New HP Mobile Workstations Offer DreamColor Displays Discussion

(no description)

Read the full content of this Article: New HP Mobile Workstations Offer DreamColor Displays

Related Articles:

• HP ProBook 4310s Review
• HP EliteBook 8440w Review
• HP ProBook 5310m Review
• HP EliteBook 8540p Review
• HP Mini 5102 Review (Updated)
• HP Intros New EliteBook, ProBook Business Notebooks
• HP ProBook 4710s Review

 

Wow, finally an actual IPS screen? When it comes out, I'd love to see a review of this with some detailed shots of the screen

Like the look of it overall, I've always thought the HP Elitebook 17" workstations were the nicest out of Lenovo and Dell's offerings. Seems like it'll put a serious dent in your wallet though

 

Interesting move by HP. Just when Dell and Lenovo are still fresh with the LED RGB, HP now introduces the IPS panel. Now let's hope this will stir up some competition and the mighty IPS will be brought back to the consumers' hands.

 

The only thing that irks me about the 8740w is the fact that to all indications, it'll still only come with 1 hard drive bay (2 if you're willing to give up your optical drive... I'm not quite there, just yet). Otherwise, it looks like a lovely machine.

 

Wow, before HP and Dell used the same 8-bit TN RGBLED panel. HP really has stepped up with this screen, I hope it lives up to its reputation when it's reviewed.

 

I'd love panels of this quality to become more mainstream. How much does HP charge for the upgrade?

 

Think I heard anywhere from $400-800, since HP has "interesting" pricing configurations btw CTO and BTO models.

 

Still no GPU-Z of the FirePro M7820?

 

hmmm. might be my next computer.

looking forward to that review. as a designer, display quality is paramount.

 

Don't have to be designer to appreciate or want an IPS, to me this laptop is extremely sexy....USB 3.0, backlit keyboard, core i7, IPS panel, Elitebooks build quality reputation, absolutely awesome.

 

I'd love to see gaming notebook manufacturers start offering the highest quality of displays.

Give me a frameless IPS.

Spec-wise, it should be identical to the Mobility 5870.

 

IPS screens are bad for gaming though, slow response time.

 

Grrrr... Just when I got my 8730w... Seems like the biggest jump in display tech for notebooks since a while ago (considering that the Flex View IPS got killed off).

 

Good thing this is a workstation then.

 

Yes, it really is an "object of desire". It's one of the most beautiful professional notebooks I've ever seen. My main target several months ago (since December, when I cancelled a CTO 8730w). But the inclusion of an old RJ-11 port is open to criticism (this port was already present in the 8730w though), since nobody nowadays use dial-up connections, it could be a 5th USB port. Anyway, it's a minor "defect".

The inclusion of a backlit keyboard (optional, you have to order it specifically), a 256G SSD as primary hard drive (with revised firmware supporting TRIM, HP is currently testing it), the FirePro M7820 with 1G DDR5 and full DX11 support, the new Intel Ultimate 6300 (3x3) wireless adapter, and a DreamColor 2 panel with 1 billion of simultaneous colors is the best of all. And don't forget this thing will weight less than 4kg. (starting with 3,57kg)

But don't expect this beast is cheap, prepare yourself (as me) for spending a *lot* of money if you want it fully equipped. If you want it with the latest technologies, you'll have to order it customized (CTO) and therefore will be a huge charge.

I guess the response time will be adequate. You mean "input lag", this is a different thing. Input lag was a major problem on VA and IPS screens, but now modern IPS screens have an average input lag of 25ms (HP LP2475w, for example), that is less than 2 frames. And don't forget there are already desktop monitors with "game" or "thorough" mode, which reduces the input lag up to 14ms (Dell U2410, for example). The quality you'll get with an IPS screen is not comparable even with the best TN panel in the market. I know this, because I have 2 IPS desktop monitors: a NEC 20WGX2 and a NEC 2490WUXi, and gaming it's not an issue at all (and the 2490WUXi has an average input lag of 38ms).

 

Aw man that means i am going to have to be spending a lot of money, why can't you just get a traditional sata drive with a backlit keyboard and standard core i7 720Q, 4 gigs ddr3 1333mhz, and ATI Firepro M7820 and the awesome screen for like 2,500 idk

 

@freedom16: I know, it's sad, but I'm pretty sure the backlit keyboard is not an standard feature on the EliteBook 8740w, and if you want it, you'll have to customize the entire system.

 

The preconfigs are pretty cheap and reasonable, no core i7 features well you could always upgrade the keyboard though.

