Looking at getting HP TX2Z Touchsmart Laptop, Differences in processors?

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MasterShake

Limp Gawd
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Feb 28, 2005
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I've decided on getting an HP tx2z touchsmart tablet. The cheaper models were like $850 but when I look at the processor options the price goes up dramatically. I'm fine with the 320 gb hdd because I'm going to get a larger SSD when prices get lower and I'm not going to install large games on it, just a few apps, some non-demanding games, mp3s and the occasional movie or tv show. I'm going to use it for work also when I travel which involves doing things online, using microsoft office an some light audio editing. This won't be my main computer. Also, 4 gb ram is fine for Windows 7, the 6 and 8 gb option are expensive and I can wait for them to come down, if I upgrade that at all. So far 4 gb works great on my main rig even with gaming. I also want the draft N and bluetooth option. All the other options come with it and aren't changeable. Here is a link to the options setup: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/cto.do#

I want the best bang for my buck, I wasn't looking on spending more than $850 but then again a processor isn't easy to change in a laptop. Like I said, I'm not going to be doing anything extremely cpu intensive, but I do plan on keeping this for a while so any advice would be appreciated. Here are the chips and their additional prices, and also, I know very little about amd's mobile offerings.


AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-75 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) Included
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-77 (2.3GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) +$25.00
AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-85 (2.3GHz, 2MB L2 Cache) +$75.00
AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 Cache) +$125.00
AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-87 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 Cache) +$200.00

The setup I have configured with the slowest cpu, 4 gb ram, 320 gb 5400 rpm hdd, vista home premium x64 (going to be replaced with win 7 immediately), ati 3200 with 64 megs (only card available), dvd burner, webcam, fingerprint reader, wireless N, bluetooth and 8-cell battery, up from the 6 cell. The 8 cell is about $100 if you buy it seperately, might be good to have an extra. I didn't bother to go with any of the extra crap software. So basically I am set on what I have so for and it comes out to $963, I just don't know what processor I want to use. I plan on playing a few games, I have my powerful quad core desktop for hardcore gaming, I will use this computer for surfing the web, some audio editing for my job and the occasional jam session with my band, I'll get an outboard usb box for that. I do a lot of multitasking but don't expect the performance of my core2quad. I just don't want to spend extra money on a cpu that isn't going to help much. Like I said, I know little about AMD's mobile offerings. I have seen this laptop for cheaper in a few other places but some of the sites give few details, even whether they include bluetooth and some of the sites have cpu's not offered here. I'm very excited to get this laptop with win 7 to play with, some say it's like surface, I've done my research on it and am set on it, just have to figure out which to go with and get the best bang for my buck. So any help would be appreciated so I can order this within a month! Hopefully I'll get lucky and find an HP coupon before I order!
 
heatlesssun is the resident expert on that laptop as he has one and never shuts up about it (ok, ok, just kidding, but he does own one and raves about it). :D

I'm sure as soon as he sees the topic he'll jump right on this one... I've considered one myself as they seem like fine machines, but as HP just won't make one with an Intel-based platform, I'll pass. I'm an Intel man, always have been, always will be...
 
I agree with Joe, I have heard they are nice, they seem nice, but I would not want to own an AMD laptop. I have just always had a LOT better luck with intel based laptops for battery life/heat/usage/etc.
 
I’ll ramble on a bit here but cut to the chase of your biggest question first so as not to waste your time if you’re not interested in the rest of the junk. As far as the CPU choice, just go with the RM-75. For the tasks you’re describing the other options are probably worth it. I got the ZM-86 when I bought mine the past December just because I wanted all the power I could squeeze into the thing. Not really worth in IMHO, I really don’t game on this thing at all.

Yes, as Joe has said, I never shut up about my tx2z. I don't think that I'm quite that bad but I really like my tx2z. The main problem with this unit, especially with two powerful parts like a Turion X2 Ultra at 2.4GHz and the HD 3200, the thing puts out a bit of heat, and its can be a problem if the unit is running on high power in tablet mode as the heat vent blows heat towards the user in primary portrait tablet mode. But when running on balanced and especially power saver mode on battery the is still there but it’s not too bad, especially if the CPU mode is light.

