*HP dm3 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Started around 165, at 1.0 its down to 135 (At max load).

I've been having some issues with it staying undervolted so I'm going to try a different program.

My starting temp's (Max load) with no voltage change:
Core #0: 73 C (165 F)
Core #1: 77 C (172 F)

Undervolting with ThrottleStop @ 0.9500V
Core #0: 58 C (136 F)
Core #1: 60 C (140 F)

@ 0.9250V
Core #0: 57 C (134 F)
Core #1: 59 C (138 F)

 

Hey guys, I spent a few hours browsing the web looking for solutions to similar problems, and was able to fix it. If anyone else has the same problem, what ended up working for me was to uninstall/delete the IDT Audio Codec driver from the device manager, reboot, and let Windows 7 rediscover and install the default IDT Audio driver.

EDIT: So the problem ended up coming back, so I uninstalled the IDT Audio Driver from the Uninstall Programs menu, which allowed Windows 7 to install the Microsoft High Definition Audio Device driver (generic driver) and it all works ok now. It also fixed a problem where videos would stutter for the first 1-2 seconds.

 

Hey guys I have something to tell you.

If you can find the, download the HP Wireless Elite Keyboard drivers... they completely change the way volume is increased/decreased and it works a lot better than the DM3 drivers.

 

I recently (~1 week ago) received a refurbished DM3T. I'm loving the computer so far, with the one caveat to that being that apparently my computer was built about a month and a half before they implemented the switchable graphics.

Either way this is a great machine and I am certainly loving it. There are two minor problems that do worry me though, and perhaps some more experienced DM3T owners can give me some advice as to how severe these issues are...

1. My unit seems to have some slight flex to the right of the trackpad, and when you push it a certain way there is a clicking noise. This isn't a huge issue, and I think it may have something to do with the keyboard not quite sitting flush with the casing on the lower right hand side.

2. There is a bit of play where the battery sits in the machine. I am able to rock/wiggle it slightly.

I have read about the keyboard/palmrest issue in this thread, whereas the battery issue is not something I had heard about before.

So I guess my questions are...Has anyone had any lasting problems from the keyboard not sitting flush with the casing, or with the flex in the palmrest? I'm ok with them the way they are now, but am worried that they will become a more significant problem moving forward.

As far as the battery, is this normal? Does the battery sit slightly loose in all DM3T's?

I have a 90 day warranty with HP, and could still send the computer back to the reseller who I purchased it from in the next 48 hours and receive a replacement or refund. Any advice as to how much these issues might hamper me would be appreciated, Thanks!!

 

I don't have the keyboard issue, and my battery is super snug.
I'd get a replacement.

The keyboard issue might be the keyboard needing to be reseated.

 

Nitewalker - Thanks for the advice. Thats what I was leaning towards, but good to hear someone voice agreement.

Does anyone know on average what the turn around time is for repairs/replacement from HP?

 

Anyone have a link for freeware, that increases the volume for the DM3z? The sound is just way to low, for almost everything, I say 99.9% of the time it doesnt even come close to 100% volume

 

No problem.

As for the replacement, it went pretty quick for mine. I replaced it because of a visible seam on the top cover and because I wanted to apply a $250 coupon; the dm3t I had was purchased with a $75 coupon. Basically I got a better system for less than I originally paid.

HP processed the refund as soon as I called with the fedex tracking# and the money was back in my account in 2 days.

 

My battery doesn't sit tight either. Other than that no complaints.

 

I am thinking of buying this laptop and I would like to get some more info from you guys...

Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300, 4GB Ram DD3, NVIDIA GeForce G 105M 512MB

Unfortunately, no optical drive...

Any advice guys? Would you recommend this laptop?

 

In the 2 DM3s I went through, the battery didn't fit 100% tight either. You could put a few pieces of aluminum or some type of non-flammable material under the battery to push it a little out though.

