dv8000t or nx9420

in light of reading one of these for a dv5000, i have decided to ask about this too! so, which do you recommend. Hp is having a sale for both, the nx9420 sale ends on the 28th, and the dv8000t one has been on for a while.

also, id like to hear how happy you are with your buy (yes, after spending 1000$ plus, you shuold be happy!)

also, feel free to post about other laptops, we've heard such as dell, but what about others!

 

If you want more mobility and better quality, then get the nx9420. The DV8000t has better multimedia features. But the X1600 GPU in the nx9420 is better than the 7600 GPU in the DV8000t.

 

im a die hard intel user...and the X1600 GPU is a ATI? that was bought by AMD!??....ok, ill consider it....

so you own the nx9420 im taking? is the keyboard ok? lol, cuz the dv8000t is...questionable, from what i am reading.

what do others have to say?

 

I vote for the NX9420 as well. It really is a great deal for what you get in my opinion.

 

I wouldn't touch the dv8000t until if and when the keyboard problem is solved

 

I have been considering these two for a while now. The thing I like about the dv8000t is the UltraBrightView screen which with the dual lamps I believe would be good for me to view having low vision. Also, the dv8000t has an Express Card slot along with PCMCIA. It also has capability of holding two HDDs if needed.

On the other hand, the nx9420 would be better build qualtiy and better battery life with probably a better keyboard since there have been so many problems with the dv8000t on this point. As to the BrightView screen option if it is as good as what I have now, I probably would be satisfied with it. Also, the nx9420 is lighter weight than the other.

So, I still would love to hear more input and I am glad you started this thread.

Gary

 

Sorry to reply to my own post but I forgot to mention that also nx9420 has security features such as fingerprint reader and some others.

Gary

 

You Should also consider the Dell E1705 series, for the price with the coupons you could get better specs and a nicer(in my opinion) design.

 

Well my vote would be towards the nx9420 as I should be receiving mine tommorow (hopefully). With the comment on the Dell e1705 (9400 in Canada), the coupons don't apply to dell.ca and canadian dell discounts are a joke compared to the United States' Dell. I should have a review of the nx9420 shortly since there are so few from what I've seen. If you wan't a more multimedia based notebook go for the dv8000 but for build quality, I'd recommend the nx9420.

 

hehe, im going to get my cousins to get me this in teh USA, so much cheaper! its sorta outrageous that the prices are so different...

thanks for all the feedback!
and no, i think it is great if you add to your own posts, or repost in this.

LanEvoIII, can you fill us in when you've had enough "alone time" with your machine

and please, repost with more comments and bring others!

 

I'm happy over-all with my dv8000t. I have the ultra-brightview screen and it's great. Probobly the best feature of the computer actually..HP's screens are absolutely gorgeous. As far as keyboard concerns, I have had very minor problems with mine... on a VERY rare occasion it seems to miss a key or not capitolize when I'm holding down shift and typing.

I'm very picky and this occurs so rarely that it has never caused me any frustration at all. I may have just gotten lucky and gotten a good keyboard, I don't know. HP's build quality in the consumer line is a little flemsy but it's what I would expect from a consumer-line notebook. The Dell's and Acer's I've handled at work are built no better.

I voted "you think the dv8000t is ok".

 

i had ordered a dv8000t from costco 2 months ago, but returend it because wanted to get a smaller notebook. i didnt even realize there was a keyboard problem because i was an external one. when i did use the keyboard for short lengths, i didnt notice any problems. the dv8000t with media center/tv tuner/ultra brightview, was probably the best movie viewing notebook out in the market today. the screen was absolutely a thing of heaven. other than that it was an ok notebook dual core was kick a. would recommmend it to anyone, but not sure if keyboard problem is fixed or if there is even a problem

 

Winterymix, could you please tell us what type of battery life you get with the dual lamp screen? I know it will be less than with the single lamp and also do you have the dual hard drives? Thanks and this is a great help.

Gary

 

yes, please do!

how does the battery life compare between the dv8000t and nx9420?
say, both using a 5400rpm harddrive, core duo T2300, and brightness at...85% and wireless on, no bluetooth...

and say, doing light works, such as typing, playing some star craft on battle net, msn, and music? (equal amounts of each, all/most at the same time)

 

does anyone know if the nx9420 will be upgradable to a merom chip?

because the dv8000t since Hp said they will make bios updates for it
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3076

 

Yep, view this link (credit to LanEvoIII)

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...Id=101&prodSeriesId=1839153&prodTypeId=321957

I say you should get the nx9420 (I'm getting one soon). It has better build quality, all the same features as the DV8000t and more even. It may have MXM, so you have the ability to upgrade your graphics! We're not 100% sure, but it's likely that it does.

