Remember a few days ago I mentioned that I was in the midst of trying to install Windows Media Center 2005 on something? Well, this is what I was working on:
Pathetic picture, isn't it? That photo just doesn't do it justice. Why hp doesn't have a press room with high-res photos is beyond me (much of what they do makes no sense to me). Regardless, I bought this bad-boy about a week ago and have been testing and tweaking it since. How big is it? It's the biggest laptop I've seen, period. Here are some comparison photos next to my wee Fujitsu P5020D:
It's HUGE. It's not meant for traveling - I doubt I'll do more than take it from room to room, and perhaps to events where I need to have monstrous processing power with me. The specs are pretty hefty: 3.2 Ghz P4, 1 GB of RAM, 80 GB 5400 RPM drive. Driving the 17 inch, 1680 x 1050 resolution screen is a Nvidia GeForce FX Go5700 with 128MB DDR dedicated RAM. It has an Xbrite screen, which I believe is a Sony technology. Trust me when I say that this is the nicest LCD screen I've ever seen - it puts my Dell 2001FP monitors to shame, and that's a hard thing to do. The high resolution and insanely crisp screen make this laptop ideal for digital media work - I'm looking forward to loading it up with gobs of software.
The performance is impressive as well - it feels very snappy and responsive, and the gaming performance is simply awesome. I don't own Doom 3 yet, so the most demanding game I have is City of Heroes. Running the game at full native resolution, 1680 x 1050, results in butter-smooth game play and images that are jaw-dropping. I can't play this game at 1600 x 1200 on my desktop computer due to a lack of GPU firepower, but I can do exactly that on the zd7820us. Awesome! 8O
If I lived in the US, I would have configured it a bit differently, but being in Canada we can't order custom configs: hp releases a few different models and says "This is it, take your pick". The 2x DVD burner is a bit pokey, but I didn't have much of a choice - if you live in the US, you can get it with a 4x burner.
That's all for now - pepper me with questions if you wish. Next up I'll talk about the adventure of trying to build the most up-to-date and stable software platform possible...
Jason, would I be correct in assuming that this laptop is the next part of your multimedia trip? Of course, I'm referring to your prior, less than satisfactory, experiences, as noted in this thread:
I'm curious about why a laptop instead of something such as a SFF unit - I realize that you are already running a Shuttle as your personal PC, but figured you might end up buying and configuring a new unit specifically as a multimedia PC. I can understand the mobility aspect of the laptop, but you'll have to use external solutions for things such as the TV tuner, right? And unless you are running Gigabit Ethernet, you're going to be limited to your 80GB of internal HD, or yet another external solution, such as a Maxtor OneTouch external HD.
I was thinking a nice, powerful SFF PC, perhaps based on the Athlon 64, could be custom-built with all the right pieces internal, and still be highly portable, especially if it is built with TV connectivity in mind. What made you lean toward the laptop solution?
I have its older sibling - the 7058 which is a 2.8GHz P4, with 512 RAM, 64 Video, slightly lower resolution but everything else the same. If you haven't already done so, wait'll you see digital photographs on that 17 inch screen. I also like the "real" keyboard. I bought mine specifically as a travel companion for my digital cameras. Like the cameras, I carry it in a Pelican case - kinda balances me when I'm carrying both
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Jason, would I be correct in assuming that this laptop is the next part of your multimedia trip?
Nope, not at all. :lol: I've had my eye on a laptop like this for 10 months or so. The fact that it runs Windows Media Center is incidental - the ONLY config that came with 1 GB of RAM and the 80 GB hard drive was the MCE edition...and while I like the fac that MCE is on the laptop, it makes a very poor PVR because I'm certainly not going to leave it running 24/7, and what happens if I happen to take it away from my home?
The reason I bought this type of laptop is that I wanted a dedicated video editing workstation that was still portable, yet was as powerful as possible. I've been doing video editing and rendering on my little P5020D, and that's just silly. :wink:
I got my wrapped out zd7000 about a month ago. It was the silver lining to having my Dell laptop stolen.
The 17" screen is awesome. I'm running it with dual monitors right now and it's a beautiful thing.
Our specs are close. I have a smaller drive since I'm not using it for digital video and a slightly slower processor since it saved me a chunk of money but it sounds like almost everything else is the same.
How is the plastic case on the HP? Is it sturdy enough (in your opinion) or spongy-soft-plastic as some of the HP's I've looked on? Are there any "softspots" on the casing that you have noticed?
And, last question, since it has Nvidia graphics card, what is the noise on that your HP notebook -- does it sound like an jetplane after landing when you push it? (No need for decibel readings, verbal descriptions can do... )
Thanks in advance,
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How is the plastic case on the HP? Is it sturdy enough (in your opinion) or spongy-soft-plastic as some of the HP's I've looked on? Are there any "softspots" on the casing that you have noticed?
Well, it's plastic so I never think of that as being especially sturdy. It feels solid though. It's not spongy-soft, it's hard plastic. I don't know what "softspots" are though...?
Quote:
Originally Posted by manywhere
And, last question, since it has Nvidia graphics card, what is the noise on that your HP notebook -- does it sound like an jetplane after landing when you push it?
When the unit is pushing hard, such as when I run a 3D screen saver in maximum resolution, the fan will kick on. The volume level is what I would say is low. If you're in a perfectly quiet room and you're not typing, you'll hear the fan. If there's any other noise, TV, typing, etc., I can't hear the fan.
And, last question, since it has Nvidia graphics card, what is the noise on that your HP notebook -- does it sound like an jetplane after landing when you push it?
When the unit is pushing hard, such as when I run a 3D screen saver in maximum resolution, the fan will kick on. The volume level is what I would say is low. If you're in a perfectly quiet room and you're not typing, you'll hear the fan. If there's any other noise, TV, typing, etc., I can't hear the fan.
Hope that helps a little!
:way to go:
PC reviews really need to elaborate on noise levels, imo. As long as there's fan noise or HD noise (and a few other factors that shall not be discussed here), there will never be pervasive computing.
Big & Badass: The hp zd7820us 17" Widescreen Laptop
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