HP Spectre 13T-3000

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thanks, I kind of wished I had waited to hear some of this feedback about back light bleed before returning it. It wasn't terrible, I just thought that it was indicative of a possible future display problem that would worsen after the 21 day return window was expired.

I was not knowledgeable about this being a relatively 'normal' occurrence, otherwise I probably would have just kept it. It was working well in all other respects. So unless the next one is a lot worse I will know to not worry about it.

Thanks for the info!

 

I did check with HP New Zealand. They will only repair Spectre model 13-3004tu, which is only sold in Australia and New Zealand. This model is NOT sold in the US. If it is not this model it is classed as a 'parallel imported product' and the official HP repair centre here in Auckland (who are very good btw as I've dealt with them a lot) will charge for any repairs.

 

Thanks for that explanation. I just ordered a max config I7/256/8GB RAM/AC wireless/QHD. I was please to see the %20 coupon come back...whew! I have been researching this model after returning my Dell XPS 11 last week. I am hoping the Spectre will be a keeper as the specs look great and it is a very solid build. I checked out the I5 system that Best Buy carries and was impressed. The Dell XPS 11 was a valiant attempt at a new design but it had lots of quirks and buggy behavior, power management issues, a keyboard that is not compatible with speed and accuracy. I also have a max config Dell Venue Pro 11 with mobile keyboard and dock coming so between this and the Spectre, I will keep the one that works best for me. They are two very different machines with big potential and the only way to decide is to actually have a few days of time to use them. Question - I was a little undecided between getting the 1080 FHD and the QHD but opted for the QHD. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on that controversy on the 1300T Spectre. I have searched the internet to see what other differences may exist between the two displays (brightness, contrast, power consumption, display angle etc) but that information is nowhere to be found and the customer service reps have no detailed information as usual. I had no issues scaling or otherwise on the QHD Dell screen so I ordered it over the 1080 FHD on the Spectre. The only information I could find reported anywhere is a spec of 340 NITS brightness but even there it was not clear if that was the rating for both the FHD and QHD. That is one decision that everyone is all over the map on or so it seems. Hopfully the fan noise and heat on the Spectre is not an issue for me. Seems like some of the owners report it being an issue and others do not. Of course, sound is objective and everyone is different regarding their system usage. The only slight negative I noticed was the silver color keys. As others mention, black keys on a white backlight is preferable contrast over silver and white. Otherwise it seems everyone is giving praise to the build quality, screen quality (both FHD and QHD), track pad and keyboard. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

To clarify, HP here will only repair the model code Spectre 13-3004tu (F4828PA), which is the only retail unit being dispatched in NZ. Any other product codes of the Spectre 13 are classed as 'parallel imported' and not covered by the HP NZ standard one year manufacturer's (or any other care pack) warranty.

This is pretty standard. I.e. parallel imported phones - the Samsung and Apple repair centres here will only repair the NZ models and nothing from overseas. Once they pop open the hood and identify it as being foreign goods via the IMEI and product code the gloves are off.

As our prices are a lot higher than anywhere else in the world, why would I (if I was HP, Samsung, Apple ect) to have consumers buying electronics from the States at hugely reduced prices and being able to use them in NZ? Well they work fine here with the power adapters, but I (putting myself in the shoes of HP) can take away your standard one year manufacture's warranty, encouraging you to buy the NZ-specific model. That's business.

 

This is my first here though I have lurked around these pages for a far longer time. I would like to thank all of you for the amazing discussion here which helped me in convincing to buy HPS 13. I was also evaluating XPS 13 but it was too expensive for lower specs. I ordered the maxed out version of the laptop.

I plan to do a fresh install with Windows 8.1 Pro (Available through my organization). Has anyone done it ? What things do I keep in mind?
1) Should I delete the recovery partition since I have my own copy of the OS or save it somewhere?
2) It is better to use non OEM drivers or go with HP provided drivers ?

 

If it were me, and I needed the Pro version for some reason, I would consider just updating with a new product key and keeping the original install with known working drivers etc. You can recover the recovery partition space if you need to by moving it to a USB drive.

