HP Pavillion zv5000z Review

Can anybody give a review, comment, or anything on this new HP laptop. Im planning to buy this one.
Thanks..[ ]

 

boy, you're fast on buying new technology...faster that most reviewers can possibly obtain and review I would say. There probably won't be much in the way of reviews for at least a week or two...we'll keep our eyes open though.

 

I was seriously looking at buying this one also, however, the discussion thread under WUXGA had some bad comments on screen clarity issues.

Also, make sure of the return policy. Look for "no restocking fees" retailers. Let me know if you find special pricing or discount pricing plans.

 

Speaking of "no restocking fees"....does anyone know of any on-line retailers that provide this incentive? (other than Dell/Best Buy/CC)

 

Two places to get that info.
CNet Shopper provides store profiles that tell you just about everything about e-tailer's policies, including delivery options, return (and restocking) policies, and payment options.
MySimon does the same thing, though they appear to be the same system.

I'd imagine that there are other "comparison" shopping sites out there that provide the same information.

Specifically, though, there are lots of e-tailers that have no-restocking, but what I'd consider more important is that they have a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

 

I just got a zv5000z with largest screen (1050x1680) and 256mb. Notes so far:
Screen is fine for autocad
Only 1 memory slot is user accessable
64 bit windows installs and seems to run but cygwin isn't supported so I installed XP professional
SUSE 9.0 for amd64 crashes on install
Mandrake 64 Linux installs

 

I have a zv5000Z and love it. It is a 1680 x 1050 resolution Athlon 64 3200+ with Win XP Pro and I am running Premiere 6.5 and Photoshop 7. It is a real dream machine. I specified a single 512MB SODIMM so I can readily add to the free slot. I might also order a Hitachi 7k60 7200 rpm drive later (current drives are only 4200 rpm).

Bill

 

I have a zv5000z with the sxga+ screen and the 3200+ processor. I am trading up (yes, up) from my three month old zd7000 with its low resolution 17" screen, hot-air-blowing 3.06 pentium and 128mb video card.
I am currently erasing the HD on the zd7000 in preparation for returing it to Costco. I'm typing this on the zv5000z.
I compared the two side-by-side. The zv runs without blowing hot air. I ran several games side-by-side. On Rise of Nations the zv5000z had crisper images and load times were almost identical (one of them, I forget which, was one second faster). On Halo the zd7000 could not handle the highest settings and the screen flickered and ran slowly, while the zv5000z runs it flawlessly. On the Unreal Tournament (demo) I had the same issues on the zd7000, but not on the zv5000z. Flawless. On Dungeon Siege the zv5000z blew away the zd7000 in terms of image detail and richness of colors. Both systems ran it flawlessly.
The screen of the zv5000z is very nice, especially for the price. Aplications load as quickly as they did on the zd7000 (which had a 5400rpm HD versus the zv5000z's 4200rpm HD).
The one thing I do not like about the zv5000z is that the ports, or whatever it is where you plug in a mouse, are on the left (2) and right (1) side, so to use a corded mouse you either run the cord around the back to the side you want the mouse on, or you plug the mouse in on the same side you want to use it on and bump into the connector all the time. I've run it around the back, which isn't really too big a deal. Not big enough to get a wireless mouse, anyway.
Oh, the speakers on the zv5000z sound better (itunes) than those on the zd7000, even though as far as I can tell they are the same thing. The speakers on the zd7000 get excellent reviews.
Also, the headphone jack is on the right side.
The touchpad is very nice. I can almost use it. My wife prefers it to the ZD7000's, which everybody complains about.
So, I have a choice of the zd7000 and the zv5000z, and I'm taking the zv5000z. It is powerful, quiet, cool, had a crisp screen and the AMS 64 3200+ processor (google for reviews on it, it outperforms the latest Intel Pentiums). Somebody here said the video card was old or inadequate, but that is a reflection more of listening to marketing hype than actually thinking about real-world applications. As far as I can tell from the games I ran it outperforms the NVIDIA 128 whatever on the zd7000. It is certainly not a real issue, for me.
Hope this is helpful.

