DV2000t Owners Lounge

I just put in an order for a CTO yesterday, here are the specs:

- FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center!!
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache)
- 14.1" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950
- HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
- 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- FREE Upgrade: 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Microsoft(R) Works/Money
- System Recovery DVD w/Windows XP Media Center

$1444 after taxes and before $50 mail in rebate

Hopefully I won't run into any problems like some of you have when I get it.

 

heh soudns like a nice system man, I received an SEC screen and i am loving it. It seems to be a bit dim at times.. but after a little bit of tweaking it is pretty nice. I do not have problems with the track pad so its all good.

 

Nice system... very similar to mine, except I chose the Nvidia graphics option. Enjoy it and welcome to the thread.

I know. I check in here every day, but there doesn't seem to be much discussion at the moment. That should change once Vista is released.

 

I just ordered a similar system, QuietStorm, except for Core 2 Duo 5200, 1024 MB RAM, 80GB Hard Drive, and no bluetooth. (Less powerful than yours, but more than enough for my needs) I think it came to $913 after rebates. (I got the free all-in-one printer, too.)I've been wanting a laptop for at least two years, but it took awhile to save up the money and decide which one to get. I am excited!

 

Thanks guys. This is actually my first laptop, but it will be mostly for school/programming. Thats why I didnt choose the graphics card, I assume it would consume much more power than the integrated.

I also plan to sell the free printer once I get it - I heard it consumes too much ink to be worth it.

In case anyone is interested in saving some money I got $45 dollars back from Fatwallet (3%) and saved about $50 for the APP discount

 

I ordered my system yesterday:

XP Media Center
Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0 Ghz)
2 GB RAM
Nividia card
DVD burner
Matte Screen
ABG Wireless + Bluetooth
80 GB HDD
Webcam

I can't wait for next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Susantm -- nice config at a great price (Core 2 Duo for just over $900 is terrific!) -- welcome to the forums.

Artood2s -- awesome specs -- you'll love that T7200, it's screamingly fast -- welcome to the forum, too.

QuietStorm -- Yeah, you probably made a good call on the video card for your needs. The Nvidia card isn't all that fast anyway, and if don't do any gaming there's really no need for it. I don't think it uses a ton of power, but every bit of savings helps when you're on battery.


Again, welcome to all the owners. Be sure to post any questions you have when you get the systems... there's a lot of other owner's here who can help with problems or offer advice. Also, don't forget to go online and submit your requests for the free Vista upgrade (After you've received the systems). Whether you want to upgrade to Vista right away or not, you probably will in the future, so you'll want to get in on the free upgrade offer.

 

finally ordered mine tonight after reading what people have been saying about it

HP Pavilion dv2000t customizable notebook PC

* FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows XP Media Center!!
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T5200(1.60GHz/2MB L2Cache)
* FREE Upgrade to 14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen!!
* 128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
* HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
* 1024MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* FREE Upgrade: 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
* Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

993.99 after rebate

i opted for the lowest Core 2 Duo as this is mainly a school computer (with the occasional entertainment/gaming sessions), but from what i understand, it's far from slow... just not as fast as the 2.0ghz T7200. it should also save on battery life i think?

lightscribe would've been cool, but lightscribe media is so expensive!

i got the HP Deskjet F380 All-in-One printer free after rebate also

can't wait to try out vista on this thing!

 

Very nice. What tweaks did you do to make to the screen???
I got the SEC screen too, and you are right, it is a little dim.

Please post your tweaks, I think a lot of others will also be interested because many poeple also got the SEC screen??

In fact, did anyone else also do any tweaks to the SEC screen to make it brighter???

 

I just got my dv2000t (1.83ghz core 2, 2 gb ram, etc.) so congrats to me. it is beautiful and fast, and the screen seems good. adjusted the mouse, which still isnt great, but whatev. for some reason I cant see what type of screen i have tho. i look in the device driver and check the properties for monitors, which shows me a plug and play monitor, and two default monitors. i've looked at each of these options and none of them list the screen manufacturer. i know i said im happy with the screen, but im still curious. Thanks for your help.

