*HP dm3 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

*oops, wrong forum*

 

I'll wait until we get some more benchmarks, but so far it looks like the 7300 is doing fine:

dm3z: AMD Athlon Neo L335, ATI 3200 - PCMark Vantage 2,339
http://www.studentbuyingguide.com/2009/10/hp-dm3z-review/

dm3t: Intel SU 7300, Intel 4500MHD - PCMark Vantage 2,874.
http://www.laptopmag.com/print_revi...pmag.com//review/laptop/hp-pavilion-dm3t.aspx

PCMark Vantage isn't CPU-specific, so the video matters to a degree, but given that the ATI 3200 kicks the 4500's butt in every other benchmark, I tend to think the higher benchmark in the SU7300/4500 combo is due to the SU7300 pulling its weight.

 

Review added to first post, thanks for suggesting it.

 

Interesting. I wonder what an extra 512KB L2 cache would do to help in the AMD L625.

 

from the review on student buying guide:
"The case has what HP calls a “Modern Argento” brushed aluminum finish. What that means is the case, although made of plastic, actually looks like it’s constructed of aluminum with a brushed dark silver finish."

Pretty sure that is false.

 

I thought it actually was aluminum....I've never heard anyone in a review say the top was plastic.

 

It definitely is aluminum, that reviewer was misinformed.

 

So does anyone know if this has a free mini pci-e slot for an ssd ?

 

How is that possible? If they're touching it in their hands, they'll know instantly it's aluminum....

 

It's aluminum. I've touched it too... lol the Reviewer was simply wrong.

 

I own it, I am currently using it. It is aluminum.

 

There should be a spot where the WWAN module was going to sit. No idea if you can boot from it though (but that would be pretty slick).

EDIT: Nvm, there's not enough clearance of space to stick an SSD in there. Pictures: http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/del...e-drive-wlan-mini-pci-e-slot-differences.html

Since everything is standardized, while the slot is physically the same, the space around the card isn't. =/

 

I know that manufacturers (who do) use aluminum because of its light weight...am just curious about its heat dissipation properties. isn't aluminum more prone to retain heat???

By the way, yesterday I saw the envy 13 and 15 for the first time..they looked really neat online but in reality it really is not looking that polished (I am tempted to say "ugly"-to the risk of offending some...). The casing looked stern/dark almost dirty dark. The engraving outside of it really didn't do justice to the notebook. And the specs for the Envy 13 are a bit on the low at 1.86ghz...I couldn't see the $1,700 on the envy 13....Glad they kept the best design/price combo for the dm3...

 

man no mini pci-e slot ? That kinda sucks. Would love to have put in a ssd there. A nice 32 gigger for just the os.

 

Has anyone considered using sandpaper or steel wool to buff out the shiny touchpad surface in favor of a brushed-metal alternative? This way the touchpad can aesthetically blend in more with the rest of the design. Also, de-smoothing the mirror finish will help with reducing drag caused by friction... Assuming the touchpad surface is constructed of metal, that is. Can any dm3 owner verify this?

I'm pretty positive that scarfing up the surface of a metal touchpad will not reduce the amount of capacitance or grounding, but I'm no component engineer.. but regardless, I feel that a matte brushed-metal touchpad would be an improvement in both form and function given the circumstances.

 

sandpaper??? ....no need to torture your lappy ... Check this out instead...
http://www.skinstyler.com/pc

 

I haven't opened up the back yet.. is there a place for bluetooth module? If so, know a 3rd party one that will work?

 

hmm.. interesting idea. I brushed the chrome finish on my iPhone with great results, but I am afraid I am not brave enough to do it to my new laptop

 

There should be, as the one that I bought from office max has bluetooth built in.

 

I am thinking of buying the clear one. How good it is?

and

What's the dimension of the dm3t touchpad?

 

I figured that if the touchpad is made of a similar material as the iPhone, brushing it would produce similar pleasant results. However, sacrificing a new laptop component is never a good idea... hopefully someone with more touchpad know-how or plain guts (or money!) can try it out and report how it goes.

 

I just briefly looked at the envy 15 yesterday at best buy when I checked out the dm3....I don't know if someone had been using it before me, but the thing was absolutely burning up with heat. The looks were not that great either.....the etching in the palm rest area already looked crappy....like the holes were just a place to gather dirt and gunk.