 

Great review, thanks for the input. A comment on the video card. The go5xxx cards from nVidia are newer cards designed specifically for the notebooks. Now, newer doesn't always mean better take for example a geForce 4 mx series is the lowend card and is slower than a geForce 3 and in some cases even the top end geForce 2s. The go 440 chip in the zv5000v is a moddified desktop chip and MAY have more power, since it wasn't designed for the power constraints on a notebook. This could possibly explain why the 440 chip seems to be faster than the 5xxx in the zd7000. Also, the screen on the zd7000 is a larger screen and may thus require more power to drive it, and with the faster processor on the zv5000v that may also help with the speed issues contained there in.

 

Here's an update to my review of my zv5000z, above:
Last night I couldn't transfer Word documents to a CD-R cd. I looked at the hardware profiles on the computer and saw nothing about CDRW, only CD ROM, in the names of the devices. When I was trying to drag the Word files to the open D drive window, and when I tried to open RecordNow! which came on the computer, I was getting an error message that said "No compatible recordable or rewritable devices could be found on your system." So I called HP to confirm my suspicions, that they had not included a CDRW drive.
Well, that's a simple question, right? Uh, no. Tech support was truely horrific. Incompetent. I might as well have called my mom. (Sorry Mom.) They had me do a bunch of stuff which did not work. They disconnected me. (She doesn't do that.) They told me that the zv5000z does not exist. (She might believe that.) They told me that the zv5000 (no z, they never realized that it exists) does not offer a CDRW as an option. All the while I kept asking the same question: "How can I tell if the drive on the computer is a CDRW drive?" I never got an answer. I was so flustered (I work with small children so I am used to people being a bit slow) that I almost lost my temper.
In the end, I do not know if this thing has a CDRW drive. I am ordering a new one and returning the old one to Costco.
The moral of my story is this: if you do not have the computer skills to diagnose and fix your own problems, beware of HP products.
Other than that, the computer is fine.
I have the 12 cell battery (a $25 upgrade from the 8 cell). Last night I watched a DVD on full screen with brightness all the way up for 3hrs, 18min. before I got to the 3% battery remaining warning. And it never blew hot air and the fans were imperceptible. Take that, zd7000! Sweet.

 

I have a question for "whomever".

Did you get to the "configure-to-order" (CTO) support and not the general support?

I had an initial problem with my zv5000z as I was removing all the garbage that they had loaded on the disk which I did not want. The regular tech support that initially answered recognized that this was a "configure-to-order" unit and turned my over to a special group that handles the CTO units. I had a very competent tech who had me back up and running properly in just a few minutes with "system restore". (Thereafter when I removed a program I rebooted each time and now have it the way I want.) I did get a CD-RW drive and it is identified in "My Computer" as a DVD/CD-RW drive. I did have to go to "Properties" and then to the "Recording" tab to enable it to record, the default was unenabled"

Bill

 

I called the general number and the first tech recognized I had a CTO unit and he transferred to the correct group.

Bill

 

wgehrke,
I don't know what support I got. It was the first person who answered both times, so I would assume not.
Thanks for the info. My drive is identified as "DVD Drive" only and there is no "recording" tab in its properties. I think that answers my question about the drive being a CDRW or not.
Do you have an 800 phone #? Just kidding, sort of!
whomever

 

More Linuxes
Mandrake 10 beta loads and seems to work but I thought it was a bit klunky (It is a beta however)
Fedora for AMD64 works well and is now my preferred choice

Hardware notes
1.) HP tech support could not find memory spec (I think its PC2700 sodimm)
2.) HP tech support refuses to tell me where the other memory slot is or how to get to it

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by bobsandefur
2.) HP tech support refuses to tell me where the other memory slot is or how to get to it
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Well, the other memory slot is located under the keyboard. To get to it for the ZV5000 series (should be the same as the R3000 Series) there are 3 screws on the underside of the unit at the back, after you have removed those, open the screen and remove the plastic piece above the keyboard where the power button is located. Take the 4 screws off holding the KB in place and flip keyboard towards yourself *** BE CAREFUL, THERE'S A RIBBON UNDER THERE FOR THE KEYBOARD, DON'T RIP IT OFF *** The memory module is located under the keyboard right above the GlidePad. Just reverse the steps to re-install everything.
Remember...try at your own risk...I'm not responsible for any damages that may occur.