 

When did you order it?? I ordered my system on Monday and the anticipation is killing me I even got 2 day shipping to expedite the process.

 

Finally I pulled the trigger, bang....
-----------------------------------------------
Genuine Windows XP Media Center
( hmm... any differences between the 'genuine' and the ingenuine one? Redundant word or marketing tricks)

Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo T2250 (1.73 GHz/2MB L2Cache)
14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen!!
128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
HP Imprint Finish + Microphone + Webcam
512MB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
-----------------------------------------------

Grand total: $848 after rebate

Thoughts:

1. 512MB is definitely small but I am gonna buy a 1GB later and upgrade for a cheaper price. Anyone knows which brand is good for memory upgrade?

2. I deliberately chose a core duo 1.73Ghz because core 2 duo 2Ghz/4MB is $225 more expensive. This faster and more expensive processor can make me 'feel' better but I simply don't need the extra processing power. So I chose to be rational and cater for my needs insteads of my wants.

Also Core 2 duo 1.83Ghz is just slightly faster and I should not be able to notice the difference. Core 2 duo 1.66 or less, from what I heard, is slower than core duo 1.73---64bit applications are far far away. No need for that.

3. Fingercrossed for the screen. I eventually chose brightview and it is the hardest choice for me 'cause I do both a lot of browsing and watch tons of movies.

4. Lightscribe is good but it requires special discs coating to be functional. Besides I don't burn a lot of discs. I normally use external hd disk to backup my stuff.

5. Can't complain for the $848 price

6. The only gaming I would do is "Enemy Territory" and the graphic card is far more sufficient for that.

7. Hope it is very very quiet as the Review said. The fan and hd disk noise of my former thinkpad T43 dreaded me.

8. Where am I gonna spend the saved $225 from CPU? Maybe an external hard drive. Any suggestions?

 

dynamius -- nice price on that config -- it's a well-balanced system

slakuno -- another really good system config -- as for the monitor, the manufacturer is coded into the Hardware ID. So go to device manager -> properties -> Details tab --> Select hardware ID in the property drop down box -> You'll see something like MONITOR/AAA1111. Those first three letters tell you the panel manufacturer. Post those and someone will tell you what panel you have. I'd post all the options but, there are several and I don't feel like doing a search right now -- maybe later.

Thinkwierd -- someone else may be able to help you more than I on whose memory to get as a RAM upgrade. I usually use Corsair System Select memory to ensure compatibility with HP and Dell systems I upgrade. Never had a problem yet. NewEgg is always a good place to get the memory from, for a good price. Just realize that most "system qualified" memory costs more than basic DIMMs do, but you get assurance that it will work. Also, if you're thinking of upgrading to Vista I would recommend 2 GB RAM if you can afford it. It makes all the difference in the world -- not that 1 GB is slow on Vista, but 2 GB makes Vista scream like XP never could.


Welcome to the forums everyone! (I feel like a Walmart greeter lately. Great to see so many new owners though.)

As a recommendation to everyone, put your system config in your sig, so others will always know your specs and prospective owners can ask you questions or for suggestions on their own specs. Also, even if you're not sold on Vista, GET THE FREE UPGRADE discs you're entitled to. A couple of years from now, you WILL want Vista and you might as well get it for free. Also, if you have any Vista questions, ThunderRiver or I would be happy to answer them. We've both been using Vista throughout the beta, and (I think I can speak for him here) would be glad to help out.

 

Hi jadedraverla, do you know if vista will be backwards compatible with XP software? This is the main reason I'm holding back on Vista, I have so much software that I currently use it doesn't seem worthwhile to upgrade as of now.

 

Seeing as this is my first post, I'll say hello to anyone who happens to read this

I got my dv2000 (or dv2175ea to be precise) a couple of weeks ago after an unfortunate 'accident' involving my Toshiba Equium A60. Needless to say, insurance was called upon, and after around 30 minutes of wandering around PC World, I settled for this.

