HP Spectre x360 Owner's Thread (2017)

Hi all,

I didn't see much for an Owner's Thread for this system, so figured I'd start one. I just purchased the 2017 13" model, which seems to have been very recently released. I've had my eye on something new since my Yoga 2 Pro was stolen back in December.

My specific model is 13-AC033DX / Z4Z22UA.
Intel Core i7-7500U
16 GB LPDDR3-1600 SDRAM
Intel HD Graphics 620
512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD (SAMSUNG MZVLW512HMJP-000H1)
13.3" UHD UWVA BrightView WLED

Maintenance and Service Guide

My first order of business when I got this thing was clean installing Windows 10 x64. I was impressed with the lack of bloatware on the machine compared to other HP's I've commissioned for others... but I always clean install new systems.

My second order of business was purchasing a spare USB-C charger, and the cheapest I could find that is 45W was the Targus APA93US for $30 at Best Buy. I intent to get a bunch more but am eyeing my options right now.

 

Kinda hard to miss, what with 1761 postings ranging from before release to current models, a thread whose 2 year anniversary is approaching within days.

We could rename the current one as such, but so far everyone else has found it just fine.

HP Spectre x360
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/hp-spectre-x360.772405/page-177#post-10479030

 

Well, I searched for Owners... I'd say fresh models deserve a fresh thread.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

FYI -

In search of spare power supplies, I found and purchased a bunch of Dell HDCY5 USB-C supplies off eBay. I liked that the cord is actually set up to wrap around the body of the supply. The AC cable is also shorter, making it better for travel. There's a bonus of a LED light in the USB-C connector indicating whether there is juice... though it doesn't change to indicate load.

I made an eBay seller an offer for $25/each and purchased 5x of them. I leave PSUs everywhere. They appear to be of new quality. These are the same spec as the HP OEM @ 2.25A / 20V / 45W.

I also picked up the Targus 45W from Best Buy. It's nice and compact, but offers no light and the body itself plugs into an outlet, making it not power strip friendly.

So far I haven't noticed any difference in charging or use with non-HP PSU. I'm not sure the system actually knows.

 

Can you report anything about heat management and fan noise? I've read mixed reports around the web, mostly from owners, that the Spectre can run hot and is frequently noisy with the fans spinning up sooner and running for longer than most would expect. I find it strange that none of the reviewers ever mention this, but perhaps some people just have a bad build.

I'm yet to see a single review for this latest version with the UHD pen-enabled screen and in the ash/copper case so would love to see a first-hand report. Do you ever notice the fans spinning up under light browsing? I'm currently using a 2016 Razer Blade Stealth and will be returning it for bad heat management and the fans almost constantly running (along with other QA issues).

I am desperately waiting for this exact model to hit Canada. I have a decked-out XPS13 on order from Dell, but I think would rather the Spectre if it arrives soon and isn't (overly) noisy.

Thanks.

 

As mentioned elsewhere, the first thing I did when I got the system was clean install Windows. While installing everything and the CPU was at 60-100% utilization, the fan was running and it does get hot around the LCD hinge. I wouldn't say it gets more or less hot than other systems I've had under load, but given the system is made out of a metallic body (or even a metal), it does feel hotter to touch than say plastic would at the same temperature. I did notice that there is air intake on the bottom, and if this were placed on a solid desk where the feet keep the intake holes unobstructed, you may be fine. On a lap, if that gets blocked, I think it may reduce the airflow.

I haven't had the system long enough to say whether I care or not. I do notice the fan with normal use, but I am always on AC with a less-than-conservative power setting. I can't say the fan bothers me. If you set up a battery saving mode, it could reduce CPU usage. I also wonder if the Intel Turbo Boost settings need looked at or even disabled to keep the CPU from going into "overdrive" mode perhaps unnecessarily. The system is fast, and I don't think it needs to be that fast all the time.

Another thing is when I have the system on my lap, it's usually under a pillow or something, so it isn't burning me, and also props it up.

