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Compaq V4000T Review
I ordered a HP DV4000 around the beginning of December and kept it about a week before returning it for the Compaq V4000T model. I have used both units extensively.
Both units were configured exactly the same:
Centrino 770 M
2GB 533 SODIMM
80GB 5400 HDD
ATI Mobility Radeon x700
TrueBright Display (shiny screen)
DVD Writer with LightScribe
Windows XP Pro
Futuremark 05 scores 2700
The performance on both machines was great, Futuremark 05 scores were same and computing 2M pi took about 1:28. Battery life with the 12 cell excellent. WIFI and Bluetooth connects very reliably. I use a bluetooth mouse and for some reason it had less trouble connecting on the Compaq than on the HP. I was getting some erratic behavior on the HP, though it got better the longer I used it.
From what I can tell there is no quickplay ability on the Compaq.
The heat output on both machines was not that bad when playing 3D games.
The trackpad on the Compaq is wider and the buttons have a better tactile feel than the HP. I did not like the trackpad buttons on the HP, I had to train myself to find the sweetspot of the oversize buttons. On the Compaq the whole button is the sweetspot.
Power button, wireless button and volume buttons on the HP had a cheap feel, though they are bigger than the ones on the Compaq. The Compaq buttons seem more solid and have a cleaner look in how they're set into the case.
The keyboard on the Compaq has a better feel than that of the HP. The blue print on the HP has a playskool look to them. I've heard folks complain about the print on the HP keyboard rubbing off over a few months time. I will see how the Compaq's keyboard holds up.
The plastic on the HP case appears to be of much lower quality which is why many have complained about the flex issue on the back of the display.
The plastic on the Compaq case is thicker on both the lid and underside. I was unable to detect any flex in the Compaq screen.
When lifting the HP from the front of the deck with the 12 cell battery in place I can hear the plastic creak, a similar sound can be heard when opening the lid. There is no creaking sounds on the Compaq whatsoever.
The lines on the Compaq are elegant with curved corners and tight tolerances while the HP has a very sharp-cornered boxish look to it.
The black exterior on the surface of the Compaq lid has a more rugged feel to it and would seem to be less prone to scratching. At the time I returned the HP there were slight abrasions on the back of the lid starting to show from day to day useage, sliding in and out of the laptop bag and the friction against the zipper of the HP laptop case.
On the HP the shiny black molding around the keyboard had small hairline factures radiating from corners around the edges, probably from when the assemblers snapped it together. This plastic seems very thin and exhibited some rattling. I saw these same fractures on units on the shelf at various stores.
Screen hinges on both seem very solid. The hinges on the Compaq sets the screen back a little further.
There was much more vibration from the HP DVD drive than that of the Compaq when loading drivers from the Logitech bluetooth mouse CD and playing movies. I thought the HP was going to fly apart. Very little if any vibration was detected on the Compaq, I used the exact same CD when loading setting up the peripherial. Same goes for the movies I tested.
The door of the DVD drive on the HP lips underneath the machine which seems to be a poor design. When the DVD tray is open there's more exposed area than that of the Compaq. The drawer of the Compaq is set in the drive bay and has less play when it's ejected. The HP feels like it would be much easier to break.
USB configuration is great on both units, 2 on left and 2 on right.
The USB ports are powerful enough to power an external USB2 Firelite HDD without its external power adapter. Some laptop USB ports, like the Dell, are incapable without the external power adapter.
I did not test the Firewire.
Conclusion
I'm glad I returned the HP DV4000 for the Compaq V4000T. The lack of quickplay is a small sacrifice I'm willing to make for the enhanced build quality, better trackpad and overall design of the Compaq given that everything else is equal (even though there was a deeper discount on the Compaq). The times I will be watching DVD's I will watch them on my home entertainment center and probably not the laptop. If I do watch movies on the laptop I have no qualms with starting up the OS. The build quality is a big deal to me, the DV felt kind of like a toy rather than a professional product. Both machines are really good, though.
When I look at an online review of the DV4000 I would consider all qualities the same and add an extra half star for the Compaq version.
BigMonty
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This is probably the first opinion I've read to claim tha Compaqs have better build quality than HPs
. Great for you! I think you first got a bad dv4000 and second a very good v4000t
As for the DVD drive faceplate, yes I know it's awful. My l2000 as well as all v2000z have the same problem - when one lifts the laptop by grabbing it from the right or just tilt it, the DVD drive gets too much pressure. Poor design, as you and Chinna before you said. -
Same here, I've kept hearing about the HP notebooks being better than their Compaq counterparts but I now am swinging in the opposite direction as well. I wish wish Compaq would make black notebooks that all. I do like the material they use on the V4000s, its smooth plastic versus the textured plastic on the DV4000s that just gets worn out and shiny looking after a bit of use.
Compaq V4000T Review (dv4000 vs v4000t)
Discussion in 'HP' started by BigMonty, Dec 29, 2005.
