long story short, I was without a computer for 2 months, during which I played a neverending game of phone-tag with HP customer support. Finally, I took the matter to the Better Business Bureau. Within two days of filing the complaint, I was contacted by someone from their "TCE & Q" department and had an upgraded replacement unit in my hands later that week.

The replacement unit I received was an NC8430, but it wasn't perfect when I received it. The LCD had some light pixel "blotches" on it, and I have been experiencing very slow read and write speeds on the DVD drive. It is also very loud, if and when it is operating at high speeds. I did not return the unit immediately, as I had already been without a computer for 2 months and was in desperate need of one; however, now that there is a lull in my need for my computer during the holidays, I will most likely be sending the unit in to have the LCD replaced, and possibly the DVD-ROM as well. Needless to say, I now know how to handle the situation should HP not repair and return my notebook to me in a timely manner.

 

Hi Best Foot Forward,

I would strongly suggest trzing an external monitor. This way you can see whether the display has a defect or the optical drive. I think this should be the next step if you want to identify the problem yourself. Otherwise you may consider contacting HP - I suggest doing it online. After my online case creation (see my former post) I got an email within a few hours. And I got my unit replaced within 8-10 business days... my only problem is that I got an even worse unit than the one before...

This seems to be a fairly standard copy/paste e-mail but I still have some faith in HP. I'll keep you informed how it goes.

In the meantime I burned a DVD (Sony -R media, 4x speed) and while running data verification it produced several errors. Luckily it's a DVD-Video disc and it seems to play all right but I did not have this issue with the other unit's Hitachi-LG drive... (I've burnt several DVDs with that one and none of them produced errors). I've found some posts while googling indicating that other Dell users with the same drive are having problems as well... I'm starting to think that maybe I should've sticked to the original unit...

BR,
Peter

 

You could always swap parts around until you get the best of those two notebooks.

 

Problem with that is that you would void your warranty.... Or should I say give HP an excuse to void your warranty.

Some items I would think would have a internal serial number, when the unit is built the serial number of each major part being entered into a database on what is supposed to be inside the unit...

BTW...Haven't been following this thread... but is HP jerking people around on getting BUSINESS CLASS units repaired like them seem to be doing on the consumer side?

(sounds like they are using the same reps)

miufahkiu saying he was without the computer for 2 months? ... and bupe saying he got the standard Hp run-around it sounds like.

Someone with a Business Class model should get next day on site service, (or maybe 2-3 day) shouldn't they?...

.

 

Bupe: I'll see if I can get hooked up to an external monitor, to see if its the display thats the problem. I've had no trouble burning DVDs at all though-I burned 8GBs without a single hitch.

And I thought I posted this yesterday but it obviously didn't post. How do you get the VBS script to run?

 

Okay, I've had the laptop for 3 months now and I would definately lower the build quality rating in my initial review.

Firstly:

Ever tried holding the laptop with the monitor open with just one hand?

DON'T. The plastic/card chasiss around the keyboard is really weak. You will dent it. You might not notice it, but shining light on will easily show an indent that prints around the magnesium body underneath.

Also I notice that the matte effect on the keys come off alot quicker than most other laptops. They look ugly, uneven, and very slippery and shiney after a while.

The laptop is also a ***** to clean.

Ah well

 

Well, I've had my notebook for the last two months or so and have little troubles with it. I usually don't carry it around with just one hand, but so far my keyboard is still as good as it was the day I got it.

Actually, given that the laptop is much thinner near the touchpad area, I wouldn't want to pick it up from there. It isn't that difficult to imagine that this area could be damaged if the entire weight of the notebook is exerting a serious torque on that corner. However, what if you were to pick the notebook up from the right side near the fingerprint reader...would there be the same problem?

As far as cleaning it goes...I agree it is a pain since the notebook is basically black and grey. However, I've learned that a Microfiber cloth for the screen and a very fine 2" wide (brand new!) paintbrush for the chassis can be your best friend here.

The only issue I've had with my notebook was when I accidentally shocked my DVD Drive via a static electricity charge that was (unknowingly) built up on me. I know it was my charge and not the notebook, as my winter coat is very bad for this and I have shocked my futon, car, and office chair quite a few times. I am now used to the feeling of electricity charging through my fingers...

I even managed to shock my girlfriend a few times...

The drive refused to work until I powered down, removed all the power sources, and held down the power button to drain any/all capacitors and stray charges. After that I was as good as new.

 

I've been reformatting my NC8430, and the process of backing up/restoring data has been a complete pain in the ass because of how slow my DVD-RAM (TSST) is. Up until this point, I hadn't really used the drive in the two months that I've had the notebook.

