HP 8710w Workstation Review

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by Charles P. Jefferies

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The HP 8710w Mobile Workstation is HP's top-shelf desktop replacement notebook for business. It is based on the new Intel Santa Rosa Centrino Pro platform and features a powerful Nvidia Quadro FX 1600M graphics card.

Our test unit has the following specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.20GHz/ 800MHz FSB/ 4MB L2 cache)
• Nvidia Quadro FX 1600M with 512MB dedicated memory
• 4096MB DDR2-667 RAM
• 80GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive
• 17&quot; WUXGA (1920x1200) WVA anti-glare matte display
• Windows Vista Business
• 8X DVD Super Multi drive
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN WLAN
• Internal Bluetooth

Pre-configured models are available starting from $2,499.

Reasons to Buy

HP makes several 17&quot; business class notebooks. The 8710w we are looking at today is designed for 3D rendering tasks and extreme performance. It is an ideal machine for those needing to run 3D rendering software applications such as Autodesk's 3Ds Max and Maya.

Build &amp; Design

The 8710w is not a flashy machine and nor should it be. It has clean lines and a professional business class look. Up close the 8710w looks sophisticated yet simple. Everything on the machine is there for a reason. The 8710w is one of the slimmest and lightest 17” notebooks around – it starts at 8.5 pounds and has a chassis only 1.3” thin.

The 8710w is constructed out of durable plastic with an inner shell of magnesium. The outside of the lid, the palm rests, and the area directly below the LCD are of a silky smooth yet durable slate gray. All of the other areas are of heavy-duty granular black plastic. It is extremely difficult to get any part of the 8710w to flex - it is one of the most solid machines I have come across. Although the chassis is quite thin, it hardly moves when twisted. Every part of the notebook feels firmly anchored down. Tapping the surfaces of this notebook yields a solid sound.

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Even though the display is quite large at 17&quot; diagonal, it flexes much less than a typical display this size. It is hard to push in the display from the back - pushing in does not produce any ripples on the screen.

I am impressed with the build quality of the 8710w. When I first laid hands on the machine, I instantly knew it was a high end machine from the first-class construction. HP did not cut any corners in the construction of this machine.

Screen

Our test 8710w has the WUXGA (1920 horizontal x 1200 vertical pixels) Wide Viewing Angle anti-glare (matte) display. Right off the bat I will state that it is stunning. Contrast is excellent and brightness is very high for a matte screen - it is brighter than many WUXGA glossy screens I have used. Text is clean and crisp and the entire screen is evenly lit. The anti-glare surface is ideal for a wider range of lighting scenarios than glossy displays - a glossy display can have glare problems in certain situations.

The side-to-side viewing angles are nearly perfect and the above and below angles are very good. The colors wash out slightly at extreme above angles and the display darkens slightly at extreme below angles.

I have seen and used a great variety of notebook displays before and the 8710w stands out as one of the absolute best.

Speakers

The 8710w has two stereo speakers situated below the palm rest. I was not expecting a business notebook to have good speakers but this one does – they are very clear and do not have the tininess of typical notebook speakers. There is a decent amount of bass; more than I would expect out of notebook speakers. It is enjoyable to listen to CD music on them.

Processor &amp; Performance

Configured with 4GB of RAM, a Core 2 Duo T7500, and a powerful Nvidia graphics card, the 8710w is quite the performer.

Overall System Performance

PCMark05

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Windows Vista Experience Index:

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Processor Performance

Processor Specifications

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Super Pi

wPrime

Please see the Measure your Dual/Multi Core Notebook CPU Speed - Bye Bye to SuperPI thread in the forums for comparisons.

Cinebench 9.5

Cinebench is a rendering benchmark tool based on the powerful 3D software, CINEMA 4D. Its rendering tasks can stress up to sixteen multiprocessors on the same computer. It is a free benchmarking tool, and can be found here: http://www.cinebench.com/

CPU Benchmark

• Rendering (1 CPU): 377 CB-CPU
• Rendering (x CPU): 674 CB-CPU
• Multiprocessor Speedup: 1.79x

Graphics Benchmark

• CINEMA 4D Shading Test: 446 CB-GFX
• OpenGL Software Lighting Test: 1547 CB-GFX
• OpenGL Hardware Lighting Test: 3809 CB-GFX
• OpenGL Speedup: 8.53x

SiSandra Arithmetic

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SiSandra Multimedia

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Hard Drive Performance

Our review unit has an 80GB 7200RPM hard drive.