 

I picked up an I7/256/8GB RAM/AC wireless/QHD and everything is good so far except several things that I noticed.
When I type letter "Y" (and some other letters) on the keyboard around lower right corner of the key, the key doesn't register. Does anybody else experience similar problem?

 

From what Kiwi style has said about the warranty I guess ill have to buy one from NZ :/ Warrant seems necessary for this Spectre after seeing some problems people are having in this discussion. Dell XPS 13 had keypad problems as what im hearing so Spectre it is.. Hopefully order it within this month

 

Bad "Y" key? I haven't had any problems with the keyboard. This sounds like a real issue... I would return or repair.

 

HP has great customer service here as well rest assured, once you get your unit to the repair centre in Greenlane (Auckland) you're set.

I was dealing with head office in Wellington eventually over my wobbly ENVY that they couldn't fix. They tried shipping in a full replacement base, as well as four brand new rubber feet. That didn't fix it. That was after we'd opened up two other boxes at Harvey Norman, put the laptops on a flat surface, and the things wobbled like crazy, it was ridiculous. So it was clearly a full batch quality control issue, and a major one at that, something that HP put in their apology. But like I've said, I think it was testament to their customer service, that they were willing to upgrade my unit to a higher-speced ENVY (a model number not sold in NZ but with maxed-out specs), and give me a extended cover pack. They agreed to cover any faults with the unit from Australia - it's had none in three years, runs hot but that's expected.

The cost of the higher-speced unit was AU$4999 at the time in 2010. That's NZ$5437 in (today's dollars) using xe.com. I had payed NZ$2999 for my defective unit which HP were unable to repair and head office in Wellington stepped in to order a different unit from Australia - great success!

My Spectre has been great so far, no issues - a good batch of 20 arrived here on December 23, looks like there are still some at the distributor!

 

Can I merge the recovery part of the Drive into the main one after I take a back up ? If yes then how do I do it ?

 

Apologies for the double post. Replied using "Reply" instead of with quotes. Can I merge the recovery part of the Drive into the main one after I take a back up ? If yes then how do I do it ?

 

Great outcome on that ENVY lol. So to repair you just take it to Greenlane now? No need to ship anywhere? Also which distributor are you talking about??

 

Prosumer: Please be well aware that blowing away the recovery partition and manual installing is ENCOURAGED! I do not agree with SeaLevel274 with respect to this course of action. There should be no reason any customer is forced to purchase an OS with a new device;

A complete reformat using my volume license was painless, and only one unknown device was left (which was to be expected), eventually windows update fixed it. Having a hand rolled windows has actually produced better performance than others running their speed tally software... (I have been saving that little tid-bit and i did submit my score somewhere as a 13t3000). I have several services and other BS disabled which most others wont, but come on. grow a pair and reformat that thing.

im always happy with something hand rolled!

 

See the link below. It can be part of the process.


Create a USB recovery drive - Microsoft Windows Help

 

FWIW, my screen also has this "bleed" noticeable on the bottom leftish area, but I've only noticed it on the OS boot screen. No issues at all during regular usage, movies, etc.

 

Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Disk Management. You can delete the recovery partition and then expand the "C" partition, using the space created when you deleted the recovery partition. Make sure you are deleting the RECOVERY partition and it has to be adjacent to the "C" partition for this to work.

I prefer to use DVDs for recovery media. USBs are too easy to lose. If you do use a USB, it needs to be at least 16 GB in size.

Good luck, Jim

 

Sounds like double standards to me. Check out HP's warranty policy on international cover. It does say it will cover if the model is sold in the country. If they want to use the sub-model numbers with different configuration as an escape clause then thats pretty bad.

My experience of buying a macbook air in the UK and claiming warranty in Singapore was pretty good. Apple replaced the unit with a newer and higher spec one. And there isn't an Apple store in singapore. They are all resellers. The repair companies are all franchised. They tried to help and once they got authority from apple, a new system was shipped to me.