 

So tempting... As for the gaming, - we shall see how it runs Crysis on very high

 

The LCD display HP DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display has an IPS display - it is confirmed in the official HP info: http://h20331.www2.hp.com/hpsub/cache/596803-0-0-225-121.html?jumpid=www.hp.com/go/dreamcolor.
However, I haven't found any clear statement that DreamColor LCDs in 8730w and 8740w laptops are also based on IPS technology (see e.g. http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3955549-4138087.html).

Can anyone confirm that these laptops have/have not IPS displays?

 

The Dreamcolor in the 8730w (which is a Dreamcolor 1 panel, not the newer Dreamcolor 2 panel that's coming out) is definitely not; it's an 8-bit TN panel. Noone out here knows for sure yet about the Dreamcolor 2 panel.

 

Thank you.
I would like to be wrong, but I think that if HP had offered IPS, they would have put 'IPS' acronym in every second sentence of the 8740w announcement ...

 

@menos:

It's almost confirmed that the DreamColor screen HP is currently offering in its website for the 8740w (as a customized order) is the new 30-bit IPS LCD.

Also it's (almost) confirmed the ATI FirePro M7820 will be compatible with this screen (supporting 10-bit color per component, that is, more than 1 billion of simultaneous colors, like the LP2480zx).

You have the source HERE.

 

Great (almost )!
Thank you.

 

Is there any reason to expect that the IPS screen will be brighter than the WLED? The only thing that is keeping me from jumping in and getting the HP is that the screens seem dim compared to what I'm used to (and at least the spec sheets have them significantly dimmer than the Dell's).

I don't need the 30-bit color or wider viewing angles - using it for software development but I do need text to be really bright and crisp.

 

Oh, how exciting. I need to pay 2,000 dollars to get a decent screen in a Windows laptop.

This is why Apple products dominate the high-end laptop market. There isn't any reason I should have to spend that much money to not end up with a ty screen.

 

You don't need to pay $2000 to get a decent screen in a Windows laptop. You need to pay $2000 to get the best screen in any laptop. Period.

(tech spec wise, actual quality has yet to be known, but given my current DreamColor, it has to be good)

 

Seems very troll-ish - even the 17" MacBook Pro is over $2000 (and has an inferior screen).

 

These aren't regular laptops. They are mobile workstations for people who need accurate color grading and as much raw power as possible. They aren't built for or marketed to the masses.

 

No. IPS displays have less transmittance at peak white compared to TN. They need brighter backlights to just produce the same brightness as a TN.

Your only hope is they put in a really bright backlight. Which they may very well have.

 

yea, the 8740W looks like magic.

but what pricetag will come with the 1920x1080/1200 display?

therein lies the question. if it comes in under $3,000...I might go with that instead. I wonder what the batt life is looking like.

 

Of course, the 8740w is an "object of desire" for anyone... But don't worry, its cost will not be astronomical as you'd expect (well, you still need a big wallet)

The DreamColor display is 1920x1200 (16:10 aspect) and, according to the HP USA website configurator, it costs 570$ more than the normal display, but add to this 30$ more because you need to include the webcam (there is no DC display without webcam so far).

All in all, the DreamColor display costs 600 USD (about 445€). It's not expensive considering you are getting a true 10-bit IPS panel with 17" in size (and a 2.0MP webcam).

And it's 100% already confirmed this DC display is the NEW display, not the old one sold with the 8730w.

 

So.

Do we have any insight into the expected battery life? this is a very thin machine. makes me assume it also has a relatively small battery too. what is our expectation?

looking at the basic CTO configurations...the Dreamcolor 2-enabled unit probably won't come in for any less than $3,200? and at least 8lbs. hmmm...

Edit: $3,600 for a decent loadout + Dreamcolor.

looks like I'm removing this computer from my list of options.

 

Don't forget there's the 18% off coupon (CTO8740w). I managed I7 720, Dreamcolor, 256GB SSD for $3100 or so (make sure not to put a bunch of memory in it directly from them and go with the ATI card unless you REALLY need the Quadro explicitly). Without the SSD it would have been quite a bit cheaper but I'll be pairing that up with an Intel X25-m for my ultimate system.

 

coupon doesn't work online, but I imagine I could get it if I call in.

looks like I could get it out the door for about $3,000....but I don't see how you built it with an SSD for $3100.

I did i7 + Dreamcolor + 500GB HDD with everything else standard and it was $3,600.

maybe I'm doing it wrong...but the baseline customizable 8740w is $2,600!

edit: figured it out. I hadn't selected the Firepro. why are the Nvidia cards so much more expensive? you'd think they were significantly better? are they $400 better than the Firepro?

