HP Spectre 13T-3000

here you go. Mines somewhere between Oakland and me right now...

 

One of the few advantages to advanced age is the inability to hear high-pitched sounds. Mine should be here tomorrow, and I'll be very surprised if I can hear the fan noise that has everyone's knickers in a knot.

And without being all Simon Cowell-ish about it ("I don't mean to be rude, but..."), if you've got to sit in a perfectly silent room to hear the noise, is it really worth the gyrations to return and/or replace? Seriously, if you're able to work under perfectly silent conditions enough that this is a problem, then I am insanely jealous! Most of my work situations involved offices, airports, living rooms, etc where silence is unheard of. (rim shot)

 

Thanks. Hopefully you get yours tomorrow. Mine's been sitting in Anchorage for almost a day now, no idea why they won't move it closer towards me.

 

Great tip on the BIOS, I will definitely upgrade mine!

As for running on battery, you should be able to change your power management settings to max out performance while running on battery if that's what you want.

Take note that this will greatly decrease the amount of run time you get on a single charge. I mean, you can't have everything...

 

That does not help I keep mine on Performance mode all the time. Nothing I can do to keep turbo running in power mode.

To make matters worse. When i Put my laptop to sleep and come back. Even if its plugged in I cant get the fast CPU mark scores. I have to physically reboot and reload Intel utility to get the scores back up. How sh*itty

 

Yeah, I thought the performance stayed the same across reboots with the Intel tool. I'll check mine plugged in. It's been running on battery today.

 

you need to check the "plan settings - change advanced power settings - processor power management". See if the processor max is set to 100% on battery power.

 

Well my minimal power processor was set to 5% then I changed it to 100% to match what it is on power plugged in mode. Then I redid the test and nothing. Turbo mode isnt being activated. It actually went down a 100pts. Tried a restart too to see if that would help.

Put power back on it goes from 2600 to 4100 in CPU mark score. If turbo mode won't work on power mode then this laptop is going back. I will have my power plugged in probably 5% of the time when using this machine.

 

Chrome has serious issues with windows 8. That's probably where it all stems from. on my OLD laptop now running 8.1, Chrome continues to run processes in the background long after being closed and it uses up most of my processor causing it to get hot etc. I couldn't even uninstall Chrome without some quick clicking and task killing while trying to uninstall. I know we all hate to hear this but IE is really the best browser for windows 8...

Oh and I had the chrome settings set to not run any apps in the background, so I don't know why it acts that way...[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your reply and I'm using Windows 8.1. I'm sorry but I really don't understand most of what you said about your problems with Chrome. IE or Firefox are not my preferred browsers, though.

 

Well that actually fixed it. Instead of having minimal and max at 100% I had minimal at 98 and max at 98%

Now it is going faster then it has ever gone before even when power was plugged in. Went from a base score of 2650 to 4170. And according to intel tuner I was getting peaks of 2.9ghz on each core in turbo.

Ok so one issue down. Now if only that loud pitch noise will ever go away!!



*Update the slow speeds are back. I am refreshing my computer. Will update if they come back. Never been so frustrated with a brand new laptop

 

Well, so long as your cranking the CPU probably not. You could put on head phones and listen to music.

 

Press Ctrl, Alt and Delete and bring up your task manager with Chrome open. Then close Chrome and watch those chrome processes continue to run and waste your system resources. It might not be as big a deal on the newer machines, but on my 2 ghz C2D, it was hell. My laptop also has 8.1 (originally Vista). I have never preferred IE or firefox either, but IE runs great in 8.1.Compared to Chrome, anyway...

 

Okay, I had chrome open with 8 tabs and saw several chrome processes running under the task manager. I then quit chrome. The tasks all apparently terminated and were no longer showing in the task manager.

BTW - I really don't like MCafee that comes with this computer. It's incredibly lame and lets all sorts of stuff though. I instead installed ESet Smart Security which really seems to be doing it's job.

 

Why not just use MS's own Windows Defender? It is better than a lot of antivirus programs...especially McAfee.

 

Anyone try canceling their order before it was shipped? It looks like HP doesn't allow that from what they state on their website. I decided to go in a different direction after playing with several convertible ultrabooks. I don't think I can go back to the limitations of the traditional clamshell.

 

From my experience you will need to let it ship and then return it.

 

Is turning off Turbo still normal practice? My current laptop, a Lenovo W510, which is several years old, does the same thing, so this isn't new. In fact, when I bought it, I first tried a HP Envy that not only shut off Turbo, but also throttled the normal processor speed. All to preserve battery life. Does anyone know if the MacBook Air or other competitors with the same processor have the same issue? I'm surprised if the current reviews wouldn't notice and comment on this, if it wasn't normal. Likewise, are both the i5 and i7 owners experiencing the same thing and, if so, is the i7 stll performing better at least?

