bad pixle on LCD screen and comments on CPQ R3000z

Just got my new Compaq laptop, but I noticed there is a very tiny light blue dot (guess it's a bad pixle) on the lower right 1/5 corner. No matter what the screen color is, the dot won't change its color. So with the default orange tone background, it is quite obvious (appears dark), while if the screen is white, I have to pay very close attention to find it.

So, anybody have some suggestions - when people have this kind of problem, 1). Is it worth to ask the HP to exchange one whole computer for me? And is it very easy to talk with them regarding to this issue?
2). If I elect not to bother, will the bad pixle continue to grow and "infect" its "neighbors"?

Many thanks for your kind information.

Other than that pixle that bothers me somewhat, I feel pretty good about this computer.

The screen is WIDE, making the DVD watching a fun thing to do. The JBL Pro speakers, like PC Mag reviewed, do sound quite well, with the previous comment from Quickster in mind, I didn't expect them to be this good before I actually got it.

Full size keyboard feel good too, except the keys are somewhat "springy", maybe I have been used to my Dell Latitude for too long.

All buttons and ports are conveniently positioned around the chasis, the volume control buttons are very useful. There are enough USB ports and one 1394 and 5 in 1 card reader, makes it a good machine to do everyday job.

The LCD is quite firm, so there is no worry about the spongy lid (it's actually better than my old Latitude C640).

With the 12cell battery, it actually lasted more than 3 hours, with light CD reading and software installing tasks, I was thinking maybe it's a really desktop replacement. So maybe I can carry it out occasionally for a short while without worrying about running out of battery. So I am afraid 8cell might not last quite long, so recommend 12cell, since it's only $25 more.

Haven't been able to test the buildin 54M G wireless.

Cons:
1. One USB port is REALY tight, initially I couldn't get my USB key into it, only after I tried a mouse on that port, it started working (poke sth through?). The other two are tighter than my Latitude too, but not that difficult.

2. DVD/CDRW drive inside looks cheap, the plastic case looks not very well finished.

3. The latch on top of the LCD looks big and clumsy, it's a squre metal ring, unlike most other computers with a small insert-type latch.

4. All indicator lights are orange colored (except the wireless light), a bit weird, if they are green or blue, the computer may look better - personal taste.

5. No on board temp indicator, SiSoft Sandra can't find out the inside condition.

So far, that's the first day experience with this compute, will comment more in the future.

Again, thanks to those who can give me some advice on whether to deal with the pixle problem or not.

Wigner

Config:
AMD 64 3000+ :: 1x512DDR :: 60G 4200rpm HD :: GeForce 440 go with 5-in-1 and 1394 :: 15.4XGA :: 802.11G

Paid a little more than 1200 with academic discount.

 

Hey Wigner,

Congratulations on your purchase! Regarding the burnt pixel, I guess it's personal preference. Some may tell you to get it fixed, others may say to get a whole new unit & then some will also say to leave it. Well, I'm one of those people that says, get a whole new unit. HP might give you a bit of resistance if you tell them it's because of 1 pixel, but will end up swapping it out in the end. I personally can't stand any problems with the things I buy after paying all this money. There's always the possibility that something else could go wrong after getting the new unit, but that's a chance when swapping units.
Burnt pixels are probably one of the things manufacturers hate the most. An LCD screen can have upto 2.28M pixels, therefore there's always the possibility that one or more may be bad. Some manufacturers (Toshiba) have a policy of not replacing LCD's if it's less than 8 bad pixels or 3+ pixels are clustered together in one area. I'm sure HP has a similar policy, but speak to them and see what happens, you always have the option to return the unit within 30 days, so they might as well swap it out for you.
The burnt pixels shouldn't start to spread as time goes on (IMO) unless there is some damage to the screen.

The USB ports should start out firm, but not tight. I guess they just formed the metal a bit smaller/tighter than usual so it'll withstand more usage.
The latch is something new from HP. They started this a bit (1 year) after they bought out Compaq. I guess it's a bit more fuctional than the hooks on the older notebooks, you can't catch anything on it by accident and snap it off.
The lights is another thing they've decided to change. The Compaq models will have mainly orange/green lights except for the wireless, which is blue. The HP only branded models (Pavilions) will have all blue lights except for wireless (green I believe). The blue lights are a very nice color and should have them on all their units, but I guess they want to seperate the HP computers from the Compaq.

-Vb-

 

The best monitoring program I've found that works is Mobile Meter:

www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/8259/

One pixel, barely visible... I wouldn't worry about it. It won't "infect" its neighbors. I think I managed to luck out and not get any dead pixels on mine.

 

Hi, Venombite, I am going to ask them to exchange one for me.
Thanks for the suggestion. I guess I am like you a perfectionist, so it really starts to bug me.

 

yeah, sorry for the confusion the speakers are nice on the compaq, just there is a noticeably better sound from the H&K speakers on the HP ones.

zx5000 :: 2.4M :: 512 DDR :: 40gb 4200 RPM HD :: 15.4" :: Radeon 9600 Mobilty M10 :: Aquamark3 22,856

 

The same thing happened to me with a zt3000...one bad pixel.

Once I knew it was there I began to notice it ...especially during dvd playback. The return process is quick and easy - as it should be.
Bob

 

Yeah, called HP this morning, the rep ordered a new one for me and ask me to give this to Fedex guy tomorrow.

Forgot to include another downside of the touchpad. It doesn't support "double tapping" like the Dell usually does, a bit inconvenient for mouseless operation.

Reluctant to give this away and wait another 10 days, not sure if there is better luck then. I am sure the spot will get more and more annoying if I don't do anything.

 

Today I've called a local Bestbuy and they've told me that they are ready to exchange a notebook if there is a dead pixel within 14 days of the purchase. After that they do exchange it only if you buy an extra policy that covers dead pixels. After 14 days the manufacturer (E-machines) is ready to exchange the notebook only if there are 10+ dead pixels, whereas Bestbuy is ready to do that if there are 3+ dead pixels.

It's all so messy, lots of different possibilities and blah, blah, blah, so, I'd suggest following the advice of Venombite and exchange a new notebook right away within first days if there is at least one dead pixel. O/w later on you may find yourself in trouble or they may just flip you off.

 

actually it does support double tapping, but you have to turn it on in the options. by default they have it turned off.

zx5000 :: 2.4M :: 512 DDR :: 40gb 4200 RPM HD :: 15.4" :: Radeon 9600 Mobilty M10 :: Aquamark3 22,856