*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

[2.0™]

2.0 - One last thing, if indeed all Santa Rosa base notebooks inclusive of the HDX will be able to go to 8GB RAM (and that the chipset is capable of accessing ALL of it) is great news. And if that is the case, I should think the Montevina would have access to 8GB RAM too.

ICH8M (Santa Rosa's Crestline chipset) and up (such as Montevina's ICH9M Cantiga chipset) are 8GB max addressable.

Just requires 64bit OS to make any use of it.

They all said 4GB max because that was the max RAM size sold for a long time. Currently an 8gb kit of DDR2 PC2 5300 200 pin 667mhz sodimm will cost around $800 - $1k. But by the end of the year, early next, that price will come down considerably. Perhaps to around $250 - $350 per kit.

[2.0™]

I could not agree with you more – especially that the HDX is beautiful, a work of art, truly one of a kind, and the best ever that HP came out with.

But consider this: because HP is not known for selling obsolete platforms alongside new ones could be and probably is the reason why (IMHO I believe) it has dropped the price on current HDX’s.

Ok, but compare the price drop of their other end-of-life Pavillion models since both inception (summer '07) and refresh (Dec/jan '07/'08), and you won't see such a drastic drop such as the HDX's ~50% price drop since inception. Base price of the HDX since inception (June'07) went from $2999 to $1599. That's a ~45% drop. Red flag.

Consider that when the ydesigned it, they also built into it their profit margin. What margin do you think is left?

The following relates to your contemplation as to whether HP could be/might be fazing out the HDX anytime soon.

June 19, 2008
Today, we inquired with Lynaii at Hpshopping. Lynaii contacted her supervisor and after a good waiting period, she came back confirming that the HDX will not be discontinued anytime soon and that it is one of their strongest selling products. Their call center in Boise Idaho is told ahead of time if an item is to be discontinued, she added. To further confirm this, Lynaii contacted Hpshopping product manager Jim Hansen, who confirmed to her that the HDX will not be discontinued for a long time if at all. It is staying in the HP lineup until at least next summer.

Per my request, Lynaii also asked Jim Hansen whether he knew of what date the HDX will be released with Montevina marketed as Centrino 2 and/or the inclusion of a Blu-Ray writer. He did not know the answer to this question.

Kinda, sorta like when they told you to look out for a blu-ray writer within a week or two some 3 or 4 months ago.

Anyway, next batch of $400-$500 off coupons probably won't come around until September or near the end of the year.

Keep an eye on these websites to know when:

http://hpwebsavings.com/
http://www.hpbestbuys.com/?sid=g_457...otebook+laptop

Best time to use them is pretty much on the day they come out. They're usually stackable. Meaning can be used on top of any HP instant savings. A few days later, sometimes they're no longer stackable. Or worse, they get used up.

[beq]

Thanks for all the info 2.0

I didn't know the coupons could've been stacked on top of instant savings in the beginning... were you able to do that? I couldn't by the time I purchased -- entering the $500 coupon removed the $200 instant savings. Would've been nice to get $700 total discount.

Actually I would've loved to be able to use wwoods' 25% (stackable) coupon. True, a $500 coupon off $1399 represents almost a 36% discount. But when your HDX is let's say $3000, the $500 coupon amounts to less than a 17% discount. A 25% coupon would amount to $750 in that case (plus the $200 instant savings). Oh well...

[2.0™]

Yep, mine were stackable but it was for $450 off. I used the $500 for the TX2500.

[beq]

Can't transfer the key.

That's a bummer. So the product key from the factory preinstalled Vista x64 OEM cannot be re-used on a new installation of Vista x86 OEM on the same computer. I was tempted to call Microsoft to request this...

Go for the HDX if you've got loot to burn. Advantages over the iMac are many except for the 24" screen. Also consider that for a 20", the industry standard resolution is 1680 x 1050. For a 24" monitor, it's 1920 x 1200. Best for your eyes.

It's true that given the limitations of Windows GUI scaling, some of my family members prefer a moderate resolution for a given screen size. It makes text easier to read without having to blow up the Windows dpi and font sizes to a ridiculous amount (which would visually break many apps and negate much of the benefits of the higher resolution in the first place). Given that the HDX has a 20" display, perhaps I should've configured mine with the cheaper 1680x1050 screen instead of 1920x1200, and save some money to boot...

On the other hand, people say laptop screens are supposed to have a higher resolution than desktop monitors (for a given screen size) because we tend to work with laptops at a closer range. Then again, the HDX is probably going to be used more like a desktop much of the time... But still, having a WUXGA resolution capable of displaying true 1080p (for Blu-ray movies or whatnot) sounds good. Realistically though, I think it's hard to discern any difference in quality playing Blu-ray movies on a 1680x1050 vs 1920x1200 screen. Argh, I feel like I'm talking in circles

Obviously the HDX has a built-in UPS (aka batt) that lasts for nearly 3 hours. The iMac @ 24" consumes >250 watts. so you'd need a fairly large ups if you want to even get 15mins of back up time. More expense and more space consumed.

Heh I've had this compulsion with UPSes for a long time (usually cheaper consumer-grade though, as opposed to online UPSes with true sine wave output). I've got at least sixteen 1500VA AVR UPS units around the house, for different rooms, the computers, electronic equipment, etc. I would've installed a Trace (now Xantrex) whole-house backup power system (inverter/charger with battery bank and optional generator) years ago if I'd had the budget...

All told, the 20" version of the iMac would probably be more a family oriented computer than any of what you listed. The size of it allows it to fit under standard 24" high kitchen cabinets. Keyboard is detached - in case of a spill or some other catastrophy, just get a new keyboard. It's also more watt friendly. (Most always consider total cost of ownership.) And if the family just needs it for web, email, and photos/movies, Mac excels at this. And it sells for about $1500.

That makes sense, but we're not looking to put it in the kitchen. It would just be used as a standard home computer, except without all the messy wires and separate accessories (webcam, speakers, etc). It's funny actually, they've told me that they like a display as big physically as the one I use which is 24". The original HP TouchSmart IQ770's screen was deemed too small at only 19"... You know what would be awesome -- an all-in-one like the iMac but which has a 26" - 28" WUXGA (1920x1200) screen! With the bigger dot pitch compared to a 24" WUXGA screen, my family members might be able to run Windows without having to up the DPI scaling to 120+.

Heck an all-in-one with a 30" or larger WQXGA (2560x1600) screen would be even better, if it's at all in the realm of affordability

[plucka99]

I have the HDX 9200 with the Toshiba HD DVD. Anyone know how to make this region free?

[2.0™]

I have the HDX 9200 with the Toshiba HD DVD. Anyone know how to make this region free?

As far as I know, there are no hacks to do this yet.

[suland]

Try some Region Free software available on the net.

[2.0™]

Try some Region Free software available on the net.

What, like Slysoft's AnyDVD HD? Yeah, good idea. Forgot about that one.

But As far as I know, it only removes the region code limitation for Blu-ray and not HD DVD.

[suland]

I am not sure if he asks about HD-Discs. But RegioFree usually works with DVD's.