The drive on my NX8220, which was a year older and had spec's much slower than this drive, ran way faster. This TSST drive is really slow, no matter what the media is (CD's and DVD's of various makes). I mean slow as in CD's are burned at speeds ~150kb/s and while DVD's are written ~1000kb/s. Even after reformatting, with a fresh and clean install of XP, the drive runs slow. My resources are completely drained while the drive is operating as well, making multitasking impossible when I am copying/writing data from a CD/DVD.

Anybody else have this problem? I will be sending the notebook in to have the LCD replaced anyway, so I will most likely be asking them to replace the DVD-RAM, assuming that it is a hardware related problem.

 

This sounds like the PIO/Multi-mode DMA problem mentioned in this thread.

 

I was promised next day on-site but they haven't even called me yet... so much for HP in NZ...

Peter

 

Your keyboard is still as good as new?? It's not immediately noticable but if the laptop is tilted you can see the shiny removed matte on keys, compared to say F5 or F6 buttons. Do you use your laptop frequently?

And haha I have't dared holding the laptop anymore with one hand anymore, especially not near the finger print reader in risk of damaging the module. The dent is to the right of my touchpad, d'oh me.

And I know exactly what you mean about the static charge! lol, I gave myself a very big fright when I was attempting to clean the laptop the other month. I used a hoover to remove crumbs, but what ended up happening was my left speaker would only play muffled audio after the hoover. I packed for minutes and minutes Then I re-hoovered it and it was fine. Weird.

 

Usually it is part of a desktop replacement setup, so I do only occasionally use the keyboard...so maybe that is why. But yes...I do use my laptop frequently, but it is almost always on my desk .

I'll remember to not pick it up by one hand though. I usually don't so...

Static charges suck...

 

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to report that the on-site service just finished a few minutes ago. The enginner was very helpful and professional. He changed the LCD and the DVD-ROM which solved the problems associated with them (ambient light sensor problem and the buzzing noise problem when some CDs are inserted). I'm frankly quite happy with the new drive as the first unit had and LG, the second originally had a Toshiba-Samsung and the replacement is a Matshita (Panasonic) UJ-840s. My old Toshiba laptop had a Panansonic drive as well which burned quite a few CDs and DVDs and according to reviews and user feedback the Panasonic drives are more reliable than the TSST drives.

The lid still doesn't fit 100% but I guess there just isn't a lid which would make me 100% satisfied anyway...

To sum it up the on-site service was satisfactory the only thing missing was a call yesterday to expect the engineer today (he called me on his way here so I had to reschedule my day but I really wanted this laptop fixed as I'm going on vacation in a few days...).

I'm finally getting close to my expectations and beginning to feel that those expectations were maybe a bit too high to begin with. Maybe my next laptop will be a Thinkpad as according to user posts those are the most solidly built ones. But for a few years that swap won't come as I intend to use this HP for at least 1-2 years.

BR,
Peter

 

Stupid Question

Anyone able to create two backgrounds when using dual monitors with the ATI video cards. This is driving me nuts, with the NVIDIAs its SO simple.

bupe to add to your expirience I had to get a replacement power adapter and they were very helpfull on the phone (he spoke fluent english, well kinda Texish and I had my replacement in 2 days!

BandanaDan, I have had no wear problems on my keys and I use it every day for work and for play as well and I've been at it for almost 6 months now. My only complaint is my D key is starting to stick a little and I have to make sure I push it down when typing, but with HP support so far I don't think I will have a problem when I finally get fed up with it

night_2004, CLEANING: I use the air can, and a soft cloth most of the time. SHOCKING: I've never had your problem with the DVD drive but I do shock myself quite often and I did with previous laptops as well.

 

Bupe, How long did the LCD ambient light sensor problem take to solve? Did they actually have to replace the LCD pannel? I was pretty sure the sound was coming from the backlight. I've also go the problem but don't have on-site service. I'm probably going to take it into an 'authorized repair shop' to save the 4 days or whatever on shipping.

Has anyone else noticed a squeaking from the hinges when the screen is pivoted? Or is that just my unit.

Jeff

 

Well, I received mine today after ordering it from euclid computers... I must say I went with this laptop after reading this thread and reading about all the good and bad this puppy has.. And so far it has been what I expected it to be. A great machine to say the least but it does come with some annoyances nontheless. The thing most annoying me at the moment is the fan noise... I've tried all the hacks, flashed bios etc and can't get it to run quiet. The fan constantly switches from low to medium on every little small task.. I open IE, browse to a page and I hear the fan switch up.. a couple seconds later switches low etc etc... I'm very sensitive to noise and work in quiet environments most of the time so I notice it a lot... That aside though, everything else seems to be top notch, from the LCD, to keboard and performance.. I just wish there was a fix for that fan noise... o'well I guess the perfect laptop doesn't exist yet

 

I just noticed something strange. When on AC power, as soon as I unplug the cable, the screen flickers for a second and then I get a "it is now safe to remove hardware" for the broadcom netextreme gigabit lan network adapter. Now keep in mind that I have not installed any of the software setup packages yet. Could it be that I have to install the broadcom driver or some power management driver? I get this "it is now safe to remove hardware..." for the broadcom adapter when I plug in the AC or when I unplug.... Any suggestions?