So far I'm impressed. I'm quite a demanding user, regularly having the computer on for 5 hour+ sessions, playing games and using music creation software, but this notebook seems to have no trouble with it.

The build quality is way above that of the Equium I used to own, and overall, it's hard to find a fault with it. But it's late, and I'm tired, so goodnight.

 

Well, there's a couple of things to consider. One is that there will be both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of Vista. If you choose the 64-bit version there are a few more software issues (not many though) than with the 32-bit. Most software works, especially the most recent version. The major programs that will require upgrades are system utilities (like antivirus) that rely on specific kernel-level drivers to function. IEXbeta maintains a list of compatible and incompatible software at http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List that will give you a good idea of what works, and what doesn't. Mainly it's just a matter of having the latest versions of your software though. Also, you can run the Windows Vista Upgrade advisor from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx that will scan your system and give you a report on both your hardware and software compatibility status.

 

Artood- I ordered mine on dec 30th, recieved it on the 9th. The estimated build date was the 11th, so i was amazed to have it as quickly as i did (especially considereing the 5-7 day shipping option selected). Anyway, good luck, and have fun when u get yours.

jadedraver- thanks, didnt know what u meant at first, but figured it out soon after. I got a phillips.

 

It all depends on M$'s market strategy and its relationship with other software makers.

I am pretty sure it will compatible with its own products like office 2003. Generally the majority of software you are using now should be able to run in Vista.

 

Hello to everyone and special thanks to Joystik for the information, like slakuno, I'm a little confuse on what monitor mfgr I got, as per Joystik's advice, I checked and only saw this DISPLAY\CMO1409\5&277D6735&0&00000118&01&00 under "Plug and Play Monitor"... it's CMO..

btw, I got mine last week...

 

Thanks jadedraverla and thinkwierd for the info.

 

Again, welcome to all the new people, especially those I haven't already welcomed individually. It'll be good to get some new blood in this thread -- it died off in the last couple of weeks... not sure why. The rest of this message is really just a long-winded tip sheet to all the new members posting in this thread. If you're not new, or just don't care for my opinion (I don't claim to be a mod or have any authority) feel free to skip the reading.

A couple of things: since you all represent a wide variety of system configurations, please post your specs in your signature. It's certainly not something you have to do, but it makes it easier for others to provide specific feedback to you on questions, and allows potential purchasers to ask you questions if your system closely matches the one they are considering. Also, when you get your systems please feel free to discuss things you like/dislike about the machines -- and don't be afraid to ask for tips/recommendations of software/accessories that work especially well on these machines.

Also, assuming you all got systems with either XP MCE or XP Pro, be sure to take advantage of the FREE Vista Upgrade offer. Even if you don't want to upgrade to Vista now, chances are you will in the future, and having a FREE copy is always nice. Also, Vista runs very well on mid to upper level configurations of the dv2000t, and I highly recommend it. The final version is quite impressive. Just for reference, some time ago I wrote a how-to guide on installing Vista on the dv2000t, which is still available here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=88574. It is based on the retail full/upgrade discs, not the Express Upgrade packs, but should give you a good idea of what to expect none the less. Also, HP hasn't yet posted Vista drivers on their website, but they are supposed to be up by the end of the month.

Lastly, for those who haven't received their systems yet, you can usually expect them before HP's initial estimated arrival date. On CTO systems, often the systems are built 1 or 2 business days early, and shipped out as soon as they are built. Since they are shipped directly from the factory in China, they quote 5-7 days for delivery, but that, too, is usually an overestimate to compensate for possible customs delays/other problems. Three days or so tends to be the standard.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your new systems and keep posting in these forums.

 

Got me one of these yesterday!

Now i wouldnt call myself an expert but ive used 4 laptops in the past 2 years and this laptop has to be so far the best one i've used. Granted i've used it for just under a day but so far it's done everything I've wanted it to do without fail!

I'm not into the whole buy direct or buy over the internet and wait 2 weeks before you receive it, I wan't to be able to go out and actually see the thing im buying in the 'flesh' So I purchased my DV2175EA from Currys.