 

Thanks Jim. Do you suggest doing a clean install vs just upgrading to 8.1 Pro? I have a 8.1 Pro key with me. The reason why a clean install is attractive to me is because the bloatware gets taken care of. As of now I have no idea about the amount of bloatware on the machine. It ships on the 6th (Thankfully the reverse countdown is coming to an end )

 

Thanks hack. I actually did plan to do that to take care of the bloatware plus a clean install does provides a sense of ownership and control ( I just have my OCDs). My only concern was with the drives and their updates. One of my friend has the same machine and he got a big BIOS update last week. How do I make sure I receive those updates when I do a clean install?

 

And will it void my warranty ?

 

I have never upgraded to Pro, but I have done two upgrades to Win 8.1 from Win 8 with absolutely no problems. I usually do a clean install when upgrading an older OS to a new one. (XP to Win 7 for example.) But, when I do that, it is because the old system is full of stuff that has accumulated over the years and I want to start fresh with a new OS.

Good luck, Jim

 

The following bullets are just my initial impressions from my first 3 days of use on my Spectre. The points within each list are in no particular order of importance or intensity. Also, you can probably tell that I don’t write professionally as a career as I tend to ramble sometimes (please excuse the brevity or typos). Happy New Year!

Pros:
• The screen has fantastic viewing angles with little to no color distortion
• The layout of the keyboard is very nice and comfortable
• It’s a nice bonus that Photoshop Lightroom is included software
• The design is very nice. Visually speaking HP did a fantastic job with the exterior colors and the physical shape of the laptops casing
• This laptop has been very quiet for me, albeit I haven’t done anything taxing. I have heard the fan turn on a few time (it is a bit high pitched) but this doesn’t bother me at. My previous laptop constantly made noise since it had a spinning hard-drive and got hot quickly.
• My next point, this laptop stays comparatively cool, and I don’t mind using it on my lap since it’s so light.
• The large mouse pad is nice and the zones have been helpful when navigating 8.1. However, if I’m going to sit down and do serious work, I’m plugging in a mouse.
• Excellent, boot and shut down time. This was a serious problem with my old spinning hard drive laptop – it was so slow at booting
• Really, this laptop has everything I’ve been looking for so far, and unless a serious issue arises I plan keeping it for a good while.

Cons:
• I read that the color gamut is not the widest, but being that I don’t use photo editing software much it doesn’t bother me.
• There is a slim rubber lining around the edge of the screen (it’s black and blends in mostly) that protect the screen from being scratched. However, I noticed, especially along the bottom, that the rubber is not evenly applied as parts of it stick out. This is noticeable along the bottom because the black is adjacent to the light silver finishing. Aesthetically this bothers me, but I’m unsure if this will worsen over time
• The silver keys with the white backlight is not the best combination during the daytime. At night it’s great, but the easy solution here is to turn off the backlight during the day, which saves battery too.
• The power plug design is poor. It doesn’t stay in well and is wobbly when plugged in. Probably what I've disliked the most so far about the laptop.
• I can’t say this is a speed demon. It’s not necessarily a con for me because for what I use it for, it is ample and smooth when navigating between applications. However, I have noticed that it can lag when loading web pages (this could also be my wifi). Disclaimer: this is an incomplete analysis of the processing speed…I didn’t do any formal tests and seriously tax it.
• The biggest adjustment so far has been life without the left and right dedicated click bottoms. I’ve had to retrain myself to know where to click and right-click.

Still to test:
• Webcam – occasionally I use Skype, but really I don’t web chat much as I prefer phone or email
• Touchscreen – I’ve always hated smudges on a screen. Even on my smartphone I clean every night (which everyone should do anyway just to remove fomites). The large touch was a big factor I chose this machine over others that transform in tablets…
• Transfer speeds – haven’t uploaded or downloaded files extensively yet
• Game play – would like to play some moderate games, but overall I’m not a huge gamer

- Cheers 

 

It's NZ's government policy on imported goods, to protect retailers. It's not HP's policy but a general rule on buying electronics from overseas at hugely discounted prices and using them in NZ. The companies have been given the right to ignore the standard warranty by the government. Living in this country we have accepted that electronics are expensive when compared to Asia and the US. I know many people who have bought parallel imported phones to NZ, new from Asia, and they've broken. Apple, Samsung ect won't repair them. I don't know anyone who has bought new computers, TVs, PlayStations ect to NZ.

