Question about batteries for Business HP Notebooks

Okay, so I'm notebook shopping and right now I'm trying to understand a number of things about the HP NC6400. First is the batteries offered. http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12152_na/12152_na.HTML

That link has a listing of all these batteries but doesnt fully explain them. Is the 8-cell "extended" life batter a modular bay battery? Why is it differentiated from the other 8-cell primary battery listed? Are ANY of the batteries modular? How do the 8 and 12 cell primaries stick out? Do they stick out the back like Dell or IBM or do they stick out down like the DV2000T?

Secondly, why is the ram that comes with these business models 533 speed? Shouldnt it be 667? Since it IS 533 does that mean the processor underclocks even when plugged in?!! What the heck?

 

The 8/12 cell extended battery is not modular, but will attach to the base of the laptop. I believe many new HP business laptops have one additional battery connector underneath the laptop which enables the use of such second additional battery.

The RAM runs at 533MHz, but your processor will run at its regular clock speed/bus and wont underclock.

 

ohhhhh, thanks for that info Miner. That definitely clears things up. No wonder these laptops can boast amazing battery life! And you get to keep the functionality of your CD drive even! Wow. I'm basically sold on the NC6400 over the DV2000T. Anyone convince me otherwise? I'd basically paying a 200 buck premium for the finger swipe 3 year warranty and the business grade components (if that means anything) along with (i suppose) the upgradeability of changing out those bays for different things.

 

Quality should be better. I dont know if they offer shock mounted HD, but you do get the 3yr std warranty, optional EVDO wireless, fingerprint reader, TPM chip & it also weighs a bit less than the dv2000t.

Basically if you are a business the features will be useful, for the average home user not too much in terms of feature benefits, but you do get the business class support and better build quality.

 

Hrm. So I wonder how much better the NC6400 would stand up to being "semi-smashed" in a backpack. I'll be traveling to school/work each day with it in my bag and while the bag has a separate compartment, I know that my Fujitsu S6210 screen had some key edges etched into the screen. What are the odds of this happening with either of these? I'm guessing the NC6400 case deals with this better? I found a site that has a nicely loaded NC for 1435. 2.0 duo 1 gig of ram 80 gig hard drive and the rest.

 

I cant be of much here since I havent used HP business line but their consumer line based R3340 held up to backpack abuse pretty nicely. I carried it around virtually everyday for 2yrs in my backpack and no marks on the screen. Being better built(mag alloy lid - I believe) the nc6400 should do well in such circumstances.

 

The business line should handle the rigours of daily laptop use without a problem. I've been using a consumer compaq notebook for the past three years (with much more reckless abandon than you ) and it suffered a few nicks and scratches.

I just received my HP-Compaq nc8430 business notebook today and I can instantly tell you that the build quality is far superior. In fact, the keyboard portion of the latop is covered in an anti-scratch material, while the LCD lid is encased in magnesium.

 

I'm not sure I understand you, the keyboard is anti-scratch? How exactly does that work? Do you mean the keyboard material itself is designed to keep the screen scratch free?!

 

One thing to note about the 8 cell battery, is that it won't cover the docking station port. So you can still use it while that battery is attached -- handy if you tend to move around a lot. The 12 cell will cover it though.

 

I purchased the nc6400 about 2 months ago. If you have any specific questions that I can answer please feel free to ask.

 

The keyboard portion of the latop is is comprised on an anti-scratch material/coating. When I say portion of the notebook - I am talking about the two pieces that are connected by the hinges. The LCD screen is one portion/section and the keyboard/actual hardware components is the second portion/section.

So with the notebook open - the keyboard deck (but not the actual keypad) is scratch resistant.

Here's the pdf from hp.com that describes it:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/product_pdfs/nc8430.pdf

They call it "in-mold lamination".

 

How is the screen? Anything I should know before buying one?

 

Regarding the screen, someone over in the "What Notebook Should I Buy" forum swears it's one of the best they've ever used.

But back to one of the original battery questions: are there modular battery options for the HP? I never quite figured that out.