So far I really love this system. The display is great and I'm sure I'll love the pen after getting more familiar and fitting it into my workflow. I am coming from a Yoga 2 Pro that I loved, but it was 2 years old when it was stolen in December. (I have another thread on that.) If the Y2P had Thunderbolt and a pen, I would've bought it again. I didn't care for the Yoga 910 or Yoga 3 Pro (or whatever it was called). They gained some features but dropped in performance. The modified USB charger thing is weird (and it's not USB-C).

I am wondering right now if I want to stick with the stock Samsung NVMe SSD or upgrade it to a 960 PRO. 512GB is fine for me, but I've always liked having higher performing drives and not relying on OEM quality (which is usually lacking). I haven't benchmarked it yet... but plan on it.

 

Can you comment on if the keyboard backlight now has adjustable brightness levels, or is it still just on and off, as reported in this support thread?
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteb...0t-Backlight-Levels-Non-Existent/td-p/3634476

 

That isn't the same laptop, but the keyboard backlight appears to be only on/off with Fn+F5. I am guessing there is no Windows interaction with this function, though I haven't check BIOS settings yet for adjustment. It doesn't bother me. The letters are very easy to read with the backlight on or off, so besides battery conservation, I don't mind it on all the time.

I also don't think the key is supposed to show different levels of brightness as the OP on that thread states. I think the dots are just the icon representing keys.

This is my first HP laptop I've owned, so I don't know if they've had it adjustable in other models.

 

I did just notice something I've heard others mention... you can hear the SSD or CPU noise. I started a program and I heard faint sounds like a traditional hard drive as data was being scrubbed. It's not loud and very faint, but it's worth mentioning. Doesn't bother me.

I am using the laptop now for work running decently CPU intensive programs (that aren't multithreaded), but it is using all CPU cores at a utilization of 30-80% and the fan is running at a moderate speed. It's fairly quiet, also doesn't bother me yet. I will say that for a 2.7GHz CPU, it is running Turbo Boosted at over 3 GHz consistently, which is probably contributing to the heat.

I set the Maximum Processor State in Advanced Power Options to 99%, which is a quick and easy way to disable Turbo Boost. I'll report back if it makes a difference. I may just leave it like that until I need to do some rendering of sorts.

 

Has anyone noticed the long palm rejection delay of the touchscreen after using the pen? For me it takes about 2 seconds of withdrawing the pen for the computer to respond to touchscreen input. It is super annoying while taking notes since I have to switch quickly between writing and scrolling the page. I'm hoping this is a defect or a software issue but the HP site says this:

"If your system supports palm rejection technology, when the active stylus is in use, the touch screen does not respond to input from your hand. Wait approximately 1.5 seconds between using the stylus and using your finger."

If I can't fix this I will seriously consider returning the laptop. It would be a damn shame because I'm a big fan otherwise! I have the 13' ac050ca model.

 

It hasn't bothered me yet, but I can't tell if this is part of the digitizer chipset or in Windows.

There's a tweak for some delay/latency settings here, but I've done it and don't notice it any different. The "Ignore touch input when I'm using my pen" setting doesn't seem to do much.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I can confirm however that this did nothing for the lag. In the support forum a HP rep said that it is by-design and there is no way to adjust it. Super disappointing. Will need to return this one and cross my fingers for a good Surface refresh!

 

I thought about the Surface but I actually use the keyboard more than tablet modes, so I wanted a better keyboard. The Surface Book is REALLY nice, but lacks Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Gen2, couldn't wrap my head around the odd 3:2 aspect, and you can't change the SSD (to my knowledge). Your x360 build is the same as mine except 8GB RAM and 1080p screen. I couldn't pass up the 4k screen.

I settled for this as specification wise, its as close as I've found to perfect for me.

 

I have the 4k version from best buy and am torn on the laptop. My biggest gripe is the touchpad and how inconsistent it is depending on the app you are using. Sometimes in Edge it'll basically slow scrolling so much that the scroll bar barely moves. Then at some point it will be fine again. I haven't tested in chrome yet, but it's felt odd in system scrolling at times as well. I've played around with the synaptics settings, but don't think that's the issue. Haven't found any synaptic driver update.

