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HP Wear & Tear Question

post #1 of 6
9/9/06 at 5:01pm
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I recently bought my first notebook PC, an HP Pavilion dx8000z (dv8315nr from BestBuy to be more specific).

My question is this: I am daily turning it on/off, plugging in a USB mouse, power, a cable modem connection and opening/closing the lid as I go from home to work and back.

My question is - how do these laptops stand-up to that kind of use. I know it ought to be designed to give a few years of service under that kind of use, but what is your experience.

I'm thinking that it won't be long until USB, power and modem connections are going to come loose from the notebook box and that the friction that keeps the lid open will eventually fail to hold.

Being new to notebooks, I thought I'd ask your experience.

BTW, so far so good with this HP.

Thanks in advance,
Bill
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post #2 of 6
9/10/06 at 2:37am

wear and tear

Quote:
Originally Posted by leeave96
I recently bought my first notebook PC, an HP Pavilion dx8000z (dv8315nr from BestBuy to be more specific).

My question is this: I am daily turning it on/off, plugging in a USB mouse, power, a cable modem connection and opening/closing the lid as I go from home to work and back.

My question is - how do these laptops stand-up to that kind of use. I know it ought to be designed to give a few years of service under that kind of use, but what is your experience.

I'm thinking that it won't be long until USB, power and modem connections are going to come loose from the notebook box and that the friction that keeps the lid open will eventually fail to hold.

Being new to notebooks, I thought I'd ask your experience.

BTW, so far so good with this HP.

Thanks in advance,
Bill

Well, I have used a number of notebooks on a daily basis, at work and at home, connecting power, mice, and sometimes wired networking at both locations without failure. This included many brands (Sony, Acer, HP, Compaq, IBM, Gateway, and Apple), and they all survived. The Apple powerbook was used for at least 4 years in this mode (work and home) and the others for various times up to 2 years (often had multiple computers to accomodate bench testing and specific software verification).

Will the hinge fail - maybe (had an old Everex computer fail this way), but not likely. Will the USB port fail - again, maybe, but has not yet (a USB hub goes a long way, especially on with it's own power supply). As for network or modem connections, this is more likely as the connector type is less robust than the USB or power ports, but being careful should suffice. Oh, power - have heard of some with broken jacks - most likely caused by external impact on the plug - but the jack itself should be good for years of use.

Wayne
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post #3 of 6
9/10/06 at 2:41pm
Definitely don't worry about it. Hopefully you have some kind of extended warranty to take you to 2 years (I have an extra year with my credit card) and just enjoy it and use it like you have to. Everything should be golden for the most part.
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post #4 of 6
9/10/06 at 9:44pm
Good thread I almost posted a similar one reguarding my new dv5000t. I carry the thing around as if its made of glass. When I set it down its a 15 second affair to assure its resting properly. I'm sure its really comical. I'm using the USB more often then I had imagined and also am opening and closing it daily along with reboots.

Glad to hear theres nothing to worry about. I'm sure after its not so new I'll relax a little.
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post #5 of 6
9/11/06 at 12:53am
If you continue to worry about it, then perhaps you can return the dv8000 and buy an HP business class machine. Go read up on small biz notebooks at www.hp.com. You'll be surprised at how much different they are from the consumer line. There are numerous descriptions of the construction and testing for the biz class. Presumably, some of this is applicable to the consumer class, but I've never seen it promoted.

IMO, the HP biz units are much more robust, more worth the money. Also, the sales guy told me the cases are magnesium alloy, very little flex, and the cooling fans are stronger. I was going to buy a dv8000t, but now am much more interested in an nx9420 (*not* much more $$$) or nw9440 (*is* much more $$$). When you go to the hp biz site, be sure to read about data protection and the 3-dimensional acceleromter... the same type of gizmo that JVC and others use in hard disc camcorders to park the drive heads upon sudden movement, possibly precipitating an impact on the fllor.
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post #6 of 6
9/11/06 at 4:11pm
I would worry more about the case for the laptop cracking and falling apart. The older HP laptops seem to have that problem from my experience. The newer HP laptops seem to have better built cases. I wouldn't worry too much about your new HP. I think you should just enjoy and be happy that you have a good sturdy HP.
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