HP Compaq nw8000 Review with Pictures

My brother needed a new computer, and he decided to go with a laptop for a number of reasons. Most importantly, he is going to work abroad and a lappy would move with him whereever he would go. Second, a notebook takes much less space than a regular desktop computer. Third, a laptop makes also a good leisure machine for watching DVDs and listening to music on the move. My bro consulted me about laptop choices, since I have bought, used, and managed a dozen laptops in my workplace over last four years. His specs were 4:3 screen, 3-year world-wide warranty, a good graphics card, and a good performance in software development and office applications. The laptop was needed for programming, gaming, and watching DVDs. Because we live in Finland, Europe, we had to limit ourselves to reseller models. Although Dell does allow customization of their computers here too, their online prices aren't competitive in comparison to other manufacturers' reseller models, which you can get thorugh small resellers.

We began looking for a machine with appropriate specs. For the screen, we wanted 15" SXGA+ (1400x1050), since XGA (1024x768) would be much too small and UXGA (1600x1200) could be eye-straining. The graphics adapter was going to be ATI Mobility Radeon 9600/9700 with 128 MB VRAM, since my year old lappy (Acer Travelmate 800) had already 64 MB VRAM and I thought that this one should have more. I also added my own requirements to the list: excellent keyboard (cutting alternatives to HP, Dell, and IBM; I only like their layout), good and prompt service (again these three), excellent speakers (cutting it down to HP and Dell), and a good screen (again these two, IBM's FlexView has a rather slow response rate). Dell didn't offer 4:3 screens for their top models and had outpriced them anyway, and thus it came down to HP. We were lucky in that HP had revamped the top of their nc/nw-line in Europe in mid-June, releasing two new models to the nw8000 model line and one new to the nc8000 line. One model of the nw8000 line (DU425EA) was a perfect fit to our needs, having all we had wished: Dothan 745 (1.8 GHz), 7200 rpm 60 GB hard disk, ATI Mobility Fire GL T2 with 128 MB VRAM, and a SXGA+ screen (1400x1050). Moreover, it was very competitively priced compared to other new nc/nw8000 models. It took us just one day to decide to buy this computer. Its specifications are below:

HP Compaq nw8000
Model Number: DU425EA
Localization: #AK8 (Finnish/Swedish)

Operating System Installed: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 1.80 GHz (Dothan 745)
Chipset: Intel® 855PM Chipset with 400MHz processor side bus and enhanced SpeedStep™ Technology
Standard Memory: 512 MB (1x512 MB) (333 MHz PC-2700)
Internal Hard Disk Drive: 60 GB 7200 rpm (Hitachi Travelstar 7K60)
Fixed Optical Drive: DVD/CD-RW drive
External I/O Ports: 1 Secure digital (SD) slot, 2 USB 2.0, 1 1394 (firewire), serial, parallel, 1 S-video out, 1 VGA, 1 RJ-45/RJ-11, 1 Infra Red, 1 Audio in/out, 1 Docking connector
Video adapter: ATI® Mobility™ Fire GL T2 (= Mobility Radeon 9600 /w 128 MB VRAM)
Display: 15-in diagonal (1400x1050) SXGA+ TFT with 16 million colors
Mouse/Pointing Device: Dual pointing devices: touch pad and pointing stick
Modem: 56 K
Network interface: Integrated 10/100/1000 NIC
Wireless Technologies: Wireless LAN 802.11b/g Mini PCI card, Bluetooth
Power supply type: External 65 Watt power adapter
Battery: 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Dimensions (w x d x h): 326 x 275 x 41 mm
Weight: 2.9 kg
Warranty: 3-Year world-wide standard (retrieve, repair, and return by HP; repair time 2 days)

Price: 2430 euros (incl. VAT) = $2920

The delivery of the system took just 1 business day. We ordered the machine on Thursday afternoon, and got it Friday afternoon. Basically, the wholesaler (GNT Finland) sent the computer to the retailer (Mikromaja) from their warehouse. A quick delivery is a plus when you pick a reseller model from a large brand, compared to ordering a custom built laptop from a small manufacturer.

