HP nc8340 vs MacBook Pro (screen especially)

Hello, I'm looking at an HP nc8430 (2.16GHz, 100GB, WSXGA+, etc). I have just returned a 15" MacBook Pro because it ran so very very hot.

What I'd like to know is if anyone out there has compared the screen (I had a glossy MBP) on the MacBook Pro to the screen on the nc8430.

Specifically I'm looking for:
- how black is the black
- how bright is it (MBP screen can be *very* bright)
- how well does it reproduce color

The nc8430 seems like a really nice laptop, and the price is right. I just want to know how nice the screen is. There have been a number of reviews on these forums and they have had some pics which make it look like the screen is nice and bright, but I just wanted to ask for some specific comments, especially if someone has seen one next to a MacBook Pro.

thanks in advance,

 

Check out this review of the HP NC8430. Maybe it will answer your questions:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3080&review=HP+nc8430

Good luck and happy computing!

 

Yeah, these pics:

http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/14623.jpg
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2516&d=1148842478
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2517&d=1148842478

all make the screen look nice and bright... just wanted to see if anyone had compared it to the MBP specifically.

Thanks!

 

My NC8430 is as bright and a little more crisp then my Dell 6000 (I always liked Dell's LCDs). As a gamer, I find it bright enough for gaming; mostly MVP Baseball and Battlefield 2.

 

So I did a little more digging, and according to HP on this page:

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12442_na/12442_na.HTML#Technical Specifications

The brightness of the WSXGA+ screen on the nc8430 is 170 nits.

The MacBook Pro is rated at 300 nits. That's a lot brighter... I'm having seconds thoughts about buying an n8430 now. I really wish Apple would just put a second mouse button on the MBP and figure out the heat problem.

 

I think Apple know the heat problem will never go away >>>

Something (correct me if I'm wrong), Apple want clean lines etc for their designs. But this strictness means there is no real vent for heat to escape in the laptops...

 

LFC is correct. The only reason the MBP is so thin and has such "clean lines" is due to having no system fans. The thing is passively cooled by the case. That means are very very hot laptop to touch. That also means the graphics card is massively underclocked to prevent the building up of heat. Style over function.

I won't just go by the specs. Besides the fact that Apple has been known to make up benchmarks and specs, specs don't tell the full picture. I have talked to someone that has compared the MBP to the NC8430 and said there is little difference.

 

Just remembered. Some pics here: http://forum.hardware.fr/hardwarefr/MiniPCPortablesPDA/Topic-unique-HP-NC8430-sujet-30420-1.htm

Just open the jpg files You'll find the ones for the screen eventually

 

Not to quibble too much, as I am far from a Mac fan at this point (pun intended) -- but the MBP does have a fan (two in fact) and they blow out a vent on the back that's under the hinge for the lid:

http://www.thechans.ca/macbook/Macbook Pro Dissection.html

http://www.thechans.ca/macbook/Macbook Pro Dissection_files/macbook 009.jpg

However, it seems like they don't turn on unless the thing is really, really hot. Maybe mine was screwed up or something because the fans didn't come on (that I could tell) and it was very hot.


As far as brightness, I'm concerned because the HP is rated at 170, and we have a few Dell D620 laptops in the office and that's rated at 185 nits and those screens are garbage.

I'd really love to see a side-by-side high res image of a MBP sitting next to an nc8430 (one that's in focus would be good too ).

 

My french is pretty poor, but I found them

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/10.JPG
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/11.JPG
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/12.JPG
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/13.JPG

more pics (google's french is better than mine):

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/28.JPG black luminosity max
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/29.JPG black luminosity min
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/30.JPG white luminosity min
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arano/31.JPG white luminosity max

Nice! Thanks for the links.... that looks way better than the D620 we have.

 

I just know how the older macs run. So I guess it is just poor engineering, because the HP only has one vent on the left side, a non-crippled X1600 and is 1.1" thin, and it is extremely cool during gaming.

 

What did you wind up getting? I recently returned a MacBook Pro as well (heat issues plus there was some sort of whine or buzz) and I'm looking for something new too.

 

the nc8430 would almost be perfect for you..but the fact that it has a x1600 means you are paying for a gpu that you won't be using and then there's the heat and lower battery life that results from it..i know the previous generation had an integrated graphics version of it..hmm it looks like the nx7400 is the integrated gpu version of it..goes for 1129 retail ( http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF25a/321957-64295-89315-321838-f33-1847094.html)
which means it can probably be had for even less if you look around

 

Actually, the HP's GPU is underclocked. Albeit not as severely. If you get the high-end version of the MBP, the X1600 is not crippled one bit.



The nc8430 laptop is plenty bright at the highest setting. Even there, it still gets 3.5hrs of battery.

I probably would have gone with a MBP if heat wasn't such an issue. Compatibility had some pull as well.