Screen wobble also is somewhat annoying.
Fans were on constantly while setting it up, but they've been on very little after that. I did update the bios. I have noticed it getting warm while sitting in my lap, but overall not a big deal. Too early to tell on battery, but looks like 6-7 hours so far with screen brightness turned down.

Things I like:
Size and design
Speed and stability seem good so far
Screen
Speakers are pretty good

 

I haven't noticed any issues with the touchpad. I also don't use Edge. I believe I used the drivers on HP's site. You could try the reference driver from Synaptics.com, but make sure you completely uninstall the current ones first. Screen wobble isn't an issue here either.. or I accept it's a very lightweight system and it's going to happen a little.

I think I may back down the max CPU state even more for battery and see how battery life is. Sometimes when it calculates time it says 8-9 hours. Honestly I am mostly plugged in and am happy with 3-4 hours.

 

Same problem here.. Just bought the 15.6 inch version and so far I found weird the TouchPad... Is really slow on moving the pointer even at maximum speed in the setting.. Compare to my HP 840g specially...
I try to update drivers but looks like there is only one driver so far which is the one pre-installed.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

My 13-ac023dx has been having this mysterious and infuriating issue recently of completely crashing upon being woke from sleep (i.e. turning the laptop on after keeping it closed for a period of time). My power settings are left as is following a complete factory reset with hibernate and hybrid sleep disabled. I currently have upgraded my factory copy of Windows to Enterprise edition but assume this has nothing to do with the fact; a clean install also encounters the same issue.

Specifically, everything seems to be fine when closing the laptop/pressing the button to sleep. When opening it back up later on however, Windows has completely restarted and an "unexpected shutdown" (ID 6008) event is logged. Here's a sample of the log from when I first open the laptop. Note: nothing appears in the log around the time of closing the laptop.

Information 3/27/2017 4:08:51 PM Ntfs (Microsoft-Windows-Ntfs) 98 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:55 PM EventLog 6013 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:55 PM EventLog 6005 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:55 PM EventLog 6009 None
Error 3/27/2017 4:08:55 PM EventLog 6008 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:51 PM FilterManager 6 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:51 PM FilterManager 6 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:51 PM FilterManager 6 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 30 (21)
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 32 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 18 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 25 (32)
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 27 (33)
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 20 (31)
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-Boot 153 None
Information 3/27/2017 4:08:50 PM Kernel-General 12 (1)​

Event ID 20 has the message "The last shutdown's success status was false. The last boot's success status was true." and ID 6008 has "The previous system shutdown at 3:34:07 PM on ‎3/‎27/‎2017 was unexpected.".

Anyone else having a similar problem? I'm inclining to believe that there's some strange hardware issue that occurs while I'm transporting the laptop in my backpack, and at the moment I cannot install a Linux distro to confirm this is not some strange Windows configuration issue.

 

I can't address this specific problem, but as I said I clean installed Windows 10 as soon as I got mine and could not be happier. Absolutely no issues. I know that's not a good fix for a new PC, but I am guessing it spared me a lot of headaches.

 

Does anyone with the FHD version think the screen door effect is bothersome? For me it is much more noticeable than my previous 13.3" ultrabooks.

 

I don't have the FHD screen, but do you mean where you can see lines between pixels or more of "rainbow" effects? Is that a consequence of viewing angle? I would think 13.3" is pretty small for 1080p.

The UHD screen is gorgeous.

 

The lines between the pixels

 

Bought the 4k 15" model and I'm really liking it so far. Coming from an XPS 18 so a bit of a screen size downgrade but I'm getting used to it.

I've only run into one problem so I'm wondering if anyone else is having the problem. When I connect via miracast(screen share) my internet speed drops from 150Mbs steady to barely 5Mbs. I know it's not the network or TV because my XPS with an older intel wifi card and my Moto both connect and retain the 150Mbs.

Is anyone able to test this on the Spectre to see if it happens to you as well.

BTW, thanks for starting the thread.

 

Has anyone upgraded their ram to 32GB (for the 15" model)?