 

I've got some issue with my USB ports

Everytime I plug a device in it says 'plug into usb 2.0 for faster performance'; i.e. the laptop now thinks the ports are usb 1.1. Never did this before Flash drives noticeably slower

So anyway I look in swsetup folder and on HP site

Where are the USB port drivers?!

Thanx

 

I think this link will work, but you probably need to run this and/or this.

 

I am thinking of getting this one but have few questions:-
a) How is the build quality compared to T60.
b) How is 15" WSXGA screen is compared to T60 flexview.
c) How is the feel of the keyboard , solid as T60 as right know I have T60 so I am thinking of getting this one because of wide screen.
d) How bad is the fan noise on this thing ?
e) Should I upgrade the warrenty to on-site from the standard one

 

This happens occasionally with me too, but I just ignore it. It doesn't seem to affect the notebook in anyway I can notice.

 

same issue here

 

has someone of NC 8430 owners tried to set up Omega drivers?

 

Hey guys.. apprently the issue with the "it's now safe to remove hardware" for the lan adapter has to do with a battery life setting in the BIOS. It's simply called "LAN Power Saving" and it is Enabled by default. Disable it and you'll get no more remove hardware messages anymore.. Now note that I have not measured what kind of battery life loss this produces but I don't think it will be much.. anyone care to do some tests on this?

 

I've owned this laptop for about a week now but I think I can answer some of these questions for you.

a) built quality is very solid on this unit. It is not too far from the build quality of the T60 at all. Solid to say the least...

b) I can't comment on the WSXGA since I own the WSXGA+ high rez screen but it is also very nice with wide view angles. I have to say that it's bright enough but could be brighter. It is acceptable nontheless.

c) Most people say the keyboard on this is solid but I have to say otherwise here. It's not a bad keyboard but it is a bit loud in my opinion and not as solid as the T60 though the T60 is supposedly supposed to have the best keyboard for a notebook...

d) I have to say the fan on this is not configured correctly by HP. It runs way too fast and the speed transitions are not set correctly. The noise was honestly starting to annoy me until I discovered a tool called "Notebook Hardware Control" which you can use to control the fan speed transitions along with the speed. The way I have my configured runs the rans 30% slower and yet only increases the core temp by a few deg which is not a big deal at all. I can hardly even hear the fan now... I'm guessing HP set it high to be better safe than sorry... Maybe future BIOS versions will include a setting for the fan speed but for now Notebook Hardware Control does the trick just fine. It also shows u neat information about the machine...

Hope this helps... overall I'm extremely happy with the laptop. I believe I made the right choice on this and if you have high expectations like I do, you won't be dissapointed.

 

Thanks I decided to get T60

 

Hi Jeff,

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier but i was on vacation during the last two weeks with very limited internet access.

To answer your question, the whole lid - including the lcd panel was replaced.

BR,
Peter

 

Thanks for the reply Peter. I took mine into a service centre today and altho the tech was fairly sure that it was a bad capacitor on the inverter board, he's replacing the whole lid, as there is also a squeaking from the hinge on my unit.

Even better, as I've managed to get some scratches on the top. While the surface does seem robust, in actuality the coating is fairly thin and will scratch off fairly easily.

Bringing my laptop in for service made me wonder....does using NHC to control APCI fan profiles and CPU voltage void or compromise my warrenty?

Jeff

 

Sorry about the slow reply. Hectic Christmas and New Year. Back in my dorm room now so its all calmed down. Oh wait, coursework! Anyway...

Stupidly of me I remembered I have a PCMCIA 2x USB 2.0 port thingy. That works perfectly. But, the ports on the laptop still do not work. Device manager > usb controllers > driver > update doesn't work.

Can't download it Uni connection has always had a prob with HP for some reason. Any kind soul wanna download it for me then put it on filefront or rapidshare?