HDTune 2.53

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Synthetic Gaming Performance

3DMark06

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3DMark05

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No doubt, our 8710w with top-of-the-line components is a powerful machine. The Nvidia QuadroFX 1600M is the fastest DirectX 10 workstation-class graphics cards for mobile machines. Paired with a fast Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of RAM, this is an ideal machine for graphics work.

Heat &amp; Noise

The 8710w has one fan in the back left corner of the chassis. It pushes air out through two vents. At idle, the machine does not create a lot of heat; because the fan is larger than one found in a typical notebook (larger so another fan is not needed), it only needs to spin at a low RPM to adequately cool the machine. The fan is essentially inaudible while at idle. When the machine is stressed, the fan ramps up to a higher RPM and it is audible. However, even using the machine in a quiet office environment, the sound was not significant enough to be heard far away.

The 8710w gets mildly warm on the surface. The left side of the notebook stays warmer than the right because that is where all of the heat-producing components are located. While the surface of the notebook is warm to the touch in most places it is not hot – the heat is more than bearable. The 8710w runs warmer than comparable 17” machines because it is so thin – with a thicker chassis, there would be more space for the heat to spread into.

Overall the 8710w does a manageable job of handling heat. It runs reasonably quiet while keeping the machine cool.

Keyboard &amp; Touchpad

Keyboard

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1. Power button
2. Launch HP Info Center
3. Wireless on/off
4. Presentation button
5. Volume mute
6. Volume control pad
7. Calculator launch
8. Status light s
9. Buttons for trackpoint
10. Fingerprint reader

The 8710w has a full size keyboard with separate number pad. I found the keyboard itself to be top notch. While the keyboard has no flex the number pad does – it flexes quite a bit when more than average pressure is used. The key travel for the entire keyboard is just right. The keys make a soft, pleasant sound when pushed down. All of the keys are more or less in their expected positions. Key action is light so it is easy to type fast.

Along the top of the keyboard are a series of touch-sensitive controls for launching applications. I found them to be easy to use although the volume control pad could have been a bit more sensitive.

Embedded in the right palm rest is a fingerprint reader. It adds an extra measure of security and makes logging and entering passwords as easy as a swipe of the finger.

Touchpad

Both a touchpad and a track stick are both present on the 8710w. The average-sized touchpad is offset to the left side of the machine to match up with the keyboard. It has a smooth surface and is easy to use. A strip along the left side of the touchpad is a scroll pad.

The mouse buttons are rubbery and feel rubbery to push down. The buttons feel pleasing to push down and they hardly make any noise when depressed.

The track point is located in the center of the keyboard. It has a knobby surface so fingers don’t slip off. It is easy to use. I preferred to set the sensitivity up because of the huge screen resolution.

Overall I found the keyboard, touchpad, and track stick to be first rate. The number pad does have flex but it is not an issue in my opinion because it takes more than average pressure to cause flex.

Input &amp; Output Ports

Left Side

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1. Kensington lock slot
2. Vent
3. Power
4. HDMI
5. VGA
6. 2x USB 2.0
7. IEEE 1394 mini-Firewire
8. ExpressCard/54 slot
9. Smart card slot

Right Side

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1. Headphone
2. Microphone
3. 4x USB 2.0
4. Optical drive
5. 56k modem
6. Ethernet

Front

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1. Status lights
2. Stereo speakers
3. Display latch
4. Media card reader

Back

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1. Vent

Bottom

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1. Hard drive module
2. Battery pack
3. Docking station connector
4. RAM compartment
5. Vent intake

Wireless

Our review 8710w came with the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN. It supports the draft N wireless standard as well as the standard a, b and g bands. I had no issues connecting and maintaining a connection to a variety of secured g band networks. I do not have access to an N router so I was not able to test its functionality.

Integrated Bluetooth 2.0+EDR wireless is also included with the 8710w. I was able to connect to and transfer files back and forth to my Bluetooth-enabled ThinkPad without problems.

Battery

While surfing the Internet with minimum screen brightness and the “Power Saver” settings in Windows Vista, I managed to get two hours and twenty-eight minutes of life out of the 8710w. I find the battery life to be more than acceptable. I did not expect to get this much life out of a machine that packs a 17” screen and powerful graphics card. Even though I believe those interested in a machine like this are overly concerned with battery life, it nonetheless is a plus for this machine.

Operating System &amp; Software

The review unit came pre-installed with Windows Vista Business. There is very little pre-installed software to speak of besides the HP utilities, which are basic but useful.

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Customer Support

The HP 8710w comes standard with a 3-year parts and labor warranty with onsite service. During my time with the 8710w I did not have to contact customer service.

Conclusion

From the HP 8710w Mobile Workstation’s first class input devices and superb build quality to the gorgeous display and powerful Nvidia graphics card, the 8710w will more than satisfy its target audience. This machine is clearly designed for professionals inside and out, and it shows.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality
• Top notch input devices
• Gorgeous WUXGA WVA display
• Powerful Nvidia graphics
• Thin &amp; light
• Great battery life

Cons:

• Number pad flexes somewhat with pressure

 

wow is the word i cn think of riite now
an amazing system
and only one con tht too the number pad
chaz what about the hdd is there hard drive shock protection like its smaller sibling?
and how would you sum up the keyboard as compared to the thinkpad T lineup
6 usb ports too thats sweet for an 17 notebook too
4gb ram so i presume thats the maximum it can handle ?
thanks for the review chaz truly enjoyed it
now to wait for the less costly p version

 

there must be 3D hdd protection, it is standart on all hp's workstations...

it would be good to see some gaming (not only synthetic) benchmarks with Q FX 1600M. pls?

 

Nice review Chaz! Looks like a sweet machine. Do you have any screen shots of the screen. It would be nice to see some especially since you seem so impressed with it.

 

Is this a pre-production model? I'm wonder as to why the chip is an ES.

I'm really liking those HP business machines they look great and work great. They are going to take over where the IBM T-series left off if they if keeps up the good work.

 

-It's shock mounted, yes.
-I can compare to an X-series. The HP's keyboard keys don't feel as individual or as solid as the ThinkPad's and the ThinkPad's keyboards also have a more defined feel. The key travel is noticeably longer on the ThinkPad. Still though, I would rate the HP's keyboard as very good. I own a ThinkPad and I enjoyed the keyboard if that says anything.
-Yes 4GB is the maximum. Note that Vista 32-bit only sees slightly over 3GB though.

I do not - the pictures did not come out and show how nice the screen was unfortunately.

I don't have the machine anymore, it was sent back a few days ago. However the reason I did not run any game benchmarks was because this is a workstation and not a gaming machine. It seems silly to pay ~$3,000 for a machine like this when you can get a Dell XPS or Sager NP5790 for less with a GeForce card. At any rate, the FX 1600M is essentially an 8700M-GT and I did thorough performance benchmarks on that in this review:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3856

It probably was. I couldn't find info/pricing on this specific configuration anywhere.

 

so i guess hp keypad is second then
kudos to hp for gettin their keyboard almost perfect
thanks for the clarifications chaz
martynas your right then
so woould the "p" professional version optional hdd protection atleast
really enjoyed reading the review
and about the screen i guess pictures wont do it justice or
have the effect as experiencing it in person eh?
reminds of the hp dv8000t's a while back they had those gorgeous dual lit screens too
as this is a pre production model id love to see the final product and would certainly be in my suggestions list to people looking for laptops in this category
its a shame they didnt preload it with 64 bit vista business to load it to the maximum potential lets just hope it turns up as an option for customers while they place their orders

the HP8710p in that case would sport the 8700GT which is quite respectable itself and im sure would have lesser strain on your wallet too
guess quality commands respect and a fat wallet too ;D
thanks again chaz
cheers

 

I believe you need to see any screen in person to get an idea of how good it is.

You got that right.

 

Just FYI for everyone:

The HP 8710w Workstation and the 8710p notebook are available from HP's website. The detailed spec sheets are available at:

1) 8710w Workstation: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12731_na/12731_na.HTML

2) 8710p Notebook: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12716_na/12716_na.HTML


According to the spec sheets, both the 8710w and 8710p come with 32 or 64 bit Vista business preinstalled, the choice is made at initial boot. Also, from the spec sheets, it appears to be the case that each also comes with Windows XP Pro and FreeDOS preinstalled.

The 8710p runs an NVidia Quadro NVS 320M, with 256 MB dedicated video memory (512 MB TurboCache).

The screens available on the 8710w are: WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) and WUXGA (1920 x 1200). on the 8710p are: WXGA+ (1440 x 900) and WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050).

A customizable option is not available for either the 8710w or 8710p. HP's base pricing ranges are: 8710w - $2,499 to $4,099; 8710p - $1,499 to $2,799.

Edit: There is actually a "customization" option on HP's website; however, you cannot custom configure the guts of the machine, just certain external options and accessories.

 

wonder how the card performs in games considering it has a better score than the dv9500s could ever offer.

 

The dv9500t has an 8600M-GS. The card you're looking at here is basically an 8700M-GT which is far more powerful.

 

Nice review Chaz... one minor point: I hesitate to label this notebook "thin and light", or more specifically, "Light" considering it starts at 8.5lbs. "Thin and light" has become a term with meaning in the notebook world and is likely not the idea you intended to convey if I may infer from your extensive experience as a notebook reviewer. Perhaps a more accurate term would be "best-in-class weight" or something to that effect?

I don't mean to be a pain, I'm just trying to keep terminology consistent.

 

looks like an awesome workstation to have.

 

What are the possibilities of digital audio? This is exactly the notebook I would like to have but would also like to hook up my sound system via fiber or coax. Maybe there is a dock or extra cable with this capability?

 

The "thin and light" comment is basically saying this is a very thin and light notebook for the size. It actually starts at 7.5 lbs - I didn't realize that until Dreamer told me.

 

I apologize Chaz, I was being supremely nitpicky. I totally understood what you meant, and I know YOU know what a "thin-and-light" notebook normally means. I just didn't want newer folks to get confused that's all, hence the suggested alternative. It's definitely "light" for its class (desktop replacement) and packs a lot of power into those pounds.

Again, thanks for the review.

 

I have to say the pictures are amazing. Really nice workstation to have.

 

How would you contrast this machine against the Sager 5790 in terms of styling, performance and build quality?

 

No problem man. Thanks for the concern. I'll keep your suggestion in mind for the next review.

I've never used the NP5790 but I've used the NP5760/M570U. This is a step up in build quality and sturdiness but the Sager is good too. The HP uses thicker material and feels more solid while the Sager feels a bit more hollow. It's a side effect of the very thin chassis.
Styling is a personal thing. The Sager is flashier/more stylish for sure in my opinion. The HP has a very clean design and looks like it's a business machine.
For performance you'd want the Sager for games. This HP I would only recommend to those looking for ultra 3D rendering performance.

 

Following up on your comment about the HP having ultra 3D rendering performance... would the quadro fx 1600 outperform the 7950 GPU in similar tasks in your opinion?

 

No DVI output, particularly dual-link DVI?

 

No, but it has HDMI so you can get an adapter. HDMI is a better port to have in my opinion.

It wouldn't - the Go7950GTX is at least 20 -30% faster than the 8700M-GT. I think the Quadro versions would have a similar difference. However, the 8700M-GT definitely consumes less power and therefore produces less heat.

 

I have an 8710p on order, hopefully to arrive within 1-2 weeks according to rep. The tech and maintenance manuals are available and in reading them I notice the section for removing and replacing the graphics card. Does anyone know if that means the cards are MXM or are the HP cards in the 8710w,8710p proprietory? Any hope of upgrading in the future even if it is propritory with another HP card?

