just ordered the nw9400 Duo 2 laptop

Unfortunately it is still 2 weeks away... but I figure with a price tag of $2200+, I can't beat these specs:
• Core 2 Duo T7200 / 2 GHz
• RAM : 1 GB
• HD : 80 GB 7200rpm
• DVD±RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 802.11a/b/g
• Nvidia Quadro 1500M (256MB GDDR3)
• TPM
• fingerprint reader
• SmartCard
• Win XP Pro
• 17" Widescreen TFT 1680 x 1050 ( WSXGA+ )



The only thing it's missing, that I wish it had was built-in bluetooth.
Other than that, and adding a total of 2GB RAM... this laptop should handle just about anything I throw at it.
Look here for a review and benchmark test.

In summary... I was stuck between the Acer Ferrari 5006WLMi and the new HP nw9440. The only thing that has me worried about HP is they have absolutely NO SUPPORT for 64-bit drivers and they rarely ever come out with updated drivers.

Any comments or suggestion are welcome!

light issues on the edges of the screen shouldn't be too much of a concern for CAD programs or Excel Worksheets.
I believe it would only be an issue if playing games or watching movies... meaning, those programs/applications that require deep, rich colors.

I was thinking about getting the WUXGA screen as well... but at that high of resolution, I tend to 'lean into' my screen when trying to read things. Just too little of text for me.

Hopefully by next week I should have that new laptop... then I'll post my opnions along with some benchmark numbers.

I looked at this model also... but the ONLY thing that kept me from it is the ATI X1600 graphics card. It is already outdated by ATI and needs to be updated to a faster model. Also... the Quadro 1500M seems to have better benchmark scores than the ATI X1600.... even in some games.

To be honest though... as I mentioned in my first posting, if I were to go with the ATI X1600... I would go with the Acer Ferrari 5000. In the end, it was the combination of the Core Duo 2 and the nvidia 1500M graphics card that finalized my decision.

well I just received my new laptop today.

Here are my first impressions (Part 1 or 2):

Packaging:
The packaging is cheap. A brown, cardboard box with HP tape all around.
There are no manuals and no CDs. There is some generic documentation on starting up your laptop... but there is nothing that is specific to the configuration you ordered.
In fact.. I wasn't sure I got the right notebook until I had to start up Windows XP and look at My Computer properties.
There is a 'Intel Centrino Duo' sticker, but would have expected it to read 'Intel Centrino Duo 2' sticker.


HP wants you to create restore CDs/DVDs of your system... to do this you need 11 blank CDs... yes...that's 11. Or 2 DVDs. That is ALOT of bloated software.

The Microsoft Product Key sticker on the bottom looks like someone tried to rip it off. Like someone took an eraser and tried to 'rub out' a hole in the center of it.
Also, the screen had some 'mark' on it that took some serious time to clean off.

As for the quality of the case:
It looks well built, but also looks like you could easily take it apart. It's not as solid as some people mention. It almost seems like it would start to fall apart after a few years of use. There are some areas where parts don't seem to line up properly... leaving small, uneven gaps.
The colors of the case look MUCH better in person than they do online.

Even though this is a 17" widescreen, it is ALOT lighter than the Presario R3000 I am replacing. It's also alot quieter too.

Ergonomics:
The keyboard sits a little lower than the palm rests... so you're not holding your fingers up higher than your hand naturally does.
Also... AT LAST.... when resting my palms on the laptop to type... my hands aren't touching the mouse touchpad. This has been such a pain on my past laptops that I have had to correct alot of mistakes.
The mouse buttons are very easy to push, almost too easy. They keys have a firm movement to them... they don't feel like they stick at all.

In Summary:
HP needs to do a better job of including marketing material. It would be nice to at least makes your purchase feel special. Or at least a box that looks presentable.
It just seems that it would be nice to have a box that has specs, graphics, etc... that you would see in a store. It would also be nice to have something that describes the system configuration.
Also... there NEEDS to at least be a Windows XP cd with the laptop. As a customer, you paid for the operating system... you should have the right to install it using any configuration you choose.
Instead, I'm stuck with wasting 6.5GB of hard drive space because HP wants to save money by NOT providing media with the purchase.

Once I get done creating the recovery dvds, I'll then run some benchmarks on it and post my results.

update 1.5

Well... for some reason the CPU-Z inforamtion tells me that my core speed is only 997MHz... I'm not sure what the problem is.

Does anyone know what is a good benchmark program to use that will give me accurate readings?

thanks!