 

I will be grateful when someone here reviews both the nx9420 and nw9440 and on the nx9420 if the Brightview WSXGA screen is reall dim or bright or what? Thanks.

Gary

 

I should be getting one within a month, and someone else is working on a review...

 

At medium/high brightness and under average non-gaming workload (internet, listening to music, etc) I get a little over 2 hours on my battery. I do have dual 100gb hard drives. Not the best battery life, but it's what i expect with dual-lamps & dual-hdd.

 

Thanks for that. That is in line I guess with other dual lamp machines.

Gary

 

for wsxga screens, is it alot smaller as in font wise? or it fine for mainly reading and typing...?

i too will probably be getting a nx9420 or dv8000t by middle/end of august! havent decided yet, because i want a clear bright screen, but i want a DVD drive too...so that excludes the 2 cheapest ones for the nx9420...going with the 3rd cheapest which starts at about 1600 i think.

of course the dv8000t has all of that stadard...

anyone wanna help me!?

 

I have had the dv8000t for about 1 month now and LOVE IT. I have the ultrabright screen and it is aweosme. I have had very little issue with the keyboard. Nothing to concern myself with. I am not concerned about battery life since I use the AC alot but I have gotten over 2 and half hrs on the 8 cell battery. THe casing is solid, the speed is quick (since I did a reformat and got rid of the bloatware)

It took me like 1 month to finally decide on what notebook to purchase. The deciding factor was the video card and the screen. I would really look hard at the 8000 series but that is you call.

ScottM

 

ive been looking hard for the past year almost ScottM! and i think the time is almost right!

but still thinking...

maybe i will order them both and keep the one i like...just a though


what versions on the nx9420 do all of u have that it is cheaper then the dv8000t? i want the trubrite, and dvd burner, but i think that model is around 1500!

at that price you can almost get a loaded dv8000t, but i guess since i have a better keyboard it pays off...

 

Well it would be nice if we knew what your budget was and what is definetly necessary and what other options you don't really need. If you are buying it from the states, usually there are online retailers that sell the nx9420 cheaper than through HP. Too bad the business line isn't available at Costco...

 

Not sure if this will help but PC magazine gave the 8000t the highest rating for its category. the best Notebook to replace your desktop. Again, not being biased but I would recommend the 8000! I would not let the keyboard issue be the deciding factor becaue I do not think the keyboard issue is as bad as ppl say it is but that is my personal opinion.

ScottM

 

Scott M, have you had the dv8000t? Sorry, you might have mentioned it earlier, but I forget if you did. My keyboard issues were relatively minor, but annoying enough for me to return the computer. I can't see that the issues would ever affect a slow-typer, but it really slows down a fast-typer.

I might buy another dv8000t, and hope that it doesn't have the same problems, because it is an AWESOME computer, despite its sucky keyboard. I might, however, wait for the dv9000z to come out, but I don't know... I can't decide! I don't want to say goodbye to the Core Duo...

Anyway, I don't mean to take this thread away from you, Ur ex-Wife, but I would highly recommend the dv8000t as a whole... And if you use an external keyboard, you probably won't have the issues... It just depends if you're willing to take the chance of becoming really annoyed at your awesome computer when it won't type what you want it to...

 

lol, by all means, take away

but getting a external keyboard sorta defeats the purpose of getting a laptop computer...if you ask me.

 

Yes I do have the dv8000t. Being my first Laptop I am very pleased with the whole system. Again, the keyboard issue is not really that bad for me. I have not noticed it much at all.

The idea of getting an external keyboard is not a bad idea. Remembe on alot of laptops the keyboard is alot smaller then the 8000. The 8000 has a huge keyboard but for some the idea of sitting back with a wireless keyboard is a great idea.

scott

 

If anyone is interested, the price has dropped for the nx9420 in the canadian HP site as well as the US site I believe. It pains me to see price drops after I have purchased my notebook...

 

On the contrary, on a reseller's site, the price shot up $100 for me. I'm gonna wait for a bit...

Never mind. It's gone down again! $1422 + shipping is a steal for...

