The HP Envy 17 and its overview/specifications pages recently appeared on a HP website, and thanks to that, we now know a whole lot more about this 17 inch “luxury” performance notebook. First off, there really IS a number pad on the right side of the full-sized chiclet keyboard (turns out the info sent by the guy who apparently “bought” an Envy 17 two months ago was right, huh?). Also, in more keyboard-related news, those annoying quick launch buttons in the additional row to the left of the keyboard (found on the Envy 15, and annoyed the heck out of me) are gone on the Envy 17! Nice – now I can finally crouch in games (Ctrl button) without accidentally pressing the stupid calculator button and bring up Left4Dead’s command console (~ button) without hitting the e-mail client button.
Other than that, there’s also:
- Choice of Intel Core i5 dual core and Core i7 dual and quad core processors (as you’d probably expect)
- Up to 4 DDR3 RAM slots (presumably on Core i7 models; we’ll probably see just 2 RAM slots for Core i5 models like on the Elitebooks)
- 1 GB of GDDR5 ATI Mobility Radeon 5850
- NO optical drive (but that’s not an issue for some people like me)
- Thin profile
What’s strange is that the Envy 17′s front lip looks a whole lot like that of the Envy 13 with just two small grills for the speakers in front (the Envy 15 had big, large air intake vents on the front), which either hints to improved cooling efficiency that HP could remove those big (ungainly looking, to some) vents OR the Envy 17 will be a nice and toasty 17 inch frying pan! Hopefully it’s the former, and not the latter. More Envy news as it comes out… I’m sure now that the Envy 17 page has made a short appearance (HP has since pulled down the page), the Envy 14′s pages should be hiding somewhere around too…
HP Elitebook 8740w listed for order on HP UK website!
Disappointed that you didn’t see any sign of the Elitebook 8740w last weekend? Well, let’s turn that frown upside down because the HP Elitebook 8740w (sans press pictures) has recently appeared on multiple country-specific HP websites. On HP’s UK website, the Elitebook 8740w is listed from 1949 pounds for the Core i5 540M equipped version right up to just shy over 2300 pounds for the Core i7 720QM quad core model. The Elitebook 8740w has also appeared on HP’s websites for other countries around the globe, from HP Saudi Arabia to HP Bulgaria. Oddly enough, there hasn’t been an official announcement from HP yet, neither has the 8740w Mobile Workstation appeared on HP’s USA/Main website yet… but from today’s events, you can look out for an announcement before March is over!
For those who want all the news right here without clicking any links, HP’s UK website seems to provide the most info about the Elitebook 8740w Mobile Workstation, but nothing that we don’t know about already thanks to tips from a trusted source several weeks back.
- Processor choices: 1.73 GHz Core i7 820QM quad core, 1.60 GHz Core i7 720QM quad core, 2.66 GHz Core i7 620M dual core, 2.53 GHz Core i5 540M dual core and 2.40 GHz Core i5 520M dual core
- 4 DDR3 1333 MHz RAM slots for up to 16 GB total RAM
- 7200 RPM hard disks are standard; capacities available range from 320 to 640 GB
- 17 inch 16:10 full HD+ (1920 x 1200) display with optional DreamColor (looks like DC1 at this point in time); ambient light sensor for display is standard
- Choice of 1 GB ATI FirePro M7820 GDDR5, 1 GB Nvidia Quadro FX3800M GDDR3 or 512 MB Nvidia Quadro FX2800M GDDR3 workstation-class graphics cards
- 2 MP webcam
- Optical drive/upgrade bay for secondary hard disk
- 2 USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports; other ports remain the same as 8730w except HDMI which has been replaced by DisplayPort
- Weight: 3.57 kg
- Dimensions: 39.75 x 28.55 x 3.65 cm
What’s missing at the moment, but are confirmed to become available in the future, include the DreamColor 2 display panel, backlit keyboard option and solid state drive options.
