*HP dv8 Owners Lounge*

Well me in the and call me DELL!!!!!!!!!!

 

what rageman?

 

To everyone having problems. Here is some worthwhile advice for you all (and not to sound arrogant or anything but I really want to help) I've been building computers for well over 15 years. And have been using laptops (self built and store bought) for 10. All of these companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo all install a crapload of bloat/crapware. 99.99999999% of the drivers they install are UNNEDDED and will cause your system to become unresponsive, stall and SLOW. The best investment you can ever make on a new laptop is to buy a stand alone copy (OEM) of whichever OS you want installed (Vista/W7). Do a fresh format and install w7.

I can tell your personally that the ONLY drivers you will need to install are the video driver, finger print reader along with its software and the synaptics mouse driver (this is an optional driver because it really isn't needed either but I prefer it because it lets me have a few more options. W7 will detect EVERYTHING else (I can't comment on BT or the TV tuner since I don't have em), there is no need to install the sound driver, the wireless or lan card, or really anything else. In fact if you play around with your laptop before installing the sound driver and then install the sound driver your will experience a NOTICEABLE drop in performence after the sound card driver install.

So really to sum everything up go and get yourself a copy of W7, you can buy a home premium copy for around 100 bucks and you will soon realize it was the best thing you could have done your >1000 piece of equipment.

Anyways, I hope this helps. I decided to make this lenthy because I saw a lot of people having problems and I know what its like to all confused lol.

 

I think there is a program I used last time when I got an HP notebook to clear junkware . Google it .

I have a dv8t on order and I was wondering about the Wifi card is it the intel 5300 or 5100 .

Also have anyone tried the new Nvidia driver from Nvidia .
Thanks

 

1. 5100
2. Nvidia 195.62 works fine.

 

I tested this a little yesterday and 25' was the furthest I could get and still see my mouse on the screen and it seemed to work fine from 25'. I did not do extensive tests or try a lot but there were not skips and the mouse movements were smooth and not jumpy. I usually am about 12-15' away and have not noticed any trouble.

 

Husky55 ,
Thanks for the info , are you connecting to a N router , any issues with wifi .

Thanks againg .

 

I'm happy for you and ticked off all at the same time. I ordered mine on Cyber Monday as well with an expected ship date of December 8th. As of a few minutes ago mine still shows as being in production which I guess means it hasn't even been built yet. HP sure didn't wait billing me though, the charge hit my credit card several days ago!

Did you customize yours? I upgraded to the 500 GB 7200 RPM HD, added the Blu-Ray burner (I have a HD camcorder), and added bluetooth.

 

I hope you hve better luck than me. I used the $450 off coupon as well on Cyber Monday (Did not place my order until about 9:00 AM PST) but got an expected ship date of December 8th. Here's the deal I got:

HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
• FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 3GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
• 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
• Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti
• Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Espresso Black)
• Intel Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
• No TV Tuner w/remote control
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Went with the free shipping option and paid 9.25% sales tax (in state of TN) total cost was $1229.05.

Can't wait for it to get here.

 

We pretty much have the same systems as I went with 8GB of ram and the TV tuner. I ordered 5am PST and got an ESD of Dec 10 and mine has an EDD of Dec. 11 and looks to come a day early.

Few things have me a little worried. I hope the build quality is ok. Read some people having some flex in the screen and keyboards. Apparently the sound is really bad at high volumes with a buzzing sound. We'll see, everyone has their opinion.

 

I am connecting the DV8 5100 wifi card to a Netgear N bridge which connects to a Netgear N router. Because of the bridge the speed is cut in half 135 instead of 270 for N equipment. This is normal.

The Intel 5300 has 3 antennas instead of 2 for the 5100.

 

Its funny how fast the cyber monday computers are shipping. I ordered mine on Nov. 10th and it looks like it went out with the cyber monday shipments(the 8th). That is about a month until shipment but at least it is on its way now.

 

Anyone think this SSD would be good for the pavilion DV8t?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/PNY+-+1...rive/9129034.p?id=1218029789010&skuId=9129034

A little pricey though and SSD drives decrease over time.

 

Looking at the service manual , they show a 3 antennas for wifi , I can't tell yet , I looked for Intel 5300 for HP from eBay sellers couldn't find any yet .
I guess I need the Half size version . I think only Intel offers 450Mhz version .
I swapped most of my notebooks with Atheros wifi cards . Old Intel wifi had problems connecting with Broadcom based AP/routers .
That's why I'm checking if the 5100 is OK .

 

there are two versions of SSD SLC and MLC the later is cheaper but slow , I read somewhere your controller/bios should be able to detect SSD drives , or it will fail faster than on a supported system .

 

wow that thing is expensive =/

 

Yeah it is, but I really would like a SSD as it wasn't an option when I ordered. Will that work with the DV8t?

 

^ yes it'll work, it's a sata drive - and all the machines dv7s, dv8s, dv6s - all come with sata drives.

that thing is nice and im sure the performance is great but the price is nuts. I paid only $144 TOTAL for my two 500gb drives. im personally waiting until i can get two 500gb ssd drives for $200

ps if you look on youtube, you can find performance tests for ssd drives. like ssd vs regular hard drive bootup times etc. it's definitely cool to have your machine running so fast but i dont know if it's worth the cost to me, at this time.

