HP DV3T hits the HP site!

Review for that one someone ran photosop (cs3 or 4 I forgot) If you can run CS3 even, then it can handle HD video piece of cake. Runs cool and no noise. I checked it out at bestbuy, its also LED, very bright and crisp, unlike comparable priced HP with same spec give you LCD and dinky 2 hrs battery.

 

Go to bestbuy, most of their laptop are connected to online, go onlin with any laptop with HD4500 and watch youtube HD, if it can handle that, you are set.

I have reviewed acer timeline in another posting. Acer timeline with core solo cpu at 1.4 ghz 4 gb ddr 3 ram and HD 4500 could NOT handle youtube HD at all, complete stutter, ut that was due to CPU. HD depend on CPU to decode a lot, I'm sure HD4500 will be fine, but try it out.

 

Alex I'm looking at either that asus one or this one

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...l+xps&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218090589096

dell one is much more powerful and still has the integrated 9400M that is much more powerful than HD4500, but trade off is dell one runs notorious hot. Noise level is not bad though

 

I think tomorrow I am going to go to bestbuy and check our the performances. The thing is I think overall I do like the HP in terms of style, quality, and what it has. HDMI, blueray, etc. My computer def needs a cleaning in terms of the bloatware, it is running slow. I really think that GMA 4500 will improve things for me, maybe, considering I will never play a game on this thing. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

 

Guys, don't worry about the discounts, they come at least once a month, if not twice. There is usually a week or two downtime but then they hit all the discount sites. I honestly have to say the number of discount codes that I have seen have to be nudging near the 100 mark.

Also the new HP models should be hitting in a few weeks... keep that in mind too.

The 4500MHD will handle HD videos just fine boys, there is a reason it has an HD in it's name.
Anything this side of gaming it will handle with complete ease. Heck, even some older games will run just fine. It's really a pretty decent solution. Oh, and I wouldn't put too much weight into the GPU handling tasks in Win7... I would be very surprised/impressed if they actually pulled that sort of thing off before Win8 hits the seen in another 4-5 years or whenever.

--------------
Someone asked for a clean-install guide:
Check out this one. It tells you how to install Win7 in a variety of ways...

Here is a Vista clean-install guide.

Just a note, if you plan on doing a format for Win7, I would recommend following the part of the Vista guide to get your Vista key just in case you want it later on...

 

watcha think of this?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9366562&type=product&id=1218092151327

 

Wow. That is a slick number. Not a single complaint about heat/noise and seems most get at least 4-5 hours of battery life, which means you could probably push it to 6 on power saver mode and low brightness, if not more.

I don't know how they manage to pull it off, heck, it doesn't even have a P-series CPU.

But ya... that's a really enticing laptop. I came across this so you should be able to just pop it in and have a back-lit keyboard.

I kinda wish there was an upgraded model with the P-series and bluetooth, but for $650 this is a killer laptop. It's slim too and kinda has the Mac Air thing going for it...

It must be refreshing not having to worry about your HDD hovering around 50C.

 

Hey, I might go pick this one up after work today. I really want a powerful one with P CPU and good video card, but I see that heat and short batt life comes with dedicated video card. At 649 really can't be beat. Would u recommend this one or the 729 DV3 one at bestbuy that has HD 4500? Asus one has wireless N HP is only G..and Asus has same or longer battery life and lighter..seems like a better choice, but I want to run it by you first....thanks.

 

Well, I don't know man. I really don't know much about the Asus and reviews are pretty scarce. I did read through the ones at Best Buy and there seem to be no complaints.

The battery life probably will be comparable, but that's because the HP has a 9-cell which juts out the bottom, the edge there goes to the Asus. I would have to see them side-by-side to make a decision. I would advise you to download HWMonitor when you're there and check out the temps and it goes without saying, fool around with them, especially the Asus since you probably don't have much experience with that laptop make.

But from where I stand... the Asus is the far better deal.

 

I think ill go get the asus..being the premier silver member I can return if dun like it w/o penalty lol

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9358009&type=product&id=1218090589869

Hey guys, this price dropped from 749 to 699..what u think? 3 GB ddr 3 ram nvidia 9400M much better than HD 4500..con is no dvd drive?... another con is to upgrade to 5 gb ram would need to buy 1 stick of 4 gb ddr 3 ram, no optn to make it 4 gb

 

I will go to bestbuy today and fool around with them. Yeh I think I am 99 percent committed to the 4500hd. I think I will ask for a shipping lable today from HP. But as I said earlier with the coupon codes and all the amenities like blueray and 13.3 screen I think I will stay with the HP as I have it configured now. 4g mem, 2,26 processor, 320 by 5400. Not the best but more than future proof for a couple of years and I do love the screen and keyboard. Ergonomics are important to me. Let me know how your bestbuy goes howard and thanks for the continuing advice nu.