Operating systems installed Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Processor type Intel® T2400 (1.83GHZ) processor
Processor features 1.83 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 667-MHz front side bus
Memory, std. 1024 MB


Video
Display type 17.0-inch WSXGA+ display BriteView display
Display resolution VGA port supports resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 at 75 Hz, and lower resolutions at up to 100 Hz.
DVI port in optional HP Docking Station (sold separately) supports resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 at both full and reduced blanking, and 1920 x 1200 at reduced blanking.
video adapter card ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics controller with 256 MB of discrete video memory


Storage
CD drive type DVD+/-RW
Hard drive, internal 100 GB (5400 rpm)


Audio and ports
Audio ADI High Definition CODEC; integrated 16-bit Sound Blaster Pro compatible audio; stereo speakers; directional microphone; external volume control and mute buttons; stereo headphone/line out; stereo microphone in.
I/O (input/output) ports 4 USB 2.0, VGA, mic in, line out, 1394, power, RJ-11, RJ-45, S-video TV out, docking connector, travel battery connector
Communications 10/100/1000 NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Controller
56K V.92 modem with digital line guard
Wireless Intel® 802.11a/b/g; integrated Bluetooth®
Mouse / pointing device Touchpad with scroll zone, two soft-touch pick buttons
Power External 90-watt smart AC adapter, 6-foot (1.8-meter) power cord included. Total length including External AC adapter is 12 feet (3.66 meter). 8-cell high capacity Lithium-Ion (68Wh). HP Fast Charge technology.
Keyboard The 101/102-key compatible keyboard features an industry standard, full-width layout with desktop keyboard features such as isolated inverted-T cursor control keys, left and right control and alt keys, and 12 function keys. Other features include a full numeric keypad, hotkeys for instant access to power conservation, brightness, and other features, 19.05 mm x 19.05 mm key pitch (center-to-center spacing), 3.0 mm stroke, comfort-dished keycaps, and bright key legends for improved visibility in low light conditions.


Software
Software / drivers & utilities Adobe Acrobat Reader; HP Backup and Recovery Manager; HP Help and Support, HP Mobile Print Driver; HP ProtectTools Security Manager: BIOS Configuration for HP ProtectTools, Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools, Credential Manager for HP ProtectTools; HP One-Touch Button Software, HP Wireless Assistant; Sonic Digital Media Plus: RecordNow! (for optional DVD+/-RW and DVD/CDRW drives), MyDVD (DVD Authoring for optional DVD+/-RW drives), Synaptics Touchpad Driver, Symantec Norton Internet Security with complimentary 60-day live update, Intervideo WinDVD - DVD Player (for optional DVD+/-RW, DVD/CDRW and DVD drives)


Manageability
Security management HP ProtectTools Security Manager, Configuration Control Hardware, Memory Change Alert, Ownership Tag, Setup Password, Power-On Password, Drivelock, TPM Enhanced Drivelock, HP Disk Sanitizer, Kensington Lock Slot, Integrated Smart Card Reader, TPM Embedded Security Chip, HP Biometric Fingerprint Sensor, absolute Software Lojack for Laptops agent embedded in BIOS.


Mobility
Weight 7.4 lb.
Dimensions (L x W x H) 10.8 x 15.5 x 1.3 in.


Warranty
One-Year standard parts and labor warranty; upgraded warranty and toll-free 7 x 24 hardware technical phone support available; Certain restrictions and exclusions apply

 

I get just over 2.5 hours with the dv8000t with the dual lamp Ultra BrightView display with the brightness turned all the way down. I tend to surf in front of the TV, currently looking for a minivan. Please don't laugh.

 

I personnaly own a dv8000t, and I am evaluating the nx9420 for work. I will post some pics comparing the two side by side. I will quickly say that the nx9420 is noticeably lighter. The screen is a standard matte WSVGA+ 17". It certainly is not as bright as my Ultra-bright dv8000t, however. Keep tuned for pics.

 

thank you all, lots of people are also looking into buying one or the other, and in glad that there has been this great feedback. yes, i checked the prices on the Canadian website and the American web sites, and for the nx9420, they are almost the same, after doing the conversion of currency. however i have not had time to check the dv8000t. work, we all hate it, lol.

i have finally figured, that i WILL (probably) have one or the other by the beginning of September!

has anyone else bought both and comparded? ehanson555, did you? it sounds like it.

too bad costco doesnt sell the SBE notebooks from HP...then i would have 6months to decide!!!

cheers all,

 

Any more word as to any impressions on the nx9420? I had the dv8000t and loved the Ultrabright screen. In fac, that was probably my main reason for getting the laptop. However, am sending it back today because I could not live with USB 2.0 problems with external HDD enclosures I use especially outside of Windows. If that had worked, I would have kep the machine. Now, I must find another 17 inch notebook with a lesser bright screen probably and test USB 2.0 to make sure it will work properly. Looking forward to more news on nx9420. Thanks.

Gary

 

Are you still planning on getting the hp dv8000t? I've pretty much scrapped the idea based on the keyboard problem thread, it's not just the keyboard...that problem just revealed a customer service nightmare that I don't think it's worth taking a chance that I won't have any problems and end up dealing with their staff.

 

My 2 cents... as someone who has the dv8000t, production date 1st week April, 2006.

Keyboard, No noted problems, wife uses the machine, her being the executive personal assistant to the CEO.

