HP EliteBook 8760w: Color, So Dreamy
by Dustin Sklavos on August 25, 2011 2:30 AM ESTHP's Cruelest Cut: DreamColor in 1080p
I'm not usually one to complain about the difference between 1080p and 1200p in a notebook screen, but the shift to a 16:9 aspect from the HP EliteBook 8740w to the 8760w just rubs me the wrong way. It's true that 1920x1200 screens are going the way of the dodo (which is why I'll run my three into the ground), but I don't know who else is even using HP's DreamColor IPS panel to begin with.
Desktop users have already had to make the uneasy compromise of having 27-inch IPS monitors with a higher resolution than their predecessors (2560x1440) in exchange for losing 30-inch monitors almost entirely, but you can at least argue there's some kind of win there since previous generation 27-inchers were 1920x1200 affairs. But in the case of the HP EliteBook 8760w, this is strictly a loss and it sours what's otherwise an absolutely stellar screen.
At least we can take comfort in knowing the 1080p DreamColor IPS display is a slight upgrade to its predecessor. Once again, the screen's Delta E doesn't peak and valley anywhere near as much as many cheaper TN panels do, and the color gamut offered is frankly outstanding. Contrast is also excellent, though the 8760w's panel does suffer from ever so slightly higher black levels than its predecessor.
As befitting an IPS panel, viewing angles on the 8760w are fantastic. Honestly, the screen really needs to be seen in person to be believed. Colors pop beautifully (and may actually feel oversaturated thanks to the high color gamut), and at least our gaming tests never looked more vibrant and alive...except on the 8740w. That's why it stings so much to have lost the 120 pixels of vertical real estate; DreamColor is a costly $650 upgrade ($100 more than last generation!) as it is.
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slb14 - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Crack. It's what one would have to smoke to spend over $6k on a laptop.I don't care if it's fast, light, and washes my cats. That's just hilarious.
sjprg2 - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Its a business tool. 4 sales of my landscapes and its paid for.digitalzombie - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Yeah, i think 14-14.5 is the sweet spot for me. Gimme one with IPS and I'll be happy. Is HP build quality getting better? Cause they bought compaq and compaq was horrible at least for me.JarredWalton - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Sorry Jecs... you replied to a spammer post (the web address in the link was one of those stupid fashion-related spamming sites we've had lately). I've removed the account (only4customer) but here's you response to his post:-----------
Desktop monitors are on another class of color accuracy, color depth, screen uniformity, gamut, black or white levels, grays, contrast, almost everything. But I can't remember right now where I read the review. It is directly related to the stronger backlighting technology or possibilities on desktop monitors. Desktop monitors even include very powerful graphic cards and circuits with dedicated chips and memory for internal 16 bit per channel signal processing. This is very difficult to solve inside the limited space laptops provides.
To my experience the best laptop monitors are clearly inferior to the best desktops if you have both screens directly available in the same room with the same source side by side.
However this Dreamcolor HP screen may be the best mobile screen in the market right now and I guess it could even give some cheaper IPS desktop monitors a circle or 2.
jecs - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
uups!Ok, Thanks
cbass64 - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Isn't the C300 6Gbps?SteveLord - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
You can customize these for less than half of that $6k tag............SteveLord - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
I actually bought one of these at work, with the Dreamcolor screen too. It is the best looking laptop screen I've seen and maintains the top quality that their Dreamcolor monitors have (I have one of those too.)Unlike probably most of the people here, I've also had the 2 previous generations of these Elitebooks and this is a huge improvement.
extremepcs - Monday, August 29, 2011 - link
$6,500 for a laptop? There isn't enough crack on the planet...yorty - Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - link
so cool!Processor Intel Core i7-2820QM
(4x2.3GHz, 32nm, 8MB L3, Turbo to 3.4GHz, 45W)
Chipset Intel QM67
Memory 4x4GB Samsung DDR3-1333 (Max 4x8GB)
Graphics NVIDIA Quadro 5010M 4GB GDDR5
(384 CUDA cores, 450MHz/900MHz/2.6GHz core/shader/memory clocks, 256-bit memory bus)
It's very cool. if the graphics is GTX 590.it will be a powerful notebook.
play games, listen music,have a nice browse internet, it........just amazing!`