Compal HGL-30 Owners Lounge

i think they made a mistake on that webpage.
sorry if i confused anyone else (besides myself) hehe.

 

Just got my HGL-30 yesterday and man do I love it!

Build quality is fine, the screen is absolutely fantastic, and the performance is blazin.

I have noticed that the keyboard is like a sponge though. I read that before I got it
but I think I would have noticed it anyway. It has no effect on my typing curiously enough
though and it doesn't bother me in the least.

I'm coming off of a Compaq budget machine and man is it like night and day!

However, on the Compaq there were a pair of JBL speakers and I guess I was
spoiled by those. The sound that comes out of these speakers is downright
pitiful but that's what headphones were made for . I'm figuring on getting a
sound card for this baby anyway.

Maybe I'll do a review later this week for it with my full impressions

 

Please do.

 

sounds cool
any chance on you posting pictures?

 

You probably won't need a sound card, just try it with a QUALITY set of headphones or external speakers. It will drive anything you put to it.

It already has the Intel High Definition Realtek ALC883 audio system which is the best in the industry at this time.

 

Are all hgl-30s light green on the back? Thats the only thing keeping me from ordering one.

 

It's not a really a light green color. Apparently it looks a lot darker in person.

Check powernotebooks.com--they updated their pictures.

http://powernotebooks.com/specs/images/l8-14/

 

It's a little more bluish green than just plain green, those pics are good but
it's a bit darker than that color. Everything in those pics must be illuminated
and lightened by the flash or something.

 

I noticed that with the HEL80, but I have to say, I didn't find it a problem either. I actually thought it added to the typing experience after a few days' use. People were posting about a double-sided scotch tape trick underneath the keyboard that actually worked quite well, keeps it from moving.

Definitely a step up from your Compaq . . congratulations.

 

Hey Donald,

I was wondering if the Crown version will have a Merom option, as I see only the Powerpro version having it.

 

The news is traveling fast...they have just arrived!

The T5600 will be shipping in PowerPro, Crown and Sager laptops next week

 

Hey I have a bit of a concern about my computer. I was just looking at the properties of the battery that I have and noticed that it is Sony, the same brand that has been blowing up all those dells. I was wondering if anyone knew if the Compal batteries were at risk at all?

 

No, they are not at risk.

 

that puts a smile on my face!

 

Now I just need the T7400's to arrive

 

Did anyone ever solve the fan issue? Did speedfan work alright for anyone?

 

Does the HGL-30's 7600 vid card have the same underclocking issue as the HEL80?

 

According to Donald at powernotebooks, the HGL30's go 7600 is also clocked at 350/350 despite being listed at higher speeds elsewhere.

 

i decided to just let it be. it's only a minor annoyance. id rather have a cool notebook than a hot one anyway.

 

I undervolted my cpu so it runs pretty cool. With two cases of prime95, one on each cpu, the temperature is only 49C after running for 8 hours. The annoying fan on and off definitely gets worse after that as the temperature is dropping. I would rather just have it stay on. Speedfan was a no go because the fans (or MB) were not recognized. I'll keep looking. Maybe a bios upgrade soon? Just keep the dang fan on longer or introduce an additional slower speed would work better.

 

I just noticed www.bizcom-us.com has a bios upgrade and there have been some interesting fixes that sound promising. Bios version 1.09. I'm going to try it tonight. However if someone else beats me to it.... it would be even better.

 

110b Is the latest bios build. Came out on 8/30/06

 

Is that from compal Europe? Have you installed it?

 

I just looked again. Is that the HEL80 bios?

 

I too am getting the awesome yet cost effective laptop very soon. Cant freakin wait lol!! Im buying from RJTech.com, best price. Heres my stats im getting it with if anyone cares. Ill post a review after I get it!

Processor: Merom T7200 2.0 GHZ
Memory: 2 GB Corsair @667 mhz
Hard Drive: 160 GB Seagate 5400.3
Optical Drive: 8X DVD RW+/-
Bluetooth, and obviously the 7600 GO

Plus OS, all for around $1200, beats the A8Js by 300 dollars
O, and I love how it has an express card slot AND a PCMCIA slot! wow!@

 

bios 110a is released for the hgl30, anybody know what was changed or added? i have been running 109a. and wondering if 110a will be an improvement with the fan, and maybe gpu clock {>_<} wishful thinking....

