*HP dm3 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Also, I've done the bios update, MVP, etc and the volume meter works. But now the bios doesn't show the HP logo when the computer is started. When I boot it up from a shutdown or a restart it doesn't show HP and the "press esc to get to menu" it just goes right directly to loading windows.

Another thing, I remember when I was messing around in the bios that I've seen the option to leave the fan on. What do you guys think I should do with it? It's on right now and I feel the fan working very lightly. How much does this affect my battery life?

 

Hmmm, I tried it over the phone, still didn't work. That was about a couple weeks ago, and it was late at night, so it's possible I might've screwed up somewhere. I'll do it again tomorrow and see if it works.

As far as the fan goes, mine is on the default setting, whatever that is. I'm pretty sure it's not on the "always on" setting.

 

Just double check the key to make sure it's the same as what's on the bottom of the laptop. Aside from that, it seemed to go easier for me when I read the numbers to the system rather than entered them in.

 

I believe the fan always on option is enabled by default in the BIOS.

 

just want to ask, as a potential DM3T upgrader, would the maxed out DM3 configuration be an upgrade from my current setup? i'm a bit dissatisfied with the relative bulkiness of my samsung q320 and was curious as to if this cheaper machine might do the trick as to giving me a good more horsepower in a lighter package with less of a dent on my wallet than what the samsung machine cost me.

samsung q320 ($1299 when i bought it last summer)

p8700 @2.56GHz
G105M 256mb gddr3 i OC'ed it a bit
5800mah battery...only lasts me like...3-3:30 hours on avg college paper writing/research usage?

DM3 owners, may i humbly seek your advice...

 

The SP9300 processor in the dm3t probably is a little slower than the P8700.
The SP9300 runs at 2.26GHz vs. 2.56GHz although it does have twice the cache.
The G105M in the dm3t has 512mb of gddr3.
Battery life should be better. I think I've read that the dm3t should get about 4 hours of battery life. It has switchable graphics so you can get more battery life by switching to the igp when you're not working on something graphic-intensive.

 

Ok I got it to go to full screen now, well at least that it looks like the resolution is right but my wallpaper only shows 3/4 the size. There is a blue edge all along it for the other 1/4 of the screen. Though I already noticed that something was off. It just looks crappy and there are lines and pixels all screwy. When I tried to play the latest Lost episode it looked all screwy as well of course. My GMA 4500MHD should be able to do this right?
Any ideas?

 

You'll get better battery life, you probably won't notice the difference between the 2 processors and it's all in a very sexy package.

 

As stated in my review, http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=455625

with IGP, SP9300 CPU, and SSD, you can easily see 6 hours of battery life with undervolting.

Also, to make sure you save more battery life, you can go to the BIOS and tell it to turn the fan off. The dm3t runs cool enough that the fan doesn't need to be turned on constantly. Doing light tasks, my dm3t usually doesn't exceed 32 C. Games with nVidia GPU on tend to push it above 40C though, but that isn't bad, considering my dv6000t could easily hit the 60C mark.

 

With the fan option off in the bios, it'd still cool it when it reaches an certain temperature, correct?

I can't seem to get into the bios as it loads into Windows automatically when I start up the computer from a cold boot. I'll try playing around with it and see what I can do with it.

 

So does anyone else have a geforce 105 that is not switchable? From everything I can tell they changed something and added switchable graphics to the 105 about 3 weeks after I ordered mine.... soo annoying... also does anyone have any advice for making the screen better looking..... i cant even explain my issues with the screen .... it just seems dim or maybe its the contrast?

 

The 1100 series is what added the switchable graphics and b/g/n as standard wifi cards. This is just a guess but could you load the 1100 G105M series driver to get the switchable graphics? I'm not sure if it would work or not, or if there's something else going on behind the scenes.

As for the screen, mine seems perfect. If anything, a bit bright. Colors seem accurate and vivid.

If the switchable graphics thing bugs you that much I'd call HP and see if they could switch it out under warranty.

 

IJust picked up a DM3 1130us from Officemax @ $499. (Last one available.)

However, it seems to be getting very, VERY hot. I installed Coretemp and am getting readings of 70-80c under load. (Watching hulu, etc.) It idles from 50-60. I've seen it reach 65-70 when doing normal, moderate tasks. (Browsing the internet with multiple tabs, etc.)