 

well there is a code right now for 300 off but you ahve spend over 1299 before the rebates. This is my new config. Stronger processor, integrated card, n network, and two batteries are the changes from my current dv3t. Thoughts? So the coupon codes are starting to arrive for the month it seems. NU, what is the word on new models?

Espresso Black
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
50% OFF!! 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
13.3" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
Webcam Only
Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
No Included Mobile Broadband
Full Size Backlit Keyboard
50% OFF!! One 6 Cell and One 9 Cell Lithium Ion Batteries
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

One question. Do the 320 7200rpm hdd create more heat? Noise? This is why I want to stay with the 5400, but I have read that the 7200 may actually be quieter because of newer technology. Any thoughts, recommendations?

 

more heat yes (under load) noisier? nope. Use slightly more battery, I'm sticking with 5400rpm ones unless I go for the dell studio xps 13

 

I am going to do it. my current dv3t but if i could get a quiter machine that would be great with these new specs. Mytemps usually stay in the 50s. Cpu fluctuates but my GPU hasn't really gone above 55. I used CPUID for the readings. Not sure if it is always right?

 

They are a reference, not sure if very accurate but provides a reference that has been correct to me. I'll probably go pick up the asus later...

 

I dunno if its me or not..after reformatting the computer, did a clean install..the fan noise seem to be lower now. Still quite audible compare with some of the dell and sony I owned before, but its quieter than just out of box directly from HP. Probably lessen all the background process and junk.

 

Just got off the phone with HP..time must be bad, this was the longest teeth pulling session I have ever experienced with them. They ask reason for return and I had to talk to a tech support before I would be authorized return. During tech support session the guy asked what i had done what steps he can do to help, I said 1) I disabled FAN ALWAYS ON in bios 2) Reinstalled Window 3) Tried to flash bios but there was no new one to flash 4) tried to updated video driver but HP will not allow for any new driver unless their own which there was none...etc...

THe guy said oh.well..sounds like u did everything i was gonna ask u to do... lol...they were still very insisting on replacing or fixing the notebook, had to be very stern about returning then they would proceed with it. Total time on phone, well over 30 mins.. geeeeee

Will head out to pick up the asus in a few...will let you guys know how it goes.

 

Yeh thats what I thought. I already put in my call to tech and will return this, just becaue I don't want the nvidia but I am sticking with teh dv3t. GL with the new one, let us know how it goes...

 

So, it turns out that that the Expresscard 34 slot in the dv3t is actually shorter than the standard 75mm length so this card protrudes out the side of the dv3t by about 6mm. I tried putting it into my old (and dead) dv2000t's Expresscard slot and it fit flush with the side of the laptop. It's not a big deal, but it would've been nice to have it completely hidden. This is as good as it's gonna get due to the dv3t's shortened Expresscard 34 slot length. It's still a lot better than having a USB dongle. The protrusion does make it more difficult to access the SD card slot under it. I've uploaded some pics of what the TV tuner card looks like inserted.

On the plus side, it does work with Windows Media Center and works really well. CPU usage tends to hover around 30% most of the time. It dips down to 20% or up to 50% occasionally.

 

I took some screenshots of the quality of some OTA HD channels also.

 

OVER THE AIR HD??????????? for 77? nice!

ok,, enroute to pick up my Asus U80..be back

 

Lol probably because you've already returned another DV3t haha

 

back! I'll post some picture later, this Asus U81 is beautiful and quiet, can't hear it running at max speed!!!! youtube HD flawless and LED is just as beautiful as DV3. Charger is so dang small..same size as a netbook charger, no kidding!

They even gave me one that's already set up and optimized by geek squad, even though they dun set up any better than I do but saved me quite a few mins lol. normally it cost $39, I bet they are not selling well.. This particular one has been sitting here over a month, must be why they are selling the optimized one and not charging.

 

I don't know what all the fuss is with the G105 noise issue but my DV3T runs great. I have not had any noise issue. I had the Dell XPS Studio 13 before someone broke into my car at the gym and stole it but the dell fan ran all the time and got very hot. I would not recommend that laptop to anyone. Here are my specs:


HP Pavilion dv3t Entertainment PC
• Espresso Black
• Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• 8GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
• 13.3" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
• Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
• [For BrightView Infinity Display] Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
• HP Mobile Broadband (Choose either Verizon Wireless, AT&T, or Sprint, service activation required)
• Full Size Backlit Keyboard
• High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

atlbuc. Thanks for the input. First of all I really like my dv3t. My dillemma was that I do not game at all. I have read a lot on the intel 4500hd and the gforce 105m and just don't see a what the 105 really adds beside a slight gaming enhancement. My thinking is that with an integrated unit the system will utilize less power and run softer. Also, I could use that 150 and upgrade my CPU from a 2.26 yo s 2.56. The HD and blueray playback capabilities are just fine with the GMA 4500HD so that is my dillema. Can I ask what advantages you see for the having the Gforce?

