Miscellaneous laptop discussions : hp zd8000 discontiuned?!?!?!?!?!

German article

The German article deals with Centrino and it’s cost ($) and usage. It mentions zd9000, but I would like to know where whoever wrote the article got that info.

P.S. I got the translation by searching on Google and clicking the “Translate this page” option next to the header. Sweet.

Google zd9000

If you google zd9000, you will get 3 or 4 links in German. The only English link so far is this thread....

hp-ZD8000~ $1000

If you're still interested in the zd8000, I have one in new condition, fully loaded model, that I want to sell. I already have a n.b. & desktop, so, as much as I absolutely love this HP, especially for watching movies, I have better use for a lg lcd-monitor, which I want to buy with the $$$ from selling the zd8000. Specs as follows. Gimme a call @323-229-3381 if you're interested. Name is Sean.
H.D.= 100Gig
CPU = P4-3.2Ghtz
RAM = 512Mb
Video = 128mb ATI-RadeonX600
CD-RW/DVD-RW
Wi-Fi b/g internal adapter
Every imaginable slot/connection/etc.
XP-Media Center Edition
Norton Antivirus(paid up through 04/06)
Microsoft Office XP w/Frontpage
Microsoft Encarta and Streets&Trips
Quicken
Adobe PageMaker
...plus all software that comes with the notebook, as well as all updated basic software(ex:Acrobat,Winzip)

(NT) yes, www.hpshopping.com

I have a custom ZD8000, here are the FACTS

I have been searching high and low and been testing a load of laptops with the software I want to run. I ended up plunking down the bling for a customized HP ZD 8000 and here are the REAL RESULTS.
-----------------------------------------------------

System build date from Shanghai China...June 4th, 2005

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HP Pavilion ZD 8000
1440 Brightview display
1 gig SDRAM 533mhz (266 x 2 x 512)

Pentium 4 650 3.4 ghz +HT 800mhz FSB
2mb L2 cache (this doesn't do much that a 1mb L2
can't do...not a selling point, but is standard on
the 6xx series)
this processor (and all 6xx) series run at
2.7ghz when under medium load, which is basically
all the time unless you are burning a DVD, or
multitasking massive. It runs at 3.3971 ghz when
I have it full-on. the 5xx series Pentiums do
not do this and they actually run hotter than the
6xx series. The HT technology works great for my
multiple sound producing apps better than any athlon
in the same pricerange. HT works. Athlons are great
for gaming ONLY. they rule in gaming. But for
production and multitasking (burn a DVD, watch and
record TV, and record FM music and write music
simultaneously, HT pentium is better -for me- than
anything available on a portable system 'selling
today'.


ATI x600 256mb
100 gb 5400rpm drive
broadcom Wireless b/g and bluetooth
Windows XP media Center Edition
an extra battery

I use a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and the touchpad

I only had to upgrade the touchpad drivers.
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What I got it for:

Mobile Live Music performance, AC power

I run SonicFoundry Acid Pro, FLStudio, Reason, and use
a firewire/controller/soundboard, M-Audio Ozonic
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first of all, battery life. it is 1.5 hours if you aren't doing a load of multimedia. if you have it cranked, expect 1 hour. If you have an extra battery
you can hibernate this thing in any mode, slap a new
battery in, and unhibernate and this thing does not skip a beat. Dead solid wake-up. I expect the battery life to be short because this is a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT and I wanted a portable ass-kicking system, not a centrino or other speedstepping mumbo-jumbo compromise.
The Pentium 650 sort-of changes clock speed as it needs to but it isn't really speedstepping.
----------

heat

the battery gets hot. the rest of the system gets warm.
I don't know who or why people say this thing is HOT, it is not. HP has the cooling system pretty good. My fans never run full speed unless I am watching TV -and- burning a DVD at the same time, or, if I am in a hot nightclub using 3 applications at once, and the intake temp is 90 degrees. But the fan speed normally is medium to off when I am home producing music.

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build

touchpad rocks(it did need a driver update to work properly though), power attachment solid, firewire port is tight, usb ports tight, 6x1 memory reader I don't know about. the media center brick works great and has boatloads of attachments input and output, and 2 remote controls. a big 'un and a small 'un. screen is wicked sharp and wide. the entire system feels wicked solid and stable. the built-in speakers sound great IMHO. I never crank them past 75%...I only use them to watch DVD's anyway (I use my ozonic for real sound).
-----------
overall, this system kicks ass. (and looks the business too)

It's really fast. I can crank my ozonic keyboard latency to 1ms on most of my apps, and 5ms for a full techno throwdown. that is real performance between the processor and busses and firewire. I need a system that has no room for error as I am using it to play music live and it does this well.



I can go on and on about the 3 months I tested systems, read reviews, scoured both AMD and Intel web sites and studied processor specs, read the speed tests and all the crap. so what if an Athlon can play doom 3 2% faster than my system. I don't care. What matters is that Athlon runs hotter and isn't even available on a portable system with all the other goodies I wanted and needed. I got a screaming chipset, and a study laptop, with WELL ENGINEERED COOLING (HP knows they had to design a system to cool desktop processors..duh ! they did a fantastic job)


Get the HP if you want the mostest. also, the Broadcom wireless has more range than most other wireless. I know this for a fact as i drive around wardriving and netstumbler picks up networks BLOCKS further than stupid Centrino) it could be antenna placement...but whatever it is, it works awesome.

Media center XP is almost a pain in the ass, but if you use it like intended (step away from the laptop and use the remote and go to TV mindset) it works great.

I am selling my hp zd 8000

Hi ! I can tell you that there won't be a zd 9000 with a Centrino processor for my uncle works at HP and he is well aware of the new products to come. On my own, I am selling my HP zd 8049 EA which is a 3.2 P4, 512 mo Ram, 100 G dd, x600 256 mo ... I bought it on March 2005 at 1800€ and I am selling 1500€. It is in a great estate, no pixel broken, ... Are you interested ? Do contact me at fabienlegall@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Fabien.

P4 becomes AMD probably

more likely that HP will replace the P4 with AMDs in its entire lineup. There is simply no point going for the P4.