*HP dv7t Quad Edition (429X / 5XXX series) Owners Lounge*

First I was wondering if I should exchange my dv7-4290us because the fan is always running, but after the news today I may just return it within the 21 days. The only thing is, according to what I have read so far, there won't be Sandy Bridge systems available until possibly April. I don't really want to wait until April to get another notebook, but I also don't want to get a last generation quad core machine now for the same price I paid for this one. Oh well, I guess I'll wait a few days and see what happens.

 

I think it is still unknown as to whether the mobile versions of the Intel Series 6 chipset is affected. Looking at all the information available, and despite the fact that nothing official has been said in particular about "desktop" or "mobile", it's possible that it only affects the desktop chips.

On Intel's website, there is the Intel Series 6 Chipset (which is what is in the official alert) and the Mobile Intel Series 6 Chipset (which is NOT in any official Intel notices). The alerts also mention the C200 Series (which is a SERVER series chipset).

So, it's entirely possible that the Mobile chipset is safe. Then again, I could be wrong.

 

I second this comment. We are in a wait and see mode.

If you go to the Intel page...
Chipsets — Alert for Intel® 6 Series Express Chipsets and Intel® Xeon® C200 Chipsets users

Scroll to the bottom and there you will find links to the desktop and server chipset support pages. Nothing about the mobile 6 series chipsets... yet.

 

When you see a label 802.11 bgn on any wireless cards, it only support the 2.4 GHz spectrum. You need to see 802.11 abgn, due to physical requirements of a, allows n to also operate in 5 GHz, so that it allows n can operate in either 2.4 Ghz or 5 Ghz.

Good luck on getting a dual band card and hope the antennas can recieve 2.4/5.8 Ghz.

 

Oh man, I just slept after getting back home from work. Thinking "it must be a dream" thing when I woke back.... arrgh. Still no word from Intel if we're affected, I see. Maybe I'll sleep a bit more.

 

Anyway, I took a look at the connections via Intel RST and

Port 0 - SSD
Port 1 - 1Tb HDD
Port 2 - <none>
Port 3 - <none>
Port 4 - Blu-Ray Drive
Port 5 - E-Sata

Hmm... I think, maybe....just maybe... HP did something right and putting us on Port 0 and 1.

 

I have the same setup, but my only HDD is on Port 0. Looks like my Blu-Ray and E-SATA would be on the ports with the problems. Ugh.

 

this is an amateur question but this does that the usb ports would not be affected by the chipset flaw?

hypothetically, if port 4 is 'breaks' is it feasible to the blu ray to port 3?

 

Flaw is on the SATA Controller. But I don't think port 2/3 have physical connectors on this laptop.

 

I CANNOT believe this.

I'm on holiday for a week or so in New York City. I have been the owner of the new HP Pavilion DV7-4290us for a few hours only to read all of this bad news. When I go back to the UK I don't know what rights I have in terms of warranties or returns.

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated, thank you all so much.

 

Just checked, HP is still selling the dv7t with the SB cpu on their web site this AM. Somebody posted that Toshiba removed all their SB laptops from their site. No comment from HP so far. In this AM Wall Street Journal, Intel says that they will repair or replace all SB products, estimated to cost about $700 million and an income hit of $300, for a 1 billion hit to their income.

 

y'all should call the support line and start asking, as this kind of announcement must be quite unsettling. some of us hanging out in the Envy sections are anxiously awaiting to see what HP's stance is on this, as well. Word is that SATA ports 2-5 are affected, which implies that in a dual HDD + an optical drive configuration, something's gonna be affected by the SATA disease. but this is not yet validated, and need to hear from HP on this.

 

From my research, there is a very high probability that for our dv7, if more than the HD and optical drive (port 0 and1) are used then ports 2-5 are impacted by this SATA design flaw.

Since I plan on using the second HD slot and the Esata connection, my laptop will be impacted.

But still like to hear from HP of course.

