Finally received my dv9700t yesterday

Well I was one of the few that was able to jump on that $500 off coupon last week when HP wasn't supposed to be allowing it. Using that along with the other offers that were available at the time I think I got a decent deal.

HP Pavilion dv9700t Entertainment CTO NB
- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
- 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition Ultra HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
- 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS!!
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth
- 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
- Microsoft(R) Office Basic 2007

All for $1552.05 after taxes and recycling fees. Not bad I must say.

So it was shipped out from Shanghai Monday morning, and arrived at my door yesterday morning at 9:15. I immediately opened the packed and inspected everything as closely as I could, and could not find a single blemish. So I threw the battery in, plugged it in, and then fired it up. After a few hours of uninstalling programs, tweaking settings, burning the restore discs, installing updates and installing programs, I couldn't be happier. Not a single dead pixel either. I still have to figure out Vista. I have been going through the Tips and Tweaks thread, and that's helped me get used to the new OS. For now, I'm planning on running it as is, but in time will probably rebuild from scratch. Right now I just want to see how well I like Vista. I still have a ways to go before it's just how I want, but so far, I'm as happy as could be.

 

Sick machine, im kinda jealous
Impressive price too...

Would you run Astra32 and list who makes your LCD?

 

I can, but I won't be able to until this evening or this weekend, as I'm at work now, but I will try to post back in the next few days about that.

 

Wow, that is awesome Sac! When was your estimated build date?

 

Estimated build date was Wednesday the 26th, and so it was shipped out a couple of days early.

 

Let me know what kind of issues you run into installing SP1 and drivers for that video card...

I couldn't figure it out and I want to see if it was just me or what.

 

No problem. I installed all available Windows and HP updates yesterday, and SP1 was never an option. I haven't started going through and upgrading the drivers for everything yet. That's next. As far as SP1 itself, I'm in no hurry to force it. I'll just install it when it shows up.

 

I definitely don't want to poo poo your good mood because I love that new laptop high! Just run the heck out of it for the next 21 days (I'm assuming you bought it through HPShopping). I had to return 2 within a week of getting them and my third one just went in for repair on day 32 of ownership. I have no idea why the bad streak of luck but they've all been unrelated hardware issues.

I hope yours works out for you because I loved my 3rd one...when it worked. Hopefully it will come back next week in the pristine shape it was in when it left here for repairs!

Like I said, not trying to poo poo on the parade. Just do everything you can on the laptop within your return period and enjoy!

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

No problem. Like I said, don't let me spoil your fun by any means. Let me tell you what happened with the 3 I had so you can keep an eye out...

First one - DVD drive failed within 48 hours
Second one - LCD backlight was dim on one side and then dead pixels started appearing within 2 weeks.
Third one - (in for repair) - LCD is totally black and won't come on. Apparently, other DV9500T and DV9700T owners have experienced this same problem and the LCD cable and motherboard had to be replaced. I don't have a report on what's going to be fixed on mine yet.

Anyway, I hope my situations were just weird flukes and hopefully I got all the bad ones. I'm definitely not an HP hater. I've been a customer for 15+ years but I'm a little sorry I gave them a third try on this series because you shouldn't be sending in a one month old laptop in for repair.

Like I said, chances are, you'll be fine with yours just be on the lookout and test, test, test.

Most of all, have fun. If anything happens, it's easy to return in the 21 days for your money back or an exchange. I have experience on that one (twice!). LOL (Hey, I've got to keep my sense of humor up. It's all I've got right now!)

 

Guys, would you mind continuing to post your thoughts on this machine? I'm on the fence between a dv2700t and dv9700t and am really interested in hands-on impressions.

I currently have a Lenovo x61t which I detest more with each passing day. I'm going to dump it and the question now is whether I want a 14" or 17" lappy to replace it.

Many thanks.

 

wat about the dv6700t. is a 15.4 inch

 

How mobile do you want to be with your laptop? I have the DV9700T and I can't imagine lugging it around all day. But I only use it at home so it's a perfect size for me. I love the big screen.

Right now I'm having to use my backup 15.4" and I still haven't gotten rid of my headache because I feel like I'm squinting at it. Funny what you get used to!

 

Just got my dv9700t on Wednesday!!! I love it. Just watched my first Blu-Ray movie. It was "Gone Baby Gone", which I picked up at Best Buy for 19.99. It looked awesome, though my lappy heated up a little.

 

Congrats to you too. I haven't had any problems with heat, but that could be because I picked this up and had it waiting for my laptop to arrive.

SP1 showed up last night, so I got that all installed without a hitch. The only drivers that I have updated at this point are the ones that have shown up with HP or Windows Updates. Oh and the Light Scribe one as well, but that's been it. I will probably check out the latest video drivers today.

Next on my list is to find a decent sleeve for it. I liked the looks of the Slappa, but it appears that the laptop is too thick for it. Still on a hunt though.

 

You can also undervolt this puppy and it will feel like a cool cucumber. Here's a thread where others helped me and I dropped my temps significantly. (Lots of screens in this thread too):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=228934&highlight=undervolting+penryn

 

Monitor Vendor = Seiko Epson

 

No, I haven't had big heating problems. In fact, it feels quite cool during normal use. It just got a little hot during Blu-Ray playback. I'll wait to see if I need the cooling pad

 

is the fan sound loud when watching a movie, or is there really any sound at all?

