Going from HP zd7000 to zd8000 - Page 2

Its going a different direction but maybe checkout the new acer travek mate tm8104wlmi. This thing rocks, its sonoma with x700 which will definetly outperform the x600 by alot from some reviews and benchmarks.

SPECS

Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional; Intel® Pentium® M Processor 760 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB); 1GB (512/512) DDR2 333 SDRAM; 100GB hard drive; modular Super-Multi (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM) drive; 5-in-1 card reader; 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) TFT display; ATI® MOBILITY™ RADEON® X700 graphics, 128MB DDR; 802.11a/b/g WLAN, Bluetooth™, gigabit LAN, V.92 modem

Its also MUCH more portable a sleaker at 1.3"thick. This what I would like to get. There is a very extensive review on here about it. At the Notebook Geberal section.

Check it out.

Ahahaha....So I was lied to by 3 HP reps. b/c each one said the 256 video card wouldn't be available for several months. So, I order mine with the 128 and now I want the 256. I call them up and tell them the deal and they said they would cancel the order (against regular policy I guess). Once "officially cancelled" then they'll credit my bank account so then I can reorder. WTF...I like the zd8000, but am starting to question whether or not I should look elsewhere. Somewhere where the reps. don't lie and know what they're doing.

Anywho...I'll update once I have straightened everything out.

Yay my zd8000 shipped today!!! I plan on getting it by next friday!!!!

Specs:

Pentium 4 w/ HT 3.2
1gig of Ram
60 gigs at 7200rpm HD
X600 Mobility Radeon (I plan on putting in a X800)
Those are the main things

I saw the zd8000 at a MicroCenter today. It looks realy nice, an evolution of the other HP notebooks I've seen but somehow better. The display is different, when I say different I'm not used to these reflective displays, when I opened the lid the display was so refelective when turned off you could use it as a mirror! I have to say when I turned it on the image was remarkably sharp and bright but I wonder if the reflective surface will cause glare under some light conditions.
I might want to get the zd8000 as I'm looking for a 17" desktop replacement with XP Media Edition 2005, can anybody here who has already received theirs tell me if the fans are as loud as a couple of reviews I've read says? I have to say the fan grills on the left side of it are massive. Also what is the last word about the upgradeability of the video card, as I understand it the whole idea of using a PCI-E video card on a notebook computer is for its upgradeability. I'd buy it direct from HP, that way I can get the 256mb X600 video card and the 7200rpm 50gb hard drive. I also noticed that HP has a 30 day return policy which is nice in the event I'm not happy with it for any reason. I appreciate your responses.

Umm....50gb 7200rpm? Anyways I heard the fans are pretty loud..but I was playing with the one at circuit city a while ago....when I was doing normal things it was pretty silent...but when I was checking a game demo it kind of got loud...but most people are just exagerating!

I'm new here and before starting a new thread, did a quick Search and found everything I was looking for! Thanks a lot, for this information. I've been searching for a laptop that would out perform my Dell Dimension 4550 desk top PC and was leaning towards the Dell 9200(I do a lot of video and photo editing). Problem is, it isn't that much better, aside from being portable. Then, I took a hard look at the XPS, which has plenty of performance, but the features I'm looking for send the price sky high. So I decided to break these "DELL chains" and have a look on the other side of the fence. There sat a zd8000....This laptop(with that media thing) has twice the features of the XPS, more performance and is $1000 cheaper!! Now, my past experience with Dell technical support has been great, so that's what makes me keep looking at them, but this zd8000 seems to be over the top! What can I expect from hp technicians, during a phone call? I've read a few of your replies but am looking for more.

I received my custom zd8000 this past Tuesday. The notebook came with the following:

Windows Media 2005 OS
P4 3.2
1.0 Gig of Ram
PCIe 128 Video Card
Dual DVD Burner
60 Gig 7200 RPM
Built in Wireless Network Card and Bluetooth

First, the notebook came about 2 weeks before the estimated ship date. This was nice because I didn't want to wait almost a month for a notebook that I just dropped phat loots on.

