HP Compaq Business Notebook nx7400 – Core 2 Duo T5500 / 1.66 GHz – RAM 1 GB – HDD 80 GB – DVD?RW – Smart Buy

2 comments

1. 

   Ellie on September 3, 2010 at 5:45 pm

   This HP nx7400 is my third HP laptop in about the last two years. I still have the other two (models with the AMD 64 CPU and dedicated graphics cards) with which I was (and am) very satisfied (see the “all my reviews section”). They were single core CPU devices.

   This is an Intel Core 2 Duo with two CPU cores, the latest model which is 20% faster than the original Core Duo (according to Intel).

   It flies! The setup went flawlessly. I took advantage of the HP Recovery software to create a DVD Recovery disk (2 actually) which will allow me to restore it to original software state in the event of a serious crash which a reload repair will not fix. Also, if I sell this in a couple of years, wiping and reformatting the HD then restoring Windows from these disks will provide a clean drive for the next owner.

   It comes with Intervideo WINDVD which played my first DVD movie flawlessly with no setup required – I just inserted the disk and enjoyed excellent quality video on the display. The 15.4″ screen is marvelous for both websurfing and watching videos.

   MY model had bluetooth as well which I plan to use with my Palm TX and my Canon Pixma 450 all-in-one. I hate cables. In a future paradise, there will be no cables anywhere.

   It is lighter than my prevous HP laptops by about two and a half pounds at 5.5 pounds. Very welcome. The power brick is much smaller. It has a dark blue/grey cover, otherwise all black.

   An important feature for me, since I use the Sprint Aircard 580 PC card, is access to WLAN (gets me on the internet anywhere using 1900 MHz cell frequency) through the PC type II card slot on this HP. I have to tell you it is becoming hard to find an HP laptop that still has it. HP seems to have decided to go over to the new ExpressCard 54/34 slot standard which is theoretically faster. Nonetheless, many of us out here in the real world still have PC card devices which we cherish (you’ll never get my Aircard away from me!)

   The keyboard needs to be mentioned: it is the finest laptop keyboard I have used. You don’t need to buy an IBM or Lenovo to get a top of the line keyboard.

   A useful thing to know while talking about the keyboard is that it is relatively easy to remove (unscrewing two torx screws on the bottom of the computer – download the service manual to see where they are) and just unlatching four small thingees between the function keys. Why would you want to do this? Aha! You can easily replace the system board core memory unit yourself and not have to pay a tech over $100 to do it when you finally decide to upgrade to two gigabytes of core memory or more (it will use up to four gigabytes of core!) The other matching (each must be the same capacity and type of DDR2 laptop memory board) slot is easily acessible from the bottom with just a small phillips screwdriver. Just carefully unlatch the side clips and raise it a bit and pull the old memory out.

   How much did this beauty cost? Only $950 on HP’s own website in the business laptop section (which I don’t usually look through); guess I just got lucky. If you can find a better buy in the most up to date HP laptop for this price or less, you’re a better shopper than I am. My hat’s off to you.

   The shipping date that HP gave me when I ordered it online slipped by about ten days, but with my two day UPS blue shipping it finally arrived in a relatively small light box within a box.

   HP does not give you the Windows XP operating system on CDs anymore with this model. As mentioned elswhere here, you create your own backup disk with CDs or DVD (recomended).

   I went online after installing my Sprint Aircard 580 software without any problems (such as conflicts with the modem port) and downloaded some of my favorite software available free on trial or at reasonable prices.

   AVG anti-virus is my favorite; it is excellent but unobtrusive. I uninstalled the Norton software it came with.

   Next was SnagIt, the very competent screen capture program; there’s practically nothing it won’t capture, including video. Love it.

   Then came Registry Mechanic. You’re a sitting duck for an eventual crash, caused by corrupt registry table, if you don’t have it and run it regularly. I know, it happened to me. That’s why I use it.

   I’ll update this review as time goes by with further comments about its usefulness as they unfold.

   Highly recommended!

   ADDENDA: Six months have passed since I wrote this review and the HP Compaq nx7400 is still fast even with a lot of software loaded on it, it has no dead pixels, I still like the keyboard, it still will carry on like gangbusters even when AVG is doing a security scan of the HD.

   After about a year, I upgraded the core memory to two gigabytes. It was easy – just remove the keyboard (see above) to place 1GB there, and take off the bottom plate for the memory slot there to replace that with the other 1GB. Loads faster. No slowdown when many browser tabs open. Recommended easy upgrade.

   And a little note about the Sprint Aircard 580 WLAN PCMCIA for surfing the web or checking e-mail – there is a download available to upgrade it somewhat (not to revision A, which really boosts the upload speed. you need a new card for that. Sprint has several in USB, PCMCIA, or expresscard standards) so that speeds have increased 20 to 100 percent. Just north of Boston I get over 1000 Kbps download and over 120 Kbps upload. Not too shoddy from over the air – the fastest dialup speeds I’ve ever gotten. But get a new card with Rev A if you can, it’s even better.

   ADDENDA (another)
   
   At the THREE year point this beauty is still going strong with additional upgrades such as 4GB of core memory now. No hardware problems. The core 2 duo is a champ that runs Windows XP fast. I may upgrade to Windows 7 in a year or so. It should handle it. And I’ll be getting a 320GB hard drive by then, too.

   ADDENDA (last one, for sure!)
   
   I DID upgrade to Windows 7 and am glad I did! Very easy installation for the 32 bit version. Windows gets all your drivers for you!! Plenty fast now. Windows 7 has many worthwhile features on the desktop. Get it! Also bought the HP battery replacement part number 412918-721. Don’t buy anything but the HP product. I bought an aftermarket version that didn’t charge. Had to RMA it. HP battery cost about $150 but it works. This laptop is still running strong. I might just keep another four years!

2. 

   Sebastian Haselbeck on September 3, 2010 at 8:06 pm

   I had to get a new portable computer because my old thinkpad died. Due to financial constraints I had to go for something that was close to a Thinkpad, and I decided for this HP. Reviewers all over the place have indulged in what it can and not, I just want to share some pluses and minuses with you

   PLUS:
   
   - For a midsize widescreen laptop relatively light and thin
   
   - a bright and glossy display
   
   - nice design
   
   - available in many configurations (1GB Ram and core2duo recommended, for Vista at least 2GB RAM and a rambo-style graphics adapter)

   MINUSES:
   
   - loud keyboard (that’s where it pays off to get a thinkpad)
   
   - no thinkpoint/intellipoint navigation stick (damnit)
   
   - a little louder than expected from a 2007 laptop computer
   
   - warms up easily under heavy duty
   
   - display works like a pretty good mirror
   
   - the screen resolution could be higher
   
   - no bluetooth
   
   - 1 GB RAM spread over two slots 512meg each, bummer

   All in all, a decent workhorse, that doesn’t compare to a similarly equipped Thinkpad T series for example, but then again, it costs almost 400 bucks less than such one. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but if it’s not about the money, aim a little higher.
   
   If you look for a really modestly priced business laptop, this might just be one of the best out there, compare to simliar Thinkpads, Toshibas and Dells.