 

Well, the majority of us posting in the owner's lounge thread believe that NVIDIA has too much marketing and brand image, including agreements with big companies like Adobe to support CUDA in CS5 (and not so big like TMPGEnc)... In addition, certiifications are almost for the NVIDIA... This has a price.

Also the Quadro FX3800M has a 256-bit memory bus, while the FirePro M7820 is expected to have a 128-bit bus, like the Mobility Radeon 5870, but its advantage over the Quadro is the full DirectX 11 support (and GDDR5 memory too instead GDDR3 found in the Quadros).

I think pc_geek is right, unless you need explicitly the Quadros in order to accomplish a specific certification, go with the FirePro. You'll save a lot of money and you'll can afford this "daydream system" . Of course, if you're not an 'early adopter', I recommend you wait to have some reviews...

I hope this computer will be available in my country soon (Spain). I'm eagerly counting the days for its release

 

The ATI may end up being better just without the certifications (depending on your use). Not sure I'll ever need it but it can drive more external monitors than the Nvidia (with Eyefinity - talk of 5 simultaneous with a docking station aand all of the ports on the box being live). It also draws a fair bit less power from what I've read.

There was also talk about it possibly being capable of driving the DC2 panel in 30-bit mode (could just be speculation though).

Wish I was patient enough to wait for reviews

I did try pricing out a Dell M6500 but it came in WAY more expensive and had less capable hardware (on the ATI front and with the display anyway). 30 day no-questions return policy so I figured I'd just go for it.

 

cool. yea, the FirePro will be more than enough for me.

but it's fair to say Creative Suite 5 won't work as well on the FirePro relative to the Quadro?

 

I think you need to go all the way thru the checkout steps to apply the 18% discount. This banner is found right on the "customize your configuration" page so I gotta figure it works online:

:yes:

 

i typed it in after building, putting it in my basket and going 2/3 of the way through the checkout. there's a box to put coupons in and it says it's either invalid or expired.

I'd just call in.

 

The firePro is built on MR 5870, the fastest mobile card currently, while the quadro 3800M is built on GT 9800M, which is a 3 years old card, you decide if it's worth the extra, it's another 285M vs MR 5870 situation here, except that the price difference and performance difference is even wider now.

For the creative suite 5, it works perfectly on my MR 5870 consumer card so I doubt it won't work on the firePro version.

About the workstation card advantage, it's more of compatibility with 3D CAD rather than 2D CAD. However, since you are even considering a MBP with a weak consumer card, I would assume that a firePRO built on MR 5870 would be way more than your need.

 

you would be correct. but I've never minded having "too much" power. only "too little". if I can get decent battery life out of this one, why wouldn't I go for the significantly more powerful machine?

Of course I would.

 

CS5 will work fine on the ATI but the Quadro is the only card that will get the GPU acceleration as they decided to implement CUDA instead of OpenCL or Direct Compute (at least for now). As far as I can tell it's just for premiere but if you're going to be doing a lot of really heavy-duty video editing using CS5 then the Quadro may be worth it.

 

I don't expect to do a lot of video editing, no. disappointing to hear of the lack of expected support for OpenCL...but I can't justify the $400 premium for the Nvidia. thanks for the insight.

 

Err... yup. I tried every variation of text case in the event it was that, but it's not.

 

Be carrefull, All available Quadro for mobile are only DirectX 10 support.(so no tesslation support for cuda computing)
New Quadro Mobile based on Fermi Architecture has not yet announced.

Are u ready to spend more than 3 000 $ for a mobile workstation with an old graphic cards ?

Also I don't have found on HP website the possibility to choose this IPS panel... it's really weird...
Do you have found ?

What is the reference specification of this 17" IPS panel ? (a LGphilips, a Samsung, a Hannstar ... ?)

 

Check over in the 8740w owner's thread, a page or two back. It seems to have disappeared the day after I and a few following me made our order on the 20th. Seems we were the straw the broke the camel's back, and exhausted the supply. Word is it will be back mid-May. ...fingers crossed. (also gone for now I understand is the back-lit keyboard)

 

most of us who have gone (or are considering going) with the 8740w are opting for the FirePro.

but those who are going Quadro usually are doing so because they need Quadro-specific certifications that the FirePro doesn't have. they have no choice.

 

Oh wow, that's impressive. Here's to hoping that more IPS panels show up in notebooks.