 

Advice: Throw an SSD in there.
It's a great laptop with a clean install of win7. The lack of an optical drive isn't as big a deal as it seems. Once you install win7 from a flash drive it'll be hard to go back to disc. It goes very quick.

I'm surprised some of other users' batteries aren't sitting tight. I figured HP would have taken care of that by now...
Like I said, mine is very snug; no wiggle at all.

 

Thank you for your reply.

Is the processor mentioned better then the ones that come with AMD Athlon Neo X2 Processor L335 processor? Why one would you recommend, the Intel or the AMD?

I know it might be stupid but I don't know much about SSD, what are the advantages when using it?

 

The SU7300 performs a little better than the AMD. And the Intels are better for longer battery life and cooler temperatures.

 

Thanks for the info. I've heard also that AMD can get warm much faster...

By the way, does the laptop come with a recovery disk considering that it doesn't have an optical drive?

 

The AMDs are known to run warmer than the Intels. The laptop comes with a recovery partition, so you're fine without an optical drive. You can of course buy the DVDs which are not worth it at $19, but I always buy them anyways, just to be safe. I'd rather do that than burn my own and have a problem, and get stuck.

 

Just ordered a new dm3t CTO!
Used coupon code: NBT56981 (expires after 1800 uses) for $200 off.
HP also has a promotion thing going on so I got a free $50 gift card.

 

So in case I need after a while to reinstall windows then I just use the recovery partition, without burning dvds?

 

Yes, as long as you don't do anything to the hard drive where you lose the recovery partition, you're fine. As I said, in that minuscule chance something happens, I like having the physical discs, but I've yet to ever need them. So yeah, right out of the box, you'll be fine, because the recovery partition is already setup and if you ever need to do a factory restore, you're set.

Now, if you mean reinstall in Windows as a CLEAN install, then the recovery partition will be useless to you. It's only meant if something happens and you want to restore the company to when you got it from HP. All the bloatware and everything else will be there.

 

You can do it that way but a clean install with a win7 disc or flash drive would be ideal. When you install from the recovery partition you get all the HP bloatware and I don't think you get the updated drivers.

 

I guess I can't make a bootable USB stick with Windows 7 right?

 

Sure you can. It's how I've done it twice so far.

 

Could you give me a link for that tutorial? Thank you!

 

Here's the guide I used. It worked perfectly with no problems at all. I put the win7 disc contents on an 8GB micro SD card and use the adapter that came with it (sandisk). Works great. With all the extra space I put the drivers and programs I normally load up as well as my bookmarks, passwords and other files. It's my clean install "cocktail" of sorts.

 

Very nice, thank you for the guide!

Now I just have to decide which laptop to buy...at the moment I still have 3 options and I am kind of confused...still

1. HP Dm3
2. HP G62
3. Dell Inspiron 1564 (15)

Let's see where I end up

 

It depends on if more portability and better battery battery life or having the newer icore processors means more to you.

I chose the dm3t for the size and battery life, processor, price and I really like the design. Portability was the most important factor.

Of the HP and Dell machines you listed I like the G62. Dell hasn't done me wrong but neither has HP and in that case I like the design of the HP a lot better than the dell. The newer keyboards on the HP machines is very nice to type on.

 

You're lucky I think. I started buying HP's because Dell did me wrong, real wrong....and so I vowed never to go with Dell again. HP so far I think has been the best by my side. I tried an Asus for a bit, but not as nice as the HP's in my opinion.

 

Hi there

i've a dm3-1010el -> european/italian

su7300
g105m
bt + AR9285 wifi
3GB

the problem is in the wifi....the signal is VERY low...i've googled and that seems to be a common problem with this chpiset... anyone with the same issue? replacing it with an half size intel 5100 should help or is a notebook bad antenna problem??

bye

 

I will wait till Monday so I can go and see the G62 in the shop...if the design is nice then I might choose that one...

The only thing that makes me think twice about the Dell is the screen...compared to the DM3 which has very nice contrasts and colors, the Dell has a bit white colors and the contrast is not so nice...