 

Alex, finished updateing my Asus. It has T6500 CPU 4 GB ram and 4500HD video. I have tested youtube HD and MKV (highly compressed and cpu intense high def files) at 1080p playback. Asus did not stutter at all, everything played beautifully and smooth. I would imagine same set up for HP would be smooth as well. Don't hesitate to get the DV3T or Asus with 4500HD. I'm sending my DV3t back tomorrow and with the almost 300 bucks saved, I have ordered an EVGA GTX 285 from newegg with 10% bingcashback. Ill get it tomorrow desktop will be my ultimate gaming machine!

 

My comment wasn't directed primarily at you but all Ive been hearing is how the 105 is so noisy and I just don't see it. I mean my Dell was just crazy loud and hot. As far as the advantages for me, other than not having to share memory although with 8 gigs I doubt I would have noticed. My thinking when I ordered this laptop is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. But I understand your situation and I would do the same.

 

No worries I didn't take it personally. I think sometimes with these sites people get stuff in their heads, so it is good you don't let them "implant you with noise". I really am satisfied with my computer. The fan hasn't gone high at all in three days and is relatively quiet. Howard, congrats for now. Let me know how things work out. Good idea on the 300 bucks.

 

Will do.. with battery saver mode, and lowest brightness, wireless on, battery meter indicated 7 hrs 45 mins of time left, this one can truely bring to school without the charger.

 

Dang, Howard. If you could post some pics of the Asus that would be great.... and if you could give us some temps, I am really interested in seeing the HDD temps along with the others. Also, just some more impressions of the build-quality and the looks. Thanks.

Alex:

Regarding upcoming laptops, there is nothing new. We probably won't hear anything else about them till they actually hit.

 

Same here ... have been using this notebook for over a month. No fan issues what so ever. Right now i am running BitTorrent, Messenger, Skype, Download Accelerator, Mega Video on one tab, Microsoft office Word, Vista Gadgets .. blah blah ... and its QUIET! No noise. However during gaming or playing DVD s for long hours on my LCD via HDMI the fan does come on. It gets noisy when its on but well i do rather ve the noise than a burnt GPU

 

Also i want to clean install my laptop. Which key should i use. one at the back or one on the jellybeans ?

 

As a FYI decided to take a short trip into Lord of the Rings Online (killed a couple mobs, went to a major city) with my 105. Graphics were set to the auto detect but with Directx10 textures. Hottest the card got was 76 degrees c, still not as hot to the touch (at least the vent or palm rest area) as my Tx2500z that I upgraded from nor was it as loud. Palm area only got slightly warmer.
As for as web browsing it never gets loud, if you're in a completely quite room you might be annoyed. In my office I can barely hear the fan. If the fan is set to on or off seems with the 105 it will still be on, but still low noise and the vent doesn't really get warm.

 

Use the jellybean one.

 

Hmmm true, in an office environment the fan will be inaudible and in a quiet room it would be annoying. The more I read the more I think it might just be my super sensitive hearing. ever since little I have always been able to hear things normal people could not hear.... so might just be me

Asus U81 from bestbuy build quality is excellent. No flex at all and LED is just as good as the HP LED. Good thing is battery on that thing lasts forever and has every ports HP has if not more. Bad thing is for HP if i close the lid, it goes to sleep within 5 seconds, asus takes about 20+ second do do it. HP takes less than 5-10 seconds to wake up.. Asus takes 30 seconds or so. Would this be because Asus is T6500 cpu and my HP was P8700?: I'm not quite sure about that.

Also to the one that mentioned, my HP was just noisy, the vent did not really get hot.

PS: One thing I do miss on the HP is the loud nice speaker and backlit keyboard

 

Can i get a facial recognition software for my DV3t ? ... just for fun!

 

Going from P8700 to T6500 you're losing FSB speed and L2 memory to go along with the regular speed loss. That might make the tasks a bit slower. It also might depend on how much and what type of bloatware Asus added if you haven't gotten rid of it all.

 

You're right and also G105m takes load off the P8700 which was already faster than T6500, where T6500 has to spare 5-10% power to process video making it slower than T6500 with dedicated video card.

