*HP dm3 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

I recommend undervolting, you have nothing to lose. Also, I don't 'stress test' it, as in the guide. I 'test' it by just using my laptop normally at whatever voltage I'm testing. I keep going lower until it crashes one time while I'm using it normally. Then I know my optimal voltage is one or two steps above that.

If you can be arsed, I'd recommend reinstallin windows 7 clean to rid the bloatware. The standard trackpad driver this installs feels like it works a little better as well. You can get a skinstyler for the trackpad as well if you want.

 

Ah yes that's another thing I was reading about -- the various trackpad drivers

Can anyone provide a link to a good discussion of then merits of different drivers? OR a list of different drivers and their various pros/cons/etc? Or is there one that is universally considered "the best"?

Thanks all!

 

I went back to the driver listed on the HP site.

The MS driver works smoother but it's not fast enough: I have to move my finger too far on max. settings.

For the video driver I went back to the standard Windows 7 driver. The Intel driver gave problems with my HDTV.

 

Right, and I remember some people talking about an Acer or Dell driver as well? Any comments there? (Or am I thinking of something else entirely...)

 

My dm3 keeps having issues resuming from standby AND hibernation. Any ideas how to sort this?

Also, I have the Radeon 4300 and HDMI works through that. Is there anyway to make the HDMI work through 3200 or is that not possible because I've got the 4300 as well?

 

What kind of issues?

 

dm3 seems to turn on but the screen remains black. Have to cut the power and restart it.

 

That's actually happened to me before..
Although it only happened when I started GPU-Z.
The screen would turn black when GPU-Z was loading and I'd have to put it in sleep and then resume. Then, seemingly randomly, it stopped happening.. really odd.
I assume you already have the latest updates and all?
Wish I could help you out more, but I don't have the dm3z anymore (traded it with a dm3t for faster proc.)

 

Yeah gpuz and cpuz will cause the screen to go blank. The switchable graphics don't work that well unless you have almost every app closed.
This was a nice and good feeling notebook, but for its size it is under powered by the AMD processor and run way to hot for a neo. HP DV2 with AMD neo plus ati 3410 does less but better for its size.
Don't get me wrong, the dm3z nice notebook with ati 4330 ddr3 is a good overclocker, but should really provide more, the dm3t looks like the best option.

 

I just opened my Dm3 last night (came in the mail while I was on vacation). At this point, I was up for 48 hours on 3 hours of airplane sleep, my user experience consisted of opening it, saying "thats nice" and falling asleep immediately afterwards.

Anyway, I was a bit concered about the trackpad when using it in the store and reading the negative reviews. I'm not sure if they changed something in the revisions or if its something else, but my trackpad, while a little glossy, is not hard to use at all. So far, I'm happy with it (although I still do need to buy a mouse).

I rarely game, but I do play a few which I've expected borderline performance on. I plan on playing Zombie Panic! Source (love this game, although it has performance issues), L4D with friends, and I had thought it might have enough power for me to go back and finish GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas (long ago, I played through about half of each and quit). I just installed steam this morning and told it to get downloading, so I might be able to test out some games over the weekend.

Overall, I'm thrilled at how light and small the laptop is. I could only pick it up a little in the store (security case held it back) but I wanted something small and light. This thing is great!

 

Hey guys, how do we know if we have the 10.1 Flash drivers that support hardware acceleration and the Catalyst 10-5 drivers that support hardware acceleration?

 

just tried to install the drivers from ati site but win7 keep using the old ones from microsoft, if i install the drivers from hp all work fine.

how to install the new drivers?

 

Just install an Intel X25-V SSD but I can't change SATA to AHCI in the BIOS? There is no such option...

 

I have a Intel X-25V in my DM3. I'm running ICH 9 drivers from Intel.com. Seems to run well.

 

Ok, I am so confused.

Is anyone else finding that their speakers are not centered (more audio from left side of laptop).

From a few other posts in this thread, it seems that way. But no online review has pointed it out. Perhaps its an issue with a certain batch of dm3z?

Can anyone else confirm (for sure) that the speakers are supposed to be offset? No website review says this... for such an obvious offset, you'd think it'd be in more reviews.

 

Someone on this thread said that the right speaker is physically closer to the centre, in which case I would imagine that is the case in all laptops. Bit of a joke if you ask me.

I'm not running cpuz or gpuz when my dm3 can't resume from standby or hibernate. I am running RMClock though?

 

Is it the same way with yours?

I used software balance, so when I set right speaker to full power (no left speaker), it's almost dead center (slightly right of the touchpad).

That's a hugee offset... and I'm surprised no review has pointed that out yet.

 

Also, hate to double-post, but does anyone know what the software is called for the volume bar and brightness bar? Right now the media keys work, but if I use them there's no on-screen indication that its doing anything.

 

I didn't notice it either until I put my ear up to the speakers and noticed there was nothing coming out of the right side (altec lansing logo area). After shifting the L/R balance around a bit and seeing no change, I figured that I got a defective one. Though if yours is the same...either it is designed as such or we got a bad batch? Mine is DM3-1130US

 

I believe the volume overlay is controlled by "HP MediaSmart".