Portability is really not a issue for me, battery life not necessarily...I am mainly thinking about processor and design and screen of course

 

I guess if you don't care about portability or battery life, the G62 might be the best choice out of the 3.
Bigger screen, good design, DX11 graphics (low power, but still better than the 4330 on the dm3z or the 105M in the dm3t), and the latest Intel Core processors. The Dell Inspiron just looks ugly, imo.

 

Hey all wise dm3 people.

I've been reading all over the forum and net about the dm3 battery bleed. Actually only started experiencing it after about a month on my dm3-1020ca. Similar to other accounts, I get a startup at 94% after 2 days of being unplugged and then a drop to 90% in the first 10 minutes. Subsequently, there is a slow discharge when doing light browsing, reading, email with screen at 40% intensity. Tested multiple times with BatteryMon.

I have no USB peripherals in use.

I have calibrated my battery multiple times since it's purchase in Dec 2009. Have removed battery from machine for 48h without loss of charge.

Has anybody come up with a bonifide solution to this one? Has anybody sent their machine back to HP for verification or repair? Is there actually something to repair? What's normal battery bleed - if there is such a thing?

I theorize: (1) something about having the battery contacts engaged causes a discharge even while off... is it the USB powering issue? Can this be shut off? (2) is it a motherboard short circuit? (3) is my battery defective?

Thanks for any and all help.

Menash

 

As far as I know, there's no sure solution to the problem.
Honestly, your battery bleed problem doesnt sound as bad as some other accounts I've read.
I'm thinking every dm3 has at least a slight battery bleed problem, but if that's not the case, someone correct me.
I've only had a battery bleed problem when the computer was in hibernate.
If there was some battery bleed while the computer was shut down, it must have been an negligible amount.

 

What about the Hp reliability? I've read quite many things on the internet which were not so good when it comes to reliability for HP?

 

You'll hear that about every manufacturer.
My dm3t is holding up fine, as is my dell inspiron 1525.

 

So you have also an Inspiron....nice...how is it running till now?

I checked the Hp G62 today in store, but I have to be honest and say that I was really not impressed by it. Why? Well, it's kind of bulky although I was expecting the laptop to be slimmer...and another thing that was below my expectations was the plastic, it felt very very cheap...
The only thing that I liked was the keyboard.

So now I have only 2 options left...the DM3 and the Inspiron 1564...and actually I am glad that I took out of the question

 

Good thing you checked it out. The G62 certainly doesn't look cheap feeling.

My 1525 runs great. I have a 2.4GHZ C2D T8300, 4GB RAM and a 500 GB scorpio blue HD in it. I have no problems with photoshop or pretty much anything I throw at it; but I don't game on it.

The build quality is decent, not phenomenal. The keyboard is still my favorite out of it, the dm3t and the kensington usb keyboard(34365) I have. The hinges will wear out over a few years of opening and closing it but they're easily replaced for about $15.

Mind you, my inspiron 1525 is 2 generations back so it's not the newer style, but still functions great. No complaints or regrets here.

About your leftover choices, the dm3 will have better build quality than the inspiron 1564 since it has metal parts. It just looks better to me as well. Try to get ahold of the 1564 though, to see if there's anything to make you swing one way or the other.

 

This was posted earlier...

"Just an FYI for anyone looking for a nice case for your DM3. The HP 12.1" messenger bag fits like a glove. Its nice and small and not too bulky but has plenty of room for an extra battery, external... "

On this rec I bought one and recvd it today. Was skeptical at first but it does fit my DM3 perfectly, and seems to be well built. Got it for $24 and change from Walmart.com + .97 shipping...

Recommendo!

 

By the way, did you check the Hp G62?

Actually I've checked the Inspiron 1564 already couple of times, to me it looks ok, it's not that bulky and the finish is not that bad either... I like the black glossy lid and brushed aluminium finish.