 

That is what it looks like. I guess I'll just have to refuse shipment. Seems like a waste of time and money. HP should be more flexible.

 

Nice! Maybe they fixed it? I tried multiple installs and got the same result every time. It might just be a compatibility issue between 8.1 and my old hardware.

for antivirus I used to use Kaspersky. It didn't slow the system down and seemed to do a good job. I don't remember getting a lot of annoying popups/alerts either. I haven't renewed it for the coming year so I'm just using windows defender/security essentials.

 

No.

What you need to do is call their customer support and get an RMA number. Just tell them that since it is not possible to cancel the order once it is placed, that you need an RMA number to send it back immediately once you receive it. They will do that. They will send you an email with an attachment with a FEDEX RETURN LABEL that you can print out.

They will pay for the return shipping. They will also refund ALL of your money (including shipping charges), once it is dropped off at the nearest FEDEX location.

I did exactly that. I called them before I even got the shipment to request a return. I needed to return a laptop that I had ordered that was not a touchscreen as I had thought it was. They emailed me a return label. I just stuck that on the box once I received it (I took off all of the other labels first) and I got my refund a few hours after I dropped off the box at FEDEX.

If you do the 'refusal' thing, that would only slow down your refund and possibly cause you some headaces.

Just some advice from my experience just a few weeks ago with HP. :thumbsup:

 

Mine is out for delivery today! I'll give my impressions after a few hours.

 

So far I love everything about the Spectre except the mouse pad. And I dont think there is anything specifically wrong with the Spectre's pad but just the buttonless trackpads in use these days. They are really sensitive, I had to turn off pinch zoom because I found myself constantly blowing up my screen size with a simple flick of the finger. I'm looking for a good slim bluetooth mouse that I can travel with. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I think Logitech makes a nice bluetooth mouse.

 

Yeah, they will ultimately give you a refund if you refuse shipment but it will take several weeks. I would only ever recommend that if a company charges a restocking fee/doesn't pay return shipping. Since HP offers a full refund just do it the normal way.

 

when watching video im hearing like just a bit of annoying fuzz while someone talks/music plays. its like coming from where the speakers are. the slight staticky noise is exactly the same pattern as the audio that i hear. does that make sense? anyone else having a similar problem? its not HORRIBLE but a little annoying. any way to fix this?

 

Hi Folks, I appreciate the information you've shared on this forum and your kind patience with someone who is not very technically savvy. My husband and son are very computer literate but they have those massive tower computers that they can upgrade whenever they want so while they can help somewhat I'm on my own when it comes to laptops, which my daughter and I prefer. I'm trying to get through all the evaluations/fixes before she gets it as a Christmas gift and I think I understand the processor performance benchmark issue. Not sure about using the Chrome browser issue. She actually doesn't use Chrome currently, should suggest she use IE preferentially for best compatibility with the touchscreen?

Also, I can't figure out how to turn on the backlight for the keyboard. I thought it was an automatic feature but apparently not with my settings. I can't find instructions for it on the hp help on the ultrabook. I'd appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

I think that there is a key somewhere on the top row (that stays lit up) that toggles the back light on and off.

I don't have mine yet but I seem to remember something about it in a review (I think).

 

Congrats! That's great. Looking forward to hearing your impressions. :thumbsup:

 

Did anyone figure out how to disable the CPU throttling on battery? I know it'll kill battery life but it doesn't matter to me.

 

Keyboard backlight toggle should be on f5 key, you don't hold down the Fn key to use it. This is an HP convention; I don't yet have my 13T either. The markings on the correct key look like this:
*--- and it is always backlit, even when the keyboard lights are toggled off.

Re: browsers and Win 8.1, I have always found IE tends to be the most trouble-free browser with Windows (the way Safari works best with Macs), though I happen to dislike IE so I use Firefox with Win 8.1 and it works perfectly. In this case it's more a matter of only Chrome not working well yet on Win 8.1 rather than IE working best. Hope those help.


Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

 

I've just ordered my Spectre 3004-tu which is the pre-built model being sold in Australia and NZ (I'm in NZ). We don't have access to ordering through an online HP website and customizing the unit, the products are sold through retail stores or on wholesale websites. I've paid for mine from an online website that I've used before, and saved NZ$300 rather than buy it through retail.

The 3004-tu is completely maxed-out. It has the i7 processor, 256GB SSD, and the QHD screen. Again, there is only one option in AUS and NZ, the 3004-tu, there is no option to customize. That's fine with me, I wanted the QHD screen and the i7 processor anyway.

What I paid for it is really incomparable, as the prices for electronics in the US and NZ is worlds apart - but I'll tell you guys anyway! NZ$2,700! So using xe.com, that's US$2,214. Outrageous, I know but It's what we live with down here.