The computer was shipped with the battery detached and empty, apprarently to avoid electrical damages during shipping. The operating system was preinstalled, and the installation was completed when the computer was turned on. Overall, it took about 30 minutes to get the system ready to go.

Then to the tests:

3DMark 03: 2646 with the default Fire GL drivers and default settings. The result is just what we expected, and good enough for my brother's use.

Battery life: I tested battery life by playing DVDs until a full battery run out. In the test, the battery lasted 3 hours 25 minutes, which more than double of what Adam from PCTorque got with Acer Ferrari. You can easily watch one or two movies with one battery. If you plugged a second battery into the multibay, the power would be enough for 7 hours of DVD playback.

Then other impressions after using the computer. I compared the nw8000 with two older computers: Acer Travelmate 800 (1 year old; my work computer) and HP Omnibook xt6050 (2 years old; my bro's old work computer). Acer Travelmate 8000 and Ferrari series (and some Aspire series too) use the same chassis as Travelmate 800.

Screen: The screen is sharp and bright, and it has got no dead pixels. Viewing angles are good, although not as good as in some external LCD monitors. It beats Acer Travelmate's SXGA+ screen, though.

Keyboard and Pointing Devices: The keyboard layout is great and it is quiet to type. The touch pad is always active, but it is hard to accidentally touch it, because its surface is much below the surface of the computer. It does not click on tapping as many touch pads do (I always disable the property). Great innovations!

Noise: The computer is very quiet. Normally, it is dead silent. Even when the fan kicks on, it does not increase noise remarkably. The fan is much quieter than in Acer Travelmate 800 and HP Omnibook xt6050.

Heating: During use, the computer heats somewhat both in the bottom and under the right palm. However, the heating is totally comfortable, and nowhere near the insane levels that Acer Travelmate 800 can achieve. Many people might not notice it. It's a good idea from HP engineers to put the most heating components under the right palm, because your right hand is often on the mouse, especially during gaming.

Optical Drive: I also tested if the optical drive would noticeably vibrate during disc spinning. I didn't notice very much anything. The drive is also very silent. The drive is much better than that of Acer Travelmate 800, which vibrates heavily when spinning discs.

Speakers: The speakers have 2-watt RMS output power, which makes them as loud as most external PC speakers. I didn't test how loud they go, but loud enough for any use I could concieve for a laptop. Their frequency response is 20 Hz - 20 kHz, i.e. you can get out a good amount of bass frequencies, too.

Pictures: There are a dozen pics with HP Compaq nw8000 (in the middle in the pictures), Acer Travelmate 800 LCi, and HP Omnibook xt6050. You can find them by clicking the links below. They are 150-350k in size each.

1. Front: Lid Open (Picture with Flash / No Flash), Lid Closed (No Angle, Small Angle)
2. Back: Lid open
3. Left: Lid Open, Lid Closed (No Angle, Small Angle)
4. Right: Lid Open
5. Keyboard: HP Compaq nw8000, Acer Travelmate 800, HP Omnibook xt6050

HP Compaq nw8000 is slightly thicker than the two other computer but otherwise about the same size as them. In Width x Depth dimensions, Acer seems to be slightly larger than it. Omnibook is the smallest of the trio. However, I would say that in practice each computer is almost the same size. You can see what the computer looks like in the pics.

Build Quality: I tested also if pressing the back of the lid would cause distortions in the screen. HP Compaq nw8000 passed the test without problems, but both Acer Travelmate 800 and HP Omnibook xt6050 suffered from distortions. Our friend also commented positively about the build quality.

Video Card Drivers: Left the only negative thing last. We tested the computer with 3D Studio Max 5. The default Fire GL drivers (that came with the system) caused strange visual errors but updating to newer ones fixed the problem. Hadn't ATI tested their drivers with 3D Studio Max or is it something related to nw8000 and HP? Well, the talk about ATI having driver problems wasn't bogus after all.

