HP's HDX18 desktop replacement reviewed: rocks those socks right off

It's takes a -- how do you say? -- special type of person to get all jazzed about an 18-inch laptop, but given that there's a solid chance you're one of those folks, we figured it prudent to pass along PC World's review of HP's beastly HDX18. Obviously designed with multimedia in mind and to possibly take the place of your desktop, this sucker performed satisfactorily in all the basic, everyday tasks as well as those media playing duties. It's not meant for hardcore gamers, but you probably already knew that. Amazingly, the included battery lasted nearly three hours before petering out, which is pretty astounding for an 8.9-pound energy destroyer. At the end of the day, critics found enough to love to slap down a 90 out of 100 rating, noting that anyone crazy enough to want a "laptop" this big (save for FPS freaks) would likely find lots to love. In more ways than one.

[PyRo1509 @ Nov 25th 2008 4:49AM]

Let the Lan-Party-on-the-bus commence!

[allislost @ Nov 25th 2008 5:00AM]

Is this able to as if when done?

[kaneda26 @ Nov 25th 2008 9:31AM]

Yes, it IS able to 'as if', but only when done.

[Almo @ Nov 25th 2008 5:24AM]

Instead of downgrading on size and specs, companies should be making even bigger laptops! I have the 20.1" HDX, love it to bits and there's a huge market out there for such laptops (also acer's 20" and 18'er to a lesser extent). Sure the average joe is gonna whine on here about X and Y but in reality, a lot of people do purchase and enjoy these beasts. I'd love to see a 22 inch iteration with SLI or so. I mean, Alienware laptops are pretty sweet, looks and specs, but only 17"? That's hardly for gaming! More larger laptops please! Not everyone cares about size and power consumption etc..

[rita hainsworth @ Nov 25th 2008 5:28AM]

ummmm..18 inches..

[Rogue_Genius @ Nov 25th 2008 10:36AM]

Rita, you're so naughty...LOL

[Chaitanya @ Nov 25th 2008 5:40AM]

I have a general question.
I am using a HP laptop and a T60 for last two years.
The HP laptop is now having a lot of problems, and the T60, none. (Though, admittedly, HP is used a lot more)

HP gets shutdown because of temperature increase...and this happens pretty frequently. 10 tabs open in firefox, it makes loud whining noise for some time, and goes OFF.
Also, there are vertical lines on the screen - dead pixels, the service guys tell me. Those dead pixels have completely screwed up my multimedia experience - I no more watch movies on it.

This background brings me to my question. How important is Build Quality for a laptop?
Compared to my HP, my T60 feels as if it is made of stone. Nothing's flimsy about it. And it performs with the reliability of one, too.
If Build Quality is ONE factor I value most, which brand I should look for, apart from T60? Are lenovo's other series's any good?

[bureX @ Nov 25th 2008 9:03AM]

Loud whining noise + shutdown? You've got dust/hair clogging your laptop's insides, or the cooler has reached it's end of life. Use something like SpeedFan to see if the temperature is rising rapidly when running something CPU intensive.

Dead pixes usually manifest themselves as single dots on the screen, not lines. Try applying some pressure to the screen bezel and see if anything is happening, because loose cables or cold solders could be the problem. Heat and mechanical damage can cause this.

Not sure if this is true, but if a laptop produces a lot of heat, especially if you're leaving it to do something CPU intensive overnight, you should avoid closing it to avoid heating up the LCD screen.

Hope I helped at least a little :\

As for the HP HDX series, I would gladly go for the 16" version - way more compact, but still awesome!

[Josh @ Nov 25th 2008 10:23AM]

Build quality? All laptops are made by one of 3 different manufacturers in China. Recent reliability testing has shone that all laptop makers reliability (failure ratings) to be right at equal. The number one cause of a failed laptop was the user dropping it.

[Oblivious @ Nov 25th 2008 6:43AM]

"which is pretty astounding for an 8.9-pound energy destroyer"...

At the risk of being lowranked... a real geek wouldn't get caught saying THAT... 1st law of thermodynamics anyone? :)

[Halmballan @ Nov 25th 2008 8:58AM]

This is a pretty cool laptop. When it first came out you could configure it to have a Core 2 Quad QX9300 (2.53 GHz), for some reason you can't anymore - to bad.

I like the design on the Sony AW series much more. The HDX and the Sony have more or less the same specs, but the Sony lacks the eSata port and has a higher price tag, but also comes with Blueray burner.

Overall cool laptop, I'm seriously considering buying this.

[Matt @ Nov 25th 2008 10:29AM]

THIS LAPTOP .. is clearly not for your Lap

[Kali4 @ Nov 25th 2008 12:49PM]

So are you like six inches tall or can you not find your lap under your stomach when you sit?

[Matt @ Nov 25th 2008 10:29AM]

this laptop is clearly not for your lap

[balthazar @ Nov 25th 2008 11:54AM]

this meaningless comment is clearly unneeded a second time.

[Chin-Poh @ Nov 25th 2008 12:47PM]

Too bad its videocard is "only" a 9600M GT. I was hoping for them to fit in a more powerful videocard but it is designed as a multimedia and not gaming notebook. Though the Aspire 8930 (same screen size) has a 9700M GT.

It does have an option for a quad-core QX9300 processor though, a $900 premium. : D

[Cassini @ Nov 26th 2008 4:31PM]

"It's takes a -- how do you say? -- 'special' type of person to get all jazzed about an 18-inch laptop..."


A "special" type of person, eh? LOL, uhhh, OK. That has to be one of the most smug statements I've read in a long while. Is it that a desire for a larger screen on a laptop keeps us from being part of the "I-think-I'm-so-cool-netbook-crowd" or something similar? Like people who falsely think they're superior for driving hybrids instead of something else. Who cares?!!!

I've been considering one of these. Small laptops are slick, but I want something with a big HD screen, a Blu-ray drive, and an abundance of power and speed. Can't get all that in a small laptop.

[schuyler @ Dec 10th 2008 2:34PM]

It does take a special person to get excited about a 18 inch laptop, not me though... I have the older 20.1 inch HDX