 

Well I knew that I was going to want a lap pad of some sort anyway, so I figured that it would be best to go ahead and get one with fans. I don't know at this point how necessary it will actually be in the future, but either way, better to have it too cool if anything.

 

Not sure if you are referring to the fan on the laptop, or the fan on the cooler. The laptop is super quiet, at least for everything that I have done so far. The cooler does create a little bit of fan noise, but I don't find that it is overwhelming. As for how this will affect watching movies, my opinion is that if you are super picky about any kind of noise, then it will bother you, but I personally don't think that it would bother me at all. Plus if I'm watching a movie on the laptop, I'm probably using headphones anyway, because otherwise I will be watching on my 55" LCD, not on my 17" laptop. Everyone is different though.

 

I also just got my 9700t a couple of days ago, really liking it so far. Vista is a little hard to get used to, but I may like it better than XP eventually if it proves to be stable for me. I love how fast it boots up, I just don't know where anything is, LOL. Only one dead pixel, and it's off to the side. I'm already wishing I had more than 3GB of ram though, even with a clean install of Vista I am using it all up and had Ad Aware crash on me just a couple of hours ago.

 

RAM is so cheap now with mail in rebates, you might as well buy 2 sticks of 2GB.

 

I totally agree with you on the XP vs. Vista points. I'm still working on finding everything myself, but so far I like Vista.

On another point, I was worried that my camcorder was going to have issues with drivers, but when I plugged in the firewire cable, it loaded everything necessary, and imported video without a hitch.

 

Just lugging it back and forth to work really. I do travel a bit but rarely fire up on the plane, etc.

I've ultraportabled to death and want some power in my lappy. The 14" gives a bit of both but I figure why not go all out?

 

Speaking of Ram, does anyone know how much ram that the dv9700t is upgradable to? I might want 8 Gigs (2 4GB dimms) of ram one day!!!!

 

I just invested in Microsoft One Care. I heard some pretty decent things about it. You can run it on three machines per account and is not all that expensive at $49.99. It's an awesome little too that takes care of my PC.

 

2x2gb = 4gb so far.

8gb will be supported by a 64bit OS. Too bad HP's BIOS wont. Who knows maybe HP will make it capable later down the road...

 

What? so I take that as a no. not even 3x3 = 6gb? I have a 64bit OS. You're saying my drawbac will be the BIOS? Can tha be fixed or adjusted (i.e. hacked) to support more than 4?

 

Bossy573

I ordered the Hp dv6700tse 15.4 inch laptop recently. It worked great and I had no complaints. I kept it for just short of three weeks and returned it. I decided I wanted a bigger screen so I ordered a 17 inch dv9700t. I used the $500 coupon on both machines.

- 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

The 12 cell battery will last much longer than the 9 cell. If you need a longer battery life and want the 17 inch you will need to buy a second battery.

I have had the 17 inch for about a week and it has been great. I like the full keyboard and the screen if possible seems even better than the 15.4 inch, which was very good to begin with. I like the higher resolution screen. It took a little getting use to because everything is much smaller. I first increased the font and icon size by increasing the DPI. But after awhile I settled on the smaller size. Even with my 50 year old eyes I have gotten use to and prefer the smaller size. It makes viewing multiple windows that much easier and increases the effective screen space dramatically. When reading news and other articles I just enlarge the screen with the zoom function. It is very easy to do in IE in Vista.

F.Y.I., on a laptop making everything bigger by dropping the native display resolution does not work well. Unfortunately on lcd screens there is a significant loss in sharpness and appearance of everything. Objects will look blurry and stretched. The best way to increase the icon and font sizes is by increasing the DPI. However increasing DPI has limitations as well. If you want a higher resolution screen be prepared for some instances of viewing small text. For me the benefits out weigh the drawbacks.

The 17 inch multimedia unit is larger and about a pound or so heavier. If you are planning to cart it around in a backpack I wouldn't recommend it. If you are just carrying it back and forth from the car to the office or home or coffee shops it isn't a problem at all. For me the larger screen and improved display quality are more than worth the added bulk and extra weight. I measured the screen surface areas and the 17 inch affords 31% more viewing area than a 15.4 inch. Movies are home theater quality.

Overall I am very happy with my choice of the 17 inch HP dv9700t laptop. If you purchase it with the $500 coupon it is the best deal in town.

Good luck in your choice!

 

Good luck finding 2x3gb RAM. You only have 2 ram slots and i havent seen a 3gb stick before

HP's BIOS wasnt designed to support more than 4gb. Hopefully they will release a BIOS later that can support more RAM

 

Canyon - how did you get the $500 off TWICE! I have missed it twice! Tried last night to order a 9700t and it did not work. Great price for that lappy.

BTW - besides DPI, you can also make adjustments to font sizes in "Appearance" by clicking the Advanced tab (sorry, I sent my Vista box back and an working on XP now - can't remember where Appearance is in Vista). I made multiple adjustments to anything with a font size in Appearance and that coupled with an increase in DPI helped bridge the gap between readable fonts and retaining excellent resolution.

 

Thanks for the Appearance tip. I will check it out.

There were two $500 coupon offers in the last 6 weeks.

I priced a similarily configured dv9700t today. HP's non coupon price was nearly $500 more than what I paid for it. I think the new coupons come out on Sundays. Watch for them. The first coupon offer expired in a day and a half, the second one ran for two weeks. I think that duration was unusual. You have to jump on them right away.

Good Luck!