Some questions for 8540 owners

Ive been reading through nearly the entire 8540 owners threads in anticipation of purchasing one, but had a few questions I was hoping owners (or those familiar enough with it) could help me with.

1. p vs. w: Ive spec'ed out both the p and w editions and compared side by side. Are the only differences the graphics card choices and the fact they limit you to only 8GB in the p version?
2. SSD: Anyone know what brand/model the 256GB SSD is?
3. Secondary Hard drive: I plan to add my own second hard drive and may decide to RAID. Whats the best way to configure the Upgrade Bay to ensure I have the capability of doing that (I dont want to buy aftermarket parts)?
4. Resolution Comparison: Has anyone posted (or can they if not) pictures of each of the two different resolution monitors? I leaning towards the 1920x1080 but a bit worried it might just be too small for a 15''. It'd be great to see a comparison.
5. Graphics Power Consumption: I dont care about graphics at all, so Id just assume choose the one that has the least power consumption. Is there much difference b/t the NVS 5100, 800M and ATI M5800?
6. 12-cell battery: Anyone post pics or info on the 12-cell battery?
7. Power Adapter: There are a few different power adapters available with different wattage (65, 90, 150). Will any work with this laptop?
8. Display Port > HDMI w/ Audio?: Has anyone successfully used one of those DisplayPort > HDMI adapters that supposedly carries audio too? I've seen reports that Dells DisplayPort works with them, curious if this does as well. Going to miss the ability to plug my laptop (my existing has HDMI out) into Hotel TVs while on the road to watch movies if it doesnt.

Ok... so I realize thats a more than a few questions. And Im sure most are answered throughout the 70+ pages of each of the owners threads, but from most of what I skimmed through, I wasnt able to track these down.

I'd be more than happy to update this original post as these questions are answered to make this more of a useful FAQ thread and keep duplicate answers to a minimum if people thought that would be helpful.

Thanks a bunch!

 

Hi!

I've yet to receive my 8540w, but I guess I could help you on a few points...

1) The w model also only supports 8 GB max if you equip it with a i5/i7 dual core. The quads go to 16 GB.

2) Not sure, buy the cheapest normal and equip a SSD yourself?

3) If your going to run on a RAID setup you would need a 2nd SSD (if your going for the ssd that is). The HP is customizable to equip a 2nd harddrive in the upgrade bay by the factory. You'll lose your dvd drive though.

4) Personal preference, the more the better for me

5) Depends on what you want to do with it, it seems that the m5800 is the bang for the buck atm.

6) http://www.laptopbattery.net.au/images/NHPE02_EJ092AA.jpg
You put it underneath the laptop, basicly giving you 2 batteries.

7) Yes, but its dependant on setup which you'll want.

 

1) Just wanted to add the the w comes with 3yr on-site warranty, the p is 3yr mail-in. Also the w has a better wifi card (3 antennas instead of 2).

Also, if you don't care about graphics at all, why are you getting the 8540p/w? You can save lots of money with integrated graphics on the 8440p (though the screen size is obviously much smaller...but that should help with battery life, which seems like a way bigger concern to you than anything else). You could also look at the ProBook line (I don't know what they have in the 15" size, I haven't been watching them at all). You could also consider the Lenovo T510 with integrated graphics. They almost always have good coupons as well as a Visa discount and shareholder discount program.

 

Well, first off, this is for work and the cost really isnt a problem.

Secondly this will specifically be used to run multiple VMware virtual machines for software demonstrations and essentially I need as much resources as possible (high-end i7, 16GB RAM and at least 2 SSD's) and - since I travel - in as portable of a formfactor as possible (no larger than 15"). I was originally planning to go with the Dell m4500, but was disappointed to see it caps out @ 8GB and has no USB 3.0. I havent found any other laptop that offers everything the 8540w does and seems like about the most you can throw into a 15" laptop at the moment..

 

Thanks for the response! Had a couple more questions if youre familiar with them...

I noticed the m5800 and the 1800m require a 150w power supply versus the 800m which only requires the 120w. My assumption was those two drain the battery quicker and require larger power supply. Again, where graphics arent of a concern, Im looking for whichever one draws the least power. Is it safe to assume thats the 800m?

In regards to the power supplies, you say 'yes, but dependent on setup', what do you mean by that?

Finally, that link to the battery image doesnt appear to work... just sends me to a blank page (not a huge deal).

Thanks again!

 

HP 12-cell Ultra-capacity Battery (AT486UT) specifications - HP Small & Medium Business products

The dependant on setup is like you said. The 1800M requires a 150W for example, while an 880 requires a lower one.

- The 880M uses a maximum of 35w
- The 1800M uses a maximum of 45w

The 5800 im not sure about, but I don't think its going to matter alot to tell you the truth.

 

So I guess what I dont understand is when youre configuring the laptop you have two Adapter choices based on your video card choice - the "150w Hardware Kit" and the "120w Hardware Kit", but they also offer several separate 60w and 90w adapters.

The only thing I can think of why this would be is that the "Hardware Kit" isnt actually the adapter itself but perhaps something thats configured inside the actual laptop? Is that right or are the 60 and 90w adapters not usable at all with this laptop?

Thanks again for clearing this up.

 

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13529_div/13529_div.HTML

Its somewhere near the middle, search for: "External 150-watt Smart AC adapter"

 

Yes it works! When you use the internal speakers the soundcard is used. With the DP to HDMI Adapter the sound is generated by the NVidia card.

 

Gotcha.. found that chart. So that definitely goes against what HP support told me - which they said any of those adapters would be compatible.

So what would happen if I tried to use one of the lower wattage adapters with the higher required configuration? For example if I tried to use the 90W travel adapter (which I was really hoping to be able to use) with one of the Quad Cores and the 880M?

Would it even work or does it just take longer to charge?

Thanks again!

 

Well thats great news! Thanks for responding. Have you tried this yourself? Can you link to the adapter youre using so I can make sure to get the right one?

Thanks!!

 

I have the FX 1800 + Quad Core and get a maximal power consumption of 112W (measured with a external power tool which you plug in series before the power adapter).

I bought the cheapest adapter on ebay. I did't had time to try HDMI, but I connected the 8540w to my Dell U2410 via Display port and then the sound settings showed me, that HP implemented audio in the Quadro FX: