It's always been a curiosity to me as to why people don't put their location in their profile on this board so everyone can see where people are in the world like they do on the Pentax forum and all the automotive boards I frequent. If for example, I were to see that you lived in NYC or on LI, I'd say "sure, let's meet-up". But alas, I can't say so until you read this and reply and let me know if you are in-fact on LI or in NYC.
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In fact, right now I have most of the ports populated and the only annoying part is the difficulty of accessing the DVD drive. Will surely replace it with another HDD.
I doubt that you can easily find a commercial place exhibiting DC2 equipped Elitebooks.
As for the "must see to appreciate" - yes. You will see a huge difference between this screen and regular CCFL and WLED TN panels. I can even see a big difference between the DC2 and a 8-bit RGB LED currently found in the high-end Dell and Lenovo workstations as well as in AW M17X.
Can I live without it? - 100%. But needed a good anti glare screen for both software development and entertainment. I see a much deeper and more alive colors in movies and games compared to regular panels and the viewing angles...just rock.
Initially I thought that the 210nit brightness was a bit low compared to the 300nit in my M17X, but it looks totally adequate now. In a brightly lit office my alien would require about 230-240nit for me to be able to work normally and the IPS is set to 120nit now and it's very comfortable.
Can I justify the high price? - nope. But luckily, this system was purchased with a nice 25% OFF discount, making the screen and a few other upgrades - free.
Also, many early adopters including myself had their orders delayed a few times and as a result compensations were offered by HP. Thus, this very system did in fact cost me only 2.5k. -
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Ahbeyvuhgehduh Lost in contemplation....
I will echo other's remarks: the screen looks absolutely STUNNING and the price is absurd.
Thanks so much for the review, though. I own the 8710w model and have had my eye on the 8740w for a while now....
Am kinda disappointed with the battery life though ... interesting about the "track point fix" you mentioned.
Kinda strange about the keyboard though ... from the pix the keys remind me of the "type" of keys I have on my Toshiba T115-S1100, which I like. -
Mycanid, the 8710w does not satisfy you any more?
Dont let the 8710w know you have your eyes on the "younger" thing -
Ahbeyvuhgehduh Lost in contemplation....
No - I am quite satisfied with the 8710w and have no plans of upgrading soon.
I just like to keep my eyes open for possible alternatives in case the machine breaks or is stolen, etc., etc. -
It would be uber-awesome if a similar tigerdirect like deal comes along for the 8740w. It might take a year or two, but I can wait
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Aikimo when do you think you will have the comparison review in between both screens?
I am very interested in it.
Thanks in advance. -
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I should call HP as I actually would like to see their entire line. Instead of the listed 3.6K it was only 2.5k? Do you have the name of any rep or should I just call in?
My first 2 notebooks cost over 4k & still work if I'm looking to be frustrated but that was 10+ years ago, not sure if that is still justifiable or if I'd prefer multiple form factors and the marketplace still seems in such flux..
You think next year's models will have switchable graphics & better battery life?
I daydream about an energy efficient, no compromise, performance machine that's versatile but that doesn't seem to exist yet.. -
I'm too busy messing with the system to think about productiveness at this point
According to notebook history - 10% improvement.
A man can dream though
On a side note:
After stressing the system with numerous games and benchmarking apps, max registered temp - 86C for CPU and 85C - GPU. -
Thanks, keep us updated on your productivity status-in all domains '
If inspired, I think YouTube could use more 8740w reviews..(feel free to include gaming)
BTW, curious how often you find yourself moving it? -
I'm extremely mobile.
First, I bring the laptop to and from work every day and quite often maneuver between different apartments, buildings, etc.
Second, I travel a lot.
So, the semi-ruggedness, relatively light weight and a good anti glare screen with perfect viewing angles (especially important for meetings, presentations and workshops) had some influence.
I would normally recommend against HP 10/10 (almost 15 years in IT), but their recent Elitebooks destroy the equilibrium... *scratches his head in confusion*...
Still can't believe what my eyes are seeing, so will do more testing.
Would make videos but I lack the tools.
Sometimes one has to choose between a high-end laptop and a good camera. -
That's assuring because so many people these days say don't bother with a 17" if you are frequently mobile. It could be depressing to get a powerful 17" notebook & rarely want to move it. So battery life is never an issue for you?
P.S. - If you run across an HD cam hook us up.. -
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The time I spend on it without a doubt factors into my preference. But I'll also say there are keyboards you try, and they just feel right the 1st second you put your fingers on it. Take the IBM X20/X24; perfect laptop keyboards to my fingers; a cut above the X61T I have. The E6500 didn't give me quite that but was close (a bit too soft of a touch), tho I grew the rest of the way into it.
The 8740w was one of those "oh... I don't know if I'm going to like this" experiences the 1st time I used it. I guess I'm just one that likes a wider key top with smooth beveled edges better than I like a stepped side and smaller key top that the 8740w has. -
How does the Firepro M7820 compare with its gaming oriented counterpart, the Radeon 5870?
Is it possible to use the drivers for the 5870 as to maximize gaming performance? I don't do much CAD. -
2)Dunno, so far I was unable to install the non-HP drivers. -
M7820 games exactly like the 5870 counterpart.