Other than that really the things is just about perfect except an issue with running 7 x64. Strange hang after the screen would resume from power down. Like up to 3 minute pauses, totally not cool. Never saw this in the beta and RC running x64 versions of both. Anywho x86 doesn’t have the issue but still not final drivers so I’m not too worried. I was going to build the system in a month or so using a 250GB SSD. The battery life isn't all that great, about 3 hours in power saver mode with web surfing and office automation or about enough to play a normal length DVD and have just a tad of juice left in my informal tests. But the thing is powerful. The combination of the Turion and the HD 3200 actually gives this unit a bit of pop, enough to do light and low setting gaming with even modern titles. You wouldn't really want to game of this but there are a number of games that run ok for a little diversion, one is Track Mania Forever, that a great little arcade racer!

Now for the important part, the pen and touch. Right now I'm running Windows 7 and the N-Trig drivers are still not right to me. They work kinda but they are not solid. Some people have reported having better success but I just gave up on them. I've spoken to N-Trig about the availability of production drivers and one of their sales reps told me that they won’t be out until around the GA data of Windows 7, October 22. Since the tx2z’s being sold now come with Windows 7 coupons I imagine that they should be getting VERY close to have the upgrade discs ready to ship by then. So all of this to too that multi-touch works well when the driver is not spazing but I’ve not done mutli-touch stuff much. Did play that Windows 7 Touch Pack game Blackboard, kind of fun, uses multi-touch gestures to interact pretty well.

I’ve been running the default pen and single touch driver. That’s solid and doesn’t have issues. The only issue is the touch is kind of sensitive when using the pen. The N-Trig drivers had a cool feature where double taping on the screen would switch modes manually and that actually works well. Unfortunately the default drivers don’t support that. But I ink on it all the time, Windows 7 is a joy in the pen department. It’s gotten so much better since XP tablet and is even a good bit beyond Vista.
 
Heatlesssun, thanks for all the info. I'm going to go with the 2.3 ghz cpu because it has the 2 mb of cache and will do upgrades later when prices come down (ssd 8 gb low latency ram, extra battery, hopefully they'll make a better one). Hopefully at 2.3 ghz it'll get slightly better battery life than the faster chips. I'm probably also going to get a slingbox pro for streaming/controlling my hd-dvr and maybe a wireless card from at&t or somewhere if I can find a good deal. The last time I used one it was slower than a 56k modem.

So what do you do with the touchscreen? Have anything that you really enjoy using it for? II'm looking forward to using Win7 with it, I have used it for months and have never been happier with an OS in the first few months, the shine hasn't worn off yet and this will make it any better. How does media center work? I'm hoping I can use media center with slingbox or the hulu application that's made for a remote control and hdtv's. I'm REALLY excited to find some touchscreen games. I know world of goo works with it and I saw an air hockey game, do you know of any others? Of course starcraft would be a dream. I also hope adobe will make their products compatible, I am a big fan of CS4. One, last thing, have you tried browsing the internet in tablet mode using the touchscreen to navigation and voice recognition for url entering? And does HP offer apps/games especially made for this? Sorry so many questions, I'm just wondering about all the things I'll be able to do with it. :)
 
I have Verizon broadband cell, got grandfathered in before they set the 5GB cap on their service and over the three years I’ve used it its improved significantly. I actually get decent speeds in a good environment, signals don’t penetrate concrete well and it’s still WAY faster than 56k, on average about 1 Mbps/.4 Mbps.

As for the touchscreen, I’ll web surf a lot with just touch. It can get a little irritating when you’re trying to click on something small, like hyperlinks that a 1 character, that sort of thing. There is a virtual mouse to help enhance the accuracy of the mouse with touch, but overall there’s not a lot of touch ready stuff out there. It will improve but it’s not yet a filler feature I’d say. With the N-trig drivers and some apps on the way I think this will change quite a bit over the next year.