 

With the Cougar Point chipset, SATA ports 0 and 1 are SATA 3, and 2-5 are SATA 2.

I guess the big question is, on the current crop of SB notebooks, are SATA ports 0 and 1 SATA 3 (6.0Gbps)??? If not, then maybe the mobile chipset is not affected.

This CNET Article shows data that would include mobile SB chipsets.

I wish Intel would just come out and say, definitively, that mobile and desktop chipsets are affected.

 

@lancorp,

Yes, the SATA ports 0 & 1 are the SATAIII (6Gb/s) ports. Davepermen, has confirmed it here... http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-sandy-bridge-design-flaw-17.html#post7116753

 

Has anybody gotten a straight non-bullsh** answer from HP about whether or not the dv7s are affected as well? On the HP website, if you try to build a HP dv7 SB system now, it has pushed build date all the way to March 1st (which probably means, waiting for new chips from Intel). But, mine went into production and is still scheduled for Feb. 14th shipping. Also, unlike Toshiba or Samsung, they haven't recalled any of the retail SB laptops either. So, just wanted to see if anybody has gotten a hold of HP and told about what laptop models are impacted and what they are going to do if the port does fail after the warranty period.

 

Just a quick update.

I have contacted HP via chat.

Here is the transcript


12:03:56 Noor
Initial Question/Comment: Intel Sandy bridge/recall
12:04:11 System
Jill G. has joined this session!
12:04:11 System
Connected with Jill G.
12:04:16 Jill G.
Thank you for contacting the HP Home & Home Office Store Chat. My name is Jill. How are you doing today?
12:04:41 Noor
Hello Jill, I have recently bought hp dv7t quad edition 2630
12:04:57 Noor
and heard Intel announcement yesterday
12:05:25 Noor
I want to check with HP, if they have any update on it regarding dv7tqe
12:06:01 Jill G.
I understand you are inquiring about the Intel chips.
12:06:51 Jill G.
I would be glad to assist with this.
12:07:11 Noor
yes, according to notice, it will effect SATA ports
12:07:23 Jill G.
We don't have any updates yet about this.
12:08:12 Noor
Reason, i am contacting you guys is because. Other vendors (like toshiba, newegg etc) have pulled off all 2630 off.
12:09:01 Jill G.
I do understand about this.
12:09:03 Noor
I just want to make sure HP will update their customers. As I dont want to stuck with it after 21 days return period, unless HP plans to address this issue
12:09:25 Jill G.
Don't worry, we will update each customers about this matter.
12:09:41 Jill G.
However, if you encounter some problems with the computer, please contact us back, and we will process a return and exchange for the computer.
12:10:08 Noor
I will appreciate, if you at least pass my concerns to responsible people at HP , so they might issue some notice to consumers.
12:10:46 Jill G.
Feedback like yours is always appreciated.
12:11:01 Jill G.
Rest assured that your concerns will be heard.
12:11:08 Noor
Lots of HP consumers are anxious to get some update
12:11:25 Noor
e.g http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...7t-quad-edition-2011-sb-owners-lounge-27.html
12:11:32 Noor
Thanks
12:12:14 Jill G.
You are always welcome.
12:12:32 Jill G.
I want to thank you for choosing HP for your computer needs.
12:12:38 Jill G.
Is there anything else/
12:12:44 Noor
Well thats all i have for now. Thanks and have a great day!

 

The problem is that the Blu Ray drives and E-SATA are on the affected ports for the DV7.

 

you dv7-quad guys need to hammer hp support on this issue and obtain a plan for resolution. the chat transcript above sounds like standard "I haven't been told what to do about this yet" language.

 

Wow ... I just ordered mine and it's due to ship on Feb 9. It was going to compliment my Dell Studio 1747 (and now that I've flashed the BIOS and did the other hardware updates, the thing is a beast once more).

I agonized for days over this ^&%^&%$#$%#%$ purchase. Oh well ... 21 days to decide.

