HP DV6500Z, wow im impressed

Hey guys I just wanted to share my experience this morning with my new DV6500Z, since so many of you helped me, I figured I would give back to the forums.

My take...

I am really impressed by this machine, it showed up 5 days earlier than the ship day, 7 days total from order to in my hands. I even configured it for less with another coupon and they adjusted the price for me. Specs of my machine...

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-62 (2.1 GHz, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache )
- 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Microphone
- 802.11b/g WLAN
- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- $30 OFF HP ExpressCard Digital/Analog TV Tuner!!
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)

Final Price $779.09 before Tax!!

Performance - I have not even removed the junk programs yet, but the performance is excellent. Windows loads a little slow, but once its loaded, things run very smoothly, the windows come up fast the animation is smooth and the screen is beautiful. I am amazed how fast this Turion x2 is, all the talk about the core 2s makes you worried about the AMD being slow or not coping well, but its a false, this thing is a beast and with 2 gigs of ram I have been running updates, watching tv on it, installing games and multiple IEs have been open without the hint of a slowdown.

Graphics - Once again, im speechless, I totally underestimated the power of this card, and on stock drivers without any performance tweaks World of Warcraft is running smooth as silk, and not just in the barrens either, im talking SILK when flying over Shatt, and you wow players know how intensive that is. Yep this is no machine im getting pwned on, and if I do, its my fault lol. I ran 3dmark 03 on stock settings and it netted me a respectable 4565.

Internet - I got the most basic internet option, the B and G and its fast as heck, I downloaded about 700mb in like 35 min. I should aslo mention the computer had no problem finding my network and the computer has excellent signal strengh.

TV- Watching tv on this thing is sweet, It pauses, rewinds records and plays without a hiccup even with other things running. the setup was pretty simple, although im not sure why they did not have the IR controller on the front work for the tv remote they give you (you have to set up a seperate IR receiver) Also the software in vista premium is very user friendly and an improvment over XP media center edition.

Conclusion - This pc has way exceeded my expectations, I am not regretting in the slightest getting a Turion, I can't imagine it could be any faster than this, and the 8400M GS has exceeded my expectations. My only complaints are that the tv tuner could have been a bit better thought out, although it works great. Also, the laptop gets a little warmer than usual, I wouldnt say its like burning up or burning my finger under the touchpad, but its not as cool as ice like some of the slower chipsets. All in all this thing gets a 9/10. This is an excellent machine, and I would buy it again!

Also, if any of you are considering this pc, or want to know how certain parts of it perform, like more info on the gfx card performance, just post here and Ill respond to your question as best as I can. Once again I want to thank eveyone who helped me make this decision and hopefully I can do the same for other prospective hp buyers!

 

you never did post the total price for it

 

Done, I put the price paid on there below the specs!

 

I have just placed order for dv6500z. All the specs are same except for processor (TL-60) and no TV Tuner. This is just for normal use i.e. ms office, web surfing, dvd burning, watching movies may be for doing some programming.
Do you guys think, buying dv6500z with these specs is a overkill for basic usage. Just wanted to get good one such that i wont be thinking about buying another one for at least 4 years.

 

Good reporting. Thanks!

 

congratulations! and thanks for the review

 

I just got mine but my RENTS won't let me use it until christmas 'Bummer'. Anyways how does this do on downloaded videos and on using divx internet videos like streaming TV shows on the internet.

Thanks in advance

 

Hey guys I have a little problem with my notebook and I was hoping someone could help me (particularly Olympias).

I have just about the same laptop except I have the TX1000 tablet pc, with the same processor (AMD Turion TL-62 at 2.1 ghz) except mine clocks at 800 mhz according to various tests I've made.

I would really appreciate if someone like Olympias could just test your CPU real quick and tell me what it gives you. I need to have an idea cause I have the feeling my CPU is not functioning properly and I might bring it in to the store for a checkup.

I did my test through these two sites:

http://cpuinfo.visualware.com/
downloaded small .exe (no need to install) to test it quickly

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
pick any game and you get full report on your hardware

I decided not to create another thread since I could ask in this one.

Again I would greatly appreciate if anyone like Olympias could just take a few seconds and go through any or both of those two sites.

Thanks !!!

 

The CPU idles at 800MHz until you do something that requires more speed. Just to be thorough, double-check that your Power Scheme is set to Portable/Laptop. If it's set to Minimal that will force 800MHz all the time IIRC.