HP dv8 specs page goes live, confirms Core i7 processor
By Nilay Patel 
posted Sep 30th 2009 11:41PM
posted Sep 30th 2009 11:41PM
[Thanks, Alexi]
Please note: If you're a current Engadget commenter, you do not need to re-register. Simply login and you will be prompted to select a username.
Now the only thing it needs is a gaming GPU and it is absolutely a desktop replacement, I would like to replace my desktop with this! I wouldn't mind if the GPU was external, come on Expresscard 2.0 standard!
I can't believe there is a market big enough to warrant the production of an 18inch plus laptop.
I have an HP 17" dv9000, and the thing is too big to take to my classes. i also can't imagine a screen needing to be any larger than this on a laptop. for that size... you might as well get a desktop, or an external monitor.
@both of you.
I have a 17" dv7 and I find it too small. My next laptop will be an 18 or 19" 1080p laptop. Why? Because I hate having a small screen. And as for the guy that says it's too big for class, mines goes to class and or xoop with me everyday. Sure it's heavy but it's size and (almost perfect) power make it worth it.
I am one of the crazy guys that would want an 18+ laptop to replace my desktop. There is a market for them, why else are they being made?
@ Collegekid I think victory is trying to watch porn in calss and It's hard to be discrete with a large screen. He obviously isn't paying attention or he would know that you desktops aren't quite as mobile as laptops so if you are in the market for a laptop with a larger screen,"you might as well get a desktop" is not a solution.
@ RKN, i agree with a screen this size a gaming GPU should have been a know brainer.
@ edu3000
A "know" brainer? Really?
I'm with RKN, desktop replacement. In an apartment, space is scare sometimes. I do have a 15.4" that's lighter and portable.
with a 18" laptop, while you may not be able to take it to class every day.. you would be able to take it home during short breaks or winter breaks if you're in college.. and don't need to lug around your desktop..
point is, it may not be light enough to carry it everywhere, it is POSSIBLE to do so..
I have an HDX18 and I commute to school; doesn't really stop me. Yeah, it's kinda heavy, but in Jamaica most kids learn to carry heavy loads from Primary School days (at least, we did back in my day). No timetables, so we had to carry every book, every day. Point is, there most certainly is a market for this.
@Victory
I have a dv9548US that is a 17 incher as well, dropped it for a 15.4 with a 1680x1050 screen. I am in an accelerated masters program that requires a lot of group work, trying to get a 17" machine and room to work in random living rooms and coffee shops is not nearly as easy as finding space for a 15.4 not to mention the weight and battery life difference from having the larger screen and dual drives in the 17" machine. Funny thing is I actually gained screen real estate, the 17" had a 1440x900 screen.
Hook this up with one of ATI's new 5000 cards and we have a deal.
Desktops are clearly better suited to applications where performance like this is needed.
What's the point of cramming all this crap into a massive laptop with too short battery life and too heavy to carry around anyway?
May as well save a few hundred bucks, get a bigger display and better parts in a desktop.
Seriously.
Using a good battery, I can get about 5-6 hours of hardcore usage out of a laptop like this. I own a 18" Toshiba Qosmio which is now old compared to this but was pretty hardcore when it came out.
Why would I buy it you ask? Because not only can I take it to every room in double level house (bathroom included), but when I travel I can take it with me and recharge anywhere.
Hell I am sitting in my living room on a recliner with my laptop in my LAP as I write this.
Yes desktops are suited for extremely hardcore usage, but I can do pretty much anything that a desktop can do from my laptop, including gaming since I have dedicated graphics. As for when I am at home, I just plug it in and so no worry about battery.
Anybody know what the average battery time is for i7's on laptops?
I agree. Put a 4xxx or 5xxx series gpu in this thing, and I'm sold also if it looks as good as the leaked pics suggest. Although, 18" screen seems a bit big to me to be portable, but as a desktop replacement, heck yes.
@ Crescent David: Its a 25-30 watt TDP cpu, so i would guess about 2-3 hours with a 6-9 cell battery. Maybe less because of intels turbo-tech. but somewhere around that.
Lol us engadget users and our insane addiction for reading specs about things we wouldn't consider buying :)
No thanks..I'll keep my desktop with core i7 6 GB DDR 3 X-FI Xtreme and my new Sapphire ATI 5870 in Antec 902 case!
HP = not really portable
My desktop = not really portable
HP = MAYBE upgradeable but I'm sure limited
My Desktop = infinitely upgradeable to more powerful components at cheaper price.
HP = double my price, 1/2 my performance
My Desktop = the other way around.
nuff said..
i hope you will carry your " Desktop" to your work or your friends' houses.
No mate, that's what my 449 dollars on sale gateway laptop is for lol. Besides I'm too old to do lan party with friends :p
Its a shame you get too old to lan party, you should never get too old.
I would like to have an all in one solution, my laptop replace my desktop.
18.4", 9lb, and mediocre gaming performance? No thanks... What's the point of such a form factor when the GPU sucks?
BUT BUT BUT!! HP Calls it an entertainment PC. It can do BR. So that obviously is all the entertainment anyone ever would need on an 18" screen....Yah I think its BS too.
I know it's a Core i7 and all but...1.6ghz? So many programs that still don't utilize multiple cores are really gonna be hurting.
*sighs* So many people don't get how the i7 works. Its just pathetic.
It turbo-modes up to 2.8Ghz when only two cores are in use.
Thanks for the reply, Chris. I'm still on a Core 2 Duo pc and I have zero experience with Core i7, so I had no idea. Makes a whole lot more sense now. It'd be nice if more people just explained it like an adult instead of jumping straight to being immature.
Entertainement--entertainment... classy entertainment.
RUADV8
Computers named after number plate abbreviations. It's about time.
This is a device that has an identity crisis. It has an 18" screen which is pretty much screaming for gaming. (Hell when did an entertainment PC, which they call it, not be able to handle games?) Yet it has the lowest speed i7 on the market and has a lower mid-range GPU. Its a laptop that wants to be a gaming laptop yet the engineers were obviously more concerned about how thick the thing was and turned it into a portable video player. Seriously if you are going to drop a 18" screen on a system give it some balls.
My uncle bought the last gen dv8 as a desktop replacement.......He says its the best media PC he has ever used and i've seen it in use and its amazing.Its not for using on the go but its quite east to move it around the house and for carrying it to the office if you need more firepower than a regular laptop.
Sure, i'll get this one
Looking forward to a 18" laptop. Always used a desktop. HPDv8 looks and feels amazing. Can't wait.