 

I just received my dv7tqe and when placed on a flat table without a battery it is a little bit wobbly. The right front bumper doesn't even seem to be touching the surface and when placed on my Zalman cooling pad it's even worse.

 

Does this laptop support switchable graphics?

 

Ok guys, long time follower of this thread. Especially after the news about the Sandy Bridge incident the other day. So thanks to everyone for providing info and answering questions about this laptop. So I got my DV7t QE today and noticed two things. One, the fan is loud as hell as others have pointed out. Two, my laptop is a dark bronze color...am I crazy or is this laptop supposed to be silver? Unless I'm completely blind, it looks silver to me on HP's website. It's been working great so far, just curious about the color thing.

 

Mine just received yesterday was silvery bronze. The fan quiets down after an hour or so.

 

Not yet!!!!

 

Super. I ordered my wife the Dv7t QE about a week ago. I guess we'll see how this pans out. Alienware just pulled the M17xR3 due to the SB issues.

 

Considering that the Blu Ray drive and E-SATA are connected on the potentially defective ports, I cannot see how HP could avoid offering a full refund or replacement.

 

How much of a guarantee is there that this would happen? I'm tempted to risk going back to the UK and hoping that nothing will happen... A pipe dream probably but I'm trying to weigh up the costs: I've saved quite a lot of money buying the laptop in the USA and not sure if it would still work out better if I took my chances back in the UK...

Mean while are there any particular ports I can just not use to reduce the risks? Sorry for my ignorance and thanks for the help!!

 

Here are the failure rates that the press is reporting right now.

Excerpt from Anandtech:

 

If you just have the HD and BD then port 0 and 1 are used and you are OK. Port 2-5 3 GB/s are impacted by a transistor which has a high current applied to it and will fail over time. See monkeymonkey post. You can see which port is used by what device by running Intel Rapid Storage Technology. Just type it in the start-search and run it.

There might be a HP international warranty for your dv7. It would cost a little bit more I guess and you might need to buy it in the US.

 

So... no word yet?

 

I read the 4 pages at the HP forum about this subject and some HP reps are saying that HP will announce very shortly their policy re the Intel SB design flaw, possibly today. Their thinking is that HP is working with Intel on this because of the large amount of systems sold and chips in inventory. But I got the drift that HP will recall/replace all SB laptops (i5-i7) for those who want it. They think you will be protected even beyond the 21 day return policy.

I had hoped that my dv7 was not impacted, but the consensus was it had the design flaw.

 

Ok just saw this FAQ item on Maximum PC and I'd like to ask a noob-type question.

" Q: So my notebook is bad?

The good news is that most notebooks only have two SATA ports which happen to run on ports 0/1. But as we said, that’s most notebooks. Some notebooks that use more than ports 0/1 or that used the others ports would be affected. "

Now, I've had my order in and I am thinking of trying to cancel my dv7t order (am told I have a fifty-fifty on that one by someone in God Knows Where, Asia).

However, I am wondering if I'm "in the clear" on this ports-wise, because of what items I've selected. Can someone advise? I ordered with no blue ray (just dvd r/w), and no SSD (just a plain old vanilla 640 gig Hdd at 7200) -- no other frills save for the Infinity screen. I would have no plans for adding other devices, save occasional use of external eSata thumb drive and USB. Mostly this will be a backup "desktop" using an external monitor and keyboard, etc...

Can someone chime in on this, please? And if what they are saying holds true, then does the dv7T only have two ports anyway, thereby alleviating all our worries?

Thanks for any feedback on this, guys.... .

 

Well Toshiba has started the recalls, at least in Italy where I am, offering full refund or to substitute the laptop, aand Asus is moving to do soemthing similar as they issued a list of affected products, including the SB laptops; I guess HP is going to do something along these lines, and it's highly probable they will extend the return policy beyond the 21 days.

All sandy bridge devices are affected as all series 6 chipsets are flawed, thus also the HM65 which I presume this dv7 mounts.