-Vb-

 

CPU-Z says my memory is by Infineon and is DDR-SDRAM PC2700 by inspection it is SODIMM

Bill

 

Is the AMD64 of zv5000z mobile or just desktop CPU?

I'm also interested in getting one.

 

Desktop, I haven't seen anything about a mobile 64.
Hopefully soon they will start making laptops with the Athlon FX-53 and FX-51. http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NjAy

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Quikster

 

First - that's a HUGE difference in power consumption (HUGE). 81 vs 62, you're talking nearly a quarter reduction in power demand, and theoretically a quarter increase in battery life. That's very significant to me.

Second, I checked the HP website and nowhere does it say that the processor is a MobileAMD. HOWEVER - the product description of the processor says "optimised for maximum mobility" which, to me, just SCREAMS MobileAMD.

Sorry if I just added to the confusion.
If not, I'll try harder next time.

 

The AMD sticker on the laptop does not have the "M" on it. I assume this means it is not the mobile version.

 

For CPU type:
At lease, i'm sure it has power now!
And clockgen get my voltage is 1.5V under 1800MHz,
and 1.4V under 1600Mhz.
but i'm not sure if it's a bug a mother board.

mine is athlon 3000+

so is there someone could check the serial tag on the CPU

if AMN3XXXX... means mobile athlon 64
if AMA3XXXX... means athlon 64 for DTR.

 

Looking at this laptop as well. As far as the mobile or desktop AMD chip I found this article that says it is mobile:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/11/HNhpshipsamd_1.html?PROCESSORS

 

See this thread at amd64notebooks.com. Summary:

Three people (myself included) have confirmed that the zv5000z notebook suffers memory corruption errors when both SODIMM slots are used. When only one slot is used (either slot), everything's fine. I am working with a HP research guy on this issue and should have more information on Monday.

If you have a two-SODIMM zv5000z (or its Compaq equivalent) configuration, please run MemTest86+ and let everyone know if you get errors or not. It takes roughly 16 minutes of testing for errors to show up on my configuration. YMMV.

 

I got 1GB of memory from memorysuppliers.com for $330 (I ordered my zv5000z with 256mb as HP wanted $750/1GB) and put it in the user accessable memory slot (its a bit of a tight fit to get it seated) and ran 17 passes of memtest86 v3.1 in 13hrs last nite and got no errors.

On the amd64 linux front
FreeBSD for AMD64 hangs in install
Mandrake 10 beta will not install at 1400x1050 unless you go in just the right sequence and the mouse will stop working on install unless you accept default.
Fedora for AMD64 finally updated (at avg rate of 8kb/sec) but I accidently clicked ok to update with bad checksum and the system hung

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by bobsandefur

 

My Bios is F.03 and date on iso 1 is 3 mar 15:03

 

idle=poll fixes the hang in suse 9.0 for amd64. I have the 3200. Could 3000 vs 3200. I assume your iso is same date as mine.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by bobsandefur

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by bobsandefur

 

My 1gb stick is a wintec industries (20570) PC2700/1024MB 200P(38299682) from memorysuppliers.com for $330. Memory4less had 1gb pc2700 for $299 and PC3200 for $298. I saw somewhere that PC3200 would work in zv5000v so I called Memory4less and the guy said that PC3200 would not work in a machine setup for pc2700. I though this was wrong so I paided the extra $30 to memorysuppliers.

BTW has anyone got the zv5000z to work in 1680x1050 on linux and if so could you point to a link.

 

Hmm, I can't find that specific SODIMM:
http://www.wintecindustries.com/online/products/productcategory.aspx?category_id=1288

But Wintec appears to favor Infineon chips, occassionally using Samsung. My HP came with an Infineon 256MB SODIMM, which when paired with an Infineon 512MB SODIMM failed the same as every other SODIMM pairing. Yup, I'm confused. Hopefully my contact at HP will have some news when/if he calls today. Yes, PC3200 memory should work just fine.