The only reference to this that I can find is this 3rd party seller on Amazon that looks to be selling an upgraded unit with 32GB memory (2x16 DDR4) and 2TB NVMe SSD (Samsung 960 Pro):
https://www.amazon.com/Spectre-x360-TouchScreen-i7-7500U-Thunderbolt/dp/B06XYB5HXK

I'm not sure of the authenticity of this. However, the HP support manual does specify that both SODIMM slots are upgradeable from what I recall.

 

Just picked up a new spectre 13 and looking to do a clean windows 10 install. It's been a while since I've setup a new laptop so looking for some idiot guidance or known gotchas for this model

So far I'm thinking
Create the HP recovery media
Grab all the drivers
Install clean - any partitions I need to preserve to ensure I have the option to HP recovery to factory ?
Sort out the drivers
Re-install any useful HP software - any options on what (if anything) is beneficial?

Any advise from anyone who's clean installed?

 

I've had the 15 inch x360 from best buy for about 2.5 weeks. I'm sort of wishing I'd returned it.

I've been having a problem where it's not charging. I plug it in, it charges for a bit, then stops. If I unplug the charger from the laptop and plug it back in, it starts again. HP is sending a new adapter, hope that fixes it.

Aside from that, trackpad kind of sucks. The mouse moves very slow, and 2 finger scrolling is inconsistent and sometimes highlights text instead. My workaround was to turn off the tap and drag feature, but still, it doesn't always scroll when you mean to. Also, since the trackpad is so wide (a feature I thought I'd like), it's kind of hard to right click and I frequently get a left click when I mean to right click.

It also gets surprisingly hot and loud under not-so-heavy load. Like, a few chrome tabs and youtube. Under similar load, I have had my chrome windows turn black and/or freeze. This could be memory leak issues in chrome, though.

The sound cut out once, too. It came back after restarting. Sound quality is otherwise solidly fine. It could be louder, though.

Windows Hello is a little slow. This is the only laptop I've had with it, but I find it faster to enter my pin. I also find myself moving my head around a lot trying to get it to see me. It works better at a desk than on the couch, though.

I think most, if not all of my issues could be improved with driver/bios updates and I'm hoping the new AC adapter will solve the charging problems.

There are a few positives, too:

I like the clicky feel of the keyboard, though, and palm rejection has been perfect. I would have expected that to be a problem given the super wide trackpad.

The screen is nice. It's super bright and I actually prefer to keep the brightness down a little, both for my eyes and because things look overexposed on full brightness. No problems with glare or seeing the screen when it's bright outside, though.

It's also pretty fast. Both the processor and the SSD.

 

Hi there, I have the exact same model. I've only had it for a couple of days and can confirm that it gets very hot, very fast. If you keep it on a desk you won't notice but in your lap or on a soft surface it will start to boil and the fans will go crazy. Using HWmonitor the units hits almost 90 degrees celcius at it's worst which is beyond crazy.

I still ponder if I will return it or not but leaning towards that I will...

 

I suggest you return it while you can. I so wish I could have returned mine, my issues have only gotten worse over time. I suspect that the excessive heat has caused hardware issues. Even with nothing else open, youtube videos freeze and stutter and the mouse stalls and skips when I move it around the screen. Opening a new tab causes short freezes, and often my windows just turn black or green for a few seconds and then everything refreshes. When I watch the processor usage, it frequently spikes to 100%. Sound is now occasionally garbled and wifi drops sometimes 10 times in a matter of minutes. I'm not that knowledgeable about hardware, but it seems to be getting worse.

I have gone through the web chat based tech support two times. The first took almost 2 hours updating bios, drivers, etc, and then just suggested I do a system restore. I asked to talk with a supervisor, he told me someone from escalations would be in touch within 24-48 hours. A week later when no one called, I went back to the webchat, back through similar process, asked again to talk with someone from escalations, it's a week later and still no call. They did send me a package to send the laptop in for repairs, but it would take something like 10 days. Given that it's a new "luxury" laptop, I'd rather just return or exchange it. I can't really be without a laptop. Hopefully they will call.

