Big & Badass: The hp zd7820us 17" Widescreen Laptop

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.hp.ca/products/static/pavilion-notebooks/zd7280us/index.php' target='_blank'>http://www.hp.ca/products/static/pavilion-notebooks/zd7280us/index.php</a><br /><br /></div>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:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/notebook.jpg" /> <br /><br />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:<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/zd7280us-1.JPG" /> <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/zd7280us-2.JPG" /> <br /><br />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. <a href="http://www.hp.ca/products/static/pavilion-notebooks/zd7280us/index.php">The specs are pretty hefty</a>: 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.<br /><br />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 <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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...

[Zack Mahdavi]

So were you successfully able to load Windows Media Center onto this machine? How well does it work?

[mcsouth]

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:

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=6559

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?

[Bob12]

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 :)

[Jason Dunn]

So were you successfully able to load Windows Media Center onto this machine? How well does it work?

That's what I'm doing to talk about tomorrow. :way to go:

[Jason Dunn]

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:

[stevehiner]

Welcome to the club. :D

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.

[Filip Norrgard]

Jason,

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,

[Jason Dunn]

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...?

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!

[ctmagnus]

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.

[Bob12]

As Jason says, it has to be VERY quiet in the room to hear the fan(s) even when they're working their heaviest. One thing I don't think has been mentioned, these notebooks do NOT use the Mobile P4 as most do. HP has figured out how to keep the standard P4 cool in this installation.

[Jason Dunn]

One thing I don't think has been mentioned, these notebooks do NOT use the Mobile P4 as most do. HP has figured out how to keep the standard P4 cool in this installation.

True - I didn't think to mention it since the Mobile P4 doesn't come in a 3.2 Ghz variety. ;-)

Some good news for me: the price dropped by $200 CND, and since I just purchased it, Best Buy will give me the difference back. Woo hoo! :D

[Bob12]

Alrighty then! Gotta love that.

[Filip Norrgard]

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...?
A softer spot on the casing where the casing bends/gives after noticebly. ;)


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!
Oh yeah, that is one good description of the noise level. Thanks! :D
It sounds silent enough for me to use. ;)

[Jason Dunn]

A softer spot on the casing where the casing bends/gives after noticebly. ;)

Yes, on the lid where the logo is, there's some noticeable flex. But it's so obvious that I think it's by design...

[backpackerx]

Quick question: My friend just got one of these and she can't figure out how to enable the double-click (ie. double-tap) on the touchpad and I couldn't find it either. Any help?

[Suhit Gupta]

Quick question: My friend just got one of these and she can't figure out how to enable the double-click (ie. double-tap) on the touchpad and I couldn't find it either. Any help?
Is there not the usual - Control Panels -> TouchPad?

Suhit

[Jason Dunn]

Quick question: My friend just got one of these and she can't figure out how to enable the double-click (ie. double-tap) on the touchpad and I couldn't find it either. Any help?

START > CONTROL PANEL > MOUSE > DEVICE SETTINGS tab > SETTINGS. Because it's a Synaptics touch pad, there are a lot of options to fiddle with, and the "tap to click" option is in there.

The touchpad is the only thing I don't like about this laptop - I really hate it, but I'm adapting (slowly).

[backpackerx]

thanks Jason. That should work. Suhit, I tried the control panel for the touch pad but it doesn't get very detailed or have the tap to click option.

[Darius Wey]

Jason...it looks like Dell just came into the competition against HP with their first 17" WS Inspiron 9200. (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_9200?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs) The specs give a good reason for uncontrollable salivation. Your thoughts? Is this going to beat the zd7820us? ;)

[russpetrone]

Jason, How come I'm not getting any hits on PriceGrabber and/or Shopping.Com? I haven't checked the hp site, but I was looking at other providers first. BTW, nothing on eBay either. Anyone have any directions for me, I was about to buy the Toshiba p25 s676 and would like to consider this puppy. Thx, Russell

[Jason Dunn]

Jason...it looks like Dell just came into the competition against HP with their first 17" WS Inspiron 9200. (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_9200?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs) The specs give a good reason for uncontrollable salivation. Your thoughts? Is this going to beat the zd7820us? ;)

Heh. Good ol' Dell, always late to the party. The specs look good, the main difference I see is that they're using the mobile processor that maxes out at 2 Ghz. Granted, with the 1 MB of cache that 2 Ghz would probably match a 2.8 Ghz desktop P4. 8x DVD burner? Nice! Being able to custom-configure the specs is a big plus. Price-wise, it seems pretty crazy - specing it out with a 2 Ghz CPU, 1 GB of RAM (512 MB x 2), 80 GB hard drive, 8x DVD burner, and an UXGA screen...the price comes to $4288 CND. I paid $2999 CND for the zd7820us, and I got the Media Center Edition OS, TV tuner, remote, etc. Other than the 8x DVD burner, which I don't have, the Dell unit seems pretty expensive to me...

[Jason Dunn]

Jason, How come I'm not getting any hits on PriceGrabber and/or Shopping.Com?

Give this link a try. (http://pocketpcthoughts.pricegrabber.com/search_gen.php?form_keyword=hp+zd7000&topcat_id=1&manuf_sort=HP+%28Hewlett-Packard%29&form_page_id=13)

[russpetrone]

Jason, How come I'm not getting any hits on PriceGrabber and/or Shopping.Com?

Give this link a try. (http://pocketpcthoughts.pricegrabber.com/search_gen.php?form_keyword=hp+zd7000&topcat_id=1&manuf_sort=HP+%28Hewlett-Packard%29&form_page_id=13)

Thanks Jason, but that takes me to the ZD 7000, not the hp zd7820us specifically. When I cut-n-paste the exact model#, I receive this response:

"Your search for hp zd7820us was unsuccessful." :(

I am interested in the unit you purchased "only".

[Jason Dunn]

Thanks Jason, but that takes me to the ZD 7000, not the hp zd7820us specifically...I am interested in the unit you purchased "only".

Well that unit was bought in Canada, so the exact model numbers in the US probably won't match up. Why not just go to:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/

...and build the zd7000 series laptop you want? :-)

[stevehiner]

The touchpad is the only thing I don't like about this laptop - I really hate it, but I'm adapting (slowly).

Ah, the touchpad. That's my biggest gripe about the zd7000 series as well. My boss doesn't like it either. The touchpad on my ancient Dell laptop worked way better.