9700t for Video Editing

Hello... I'm ready to fire off for a 9700 that I'll be using to do some video editing. What do you guys think about this configuration? Also, is it worth it to get the extended warranty? Anywhere to shave the price without taking a performance hit.... thanks much for any feedback - Tod

HP Pavilion dv9700t customizable Notebook PC
KL086AV
* – Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
* – Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* – 17.0" diagonal WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
* – 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* – 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
* – HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Webcam + Microphone
* – Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection
* – 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
* – $100 OFF Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer!!
* – No TV Tuner w/remote control
* – 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
2-year HP Pick Up and Return Extended Service Plan

 

Are you buying the memory from HP? I recommend get the bare minimum from HP and upgrading it yourself-its easy to do and is a whole lot cheaper-look at the ram deals thread.

Also, A video card is not needed for video editing(CPU/RAM/HDD are more important ) so is there a integrated card option?

Also fill out the FAQ so that we can help you better.

 

Memory! Upgrade it yourself and save a ton of money. I got a 2GB stick on sale from Fry's for $14.99 after rebate. Also, unless you get the 64 bit version of Vista, your system won't be able to utilize 4GB of RAM.

This setup is almost identical to what I have and I also edit videos. You're in good shape.

As for the warranty, if you're paying by Visa, call Visa Warranty Manager Service and find out if your card is eligible for their service. If so, Visa will tack on an extra year of warranty, even if you only buy one year of HP's warranty. That will also save you some money there. I've got it on mine and it's very easy to do and there's no charge. If you're eligible just depends on your Visa type. Just google Visa Warranty Manager and you can find the phone #.

 

Sounds like the ram is good a place to save....and as I review the Blue Ray DVD I realize that I won't be able to use it to burn an HD video, right?, so I probably don't need it...here's my facts

General Questions

1) What is your budget? - up to $1600-1700

2) What size notebook would you prefer? - big screen D

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in. - US

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? No

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? Video editing, general work, probably no/minimal gaming

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? - occasional travel

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? - no

8) How many hours of battery life do you need? - minimal

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? no

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc. - xp, visa if I have to

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? either

12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Standard - my eyesight isn't great
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.

Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? either

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? no

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? - 3 years

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB? at least 250

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive? - I guess just a dvd/cd burner

 

So if I get the 9700 with 2gb ram (minimum) and I want 4gb, I would add a single additional 2gb ram chip? Thanks...

 

HP will put 2 DIMMs (2 x 1GB) in. That's what they did on my setup when I ordered 2GB of RAM.

 

Make sure you order the right version of windows...either 32bit or 64 bit..if you only want 4gb of ram your fine with the 32 bit version because thats the max that it will support. If you want more than 4gb then go with a 64bit version of windows. Here is the site on Microsoft that explains it: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/64bit.mspx

 

Also, with the 32bit version it will only read 3gb because it will only use the extra gb of memory if needed....

 

Actually, the reason it only reads 3GB is because the 4th GB of address space is used by other hardware components, such as the graphics card.

 

Do you think there is any value in the 512 8600 gs vs the 256k version?

 

Do you mean between the 512MB 8600M GS and 256MB 8400M GS offered on your unit? The 8600M GS is more powerful, reguardless of dedicated ram amount.

 

Thanks for pointing that out.... I actually missed that it was a different card, and although not so significant for video editing, I will go for it given the better 3d performance.....

 

Too bad they don't offer XP os version.....

 

I'd spend the little extra money for the 512 8600M GS but would ditch the hp drivers for ones that can be found here: http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/

I'd not pay for ram upgrade from HP, check newegg should be able to get 4gbs for less than $90.

I'd also consider paying the extra $50 for the higher screen resolution, I didn't and now regret it.

 

You can run Xp but will be on your own for certain drivers. If you're resourceful that shouldn't be a problem but if you want it done for you, will have to stick with Vista. I'm rocking vista not because it's all that's offered but rather because that's where everything is going so like it or not I may as well suck it up and go through the learning curve of a new OS now rather than later. Besides, if you have an open mind you may really enjoy it. Do youself a favor and do a fresh install before you give it pass fail rating.

 

Thanks Shades.... gonna get the 8600 and ram elsewhere... but staying with the lower screen resolution only cause I personally need the BIGGER TEXT these days - Tod

 

Id have to disagree. Ive been started doing alot of video encoding lately (which is part of video editing)

My work AMD Sempron desktop w/ integrated card only encoded at about 20-30fps (dvd to .wmv). I slapped in a Geforce 7200GS AGP card and it flew up to 65+fps.