Second, once I received the notebook, I set up the media center hub. It was easy to set up and the remote for it is cool. The next thing I did was install Call of Duty. I played it in the first person version and lordy, lordy, it runs smooth. However, the screen freezes after 45 seconds of play during multiplayer mode. I still haven't figured this out and quite frankly it is annoying me. I believe there may be some driver issues, but there are only 2 versions of drivers available for the 128 pcie videocard and neither appear to address the problem.

The cooling fans don't run too loud. I did however go out and get a cooling pad from the local computer store. I believe this to be necessary because the notebook runs hot. The battery pack is installed right underneath where your wrists lay and without the cooling pack, the heat would be unbearable.

I am also having issues with the built-in wireless card. I'm able to connect to some networks but not all of them. It's frustrating because I can't get connected to my local, secure network.

Final Thoughts

The notebook is extremely competitive due to the price and the amount of hardware you get with it. Granted, I'm having some issues with Call of Duty and the wireless network cards, but I believe that simple fixes will be identified in the future to take care of them.

The tech support for HP isn't as bad as what I thought it would be. I've called in twice (wireless card and Call fo Duty issues). They couldn't resolve the issues, but at least tried to. I think if it is specific to the notebook then they'll be able to resolve and/or guide you in the right direction of the solution. However, I would suggest that you research your issues on the internet and see if you can resolve them without calling tech support.

The notebook is heavy and hot so make sure you get a sturdy notebook case and cooling pad. While there are some cons to consider, I believe this to be one of the most competitive notebooks currently available on the market for the price. I would recommend getting it and if you do not like it, you have 30 days to return it without having to worry about return shipping or restocking fee costs.

Let me know if you have questions and I'll be more than happy to anwer them for you. I will keep the notebook as long as I can get the wireless and Call of Duty issues resolved. Otherwise, I will probably return it and have to pay a higher price for a comparable notebook.

Later,

Silent_Wolf

It's official....I'm sending the notebook back. I tried everything to get the built-in wireless to work and it just won't. I even went out and bought an external wireless card and it continuously drops the connection.

Also, my last post indiated that Call of Duty freezes up when playing online. I believe the problem is with the drivers and ati does not support or issue drivers for their mobile cards rather they refer you to the notebook manufacturer. While I don't want to say anything too negative against HP, I believe it will take them an extended time before realizing that a new driver update is needed to address the freezing issue. I spent a tremendous time researching this and believe that most, if not all, open gl based games (Call of Duty, Quake, etc...) may encounter the same issue.

I'm gonna call HP tomorrow and get directions on how to return it. I'm now left pondering how long it will take for HP to refund my money as well as what new laptop I should look into getting. If you have any suggestions on different laptops, please feel free to chime in.

Later,

Silent_Wolf

I had an HP 8000 for 2 weeks and really liked it in a lot of ways but I found there were one or two things about it that I just couldn't live with.
The main probs were - noisy fans, excessive heat and poor battery life.
I guess that I was expecting a little too much from such a monster which after all is really a high power desktop replacement but the above factors really led me to exchange for a Sonoma/Centrino 17"er instead.
The heat was excessive IMHO - the battry was almost too hot to touch which I thought could be a dangerous fire-hazard?
The other thing that I didn't like was the way the screen flexed and twisted with very little force - just a very slight squeeze (gentle!) on the (plastic) top showed up as really bad distortion on the screen. The rest of the laptop felt it was built like a battleship but the screen felt very flimsy and fragile...
Sorry if I upset some of you 8000 owners - there are a lot of things to like about this model (especially the kbd & hi-res screen) but too many things (for me) to not be happy about for the money...

I am having the same issue with should I get an ZD8000. The thing that is holding be back is the x600 card which is inferior to the ATI x800 or the Nvidia 6800 cards. I would prefer a Pentium 6xx processor which HP has now since I think the laptop will last me into the 64-bit era. I don't anitcipate playing too many FPS other than Unreal and only plan to play WoW and WCIII.

The XPS2 in my sig only cost $100-$200 more than a fully maxed HPZD8000, but I have been waitng forever for this thing. Plus, no keypad is really a bummer for me being an mechanical engineer. I keep thinking that the HP ZD8000 will last me longer than the XPS2 but the X600 and the heat issue has me concern.