For me, the only thing changes is the brightness itself, so i'm not sure about that.

 

Thanks... I guess I'll just have to go without a volume bar (do not want MediaSmart).

Now, I noticed something else with this laptop... right now I'm pairing this up with a single core ULV (Intel C2S SU3500 1.4ghz) on my gateway ec1803u. The dm3z specs are supposed to be better than the gateway in every way. But when I try to watch 1080p youtube videos, the gateway is nearly smooth, while the dm3z is just a slideshow.

I don't get it... dual core AMD with 3200 can't beat out a single core Intel with integrated graphics?

Windows PITS rates the hp higher too. This laptop is beginning to irk me... its slower than a single core, and the speakers are off center. The only thing I like about this laptop is the keyboard and chassis.

 

What version of flash are you running on each machine?

 

Something is not right. Your machine should definitely come out ahead of that pokey 1.4ghz CULV solo core.

 

Are you running a clean version of windows(w/ up to date drivers) or HP's version of windows?

 

Clean version, with drivers direct from ATI, with firefox and flash 10.1. I have no idea what the problem was, maybe it's some stupid driver problem, or maybe its something I forgot to install.

In any case, I am no longer the owner of a dm3. The backspace key fell off after a day of use, and I was tired of having to "compensate" for the speaker placement. At least BB refunded the full price.

 

if this guy downloaded the drivers direct from ati the chances are the video driver didnt load and he was using the generic windows driver which is really slow.

i only had success installing the drivers direct from hp.

and yes, the notebook processor is really weak compared to an intel, but its much better than a netbook.

 

Not weak compared to a 1.4 ghz solo core CULV though...

 

Can anyone pelase tell me what bluetooth module I need for a DM3 ?

Many thanks

 

Download the latest version of flash, you need to enable gpu acceleration to play back hd clips on youtube, and even then it may not be perfectly smooth at 1080p.

standalone video files should play fine though. I have the dm3z with the l335 and 3200 and I can get the youtube 1080p to play OK, 720p is silky smooth with never a worry, and on the screen res of the dm3, 720p is all you need.

 

Hey guys, decided to give this laptop a try. My trusty OLD Dell C640 finally died (power connection I think) as my backup so was looking for an inexpensive small/light laptop for internet and Office use and saw this "refurb" at Bestbuy for CDN$499 so took the plunge vs spending around the same on a 10" netbook or the Asus 1201N netbook (wonder if the 1201N is the better choice?).

Picked up a 1039 model, with AMD Neo X2, 320gb, 4gb ram, ATI 3200. Should get it in the next week or so to see how it performs.

A few Qs:

1. Curious, but is there a way to open her up and install bluetooth capability?
2. I believe the answer is no, but can the graphics card be changed to say the ATI4250 or some other card, or is it integrated?
3. I've read these come with upwards of 4 partitions, is it advised to format the drive (and doing so get rid of the bloatware), reinstall Windows 7 64 bit (I assume it comes with the disc) and 2 partitions with 1 for the OS and the other for day to day storage/use? IF so, what is the recco'd size for the partition?

Anything else I should be thinking of?
Thanks guys!!

 

One other question, I can get a "new" DM3-1030ca, with 1.30GHz Intel Pentium Processor SU4100, 4500MHD chip, 4GB RAM and Bluetooth for $100 more than the refurb with 4GB RAM, no blue tooth, AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core at 2.1GHz and ATI 3200.

How do they compare in terms of performance?

EDIT: I should probably add that I'm unlikely to do any gaming on this machine. Mainly video streaming, Internet, Office, etc.

 

1. AFAIK, no. But then you can always get a tiny USB bluetooth adapter.
2. No the 3200 in integrated.
3. Not quite sure, but many here have installed a fresh version of win7.

 

With the Intel version would I be able to add the nvidia G105?

 

You can't; the graphics card is soldered to the motherboard.
My fist choice is always intel. They use less power than the AMD's at equal or greater performance.

And it doesn't come with any discs. I always reinstall windows to remove bloatware and make it nice and fresh. Just do a quick search; you'll find all the info you need to get a legit copy of the win7 iso and install from USB.

 

Yeah, was reading the Intel's may be more powerful and use considerably less battery power, but the 4500 integrated GPU wasn't very good at all. However, not being overly concerned with gaming graphics, was wondering more how they'd compare say with HD Streaming and just basic graphic rendering (internet sites, etc).

Plus the AMD appears to be a 2.1GHz dual core vs the SU4100 which is 1.3 and single core? Has anyone seen benchmarks of each as I can only find a benchmark of the Intel based DM3?

Edit: Oh, and only asked about the 105 as gizmodian's sig shows both cards with his dm3t so figured maybe there was a way to slap it on...

 

PassMark CPU Lookup

Rated the SU4100 at 990. Not sure what Neo chip you're looking at so you'll have to find that one, although it does seem most Neo's reside somewhere below the 4100. PassMark CPU Lookup

 

I thought the best AMD processor the dm3z had was the 1.6 ghz neo?

 

You're right, Best Buy messed up the specs, it is 1.6GHz per the HP website ...