To compare, I installed Speedfan which displayed a much lower temperature. (40-45 idle. 45-60 under heavy load.) I've heard that Speedfan is horribly inaccurate though. So I don't know what to believe.

Can anyone else provide insight? Or even a Coretemp comparison? Officemax apparently no longer sells these. So I'd have to request a refund since it can't be exchanged for another. Should be fun.

I've had horrible luck.

1. DM3 1030us new off of eBay: DOA. Bad hard drive.

2. Aspire 1410 from Newegg: Very uneven display. Colors bright and vibrant on the left, extremely dull on the right.

2. DM3 1130us from Officemax: Possibly overheating?

Edit: Just to clarify, this the the AMD model.

 

Get Intel, man. AMDs run hot.

 

Not an option. $500 is my max at the moment.

I've never really had a problem with AMD. I can deal with the palmrest and bottom being warm, but the Coretemp reading scare me. Hoping that someone else has this model and can tell me their readings.

 

The fan will kick in once it hits a certain temperature. It seems to favor a temp of 35C-40C for it to kick in.

 

Setting the brightness higher with F2 should take care of dimness.

The contrast is better when looking at the display from slightly below.

To increase the contrast download the lastest .exe driver from Intel.com (Series 4 chipset) and change the gamma in the Intel system tray. Mine is on 0.8.

 

I've downloaded HWMonitor and it seems to agree with Core Temp.

So I guess my question is, is 70-75c a "safe" operating temp under a decent load? (Topping out at 80c on rare occasions.) Seems VERY high. I'm planning on mainly using this for work. Office apps, gmail, etc. However, I do want to occasionally hook it up to my HDTV and use it with Boxee and my media center remote. So I'll be doing a fair amount of video watching.

If these are safe temps than I won't mind too much. It is rarely on my lap and I almost always use a USB mouse.

 

80C? Do you have Intel or AMD? I find it hard that the dm3t would hit 80C. Mine at peak has gone as far as 50C, but that's the absolute max and it's very rare for it to do so.

I'm streaming video and my CPU temp is 38C.

 

My dm3-1030us operates usually between 30 and 40c, which is pretty standard temp in my opinion. I ran Prime95 today @100% for 10min and didn't get anywhere near 70c. I would be concerned about that.

 

I'd definitely try to swap it out. If you can swing an extra $25, the microsoft store has the 1044-NR on sale with a coupon for $525. It's an intel.

Use coupon code: CLR-MSAFL-30%-PC for 30% off the $749 price.

MS Store dm3t page

I have the sp9300/G105M combo as well and never notice it getting more than moderately warm.

 

My last dm3z ran that hot. It got as hot as 85C on load.
This is a screenshot of HWMonitor after 2 hours of playing StarCraft II beta:

Mine had the L625 processor btw.
I remember reading somewhere that the max operating temperature for the L625 was 95C and I'm guessing it's the same for the L335.
The thing is, I don't remember getting temps as high as this on the other two DM3Zs I had. Which is why I returned this one.
You should probably get an exchange if you can.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I bought the last one from Officemax, and it seems like they've removed it from their site. So I'm guessing they were clearing out stock at $499. So a swap is probably not possible. What I'm hoping is that they don't give me a hard time and try to charge a 15% restocking fee. I'm not interested in store credit. I'd rather get a refund and look for an intel version.

 

If they try the restocking fee route you could let them know it's not operating within normal temps. They shouldn't give you much trouble.

 

Well, good news. One Office Max in my area had a few left. Swapped it out and the new one seems to be fine. Watched an entire episode of Family Guy on Hulu to test and it topped out at 53c. Definitely much better than 75-80c Seemed to be idling around 35-40c.

Since I'm in AZ my temp will probably be a bit higher than normal. (I tested it out in the kitchen, which is getting killed by the sun right now.) I know AMD's run hotter, but 35-55c is acceptable.

As a bonus the display is much better too. The previous DM3 had an "AUO" panel which gave me very faint vertical lines across the entire display when viewed at a certain angle. EVERY AUO panel I've ever had has experienced this issue. First DM3 (Hard drive failed almost immediately) had one, second DM3 (overheated) had one, and a Gateway Netbook had one. This one has an LG panel and is giving me a much cleaner picture. Maybe not as bright though? Probably just my imagination. But I don't really care.

Maybe I can finally enjoy my DM3. Third time is hopefully a charm!

