HP Pavillion zv5000z Review

3-4 hours with normal screen brightness.

 

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

 

Follow the instructions you quoted. All zv5000 series machines have the internal memory slot in the same location. I and several other people here have installed pairs of 512MB SODIMMs in our zv5000/R3000 series machines.

 

Well, after about 2 weeks of shopping (including reading every post in this thread), I just placed my order for a custon zv5000. The specs I decided on are:

Win XP Pro
Athlon 64 3400+
15.4 WXGA Widescreen w/Brightview
64 NVIDIA +1394 (I know...crappy video, but I'm not a gamer)
1GB DDR SDRAM (2x512)
80GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/CD-RW
54g Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
12 Cell Lithium Battery

When I signed up to receive HP's newsletter, a $25 coupon was included in the first email. I went to save it in my documents and noticed a prior email I had received and saved when taking a survey that offered me 10% off. Wahoo, that made my day and I ordered an hour later. I just wanted to thank you all so much for taking the time to post. I never needed to ask a question...the information on this board was more than sufficient to affirm that I made the right decision. Thank you to all![ ]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jmk08
When I signed up to receive HP's newsletter, a $25 coupon was included in the first email. I went to save it in my documents and noticed a prior email I had received and saved when taking a survey that offered me 10% off. Wahoo, that made my day and I ordered an hour later. I just wanted to thank you all so much for taking the time to post. I never needed to ask a question...the information on this board was more than sufficient to affirm that I made the right decision. Thank you to all![]
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Would you please tell me how to get the 10% off?
I am really interested in buying one zv5000z!!

 

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

 

If you (or your spouse, parents, family, or friends) work @ a big company, always check w/Human Resources, to see if you are eligible for discounts. My company is actually eligible for HP's EPP (Employee Purchase Program), & I got 9.1% (before any applicable rebates, which you still get, as well)off the price of a customized zv5000z, & that made the price point about $150 more than the zv500z w/less features from Best Buy ($1449.00). I got the accesories, at the same discount, too (& rebates). Plus the shipping from China was free (and NO taxes!!! Sales tax is 10%, where I live!)! It's worth bugging HR, or checking the company employee offers, to find out. I also get the EPP deal from Dell, & IBM, but they were apprecciably more expensive for a comparable system (no AMD processors, either). So, do the math & get the discounts, if you can!

zv5000z::Athlon 3700+(2.4Ghz)::WSXGA(1680x1050)::Nvidia 64MB 4 440 go::512MB(1x512)::80GB HD(5400rpm): VD+/-R/RW,CD+/-R (Dual-Layer): Broadcom WLAN w/Bluetooth::12-cell LiON::XP Pro
Sic Semper Tyrannis/GWB
Semper Fidelis

 

I just recieved my Pioneer DVR-K14 DVD+/-R RW Dual-Layer Recorder. It took me about 10-15 minutes to install. There are no drivers to install. It works right off the bat. I recorded a 3.6GB data disc with the RecordNow! software that comes with the notebook. I then tested the disc with DVDInfoPro (http://www.dvdinfopro.com/) which supports this recorder. It tested great, of course my first choice of media (for DVD Player compatibility) is the Taiyo Yuden media. I will over time try some of the lower price ( = lower quality??) media over time.

My (very expensive) Dual-Layer media has not yet arrived to test.

Bill :::: zv5000z :: 3200+ :: 1GB :: 100GB 5400rpm :: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) :: XP Pro

 

This is the greatest for getting great advice. I've learn quite a bit just from reading previous posts. Thanks for all the info it made a 1st time buyer feel alot more conFident about choosing a notebook. I plan on finishing the order that i've been playing around with and saved for the past week or so. But still have a few undecides about which warranties offered or if you should JUST SAVE YOUR MONEY. And what about the processor? here's what I have so far:

zv500z
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ 2.20 GHz
15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)
64MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 4 440 Go + 1394
1.0GB DDR SDRAM (2x512MB)
80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
8X DVD +/- RW/R & CD-RW Combo Drive
54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
Microsoft(R) Office 2003 Basic
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Built in 3.5" Floppy Drive
standard one-year limited warranty
Total at HP 1747.00

Warranties Offered:Which if any is better buy?
1-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with
Express Repair extended service +$99.99

2-year HP Express Repair extended service plan +$99.99

3-year HP Express Repair extended service plan +$179.99

2-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with
Express Repair extended service plan +$249.99

3-year Total One Solution +$269.99

3-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with
Express Repair extended service plan +$349.99

Processors available: Which is better buy?
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3000+ 1.80 GHz -$100.00
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3200+ 2.00 GHz -$50.00
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3700+ (2.40 GHz) +$100.00

 

Looks like you found all the good stuff. The 3400+ is the sweet spot. As for warranties... I never bother with extended warranties, but I don't take my notebook away from home very often and I've probably thoroughly voided my warranty at this point anyhow [ ].

