HP HDX 18 First Look

by Jerry Jackson

HP recently unveiled their latest additions to the "HDX" family of notebooks with the all new HDX 16 and HDX 18 multimedia notebooks. These notebooks feature large displays with a 16:9 screen ratio, impressive speakers with an integrated subwoofer, and an innovative touch-sensitive media control panel. Our first look gives you a sample of what you can expect from the large and impressive HDX18.

Our pre-production review unit of the HP HDX 18t features the following specs:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)
• Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
• Hard drive: 2 x 160GB (7200rpm)
• Screen:18" HD HP Ultra Brightview Infinity glossy display (1920 x 1080)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3
• Optical drive: Blu-Ray multi-drive
• Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, docking station port, microphone in, two audio out jacks, three USB ports, eSATA/USB, 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, built-in TV tuner
• Wireless: 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: 8-cell Lithium-ion battery (73W)
• Dimensions 17.17" x 11.26" 1.33-1.72" (WxDxH)
• Weight: 8.94 lbs.

Our pre-production unit comes equipped with two 160GB hard drives, but this configuration will not be offered at the time of launch. The next closest available configuration will be a similar system with two 250GB 5400rpm hard drives ($2,049.99) or two 250GB 7200rpm hard drives ($2,149.99). This desktop replacement is clearly targeted at multimedia and gaming enthusiasts who want cutting-edge features and can afford the slightly higher price tag.

Build and Design

The HDX 18 shares several design elements with the rest of the updated HP Pavilion line, but more than size and weight separate the HDX 18 from its smaller siblings. First, HP the new 16:9 ratio display means you have more real-estate for text on websites, for multiple documents on the screen at the same time, or for a more "full-screen" view of HD movies that have been filmed in 16:9 format. The glossy metallic gray and silver "Imprint" finish looks fantastic. While we didn't test the high-impact finish on our pre-production unit by dropping it repeatedly in our office, I can say the finish looks quite durable ... though fingerprints show up quickly on the glossy finish.

While the HDX 18 is better suited as a desktop replacement than as a laptop, the notebook is quite well balanced when using it on your lap. Just be aware that after using the HDX 18 on your lap for about an hour and a half you might start to lose some feeling in your legs. This machine is really more like an 18-inch HDTV with a built-in computer.

Input and Output Ports

As expected with a notebook of this size, the number of ports on the HDX 18 is fairly impressive. Here's a run down of the ports:

• Three USB 2.0 ports
• One eSATA/USB port
• Firewire
• Expansion Port 3 (docking station connector)
• ExpressCard slot
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 5-in-1 multi-card reader
• 2 audio out
• microphone in
• VGA monitor out
• HDMI out
• Built-in TV tuner
• Kensington lock slot

We're always glad to see the dedicated docking station connection on HP's consumer notebooks. HP is the only notebook manufacturer that still offers a dedicated docking station connector on their consumer notebooks. The USB docking stations offered by other consumer notebook manufacturers are really nothing more than fancy USB hubs ... and don't work nearly as well as "real" docking stations.

We're also fans of the eSATA/USB combo port currently being used on the new HP notebooks. Although many consumers might not realize it yet, eSATA offers MUCH faster data transfer speeds than USB 2.0 does. The great thing about the eSATA/USB port is that you can use it as a regular USB port or for an eSATA device if and when you buy a new eSATA-compatible device.

Performance and Benchmarks

The Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor in our review unit provided ample processing power and never presented any problems when running applications or encoding video and audio files.

Performance with the Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor and NVIDIA 9600M-GT graphics card was excellent. Bottom line, this machine is extremely fast. You would typically need to purchase a high-performance gaming notebook to reach these levels of performance. This new HP was perfectly able to handle any software we tested, and even put up "reasonable" numbers with 3D games that usually don't perform well on notebooks, such as Crysis.

Of course, with a notebook that tips the scales at almost 9 pounds ... this beast better provide close to the same performance you expect from a desktop.

