HP NC8430 review

That's too bad...What is the RMA policy regarding dead pixels? I know most of my desktop LCDs have a few and the limit is eight.

 

It just keeps getting better and better! I found another dead pixel although this one is hardly noticable. So in total one red stuck pixel and 2 dead pixels. Unless more dead pixels were to crop up then I can't be bothered to get it replaced as its such a hassle. But I still consider it unacceptable that a 'business class' notebook should even leave the factory with defective pixels

 

Its listed as an 'option' but may be something that only comes when doing a custom-configured system. I haven't found anything that suggested that its supported on my system.

 

HomeSkillet check the hp website for the different versions that are available.
Research homework, lol.

Brian

 

My model has lightscribe (whatever that is, someone care to explain?), model number EY251ET#ABU

Oh and now it seems that that I have only 1 dead pixel but it is now pretty unnoticable. The stuck red pixel remains.

 

Lightscribe enables you to etch your CD/DVD with any design you wish.

 

Well, I have the same spec'd model. The difference in model numbers seems to be the USA vs. Brit versions.

On another note, does anyone know anything about the smart card reader? I'm looking to use it as a login, but I need to find some smart cards that are blank (I assume that is what I want) and compatible with the reader.

Is it something like this- http://cgi.ebay.com/Smart-Card-2K-V...7QQihZ004QQcategoryZ51082QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Guys, can you describe me how does the fingerprint reader work?
Is it good and easy to use feature or it's just a crap ? I heard that it's very difficult to log into the system with it.

Thanks.

 

How did you determine that your system supports lightscribe? I haven't found any mention of it on mine.

 

When you enroll you scan your finger (or fingers) a number of times until it gets a good enough data set. From that point, any finger you have enrolled will work.

When you boot up and get to a login prompt for XP (or dumped at a login prompt by your system being idle too long), another piece of software loads (as a small taskbar layed over the login screen) up called HP Credential Manager.

Scan, and your in. About 1 time in 3 the scan fails to register my print -- but I think thats mostly me doing it when rushed and the whole newness of the thing.

The credential manager also seems to act as a general password manager as well within Windows, but I haven't played around with that aspect yet (more interested in getting Linux tweaked).

All and all, its a nice feature, but not a deal breaker or maker.

 

I haven't bothered with the fingerprint reader yet but I do plan to use it. I got my fix out of the way with my h5455 IPAQ. From what I've read the NC8430s is better quality than the IPAQs. The key to getting the reader to work, is when your registering the fingers, get them at as many angles as you would use when logging on with each finger. For me it came with time and playing with it but now I miss maybe one in ten tries if I'm in a hurry.

Brian

 

Does anyone know how I can figure out whether the stock nc8430 (EY688AA) has lightscribe burner?

celondil, I would like to hear your experiences with linux. I have Ubtubu 6.06, but am too afraid to install it.

 

Could anybody try to connect the nc8430 to an external CRT and check quality of signal at some higher resolution and frequency, let's say 1280x1024 at 100Hz? I need a sharp display at this resolution, but I'm not sure if the nc8430 is able to do it.

 

Petry,

What is your definition of a pass/fail here. I have a CRT I Just retired I could hook up real quick later to try it out for you, but I'd need to know what you'd be looking for... ghosting? Scan Lines?

 

Thanks for your effort, I really appreciate it!

What I am looking for is a clear, sharp black text and lines that is easily readable. The screen should have nice focus with no ghosting etc. You can try 1280x1024 at 75Hz first and you will see how a perfectly sharp screen should look like. Then change to 100Hz and you will see how it changes. If you have a camera, you can also make a macro picture of some black text on a white background

If you can go even higher with the resolution, try 1600x1200 and then go from 85Hz higher and higher and check when the text and lines get ot of focus.

Thanks again,
Petr

 

HomeSkillet heres the info on mine. I have the EY688AA and this is what mine is.

hl-dt-st dvdram gma-4082n

Here's some links for data on it. I had to look it up by gma-4082n, it was hard to find anything by the full description. To answer your question though, I have found nothing to suggest LightScribe is a feature of this model.

http://www.gogocity.com/product_details.asp?dept_id=231&pf_id=CO02CDR0323

http://www.bigpockets.co.uk/product...9887&session=920e3ecf069309512bc0153ad638e932

http://www.techfever.co.uk/products.asp?recnumber=4242

http://www.pyramid.com/Product.aspx?StockCode=751209

 

Thanks for the info, Darkrealms. I had a few more questions though...

