HP Zv5360us laptop from CompUSA

I recently bought HP Zv5360us laptop from CompUSA. It seems like only CompUSA has this laptop. I am looking for review for this laptop so I can decide to keep this laptop or not.

It looks like HP laptop, particularly zv5000 series, has not good reputation in market. Users have lots of complain with screen and performance etc.

Here is the configuration of the laptop:
Processor Brand: Intel
Processor Class: Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology
Processor Speed: 3.06 GHz
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
L2 Cache Size: 512 KB
Memory Speed: PC2700 (333MHz)
Memory Technology: DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM)
Installed Memory: 256 MB
Maximum Memory: 1.25 GB
Hard Drive Capacity: 40 GB
CD-RW Write Speed: 24 X
Additional Drives: DVD/CD-RW Combo
Sound Support: Digital Audio (16-bit)
Video Chipset: ATI® Mobility RADEON™ 9000
Shared Video Memory: 64 MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768 (XGA)
Display Size: 15.0 in

Thanks,
DP

 

I haven't read any/many complaints about the screens (though I'm not sure why they're using a 15" screen in a notebook designed for 15.4" widescreens), but the Intel side of the zv5000 series lineup has shared memory graphics which IMHO should be avoided like the plague. The P4 CPU is the least power-efficient notebook CPU you can buy, too. (There was a dedicated memory GPU version but I think they stopped making those. That would have been more plausible.)

You would have been better off with a zv5000z variant, one of the Athlon 64 or Athlon XP-M models. They're usuaully about the same price but the CPU is better (at least as good performance plus much better battery life, Enhanced Virus Protection, and 64-bit capability for the Athlon 64 versions) and it has a dedicated memory graphics chip, weak as these things go but far superior to a shared memory GPU. CompUSA had one on sale this week, we'll see what's in tomorrow's ad.

 

I bought a HP zv5360us from CompUSA. So far, this computer has been great. I mainly use it for school purposes but if I have free time, I'll play a couple games on it. I currently have Halo loaded on my computer. It's a pretty graphic intensive game and there's minimal "slowing down" of the computer not being able to handle the graphics. I have three complaints about the computer. 1) the ATi graphics card sometimes crashes the computer. nothing serious but a little annoying. 2) the battery recharges kinda slow. I ran it down to about 7% of battery life and it took about 2 hours to get it back to a full battery. 3) the obvious is of course, this computer is quite big. Other than that, it's a sweet laptop for $800