For Linux, I found this:
# 1680x1050 @ 60.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 65.22 kHz; pclk: 147.14 MHz
ModeLine "1680x1050" 147.1 1680 1784 1968 2256 1050 1051 1054 1087

at http://www.loria.fr/~levy/SciTech/InstallNotes_Linux.txt after doing a http://www.google.com/linux search.

I haven't tried it though. If you were using Red Hat or Fedora Core I'd say try running redhat-config-xfree86.

 

It might work, however if you are running it with a pc2700 it will only run at pc2700 speeds. Your parts will run only at the speed of the slowest counterpart.

 

It's probably easiest to just install nVidia's drivers from nvidia.com to get 1680x1050 to work under Linux, now that I think about it.

 

also re: the zv5000z, i'm concerned about the linux compatibility, as i run mostly Suse 9.0 on an IBM T-30 which does pretty well. Even the red "think" button was supported on install without any specific modules loaded manually.
I'll run mostly XP on it, will get it with "Home" and then get rid of it immediately - will they provide me with all the drivers etc etc I may need?
Also, i have a nice LCD monitor that is pretty new, it there a port for that in the back -
i'm thinking about that funky docking station as well ...

dba

 

I'm about to pull the trigger on an HP zv5000z - or an zx5000
i prefer the AMD but the higher res screen on the zx is appealing.
I'm not much of a gamer, but i'll watch DVD's etc, but mostly just program, hack and surf

i'm also looking to get a good stick of 1gig for the machine, and i don't want to pay HP prices - any recommendations / links ?

thanks
dba

 

there is a port on the back for a monitor, not sure about compatibility with linux, but there is a cd with drivers on it for windows.
From what I can tell HP has the cheapest prices by far on their laptops, at least in the US.
Hope this helps.

 

I haven't done much with Fedora Core 1 Linux for AMD64 other than install it on my zv5000z, but with the idle=poll kernel parameter workaround it does appear to work correctly. I've informed my contact at HP about the BIOS bug that's requiring that workaround (which breaks SuSE and Gentoo Linux as well but not Mandrake?) and I'm reasonably sure it'll get fixed soon.

Also, if you're going to buy your own RAM for it, buy direct from crucial.com. They apparently only tested with Micron RAM chips and it's hit or miss (usually miss) as to whether any other brand works at the moment. I'm confident a BIOS update will fix this (they appear to be letting the memory voltage dip too low while in power saving mode; Micron's 110nm process doesn't need the voltage that everyone else's 130nm+ processes do) but they're not saying when it will be ready. Note that one of the memory slots is under the keyboard and requires some disassembly to get to.

The only nonfixable flaw from my perspective is the weak GeForce 440 video chip. If you don't play 3D games you don't care about that and would probably prefer the cost and power savings the midrange 440 provides, but if you're an Unreal Tournament or soon-to-be Doom 3 addict you're going to want a better GPU like the eMachines M680x series has or the upcoming ASUS and Acer notebooks. Outside of that, the 1680x1050 screen is stunning, wireless range is outstanding, Bluetooth works great, the 4200RPM drive can be easily replaced by a 7200RPM drive if you so choose (I did), the big 12-cell battery and AMD PowerNow! make for very good battery life, they're now offering quadspeed DVD burners, and the price is right.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by wgehrke

 

I just visited the Crucial site and they are recommending the PC3200 memory for the zv5000z. Any idea why?

I just bought a Targus PAPWR300U (from BestBuy) notebook power adaptor with input from wall outlets, cars and airplanes. It is tiny! It probably is 1/3 to 1/4 the size and half the weight of the hugh HP brick. (11.4 oz) It works great.

Bill

 

Hi All,
I am new to this board. I want to say thanks for all the great advice that has been posted!

I Have one question. I just recieved the zv5000z and it is beautiful,
however, the screeen res on the wsxga is just to hard on my old eyes for the work I do. I read stock charts and graphs about 10 hours a day. Is there any way to keep the crisp features and prevent the stretched look while increasing the content size? Thanks!

 

Right click on your desktop, select Properties, Appearance tab, and change the Font size.