CPU/RAM/HDD also play a good part. My notebook on my sig did 100+fps

 

One more suggestion

if you ever need to send in your laptop for repair

the repair center will only work on your laptop when it's set to original factory install & that's includes your "HP certified ram only" & original factory hd os install without personal data

so my suggestion is

buy another hd drive to do your clean install to the os you want

and save the "original hd & ram" and pop it back in before you send it to repair

my dv9500t is working again but 8600M gs 256 is extremely slow even for editing photos in CS3 raw files.. & the Nvidia drivers from hp are crap..

get the biggest video card cpu ram & fastest hd 7200 rpm & high resolution screen 1600x1200 you can afford

you will loose all your personal OS & data & the repair center will call you if it's NOT the original factory and tell you they can't work on the repair because the ram is not "HP certified" and they want to charge you for new so they can work on it..

This happened to me very recently..BUT I had switched the hd out to the original but not the ram!

 

Not true, you can do what ever you want software/HD wise but as soon as you change the RAM or any hardware thats a violation of the warranty service. Obviously you have to put back the RAM that came with the laptop.

They re-image your HD anyway when they recieve it so you dont need to restore it back to factory. At times you dont even need to send in your HD

 

They re-image your HD anyway when they recieve it so you dont need to restore it back to factory.

Yep...That means you loose what ever programs you installed yourself! when you get it back you can start NEW!

At times you dont even need to send in your HD

NOT true

You have to have a hd with os on it for them to test the machine!

how would they test the problems if they can't boot up??

my lcd was black when booted up.

 

Majority of the time its hardware problems not software problems...so whether you sent in your hd or not doesn't really mean anything...plus do you think that they load every single notebook and personally check it....considering my past repairs I'm pretty sure they get the defective laptop replace the part and ship it back out without even turning it on....

 

and when you ask technical support they say that you can take out your hard drive if you want...its up to you and whether you want them with your files...

 

duhh..They put in their own diagnostic HD w/ a preset image.

You/They re-image your HD to completely rule out a software problem, which is standard. They should have asked you to do this before even sending the laptop in for service.

Warranty only covers hardware, ive personally spoken to a HP rep about this. Theres no need to buy an 'extra HD' as you said above. You can do a clean install of XP/vista or even Win98 if you want but in the end they will either ask you to do a recovery install before you send it, or they will do it themselves to rule out a user software issue.

Theres has been cases where the HD didnt need to be sent in. It depends on what the issue your having with the notebook or if it needs replacing.

 

So it looks like the only thing to remove before you send it in would be any "unauthorized" ram... and back up your own programs elsewhere - not a big deal.

 

You just need to make sure your sending the same hardware as it was from teh box. Usually RAM and HDD. HP techs wont be able to work on it if it doesnt have original hardware as what ever you put in could have caused the problem.

An HP rep from India actually told me touching any hardware will void the warranty. Made me say 'o really'

 

Even better, hopefully won't ever need to send it in....

 

yeah keep your fingers crossed...lol

 

I bought a new dv9700t and have had it for 2 weeks. I love my machine, the display is gorgeous, home theater quality!

- HP Pavilion dv9700t Entertainment CTO NB
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
- 17.0" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 50% OFF 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS!!
- FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
- 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

With the $500 coupon, I got it out the door with the two year extended and accident protection warranty for just under $1400. If you can wait to buy with the coupon it is a huge savings. I priced a similarily configured machine today and it would cost over $400 more! Coupons can be found on this site or at a number of others; just google: "HP coupons". HP runs them intermittently.

HP gives you 21 days from the date of delivery to return the laptop. If you don't want to wait for a coupon then keep an eye out for any coupons or percent off discounts. If one comes out that gives you a better price during your 21 day return period, contact HP and they will refund the difference.

I thought the extended accident warranty was worth the cost. You have an expensive machine and any unintentional damage (except theft) is covered for the duration of the warranty period. I picked two versus three years because I didn't think the cost of the third year would be worth the value of the machine if it was damaged at that time. Given any computer's rapid depreciation, by the third year, one could buy a used machine with comparable specs for the cost of the additional year.

I ordered the higher resolution screen. At first, with my 50 year old eyes (need reading glasses) I didn't like it. Now I am very glad I did. You can easily change the DPI to make the text and icons bigger if you want. The increased size looks fine in other Microsoft Programs and in IE.

After playing with the the size increases I opted to keep it as is. The smaller text dramatically increases the effective use area of your screen. Multiple windows and Excel spreadsheets for example are much more easily viewed. And it is not a problen in IE when reading news and other articles as one can very easily zoom the picture or increase the text size to as big as needed.

FYI, LCD screens have a fixed number of pixels per square inch. Lowering the native display resolution to increase the size will make everything look a little strectched and blurry. It is not a good idea for any LCD screen.

The only real drawback to a higher resolution screen, if you want to increase the DPI that I am aware of, is that it may not be effective in certain programs and those websites that don't allow for it. This may force you to work with smaller text in those programs only. The website pages can easily be zoomed.