I'm hesitant to uninstall the PCMCIA device as the ports did work fine alongside it at first. I suspect this problem has arisen to to the mass use of standby and hibernate

 

i got a NX8420/NC8430 laptop couple weeks ago...
and i tried to install a fresh copy of window to get rid all the bloatware....
i created recovery disc and follow the steps given here http://www.4saad.com/WhatsNew/Fresh_XP_Install/index.htm
everything went on smoothly till i enter window setup where it ask you to press enter to install window xp, R to repair and esc to cancel setup ...
once i tapped the enter button it say cant find hard disc cannot install window press F3 to reboot .....

what should i do ....
to all the master here pls help me ... will appreciate it alot

 

alch I had a similar problem trying to just install with my alienware XP Pro cd. I had to change the harddrive drivers in bios from SATA to PATA (I think thats the other option). I can't reboot right now to check but that fixed my problem (windows just didn't want to install on the SATA).

Brian

 

darkrealms you are my saviour .....
thank alot now what i need to do is dl all the driver ....
i can skip installing these right :
the bios/ firmware / Operating System - Enhancements and QFEs / Software - Multimedia /Software - Security /Software - Solutions / Utility - Tools

 

alch remember that by "disabling" SATA you loose some of the performance of the drive but at the time it was what I had to do.
Security - if you plan on using the advanced security you need
Tools - again I think for your advanced built in HP settings

I install what I want and when I figure out I don't want it I just remove and when I figure out its required I reinstall I'm bad about that stuff.

LFC I pm'd you about that did you get it?

 

Here's an update on my thoughts about my HP NC8430
For my original review
Overall please with customer support for my power adapter

I am still overall very happy with my computer.
I have now been playing with the fingerprint reader for a while now and have thoughts on it:
Disapointed with the overall usage speed and accuracy of it. My IPAQ 5650 was better.
The software often does not work when returned from sleep mode or some other things (?haven't pinned them down yet?). Seems to be a software issue and an update would probably fix it.
The keyboard is still performing rather well and I have not had the warp or keys fading problem. However I have the D key that is becoming more difficult to push down. And after long term use I will agree that it does not have the "feel" of the ThinkPads (not that any other laptop does).
The light sensor is pathetic and anoying and I still disable it all the time.
I have burned several cds and dvds now with no problems. However I do hear the disc in the drive rubbing sometimes, but haven't consulted HP yet.
Everything else seems to be going good.

. . . well exept for the stupid ATI drivers that don't let me use different backgrounds when I'm using two monitors ( all the time at work grr...).

 

I've never used dual monitors before, but I suppose you could try Omega drivers instead (see graphic card section)

I also have ATI 6.8 driver from September and Omega's from Sept and Oct if you wanna try em out (if ATI site doesn't link to old downloads, but I think Omega do)

 

I had the same problems before upgrading to the latest fingerprint and protect tools downloaded from the HP driver support page.
It took about 15 seconds to read the fingerprint before upgrading.
Now it is almost instantaneous and works right away as soon as I wake up my nc8430 from stand by.

Try upgrading the soft.

Also, my reader never failed at recognizing my fingerprint. Works all the time.

 

Does the light sensor even work? Its that little white dot between the 'HP' sign and the left hinge right? Its completely superfluous because when I activate it and change the ambient light in the room by turning of the light bulb, I don't see it responding in anyway. Not a big deal though.

What is a big deal to me however is the rubbish DVD playback which I've mentioned some time ago, but still haven't resolved. To re-iterate, DVD movie playback is like watching a home-video recorded cassette of the same movie; there's no sharpness whatsoever. Think of a forest scene-what my nc8430 will playback is a blurred slurry of trees which more closely resembles bushes than a lush clearly defined forest. In a sentence, DVD movie playback looks like low resolution, like videos downloaded from p2p programs etc.

So please try out a DVD that has complex images in it e.g Lord of the Rings should be a good one and compare your playback quality with a regular DVD player on a normal tv. Are there any differences?

Another issue is the (imo) excessive fan noise while on AC power, something that has been mentioned more than a few times here. Has someone determined a way to cut down on the noise? Wasn't there supposed to some BIOS update that resolved this?

Regards

 

I have switched this sensor off as soon as I first started my notebook, so as you say, it's not a big deal...

IMO there is no BIOS update from HP. However, there is a perfect tool to cure it called Notebook Hardware Control. It's free and when allows also undervolting the CPU, which makes the fan working even less. You can read about it in many threads, for example here: http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1041766

 

Hey...

Has anyone noticed odd fan/thermal sensor behaviour when coming out of standby?

My NC8430 (rb554ut)'s temp goes all the way up to 72 degrees after coming out of standby....and the fan goes into medium speed.

How do I fix this?

Jeff

 

Whenever I plug in my nc8430 to the AC, the fan becomes much louder and noticeable even if the notebook isn't under a heavy load. Is this at all useful? And if not, is there a way to prevent this from happening?