 

I hope someone can make a spyware for facial recognize that prompt "YOU HAVE BEEN LOCKED OUT BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO UGLY"

 

HP has BIOS version F.07 A posted on their site now, located here:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&os=2100&product=3919621

BUT... I DO NOT recommend updating the BIOS to F.07 A it as it appears to have stability issues. I've noticed the following issues with it:
-There is noticeable refresh flickering on the LCD screen (quick upward wave motions) when showing darker colors on all brightness levels below maximum.
-When fading to the login screen from the Vista logo, horizontal graphical corruption will sometimes appear only rendering part of the screen initially.
-The video display driver may sometimes crash and hang forcing Windows to recover from it.
-Sound from the IDT HD Audio Codec seems to initialize late so that the Vista logo sound is cut off in the beginning.

I actually received my dv3t with the F.07 A BIOS factory installed and was trying to fix the noticeable screen refresh flickering. Finally after trying everything else from uninstalling display drivers to adjusting power saving settings, I noticed that the BIOS on mine was a more recent version than I had seen, so I tried flashing the BIOS to F.06 and discovered that the flickering had gone and noticed an increase in overall stability. I flashed back to F.07 A to double check and sure enough the flickering was back.

F.07 A appears to have stability issues, so I would avoid using it.

So for those who just ordered and received their dv3t, you may notice a constant screen flickering in the fashion of an upward wave motion when viewing darker colors at lower LCD brightness levels. Apparently, flashing BIOS back to F.06 resolves this problem.

F.06 can be found here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&os=2100&product=3919621

 

Haven't seen any of the stuff you mentioned here. Been running F.07 without issues.

 

Interesting stuff, but no need to be guinea pig, been under the early adopter's curse more than once lol. I took the DV3 out of the return box and tried it again , after running it a while (after reinstall vista) the noise lessened by quite a bit and is more bearable now. Made a command decision to return the Asus U81 its a fantastic machine but sound can not even reach the end of a long conference table whereas the DV3t is loud enough for the whole room/class.

 

Good choice, this a fantastic machine.

 

Dang Howard you are worse than me. Ha. JK. I really do like the dv3t. So now I am still deciding on keepin the G105 or sending it back and getting the GMA 4500hd with a faster processor. Right now I have the 2.26. I have to make a final decision ASAP. So anyone please feel free to give me their input. The noise really isn't bad now that I have been using it in a quiet enviornment. Also, how much quieter would the 4500 run, realistically. WOuld I be better off keeping the 105 w the 2.26 or getting the 4500 with the 2.56? Howard you have played with both types so please tell me your thougts? Anyone else who has please let me know as well. I have to make my mind up today. Thanks.

 

Alex, I'd recommend keeping your current DV3t. The 2.53 processor (I believe P8700) would not provide a noticeable improvement over the 2.26 (P7350?). Also, after using my DV4t with an Intel 4500MHD, I've come to the conclusion that if you disable "Fan Always On" it might be quieter than one with the 105M, however it gets really really hot. Like, just microwaved last night's pizza for 30 seconds too long type of hot.

 

Alright, I won't bother you guys anymore. I am stickin with the 105m. It really is a nice machine. Any other comments are welcome. Thanks Gauden.

 

...unless you plan on using Windows 7's XP mode which requires the CPU to have hardware support for virtualization. Out of all the CPU's currently offered on the dv3t, only the P8700 supports it. Only the P8000 series CPU's have support for virtualization whereas the P7000 series do not. The only P7000 series CPU's that do are the P7X70 models which are only offered in their business notebooks (This is also true of the T6000 series and below)

 

Just updated to bios 07.....i dunno what's the difference, no screen flickering or anything. Fan noise is still the same, but noticeably less than before I do clean install, but I guess HP must have tried to fix something with bios 07, just wanna let people know I dun have any issues with it. Mine is P8700 and G 105m.

Alex, having video card is better than not having video card. especially if you plan to keep your machine for a while. 4500HD may be fine for blue ray and enough for HD content now, but who knows next year or few month down the line another higher condensed format may come out at small file size, then 4500HD will be outdated and have trouble handling it. It hasn't been that long since the X3100 come out before its outdated. Having a video card is the most future proof way.

PS: 4500HD will take away cpu resource to do video calculation, so your 2.26 ghz won't be running at its full potential whereas a dedicated video card will carry it's own weight, much better.

The Dv3t is growing on me, crisp loud speaker, beautiful LED and backlit keyboard not to mention I had to custom configure it, wait for it, work to pay for it lol...like having a kid I guess.