Media Center works well, have even recorded and watch shows on the tx2z with a USB tuner. You should have no problems with slinging. There is an app call Orb that is an add-on to Media Center that adds slinging to Media Center but it’s not yet fully Windows 7 compliant but will be shortly.

Not really looked specifically into touchscreen games so I don’t have much to add in that department but if I come across anything I’ll keep you in mind.
 
Thanks a lot, this is sounding better and better. I'll have to look into how much Verizon charges for that. I won't have to worry about the cap, I'll just download large files with my main rig and use it as a server for work/large media.

Do you have a carrying case you like? I'm not finding many specifically for the t2x, I'm looking for a stylish messenger type case.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just very excited to get my hands on it and you have given me more info than even the HP site itself. Too bad you're not a salesman, you have me sold!
 
Happy to be of service! The tx2z is a hell of a machine overall and I think that you’ll be very happy with it.

I’ve not looked into messenger style bags but most ultra portable bags should work.

Thanks for the compliment. I’ve actually “sold” about a dozen tx2zs if what I’ve been hearing from people that I’ve talked to is correct and my recommendation put the tx2z over the top for them. It’s an easy device to push.
 
lol... just one more thing, I'm having trouble finding a cooler for this, I have read you can do some tweaks to get the heat down including undervolting just slightly but I need a small cooler for when it's on my lap. The coolers I am finding on new egg look like they are for 15" full sized laptops. After I get my bag and a cooler I should be set along witha good data plan. I maybe have to use more than the few gb they allow a month because I have to download a lot of audio files for work. I guess maybe I can find a plan that will let me use hotspots, thanks again!

Now if ssd's and 8 gb kits would just come down in price....


Also, I saw a forum where people were installing Leopard on the tx2 but where still working on getting the ati card to work. That would be really awesome!
 
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I don’t have a cooler personally. You can check NewEgg as they have a ton. This unit really doesn’t get that hot though unless it’s running hard, then it gets VERY toasty pretty quick. On balanced mode the unit when running normally, less than 20% utilization, the heat is not bad and the fan is almost dead silent.

Why would you want to put Leopard in this? No pen, no touch, kinda ruins the point of the machine. I’m not a big Mac fan so I’m a little biased!;)
 
I nabbed a display model of this at Best Buy -

TX2-1025DX with the RM-72 CPU

Never used a Turion before, and never used a touch notebook. But the price was right at $399! I considered for about an hour and came running back to the store to get it (the wife even OK'd it, she thought it was cool).

Don't have it in hand though - the BB folks had to wipe it because there was "store information" or something on it. So they're restoring from the recovery partition which apparently takes like a full 24 hours :S

Anyway, should be able to pick it up tomorrow night.

Is it really worth putting win7 on it considering drivers are still en route? My desktop and the wife's Vostro 1500 are both running it fine right now.


And...the user manual at HP's site says it has one memory upgrade slot? Is there another one anywhere (like under the keyboard or something like my wife's Dell)?
 
Dang, they really sold you the floor model for 399? I might have to run over to by local BB and see what theyll sell it to me for.

As for W7, everything I've read has basically pointed to it being safer to just leave Vista on for now and install W7 in October when HP gets their drivers straight, because as of now the touch drivers seem a little iffy in W7
 
Yeah, they had a bunch of floor model stuff all over the store all with colored construction paper POW shaped handwritten signs with prices (I saw a JVC miniDV camcorder openbox /display for $49!)

It said the regular price on the receipt was 663.99 before they price adjusted it.
 
Well then, I know where I am going tomorrow. Now let's just hope my local Best Buy has decided to do the same as the one you went to.
 
$400 for a TouchSmart laptop... wow, that's a truly phenomenal steal there... way past a deal, all the way to steal. :) Nice find on that one, and you'll probably have a blast with it.

MAKE SURE that before you leave that store that EVERYTHING is in the box that came with it brand new before it was opened. I know that's tough to do since you probably weren't standing there taking an inventory of the box's contents but, even so, don't leave that store till you make sure everything that should be there is.

