sleeper hit rig HP Compaq nx9420 on HP Small Biz Web site

check it out! can't really customize, but the pre-built options are still tasty! http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/ctoBases.asp?ProductLineId=539&FamilyId=2354&jumpid=re_R2515_store/smProdCat/PSG/notebooks/HP_nx9420_notebook. do a little aftermarket upgrading - sell the spare parts - and you've got a great rig! my base price was $1899.00 but had to pay taxes and shipping . it's smoker though! less than 8lbs! x1600!

 

Let us know when it ships. I am thinking of ordering the same machine.

 

will do. the estimate ship date is 3/14 (and i chose 2-day shipping after that, so hopefully i get it by 3/16) and i called HP to 'confirm'. the rep i spoke with was very helpful and she took a look in the order management system to check the inventory level for my rig coming-in from overseas. she quoted only 100 units! so, if you want one soon, i suggest you act fast. who knows when the next batch will come... also, make sure to look around for HP eCoupons. i did, but didn't locate any . however, after having signed-up for the emailing list on the Web site, i got one this AM (for subscribing). it's only for $10 off but hey... of course i'm a day late

i think this rig hasn't got much attention because it's on the HP small biz site and not on the home site... a little off the beaten path... the way i like things

 

Somebody bought this finally. I am wating to see the review. This is the first laptop that I know with a number pad on it.

 

a lot of the 17" rigs have number pads. they've got enough room usually . the Fujitsu Lifebook N6410 has one...

 

HP has produced some really nice notebooks, lately. This new 9420 could be a huge hit. If it's built along the lines of the nw8420 and nc8230, HP won't be able to keep it in stock.

 

yes, i agree. the HP quality can't be denied anymore. they're putting out some great stuff. and i think you're right about the nx9420 - only 100 units (my model) shipping in this batch according to HP? it will be hard to get soon. the only 'turn-off' for power users/gamers is the rather pedestrian entertainment options --- or lack thereof! no real stylish bells-and-whistles. that and who really needs the smart card and the biometric fingerprint security stuff??? i guess that's what really makes this a suit/corporate rig (business notebook). i still can't get over the ATI MR x1600 though! and the slim profile and 7.4 lb. footprint!

yep. it's all in what's under the hood! and this rig is a wolf in sheep's clothing. especially with a couple of key aftermarket upgrades.

 

Yeah. That's one of the pluses of a 17". A nice big number pad. It's just disappointing to see laptops that ARE 17", but don't have a num pad. It kinda screams "We were too lazy to put in a num pad, so we stuck in speakers instead" I mean, if you have the space, use it for something!

 

Just placed my order, hopefully it comes next week. I figure I have 30 days to play around with it to decide if it's a keeper. Should be fun.

 

yep! 30 day return policies are the saving grace for us "second guessers". well, "third guessers" on my part if i return this rig!

 

isvara_pranidhana- What does your order status show if you do the line item detail? Mine says estimated delivery of the 18th but then at the bottom it has a 1 under the backorder column.

 

thanks, i just checked myself and got the same thing. but i think it's because these units aren't in the country yet and therefore haven't hit the HP Compaq order management system (inventory). my estimated delivery date is the 16th and if it's not here by then i'll start looking at my third option ... the Asus V6J ... or wait for the W2J

BTW - dig the sig!

 

Let me know if yours shipped today. If not I will give them a call and see what the deal is.

 

OK, now i'm NOT happy. this is strike-two! first the delays with the Fujitsu Lifebook N6410 (causing me to cancel) and now HP Compaq has gone back on their 'firm shipping date' and have told me that the new 'recovery date' is now March 24th --- which means March 26 to me. aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg!!!!!!! what is up with these new core duos and the stupid delays??? i am going to call them back and see what i can do, but if they can't do much better than that, then i'm probably going for something in-stock like the Asus V6J (even when it's not a 17") from http://www.proportable.com if it's still available. i need this machine yesterday and i'm getting screwed with every choice i make!!!!!!

i do prefer going with a reseller anyway... especially http://www.proportable.com or the like.

i always wanted the asus (but the 17" W2J). maybe this is the way it was meant to be?

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! We need you to review it! Even though I have absolutely no intention of buying it.

 

I just called and she said they are supposed to be in the warehouse on the 21st. I will give them until the 24th then I am cancelling. I am going out of town and need the notebook by then.

 

after seeing that HP was giving-out $50 off coupons to customers for delays from the HP Home site for core duo rigs, i emailed the Small Biz customer service. You can reply to the 'delay notification' email . I complained about the delay AND the second-class treatment. I got free shipping and an upgrade to overnight service. That means March 22nd to me now. If that doesn't happen, then I'll cancell too. Maybe the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600? $2,400 . ugh.