I have to say that the Dm3 is better in terms of screen quality and finish but still, I have an 10 inch netbook and it sort of feels to close to the one that I have in terms of size so I think that's one reason why I might not choose the Dm3...but still thinking until Monday

I am considering also the Inspiron 1564 with I5 core processor...

 

Hey everybody,

I have the DM3z with the Radeon 3200/4300 series switchable graphics..I upgraded the drivers via ATI's latest ones and ever since the 3200 will not turn the screen back on when waking the laptop from sleep mode. The 4300 wakes it fine, which leads me to think it's in the driver....I like running the latest driver for the 4300 because I do some gaming on this machine (it's surprisingly capable), and sometimes having the newest driver helps performance in newer games, but am annoyed by this problem. The drivers seem to be combined in one package, so i'm not sure I can independently install or roll back the 3200 and keep the graphic switching capability. Any DM3Z users out there that have upgraded to the latest ATI drivers?

 

Hey guys, i was thinking. Since Every time u charge your battery it counts as a cycle, this eventually leads to the battery getting weaker.
Would it be wiser to take out the battery and directly charge the laptop when using at home without inserting the battery?

Thanks

 

Only if you're going to be using it entirely on AC power for a long time. As in more than a few days. And if you're going to do that, I'd recommend storing the battery at 40%-60% charge in room temp. or colder.
If it's only for a few hours or so, I honestly don't think there will be any benefit.
By the way, not every time you charge counts as one charge cycle.
This is from Apple, but I assume it's pretty much the same for all Lithium Ion batteries:

 

I always remove my battery when working on A/C.

And whenever possible I put the battery in the fridge at 5 C. Also for short term storage.

Another thing I do to increase battery longevity is I rarely charge above 80% or below 20%. Only once a month a deep cycle.

As far as I know a cycle is a full charge and discharge.

 

That is good to know...I was always wondering actually which is the best option when using A/C.

 

Thanks guys

On another note, is there any good websites for downloading themes for the dm3? Well, more specifically not from the Windows website that they provide.

Thanks

 

Hey, I'm looking at getting a DM3 from HP (this one to be precise: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF05a/321957-321957-3329744-64354-64354-4011360.html).

The CPU is the Intel one, the only thing I'm worried about is that it won't be able to run photoshop (CS2) in an acceptable manner. I don't do massive amounts of correction, but general stuff like levels, resizing, de-noise, sharpening etc and the files are only about 3mb (6 MP).
I had a Dell M1330 but the motherboard power thing broke, and that used to run it just fine (2ghz C2D, 2gb, 160GB, 8400M) but got REALLY hot, just doing normal things like web streaming - heavy use/720p video was a killer for the legs!

Compared to the Dell how well do you think the DM3 linked will run Photoshop? And for general Wifi browsing/music/msn how long do you think the battery will last? I can upgrade the warranty to 3 years for just over £50 ($80) - worth it? ( http://www.ebuyer.com/product/200573)

Thanks in advance.

 

The link isn't working.
Any of the dual core intels will run photoshop just fine.
Battery life will be very decent. It doesn't get very hot either; not in my experience anyway.

I have cs3 extended on the system in my sig and it's smooth as buttah.

 

Cool, thanks. Yours has an extra GHz in the processor dept. compared to this one.

Delete the ) from the end of the link, or go to: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF05a/321957-321957-3329744-64354-64354-4011360.html

 

so now my power adapter isn't working, or at least i can't use the laptop from the ac adapter... too many problems with the dm3, and from what it seems, hp in general. im gonna try to get rid of this laptop after it's fixed by HP.

 

It's fine for basic Photoshop. For more advanced Photoshop more GHz and cache would be nice.

The SU2300 has worse battery life than SU4100.

 

Hi guys!

I bought the laptop today...but I choose the Inspiron 1564. I am testing it for 2 weeks and see if I am satisfied with it...HOPE SO