 

Unfortunately, odds are that it won't be true MXM but, at best, some sort of HP proprietary version. The folks at MXM-upgrade.com don't hold out much hope for HP using MXM cards, see, e.g., http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/notMXM.html

(you'll have to scroll down about 2/3ds of the way (or just search "HP?")). Apparently they came across something that looked promising, but it didn't pan out.

I also discovered that HP has been listing an MXM card in the specs for its touch-screen desktop, the HP TouchSmart IQ770. The US specs are here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...7266&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

HP also seems to list an MXM card for its Blade Workstation, as on this page: http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/437070-0-0-0-121.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

However, that's about all I can find on the HP website doing a quickie search, so if they've got any better info, they're keeping it hidden.

All that being said, I would suspect that mxm-upgrade.com is right and that, sadly, HP is not really MXM-compliant.

When you get your system, and if you can stomach the thought of cracking open a brand-new notebook, perhaps you'll take a quick gander and tell us what you see.

 

I've seen how this vid card compares to the GeForce one. But, is this really a good gaming card? Is the architecture different than that of a GeForce that would make it more for CAD than gaming?

 

You could simply install GeForce drivers and make it a GeForce. That way you would get the same performance as the regular GeForce card it is based on - in this case, a 512MB dedicated Nvidia 8700M-GT.

The hardware isn't changed with a Quadro, only the drivers. GeForce drivers are optimized for gaming and Quadro drivers are optimized for 3D rendering. The driver basically tells the GPU how to process the image on your screen.

 

How powerful is the this video card comparing to a Quadro FX 4600/5600?
I know the scale is way off, but i am just wondering.

 

what comes in the box?
drivers/recovery disc, power, battery?

 

Thanks for the review!

I was reading about the 8510w and how disappointed the reviewer was in that screen. His complaint seemed to focus on brightness. It seemed that the 8710 brightness was excellent. The 8510w is 200 nits, do you know what the 8710w is? Maybe different manufacturers, the 8510w is Samsung, which are known for brightness issues, do you know the manufacturer of the 8710w screen?

Thanks!

 

I figured out that the 8710w and 8510w panels all are 200 nits and 300:1 contrast. All the 8510w panels are anti-glare, but the 8710w offers an WSXGA+ that is called "Brightview" that is not available in WUXGA or WSXGA.

I still can't figure out why the review of the 8710 is one of the best screens ever seen and the 8510 is barely acceptable - that's a difference that is so far apart it can't be reviewer opinion.

Chaz - could it be that the 8710w your reviewed was the "Brightview" screen?

 

@mojobaer

I have an NW9440 and the display is terrible (very dim) - this is apparently an issue with this series. I am in the middle of a decision to either return it or swap it for another model.

How did you figure out the brightness of 200 nits? The documentation/specs that I have seen on-line are partially-upgraded versions from the NW9440. The hard drive specs are wrong, etc...

My big concern is this: IS this display improved on the 8710w? Can anyone vouch for this compared to the NW9440?


Thanks y'all.

 

[Update: 8/20/07 -- I've got Blu-ray working now, on the display and out the HDMI port. My solution isn't going to work for many Vista users, and I don't think the XP users are going to need it.]

While I very much like my 8710w Workstation, I feel that it's only fair to point out a significant shortcoming in HP support for this unit.

In summary, there is no support for the Blu-ray drive.

I bought one of these units with a Blu-ray drive, 1920x1200 wuxga+ display and the works. I bought a Blu-ray movie off of Amazon.com and put it in the drive.

The unit responded with "Media not supported."


I'll be honest. To this point, it's not just Blu-ray media that is not supported. It is purchasers of this model with Blu-ray drive who are not supported.

I don't want to go off the deep end, but the HP response to this point has been laughable. HP has used terms like "the very highest level in escalation for customer support" and other lofty terms, but the actual response has been miserable.