 

Thanks so much been a great help. I will definitely recommend this site to others.
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by brianstretch

 

I'm ordering this same custom zv5000 How do you get the 10% off? I have found any other than the $50 mailin rebate at hp.com


<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jmk08

 

I own a zv5000 <-- well my son got curious oneday and plucked out one of the keys and totally messed up the who thing that holds it together..anyone know where i can buy ONE key and assembly??..

 

Dunno about one key, but HP will sell you a new keyboard from the parts store on their website for not too much money. See:

http://partsurfer.hp.com/

 

i decide to go for zv5000 after readin u guys' posts.
few questions tho:
1: exactly how much does this weight? ( + adapter) says 15pounds in CC
2: 4200 RPM Hard Drive, there is no option for 5400RPM HD, ?
3: i plan to get one 512mb and add in another 512 later, which ram should i get(will this void the warrenty)? i heard that 256 + 512 is not a good combo, true?
thanx.

 

256MB + 512MB will work, but if you don't want to open up the notebook it's a good idea to get a single 512MB stick from HP, or a full GB. Adding a stick to the user-accessable SODIMM slot shouldn't void the warranty, but I'm not sure about the internal slot (under the keyboard). Still, HP's price for 1GB isn't unreasonable.

My zv5000z with 12 cell battery weighs 8.5 pounds.

Hmm, they used to have an 80GB 5400RPM HD option, looks like they took it away. Swapping in a new 100GB Seagate 5400.2 or 60GB Hitachi 7200RPM drive is easy, if tedious (reloading Windows), if you're so inclined.

 

Overclocking the 440 Go will definitely help a bit. I recommend setting UT2004 to 1280x800 res, 16-bit color, and use the defaults for the rest of the settings. Cutting back to 16-bit helps quite a bit.

You're stuck with the standard HP-provided video drivers, BTW. The drivers on the nVidia website are for desktop cards only (found out the hard way). Interestingly, nVidia's Linux drivers have no such limitation. Version 6111 for 64-bit Linux (I use Fedora Core 3) works best for me. Maybe things will be better when 64-bit WinXP is released (April, allegedly).

 

Hi Guys,

Wow what a thread!! I bought the zv5000 w/ 512 RAM. For my needs it works just great. The only problem I have is UT 2004. It runs pretty well but lags slightly and kills the fun. i have been reading this thread trying to see if anyone has mentioned a similar problem and found a fix. From what i have read here so far I have not found anything particular. I am still reading (35 pages!!) so maybe its in there. I just thought i would put my question out and see if anyone could help. Thanks!

I have tried different VC drivers and overclocking he VC (slightly) but no luck.....

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Hmm... I might have tried an earlier version. Does UT2004 play correctly?

 

Here is the brianstrech article on his notebook upgrade: http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2712&SearchTerms=Toshiba,4x,Ultradrives

Here are the HP pictures: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00057185.pdf

All you do is remove the two screws #7 in the picture, remove the sled and carefully lay it back on the computer, then remove the four #11 screws and slide the old drivce out and replace with the new drive and reverse the proceedure. I have to assume that it does void the warranty but you could reinstall it and HP would never know the difference.

Bill :::: zv5000z :: 3200+ :: 1GB :: 100GB 5400rpm :: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) :: XP Pro
[/quote]

Thanks Bill

Looks simple enough. [ ]

 

The demo version is. See http://www.unrealtournament.com.

 

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

 

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

 

I am not a gamer and specifically know nothing about UT2004, but it seemed to run fine at full screen with the default options, somehow I got everything upside down after pushing many keys to get things happening.

Bill :::: zv5000z :: 3200+ :: 1GB :: 100GB 5400rpm :: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) :: XP Pro

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jmk08

 

Well, I received my zv5000 yesterday, over a week earlier than HP's estimated shipping date. That's the good news. Unfortunately, if things don't get better real soon, I will be returning this within a week! For starters, I am very surprised that more people do not complain about the fan constantly running. This is certainly something that takes getting use to! This thing is a monster, although in time, I'm sure I will probably be happy with it's size (good thing I'm not lugging it around).

But right now I am really upset by the media card reader. I put my Olympus sandisk (SDSM) in the reader and was able to read the card, however, that was short lived. After rebooting the system with the card in, I tried to access the card again, it said that it needed to be formatted. I took the card out (after using safely remove hardware) and put it back in my camera. Not only didnt the camera read the card, but it wouldnt even format it...it just came up with a card error! I then put the card back into the notebook and was able to format it from there (now I'm able to copy to and read the card - from the notebook), but the camera still wont read or format the card! Does anyone know what could have happened or what I can do to fix my card? I certainly don't want to experiment with my only other card left. The safely remove hardware says this is TI PCMCIA SmartMedia. Could I formatted the card incorrectly? Is there anyway to fix this?? Help!
[ !]