The lesson, though... I was contemplating returning it in the first 30 days when I could have just taken it back to Best Buy. At that point I assumed there would be driver updates and things would get better, but it's only getting worse. I so wish I had just returned it.

 

I just re-read my earlier post. To be fair, the issue where my laptop wasn't charging was resolved. HP sent a new charger and it works fine.

 

Hi guys, I'm looking at getting me a spectre, is it a fast machine?

 

I bought the 15t 12 days ago , still waiting for it to ship. Coming from a Surface Pro 4. Bought the i7 16GB can't wait.

 

Nothing worse than waking up to a new email that says it's going to be delayed shipment for at least another week.. Because of high demand. Ugh.

 

For those of you that don't like how hot the system gets, I suggest editing power settings and setting the max CPU to a lower value for battery or even plugged-in schemes. This should keep the system from going Turbo and reduce heat. Even 99% will help. You can have another profile for Max Performance for times when you need it. This system is blazing fast, and I doubt you'll notice a little slower at say 80% for day to day use.

 

Has anyone purchased a screen protector film?

 

I've been thinking of purchasing this computer for university. From what I've seen so far, many people are reporting motherboard issues after 1 and a half years. Does anyone know if this was an issue on the 2015/16 models and has been fixed for the 2017 model?

 

Well, there's no way to know on the 2017 models until about March 2018.

 

I guess what I meant was if anyone is aware of any hardware changes which could potentially fix this issue

 

I'm pretty sure all of the hardware changed since it's a newer generation chipset and all.

 

Whats also worth mentioning is that this is what current Dell xps 13 i7 owners would LOVE to have. Apparently they have an internal coil whine that is just plain sad.

With setting the cpu state to a max of 80 to 99%, how drastic would you say that affects the heat of the laptop? You also said you're frequently on a charger, have you noticed different temps unplugged with the adjusted cpu settings?

Don't mean to be a pest with the questions but this ultimately is deciding if i can get my dream specs via a loaded Spectre, or going to a barebones Elitebook x360 to circumvent the heat issue. Thanks

 

I actually don't even notice the heat anymore. I probably noticed it more while doing tons of updates and installing apps after the clean install.. but day-to-day usage, lap or not... I hardly notice. Then again, everyone's tolerance is different. I'd still prefer the Spectre over the EliteBook.

If you buy this same SKU from Best Buy, you do have a decent return period, more so if you are an Elite Rewards Member.

 

To prevent a Laptop from going into Turbo mode, check out this site and follow the directions.

http://www.geeks3d.com/20170213/how-to-disable-intel-turbo-boost-technology-on-a-notebook/

I did that on my XPS 15 and it works great. They list a few different ways to do it, but I used the option under bullet point 2.4 there whereas you download a REG file which makes a registry entry for you that brings the option back under power management.

 

lmao, just wow. that feel when you get a new job and the onboarding documentation says you get a $1700 laptop allowance (which is what sparked my research into the spectre in the first place), you spend days going back in forth between larger models, smaller models, and weighing pros and cons then finally decide on the spectre.

you show up to orientation all excited to tell hr about the laptop you want, then they tell you the laptop allowance bit is old an everyone gets macbook pros now" just lmao.

Downloading obscure code from a random blog whose source link doesn't point to the manufacture site or github... that ALSO allows reg edit access (and god knows what else) to my OS? lulz, that's a no for me Peter.

 

Thought I'd post an update on my experience with this laptop. After a lot of complaining online HP contacted me and agreed to replace my laptop and cross-ship the replacement so that I would not be without a laptop. I was happy with this resolution and put the tech support frustration behind me. I was also willing to accept that the previous unit was probably a dud. The new unit is overall better, but still has lots of issues.


1) It gets very hot. I can't believe this is normal for such a nice laptop, but this is the second one... As I'm typing this, I have nothing but a couple chrome tabs open. I set my video card preference to use integrated graphics, and I have uninstalled as many background processes as possible. My processor usage is at 4% and I have it capped at 90% as was suggested here. I can't understand why it's uncomfortably hot!