HP continues to ask me questions like "What is your serial number?" and "With what software did you record the Blu-ray video?" and I keep attempting to redirect the question by answering with "Skip that. Go down to Wal-mart and buy a Blu-ray movie. Play it on the 8710w. Tell me what you had to do."

And HP counters with questions like "Please submit the video format of the Blu-ray media that you created. Please submit the name and version number of the software that you used to create the Blu-ray media."

What??

I bought a Blu-ray movie. Can you play it? Or not?

Hp has submitted other helpful responses such as "I understand that you want me to download a Blu-ray video file from Blockbuster.com, to play on your 8710w..."

Seriously, I question whether HP truly understands the complaint, much less has an idea of the solution.

I have expectations of similar issues with the support for using Blu-ray media for recording (backups, or anything else) but the truth is that I don't have any recordable Blu-ray media, so no way to test if the software can do a backup, or record a dataset, or anything else.

At this point, I'd be glad to have a coherent answer to the question of "Why can't a computer that ships with a Blu-ray drive and a 1920x1200 screen play Blu-ray movies?"

Actually, I'd be much happier to have an answer like "Here is how to play Blu-ray movies on your 1920x1200 Blu-ray equipped HP notebook."

There's tons more, but I don't want to dilute the issue. Don't even mention Intervideo WinDVD 8 Platinum. It doesn't work for Blu-ray. Plenty of people on the Intervideo forum have said so.



The point is that this is a really sweet unit, but don't expect to use Blu-ray media in the Blu-ray drive.


I'm really hoping that HP wakes up and provides an answer to this one, but so far all I've heard is that HP provides "basic support for common media playback and recording"

Which translates to "No Blu-ray for you. No Blu-ray for a year!"

Or that I dropped an extra $X00 for a computer with extra potential, but not extra capability. (OK- yes, the display is higher res. don't get sidetracked.)

Sure, I have other issues with this notebook. Lots of hype about "high-definition audio", but you get to choose between HDMI audio output, and stereo mini-jack output. As far as I can tell, no rear channels, no SPDIF jack, just HDMI or stereo.

I'm going to stop here. This is as much about watching the HP support techs writhe around like poled snakes as it is about misleading advertising [The optional Blu-ray DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL drive3 lets you play and burn up to 50 GB of high-definition content on a single dual-layer Blu-ray disc, while the HDMI connector provides an easy way to connect to high-definition televisions and displays with one convenient cable (sold separately).] -- yes, the Blu-ray drive does let you do this. But the Basic InterVideo software and Basic CD Roxio software do not support playback or recording to Blu-ray media.

I am of course concerned that I may further jinx the support from HP on this matter. So far they have asked me many questions about things like the video file format of Blu-ray movies and the serial number of my computer, but they have never said "I bought a Blu-ray movie and put it in the drive and here's what happened." I am afraid that some day they will ask me "On what bulletin boards have you degraded the name of HP by implying that technical support is not perfect?"

It's one thing to say "Yes, the launch of this product wasn't perfect."

It's another to say "Yes, the customer explained the situation and gave us an acid test to show performance. However, we thought it more prudent to discuss IEEE video formats and to ask the customer to do as much research and testing as possible to delay accountability on our part and defray costs of discovery and troubleshooting as well."

 

i spent two weeks studing the machin ....... placed an order ..... i'll receive it next week .... i can't wait

 

I hope they will release a configuration with a 250GB HD. 160GB is too small for a CG workstation.

 

@Stobor -

I'm sorry to hear about your trouble with the Blu-ray drive. I shall avoid that particular model until I hear how HP resolves your issue.

If you could tell me your impressions of the display itself it would be very much appreciated. How even is the brightness? Is it bright enough? Are there any dark corners (about 1cm)? Backlight bleed?

Thanks

 

can anybody tell me why they put 7200rpm as a speed for the 120GB hdd in the general specs but in the detailed specifications (usually found in a pdf) there are only 5400rpm for 120GB and above .

 

Firstly, I like the display a lot. I had a lot of angst about the fact that the BriteView (or equivalent) displays weren't available in the WUXGA+ resolution, but then I found the company that makes all the Brite displays, and found that for $100 I could get mine converted.

