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I just got my dv2500 this week, and so far, I'm pretty happy with it!
I'm kinda new to the NBR scene, but the reviews and forums were invaluable in my search for a laptop, so I thought I'd give my 2-cents on my new laptop. So here goes...
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Reasons for Buying
I was looking at 14" widescreen laptops because I thought they offered the best compromise between portability and performance. I also considered the Lenovo T61, Dell m1330, Dell 1420, and the Apple macbook. In the end, the T61 didn't suit my multimedia needs, m1330 was too expensive, 1420 was too bulky, and the macbook was too great a departure from my PC-ways.
Purchasing
I ordered my customized laptop from hpshopping.com using the 20% off coupon. I ordered it on the 17th and after giving me a estimated build date of the 27th, I was pleased to learn that they next-day shipped it on the 23rd.
Here are the specs:
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
- 14.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- $50 OFF Upgrade from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
- HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Microphone
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
All-in-all, the buying experience was pleasant. Using the hpshopping.com website is easy. The wait for them to build seemed long, but that's always the case when waiting for good things to come. Next-day shipping was a pleasant surprise.
Out-of-the-box Impressions
Everything was packaged nicely. Very little came in the box - laptop, battery, power cords, multimedia remote, cleaning cloth, and a box filled with various useless coupons and offers. There was nary a software disc, besides the recovery disk I ordered.
In terms of documents, HP includes a setup instruction poster, warranty, and quick reference guide. The quick reference guide is fairly limited in providing information about the laptop, but more information can be found on the computer through digital user guides.
The laptop was heavier than I expected, but that may be because I'm used to my brother's X60 ultraportable.
Build Quality
The build quality of my unit was excellent. The hinge has a pleasant firmness and resistance when opening the screen. The plastic body feels thick and scratch-resistant. There is some weak plastic that covers the harddrive heat vent on the underside, but otherwise, the laptop feels solid. The battery attaches firmly to the body of the laptop.
Screen and Speakers
The screen has good brightness and color. The screen is almost too bright with the brightness turned all the way up, and I often found myself using it at half-brightness. The Altec-Lansing speakers lack bass, but are able to reproduce sound loud and clearly.
Keyboard and Touchpad
After noticing lots of flex on the display notebooks at Costco, I was worried that my laptop would have the same problem. But perhaps because my laptop is new, I was pleased to find minimal flex on the keyboard. There is some flex if you push down hard, but it's not noticeable under normal use. The keyboard is a bit "clicky" and I would have liked a more muted feeling.
The touch-senstive multimedia buttons at the top of the keybaord are nice, but I agree that more tactile push-buttons might have been better. The buttons emit a muted click upon use. There also seems to be a lag in response when buttons are touched. It's tricky to control the volume using the touch-buttons, as you often find yourself over or under compensating because of the lag in response.
The touchpad is very smooth in texture and fairly sensitive. I found myself constantly moving the pointer when typing because my palms would rub against the touchpad. Luckily, the touchpad has an off-button that disables the touchpad. The buttons on the touchpad could stand to be bigger.
Heat and Noise
The area under the left palm-rest gets warm during use because of the harddrive. Otherwise, heat is minimal, which may explain why the fan remains off most of the time. Even when the fan is on, noise is not an issue. This may differ if you purchase the dedicated graphics option. Perhaps the loudest noise is made when the DVD drive is operating.
Battery
I purchased the 12-cell battery because I value battery-life. The 12-cell does not sit flush against the body of the laptop and props the back of the laptop up. (I'll try to get pictures up.) It angles the keyboard a little, and I'm still debating whether I like it. The extended battery does serve as a "handle" in some ways and did make me feel more secure carrying it one-handed. The battery life with the 12-cell is excellent. I average about 6 hours with the screen at middle-brightness and wireless turned on. The trade-off is the added weight to an already hefty laptop.
Minor Gripes
HP does ship the laptop with lots of bloatware, and it seriously slows down boot-up time. This is my first experience with Windows Vista, and I was shocked by how long it took Vista to boot-up. I'm hoping the bloatware is the culprit and and look forward to doing a fresh install of Vista. Which brings me to my next gripe...
The lack of included software! HP doesn't bother to ship a copy of Windows with the unit, which was disappointing, since it said Vista was included in the price. Besides the bloatware, there isn't much software included with the laptop. They could have at least included the anytime-Vista upgrade disc, which I instead bought online.
Another gripe was the use of a 3-prong plug on the power adapter. Most notebooks I've seen come with the simple 2-prong, which makes it much easier to find usable outlets. It means I will need to carry around a 3-to-2 prong adapter.
Besides these minor gripes, I'm happy with the dv2500 and highly recommend it to everyone.
HP DV2500 mini-review
Discussion in 'HP' started by gubookie, Aug 28, 2007.