Spec is:
Intel Core Duo 2
14.1 WXGA High Definition Brightview Widescreen Display (Personall I have no idea what the hell that means, all I know is that the screen is glossy!)
120GB Hard Drive
2048MB Ram
nVidia GeForce 7200

And it came with Media Centre.

I don't really want to play games on it, it's mainly for net surfing, and taking places with me, but i'm thinking it will play some games without problems if I felt the need to use it for that.

It's not the smallest, my brother has a laptop with an 11" display...I'd lose it! but it's smaller than my previous - (Toshiba Satillite Pro M70) and smaller than both the ones before that one (I can't remember what they where)

Bluetooth! I had no idea that it had this untill I noticed the logo on the bottom of the battery compartment! So that's an added bonus.
The remote control is somthing i'd definitly lose.

Being small, i'd expect it to be lighter than it is, but beggers can't be choosers. Another thing I don't like about it is the no latch to close the lid, somthing I don't understand why it's not there but oh well! So far it's been on since I got it, and thats about 20 hours and it's had no slowdown or anything like that and is running beutifully!

Overall i'd recomend my friends this for themselfs!

 

sweet mine just got delivered today. it's a CMO screen. how does a CMO screen compare to the others?

i have no point of reference to compare to, but from all the negative comments about the SEC, i get the impression that anything is better than SEC...

as for the CMO screen, they had it on max brightness when i turned it on, which actually hurt my eyes after a little while so i had to turn it down from 10 to ~7. viewing angle wise, it looked very good from all horizontal angles (no color inversion, from the hurthest side angle, the image on the screen reminded me of the mock display sticker like in those display models of PDAs and cell phones). only color inversion i saw was steeply looking vertically down and up at the screen.

 

Well, my screen is a CMO screen also. I can't compare it to all others, but compared to the SEC screen model that I looked at in-store, the screen is a vast improvement. I have no major complaints -- it's very clear and bright, and only the vertical viewing angles could be improved, although that is largely a problem with "glossy"-type screens.

Anyway, congratulations on the notebook.

 

I just got mine on Friday. I am pretty excited about it, specially after dealing with a faulty dv 6000.

Quick question: after I wake from hibernation there is a pop coming from the speakers. Has anyone had the same problem?

BTW, lots of great info on the previous posts! I love forums, alot better in providing info that calling CS/TS.


HP Pavillion dv2100
Genuine Windows XP Media Center
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache)
14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (CMO screen)
Graphics Card 128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
HP Imprint Finish + Microphone + Webcam
1024MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
CD/DVD Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
HP ExpressCard Analog TV Tuner!!
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Works/Money
System Recovery DVD w/Windows XP Media Center

Total system price: ????? don't ask!

**Considering getting the Media Remote and ditching (eBay) the TV Tuner card**​

 

That has happened with my notebooks too, albeit not all the time. I haven't pinpointed exactly what causes it, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.

 

From what i hear CMO screens are not bad at all, i am actually quiet happy with my SEC. By the way what bios are you guys running? I was thinking about updating the bios.. but the hp support page has version F12... my system came preloaded with F13.

 

My new dv2000t has a SEC screen, but it seems fine to me. Either I am not a discriminating computer user, or I got a decent one.

I really like my computer--still learning what all it can do...

 

glad to hear you liek yours, i love my dv200t. The size is perfect, the SEC screen i have is not bad at all.. just seems a bit dim at times.. but everything else is fine!

 

Hey first time poster here.. didn't know we had a forum here for us and I always came to this site.. hehe go figure

Anyway, I bought my DV2000t back in August with the older Core Duo 1.6ghz, 512MB Ram, 80GB HDD, Dual Drive DVD Burner without Lightscribe, and the integrated Mobile Intel 954 graphics card all for a little over $800 on ebay

Thinking back on it I really should've got it with the NVidia Graphics card. At the time I didn't plan to play games on it but I realize now that since I can't play some games that require a better graphics card I'm a little stumped but for the price I paid it's been well worth it.