 

Congrats. Hope this one works out for you.

 

I have no problem with my Dm3 running more than warm except during games. & Living in AZ shouldn't effect much since you'll be using it inside with AC whenever heat would be an issue i assume?

 

I've always noticed my desktop CPU temp rising a bit in the summer here in AZ. So I assume the laptop will do the same. Obviously nothing to be alarmed about. Just a few degrees at most. Not really an issue. Don't even know why I brought it up.

 

There's a $250 off coupon for hp pavilions going. NBZB349491 [Exp. 04/13 or 1800 uses]
I think I'm going to order a dm3t soon, but there's a minimum price of $1199 for the coupon to work so I have to throw in a some extra stuff.
What do you guys think is better to have:
extra 6-cell battery & bluetooth & 500GB hdd (vs. 320GB hdd) or 2-year HP Care Pack Pick Up and Return ?

 

If you're going to carry it around I'd get the care pack. Other things to think about would be an extra ac adapter (what I chose), the dual band b/g/n card, the dvd drive. What's your configured system?

 

I plan on buying the external dvd drive in either case.
I can't really think of an use for the dual band.
I thought dual band was only for like routers so that they can run the new 'wireless n' standard and the old 'g' standard at the same time for compatibility with older machines?

 

I'm not 100% sure on the dual band; I thought it was for use of 3 antennas for better signal and less reception and interference issues.

As for the HD, unless space is an issue I'd go for whatever comes stock and save up for an ssd. That's probably the best improvement to laptops these days.

 

There is a new BIOS for dm3t ... anyone want to test it out?

 

sent back my dm3t, decided that I'm going to wait and buy a core i5 13 mbp when they're released. HOpefully it's soon!

 

I sent back my dm3t as well, but only because I decided I wanted the SSD. I've been reading that everybody is getting G2 Intel's now. That was a dealbreaker for me. G2 or I wasn't going to return the dm3 I have now. I got lucky this time, this dm3 was flawless, no problems with quality whatsoever, but I really wanted the SSD.

 

It could be here as soon as next Tuesday: http://gizmodo.com/5513193/rumor-new-macbook-pros-next-tuesday

 

Does anybody know if the System Restore DVDs are the same? I have the Restore DVDs from my old dm3t, but i ordered the new one with the Intel SSD. I'm curious because the Intel comes with the software for the drive. I'm wondering if the Restore DVDs for Windows 7 are all the same or if I should have re-ordered new ones.

 

So, are the Intel SSDs G2 now?

 

They're suppose to be, that's why I ordered a new one.

 

The system restore disks are different based on what your hardware is(they have the drivers) so I'm guessing it could run into problems if you restored HDD drivers for an SSD

 

Yeah, that's what I thought. I regret not ordering the extra restore disks. I mean most likely I won't need them, but, it's always good to have them just in case.

See, I always assumed it's the same discs because they always look the same with the same copyright date of 2009. I just can't believe they would burn a new set of discs each time a new computer is bought based on their setup. Obviously, that sounds accurate, since the SSD has the extra Intel software for Trim and whatnot, but I always assumed it would be the same set of discs for everyone for a certain laptop.

 

I've just updated to the new bios (F16) to be exact. It's the same, does HP ever release change logs to show us what they changed on the bios updates?

And also, ever since I've did a reinstall of windows 7, I can't get into quickweb, is there a special key that I have to press to go in? I haven't deleted any partitions when installing windows neither. I just remembered today while playing with another dm3 at staples.

 

They do but it very obscure and cryptic.

Here's what it said for F16

 

So no on screen display for brightness I guess. Too bad, I would have liked that.

 

I'm guessing that would have to do with Quick Launch software supporting it.... Atleast Windows can change and detect how much brightness you have and not.

 

Has anyone tried undervolting the SP9300 yet? I'm looking to increase the battery life beyond the 4:30 its giving me.

 

ab2013 has.
From his review:

 

Hey, has anyone else noticed a problem where if you adjust the Windows volume, such as through the F7 and F8 keys or the speaker icon in the taskbar, video or music that is currently playing will slow down and stutter for a few seconds?

 

Current undervolted to 1.00v at max load and saw a decrease in ~30 degrees F. Still moving down, hopfully I'll end up somewhere near .925v. Thanks gizmodian for that quote

 

Wow, a 30F decrease?! How hot were the temperatures before?