HP 9700 Review

Please note I have re-reviewed the comparison please also read my new reivew.


The HP DV 9700 T is the same as the HP DV 9500 T except for a few exceptions:

1. The video card options have changed and the Nvidia 8600 video card now offers 512 fixed memory instead of 256 fixed memory. A little strange as Nvidia still shows 256k as the maximum fixed ram but HP may be having it upgraded for them.

2. The SATA 7200 hard drive minimum 1s now 240gb instead of 120gb.

3. H.P. has stopped selling the recovery disks as an option. One has to wonder if this is due to the firmware not possibly not matching the recovery disks approx. mid July thru end of Oct. They may be busy updating all the sotware and offer the disks latter.

4. The 9700 T Intel 2.2 processor is the highest processor offered vs the 2.4 previously offered on the 9500T.

The cost is about the same as the old 9500 T except you get a little more for your money.

I have the DV 9500 T as follows and find it excellent:

I tested it with dirext x 9 With company of Hereos Opposing Fronts with all the video options turned up to thier maximum settings and was rated "average" buy their internal tests. The game ran excellent and the graphics were great.

Processor 2.4 mhz Intel
Ram 4 MB (purchased with 2mb and upgraded to 4mb $106 delivered at
shop.kingston.com).
Video Board 8600m GS 256k ram (acutally its 256 fixed and up to 768 shared.
Hard Drive - Sata 160gb 7200RPM
CD/DVD - Lightscribe super multi 8x
Screen - Bright View High definition Ultra
Networking - 4965 AGN with bluetooth
Tuner card - anolog / digital option
Personalization - hp imprint finish+microphone+webcam
Headphone - singe pair option
Software - Restore disk factory option
Operating System - Vista 32 bit Premium
Battery - High Capacity 8 cell

The 9500T I received in Nov. worked great and seemed to fix all of the earlier problems the unit had earlier in the year. Which means that the 9700T should work perfectly as well. The only thing that is a little strange is that the are failing to offer the 2.4 processor. I can't help and wonder if this is because they have a shortage of 2.4 chips or the video board with 512k fixed ram does not support the 2.4 processor for some reason.

Suggestion: If you want to: pay less, get your 2nd year of extend service free, get technical service in the USA all of the time purchase from Costco.com They also give you a 90 day return policy with no return charges.

 

I think that they added the 512 mb of vram for nothing it is not going to help. Cant wait till DV10000T!

 

IS there much fan noise on the 9000's? I read the 6000's have a lot of fan noise, how about these models?

Thanks.

 

Looks like I need to return my DV9500t and require for an exchange for DV9700t before my trial time expires soon.

When I installed XP on this DV9500t, the Nvidia 8600 driver property shows 512MB instead of 256MB.

 

Hmmm! That's interesting. Are we missing something here? I wonder...

 

I got the driver from some Chinese websites, now in my Windows XP, it shows 512MB clearly.

Something wrong?

 

It's odd to me all this, maybe 'cause I know nothing about video cards. All I need to know is that 511mb and 512 mb is not as big deal as it is with Stream Processors. if I had known the BIG difference that the Stream Processor makes regarding video cards performance I'd have done a more carefull decission before buying my laptop.

But I must admit, that I don't regret the decission I chose when got my
dv9500t, because I never really thoguht about playing as it's mainly for my work and not gaming. And despite the difference between 8600m GS and
8600GT (The first one Stream Processor is 16bit and the second one 32bit) I can still enjoy good games like Age Of Empires 3 and Command Of Heroes with a pretty decent quality.

 

lol, i got the dv9500t and im still under the return limit, should i return it to get the newer dv9700 or are they pretty much the same?

 

If you have nothing to loose.. I say, you get the dv9700.

 

approximatly how much time we have to wait until DV10000T will be available?
what the main difference will be between DV9700T and DV10000T?
Will it come with WIMAX chipsed echo peak? embedded ro add-on?

 

hehe... its probably going to be the dv9800t next

 

hope its a complete redesign instead of small upgrades

 

this is odd... there is no option for the 2.4ghz processor on the dv9700. Thats the processor i have on my dv9500, why is it not available for the newer model?

Alex

 

im not to sure but it probably has something to do with supply and demand. you are probably one of the few who ever bought one with a 2.4, or maybe it gets to hot. im not to sure just a guess...

i got the 2.00 its good, but in the feature i might need a faster one, i was boging down a little yesturday i kinda mad i didnt get the 2.2 with 2mb more cache, for only $100 more. anyway is it possible to buy a new laptop prossesor and put it in my laptop?