Let's take a look at a few basic benchmarks so you can get an idea of how the HDX 18 stacks up.

wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, this processor benchmark program is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, it measures the amount of time to run a set amount of calculations.

wPrime comparison results (lower scores means better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
HP HDX 18t (Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)	27.416s
Acer Aspire 6920 (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz)	44.457s
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26GHz)	34.628s
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)	39.745s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.485s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	40.759s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz)	58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)	76.240s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.705s
HP Pavilion dv6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	38.720s

PCMark05 is a benchmark that measures the overall system performance, so it considers the processor, hard drive, memory and OS as part of the mix. The HDX 18 produced more than reasonable performance numbers.

PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance (higher scores are better):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
HP HDX 18t (2.8GHz Intel T9600, Nvidia 9600M GT 512MB)	6,587 PCMarks
Acer Aspire 6920 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)	4,179 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (2.26GHz Intel P8400, NVIDIA 9300M GS 256MB)	5,173 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)	3,994 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	4,616 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks

Screen

The 18" glossy "HP Ultra Brightview Infinity" LCD is nice and bright with rich colors and deep contrast. The new 16:9 screen dimension gives you a full high-definition resolution (1920 x 1080) compared to the standard 1280 x 800 resolution on most 15" notebooks. You get more horizontal and vertical resolution with this massive display. This is also nice for widescreen movies since it allows more of the film to fit on the screen with less of the black bars on the top and bottom.

Most of our editorial staff doesn't care for the glossy "Infinity" display style compared to traditional glossy displays because it creates a separate layer of glossy reflection above (and in front of) the actual display. This isn't a problem in low light environments ... it actually helps create richer colors and gives the display an almost "wet" look. However, if you try to use a notebook with this type of screen under bright lights or outdoors under bright sunlight the reflections will make it very difficult (and possibly even painful for your eyes).

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the HDX 18 was quite impressive in that it has absolutely no flex over the main keyboard. The dedicated number pad does suffer from some flex directly above the optical drive, but that shouldn't be a problem for most people unless you're constantly using the number pad for data entry. There's little to complain about here from a functional standpoint. That said, the bright silver finish does cause some pretty strong reflections outside in the sunlight. Just don't look down while typing outdoors.

The palm rest and touchpad areas feature the same excellent "Imprint" finish found on the lid of the notebook that gives this notebook a smooth, futuristic feel. The touchpad surface is extremely responsive and the indicated scroll region works as it should. The touchpad buttons are nice and wide with nice deep feedback and quiet clicks. The only thing that makes the touchpad a little frustrating is the smooth surface that sometimes causes your finger to "stick" unless you have very dry hands.

HP also includes a new multimedia remote that fits inside the ExpressCard slot on the notebook. This makes it easy to use the HDX 18 as a television thanks to the built-in TV tuner and also works nicely when using the HDX 18 for presentations.

More to Come

As of this writing we've only had the HP HDX 18 in our office for a short while now. We wanted to make sure our readers had a chance to take a look at this notebook as an alternative to other 17-inch and 18-inch notebooks currently on the market.

Our full review of this notebook is coming soon. Stay tuned.

 

Did they tell you if they would be offering a better graphics chip option? Release date?!?!?

And what is flex?

Also I think I'll get the 2 250G hard drive at 7200 RPM. And what's the with TV Tuner? Can we opt NOT to have it in the HDX 18t? Cuz I honestly don't think I need it. And I really don't want that remote just laying around.

Nice preview. Looks exactly like what want

 

wow thats really nice! could they not have stuck a 9800m GTS in there though? or even an 8800m GTS, something a little more powerful?

 

Only 3 USB ports? Something wants its customers to buy a docking station. Not to mention a 9600M GT. Not a bad card, but they surely could have put something better inside. (although it is a thin-looking notebook, heat could be an issue)

 

Pretty sad, wPrime and 3D Mark05 scores are less than workstation notebooks like the T400... isn't this a laptop targeted towards gaming and multimedia enthusiasts?!

 

I just purchased the 16 inch version. Just about loaded for $1560. I used that $500 coupon I seen on the web.

Does anyone know if you will able to input a slot load drive in these laptops? Or can you order Blu-Ray drives from HP seperately?

 

Nice notebook, and good article.

HP has the best-looking consumer notebooks on the market in my opinion, you really need to see the imprint finish up close to appreciate it. As Jerry confirmed in this article, the finish is actually quite durable. A lot of money was put into the new designs for sure.

 

The problem is...how about a comparison to the dvt7 in there since they should be nearly identical...