 

Of course I'd wait, I know the prices will decrease over time, no rush. I was reading some reviews on that particular drive and people said performance decreases in time? Anyone have any insight on that?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=429972 -- ssd benchmarks, tests etc. great resource. you can probably find info on longevity vs performance there.

 

thanks for that link

 

no problem. i personally feel the technology is not that matured yet - i dont think enough testing and r&d has been done on these drives to warrant the high prices... i certainly dont want to be a guinea pig, spending $300 on something that may have flaws/issues/etc. that's just me though. i wait for everything to get better then i buy. i just bought the new 2nd generation ipod touch 64gig - i've never had an ipod before this one but what i got is awesome!

 

something to make you drool -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dWOEa4Djs

 

In about a year and a half SSD's will be included in the base configuration. 7200 RPM disks will be obsolete. Just as now 4GB of ram is starting to see its day. Then thats when I'll buy and hopefully the price will be right. Hopefully they'll have 512GB or more for less than $250

I remember back in the day when 128MB of ram was SO MUCH. LOL, those were the days

 

l0l. i got my dv7t in august of 08. i told myself im not buying another computer until im done with school, which should be around 2012 or 2013.... at that time, im going to put another 2 grand into the HP DV21T with dual 1tb ssd drives and 24gb of ram and a 4gb nvidia video card. that should be a good enough machine to run IE23 and MS Word

 

LOL, I graduate in 2012, and would still be using my 2 yrs old Toshiba if the motherboard didn't die lol.

So you have the DV7t? Are you currently expecting a DV8t also? There are a lot of benefits to having 2 laptops.

 

I don't have the dv8 but I am keeping an eye out for an HP 30% or 40% off coupon. if they release one, im ordering a dv8 with the 1.7ghz quad proc, 8gb ram, 1tb disk. i dont really need another machine but, after getting my decked out dv7t, i sort of caught the speed bug and now want the fastest everything i can find. in a year and 3 months, i've had absolutely no issues with my machine - no hw issues, no sw issues. with the t9600 proc and 4gb ram, this thing absolutely flies. this is the most decked out computer i've ever bought. i was used to buying $400 desktops but i figure you only live once. and since i spend so much time on a computer, i might as well get something of good quality w/great performance.

i have 2 other laptops - an ibm tablet that i use for navigation/movies/music in my car and a lenovo x61s laptop that i got from work. i have enough machines but just want the latest and greatest.... im trying to control myself tho. i really dont want to spend more $ given the times....

 

I completely understand the need. The DV8t will be the only laptop I have. I am getting really tempted to order the Dell Studoi XPS 16 with core i7 just once the delays get resolved and the power supply issue. But if you can afford to do so then by all means go for it just don't get carried away

 

lol - i have a problem - i always get carried away! lol.

the one thing that i sort of dont like right now is the lack of quad processor options. i know that quads are still new so there arent like 10 processors available to order.... i remember when i ordered my dv7t last year, there was around 5 or 6 different core2duo processors i could have ordered.

and i thought the 2.8ghz t9600 was the highest c2d but it's not! there is a t9900 now (3.0xghz) and now i wish i had gotten that. lol

this machine is still an absolute beast though. you're going to love your hp once you get it.

 

its called pc decrapifier
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

 

ne one have any luck with getting a SSD to work with dv8t ???
I read somewhere that ppl were having issues since the whole thing was installed on a hard drive that is larger in size than the SSD.

 

i'm interested in this topic too. I plan on buying a ssd once my dv8t is delivered. If anyone has already put a ssd in their dv8t, I'd be very interested on hearing about the process, problems, and improvements that they encountered in this endeavor.

 

an ssd is no different than any other hard drive. the os gets installed like any other drive - the only thing that changes is that instead of being installed on a moving platter, the files are copied to the flash memory on the ssd drive.

a few people are running ssd's in their dv7ts. no difference between running it there and on the dv8. just make sure the drive's physical measurements are the same as the measurements of the drive that comes in your machine. it probably will be but it's always nice to double check.

regarding the space issue - obviously, be sure your SSD drive is large enough to accomodate your operating system and other apps you plan on installing. this concern exists if you are buying a regular hard drive as well. what sucks is that larger ssd's are costly.

 

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware/HP-dv8t-Dual-Disk-Drives/m-p/182190

from the HP forum.....

 

^ good link. im surprised to see that the hp recovery dvd won't let you recovering onto a smaller drive! that's ridiculous! what if your 320gb drive fails and you replace it with a 250!?

anyway, based on the discussion on that link, the best thing to do would be to do a clean installation. an os installation would go something like this --

1) download dv8t drivers from the hp website for ur particular OS
2) install the ssd drive onto the dv8
3) install the OS from a Microsoft CD - NOT the HP recovery media - onto you new ssd drive
4) install the drivers downloaded in step 1

this way, you will have a clean installation of the OS - eliminating the crapware that hp installs on their recovery images.

as for the drive caddys - yeah, you definitely need one if you are going to run 2 drives. the person on the hp site paid $50 but obviously he did not shop around. i got my 2nd drive caddy for about $33 or $35 shipped from newmode.us .

it's not that upgrading a laptop is harder or impossible - hp (and other companies) intentionally make things hard like this. that way, when you come across an issue, you are inclined to go back to them for a solution - whether it's about the drive caddys, recovery dvds, etc. thats y i love this forum - everyone is a do-it-yourselfer with a ton of experience.