 

im interested as well to know about improvments of this 110a bios version over the 109a

 

I realize that a number of you are going to upgrade to each BIOS update as they become available regardless of the risks involved. It's definitely your option to do so, but please be careful to avoid creating problems on your system. I have seen a number of users here in the Compal forums create problems that didn't previously exist on their systems by trying to use the latest BIOS version.

 

chrisyano, iv allready flashed the bios from 109A to 108A and then back to 109A to fix some fan problems i had. if we make a backup of the existing bios, and do the bios flashing via DOS i believe its quite safe. windows flashing might cause problems, but flashing via DOS using Phlash is pretty straightforward. idnt have any problems with the downgrade or upgrade, and like i said it did fix my fan problem.

 

ortahor, I am merely pointing out potential risk to those out there who may be considering unnecessary BIOS updates. There has been a number of Compal Forum readers that have had problems stemming from doing so. I know there are some of you out there who will play with it regardless, and that's fine too. Just be aware of the risk you are taking. If you damage something it will not be covered by the warranty I'm sure.

 

Went on to RJtech.com and did the same exact config, came out to be $1500. was there a sale when you bought yours? 1500 Vs 1200, $300 difference ..

 

O im sorry, but I already have a 160 Gb 5400.3 Hard Drive, and I already have 2x 1Gb Corsair 667mhz memory, so that definitly brought the price down.
I wish they'd have a sale on it..but the price is already so good that I cant really complain lol.
Guess I got a little excited n forgot to mention that little detail.

 

Did you flash to 110A yet?

 

Does anyone know what 110A fixes yet?

 

I looked at the download from biz-com and it didn't have a changelog.

 

Same here. /\

 

What is the best allaround solution to keeping fan noise down. I have 110 bios and the fan is on quite a bit when running, although nothing gets very warm. Its sort of annoying when in class that the fan is running. My old tablet pc practically never ran then fan...

 

Im sorry if this is off topic but has anyone bought a Compal HGL 30 from www.Xoticpc.com?? The prices at Powerbook.com seem to be higher.

 

How is the keyboard on these? I really like the IBM keyboard. The keys are low, dont take much to press and laid out nice. I am highly considering a HGL 30, but the keyboard and the fan worries me. I cant seem to pull the trigger. Also how far does the battery hang out? Thats another thing holding me back, just seems weird right there. Can you get a smaller one or no?

 

The battery sticks out 3/4" in the back. It is quite out of sight and I seriously doubt that it would bother you. You can get a 6-cell as an accessory, but I think the extra battery life from the 9-cell is an advantage--not a disadvantage.

The keyboard and fan issues are going to be up to you personally. I have no problem with the keyboard on my HEL80, but some don't like Compal's keyboards. Personally I don't really like laptop keyboards in general anyways.

There's not much you can do about the fan unless you undervolt your system. Some have had success by upgrading their BIOS to cut some of the fan activity down.

 

Thanks!! Do they suffer from like light leakage? I am really considering one or a asus a8js but they suffer from light leakage...

 

the hgl 30 uses the same screen as the a8jm
which is very similar to the one in the a8js with a lower resolution.

Ive seen them both in asus computers next to eachother and although the screen on the a8js looks a lot bette,r its much sharper with better resolution, the one on the a8jm has a better viewing angle. but neither of them has a good viewing angle all things considered actually below average.

there is some light leakage in most computer lcds. The dimmer the screen is the less you notice it. these models have a brighter screen so you may notice the leaking more against a black screen.

Nothing like ones you can get from dell and acer though its just in the bottom middle youll never notice it in everyday use.

 

So the HGL30 on ISTNC.com has IEEE1394 (FireWire) as a listed port while other HGL30s listed on other sites do not. Which is correct? Or are there different sub model HGL30 with and without the FireWire port?

 

The ISTNC.com site is in error. The HGL30 does not have an IEEE 1394 port. You can confirm this by looking at the pictures.

 

I have seen a picture of the HGL30 with a mini 1394 port on the left side between the USB 2 and the RJ-45.. lemme see if I can find it

 

No, that is where it is on the HEL80, there is no IEEE 1394 on the HGL30.

 

I think the HGL31 has Firewire...someone probably got the photos mixed up.

 

Nope, the HGL31 doesn't have it either.

 

has anyone had any problems with the HGL30? I want to get one unless there are some serious problems...

Also if anyone has played command and conquer generals on it i would like to know how well it played.

anyone buy theirs from Canada? (if so where did you get it and how good was the service?)

 

Fittersman, you are posting on top of 190+ posts about exactly that. You may want to skim through to get some answers to your question.

You can buy from MilestonePC.com in Canada.