 

I wish HP would put a beefier GPU in it.

 

I wish there was an option for a t9800 and at least a 9700GTS.. Come on HP, it doesn't matter how Good looking the laptops u make, the Aspire 8930 and Qosmio g55 will always have better GPUs,

 

Technically, it has four. Three are USB 2.0 ports and one is a combo eSATA and USB port (you can connect either an eSATA or USB cable).

 

Keyboard flex is when the keyboard "bends" or "flexes" when you press down on it. A good keyboard should have little or no flex when pressure is applied. Some people don't mind it if a keyboard has severe flex, other people freak out if a keyboard has even the slightest degree of flex.

I haven't seen the official customization page on the HP site yet, but if the HDX18 is like previous HP notebooks then the TV tuner will be an option. That said, it might be standard. I just don't know yet. The remote hides away inside the notebook's ExpressCard slot, so it won't just be hanging out ... unless you choose to leave the remote out. If you don't like the remote you can always just leave it inside the box.

 

Good review. Looks solid. Patiently waiting for the full review.

 

Thanks for the 1st look Jerry.

I am abit unsure on the design, I like the pattern and all but I can't help but think that they should have used the design scheme on the entire notebook instead of only the lid and the touch pad/inside area. To me, it looks like just a stick on sort of thing. If they applied the theme to the sides as well (maybe just grey out the sides, like dark shiney grey) it would make the design alittle more...uniform.

 

Im pretty unsure about the gpu

 

My thoughts exactly. One of the main reasons I absolutely fell in love with the Dragon (screen being of course the main; at a distant third was the ability for ps2 hookup).

They get a better gfx card in there and I'll be all over it.

One issue I have with its design is the audio ports an a usb slot being on the right side, where one's mouse usually is. Wouldn't that be awkward? It would've made more sense to have the optical drive down there, and the ports above.

Thanks for the first look! I'm looking forward to the full review. (Maybe some game benchmarks for Mass Effect and/or Bioshock, if you can? Thanks!)

 

Thanks for the explanation...

Did they reveal to you how soon we'll be able to order it?

 

Do they have a hinge crack problem, due to extensive overheating?

http://www.notebookhingecrack.com/

 

Thanks for first look Jerry!

How much is 3d mark 06 score?

 

Personally, I'd like to see some comparisons to the original HDX. Especially with gaming. HDX 'was' the best gaming laptop HP offered.

This laptop should be named the dv8.4t.

 

hmm Cenrtino 2, 9M series, subwoofer, that's exactly what I want.

I am with Dell for 5 or 6+ years and I love them, but they never release new XPS model, I may have to turn away.

The 16" model is about as large as a normal 15" laptop currently right?

Any chance the 16" model can have a spec < US$ 1500?

Any approximate date of release?

 

serIously. I dont get it why HP keeps the same touchpad over and over again. Touchpad ergonomics, anyone?

 

hey,hdx16 is up on hp's website,but no sign of 18(btw,16 doesn't have 1080p option for now)

 

I like the touchpad...?

And I'm hoping the 18t is up there my Monday. And it would be really great if they released a coupon for it as well.

 

My expectation is that these are built worse than the dv9000's that had the "hinge crack" problem and overheating gpu motherboard burn up issues. Recent offerings from HP that include the dv7t series have an incredibly cheap and flimsy keyboard and touchpad in comparison to what the dv9000 had. Unless HP decides to really improve its basic build quality for "home and home office" computers, not to mention its thermals, I would not buy from HP.

 

Does the HDX16 also have the gddr3?

 

I echo the sentiments of others in that the HDX18 needs at least a 9700GTS to really make sense. It's not that the 9600GT is a bad card, but it seems a bit underpowered for an 18" desktop replacement and particularly for a gaming machine.

 

I thought Hp made this notebook for video entertainment? Not specifically for gaming.

 

According to the review, it is "clearly targeted at multimedia and gaming enthusiasts". It won't get the gaming enthusiasts without a better graphics card.

 

9600gt with DDR3=8700gt,it's not that bad...BTW,I think they ll give us better card letter

 

I know, but it's not as good as I'd really like for an 18" machine. If they put a better card in it then I really will be tempted asit's almost exactly what I'm looking for.