 

just for the record... and in case you want to upgrade, the 2.4 does not get hot, it runs beautifully and i do a lot of processor intensive work like video editing i recommend it 100%

Alex

 

I had a dv9500t and for my money the dv9700t is a down grade. I also wasted my money on a HD drive and no HD movie will play on it. I have to hook it up to the HDMI port to see it.

 

I just replaced my DV9500t with the DV9700t and for a $140 more i got a few upgrades here is my config.

DV9500t (sending it back this weekend)
HP Pavilion dv9500t customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* 17.0" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
* 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
* FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone!!
* Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
* FREE Upgrade to 240GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
* FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support!

* High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


and the DV9700t (built by jan.31)

HP Pavilion dv9700t customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition Ultra HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
* 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
* FREE Upgrade to HP Imprint Finish (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

* High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

i dont think its a downgrade!???

 

The screen is a downgrade in resolution

 

is there any specific reason you are going with an ultra screen instead of the bigger res u had before? im thinking of going with the ultra screen as well. any reason u upgraded the HD? did the 5400 run to slow for ur taste?

 

i dont think its a downgrade anyway heres a quote from another member

"I have had both the WSXGA+ and UltraBrightview WXGA screens next to one another. There is a ridiculous difference between the two. The UBV WXGA screen is like 2.5x as bright as the WSXGA+ screen, and the colors are more vibrant."

 

Thats strange. Every HD-DVD movie I've thrown at this thing has played flawlessly for me (CyberLink PowerDVD). I too was nervous about getting this laptop, but I have NOT at all been disappointed! Compared to my old bulky zd7000, this thing runs almost as if by magic! There was, however, alot of backlight bleeding on the edges. Anyone know if this is normal? I was this close to returning it. I don't think its gotten worse, however...

 

Hi,

The problem that I see with my HP 9700t is about the resolution. With 96 Dpi the texts are so small that it's not possible to read without strain. Now, if I personalize that to 120 Dpi, all the resolution gets distorted and pictures, icons etc. becomes fade. Even with this I find the text size of different sites like www.cnn.com etc. very small. Now, if I zoom, the picture gets distorted. If I increase the text size to Largest, it doesn't have proper effect. If I compare this with HP Pavilion 6700t laptop, I don't see this issue. With 6700t laptop at 96 Dpi settings all the texts comes in decent size and pictures doesn't get distorted. So, it works proper even without Zooming. Is there anything that I am missing in the settings or is it the flaw with 9700t model. Can anyone advise on this.

 

I think HP blew it with the 95/97 those have to be the worst keyboards I have ever used. Yes the zd8000 is a brick, but I never fell like I'm one step away from breaking it. There is a huge amount of flex under the number pad and Crysis plays like garbage (13 seconds to bring up the menu well no thanks HP) Gateway or Sager will get my cash.

Also I stick by what I said the 97 is a down grade from the 95 more vid card mem doesnt give you anything. The only up side is the Blu-Ray drive that is less than the HD drive and can play both formats (make sure you read the fine print).

 

Hi,
The problem that I see with my HP 9700t is about the resolution. With 96 Dpi the texts are so small that it's not possible to read without strain. Now, if I personalize that to 120 Dpi, all the resolution gets distorted and pictures, icons etc. becomes fade. Even with this I find the text size of different sites like www.cnn.com etc. very small. Now, if I zoom, the picture gets distorted. If I increase the text size to Largest, it doesn't have proper effect. If I compare this with HP Pavilion 6700t laptop, I don't see this issue. With 6700t laptop at 96 Dpi settings all the texts comes in decent size and pictures doesn't get distorted. So, it works proper even without Zooming. Is there anything that I am missing in the settings or is it the flaw with 9700t model. Can anyone advise on this.

 

vega: It sounds like a setting problem. There are ways you can configure settings like fonts, icon sizes, window frame sizes. Post a screenshot, or even a digital photo, and maybe someone will have a better idea if there's something abnormal about your settings. Perhaps just loading a different display theme will clear it up.

 

Thanks Dacher,

I tried changing the text size, personalizing to 120 Dpi, yet I find the text becoming real small. If I compare that with dv6700 with only 96 dpi, text size = medium and zoom = 100% I get decent fonts whereas for the same settings I find the font size too small. I had to manage the fonts by increasing the zoom but with that distortion of images comes in.