Trust me on this one, New Zealand has strict import laws to protect retailers, and this means 'imported goods' i.e. anything that isn't NZ new, is classed as 'parallel imported' and warranties are void on most things and by most companies.

 

You still have to ring the 0800 number and log a job, but they give you the option of either having it collected by courier (they pay), or drop it off at the official repair centre in Greenlane. Since I live close, I said I'd pop in. I was in and out quite often as they tried to repair my ENVY

I checked the website where I bought mine (it won't let me write the name but it's dodgy@#$%^&*#$co.nz - the name doesn't inspire confidence I know :thumbsup and there is still 19 units at the distributor. My box had shipping info on it, saying they had arrived from China, and into the warehouse in Mangere.

 

Hey guys. Quick question about the m.2 interface. I know the one of the BIG advantages of the new haswell macbook pros/airs (it has been benchmarked) has been the introduction of PCI-E SSDs. I've been trying to read over what i could find on m.2 and am a little confused. Is m.2 essentially PCI-E ssds? So the i/o performance of the Spectre should be close to that of the new haswell based macbooks? Of course it will depend on which SSDs each has but i heard the Spectre has a sandisk which shouldn't be to shabby. Hopefully if its PCI-E they didn't stick it on an X1 lane.

 

Whats your config:

Its kind of mixed bag some reviews state the performance is very good:
HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook Review - Editors' Choice - LAPTOP
and other state its not so good:
HP Spectre 13t review | Digital Trends Reviews

Every review likes it a lot it seems though.

I actually tried to cancel my order and i decided to try it out since they gave me another $100 off. I'm thinking i'll probably still end up returning it though and going with a rMBP 13 with 16GB or ram though i know i will be spending more money but i don't want to skimp on something that will make me happy for the amount the rMBP will cost me.

Your biggest complaint is one of the things i first noticed. I love apples magsafe charging system and HPs just seem cheesy. To be honest it seems to be the only major thing hp skimped on with this model. I tend to always leave my notebooks plugged in because i'm always near a power connector. I'll give it a week through and see how happy i am. I'm sure my biggest complaint won't be with the labtop but with windows itself.

 

I have a maxed config (8gb ram, 256 ssd, i7, ac) other than 1080p screen. Yeah I forgot to mention the software -- 8.1 -- generally it doesn't bother me, but I don't find the metro interface all that useful. It is almost more of a hindrance at times since I don't like using touchscreens. Also, their app store is a joke, and I much rather use browser based versions of their apps, or a desktop version. Visually though it's appealing.

 

Wow your seeing lag even with the i7. Not good haha. I got the same config but went with the QHD resolution. Maybe its the bloatware that comes installed. The first thing i plan to do when i get it is to wipe it clean with a bare install of win 8 enterprise. I've heard it comes with Lightroom 5 hopefully there is a good way to get it back on if i wipe it. Win 8 isn't horrible as long as you install Start8 & ModernMix. I like some enhancements of win 8 over win 7 like with the task manager but the metro stuff is a joke but with start8 & modernmix you never have to look at start screen again. On top of that some of my favorite apps are not on win 8 like Pocket & Tweetbot. This is pretty sad when you consider i'm a windows developer but i just run parallels when i develop on the mac.

 

Another question for everyone. How good is HP return policy? When you return it do you have to pay for shipping back or do they? How soon after they receive it do you see it back on your card?

 

The bloatware isn't awful, surprisingly. I disabled a few programs from starting up, but I looked through the processes in task manager and nothing was hogging the CPU. I'm not quite ready to peg the lag on the i7 since it only occurs with web browsing, so likely it's my wifi.

 

There return policy is great. You are not out a dime. They will email you a return label and give you a full refund including shipping charges.

I have done it twice and both times, I had my refund a few hours after I dropped off the return at the Fedex store.

Hopefully the 2 replacement laptops I have on order now (a 13" Spectre and a 15.6" Envy) will be keepers.

