*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 2*

Any news on this? I'm interested in knowing how the LED screen is.

On the other hand I'm seriously thinking in selling my 8740w with DreamColor 2 screen included. It has very few usage, less than 6 months. It has been kept in its suitcase for 5 years because I've only used my desktop computer for my work. There are no scratches on any external part, including the lid, condition is flawless. I can post pictures for everyone is interested, but only for european people due to customs. BIOS version installed is F.0B (downgradable). I'm from Spain. Thanks.

 

The laptop has been purchased by my friend but it's half a province away and he's taking it easy after an operation so we haven't had the opportunity to see each other. I'm just as anxious to see it as you are ;-)

Sounds like the life mine has had since I purchased it - it's such a 'gas guzzler' in terms of power consumption I rarely use it ;-) That Nvidia 5000M was probably amazing for CAD and crunching numbers with its numerous Nvidia cores but I've never had the chance to use any software that could benefit from it ;-)

I would think that with the DC2 and the F.0B BIOS it would be very valuable especially if it's in great condition (what about the buttons, keyboard and touchpad?) - but it's all relative to what the market price is for the regular model. Here people have a hard time selling them for more than $200. There's an 8740 on the local market that is sitting at $300, for a week, the week before he had it listed at $400. I got my last 8730w for $100, and it had been for sale for weeks at $150. In my opinion you will only be able to reach a collector or afficionado, so be very patient.

 

The switch cover is fine. All buttons respond properly. Touch stick and touch pad are as new, there are no sunken buttons. Keyboard installed is backlit version (spanish language) and there is no signal of wear.

Only? That beast costed 4000€ as is a built-to-order unit. Wow, it seems I have no luck... What do you recommend to sell it at a reasonable price? I'm not going to sell my laptop for $300 for sure...

Thanks in advance.

 

The rubber cover is the first thing to go on the buttons of a well used a machine... I replaced mine twice on my 8730w work machine, although I have found that simply removing the rubber works just as nice once you sand the plastic surface down. I also had the pointing stick nib break (not just the rubber cover) and a touchpad wear out ;-) I guess I have very abrasive fingers, because keyboards and wrist rests don't last long with me, hahaha

$300 would be for a standard model 8740w - But you've got the DC2 and that's a major selling point that should double its value. More if you have an Nvidia 5000M, with its Cuda cores that were highly sought out for CAD work. That restricts your market for potential buyer quite a bit, and then again, mostly for nostalgia reasons! An engineer friend of mine still loves his 8740w, but has moved on to a more recent machine (I forget the model, I believe its an 8760w?) for work, he says the newer screens are better than the old ones and the newer machine is much speedier and runs much cooler as well...

As for your selling price, I can only relate to the market here. I suggest you check what these machines sell for on eBay in your area (not prices ended, but actually sold) to give you an idea what to expect or ask for...

About the original 4000€ price - Honestly, I would have never paid that amount for ANY laptop, not only because the value drops so fast, especially in the first year, but also because these machines were never worth that much to begin with, quality wise, at least in my experience. As a matter of fact, the 'consumer grade' Toshiba that cost me $700 new in 2007 never failed in the 10 years we've had it, apart from a worn down and broken plastic case that I replaced and the keyboard that my wife killed with beer a couple of years ago and that I could not find a replacement for (it's used as 'The Netflix Machine' with an external screen now, lol), whereas I had to replace several electronic components on my 8730w over a lesser span of time (screen more than twice, SD card reader, WiFi card, keyboard twice, button assembly, screen bezel, wrist rest and recently, motherboard) and had a similar experience with her Compaq...

Furthermore, HP has been known to have highly inflated pricing, perhaps to give it a nice negotiating margin as they were routinely sold at a significant rebate if buyers played their dealers right.

In other words... That 4000€ doesn't mean much, especially not for a prospective buyer. What means something, and mostly for those who know, is The DC2 screen, the Quadro 5000M video card if you have one and the quad core processor. But it better have at least 8GB of main memory and an SSD if you really want to attract interest ;-)

Moral of the story: you never get any value close to what you feel it is worth on the used market for any laptops, especially high-end custom builds - it's just not possible. The market is simply saturated, even for new ones. Unless it becomes desirable because it's 'vintage', and I'm not sure these HPs will ever qualify for that status, like the old IBM-era Thinkpads models with 2048x1536, 4x3 aspect ratio screens did.

 

The rubber cover (of top cover) is flawless too. As I said, I have not used this laptop very much.

I have everything but the Quadro (my graphics card is the FirePro M7820). This is my custom setup when I ordered this machine:

The SSD (Micron Real SSD C300) and the HDD (Hitachi Travelstar 7K500) are in perfect status according to Hard Disk Sentinel.

Do you think I have any possibility to sell it for, let's say, 600-700€? I also have a new top cover (as a spare part bought apart) included with the bundle for free. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

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