*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 2*

You should first do your homework and research your local market to determine what similar machines are selling for and go to a few reputable dealers asking what they would be willing to give you for it. This would give you a good idea of what you should settle for and the minimum offer you should consider when responding to a prospective buyer.

Then you should factor in a margin for negotiation if that is the custom in your area and keep some incentives in reserve for a counteroffer, such as a useful accessory (beware of an offer such as a spare top cover as it may indicate you had to replace a failed screen on it before, at least have a good explanation for it, such as a spare screen should he find the DC2 too bright on the eyes), a laptop bag, a spare battery or a potable mouse which usually cost very little extra but can make a big difference in sweetening the deal to where a buyer will want to conclude the transaction with you rather than with someone else.

Finally be very clear and upfront in your dealing. Honor any agreements you may have come to with the buyer even if a better offer comes up later. Telling him you just had a better offer (if you really did) but are honoring his will let you see by his response whether he is serious or not. Demand the same commitment from the buyer and don't accept on site haggling after a price has been agreed upon, unless he came to see it first before making an offer or if there is a legitimate reason for it such as defect he did not expect of you did not notice.

I hope it helps - That's how I deal with people locally. There is always room for negotiating if you give yourself the room it takes and have ways to make a counteroffer attractive to the buyer.

As for dealing on eBay... Be aware of the pitfalls of eBay and PayPal... Have many very sharp and clear pictures of the machine and be ready to answer any questions a prospective buyer may have. Good documentation, great pictures make your product more attractive to a prospective buyer in an auction and if he's a collector, he'll be more likely to be attracted to it. And don't fret of seeing no action until the last minute - expert eBayers usually bid at the last possible second to avoid getting trapped into a bidding war.

 

Thanks for your advices. Please let me know when you get the LED backlit screen. If finally I cannot sell the laptop, it's likely I want to have the DC2 screen replaced with the LED version if your comments are positive, because I don't stand those pink/green bands. I think this is a major issue to sell this laptop with this screen.

 

I would not do that if I were you. There were two different non-DC WUXGA screens shipped with the 8740w, and both are much worse looking than the DC, to my eyes. If you want to remove the effect that annoys you, you can get the anti-gloss layer removed. I recall that there is at least one screen seller operation that will do this task professionally, and many people have done it privately.

 

Thanks! I ended up replacing the whole assembly of the upper casing to the body of the computer.

I did a little research, and thus figure that a condensation-cure RTV silicone adhesive might work (it should if the covers are true silicone, if the keys are ABS plastic [which they appear to be], and if enough atmospheric moisture can access the adhesive during cure). The PDF at the following link is very informative:

https://www.momentive.com/products/...ic-Devices-and-Component-Assemblies-Brochure/

I may try an alkoxy semi-flowable variant without primer, and if it does not work, I may sand the keys.

By the way, you definitely did thank me at the time you got your 8740w. I am glad it found a good home.

 

If I'm not wrong, those bands are produced by the RGB LED Edge backlight. You cannot remove this annoying effect by removing that layer... or are you sure of this? Anyway, I don't have the neccessary skills to do the task and I think a computer shop neither. Do you know any professional (in Europe if possible) able to perform this delicate operation?

On the other hand, I know a TN panel is worse than a IPS panel, naturally. But if the TN panel is evenly white for me it's enough. Could you post photos of the TN panel? Thanks

 

You should try to take a good picture that represents what you see - I know it's quite difficult, but do try and post so we may see what you are talking about. First make sure you expose properly for white so you don't end up with gray and, if possible try to not have the camera auto white balance and you should get a pretty good result. You will probably still have to enhance the picture so it shows the effect as realistically as possible, but you'd be starting with something close and will have greater chance of success of posting something that looks realistic on a standard screen. Of course, you will need a good reference screen for this, but you get the idea.

All my 8730w with Dreamcolor show this mottling to some extent, however my 8740w doesn't, in fact I find the whites to be disturbingly too pink, something I haven't bee able to control successfully as I could on the 8730w (the Hp Mobile Assistant on the 8740w won't let you set the proper white point manually as it does on the 8730w)

 

Indeed, that is definitely something to consider. Part of the difficulty showing this effect in a picture stems from the fact the anti glare layer itself contributes to a 'shimmering' effect that can significantly alter whiteness perception. However, it is different from the background LED mottling effect which is most likely caused by poor mixing in one of the background 'light pipe' layers.

 

I'm not sure where it can be done but the shop process involves lifting the layer using a roller while another maintains enough pressure on the subsurface to prevent its breakage. I have kept the old scratched screen to try that eventually, but so far haven't found the time (and courage) to attempt this with the limited resources of a home shop ;-)

Don't fret - I will as soon as I get it, and I'll be able to compare both screen types side by side . As for the TN panels, all I can say is that the old CCFL lit displays do show significant motlling at the lower edges as the lighbulb ages - a normal phenomenon (darkened corners) on such thin LCDs. The fact is, it is extremely difficult to mix light correctly on such thin screens. But at lest there are no color effects ;-)

 

Hmmm... That may be worth trying, silicone does end up curing even if it's not exposed to the atmosphere. I've seen it used as an adhesive for heat pads on engine blocks... The heat probably helps the process in a significant way...

 

Looking to add a secondary HDD to my 8740w. Should I track down an official HP replacement (which I believe is part number 613682-001) or will a chinese knockoff suffice? I don't want to damage the drive or laptop, but I would hope that they're just passthrough adapters with no circuitry built in.