 

I got my HP spectre 13t-3000 a couple of weeks ago. Before I bought it, I just wanted a compact notebook for traveling. I am a windows user, but I almost decided to buy a 4th gen MBA since it looked so nice, very compact and long battery life. I was also looking at the ultrabooks. There were several models out there at that time but either they are 3rd gen intel which had shorter battery life, or the prices were way higher than MBA with the similar features. Then I saw the very nice beautiful HP spectre 13t-3000, plus 20% discount. I am glad that I made a right decision. I do not use notebook for extensive computer work such as photo and video editing, which are done with my desktop. So I picked up the very basic model (4gb ram and 128gb SSD). After using it for a couple of weeks, here are my impressions:

1. Appearance: built solid, very nice design. There are 2 USB 3.0 inputs and a standard HDMI output, which is nice to hook up to HD TV. I wish it could have an internet cable input though. The backlit keyboard and touch pad are very comfortable to use. Someone mentioned about fan noise. I occasionally heard a noticeable sound from the fan for a short time when the machine was doing extensive job, but not to an annoying level, nor constantly as someone thought. A SD slot is able to allow me to add additional storage (64 gb SD card).

2. As compared to Macbook air, 13t-3000 touch screen is a plus, and it has a higher resolution (1990x1080 vs 1440x900 in MBA). Upgrading to 2560x1440 is an option, but I feel 1080p is good enough for a 13.3” screen. I do not see any necessity or advantage of 2560x1440 in such a small screen, or I have to view larger image file or the font size to fill the screen. With most image file size on web view, the size of the images showing on 1440 screen is smaller than those are displayed on 1080p screen. Of course I can make them larger, but certainly they lose clarity and make no sense to me. I do see mild backlight leakage out of the top screen when the machine boots up at the beginning with HP logo, which I think is normal for most screens.

3. Fast boot-up and shut-down. My desktop speed is faster than this ultrabook, using windows 7 and also SSD, but still takes longer time to boot up and shut down.

4. Performance is reasonably good for me. I am a photography and video fan but I mainly use my desktop to get the job done. I am aware that in this forum someone used Intel extreme utility to benchmark this machine sometimes got low score, and the digitaltrends.com also tested the machine coming out a slow performance score. ( HP Spectre 13t review | Digital Trends Reviews) I found out that this was because of the power settings. If the power setting is set on “High performance”, then the machine will work on boosted turbo at 2.6GHz instead of 1.6GHz at lower power setting. You can try this to see the difference. I use the Intel graphic control panel to set up “high performance” when the power cable is plugged in, and either “HP recommended” or “power saver” setting when using battery.

5. I do not like windows 8 start screen so I downloaded a small program (Classic shell –it’s free) to change my screen to look like and function like windows 7.

Overall I am very happy with this purchase. I know the HP service is good, and a two-year warranty with parts and labor is another plus.

 

I just did a bit more research. The color gamut is actually really great. Not sure if full sRGB isn't enough for you? Lol the service manual lists it to have 72% color gamut rating. I believe it was listing the gamut in terms of the NTSC color triangle. 72% of the NTSC gamut equals to about 100% sRGB. Which would help explain the "deep blacks" everyone is raving about. Because they would have to use better lighting as well to achieve the color gamut rating. But there is one review that says it's 97% sRGB. Regardless thats a very high quality panel.

Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...uRF4uZymNpn8afaNw&sig2=scOMK4umcZLEEV-cQvLu-Q

BTW ordered mine: fully specced out with QHD & 20% coupon. Says it will ship on the 20th. Hopefully mine doesn't have too many issues. Can some one explain the shipping procedure? Also can anyone confirm if the 2 year warranty includes parts and labor?

 

Congrats on ordering one! I ordered mine in early December and it was supposed to ship out on the 25th, but there were production delays or something so my ship date got pushed back until the 10th. It seems to me that my case is unique, but as far as I know the shipping procedure is that they send you notifications of when the order has been received and will then send another email including the tracking number of your computer and depending on which shipping method you chose the computer should arrive between 3 days to a week and a half. Can't comment on the warranty though.

Also anyone who uses fatwallet, how long does it take for the cashback to appear on my account after purchasing from HP? Thanks guys.