Accessories: We bought Logitech MX510 and Targus Notebook Backpack. The former was a natural choice for an optical mouse without batteries. The latter proved to be a good choice too. The most positive thing about the backpack is that it doesn't look like a computer carrying case but a regular backpack. We packed it with the laptop, 2 external 3.5" hard drives, a hub and their power supplies, and everything fitted in easily! The backpack is also much easier to carry than normal cases with all those stuff in.

Conclusion

We couldn't be happier with this computer. It promised everything we needed in one reseller model and delivered it. No need to upgrade any of the components. Even the standard 512 MB memory is in one module, leaving the other memory slot free. This allows us to later plug in another 512 MB or 1024 MB memory. I was most worried about heating, noise, size, looks, and DVD playback after reading these forums (nc8000 threads), but none of them was an issue. The fast delivery time still amazes me. It's good that we have such a good wholesaler as GNT here in Finland.

PART II: HP SERVICE (IN FINLAND)

A few hours later I posted the very positive review of the laptop, it broke down. It simply shutdown in the middle of use and did not wake up whatever we tried. The power adapter began to keep a beeping noise too. It was time to call the HP service. Well, at least we could now review it.

My brother called the service number and a tech guy answered immediately (no queue, hurray!). The computer had to be sent to maintenance and a guy would pick it at from my brother. We were told that there might be a chance that they could format the hard drive at the service, which we told them to avoid if possible. They also were ought to return a game CD which was stuck in the CD drive.

Service Contract: The laptop has a 3-year international warranty. Pick-up and return by HP. A 2-day repair time.

Pick-up: The pick-up guy appeared 3 hours later (after giving a call), which I think was very quick (they promised the next morning latest). We didn't need to package the computer in anyway, which some companies require (e.g. Acer). Grade: 5/5.

Repair Time: The service contract has a 2-day repair time. So the computer was scheduled to be repaired by Wednesday afternoon or Thurday morning, if full days were only counted. We hoped to get the computer back on Wednesday, since we planned to stay a couple of days at our friend's summer cottage, starting Wednesday afternoon. However, HP was able to return the computer only by Thursday, still within the contract. Nonetheless, I must congratulate the service team for such a fast repair, as it appeared that they had to replace the motherboard. Grade: 4/5.

Return: There was nobody to receive the computer on Thursday and we had to negotiate a new return date with HP. Friday afternoon was best for us, since we wanted to get the computer back before the weekend and we did not want to leave too early from our summer cottage trip. The time was ok for HP, and they returned the computer as planned on Friday (giving a call before arriving). Grade: 5/5.

Repair Result: The repaired computer worked perfectly. They had replaced the motherboard and the power adapter (which had broken too). The hard drive was untouched (hurray!) and the stuck CD was in place. They hadn't touched the working parts of the computer. Grade: 5/5.

Overall: 5/5 (Excellent)

We were very pleased with the service: it was zero trouble for us, except for the loss of the computer for 2.5 days. The computer came back working and games played great. Hope that the new motherboard works for the rest of the computer's life time.

nc6000 is meant for a bit lighter use and for more mobile users. In fact, nw8000 isn't that much bigger or heavier, since the weight of nc6000 is usually calculated with the multibay empty. However, in reality, there is almost always the optical drive. Nw8000 has also an internal firewire port, which can help if USB ports get full, or if you have a digital camcorder. Of course, you can get a firewire port on a PCMCIA card on nc6000, too.

I'd pick nc6000 over nw8000, only if battery life and mobility are more important than gaming performance. E.g. nc6000 could make a better notebook for a business consultant.

I ran another benchmark today.

PCMark04: 3776

The computer is amazingly quiet and cool for this performance, and the keyboard feel is worth praising. For heavy duty 3D shooter guys: the computer registers only 2 simultaneous regular key presses, and so no no for advancing, strafing, and jumping at the same time. The screen is also extraordinary.

Acer Travelmate 8006LMi (2.0 GHz; 755) is not available in Finland. In fact, Acer Finland's web site states that only 8004LMi is available, but I was able to find Acer Travelmate 8005LMi (1.8 GHz; 745) for 2269 euros in the cheapest Internet shop.