On a side note, can you confirm that it has four USB ports, and that all are 2.0 plus one is also eSATA? An user on an italian forum bought it today and says it has only 3 usb ports...maybe the configuration is different in Italy, but the Italian HP website says it has 4 ports.

I'm really interested in buying it and I guess 3 ports would be enough, but to have four would be a plus, especially as, to preserve the eSATA from the bug, it is advisable to use the other ports more.

I think an user did an Intel RST test and he had the HDDs on the 0 and 1 ports, thus the DVD drive was on one of the affected ports; I think, seeing tests on other brand notebooks, that the HDD will definitely be on one of the safe ports, while the DVD might be on one of the flawed ones; of course, if HP is smart, they will start to use the 0 and 1 ports for HDD and DVD in case the system doesn't have two HDDs, but the question is if they will use common sense on that or not.

 

The dv7 has 3 USB ports (2 right + 1 left ) + 1 ESATA-USB (left). So 4 USBs total.

 

You are OK with your config.

 

The SB Southbridge is the problem. This answers your questions:

 

Question for you, then ... If the DVD is on a one of the bad ports, can that be changed, and if so, can it be done easily?

 

I just hope there's no "end date" on when you can turn your laptop in for a replacement / refund. Since I probably won't be back in the US for another year.

 

HP has pulled dv7t off

Right now if you go to hp site and try to buy DV7t this message will appear (when you click on "Review and Buy" button)

 

With Intel footing the bill, HP will be very accommodating, I hope!!!

 

you should proabably explain further. with the supplied description, and in the best case scenario (HP uses 0 for the single HDD and 1 for the DVD), then port 2 would be exposed and could affect eSATA performance for an external drive. with occasional use its probably safe to say that he will never notice the problem, but probably not safe to say that no problem will ever manifast itself in the forseeable future. all it takes is to suddenly have the need to stream video from a high speed external HDD via eSATA

If I've mis-stated the definitions of affected ports pls correct. if I were in this situation I would return my laptop. Surely if HP has stopped shipping, it means they are reducing their exposure to warranty risk. I wouldn't fool around with the uncertainty.

 

same for dv6-quad. and I got that message appears when I added to the cart. They let you go through all the customization process, review and buy, and then when you add to cart the message comes. that tells me this is a temporary thing. just don't know for how long...

 

Thanks much to both of you. I kind of figured the eSata (portable or otherwise) would be potentially affected. There is no "danger" of me streaming off a portable eSata drive. I only use it for occasional file transfers. I am not overly concerned there. But having said all that, dlleno, your "Surely if HP has stopped shipping" remark does cause unpleasant chills up and down the old spine.

My Dell Studio 1747 is my primary beast and so, being in no rush or worry, I am going to keep watching the posts. Thanks for all the input. I count myself dxxxxd lucky for finding this forum when I did.

 

Hmm, I guess you can move the dvd connector to the port 1 which is where it's adjacent to. (if you haven't used port 1 that is, with a 2nd hdd or ssd)

 

Just in case, how would you do that? Is the dvd connected to the port through a cable which you can move to another port? I thought it was directly connected to the port, and thus couldn't be moved to another position...

 

Yes it is.



The DVD cable is just above and adjacent to the 2nd HDD port.

 

Thanks for the info, might come very handy if I can actually find and buy this notebook here in Italy without having to wait the fixed one.

 

Ok thank you very much. My configuration (according to the intel storage application) is:

Port 0 - 1 TB HDD
Port 4 - Internal ATAPI Device (which I think is the Blu Ray drive?)
Port 5 - External empty port 5

These are the only ones that come up. I don't get what port 5 is, although I think that might be the eSata port on the left hand side?

I hardly ever use optical drives or the eSata port, so would you guys say that I'm fairly safe? I mean my data should be ok as the HDD is on port 0, and USB ports aren't affected right?

Having said that I'm also presuming that ports 1, 2 and 3 are unconnected? If so, how easy would it be to connect the Blu Ray drive to port 1?

I cannot thank you guys enough for your help, I really appreciate it.