If I want to. Not sure about it. I'm told that glare can become a real problem, and I've got some issues with my office lighting already.

There's definitely some darkness on the rightmost 1-2 cm of the screen. It may have to do with viewing angle, because if I move my head to the right it brightens up. The only problem is that the keyboard is offset to the left, so I'm pretty much expecting that I'll have to learn to live with it.

The display is very crisp. Now that I've got Blu-ray working I'd have to say it's an amazing thing.

Brightness is even. I'd like even more brightness and in fact I'm surprised that the highest setting is none too high.

As I said above- I really like this unit. Moreso now.

One new issue I seem to have (in XP) is that when I change from battery to AC or back, the WLAN gets disconnected, then reconnects. Bluetooth also, I think.

But overall, it's a great unit.

Today we got the Blu-ray drive working in XP, (use the WinDVD software on the XP recovery DVD, NOT the software that can be downloaded from the HP site). As a mysterious bonus, it's working in Vista now, as well.

I'm at the point of "I don't understand why it works now, but I recognize that it does, so I'm happy."

Stobor

 

I have one for sale... The exact model is RM264UT#ABA

It's NEW in an unopened box direct from HP. The tracking number from HP to my door was: FedEx 8085173573. It arrived today. I am no longer interested in keeping it as I bought a MacBook Pro two weeks ago.

This unit is a brand new replacement unit for my original nw8440 laptop which was lost by HP.

If anyone is interested then make me your best offer... note, I can only accept offers from the United States because I really don't want to deal with customs issues...

Thanks,
Cliff.

 

i am interested

 

Please take this to the B/S/T forum. Any new posts about this topic in this thread will be deleted.

 

I dont think the M90 has a matte screen, I thought all dell 17" ers were glossy. It is gorgeous though.
I will have to keep my eye on the 8710w. The price is quite high right now.

 

Where are you getting this ? I have a M90, my friend has a inspiron e1705. They both have the same screen (WUXGA option)

 

You guys are fascinating, honestly. Or at least it's clear that you fascinate each other. Would you mind finishing your Dell discussion away from the 8710 review thread?

 

I've put HP 8710w on order (with several accessories), configured to Intel 2.4GHz, 4GB of RAM and 1920x1200 resolution... Here in my country (Slovenia) this notebook will be around €2.080/ $2.825 (this price includes 20% tax in it!). BTW, I've just configured RockDirect Xtreme 770 to same specifications and the price came to €2.872/ $3.900 (with tax included, but no shipping cost, PLUS, it has a 8700M-GT card while in HP it's 1600M card!). I wonder how much Dell M6300 would cost with same configuration, anyone knows???

I am considering to get an upgrade from Windows Vista Business to Ultimate, which will cost me €180/ $245 (20% tax incl.), but am not that sure it really pays of... I like the idea of data being protected/encrypted with the Ultimate edition, but what else you find valuable in it? Your thoughts?

Charles, which version of OS you've used for your review, 32bit or 64bit?

Would you (and others) say that going for 64bit OS is a better choice -- drivers should be no problem in this case, and apps should profit from it, right?



I also wonder, can I install two versions of same Vista on same notebook (say, one on C: partition the other on D: partition)? Well, I'd use one for work and the other for gamming & testing (different programs & drivers)... Opinions?

 

Thats wierd, I had configured the 8710w 2Ghz, 1GB ram, no blue-ray, and it came to $26xx excluding tax ???

 

I'd suggest to check with your local shop... (Also, I've got a bit of discount, since I know the seller well.)

 

yes it would.

 

A couple of questions, if anyone can answer:

1. Oct 31 "deadline": There are "Instant Savings" offers, for pre-configured systems, expiring at the end of Oct. What happens after that? A model change, price rise/drop, or what? If one is not in a hurry, is it better to wait for more features/lower price?

2. Vista vs. XP: How much overhead is there to Vista -- will this run software faster under XP?

Thanks,


--Johnathan

 

Oops, forget email notify...

 

Does the built-in card reader support SDHC?