The reason I say this is because I've read horror stories of people buying machines, whether they're brand new or floor samples, demo models, etc, where the store selling the hardware keeps the restore CDs/DVDs, or doesn't provide them as they're supposed to do. HP is one manufacturer that has a piece of software that lets you create "factory restore" media after the machine is powered up the first time out of the box, but you can only do that one single time and never again.

I've had clients I've worked with that bought hardware at Best Buy (HP laptops, actually) and they didn't realize till months later after the purchase that the Geek Squad numbskulls kept the discs and didn't supply them as required. Without those, you'll never get the machine back to a "factory" state in case things go wrong.

Honestly, I tell people even though they shouldn't use that factory install but a clean one with just what they need, you're entitled to those discs, so Geek Squad creates them (most likely) make sure there's at least 2 DVDs in that box. If they did the restore using the hard drive based restore process ("system recovery") they may not have created the discs, but regardless, look for them and expect them to be with the hardware.

Buyer beware... and watchful. :)

ps
And yes, most definitely and wholeheartedly yes, put Windows 7 on it, the touch-enabled device features of Windows 7 are almost tailor-made for such a piece of hardware. As heatless mentioned, there's a little bit of an issue with the N-Trig drivers for the touchscreen but since Windows 7 isn't out in general availability just yet, the drivers will more than likely be ready to go by Oct 22nd. He posts regularly whenever something new comes up regarding Windows 7 and the TX2Z models so, keep tabs on his posts for the scoopage...
 
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I'll probably take a Ghost image of the HDD, run a Windows keyfinder program, and store both somewhere just to be safe, if they don't give me the restore CDs. Should cover me. I expect to have it running win7 in October though like my other boxes (except my media server / magicjack box which is likely to stay on XP for some time).
 
It's easy enough to create a custom "OEM" installation disc using the HP OEMBIOS files so that key would never be necessary anyway. I just made an HP MCE set just the other day for a client with an HP MCE box, installed without issues. Only takes a few minutes and 4 files, realistically...
 
Well, I've got it in hand.

Man there's a lot of HP junk installed on it that needs to be removed.

Anyway, it was the system only, no box or anything besides the power cable.

The pen was missing ...replacement via HP is like $90, the last few went from $20-$45 on ebay. I'll be patient and get one eventually.

Runs good though otherwise and in good shape. Maybe install win7 on it later.

EDIT: I found it here on HP's site for $20??

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...8AA&aoid=20715&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=FV268AA

Weird. via the official parts search it was $90 :S
 
Grab that pen for $20 fast, that price might change soon. Pretty cheap direct from HP, definitely.

As for the bloated crapware, yeah, that's a given. It's relatively easy enough to create a "custom" HP installation disc without all that muss and fuss, but you can grab that Windows 7 Enterprise 90 day trial edition and get your feet wet (so to speak) with Windows 7 tonight... ;)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc442495.aspx

It's basically Windows 7 Ultimate with a few more goodies thrown in for good measure (Admin tools, enterprise related stuff, etc), but it's there, it's free for 90 days and it would run well on that tablet and give you the experience with Windows 7 you're probably wondering about with respect to tablet/touch functionality.

ps
If you do decide to grab the Enterprise download, make sure to choose "IT Manager" or "IT Worker" on the drop down menus - anything else won't let you get it... ;) And it seems to force you to use that damned Microsoft Download Manager so do the signup with IE... ugh.
 
I'm running Win7 pro MSDNAA keys on my desktop / wife laptop.

But it looks like the touchsmart is eligible for the free windows 7 upgrade which would be to Win7 Ultimate.

Unless someone decides to invalidate it based on the open box receipt.

Will submit to HP tonight for the free upgrade and see.

EDIT: It looks like n-trig has some beta drivers on their site for win7? http://www.n-trig.com/Content.aspx?Page=Multi_Touch

Anyone try them yet?
 
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GreenMonkey said:
I'm running Win7 pro MSDNAA keys on my desktop / wife laptop.