The laptop has been great, I love the superior feeling I have when around other people with inferior laptops compared to mine. Only negatives from me are the erratic movements from the touchpad from time to time but it's no big deal. Also it's been addressed that the left side of the laptop gets a bit hot which is the reason I fell across this forum in the first place trying to find out who else has this problem. I find vacuuming the laptop vents from time to time can help out the issue.

HP all the way!

 

I got mine today and I really like it. Quiet, elegant and versatile.

 

I returned my dv6000t because of the annoying buzzing sound and got the dv2000z. It's still being built but I can't wait to get it. Should be in sometime next week.

 

I've had my lappy since 2/12 and I really love the way it looks and performs. It even plays 3-D games pretty good. The best part is that it has a price protection guarantee. I noticed a $30 price decrease for my specs and called them asap. They were happy to give me a credit.

Price protection policy
The HP Home & Home Office Store reserves the right to change prices at any time. Should we lower the price of the product you purchased, you may call 1-866-433-2018 within 30 days of receiving your order to request a credit for the difference between the price you paid and the current HP Home & Home Office Store selling price. This policy excludes mail-in rebates.

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Mobile AMD Sempron(TM) 3500+ (1.80GHz/512KB)
14.1" WXGA BrightView Widescreen!!
NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 6150 (128MB)
HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
2048MB DDR2 System Memory
Hard Drive 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
802.11a/b/g WLAN
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

!!Cant wait for my dv200t!! ^_^

just ordered, supposed to ship by march 7th.
Im upgrading from a 4 year old hp pavilion ze5345
2.4 ghz p4
512 ram
60 gig hd
ati integrated graphics card.. forgot the name..
xp.

to

HP Pavilion dv2000t CTO NB

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache)
* 14.1" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
* 128MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
* HP Imprint Finish + Microphone
* 512MB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
* 60GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
* 802.11b/g WLAN
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

i decided to keep 60 gigs because i never used more than 20 gigs on my older hp laptop.. i have an external drive for media files..
Also choose vista basic since its the same thing as premium with out useless memory hogging stuff like areo.. im likely to use classic mode anyway.

$989!
I buying a 1 gig card off a friend.

 

Just ordered a dv2000t last week off hp.com; hoping it'll come next week as planned. I thought I'd done plenty of reading up and comparison but I'd somehow missed out on all the negative repair/defect issues that HP has before I ordered mine. Still, there seem to be a lot of glowing reviews as well. I really like the features this laptop has over the Dell Inspiron line, which was my other pick.

I guess I just have to cross my fingers that mine won't have the problems that others have been reporting. I don't want to have to deal with customer service.

I got Vista Basic because I honestly don't want to doll out more for a higher OS when I'm already very happy with XP. But they don't have XP for laptops anymore. I assume that Vista Basic should at least be able to do most things that XP could, right?

 

Welcome to the new members! I think you'll all like your new systems.

BusinessPro -- If you use the system before upgrading the RAM, don't get too upset about the terrible performance with 512 MB. Once you get the extra 1 GB of RAM in there the system will fly.

Zhan Li -- Personally I find the non-aero Vista interface painful, but then I was testing Vista for over a year, and have become really accustomed to aero. If you don't mind being without it, Home basic will "do" most anything you need it to. You're primarily just lacking aero and Media Center from the Home Premium package, and if you don't want either of those then you're fine saving the money. Also, if you decide later that you want aero, you can use Windows anytime upgrade to upgrade Home Basic to Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate editions at a reduced cost. Also, it only takes a couple of minutes and doesn't require a reinstall. Pretty cool feature.

As for the anger on this board lately directed at HP -- it really isn't about poor hardware or anything that's likely to effect any of you. It's just that HP has gotten TERRIBLE about customer-service issues, and about supporting some existing systems with proper Vista drivers. Unfortunately, all the larger PC companies seem to have gotten awful about providing customer support, lately, so it's not really just an HP thing -- but something you do want to keep in mind. I highly recommend getting a large glass of your favorite alcoholic beverage before contacting HP support. You'll want to be drunk to avoid shouting at the people on the other end of the line, as they make up reasons why they shouldn't actually help you or why the problem is somehow not their fault. Better yet, just don't call if you can avoid it.