1) Which ATI driver should I be using to update the NC8430? I read that the ATI moblitiy drivers only work on a select few brands and the ATI desktop drivers don't work with laptops. Do Omega Drivers work?

2) I have been having some problems with FireFox and Internet Explorer. The text and pages seem centered and small compared to my other Dell 6000 1680x1050. MY dpi is set at 125% and my font turned to large. However, Firefox zoom only makes some fonts big, other remain very small. Internet Explorer's font change feature doesn't do anything. The werid thing is the text looks fine for all my other programs/games/etc except IE/firefox. My dell 6000 looks the same as the NC8430 in everything but internet explorer/mozila.

 

Has anyone tried increase the clock speed of the X1600? Or can anyone tell me if by doing so, will it have any adverse effect on the system, other than reduced battery life?

Thanks

 

I don't see the point of overclocking in this case. It already gets 3800 in 3dmark, why decrease battery life and increase heat for 2 fps?

Oh, and I switched to Opera. Much nicer now.

 

I want to upgrade my memory to 2 gig but i want to try to keep it under $150. What type of memory should i get like waht is compatible with this computer. Thankyou for your help

 

Homeskillet: you could reduce the resolution but it looks a bit ugly. Otherwise you just have to get used to it I suppose

 

I switched to Opera, and now text is much nicer. The zoom fuction actually works unlike firefox and IE.

 

Make sure that it's DDR2 Notebook Memory. 533Mhz or 667Mhz will do just fine. Brands such as OCZ, Kingston, Corsair, Crucial, Mushkin, and even Transcend are quality providers.

 

Thankyou, also i am having a hard time finding some good simple undervolting software so that i can hopefully add like an hour of battery life when i am typing a paper or something. Thankyou for your help

 

Two quickquestions to the nc8430 users,

I noticed the touchpad doesn't have a dedicated "on/off" button like some of the mainstream HP notebooks, Is it possible to map a dedicated hardware button to this function ? It's a minor quarrel but still it would be nice to have..

Secondly, until recently my interaction with HP notebooks was with a Compaq X1010CA notebook (one of the first Centrino/Pentium M notebooks) and it's touchpad had the ability to recognize a click without using a hardware button. When playing with some of the newer HP notebooks (at Best Buy ), I noticed that these touchpads don't have the feature. I.E. You have to use the touchpad to move the mouse and then the hardware button below it for clicking. Is this the same with the nc8430 ?

Thanks again!

 

Question to all nc8430 owners, this notebook is a little over my budge and i was originally considering the compaq v6000z with very similar specs as to the nc8430 except it had an amd turion 1.8 ghz processor as compared to the 2ghz processor in the 8430. However, if you guys think that the difference is that extensive, mebe i can shell out the extra $350, oh yeah and the graphics gard difference, which is a major one (but im not a huge gamer). Now is it worth spending the extra money on the 8430?? basically im looking for a good justification to spend the extra money...

 

Hi,

In response to Work in Progress,
1) As far as I can tell, there is no hardware button for "on/off" for the touchpad. There is a software one I believe.
2) I am unsure whether of the question being asked.

For Ehmjay,
I would say that both the specs and the build quality is superior. The Turion 1.8 turion isn't going to be in the ballpark of the Dual Core 2.0. Even the Pentium M, clock-for-clock beat the Turion. Graphics card wise, the 6150 and 6200 can't compete with a X1600. 6200 is very entry level card with little power. I believe the 3dmark05 for those geforces is around 1,000 while the X1600 is about 3,800.

Build quality wise, the NC8430 really has equal besides the ThinkPad. The magnesium is tough and really beatuful at the same time. I doubt the lower-end Compaq are going to be that well built.

I would just keeping looking around at retailers until you can find a good deal on the nc8430.

 

Don't know if there is a away to do it in software (I presume there would be). However the touchpad itself it recessed a bit lower than most laptops, so that should somewhat reduce the number of accidental touches.

 

Thank you for your answers. I guess I should phrased my second question a little more clearly.

I used to have a Compaq X1010 (a model that was brand new in 2003) and on that touchpad, you would slide your finger along the touchpad and the mouse would move (which is how all touchpads behave ). However, it had the added ability, that when I tapped (or double tapped) my finger on the touchpad, it would be a click or a double click. I would never use the right/left click hardware buttons located below the touchpad.