I don't know why HP lappies are so cheap in here, if they are much more expensive elsewhere. I guess it may have something to do with GNT, the wholesaler from which all small computer shops order their stuff.

Edit: the price of nw8000 DU425EA has gone down: it's now 2315 euros.

Now I found the price for Acer Travelmate 8006LMi. It's 2605 euros! Quite a lot for a computer with a 1-year warranty and a 4200 rpm hard drive.

512 MB EXTRA MEMORY INSTALLATION

We wanted to upgrade the memory to 1 GB, and set out to look for an extra memory module. The computer supports PC-2700 (DDR333) 200-pin SODIMMs (non-parity = non-ECC, CL2.5), which could be checked from Crucial. The official HP memory (DC390B) costed 295 euros ($355) in the cheapest shop. Thus we opted to go for Kingston Value RAM KVR333X64SC25/512, which had appropriate specs. It we could get for 106 euros ($128), i.e almost three times cheaper! HP really should lower their accessory prices; they are just insane.

The installation instructions were available on the HP documentation CD. First, we removed the mouse, the power cord, and the battery. The memory slots were under the keyboard, but the removal of the keyboard was straightforward. We just had to unscrew one screw (in the bottom of the computer), and pull out the latches that held the keyboard in place (between the function keys). Then, the keyboard came off, and the memory module could be plugged in. The keyboard was replaced and latched, and the keyboard screw rescrewed. Then, we replaced the battery, the power cord, and the mouse, and the process was over. Rather easy and quick! And the instructions were really good, except that they could have been on a paper manual; now we had to use another computer to read them.

The computer recognized the memory and updated it to BIOS (or something), when the power was turned on. So far, the new memory has worked perfectly! In fact we checked the chips on the original memory and they were the same Samsung chips: the product codes were exactly the same! Only a small number in the right top corner was different (419 and 428; whatever it means).

Overall grade: 4.5 / 5
+ easy and quick
+ good instructions
+ no special equipment needed (except a normal screwdriver)
- instructions only on the CD


SERVICE UPDATE:

It appears that the touchpad and the small pointing device in the middle of the keyboard do not work after the service. I thought first that they had disabled them, but this appears not to be case. Well, it's not a big deal for my brother, who uses mouse all the time (unlike me), but I think the thing needs to be fixed. My bro is just leaving for a work trip in Italy, and thus HP Italy needs to fix what HP Finland screwed up.

Well, this lowers the repair result to 3.5 (at least they did not format the hard drive). The overall score is then:

HP overall service: 4 / 5

I'm looking forward to review the HP Italy service, but I don't know how my brother keeps me informed (or if he is even going to send the computer in there). A good thing was that HP provided their international phone service numbers on an English booklet that came with the computer. The HP Italy site is in Italian, and thus quite incomprehensible.

Cheers!

I've never used the feature before, but I tried it now. Resuming from hibernation took 55 seconds; I started to count when I pressed the start button and ended when the log in screen showed up. I guess the time goes into starting Windows (some 30 seconds) and loading the data from the hibernation file (some 20 seconds). Stand-by worked very fast, on the other hand.

Well, he hasn't contacted them yet. I doubt he does as long as the computer is working. That's his style. The computer in my signature is my bro's, but it was picked and recommended by me. That's why I put it in there. I guess I don't need a new laptop for a year or so.

Btw, we use Skype to talk with each other and the mic on his lappy is excellent for voice chatting. Its quality really surprised me.

My brother ran 3Dmark 2005 with HP's latest Fire GL T2 drivers, and got:

1018 3Dmarks

Probably running the test with the latest non-Fire GL drivers would provide a 10-20% performance boost, but we chose to run the test with the normal setup.

Yeah. I was surprised that xt6050 was able to run WarCraft III with only little problems. I bought about 6 of these HP notebooks in 2001/2002 (most 6000 and one extra xt6050). Every user who got one loves the computer.