 

Thanks. I was stuck between this and a macbook pro. I do a lot of design work with Photoshop. My computer (desktop) decided to die one day. My parents were set on getting a rMBP. Then I got a new power supply to test it my comp and it works just fine. So I no longer needed a work horse replacement. Then I saw the price of this along with the 20% off and couldn't resist. Read all the problems with this laptop and well if anything I can get a replacement easily. The best part is that Light Room is included so that is going to save me some time! Also needed a laptop for college anyways. It fit the bill without breaking the bank. Hopefully should suffice light photoshop and indesign editing.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the excellent feedback and guidance on this product. My almost-maxed unit (i7/8GB/128GB/QHD/AC/W8PRO) arrived on 12/24, but is sadly afflicted with the “whistling fan syndrome” as reported by others.

Most of the time, the fan is off and no worries. But when under load (for example, streaming Netflix), the fan comes on and the whistling is very noticeable, at least to me. Most annoying is one of the middle fan speed levels, which has a slight but noticeable (again, to me) oscillation in speed and pitch.

My understanding is that most(?) 13t-3000 owners are not experiencing this issue, or if they are it’s not a deal-breaker for whatever reason. But for the rest of you, what has been your resolution?

Has anyone returned their unit based on this issue alone (and if so, any pointers on dealing with HP)? If you bought or received a replacement, did the problem persist?

Or are there config settings that minimize/eliminate the problem?

 

I had this problem (it's been discussed a few times in this thread, but it tends to get buried in the ~100 pages of posts). Basically, mine was whistling annoyingly under load, and this was a dealbreaker for me. At least one professional reviewer has mentioned the fan noise in their review ( PCWorld's review). I tried adjusting various settings (made sure "fan always on" was disabled in the BIOS, toggled Coolsense on/off), but didn't have any luck getting rid of the whistling noise.

However, enough people on this thread seem not to have the whistling at all that I'm willing to give HP one more shot (plus I really liked Spectre except for the fan problem), and so exchaged my Spectre for an identically spec'd one. I'm supposed to get mine in late January (which is kind of a bummer), but I'll post my results either way when it gets here.

In terms of deailng with HP: they were amenable to the exchange. I described my problem and they sent me a shipping label quickly and I was able to get it reordered the same day I returned my Spectre to FedEx.

 

I'm sorry if it was answered before (I asked about it a while ago) but my Spectre just arrived and now I'm interested in using the Intel video, Bluetooth, and wireless drivers instead of the HP ones. Someone earlier said that they tried to install the video drivers and some HP software wouldn't let them. Has anyone else found whether you can install other compatible drivers without an HP background app preventing or reverting to their drivers?

 

Mine is on order; noted that Lenovo products come with voice recognition ( from Dragon ) built in and easily accessible . Any reliable voice recognition built in to this HP notebook ?

 

Thanks, I did see your previous posts as well as those by toomanynames, but wasn’t clear on the final outcome. I like everything about this laptop except for the fan noise, and am leaning towards returning and reordering with fingers crossed that a replacement will be better.

Rats, looks like the PC92229 coupon has expired. Anyone have a new 20% code? So far I’ve only found the PC2905 code for $200 off. Or since this is effectively an exchange, will they honor the same 20% deal I had on the original order?

 

Can I ask what would be your reasons to change these drivers? Did someone notice the advantages of the Intel drivers over HP's?

 

I've posted this question before, but did not get a definitive answer : is the 7260 N WiFi dual band ( 2.4 and 5 hz ) or do you have to upgrade to AC to get dual band WiFi ? the Intel 7260 N WiFi comes in both single and dual band varieties. If all my routers both at work and home are N routers , does the expense of changing 3-4 routers / extenders make AC worthwhile if streaming video content is NOT a priority ?

 

What configuration did you order? I wonder if there is any association with one or more of the specific system configuration types. While on the surface it seems "random" but it may not be if we have all the information on the impacted system configurations. I am hoping for no fan/heat issues as well. I have an I7/8 GB/256/QHD/wireless AC/Win Pro on order due to arrive on Jan 21st.

 

HP does not update the drivers as often as Intel does. Intel may make performance enhancements in newer drivers that won't get to the HP versions for some time.

For $20 I would take the upgrade to the AC card. It's a better performing card even if you stick with Wireless N routers. And it sets you up for if/when you upgrade to AC routers.