HP 13.3" Laptop featuring AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core - Refurbished - English Only - Online Only - Best Buy Canada

vs

Product Specifications HP Pavilion dm3-1039wm Entertainment Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (Canada - English)

 

The L335 is rated at 863, vs 990 for the Intel 4100. So fairly close. I'm guessing the ATI 3200 would outgun the Intel 4500HD for graphics?

Which means it comes down to a "new" DM3 with Intel and Bluetooth for $100 more (dm3-1030ca) than a "refurbed" DM3 with ATI 3200/AMD combo and no blue tooth (dm3-1039wm), and 90 day warranty vs 1 year.

Hmmm ...

 

If you don't care about buying a refurbished unit, I don't think the $100 is worth it to buy the "new" intel one.
Yes, the 3200 is better than the Intel graphics. It gets over 1000 points more than 4500mhd in 3DMark 05.

 

Battery life is much better on the Intel. I get over 8 real hours with SU4100 surfing the web on wifi.

 

I did a small test to see how the videos play on the dm3 1030us, using the amd 1.6 processor with ati hd3200, win7 32bits, media player classic homecinema. Just in case someone is still curious about the performance, here is the result.

grabbed the video full hd from YouTube - Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA ...



using gpu to decode the video the processor usage was around 15% and the playback smooth.



using default system settings the cpu utilization was around 54% and the playback in slow down.



playing a regular video the cpu usage is around 17% and playback smooth.

 

Yay! My DM3 has now been dispatched. Bought it for USD$599

* Processor: Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology featuring Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor SU7300 (1.3GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* Chipset: Intel ® GS45 Chipset with ICH9M-SFF Enhanced
* Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared)
* Audio: Altec Lansing; SRS Premium Sound
* Panel:13.3” Diagonal High-Definition* HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
* Memory: 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR3
* 320GB HDD 5400RPM
* Networking/Wireless: 802.11a/b/g/n* WLAN; Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
* Integrated 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
* 4 USB 2.0
* RJ-45/Ethernet
* Headphone out
* Microphone in
* VGA
* HP Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone
* HDMI
* Battery: 6 Cell Polymer Battery - 10 hours battery life
* O/S: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium* 12 month warranty


Can't wait to recieve it.

 

That's what I'm wondering. But I was curious if the Intel version was faster overall (except for "game play" which I'd never do) given the DDR3 vs DDR2 RAM, 2MB Cache vs 512mb. I.e., is the graphics card solely better for "gaming" vs the 4500HD and would the Intel unit be overall better for non-gaming use (internet, multiple applications, HD Streaming).

Hmmm ... wonder what the return policies are at Staple's and Best Buy. Could always get both and compare.

 

What the heck, picked up both of them to compare.

 

bought one of these awesome laptops on the weekend as jbhifi was clearing them out for $897 AUD. Great little laptop, i got the DM3-1011TU. Battery life is awesome......close to 7 or 8 hours!!!!

Hmmm, i wonder if the SP9300 from the big boys version is able to be put into this beast? any ideas?

 

Doubt it. The processor and graphics chip, if any, are soldered to the motherboard.

It's definitely a great laptop. I just peeled the stickers off of mine. Looks much more sleek now.

 

Over this last weekend I ordered one of the newest incarnations of the DM3z with a K625 CPU, a HD5430 and 4GB memory. After BCB I only paid $525 . My usage will be games and music synthesis so I want both a fast CPU and a fast graphics processor. Last year I tried an ASUS N10J which is a 11" netbook with a 9300 graphics adapter but the N270 Atom made it a dismal failure for both games and music. So I've got high hopes this time that the DM3z will be an ultra-portable that will fill the bill. My only concern was the sparse benchmark info on both the CPU and graphics adapter. There was only some sketchy info on the notebookcheck site. Yesterday I finally saw both processors show new benchmarks on the Passmark site. It looks like the K625 is very close to the SU4100 1.3GHZ (currently based on only one sample). The HD5430 is showing ahead of the 8600GT which I have in a 17" laptop and on par with the X1600. So all things considered it is looking great except for the somewhat reduced battery life over the intel processors. But then that gives me an excuse next year to look for my next ultra-portable that does it all.

 

Just picked up my DM3, AMD version from Best Buy. Seems fairly slow compared to my old Acer 5920G. But I'm hoping that's all the bloatware HP installed.

Definitely warm to the touch after say an hour of light use (already installed the F28 Bios and Catalyst 10.5 drivers), but the fan kicked in and cooled it to a light warm.

Playing that Shakira video linked above in 720p, no issues. Some studder with 1080p. Though not sure if there are settings with the ATI Catalyst 10.5 that would make this better or not.

Curious to see how the Intel SU4100 version I'm getting tomorrow will compare.

 

Oh, I'm not a huge fan of the need to hit the Fn key to access Page up/Page dn, Home/End and the F keys (plus, you'd think HP could have thought up a different colour vs dark grey on teh black keys!). Not sure if all smaller laptops have keyboards like this?

Wonder how this compares to the Acer 1810T, that can be had for the exact same price (CDN$599) as the SU4100 DM3 unit, except the Acer comes with the SU7300 but a 5400 rpm drive. Hmmmm....