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Temps in 3Dmark06 (same ambient) after repasting both the CPU and GPU:
Attached Files:
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Ahbeyvuhgehduh Lost in contemplation....
Do you have the slice battery that goes along with the machine? I was wondering about battery life performance when put in "ultra battery saving mode". With the 8710w with the slice in such a mode I can get a little over 9 hours of battery life (got this in win xp pro and win 7 business). Of course that is with wireless turned off, screen turned to its lowest brightness and only doing word processing or looking at a .pdf file or digital photos.... -
So far the max I was able to get from the stock one is 2 hours. -
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It was your guidance
BTW, the "current" temps you see are right after the test.
In a few minutes they got back to this:
Last edited by a moderator: Feb 6, 2015 -
The temps look great and you can clearly see your making ample contact .... So now just leave it be and enjoy that amazing machine you have ...
I would be all over one but that thing is costly to say the very least with that dream color screen and looks to be worth every penny... -
It might be asking too much but it would be great that you do the same thing with 3 PC the last one being an older screen similar to what most PC have such as white LED or even a CCFL one.
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That's a good idea but there's no laptop with CCFL currently within my reach
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Wow! I was blown away by the m17x screen but that surpasses it! What are the calibrations set to on each screen?
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Whoops nevermind! didn't see that there was more than one page
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man that makes the Alienware screen look like a POS...
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I'd be interesting to compare your DreamColor 2 vs my UXGA, mano-a-mano. First off, thanks for the great review and congrats on the machine. It looks like one impressive workstation. Hats off to HP for delivering the goods. If I were to drop $3k on a notebook, which I never would, this would be it. Lenovo, the forebearers of IPS screens, better get their act together. I'd still prefer a ThinkPad and I'm hoping this will put some pressure on Lenovo to do likewise.
Edit: Can you throw up the last wallpaper from the first post? It might look good on my X200. -
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Yes, ThinkPads are modest in terms of hardware lately. I was debating between W701, M6500 and 8740w. Had Lenovo offered a M7820 and a better screen - I'd have joined the club of W701 owners long ago, being a dedicated TP'der for over 10 years now.
Also as M8o mentioned, - the final price for the HP was much lower. After all the discounts I ended up paying 2.5 for the beast. Still, with a 30% OFF W701 (similarly spec'ed) would probably cost me even less here in Canada.
Anyway, so far so good, but I'm still suspiciously looking for quality/stability/reliability issues.
Regarding the picture - PM sent. -
Well, I paid a little over $700 for my AFFS X200, which is about what I'm willing to spend these days. I think if you look too hard for faults, you'll find them. Why not just enjoy your machine?
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Good point! *went to play Dragon Age...*
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I'd ask why isn't this on the front page? This is perhaps the most interesting notebook to come out since maybe the X300 and no one else has a review. You're missing the boat here.
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I was wondering if NBR is in the middle of their own review. Too bad if they got scooped by a user.
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Perhaps they are, but you'd think a review would have popped up somewhere by now, which makes me think HP isn't handing out any review units. The way I look at it, the more the merrier.
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Aikimox, First of all. Fantastic review. Thanks for taking the time to write and post it as well as answer everybodys questions.
Second, I couldn't figure out how to PM you (perhaps cause I just joined) so I'll ask the question here:
I'm also in Canada and just wondering through which channels you were able to order this beast? I couldn't even find it on the HP Canada site, they only were listing the 8730w.
I presently have two 8710w machines (WUXGA and good viewing angles) and a 6930p (awful screen, great everything else). I would like to get rid of both 8710ws to fund the 8740w. I am an Art Director by trade so this DC2 screen would really come in handy for colour critical applications. Thanks for any info!
-mertz -
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Yeah, ordering and getting this beast wasn't easy.
You're right, there's no way (or at least wasn't 3 months ago) to order the system from HP Canada.
I ordered it from HP US through a sales rep. Paid with wire transfer. Provided the billing/shipping address of my relatives in NY (could also use MyUS services for receiving forwarding the package), then forwarded it to Canada with Fedex Priority. You could save quite a bit on the forwarding if sending through USPS. Also, keep in mind the customs I had to pay 150$ extra for the GST.
If you don't have a good friend or relatives there, look for some phone forwarding services (eg. Skype), as you also need to provide a valid US phone number.
BTW, all my communication with HP was via email or Skype (in rare occasions).
Also, for extra 40$ you can upgrade the warranty to the Travel NBD 3yr
Let me know if you have any questions. -
Wow man that screen from the pictures looks even more impressive than the hybrid matte screen what is on my current rig. I want to know what HP guys were on when they came up with such an impressive screen. Does anyone know if HP offers an IPS screen or a similar quality screen on their 14in workstation notebooks? I'd be so all over a 14in model with that screen; hell, I will even take one of those low voltage i5's just to get that type of screen on a smaller 14in machine.
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To the best of my knowledge there's never been a IPS like screen on a 14" notebook. There was a rumor of one coming to a T4x machine back in the day, but it never came to market as far as I know. -
gorgeous. makes my screen look like a toy.
any chance you could post pictures with that beast running games -
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I'll take some shots, I just acquired a DSLR with 720p60 video capture!
HP 8740w Review! - Full Metal Jacket!
Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Aikimox, Jul 25, 2010.