 

I don't know that it is running in high speed..it's on a table, so the vents aren't blocked. It's just that it's just that the fan is always running. That's the least of my problems though. I am obviously very concerned about the media card problem. Also, although I was able to network with my desktop w/o much difficulty (zone alarm blocked the network), I cannot seem to network the Lexmark printer that is connected to the desktop. Sorry, I guess I should post problems and look for solutions in another post...any suggestions?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jmk08

 

i will be receiving my zv5000 in a week or so, since there is no option for a better graphic card, i am thinkin about overclockin it.
is it complicated to overclock it? how much performance boost can we get? thanx.

 

Use the same trick as you do for the nVidia desktop GPUs. Set CoolBits to 3 (DWORD) in the registry. I'll let you look it up from there [ ].

If you're lucky, you can overclock from 190/400 to 250/500 or so.

 

thanks, brian. i never done any overclockin b4, are there any tutorials for doin that?

 

Hi all,
i'm thinking of upgrading my ram on my zv5000z (i currently have 256 mb ram). Any suggestions? --thinking of adding on a 512 mb stick. and is it doable by myself?

thanks

 

Yes. Crucial and Kingston are the safest brands, PC2700 grade. There's a hatch on the bottom of the notebook to access a SODIMM slot.

 

A couple of quick questions maybe someone can help with.

First off, does anyone know a source for extra hard drive carrier assembly (with the right-angle IDE connector, drive mounting plate, etc.? HP parts says they are discontinued, unobtainable, despite it still being in production. The purpose is I have an extra hard drive, and I'd like to have the XP 64 RC1 beta on one and a dual-boot Linux/XP32 on the other for faster changing of the hardware.

Second, any news on a newer 64bit AMD notebook model from Compaq/HP to support better video than on this model?

Thanks...

 

Has anyone tried Kingmax brand 1G ram lately? Newegg has it for $185 and was wondering how well it works.

Kingmax claims that it works with AMD 64 on their web site.

http://www.kingmax.com/news/news_product/news_p20041130.htm

 

Hi,

Well, I finally have my new zv5000z (first notebook)in my hot little hands...[ ]

Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional only $49!!
- AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3700+ (2.40 GHz)
- 15.4" WVA WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
- 64MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 4 440 Go + 1394
- 1.0GB DDR SDRAM (2x512MB)
- 60 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
- FREE Upgrade from DVD to DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive!!
- 54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
- Microsoft(R) Works/Money
- 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

I have yet to receive the new 7200 hard drive.
Is there a list of recommended procedures/checklist anywhere to follow out of the box to make sure everything is as it's suppose to be? Or if not, does anyone have suggestions? Just trying to make this as efficient as possible.


Thanks!

By the way, my experience with HP has been mixed. It took them over a month to take care of problems with my online educational account just so I could make the order, but each time I called a tech they were pleasant and helpful, relaying me to someone else right away if they could not answer the questions.

 

Hello fair wench[ ]

Congratulations,Thats a nice puppy in your hot little hands[ ]

Hope you have many happy hours playing with it

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those who forget History, are condemned to repeat it"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.7GHZ :: 512ram :: 8x dvd-rw :: 60GB hdd :: 12 cell battery :: 54g Broadcom+bluetooth :: BOOQ Vyper-M sleeve

My favourite sleeve http://www.booqbags.com/Detail.bok?no=96

My favourite laptop Samsung X50 http://notebook.samsung.de/article.asp?artid=38FC0A21-706D-4D64-AC9C-782649043AD3


My favourite router http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1741098,00.asp

 

I am sure you will love the unit.

If you are going start from scratch and load your new drive from the CD, disregard the next paragraph.

What I do is first remove all uneccesary software. For instance, if you have no intention of using (i.e. paying for) Microsoft Office remove it. Make sure you reboot after removing any major packages. After you get rid of all the packages that require paying for them or you know that you will never use, defragment the disk drive. Do it even if the Microsoft defragmenter tells you it is not necessary, as usual the do not know what they are talking about!

Then install required additional utilities like advertisement removal software (Free like Ad-aware), spyware removal software (shareware like Spybot Search and Destroy) registry maintainence software, and maybe (if you want to test your system quantitatively) benchmarking tools (AquaMark 3D, Mark 2001 SE, HD Tach, etc.). Figures for some of these tests are in the preceeding pages of this forum.

There are many pages on the Internet that advise on tuning and tweaking XP that are also very useful.

A free tool that I use is Belarc Advisor to check hardware configuartions and software versions.

