*HP EliteBook 8440p/w Owners Lounge*

[The_Ha]

From what I have read, the two processors may have different clock speeds but the difference in their performance are highly negligible.

[BizcoBird]

Hi all.

I received my 8440p yesterday and finally had a chance to unpack and start playing with it today. So far, I'm liking it. I'm noticing a few things, though:

1) My unit came with a small scuff mark (it's not quite a scratch) on the left side of the palm rest. It's not that noticable, but my eyes keep getting drawn towards it. It's more of an OCD problem than anything else, but it's disappointing considering the price of this baby. Not enough so that I'd return it, but still...
2) The delete key (the upper-most right key on the keyboard) sticks up a bit at the corner; i.e., it doesn't quite lay flush. Anyone else run into a similar issue? It appears to be seated fully in the keyboard, but it sticks up a little. So far, I haven't managed to remedy this -- I don't want to try removing the key and re-seating it for fear of causing damage. Other than this, the keyboard on this laptop is fantastic.
3) There is a moderatly loud popping noise every time I reboot the system. I think it's coming from the speakers at the bottom. Has anyone else heard this? Is this something I can fix? It's more of a nuisance than anything else.

Still getting used to the system. This is replacing a unibody MacBook, and I'd say the build quality on this is about on par with that. Aside from the minor quibbles above, I'm liking things so far. I'm curious if any other 8440p/w owners have run into similar issues.

Thanks for a great forum. This thread was one of the reasons I pulled the trigger on this laptop.

[BizcoBird]

Quick update. I'm wondering whether I should return this unit for a new one? I got this from TigerDirect, and I think I should be able to exchange it. For the money spent, I would think the unit should arrive in pristine condition. The scuff mark does bug me, but the delete key not laying flat is what's really annoying. I'm not sure if this is fixable or whether I should just ask for a new unit. Any advice?

Also, is anyone else experiencing the popping sound on restart/shutdown?

[JamesFosterUK]

Hi all.

I received my 8440p yesterday and finally had a chance to unpack and start playing with it today. So far, I'm liking it. I'm noticing a few things, though:

1) My unit came with a small scuff mark (it's not quite a scratch) on the left side of the palm rest. It's not that noticable, but my eyes keep getting drawn towards it. It's more of an OCD problem than anything else, but it's disappointing considering the price of this baby. Not enough so that I'd return it, but still...
2) The delete key (the upper-most right key on the keyboard) sticks up a bit at the corner; i.e., it doesn't quite lay flush. Anyone else run into a similar issue? It appears to be seated fully in the keyboard, but it sticks up a little. So far, I haven't managed to remedy this -- I don't want to try removing the key and re-seating it for fear of causing damage. Other than this, the keyboard on this laptop is fantastic.
3) There is a moderatly loud popping noise every time I reboot the system. I think it's coming from the speakers at the bottom. Has anyone else heard this? Is this something I can fix? It's more of a nuisance than anything else.

Still getting used to the system. This is replacing a unibody MacBook, and I'd say the build quality on this is about on par with that. Aside from the minor quibbles above, I'm liking things so far. I'm curious if any other 8440p/w owners have run into similar issues.

Thanks for a great forum. This thread was one of the reasons I pulled the trigger on this laptop.

My Elitebook fan turns on at top speed for a few seconds (then steps down), the dvd drive makes a noise for a second or two and you can just about hear the hard drive.
As for the keys, one day I didn't have any air duster. I dragged a yellow cloth over the kepboard and the P key snapped off. I didn't panic (I have HP carepack). I just snapped the key back on, pressed down for a second and it clicked and believe or not it was like new.
I would return the Elitebook. It might be worth buying direct from HP like I did. Although Ingram Micro (a massive IT products distributor and reseller) actually handle the transaction. Tiger Direct as part of Systemax, ie Ingram's main competition.
Another option is to buy a carepack, choose the NBD 9-5 service. HP will send over an HP approved technician with the parts and will fix it. This is the service I have and in my case covers accidental damage.

[wii]

How are the noise levels of the 8440p with dedicated graphics?

[JamesFosterUK]

How are the noise levels of the 8440p with dedicated graphics?

Low. The most graphics intensive program I have is Tiger Woods 08. But the fan didn't need to kick in at top speed. For general tasks you won't notice it. It also doesn't get hot. My Elitebook has the nVidia NVS 3100. The chip has a top TDP of 14W.

[audentity]

Can someone with the 6-cell battery put their 8440 on a scale and report back? I've read this whole thread and and didn't see any hard numbers regarding weight.

Also, what's the difference between the 'p' and 'w' models?

Thanks.

[MelBrooks]

So I just bought a used 8440p and I'm trying to make sure it's all a-okay as fast as possible. This is the list... anything else?

1. It has XP, so I'm going to install Win7 to make sure the number on the bottom of the notebook is valid.

2. Update bios

3. Run memtest to check ram

4. Test all ports with various devices

5. Test DVD read/write

6. Test how long battery holds charge with full brightness, etc... ie drain completely

7. See how long it takes to charge battery

Anything else?

Thanks!

[wii]

Thanks, which CPU do you have?

Low. The most graphics intensive program I have is Tiger Woods 08. But the fan didn't need to kick in at top speed. For general tasks you won't notice it. It also doesn't get hot. My Elitebook has the nVidia NVS 3100. The chip has a top TDP of 14W.

[willbeh]

Just placing an order or 8440p, i7-640M, 8GB RAM, 160 SSD, 14" HD+, 512MB NVS 3100, 9 cell batt
It's slightly cheaper than 8440w, i7-620M, 8GM RAM, 160 SSD, 14" HD+, 512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M, 6 cell

I don't do much gaming or heavy photoshop. Mostly having VM running my dev/test server. Thus decided to go for p which is cheaper with lower end graphic card but slightly better CPU and better battery.

As far as I know the difference between the p and w is only the graphic card and case color difference. Is there any other difference? The order will be place by HP this Friday thus still not too late for me to change, I guess.
Hope I make the right decision to go for p instead of w.