For me, increasing the DPI wasn't necessary. Getting use to the smaller text was much easier than I expected and it was more than worth the big gain in functional work space. It is a personal choice and IMO can make a significant improvement in the ease of use of the laptop. If you are considering it, it may be worth finding a laptop with a higher resolution 17 inch display and trying it out.

Good Luck!

 

I can't believe I just ordered this laptop, what a deal! It just seemed to be the best mix of power, features, and price that I could find. It was almost a spontaneous purchase...well, almost. Thanks for everyone's advice in this and other threads. Anyhow, here's what I ended up ordering:

HP Pavilion dv9700t customizable Notebook PC KL086AV
* – Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
* – Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* – 17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
* – FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
* – 50% OFF 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS!!
* – FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
* – Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
* – 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
* – LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* – No TV Tuner w/remote control
* – High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* – System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* – Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* – HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
* - HP 90W AC Adapter

All for $1,240.47 with just the standard one year warranty!!!

 

Congrats on your new machine!

It looks like you took advantage of the 30% off coupon. You should receive your laptop earlier than HP's ship date. I ordered two seperate notebooks; they arrived on the 8th and 9th day after the order date and were delivered before 10:30 am on the 1st and 2nd day after each was shipped from China.

Have Fun!

 

HP is offering the 64 bit version of W.Vista for free, why did you choose the 32 bit version?

 

Most programs out now are 32 bytes. I don't want to be limited in my choices and have to pay for all new program upgrades. In the future, if I decide to, I can install a new Vista 64 byte operating system then. For me at this time, a 64 byte operating system would be premature and limiting.

 

It seems that you misunderstand the limitation. You can run 32bit programs on a 64bit OS, but NOT 64bit programs on a 32bit OS, so if anything, buying a 32bit OS is limiting. (There are a few exceptions, but not many)

 

I reviewed what I had read and you are right, 32 byte programs will run on a 64 byte system but they need to be first updated with proper drivers to do so. Most programs available now have not been upgraded and some may never be. For my computing needs and a lot of other people's, it would be disadventagous to employ a 64 byte operating system at this time.

Please see the following links for my reasoning:

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/1426/vista_64_bit_or_32_bit_version_x64_vs_x86

and

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709

 

Honestly I haven't used Vista x64 long enough to be able to truly debate or contradict this, but do you realize that the first article was written a year and a half ago and updated over a year ago. The second one doesn't seem to say when it was written, but the first comment was posted over a year ago which tells me that it's been around for quite some time too. A lot has changed in the past year. From my personal experience I haven't found any limitations, but that's just me.

 

You may be right.

I had ordered my dv9700t and the following week HP started offering Vista 64 byte as one of their choices. I talked to a "computer buddy" and he said 32 byte was not a good choice for me and it would not be worthwhile to return my notebook. I then Googled the topic and came up with those articles. I have to admit I didn't look at the dates nor investigate any further. I do have Office 2003 running on both my new laptop and an older XP desktop. My buddy said Office 2003 is only 32 byte and it wouldn't run on a Vista 64 byte system. I never confirmed what he said.

Vista 64 byte may be a better choice now for more people, I am not certain.

 

Im running office 2003 on 64bit, works perfectly.

All my usual programs from XP work in vista 64.

 

Thanks Flipfire for your above post.

I did a little more research on the Vista 32 vs 64 byte OS issue. I found a very recent article posted on April 2, 2008. Here is the link:

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=226074,00.asp

Here is the summary:

"In general, though, the situation with 64-bit applications and 32-bit applications on Vista 64 isn't mature yet. While a user running large data sets will almost certainly see improved performance, users with less demanding needs may actually see reduced performance. As always, check with the software supplier, and see if you can run a few tests of your own first.

The bottom line: 64-bit Vista is certainly viable from a performance perspective, but still has a ways to go. Now if we can get all the apps developers to think in 64-bit mode, maybe we'll get better performance all around. But don't forget to stock up on memory."

 

Thanks, I did take advantage of the 30% off. Wow, only 9 days to get the laptop!

 

I did think about getting the 64 bit version, but I had some concerns about compatibility issues. I'm sure mainstream programs like Office and Dreamweaver CS3 work fine on the 64 bit version, but there are some other lesser known programs that may not. SnagIt, ACDSee Viewer, P-touch Label Editor, etc.

I simply don't have the time to inventory every program on my machine and research each one. Also, I may not even stay with Vista. I really wanted a Windows XP laptop, but I decided to give Vista a chance. I can always install XP if Vista doesn't work out.

I didn't understand what the benefits of the 64 bit version are. Does it perform better?

 

yes for general users/programs its a little better

Mostly resource hungry/high end programs and applications take advantage of 64bit.

Check the review Canyon linked just above.