 

yea its comming with 512 and ive got a 1 gig ddr2 already
also bought wireless keyboard/mouse and notebook cooler all off newegg delivered in 1 hour since i live right by them

 

Just received my dv2000 and I noticed that the graphic card (geforce 7200) uses 256MB system memory (+32MB dedicated= 288) and not 96 like HP claims. It's quite a lot and I can't find a way to change it. any ideas?
Thanks

 

skywalker10 -- Under Vista, the graphics drivers work diffently than they did under XP. You cannot manually adjust the amount of RAM allocated to graphics... but 256 MB seems to be the max. I know that's the number that gets reported many places, but it doesn't seem to actually use that much unless it actually needs it.

 

Customer service and alcohol, eh? Somehow that sounds like an explosive combination I am hoping I won't have to call; if there're just small problems, I'm going to try and deal with them myself even though it's crazy to pay for a defective product in the first place. But I've read too many rants where people sent theirs back for repairs to have them returned all trashed.

Thanks for the welcome, jadedraverla! Actually, most of the negative opinions about the dv2000t I've read were not from this site/forum. I seem to see mostly positive things here, though I've read some rants, too. Mostly the pissed off gripes were on other review sites for the notebook scattered around the web, complaining about screen makes (SEC vs QDS or whatever is reputedly better) and this or that breaking just after warranty and being stuck with an expensive paperweight. Customer service does seem to be the main reason people "hate HP", and while I understand that this isn't an HP exclusive problem, that doesn't make me feel any better about buying from this company. Their laptop design is just too elegant to resist though...

On a related note, I went to a Best Buy today to get an in-person sneak peek of the dv2000t...probably should've done that before I ordered one, but review pics were good enough for me. After seeing it in person though, I love it already (after what I could glean from a 10 minute examination of the store model). So light! So slick! Just gimme a fully functional one that'll last me a few years and I'll gladly sing its praises.

Anyone here actually have a dv2000t or related smallish HP laptop that's lasted without major problems for at least 2-3 years?

I messed a bit with the quickplay buttons on the store model and was curious: the HP page said mine would have Quickplay 3.0. I googled and searched here about 3.0 and Vista; so it would seem that the Quickplay option avoiding the OS booting is gone? That's kinda disappointing if it is. Is the function recoverable at all with Vista?

 

Hey jadedraverla, I think it does't matter if it uses the extra memory or not, either way it's no longer available for other programs. quote frome HP site:

"...32mb is dedicated to video memory plus up to 96mb is allocated from system memory, which is used for video performance and is not available for other use by other programs. Shared video memory (UMA) uses part of the total system memory for video performance. System memory dedicated to video performance is not available for other use by other programs. Note - this disclaimer affects system memory, and Graphics..."

 

skywalker10 -- that quote is leftover from the old XP days. HP really hasn't gotten around to updating their site. Vista uses a completely different method of allocating shared RAM than XP did (when it was handled directly by the video card driver). Here's a link to the white paper that explains things in more detail: http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/c/5/9c5b2167-8017-4bae-9fde-d599bac8184a/GraphicsMemory.doc

Hope that helps.



Edit: To be more specific, it appears that through system BIOS or display drivers, the graphics adapter can demand a set amount of RAM be set aside, but using WDDM ATI, Nvidia, or Intel drivers this isn't done. If you right click on desktop, select "personalize", then select "display settings" and finally the adapter tab, you can see exactly what's available to your graphics card.

The video memory is split into:

Dedicated video memory (self-explanatory)
System video memory (RAM always reserved for graphics use)
Shared system memory (RAM available to the graphics chip as necessary)

If you notice, you should see a number in the shared system memory location, but not the system video memory location.