 

Check your line item status. Mine is no longer listed as backordered and has a "1" in the allocated field.

Also, I paid for FedEX 2 day and it is now showing that it will ship via RPS Ground??! Gotta love HP.

 

Well mine shipped and I have a tracking number. Still not sure why it says RPS Ground as the shipping method. Hopefully it updates soon so I can get a delivery date.

 

yep. mine shipped today (3/18/2006). got a FedEx tracking number but the FedEx system doesn't have it yet (not scanned-in yet). the code is "FOS" which i'm assuming is the HP Compaq acronym for "FedEx Overnight Shipping". so, hopefully i'll see this thing on monday! it looks like they DID credit me back the original shipping charges too!

 

Where do you see a code?

I see:

Carrier: RPS Service: VF2

That was from an email attachment they sent me.

When I log in my account I see:

Ship via: RPS Ground
Carrier Info: RPS GRND

What does yours say there?

 

hmmmmm. when i login to get the 'order status' http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/dcart/SaveOrder.asp?HeaderAction=OrderStatus&OrderAction=OrderStatus&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=# and get the tracking information, i see the FedEx information:

Carrier = FED

Ship Via = FSO (Not FOS like i thought!)

???

 

FSO is probably FedEx Standard Overnight.

 

Tracking finally updated. Mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow so it looks like they upgraded me to overnight shipping as well.

 

woo-hoo! mine was delivered to my building (home) today at 12:23PM - a few minutes ago ...but i'm at work

i'll be biting my fingernails the rest of the day!!!!!

i'll give you a heads-up, first impression tonight!

 

Can't wait to hear how it is.

 

wow! this is a light rig! i was surprised at the size and the weight for a 17" notebook. portability is not a problem. the build quality and finish is decent - or at least what i expected for 7.4 lbs. - maybe even better . the keyboard is a little "loud/clacky" but the action is good. so far it's super-quiet . the screen is nice but with a little light leakage - but not too bad.

i've just got into it, so these are just initial impressions. i'll follow-up with additional observations that are a little more in-depth over the next couple of days.

i've got a good feeling about this unit. i like it! we'll just have to see how it performs during the "shakedown cruise" ...

 

yep, i'm really starting to like this new rig. the size/weight is astounding. i brought it into work today to get the IT software hookup and it really got astonished looks/attention. the build seems pretty solid for such a light rig. not built like a MAC, but it would be 12+ lbs. if it were! the only light leakage worth mentioning is along the bottom of the screen - but not a deal breaker. i actually like the 'low-profile' looks too. a nice, clean design. i'm in aftermarket upgrade and software install mode (and bloatware cleanout mode), so i'll report back with some more observations later. i'll give it a full review in a couple of weeks...and decide if it's a keeper ! so far, it looks like it will be.

 

Does it have DVI?

 

nope. just VGA port. a DVI port is in the optional HP Docking Station (sold separately) and supports 1600x1200 and 1920x1200

 

In terms of how it is built and screen quality can you compare it with 8120 Turion? And also heating must be significant I assume?

 

you mean the HP Pavilion dv8120(ca)? canadian release? i'm not familiar with it. the nx9420 build seems tight --- not a good replacement for a sledgehammer , but still good for the money and the DTR application/orientation. the screen isn't like the Fujitsu Lifebook N6410 which is the best in the land IMHO. but it looks pretty good so far. remember, i've not had much hands-on burn-in time with this rig yet. give me a few more days and i'll let you know. heat = 0 at this time, but i've not load-tested the CPU and GPU yet. trust me, i'm real picky...so i won't pull any punches if i see stuff i don't like. so far it looks like a good rig for the money. the size/weight is amazing for a 17" DTR. still can't get over it. i bet you'd have to spend $2500+ to get better quality --- but it wouldn't be better by so much to justify that kind of money. of course i'm talking Sager/Asus here (when they come out with 17" core duos) ...

 

It seems that you will keep your laptop. Congrad and have fun with it!

 

Glad to see you are enjoying the notebook. Mine arrives tomorrow a.m.

Question- How big is the AC Adapter?

 

typical/average. which is always too big IMO! it's not with me so i can't give you exact specs. however, i do know that the total length is 12'

it's not a complete beast like i've seen before though...

 

Mine finally arrived. So far so good. I am impressed. Runs silent, cool, and is well built IMO. Here is a quick picture. I am making the recovery dvds now and will have time to play with it more in a few hours. Hope to do a clean install tonight.

Also, the power brick is small. It's the same as the one on my 12" Dell 700m.