On the other hand, I liked the dm3 a lot. I think I can live with the touchpad. I'd just like to see some numbers on the different CPU/GPU options and battery life and then I'll be able to make a decision.

 

They run those computers all day. It gets tortured.

 

Hey dagamer34,

Your tag says Athlon Neo X2 on order together with the 4330. How can?

Only the Turions can be combined with the 4330, right?

W

 

turions and neos are one in the same

 

Some idle speculation:

AMD base config = L335 (18W) + 3200 (2634 3dmark), listed as 6 hours
Intel base config = SU4100 (10W) + 4500MHD (1259 3dmark), listed as 10 hours

AMD alternate config = L625 (18W) + 3200 (2634 3dmark) + 4330 (12W)(4754 3d Mark)
Intel Alternate config = SU7300 (10W) + G105M (14W)(2723 3dmark)

Let's say the base config listed battery life was true, what would the battery life be for the two alternate configurations?

I am specuguesstimating:

5.5 hours for the Intel Alt
6 hours for the AMD Alt (using 3200)
4.5 hours for the AMD Alt (using 4330)

I figure the L625 cpu performance is probably on par with the SU7300, at least the difference will be negligible for the every day use.

The L625 uses the same amount of juice as the the L325, therefor when combined with the 3200 the battery time is also the same.

The big advantage of the AMD Alt combination is undoubtedly that when needed there is a substantial graphics boost available, as well full BD-live compliance.

Of course, when somebody posts some benchmarks we'll know for sure. I'm really just passing time.

W

 

That's not really the question

W

 

If your estimated figures are anywhere near accurate, then it makes my decision to keep the dm3t harder than ever! The one thing that makes me think the numbers are too generous is the fact some people have come back posting that their OD Dm3z has lasted about 4 hours. So I'd assume the AMD with the L625 will last around 4 hours as well. If that's the case, then at most, I'd say the AMD with 4330 would only get 3 hours, if that. The Intel with the 105M would DEFINITELY in my mind atleast get over 3 hours. For my ideal solution, I'd like 5 hours of battery for cross-country flights. But I'd obviously like having the graphics card as well. So it's a trade-off, I suppose.

 

You're right. probably too generous on the times. They are kinda based on the premise that HP listed times are correct, of course we all know that vendors love to stretch the truth.

I agree though if the L335+3200 lasts only 4 hours then the L665+3200 should perform the same (unless the 4330 is utilized).

5 hours would be a nice compromise. But why not just get the additional 6 cell battery, as far as I can tell it just plugs in the the bottom/back making it a 12 cell total, right?


W

 

I agree with the student buying guide site that the comp can last a solid 4 hours with a good amount of use, but I'm still wondering if the recharge seems a bit slow while I'm using it.

 

The Intel should last longer, so if I could get 5 hours with the SU7300 and 105M combo I ordered, then I'd be set.

From my previous HP laptops, I think the extra 6 cell is just a second battery. The picture they post of a 6 cell and a 12 cell are generic pictures that they use for everything. Anyways, so what happens is if the first runs out, you pull it out and put in the second. Which would not be worth it for me. That's too much to carry around since I travel with a lot of baggage and accessories already.

Again the only reason I chose the Intel setup was battery life and performance. I'm accustom to Intel always being a step ahead of AMD. Obviously I'd prefer the ATI graphics solution, especially the ability to switch back and forth, but if I can get decent battery life and not need to switch back and forth, that to me is an even better option. I'd always be running the 105M and still get good battery life. However, all this is in theory, until I get my laptop, I won't know. The AMD with the switchable graphics may end up being the better solution with PERHAPS better battery life, though that would truly stun me. I would pick the AMD option if the battery lives were similar, and the AMD performed better. I would take a hit in battery life if I knew the AMD outperformed the Intel.

 

I tried the HULU desktop app and it seems to be play fine at low qual. There is some stutter but very very minor. Stuff is watchable.

Overall I'm fairly happy. I did notice the laptop does take a while to charge. The brick rated 65W. If you are using the machine (CPU 18W + GPU,Chipset maybe 15W, + screen) There is not much left for charging.