 

Thanks a lot jadedraverla
Another thing I run into is a problem playing DVD's fullscreen with windows media player when AERO interface is on. the picture is jumpy and not smooth. First I thought that the memory is insufficient (1GB) but then I saw it also occurs with 2GB of memory. Anyone know why is that?

 

Same here. The Go7200 is using 224mb of system memory on Vista. I read that Vista allocates your system RAM proportionately. So if you have 1gb of RAM, it'll use less. 2gb, it'll use more. But now I'm wondering what the benefit of the Go7200 is if it's only 32mb dedicated memory over the Intel GMA. Any ideas?

 

RockyM -- You are correct. Vista calculates memory allocation using a formula of MAX((Total system memory - 512MB)/2 ), 64. It then subtracts the dedicated video memory from that, and the remainder is made available as shared memory.

So, a dv2000t with 1 GB RAM will have 256 MB available of total video RAM - 32 MB of dedicated video RAM = 224 MB of shared RAM.

And a dv2000t with 2 GB RAM would have 768 MB available of total video RAM, but due to an aperture size limit imposed by either Vista or the Nvidia drivers, this is reduced to 303 MB - 32 MB of dedicated video RAM = 271 MB of shared RAM.

Also, with only 512 MB of RAM, none of the system's RAM will be available to be shared with the video card, which is part of the reason you CANNOT run aero on these notebooks with only 512 MB RAM.

As for the benefit of the Nvidia GeForce Go 7200 over the Intel graphics chip, that's kind of a touchy subject around here. The upside of the Nvidia chip is that it supports Shared Model 3.0 and is faster (and more compatible) overall in games, and has PureVideo for hardware-assisted video decoding. The downside is that it runs much warmer and uses more battery power. For everyday use in Vista, they're about on equal footing, but if you do much gaming or video work, then the Nvidia pulls ahead. Neither is a blazing-fast graphics chip, but which one you need really depends on your use.

 

Thanks Jade, very helpful. Two more questions:
- would DVD playback look smoother on a lappy with a Go 7200?
- how much hotter should a lappy run with the 7200? Wonder if that's why my fan is constantly spinning?

 

RockyM -- DVD playback has gotten so good in software that you really wouldn't notice the difference in quality (if any). If you used PureVideo capable drivers and software, though, you would use less CPU power to decode DVDs.

I'm not sure on the "how much hotter" part, but it does seem to be quite a bit under Vista. The reasoning (as it's been explained to me, no guarantee this is accurate) is that Nvidia GPU's have a 3d and a 2d mode. In 2d mode, they consume little power and produce little heat. The problem is that since Vista uses graphics acceleration to display aero, it forces the graphics chip into 3d mode ALL THE TIME, producing more heat and taking more power.

 

Interesting read. I may toy around with turning off the Aero interface and see what affect this has. (I'd only be missing the eye candy, which I honestly haven't seen all that much of anyway). That makes sense, I saw an option somewhere in Vista that had a boxed checked for "invisible" window frames (or something like that). It said "enabling this option will use more system resources", which I guess would increase power and heat.

 

Laptop's been shipped Can't wait!

So up to now, no chance for Vista (Basic)'s Quickplay 3.0 to ever be bootable outside the OS?

My rig's got 2 Gigs of RAM; does that help the computer deal with graphics-heavy programs like Photoshop or computer graphics/animation programs? Or is that more the processor's job?

(Hope my question isn't too stupid. I love computers but have only got a layperson's general knowledge that the more RAM and the more it costs, the more powerful it's likely to be...)

 

Zhan Li -- congrats, and welcome to the board.

Both the processor and the RAM can have a significant impact on the speed of high-end graphics apps. Without enough RAM, the system will be constantly paging data to the hard drive becuase there's just not enough room in memory to store the picture being edited along with whatever edits you are making. Similarly, the faster the processor, the faster effects can be applied, and the faster the application as a whole will open.

Overall, when using grpahics apps in Vista, 2 GB is HIGHLY recommended for best performance.