 

props to you for getting the first picture up!
yep, runs silent and cool. i haven't heard/noticed the fan yet!
it is an impressive machine !
i'm in the process of optimizing it. great thread here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=5787
mad props to bootleg2go!

 

I read a HP nx8220/nc8230/nw8240 review somewhere (maybe here?), where the reveiwer said that the included XP disc had none of the useless programs installed, unlike the HD install. Possibly the same with this model.

 

No XP disc was included. Right now I will probably hold off on the clean install as I am not able to find an ATI Mobility driver that will work. Hopefully HP will post it on their web site soon.

update- Found the driver in the swsetup folder.

 

isvara- Can you try something for me? Go to the switch user screen (Windows key + L) once you are logged onto Windows. Click on your user name so that you go back into Windows. Does the screen go black after a second and flash some garbage on the screen real fast before returning to normal?

 

yes it does. i've noticed it during boot-up. i attributed it to typical windows quirks. why, what's your take? maybe that HP Credential Manager stuff? i'm hoping i can 'clean it up' with the optimization routine that i've still not had time to complete.

i do like this rig though...

 

I bought this thing and it came into my setup guy's place today. He will start building all the software into it tomorrow. I use a lot of hardcore technical software (Matlab, xilinx, etc.) in addition to image transformation and editing software, so I have great hopes for this box.

My present box, EVO n610C is getting slow and unstable (garbage drivers building up, etc.) so it was a question of wiping the disk and rebuilding, or getting a new box and rebuilding. The nx9420 was not really that big of an extra expense.

I see a lot of good stuff about cleaning up things here; I appreciate it.

I am looking for the 2GB DDR2 SODIMMS that the nx9420 needs for 4GB. Are they really not yet sold??

I want to upgrade to a 160 GB disk, but SATA for the nx9420 appears to be off for a while. Anybody heard of coming soon?

I will visit this guy and look at the box tomorrow, he has several page list of things to be set up. Hope to have it on Monday, as the EVO needs rebooting every few hours.

Anybody have this **** problem on XP where on "shutdown", xp ignores it and just kills a couple of drivers?? I have to take the battery out a lot.

 

what are you using for your clean install? you've got disks? or are you running right from the recovery DVDs... or are you using ghost or apricorn (or something) with an external drive set-up?

just curious. without disks i'm a little puzzled what's the best way to proceed

i am upgrading to a 7200RPM drive and was going to use apricorn's ez upgrade and then use the old drive as an external mass-storage and backup solution.

options, options, options...

i'd love to ditch a lot of the security **** (among other things) ...i bet it's causing the boot/log-on split-second glitch you noticed and mentioned...

 

yeah, i don't know about 2GB sticks yet to take advantage of the 4GB support. you must run linux right? windows won't see more than 2.8GB anyway. if they're out there somewhere, i bet they're ridic expensive!

and it looks like HP specs top out with the SMART (SATA) drive at 100GB 7200RPM, doubt they'd go bigger -- another reason i'm going external USB for mass storage. would have been nice if they put in the expresscard slot --- a much wider pipe to take advantage of down the road.

don't know about your shutdown glitch. good luck with that. sounds like another application is causing the 'hang'.

 

Wow, Flashram's pic shows the nx9420 to be a larger version of the nw8240/nc8230. The 9420's appearance is virtually identical to the smaller notebooks. I'm sure the build quality is identical, as well. The 9420 is a fine machine and is gonna be a big hit. Congrats, guys!!!

 

thanks Jack! it IS a great machine. once we work out all the bloatware quirks, i'll benchtest this baby and see what she can do! props to flashram for his help, suggestions and observations!

 

Does anybody know if the processor in nx9420 can be removed (upgraded) like dell's?

 

the rumor is that the Intel 945PM Express chipset (napa platform/yonah dual core) will be ugradeable to merom ("Napa Refresh") --- it is/will be pin-compatible. we'll have to wait for further news...

Spring IDF 2006: Merom and Ultra Mobile PCs -

"The new platform is essentially Napa, but with a Merom processor instead of Yonah. The other beauty of Merom is that it is 100% compatible with existing Yonah designs, meaning that all Core Duo notebooks today should be able to accept a Merom processor with at most a BIOS update. "

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2715

it's NOT a characteristic (potential) specific to a Dell machine...

 

I know that yonah is upgradeable to merom, but what I wonder is whether if the processor in nx9420 is soldered to the mainboard (like macbookpros, which are not upgradeable in any sense) or not?

 

hmmmmmm. well, i'm not going to rip my new rig apart any time soon to be the first to check it out! my money is on it NOT being soldered-in...