But it looks like the touchsmart is eligible for the free windows 7 upgrade which would be to Win7 Ultimate.

Unless someone decides to invalidate it based on the open box receipt.

Will submit to HP tonight for the free upgrade and see.

EDIT: It looks like n-trig has some beta drivers on their site for win7? http://www.n-trig.com/Content.aspx?Page=Multi_Touch

Anyone try them yet?
Click to expand...

I ordered a TX2Z for my wife's sister and set it up for her and mailed it off today. I played with it and installed 7 on it while I had it and used those beta drivers. They seemed to work great and I really liked surfing the internet in tablet mode and using the fling motion to scroll web pages, pinch to zoom in/out, and the pen instead of typing in websites. I couldn't get the double tap to switch modes to work, but I found that you can still rest your hand on the screen while you are writing, you just have to tap the screen with the pen first and then start writing.

If you buy one, search Google for coupon codes. I found a $300 off coupon that I was able to add on top of the ~$200 discount they already had on them. I chose the ZM-87, 500GB hdd, 4GB of RAM, 8-cell battery, webcam + fingerprint reader, wireless N with bluetooth, microfibre cleaning cloth, and Targus cable lock. It came to $1020 after 8.25% tax (Texas) and shipping.
 
If you look over the thread, you can see he already bought a TX2Z from Best Buy, and got a smokin' deal on it too... $399 for a floor sample/demo model that apparently is in excellent condition. ;)
 
Joe Average said:
If you look over the thread, you can see he already bought a TX2Z from Best Buy, and got a smokin' deal on it too... $399 for a floor sample/demo model that apparently is in excellent condition. ;)
Click to expand...

Yup :cool: Works great too. Screen must be pretty scratch resistant because it looks pretty much scratch free after a good cleaning with a disposable lens cloth.

Going back to Vista from win7 is painful though. 7 is much more well organized. And man did HP cram it full of junk.

The only problem I have so far is the Mediasmart TV app doesn't show any internet TV ...it's just blank. I googled around for a solution but only found some other people with the same problems with it...I saw references to people getting it back to working via sys restore a few times...but that seems like a sludgehammer approach.

I did already update the app to the newest version.

I mean, I'm not going to cry if the proprietary HP app doesn't work right...but it would be nice to get working.
 
On win7 with the beta n-trig drivers

Works fine except for some ghost clicks / mouse movements.

Hopefully fixed before too long.
 
i think im going to buy this laptop thursday. i was going to wait for the new tigris/vision models, but from what i can tell what i want really wont be available till next year.

there is a refurb (3 month hp warranty) on ebay for $749, it has bluetooth built in, wireless n, webcam, fingerprint, ultra turion 2mb l2 cache chip, 320gb drive and 4gb ram. it looks like the top of all the options available, just the warranty is 3 month instead of 12 basically...

that, or similar ones without the 2mb L2 chips go for $749 brand new w/1yr warranty... decisions decisions...
 
nice laptop! actually, the build quality is surprising. its extremely rigid, even the screen swivel.

i did get the matte screen, and as i read elsewhere some people complain that it has a grainy or sparkly look to it, and it definitely does. its something i can live with, especially because this laptop is a placeholder until something better next year... but it is a little weird HP would go this route, it does look crappy.

however, the screen itself is BRIGHT and very nice. other then the sparkly overlay, there isnt much about this laptop to complain about at all. win7 installed lightning fast (no pauses or long waits for anything like on my desktop) and the fan noise that so many complain about is total rubbish. its a very quiet machine, and not that loud at all when under stress.

i love the size... 12" is perfect. for $750 brand new, this is gotta be the best value for what you get... its loade

also- excellent bios. its very basic, you cant really change anything... but whats awesome is how fast it is. on cold boot, its the normal 10sec wait, but for sleep and hibernation- it rocks. ive never seen a computer sleep and wake up so fast, its nearly instant. smokes the crap out of my desktop that has twice the horsepower... its clearly a bios limitation in the desktop...
 
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