Keyboard problems, from what I've read maybe being a conflict between the touchpad and something else. Persons that have un-installed the touchpad drivers noting their problems went away.

That being said, I noticed HP has a NEW bios release on their site. .

In the notes saying:
Implement the BIOS workaround for Intel's ICH7M and ICH7M-DH UHCI Dynamic Clocking Gating Erratum to enhance system stability.

 

http://laptopmag.com/Features/Tech-Support-Showdown.htm


Tech Support Showdown
When something goes wrong, who delivers the best service? Our undercover agent found out.

by Michael S. Lasky
From July 2006 issue of LAPTOP magazine


Technical support is like the weather: everybody complains about it but nobody seems to do anything about it. Even the sunniest days can feel downright gloomy when your laptop goes south and you try to get help from the PC manufacturer's tech support, be it by phone or the Web.

Whether it is those insufferable long hold times listening to insipid smooth jazz loops, dealing with by-the-script technicians, or trying to comprehend the accents of some offshore associates, the inability to find a quick fix can add to your frustration.

To assess just how good or bad the tech support of the major laptop vendors is, we went undercover to see how well and swiftly each was able to solve two problems.

The first challenge was easy. We shut off each notebook's Wi-Fi connection using either the system's Wi-Fi power switch, if there was one, or the Function-F2 key combo. Then we would call and complain that we lost Wi-Fi service and ask for help getting back online.

The second challenge was a tad harder: We added some memory-resident applets whose icons appear in the Windows System Tray and then complained that our laptop booted up abnormally slowly.

We first tried to solve the pair of problems by using the non-phone support methods each company offered-FAQ pages, knowledge bases, instant chat services, and manual and software download pages. Then we called tech support twice, once for each question. All calls were placed between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. PST for the first question and between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. for the second.

Read on to see how each notebook manufacturer fared.

Editors’ Note
Web grades were based upon the availability of information and the ease with which it was located. Phone grades were based upon wait times, the quality of service, and a positive resolution of the problem.




Tech Support Showdown: Who Makes The Grade?

TO SEE the results, the "details, and How they "rate" go here: http://laptopmag.com/Features/Tech-Support-Showdown.htm



Acer
Apple
Dell
Fujitsu

Gateway
HP
Lenovo
Sony

Toshiba

 

One more thing,

I had a LONG conversation ( 1 hour ++) with a case manager at HP (20+ years) when I was trying to decide between the exact same models.

Him working both on the HOME and the BUSINESS side...

Asked him about "build" quality , the casings /housing used- SAME, coming from the same factory and production line most of the time. (note busines model are certified differantly, build quality is the same, but the units are designed to differant needs.)

Asked him about the displays - Him saying they use the same.

Asked him about stability -.... Him explaining that the HOME line uses parts that may be more cutting edge, latest extra's. (bells and whistles)

Business line using parts that may, or may not have "all" the bells and whistles...

Last thing was the amount of time any one model stays in production:

Home line, refreshed more often (remember, bells and whistles) A model staying in production about 6-8? months

Business line getting refreshed about once per year or more. (Business's being more concerned about stability, than the latest gadget.)


In addtion to the above, you have the business warranty, vs the home..

So in a nutshell, the business line is more stable, models stay in production longer (which gives the R&D and quality control people more TIME and INCENTIVE to make sure it's stable before the first one ships and to address problems that may appear.

To paint a picture, CELLPHONES.... Cellphone companies will release a "new" model phone every few months.... If it's got "bugs"... those issues may or may not be addressed...

Mindset I guess that a "new" model is coming out in 4 months... So push it out the door... and if it works, fine.

(I call it the "phone of the week club")

Same R&D department if they knew that model was going to be in production say 12-18 months would have more pressure on them to make sure it's right before they release the design to production... and if there was a problem there would be extreme pressure on them to fix whatever problems came up..

 

I don't want to hijack this seemingly dormant thread, but customer service is a little different than tech support and encompasses it. Customer service involves how you are treated all around, in regards to honoring, warranties, policies, etc. It's usually when you come to the worst, a problem they can't fix, is when you find out just how good or poor customer service. If they say, that problem is unfixable, our fault, or you got a lemon; when that seems to be the case, and we'll refund you, that's a harder thing to measure. If they hassle you and stonewall you, saying, I guess your SOL, you'll only know for next time.

 

just incase any of you have returned to this long dead thread, i have gotten a Dell Inspiron E1505/6400 instead.

-one reason was that i was able to get massive discounts (over 400 on a 1200 dollar machine, including tax)
-after seeing the size of a 14" D620 i thought that 15.4" would be more then enough for me
-the price of the SBE NX9420
-the keyboard issue with the dv8000t