 

Thanks Brian!
I tried it and it is alot better. However, I had hoped I could get the size of the 15" lap I use with the sxga clarity. I bought the ze4630 to hold me over while I shopped for this one. I may just trade it for the wxga. I too have a Gig of Crucial, a 60G 7200 Hitatch as well as a Logitech MX900 Bluetooth waiting[ ]
Thank you again!
Bob

 

I had trouble with Crucial memory and the Emachines M6807 laptop. I ordered 2 512MB sticks from Crucial - they shipped Infineon memory. Either stick would work by itself or with other memory (256mb sticks that came with the M6807) but as soon as I put them both into the M6807, it would lock up, randomly not boot and Memtest86+ locked up as soon as test 5 or test 8 ran (block moves, 64 and 256). I bought 2 sticks of Kingston 512MB pc2700 and they both work fine. Strangely enough, either stick of Crucial 512MB Infineon works when mixed with the Kingston 512MB sticks. Both the Crucial Infineon and the Kingston are PC2700. Very odd and a real pain to endure, as you have to take the case apart on the M6807 to change the 2nd memory stick - its under the keyboard also.

 

VERY interesting, m6807! Who made the chips your Kingston sticks uses? Your experience is almost exactly the same as mine, even though I have a different chipset than you (nVidia instead of VIA).

So... Infineon and Corsair memory fails on Athlon 64's when PowerNow! is engaged, but Micron and at least some Kingston sticks are OK. Some HP's ship with Micron, some with Infineon. I am speculating that the notebook BIOS is not holding the memory voltage level high enough while in power-saving mode. The plot thickens...

 

The memory chips were an unknown brand... the number on them on Google translates to a japanese company not well known. Don't have the machine with me at the moment, but the Kingston PC2700 were the ones Best Buy had last weekend. Same timing specs as Crucial 2.5,3,3,7. I don't think PowerNow had anything to do with the problem, as I had the power settings to Always on, and ac power was on during the entire time I tested the memory upgrade. Never was on battery power at all. At that point, I theorized that the Infineon chips had some kind of bus loading issue or critical timing problem or a combination that only shows up when both chips are installed. It cleary didn't work. btw, I've seen several others who used the Kingston 512MB PC2700 modules on their M680x successfully. Have also seen one other upgrader who used 1GB modules sucessfully but didn't specify the brand.
It was ironic, as the reason I went with Crucial was to avoid problems, as I had seen another upgrader using Crucial with Micron chips on his PC2700 512MB memory modules...

 

Maybe that is why Crucial is recommending PC3200 memory for upgrades to the zv5000z!

Bill

 

Hmm... Crucial's PC3200 memory might work because it uses slower CL3 latency instead of the usual CL2.5. Unfortunately, 512MB PC3200 SODIMMs are out of stock at Crucial.

The Infineon memory might be failing because the Athlon 64's low-latency integrated memory controller is more demanding than the external memory controllers that Intel chips and Athlon XP's use. Boosting the memory voltage may still fix this, much like it fixes things for overclockers. This ridiculously restricted BIOS won't let me change latency or voltage though. Hmph.

The HP guy called again. I let him know that Infineon SODIMMs are failing identically on both zv5000z's and eMachines Athlon 64 notebooks and reminded him that HP is shipping Infineon memory in at least some of their zv5000z's, including mine. Hopefully the left hand knows what the right hand is doing at HP and the ridiculous amount of time I've been spending helping HP debug their product makes a difference.

 

Or maybe OfficeMax's website stupidly thought my SODIMM search meant DIMM search. That's a desktop DIMM, not a notebook SODIMM. Oops.

 

Oh geeze, look at this, you can buy Kingston 512MB PC3200 SODIMMs directly from them for less than Crucial charges for their sticks. And the Kingston part defaults to a more conservative 2.6V instead of Crucial's 2.5V (that info will be programmed into its SPD EEPROM that the notebook will read). Their PC2700 equivalent is slightly cheaper. Hmm, OfficeMax has the PC2700 version, limit 1 though, I live very close to their local store, I'll have to visit them tomorrow. Good price.