ATI FirePro M7820 confirmed on HP UK Elitebook 8740w page
P.S. Anyone noticed that HP has placed the ATI FirePro M7820 above the Nvidia Quadro FX3800M?! Hint hint at graphics card positioning there…
Along with the earlier Elitebook models, HP has also released two new models for the more affordable line of business notebooks, the Probook series. The Probook 6440b and 6540b are 14 inch and 15 inch machines respectively, both featuring displays with 16:9 widescreen ratios.
The Probook 6440b has a normal full-sized keyboard while the Probook 6540b has a full-sized keyboard plus numeric keypad on the right. Both will have two DDR3 RAM slots, single hard disk bay, optical drive bay and spill-resistant keyboards, and will feature various Intel processor options to choose from. Essentially, both the Probook models announced today are not completely new, merely Intel variants of their AMD-sporting Probook 6445b and 6545b counterparts. The notebooks will start selling next month at a starting price of $950 for the 6440b (presumably the 6540b will be around$100-150 pricier)
HP announced four new high-end business notebooks today. The Elitebook 8440 and 8540, with their respective p-”professional” and w-”workstation” variants, are HP’s latest 14 and 15 inch notebooks respectively. The Elitebook 8440 comes with a 16:9 wide 14 inch matte display that goes up to a spectacular resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels (available as an option on the w- variant), partial-chiclet full-sized keyboard, new Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processor options, two DDR3 RAM slots, single hard disk bay and optical drive bay (optional Blu-ray available). HP Fansite has been trying out the Elitebook 8440w extensively for several weeks now and we have a review online for you to find out more.
The Elitebook 8540, on the other hand, is a 15.6 inch 16:9 widescreen (matte display standard) sporting notebook. Screen resolution options go as high as full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) for vast on-screen working space. And the notebook has a partial-chiclet full keyboard with a built-in numeric pad on the right side. Like the smaller Elitebook 8440 series, you’ll get to choose from Intel’s latest 2010 Core i5 and Core i7 processors. What makes the Elitebook 8540 different besides its super-sized keyboard are its FOUR (!!!) DDR3 RAM slots so you can boost memory up to 16 GB and it is one of the first few notebooks in the industry to have the latest USB 3.0 ports (Elitebook 8440 apparently has USB 2.0 only).
The p- variants of the two notebooks will have Intel integrated graphics to conserve power while the more powerful w-variants will feature Nvidia workstation class graphics (including the newly announced Nvidia Quadro FX380M and Nvidia Quadro FX780M cards).
Did I mention a solid metal chassis, spill-proof keyboard, HP keyboard Night Light, 3 year warranty,VGA and Display Port out all come standard with HP’s Elitebooks. And the starting prices? Glad you asked… from their mouth-watering specifications, it’s obvious these notebooks are not going cheap but for those who can afford them, you’ll be pleased with both the low-profile business design and sheer performance of the Elitebooks (well, at least the ones with dedicated Nvidia/ATI graphics)
- 14 inch HP Elitebook 8440p starts at $1100
- 14 inch HP Elitebook 8440w starts at $1300
- 15 inch HP Elitebook 8540p starts at $1250
- 15 inch HP Elitebook 8540w starts at $1500
I’ve already reviewed Modern Warfare 2 and Left4Dead 2, and partly the HP Pavilion dm3 this fall, and there’s not much left as we approach the quiet news season AKA holiday season. However, things from the rumors department are heating up with more and more news of 2nd gen Elitebook models pouring in. Let’s not get too tied up with premium, business notebooks that not everyone will/can buy, shall we? Here’s the latest scoop from the consumer product area – with the slew of new netbooks sporting Intel’s Atom N450 processor with an integrated basic graphics chipset announced last/this week, and HP seemingly quiet, a reliable source/reader has news that HP will be releasing their Mini 200 series of netbooks “soon”. They will feature 10 inch glossy displays, Windows 7, 1 RAM slot, HP’s “almost full-size” keyboard, the latest Intel Atom N450 processor and an affordable netbooky price tag. Other than that, not much is known about the Mini 200 series but presumably they will have the usual netbook affair of features and likely make their appearance during/after CES 2010.