 

this is garbage
Intel or OCZ only

I run ssd in my dv7

 

when we can expect that? I miss cyber monday sale.

 

was there a big cyber monday sale with hp? i dont think there was but, if there was, it was probably something smaller like 20%..... =/

i have no idea when the 30% or 40% coupons will be released.... i have not seen one in quite some time due to the wonderful condition of the economy....

 

Once I got my dv8t I went looking for a travel case. I don't plan to lug this thing around very often but when I do it needs protection. There aren't many 18" cases around yet, in fact the only one I could find was the Model PH680A Targus in the HP Store. As someone pointed out in a customer review, this is really a case designed by Targus for 17" laptops, but they made the interior long enough to stand the power brick & cord at one end, with a padded divider in between. Take those out and a dv8t just fits the long way.

Now, if you pack the power brick & cord carefully in the foot-long zippered bag supplied, there is just enough room left over at the top or bottom of the laptop to slip in the PS bag with the divider protecting the laptop. Everything fits snugly without bulging, and there is a wide velcro tie-down strap to keep things from shifting around. As a bonus, there is just enough room left for my Logitech DX Nano mouse in its own padded case. Perfect!

At the time this case was listed with a 20% discount and free shipping. When I applied the $50 consolation coupon HP sent me due to delayed shipping, it erased the previous discount & free shipping, but I still only ended up paying $12 including shipping for the whole kaboodle. This looks like a good quality product, holds everything I need plus lots of secret slots & pockets, so I am more than satisfied.

 

Intel X25 is supposedly a VERY GOOD ssd

 

Do what I did, email Logic Buy and ask. They won't tell you the upcoming offer but they'll tell you if a better one is coming. Never hurts to ask.

There was, it was a $450 off coupon. Not bad.

The Targus 18" Deluxe Nylon case is what I have. It fits the HDX 18t perfect so the DV8t will fit obviously.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...ze&v1=18"&product_code=PH680A&catLevel=2

 

the $450 coupon is not bad but i saved nearly $700 off of my dv7t with the 30% coupon.

my build cost was $2279 and, after applying the coupon, the final price for my laptop came down to $1595

i believe my cpu was a $500 or $600 option at the time it was soooooo worth it.

i am waiting for a similar killer deal.

 

LOL that's a great deal you got. It would be nice to see $200 in instant savings then a $350 stackable coupon. But I'm very happy with the deal I got. Now for those who used the $20 coupon then the next day the $450 coupon came, well I'd be so p*****

 

I agree, your way better off reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows anyway so I wouldn't even bother with the HP system recovery.

 

yeah man, i did get a great deal. i ordered my 1st dv7t with a $300 off coupon then i got it and within the week, they had released the 30% off coupon.

i called hp and told them about the coupon, and i told them to apply the coupon to my current machine and to refund the difference.

they declined so i sent them back my 1st dv7t and, the same day i shipped it, i ordered another model - with even higher specs - using the 30% off coupon

as for fresh installs, totally the way to go. i am guilty of not doing a fresh install a year ago when i got my machine - simply because i did not have the time to troubleshoot/backup all my data etc. and that ran fine for a year. now that i did a clean install of windows 7, i noticed an increase in performance since i no longer run hp crapware. from now on, im doing clean installs.

 

the discussion about ssd drives earlier sparked my interest... im going to try to sell my ibm tablet that i have in order to get some $ for an ssd drive....

i havent used the tablet in a couple of months now and i actually never used the docking station / dvd drive that i bought with it... it's dead inventory in my eyes...

 

When you did your clean install, did you reload Media Smart because I know its required for the quicktouch status window thing. Like showing the volume and treble and bass indicators?

 

l0l - you know what - i didnt install that for 2 reasons!

1) i have my laptop plugged in 100% of the time to my docking station. my surround sound speaker system is connected to my docking station so i never use the audio on the laptop. i used the speakers/sub on the 1st day i got my unit and that was it. it hasn't left my desk since then

2) i never use the touch buttons on the laptop. again, i control all of my audio through my speakers. i leave the windows volumes on high and i never touch them. all adjustments made from my surround sound system head unit.

maybe i should install it to be complete...? lol...

 

I'm sure they work though right? Without the mediasmart right?

 

i just tested the touch buttons. everything seems to be working fine with the exception of the circle/arrow button by the power button. it's supposed to launch hp quickplay but since im not running the software, nothing is associated to the button. lol.

audio on/off works, wireless on/off works, stop, play, fast fwd/rewind work in media player. just the quickplay seems to be out of comission. i dont plan on installing mediasmart.

maybe i should associate calculator to it lol