Bill :::: zv5000z :: 3200+ :: 1GB :: 100GB 5400rpm :: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) :: XP Pro

 

zv5430us vs zv5410us

I'll be travelling to the US for work at the end of the month. For the job I need a new notebook and I found it is cheaper to buy in the US than in Canada. I don't really have the time to order a custom configured one so Circuit City is my choice. The less I have to spend for a decent system the better.

I was set on buying the zv5430 until I checked CC and found that they have the 5410 for $350 less. Sure it's "only" a 1.8 Ghz processor and 60 GB HD. I can handle the hd size for now since I've been working with a 30 GB one. I sure would like to upgrade the burner to the new Pioneer DL one eventually . I was reading here that it will fit the 5430 so it should fit the 5410 as well right?

When looking at the 5410 on CC site it says it has a DVD/CD-RW. On HP's website it says it has the DVD+RW in it. What's up with that?

If I go with the 5410 I have $350 to play with over the 5430. I use it mainly for word processing and pictures for my website and watch the odd dirty movie.

What do you guys think?

 

I think the cheaper notebook will be fine. Yes, the Pioneer burner will fit. The important thing is you're getting an Athlon 64 CPU and not the Athlon XP-M so you'll be all set for 64-bit Windows XP when it's ready.

 

The Radeon 9200 is a bit better than the GeForce 440 Go (unless you want to run Linux, in which case a nVidia GPU is a Very Good Idea). Of course, unless you're playing games, any dedicated memory GPU will do.

 

read so many reiviews about the old video card issue, it starts to bother me, and then i saw Fujitsu's N3510 with all good things except x300. my zv5000 is on the way, so i have to make a dicision now. can somebody give me an idea how good x300 is? and which ATI's card is equivalent to Geforce's in terms of performance? 9200,9600,9700, x300, x600 , x700 .... appreciate ur valuable informations.

 

I have read trough this whole forum looking for some information about the zv5000 that I have not been able to find.

1.Does anyone know what chipset the motherboard on the zv5000 hosts?
2.Does the newest version of this notebook (shipped in the past 2 months shipped from HP) ship with PC2700 or PC3200?
3.Has anyone clocked the hypertransport speed on the motherboard? If so what was the speed and were you running pc3200 or 2700?
4.Has anyone upgraded factory defaulted memory (pc2700) to pc3200 memory? Did you notice the difference?
5.Why can't the video card be upgraded? I looked at the whitepapers on this machine and it did have a card.(not integrated video) Is there no AGP standard for notebooks? If there isn't, there has to be another card somewhere that you could modify to work in this machine.

A big THX [ ] to anyone who can help.

It has been difficult to find a machine that has quality parts and runs an Athlon 64 proc. for less than 1500$





It is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

 

1) nVidia nForce3 150.
2) PC2700.
3) I would assume 800MHz (1600MHz DDR).
4) Some people have reported success, some have reported failures on recent notebooks. I'd stick with PC2700.
5) The GPU is soldered to the motherboard. nVidia recently came up with a notebook video card standard that OEMs will hopefully make use of in the next generation of notebooks, whenever they come out.

 

Thanks Brianstretch. [8D]

I am pretty sure the HTT on the 150 is supposed to run at 600/1200. Just wondering if anyone has used AMD's CPUID to check it.

The memory controller on the Athlon 64 does not work with more than 1 double sided memory chip at 200mhz. DDR333- no problem.

I think this may be why some have success and some do not when using pc3200. If there anyone running 2x512 @ 400mhz with single sided modules? If so, let me know how it works.

Does anyone know if you can manipulate the multiplier in the bios?

Is there anyway someone could post some detailed info on the BIOS such as menus and make?(eg. phoenix, award, ami?)

Is the BIOS soldered or socketed onto the board?

I am sorry to hear about the soldered video chip.[xx(] If anyone has any links about mods to the video graphics on this motherboard please share them with me! Thanks to all who can help.

-Punk. [ ]

__________________________________________________________
It is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

 

a week has passed, still no sign of my zv5000. are they so sure that we dont change our minds and cancell the order? or maybe i should consider myself lucky (?) cuz i just found out that the price for my configuration has dropped, and a free printer after rebate. can i ask them to do the price matching, and send me a printer also?

 

You're probably right about the HTT being 600/1200. I forgot about that.

There have been some reports of dual PC3200 SODIMM success, but only on older notebooks, not recent orders. I'm pretty sure it's four sticks that give the Athlon 64 problems at PC3200 (on desktops of course), so by rights PC3200 should be fine on notebooks... if HP bothered to design for that, which they apparently didn't. That's not unusual, eMachines didn't either.

You can manipulate quite a bit with ClockGen for nForce3 chipset motherboards. Undervolting is fun.

I *think* the BIOS is soldered to the board. Phoenix BIOS, very few options, haven't found the hidden screens (if they exist, which is doubtful).