 

anybody try nulldc or counter-strike: source?

 

Here are some of the notebookcheck benchmarks I ran:

SuperPI
1M: 56s
2M: 128s

WPrime
32M: 53s

Dhrystone: 10780
Whetstone: 8580

 

The 3DMark score you have for the 105M doesn't look right. It's about 10% slower, not half the speed

3DMark 05 Comparison:
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330: 4754
NVIDIA GeForce G 105M : 4321
ATI HD 3200: 2634

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-G-105M.13790.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-4330.13973.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-3200.9591.0.html

 

My estimate is the same: four hours for the dm3-1030us (AMD L335).

 

Did anybody order the dm3t with the Core 2 Duo SP9300 + 105M Combo?


I'm so interested it, i mean really a lot.

But i'm afraid that its gonna melt my lap and hands just like my old macbook pro did...

 

Ya.. same exact feelings. Nothing yet though... we're going to have to wait for some reviews and people to get them.

 

Is the heating due to the hard drive? Would an SSD be a fix to this problem?

 

agreed totally, i still think the processor will makeup for some of it too it too. As the pcmark vantage shows between the 2 in these reviews, the dm3t has a decent nudge up.
http://www.studentbuyingguide.com/2009/10/hp-dm3z-review/
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/hp-pavilion-dm3t.aspx?page=3

 

Oops my bad, thanks
(I think I was looking at the 102M when I wrote this down)

 

Sorry if this had been asked but does the dm3 have an edge to edge screen?

 

No it does not, if it did I would nit have purchased it

 

I just wanted to post this info in this thread for anyone who is on the fence with the dm3z and might be looking for the things the Asus UL80VT-A1 has to offer that the dm3z doesn't have. I already ordered the dm3z, so I'm going to go ahead and let it come in and try both the dm3z and the UL80VT-A1, compare them, and decide which one I want to keep. I will post my results.

The Asus UL80VT-A1 provides significant gains in performance with its built in overclock of the SU7300 to 1.73 + Nvidia 210M/Intel 4500 switchable graphics, should be able to play Hulu HD because of overclocking (overclocked processor is nearly on par with the T6500), runs much cooler (palm rests are guaranteed to be cool), touch pad should be near apple level in terms of functionality, will provide 12+ hours of battery life, has a DVD-RW, comes with a 2-year standard warranty + 1-year accidental protection. So far, the only review I've seen rated it as extremely good. Here's a review: http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3665&p=2

The only big thing I'm gonna miss from the dm3z is the amazing looks, lighter body, and aluminum casing. The dm3z can be had for much cheaper as well. The Asus looks pretty good, but it just doesn't shine in the same way the dm3z does. It comes down to performance vs. looks for me. I guess I will just have to see if I can sacrifice good looks for better performance.

I don't mean to be a downer to anyone looking at the dm3z. The dm3z is a fantastic laptop, and I highly recommend it based on what I've read about it and from trying it out at BestBuy.

 

um. you know the neo and turion are oc-able.

Also I got my dmz with the upgraded cpu and the 4330 with 3 gigs of ram for $714 after taxes and shipping. So I don't see how the asus is even in the ball park. It starts at $800.

AMD actually has a great tool that lets you oc the cpu and gpu very easily.


Oh and also according to here http://www.studentbuyingguide.com/2009/10/hp-dm3z-review/ the 3200 in this comes with 128 megs of ram.

I rather the dm3z for $549 and invest the rest of the money into an ssd or the dm3z with the 4330 for $700 and the rest of the savings into an ssd. You'll end up with better performance all around.

Also the g210 needs 14watts when being used or if in idle mode 7 watts. The 4330 uses 7watts.

iF you look anand never benchmarks the power useage with gaming. Its allways just internet and light work

 

doh oh well!

 

I hate going up to 14 inch, havin it thicker from a cd drive too also. If they made a 13inch with the su7300 and a 210m i would be verrrrry happy

 

Mine should arrive next week, will post my observations after I get some time to play with it and compare it to the DM3-1030 I have at home already.

 

nice man, can't wait for that!

if it turns out the be acceptable or like the other one then i'll probably buy one myself

 

That's going to be great, you can do a comparo!