Appreciate, if you can tell me what other settings that I am missing.

 

Hey guys...

I dont know much about video cards...so I had a question for you...whle I was going through this review I saw actually certain people referring to Nvidia 8600m GS only having 256mb dedicated memory while on HP site for 9700t they are saying that the 8600m GS has 512mb dedicated memory...I myself went to Circuit city and checked out HP 97xxt with 8600m GS video card and it showed 512 dedicated memory on Vista Home Premium with a overall System Base Score of 4.5...

1) Now what I would like to know is that...is Nvidia 8600m GS 256mb or 512mb? (No doubt I myself have seen laptop showing it 512mb)

2) Is it a good gaming GPU or not...the reason I ask this is because it shows 4.5 as the system base score on Vista...Since microsoft say that any computer with base score of over 4 or 5 is a gaming and graphic computer???

now I have seen my friend who also has a HP dv2700t with a base score of 3.5 on his laptop play Need For Speed Carbon at Max level and couple other games...

3) What is the difference between 8600m GS and 8600m GT...is it that GS is 256mb and GT is 512mb or both are 512mb and clocking speed is different...what is it???

My first laptop was a HP dv9000z...I sold it since I wanted to get a new laptop and it had Nvidia geforce 6150 GPU...sucked for gaming...even playing HALO 1 was hard time...lol

So I would like to know the answer to this question and what kind of graphics card should i get on my next laptop...I like to play games...I am sure it is going to be and HP 17' just like my previous dv9000z...or if I should get something else (other manufacturer, other then HP)....Thanx

 

1) I believe they recently changed the card from a 256 to a 512. The 9700t I received last week had the 512 8600 GS in it.

2) Yes, while not "top of the line" it definitely is good for gaming. You won't be able to play all games on max settings, but it's still a good card.

3) GT > GS even though it's 256 instead of 512 although some say that they're pretty close

I couldn't be more happy in the week that I've had mine, but then again my previous desktop that this laptop replaced was a real dinosaur.

 

I would not pay $900 for this laptop. Check out the new gateway if you want great budget gaming. http://www.gateway.com/programs/pseries/index.php

 

Thnx for showing me that....gateway....

 

Thank you to new2notebook as well...for clearing out my doubt...

 

Forum fanboy'ism at its best. The cheapest Gateway on that series is 1600$


Compare a 1000$ laptop with a 1000$ laptop.



It's a personal opinion, but "budget gaming" and "laptop" don't go together imo. If you want a cheap computer than can handle games then build yourself a desktop!

 

I think that the dv9700t is overall pretty slick. I like the all around glossy finish as well as the surprisingly low weight. The full sized keyboard is nice. I used to dislike the touchpad until I adjusted a few settings in the synaptic mouse tool. My only contention is that my dvd-rw doesn't seem to work very well and it takes forever for the cd to spin up. I'll get it sent back when i'm not as busy.

 

How did they manage to find 2x 1.5Gb sticks? I thought it only comes in 1Gb and 2GB respectively. Unless they aren't running dual channel and using 1Gb and 2Gb dimms which would reduce your performance. I'd be interested to know because if that is the case, my "hunch" is that 3Gb is going to run slower than 2Gb in dual channel mode unless you are photoshoping 1Gb files.

Surprised that gateway are still around, they went broke in Australia years ago, despite their fetish for all things cow..and Australians love their beef. Do they still make overpriced PCs with crap proprietary components?

I dunno about an 8800 in a laptop, my PC system with an 8800GTS gets mighty hot and chews through the power..and the size of it! I just can't see how they could fit that into a laptop without some serious battery life and heating issues. Would not like to be an early adopter!

 

Where do you see the 8800gts being offered? not from HP:-/ I would return mine and get it just for the GT.

 

gateway is avialable now with 8800 nividia!at bestbuy=1349$
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8651167&productCategoryId=pcmcat138500050001&type=product&tab=7&id=1195599780039#productdetail
also its review avialable here
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4208

 

my god, that's pretty good except the processor is only 1.67 ghz

 

processor can be upgraded later....u can read this in the review!

 

I have the DV 9500 T as follows and find it excellent: The que;stion is sohuld I upgrade to the 9700. To find out lets review what I have first and tested.

I tested it with dirext x 9 With company of Hereos Opposing Fronts with all the video options turned up to thier maximum settings and was rated "average" buy their internal tests. The game ran excellent and the graphics were great. It has also been tested with Call of Duty on and off line as well as Netflix on line and all programs worked well.