2) An issue that this unit has which the old one didn't is that the screen glitches and flickers. It's most often the bottom half and it's fairly rare, but once in a while it just glitches and flashes. It reminds me of watching a movie on a VCR.


3) random windows that are open behind the one I am working in pop in front. I wonder if maybe it's a problem in the touch screen where it's registering a click??


Anyway, this thing is a dud. It seems unlikely that I got two duds in a row, so I think it's just that HPs top of the line, premium laptop is a piece of junk.


I don't know if I have it in me to suffer through hours more of tech support. I doubt they would give me a refund anyway, and there is no reason to think a new unit wouldn't be riddled with issues. So I guess I've just lost almost $2000. I'm a grad student, so that's not insignificant. What I will do is share my experience far and wide on the internet in hopes that no one else who does their research buys this piece of junk.

 

Which SKU are you using? I do not have any of these issues on mine.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Hi I am interested in getting this laptop. For light gaming, how does it handle path of exile? What settings and FPS are you guys getting? Thanks.

 

I have no idea how well it would do for gaming considering it doesn't have a dedicated GPU. However, it does have Thunderbolt 3, so you could get a PCIe box with a full size video card. My only hesitation for gaming would be the heat output... but I don't think you'd be gaming with the thing on your lap.

 

Hey all. I was just in Sam's and saw an x360 [ 2DS98UA#ABA] that I thought would be perfect for my wife so I bought it. It's pretty nice, but I am so spoiled by having SSD drives in all of my laptops this thing seems to be a bit slow. So....

I went and Googled how to open this thing to get at the HD and it appears the x360 I bought has a different bottom panel than all of the online help and YouTube videos. Even going to the HP site and putting in the product number and following the links to how to open the case, it shows a different back.

All of the x360 info I can find shows a bottom with 4 round "pads" and screws all around the bottom. This particular laptop has long pads that shoot off in 45 degree angles to the sides, and the only visible screws are along one side of the bottom.

So, anyone else have one like this? Or know how to open this thing. I don't want to trash it, and yes, I've opened many a laptop in my days, both the kind that easily open from the back and those that have to have the keyboard removed from the top to get to the HD.

I just know that if I try and explore I will totally mess this thing up looks-wise, and I don't want to do that.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

The new one is 15tbl0000. The old one was the Best Buy model. I dont know the model number, though. I did get a case manager on the phone today who agreed to give me a full refund, but in store credit, since I wasn't interested in trying a 3rd x360. Although, I don't know what other model I'll get. I suppose there could be a chance they refresh something with an 8th-gen processor, though. I might also go for something from their elitebook or zbook line. I'd assume (hope) that those are more stable. Any suggestions?

 

Hi,

I just recived this laptop couple days ago. It was fine the first couple days.

Today though, the screen is very DIMM on the right side of the screen, it's like there's no backlight.

I see few spot light looking light sources on the dimm side(right) meaning possibly that most of the backlight are off, whereas on the left side it's all uniformly lit (you don't see spotlight looking light sources).

BUT THEN I was on my to reset my laptop (to return), and that needed me to connect to a power source, the next thing I saw(the reset was completed) the whole display is lit properly. So I'm not sure if its's the power or the reset. What's going on? Is this software?

I know I should just return it because this is not normal. Or is this some windows update? Is it possibly for software to partially lit a laptop's backlight?

I'm just wondering if this is widespread issue with HP, this mode, or ultrabooks (my first).

Thanks!

 

Return it while you can! I've had 2 and both have had tons of issues. To be fair, your display issue sounds different from mine, but I did read about lots of people having display issues and that the latest bios and driver updates helped.

 

Is it physically possible for software to turn off portions of the back light though? I don't see a practical use for such a function. And going to that train of thought the only explanation is faulty hardware.

Also connecting to a power source probably 'jumped started' those 'stalled' back light portions, this is what I'm most concerned about.

Did you buy your laptops from HP directly? It's said that they have 30 days no question ask return policy. Will I be charged with some sort of restocking fee since I already opened and used the laptop? Like I said I got this few days ago. Normally return policies for most stores here are 15 days for electronics, but 30 days is rather generous and I wonder if there are any caveats.