I.e. Assume the cursor is on the desktop. I slide my finger along the touchpad and the cursor moves to an icon on the desktop. I then can tap the touchpad (anywhere on the touchpad) once to select the icon, or tap it twice to open that icon (or rather it's corresponding program/shortcut). My finger never leaves the touchpad (i.e. I don't have to use any hardware buttons located below the touchpad).

Does the nc8430 have this feature ?

 

I bealieve so, at least all the notebooks I ever used had this feature. I think it is some software solution.

 

Thanks for your reply, the reason I asked is because the later versions of the
X1000 series (released in 2004) and there was no software solution available for it.

 

Pretty much all laptops (going back to 1998 for me) should have that feature. I believe Macs (and perhaps some others) can tell how many fingers you tap with, so you can do stuff like 2 fingers is a double click, 3 fingers is a right click, etc.

IF a laptop doesn't act that way, its far more likely that one system had corrupt, misconfigured, or inappropriate drivres. For example if it was set up using a generic PS/2 device, those extensions would just not work.

As for the 8430, not only does taping the touchpad work, but tapping the trackstick works too for clicking too.

 

Thanks for the confirmation!

 

Wrk_InProgress, yes this laptop does function in this way. As celondil said pretty much all of them do and have for a while. Was the X1000 series a budget model?

ehmjay1, I love my nc8430 but you have to decide what it is your looking for. I needed the build quality and the Dual core for work. It is definately a supirior system in my opinion. What is the price you are currently looking at on the compaq v6000z? Where are you looking for the nc8430 and what model (example mine EY688AA)?

Brian

 

Darkrealms, I already placed the order for my nc8430, it seems as if everyone is really satisfied with the notebook. The compaq it seemed so flimsy if you just touched the back of the screen you could see the ripples, just wasn't convinced that for 250$ cheaper i was getting a good notebook. The compaq was for 1250$ and the nc8430 was for $1500 both including taxes and shipping. And i got the nc8430 today and the model number is EY688AA same as urs

 

This may not be the answer you are looking for, but I will give it nonetheless. I don't think undervolting is necessary, atleast with this model. When the nc8430 is not plugged in, the GPU clock speeds substantially lower to save significant battery life. Even if you do decide to undervolt your cpu, you might only gain 15-20min of usage. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

ehmjay1 congrats, you should enjoy it. You will definately like the build quality in comparison. Gotta love how computer prices drop I got mine a few weeks ago for $1650 total (could have gotten it for around $1580 total but wasn't sure about that company).

Brian

 

Is it possible to set the X1600, so it doesn't increase its speed when powered from mains? I rarely play games, so I won't need too much graphics power, but my nc8430 will be plugged in the mains very often.

 

That is a very nice price. Hope you enjoy your new laptop

 

I think the ATI control panel has some commands to set battery life/less heat over performance.

 

I'd be really surprised if they didn't (as there is an option for that in ATI's Linux driver). It might be referred to as Powerstates or some such.

 

anyone know if HP will come out with a BIOS update so I can put merom in this beast?

 

Well check this out...

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00723801

Out August 15th (it should be the same for most platforms I suppose since it is the same date for the nx9420/nw9440)

 

It would be nice if HP started selling Merom in the nc8430 on the same day

 

Are there any other changes that they are planning to make to the model? How did you find that doc?

 

It would be nice if they had nice price drop for existing Core Duo units as well ... that is what I am waiting for...

 

powerplay..move it all the way to the left for max battery

 

I couldn't wait much longer and placed my order today at Buy.com. I hope to get it by Thursday.

 

I guess I'm the newest member of the NC8430 club. Just received my "baby" today. Ordered it from compusmart.com (one of a handful of Canadian online retailers, though they have 40 physical stores across the country). Ordered it at 4:50 pm on Friday. Arrived at 2:45 pm on Monday with free shipping.

Total including taxes: $2279.65 CAD. Model: EY688AA

First impressions - loving every minute of it. Have to get used to the middle "third" button on the trackpad, but other than that, it has been a treat. I installed all the bloatware on purpose, just for kicks but will do a cleam install/format when I get a new XP Pro CD from HP.

 

How heavy is this compared to the NC6400?