Processor 2.4 mhz Intel
Ram 4 MB (purchased with 2mb and upgraded to 4mb $106 delivered at
shop.kingston.com).
Video Board 8600m GS 256k ram (acutally its 256 fixed and up to 768 shared.
Hard Drive - Sata 160gb 7200RPM
CD/DVD - Lightscribe super multi 8x
Screen - Bright View High definition Ultra
Networking - 4965 AGN with bluetooth
Tuner card - anolog / digital option
Personalization - hp imprint finish+microphone+webcam
Headphone - singe pair option
Software - Restore disk factory option
Operating System - Vista 32 bit Premium
Battery - High Capacity 8 cell

The 9700 was almost exactly the same until recently when HP added some interesting features.
1. The 2.4 processor with 4mb cache has been updated to a 2.5 with 6mb cache.
2. The Nvidia 8600m now has a dedicated 512 ram instead of 256k

So the real question was is thier a real difference to get the answer I talked to 4 sources.

First I called intel and discussed the difference between the processor aside from being a tad faster the chip runs cool and the cach is a little larger. However when playing games thier is not expected to be any noticable change in gaming quality.
Next I called Nvidia basicaly if you have 4mb of ram the 256k will be almost the same since the shared portion will give you well over 512k. Other than memory the board is the same.
I then spoke with my network tech and a tech at COSTCO to see if they new of any major performance changes which they did not.
The difference between the 9500 and the 9700 are not huge. However a major change was really never needed as the 9500 is a great machince for most people. The 9700 does now offer a few new options that the 9500 did not at lower costs. Oh one worrd of note the recovery disks are now offered again it appears HP has caught up on the problem they had with the disks not matching the firmware on an earlier problem I mendtioned in an earlier review.
In case your wondering if I am putting my money where my mouth is I have a few weeks left on my return policy and could update from the 9500 to the 9700 but after speaking to my fellow tech's thier is something to be said for keeping a working system that has all your programs working. HP has designed a rather nice laptop and at a good value. I think that it will problably serve the purposes for most people even medium gamers.

 

thanks for the review man

 

I own a dv9700t, anyone here had any luck playing Blu Ray movies? Over the weekend I tried to play Spiderman 3, and did not work. any suggestions?

 

played 2. the game plan and spiderman 3

 

This is the ad I saw.
"Stylish HP Laptop!! - $550

HP Pavilion Entertainment PC laptop for sale. Rarely used, and very well taken care of.

* 17" widescreen - perfect for DVDs
* 1 GB of RAM
* 100+ GB Hard drive
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* Microsoft Office 2007: Excel, OneNote, Powerpoint and Word
* Microsoft Works
* Wi-Fi ready [Use it at Starbucks!]
* Comes with stylish laptop case.
in a very good condition...We don't really use it, that is why Im selling it.... bought it in April of 2007....
Asking price: $550
Call (909) 543 - xxxx. Serious inquiries only."
I called and it is a young, seemingly rich, bubbly girl selling her laptop. She doesn't know what it is so she has to look and I have to call her back tomorrow(but she still might not know what it is). Her cousin posted the internet ad for her. Since she bought it in April of 2007, and I'm guessing she called HP to buy it, what dv pavilion model do you guys think it is? Thank you. And I should probably buy it regardless right?

 

it's some type of amd i'm sure. not a real big amd fan anymore....
if it was bought in april then chances are it might be coming out of it's 1 year warranty, so be prepaired to spend if something goes wrong.....

 

Call again and ask her to turn the laptop over and the actual model number will be printed near the Windows Key. I know it will no doubt have the basic series number probably somewhere on the moulding around the monitor, such as Pavilion 9700 for example. But on the sticker underneath it will say something more like DV9710ca for example. Thats what you can look online for the specs.
I'd add some more RAM though...you'd be happier.

 

for $550 could i do better? I got $750 to spend for a laptop for college.
It seemed that with 1gb of ram it's got to be the AMD or maybe it's a previous model DV series notebook. What was HP selling in April 2007? What was the previous series (before the current 9700) called?

 

9500/9600 if im not mistaken.

 

the best way is to walk in to a best buy, circuit city, frys, comp usa, costco or any other store selling laptops. they usually have in store sales going on. like frys has 17" hp's for like 800 bucks, but you wont see it on thier website. but the key to all this is, your buying new with new warranty or you can always take your chances and have the laptop of the century....all for $550

 

I love the sarcasm. It's a dv9208 so I'm passing on it.