 

"Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 802.11 AC 2x2 WiFi + BT 4.0 Combo Adapter (except Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine) ●Intel Wireless 7260BN 802.11 bgn 2x2 WiFi + BT 4.0 Combo Adapter (default for Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine"

Source: Service Manual.

I'm sure it does. The manual has a lot of information on the computer. Should look into it. It's pretty useful which is how I figured out the screen color gamut.

 

I finally got a chance to go hands-on with this system and a few others I was considering at a local electronics store. I already ordered it, but I'll list some impressions to anyone still on the fence.

Samsung Book 9 - Beautiful industrial design. Thin, stiff, premium, feels expensive. Garbage specs. Screen has poor color gamut and scaling, and the Pentile grain is visible. Too expensive for the innards unless you place an absolute premium on size, weight, and appearance.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro - Thin, light, well-built, no fingerprints. Not quite as 'premium' as the others, but would excel in day-to-day usability. Screen is identical to the Samsung Book 9. The reversing hinge actually is useful for using Windows as a content-consumption OS. I'm much less inclined to bother with hinges that have less travel. Overall, a non-starter for my purposes because the color gamut is so poor and I can't see that improving to sRGB with a BIOS update.

Asus UX302LA - Very good screen. Cheap-looking and feeling keyboard, though good key travel. Glass cover is very smooth, very ostentatious, and an absolute fingerprint magnet. Was not as impressed by this one as I thought I would be.

Macbook Pro Retina 13 - About the same size, still the most natural and least glitchy touchpad. No OS scaling issues. The best 'pure laptop' here. Build quality isn't any better than the Samsung and similar to the HP, but the chassis still looks more 'one-piece' than anything else. Faster chip and graphics, though this didn't actually pan out when I tried the application I care most about (Photoshop). Remains to be seen if the HP does any better.

HP Spectre 13t - Excellent screen (1080p). Full sRGB gamut, excellent viewing angles. Similar to the Asus. Slight greenish color cast relative to the Macbook. Outer case is excellent. Very stiff, attractive, doesn't pick up fingerprints. Heavier than I expected, noticeably more so than the Yoga 2. Slightly thicker than expected also. Keyboard is average: slight flex. Touchpad is an unknown because I didn't tweak the defaults. The cursor disappeared twice when I was using it; the latter time, I had to reboot. I couldn't intuit the purpose of the left gesture section. Two-finger scrolling in web-pages was delayed to start compared to the Macbook. More often, I just reached for the screen.

The only build quality lapse was the painted rubber on the feet. In the store demo model, the paint was wearing away. They should have been plain black instead of purple.

I wanted to hear the fan activate, but couldn't manage. Prime95 64-bit with 4 threads wouldn't use any more than 65% of the CPU. A second 4-thread instance didn't add anything else (but did cause the cursor to disappear). The CPU was constantly around 1.4 GHz. After five minutes, the fan still hadn't turned on. I'm a little confused about this; I've never had trouble saturating a CPU before.

My overall impression: There's nothing with the HP's specs, build, and overall quality near the 20% off price. The next best option is probably the rMBP for $300 more. While I ordered the qHD screen, I don't think it's necessary. The base 1080p panel is best-of-breed. I'm concerned about the chip downclocking, fan noise, and the touchpad. If those three things pan out with the unit I receive, I'll be very happy.

 

I was wondering that too. Mine is maxed except for the smaller SSD ((i7/8GB/128GB/QHD/AC/W8PRO). I think toomanynames had the identical config(?) Hmmm.

 

The chip downclocking was fixed on mine after installing the BIOS update. But the throttling still occurs on battery. If I'm doing anything intensive I'm plugging it in anyways, so it doesn't matter to me, but you may be able to fix it with a program like Throttlestop. Fan noise depends on your ears, and how sensitive you are to high pitched noises. It definitely is a high pitched whine on mine, but I've gotten used to it. Really only noticeable though during gaming when the fan is really going, or in the dead silence at night. Touchpad is meh, but useable. You get used to it too.

 

Yep...that was exactly why I was asking about the Intel drivers.