I've been using an ENVY 17 since 2010, and had huge problems with that when I bought it. Went through three replacement models, as HP tried to fix a massively wobbly base. They eventually shipped me a higher specced 17 from AUS that wasn't available here (and not wobbly!) so I was happy.

I need something more mobile now for work, so looking forward to the Spectre! Will let you all know what I think of it when it arrives in the next few days.

The first 20 units just arrived into the country from China so #excited to be one of the first users in NZ!!

 

PSA: If anyone is having trouble with the CPU throttling on battery, I figured out how to stop it.

Go to this link : Download ThrottleStop 6.00 | techPowerUp

And download ThrottleStop. Use at your own risk, can cause damage - blah, blah, blah. All I did was run it, and it hit save. My CPU then stopped throttling on battery and I was getting the same benchmark scores and CPU clock as when it was plugged in.

 

That actually got it jumpstarted for me again. Thanks. Tho when I use that program, it makes my fans go on burst mode. It seems like its either all or bust. It was even working again once i closed the program and turned it off.

Doesn't work Until i hit the multiplier box. Also every time I reboot I have to turn it on/select box, then I can close them. Wish I didnt have to have to hear my fan on at all times. Even when I goto power saving mode I still hear the fan roaring,

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll do just that.

 

It's definitely worth being a bit careful with this utility. Read the caveat at the bottom of the page: you could be driving the CPU beyond the operating range the system was designed for (i.e. the maximum thermal capacity of the heatsinks etc or the maximum power handling capacity of the system board or wall charger).

EDIT: I wonder if there's any chance HP will refine the CPU performance management on and off battery. I would feel much more comfortable having a solution from them...

 

I was playing around with the HP Support Center app and there is an update to HP CoolSense recommended. What threw me off was the date of the installer - it went back to 08 2013 - but it did upgrade my version from 2.1 to 2.2.

I also went ahead and did the BIOS upgrade since this was recommended...

 

Hi Anil,
I agree with you. I made the following mouse settings to make it usable to ME:
(Spoiler alert - I strongly dislike the Win 8 gestures so I've disabled them as much as possible.)
Multifinger gestures: Checked
Two fingers gestures: Checked with the following settings

Pinch Zoom: Unchecked
Rotating: Checked (Default settings)
Four finger flick: Unchecked
Pointing (Default settings)
SmartSense: Default
Tapping: Checked with the following settings

Clicking: Checked with the following settings

Enabled Edge Swipe Settings: Unchecked

 

Thanks for the alert. That HP app is great! I did the recommended upgrades including the BIOS with no problems. CoolSense was not one of the upgrades on my list. In addition to the BIOS, I upgraded the Synaptics Touch Pad and the HP Event Viewer.

Regards, Jim

 

Congratulations kiwi!:thumbsup:

Good luck, Jim

 

The CoolSense upgrade was recommended in a different section of the HP App. I can't remember where that was now... Anyway, make sure you have version 2.2 - mine was back at 2.1

 

For anyone that is considering this laptop, or for anyone that is awaiting its delivery, I did a quick unboxing and put it on the youtubes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_qmzFQ6TvY
I hope this is beneficial to those looking for more video coverage of this device.
If people want a video review or anything else maybe I can take a crack at that, enjoy!

 

Yeah, I found it. Mine was also 2.1.

Thanks, Jim

 

any experience with the upgraded highest resolution display ? specifically , how do apps interact with this resolution ? How does the screen look if you adjust screen to lower resolution/ scaling etc as needed ?

 

I thought changing advanced power options fixed the throttling problems? That in conjunction with the Intel Extreme Tuner? I think someone else even said that a BIOS update fixed it...

 

Anyone with the qHD screen can you goto What is my screen resolution and tell me what it shows

For some reason mine comes up as 1280x720 which is half of what it should be.

 

Here's what I got: 1920 x 1080

Have you played around with the nVidia utilities? Also, check for any driver updates.

-Fred

 

I really like the QHD display. I've had very few complaints. In fact the only one I can think of is that a few HP utilities have dialog boxes with tiny fonts. All the other apps I'm using seem to be able to scale correctly to the screen and look fine.

 

The throttling is still kind of a mystery, but personally I haven't had any problems. In general I find the laptop performs very well. On battery I don't feel a need to defeat the energy saving technologies.

Updating the system is always a safe bet, and the Intel Extreme Tuner should do no harm.

 

Have you checked your scaling options in Win 8? I dunno whether it will affect how the site reads things but it just might. I intend to use mine at 100% or 125% at worst though lol. Gotta get that real estate

PS, mine is supposed to arrive in Monday! : (Sitting somewhere in Alaska ... )