HP 2000t - some bad things I have noticed

I got my 2000t around Dec 5th or so. My use of this computer is for business purposes and personal photo editing and internet browsing but not games.

I bought this specifically due to size. I had tested a Toshiba 14" and the new Sony C.

I have been reading a lot on notebook review and this is my way of giving something back.

Up till now, you always read about what is good about the computer and generally not what is bad. Of course, somethings that are really bad are noted.

Here is my take on this from the perspective of a business user. I use this computer for at least 8 hours a day.

The bad:

1. The AC plug is on the side of the computer. This is very incovinient for me because I use the "laptop" computer on my lap at home and sometimes I tend to widen my legs and the computer "slightly" slips between the legs...well the AC adapter gets in the way.

It should be on the back and not on the side in my opinion.

2. The AC plug connection to the computer is very very fragile in my opinion. It seems that it will fall off if just nudged a bit or worse yet, break. It has a lot of movement that I am not comfortable with. I need a plug that plugs in and is a solid connection.

3. The network cable is also on the side of the notebook. Again, this is not good since at my office table, I do not want to see wires running...however, with the side connections, it comes in my way. As a business user, I always have things by my laptops...notepads, files and such. Now with the cables running, I have to make space for that. If it was on the back like many other laptops, it wouldn't be a problem.

4. The Headphone/speaker connections are at the front. Now, which genius thought of this. It is totally inconvinient to connect external speakers since now I have wire running from the front to the speakers. Until Bluetooth speakers come along, this is the only way.

5. The trackpad is position a little too much to the right side of the laptop. Why? Well, cause "Scroll" function on the trackpad is constantly activated while I am typing resting my hands on the palm rest. I am right handed like the majority of people and when I type, my bottom of the right thumb sits on this scroll feature and constantly scrolls up and down. I have to deactivate this. If it was positioned slightly to the left, the problem wouldn't exist.

6. The trackpad buttons do not respond as quickly. sometimes they don't at all and I have to press them again. Its like my first click never was registered.

7. The USB connections are a bit stiff. I have to literally apply a bit of force to get them in. Why couldn't they do that for the AC plug rather then the USB.

There are more issues and I will add later as I have to go into a meeting.

Mind you, these are my thoughts based on how I use it and I could have bought a business class laptop, however, I wanted the multimedia features also and the cool look. And to be honest, most of the faults are in design.

I may be returning this laptop...not sure yet.

 

I have had some very similar problems with my dv2000t (see link below). Quite simply, I think it's a poorly made laptop, and their customer service/tech support is even worse. The have really nice salespeople, but once you've received the product, you're screwed:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=94407

 

Some other issues as promised:

8. The wireless on/off switch is very fragile. I turn it off at work and when I get home, somehow, it has turned itself on again. This happens everyday. All I do is put it in my bag and transport it. I notice that it is just flimsy.

9. The HardDrive is making a lot of clicking noise for some reason. I have the 120Gig one.

10. Performance wise, I do not see that much of a difference that I expected to see jumping from my P4 2.4ghz. It seems slow to me for some reason. And I have the T7200 CPU with 2gig RAM.

Basically I have the top of the line lappy with HP on this line and it doesn't feel that way.

Buyers, be aware of these issues before you spend your money.

 

Yeah, yeah, there always prons and cons.

The AC position is OK for me since I don't really wider my legs from time to time, just prevent the HDD cook me. When it really stay on my lap, the HDD is the main heat source instead of the vent. Talk about fragile plug, IBM does the same thing, and nobody complain about it. I think you will get use to it anyhow.

The network cable does annoying me. My office wire is kind of short, old and stiff. It always lose the connection when I try to move it. But this never happened in my home with new flex cable.

Trackpad does not bother me at all. It would surely affect someone's typing behavior. I really pay attention of my hands position when I am typing. My right palm is naturally rise up, and my left palm rest on the machine. I guess your typing position is just the opposite of mine. Talk about the button, it is slow, but it just right for one click. If I want a double click, just hit the pad twice, not the button. I think this button is awesome compare to those stiff button (like in IBM) especially for CAD/CAE tasks.

USB slots are stiff, and hard to plug stuff in. Also I found sometime it automatically power off my external HDD.

I didn't have issue with my wireless switch. Yes, it is fragile, but it stay where it should be all the time. I have a cheap $12 bag for this machine, and it protects tightly not let anything touch any button/switch. Your switch out of position probably because your machine travel a lot in your bag.

Another thing annoys me is the battery. It automatically drop below 95% after a few day of use and start charging for 20 minutes. I almost connect to AC all the time except not using. I don't know if this is a defect of the battery or the machine.

 

yea you will find problems like that on most laptops

I have a v3000z - same look just about

works good -

the The AC plug will be easy to break off no matter were it is
- all my laptopts that I have had, had the plug on the side
well except one, mac power book

the same for the network and phone ports - there all on the side

the head phone jack on the front - I have an 5 year old compaq thats
like that, all the rest is on the side, just broke off the head phone jack
on my Dell inspron 5000, had to rewire it, looks ugly, it was on the side

I dont have a problem with the trackpad is position or buttons
but - most of the time I use a USB mouse when I am at a desk

The USB connections are a bit stiff - yes they are - I had to force
them in realy hard - kinda scared me

I have no wireless on/off switch problems, but my laptop case is different,
I guess its rubbing your laptop and turning it on I mean the switch

I have a AMD sempron witch should be slower than yours - mine is a lot
faster than my single core AMD XP 1800+ desktop computer - might be
all the junk programs if there still installed

I do have one or 2 gripes - the hard drive cover is flimsy and when
you take it off you could break it, and wireless is not Linux friendly

as far a hard disk clicking - that may be a bad sign - mine never does,
I work part time at a computer repair shop - when I find hard disks that
cliick and knock a lot - most of the time that means there bad, or going
bad, I did have one desktop drive that knocked for a year - used for video
recording, and bam one day it died

here is a web page on Hard disk sounds

and another on hard disk sounds its sound recordings of drives going bad

hope this helps

 

imho, i think you two are very picky. i have my own small gripes with the dv2000z but overall i think it a nice laptop. i don't think anybody has the "perfect" laptop. i don't understand why some manufacturers put vents on the side, especially the right side. actually, i do have a gripe with hp. i bought it thinking the go6150 was going to have 256 memory but it seems that hp and/or nvidia screwed up "intentionally" because i know it only uses 128megs.

 

The 256 only happen when you install 2GB RAM. Guess what, mine only show 64MB. Just because I only have 512MB RAM. That is Nvidia Turbo cache things. It has 64MB on board dedicate RAM, and use whatever MB RAM when it "think" necessary. Well, sometimes we think differently as they do.

 

i have 2 gigs or ram, and turbocache isn't supported with the 6150.