*HP dm4t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge!*

Got it. Thanks a lot!

 

You're welcome

 

After browsing all the reviews and reading the feedback on this forum, I decided to go for a dm4t myself and placed my order today. Looking forward to having the machine soon.

My config is :

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
• 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
• No additional security software
• High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
• 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Standard Keyboard

TOTAL COST = $809.73

Do you think I got a reasonable deal.... was in a quandary whether to wait till Thanksgiving for a better deal/discount to come along or take the plunge right now. I hope I made the right decision!

 

There's always better deals around Thanksgiving.
But what you have there is a good price.

 

Ya thats what I thought. However does the 512 mb card add a lot of weight to the computer and ruin battery life that much. This will be for school, so im concerned about weight, battery life and heat.

 

A discrete card will draw more power than integrated graphics. But you can always switch to integrated graphics when you're not gaming.

 

But how much does it affect weight and power consumption. I've only had desktops before. So my knowledge of notebook cards is very limited.

 

Well I just got my dm4t, and wow am I disappointed. HP must have the worst quality control of just about any laptop maker, I have owned 2 Toshiba's, Gateway, Dell, and Apple laptops and this has got to be the worst.

Here are my gripes
1. I have 3 stuck red pixels on the display but there has to be 7 for them to fix. Per HP my options are
A. live with it or B. return it and purchase the same one at a higher price because the coupon I used expired. But it also may have stuck pixels.

2. The keyboard is CHEAP! mine is sorta wavy - keys are not straight

3. Track pad is is pure junk

4. the bloat ware is the worst I have ever seen

5. the finger print scanner keeps popping up this annoying window I can't minimize or close every time I visit a web page with a log in. I want to use it to log into windows only, I use lastpass I don't need it to auto fill forms. So my only option is to disable it completely.

6. It really does get very hot, the other people on the forum were not exaggerating. Do not use this on your lap if you use any thing that stresses the cpu/gpu

My list goes on but they are minor issues, this machine is going back and I wont be buying another.

 

Difference between the 512 MB and 1GB card - Is it significant enough to warrant the extra $75? I won't be doing any heavy gaming.

 

When the discrete card is switched off (only using integrated graphics), the power consumption should be the same as a laptop with the exact same specs but without a discrete card. The weight gain is minimal. You wouldn't notice the difference between the same laptops with and without a discrete card.

 

No, it's not worth $75. I'd consider it for $15. 1GB is overkill for the graphics card offered with the dm4t. Higher performing cards can take full advantage of the 1GB VRAM, however.

 

Mine was ordered Oct 17, ETA Ship Date 10-26-2010 (which it did ) according to Fed Ex it left Shanghai on Oct 26 and ETA is betwen Oct 29 & Nov 2...

TGG

 

what exactly is meant by the term "overkill" in this case?

1. Does it mean it is COMPLETELY not utilized
2. SOMEWHAT utilized but not worth paying extra for
3. The 1GB vs the 512MB is actually a burden on the system

As i mentioned when i realized i had "overconfigured my dm4t by opting for the 1GB vs 512MB Video Card", the HP rep gave me a $75.00 refund, but (and i haven't received my system YET) i'm worried the "overkill" will cause it to "run funky"... (80's term) lol

Anyone know?

TGG

 

No. If you only ended up paying $25 for it, you got a great deal.
Your system will run beautifully, don't worry about it.

 

HP had a bit of price difference today at their site, from last week. I was able to get my old order canceled and get the 1GB card instead of the 512 MB card for a price difference of just $12 with all else remaining the same. I'm glad I had read the comments here!

 

By overkill I meant that 1GB VRAM isn't really necessary. It won't have a negative effect on your system.

 

K well i missed my delivery (typical but i can go retrieve it from the Fed Ex facility after 5:30 and so will be back to report if the system has the pep i am anticpating : )

TGG

 

How many issues are there with the dm4t? I was looking at the Envy 14 and there were lots of problems. If I'm getting the dm4t for school will it last long and be dependable?

 

So am one of those confused guys still deciding whether to pick the portable long life dm3 or the powerful sexy dm4t. Just want to know if hp offers any significant coupons on blackfriday/cybermonday. If I can get the dm4 for $600 or less I would readily go for it instead of the new dm3. Am I likely to get it at this price during blackfriday?
Secondly any ideas if hp will reintroduce the backlit for the dm3?

 

It's been five days since I got my somewhat free dm4t with the following specs:

Intel® Core™ i7-640M Processor
• 2.8 GHz
4 GB DDR3 (1 x 4096 MB)
640 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 5400 rpm
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 Graphics (switchable) with 1 GB DDR3 dedicated
802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® wireless networking
6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery

I am loving this thing so far! Coming from an hp tx2z, this laptop runs super cool. Right now, I am downloading a game thru impulse, have some documents and pdf files open, along with firefox and chrome, and my temps are hovering around 30-35 deg C, as compared to my tx2z at 60 deg C, lol.

I greatly appreciate how thin and light this laptop is. My tx2z was thick and heavy despite its smaller size (12"). I have the regular 6-cell battery, and I get around 4 1/2 hrs web browsing time. My tx2z's bulky 8-cell battery only gives me 4 hrs.

I play dragon age origins, and in all fairness my tx2z (amd zm-84 w/ ati 3200) is able to handle at 1200x800, all settings at low, texture at medium. Playing it with this dm4t, 1366x768, graphic details at medium, texture at high, and what a wonderful gaming experience I am getting. Putting the graphic details at high causes some choppiness on some areas/scenes.

The only thing missing in this package is a backlit keyboard. On my tx2z, I have no problem web browsing in a dark room since its touchscreen (im quite used to the osk).

 

Wow I always thought Core i7s in laptops idled at 60 degrees C But I guess it's not true. Or that Intel Core i7-640M must be pretty unique. My dm4 got Core i5-430M and it idles between 35-40 degrees C

 

i7-640m is more related to the i5's than the i7. Its arrandale, 35w tdp, and i have switchable graphics just like you.

You are right about the real i7s though, they run quite hot and are resource hungry because of the processing power they can provide.

I have a problem though, I can't locate my driver page on hp's website (model on siggy), so I am not sure if I am running the latest drivers available for dm4t.

 

sorry double post

 

That's very nice an i7 @ 2,8 GHz with 35W instead of 45W it stays much cooler. But yes I see now, the i7 640M is a dualcore with hypertheading like my i5 430M. While for example i7 720QM @ 1,6 GHz (Quad Mobile processor) is a quadcore and has 45W. Then I looked closer and saw that 640M actually has better performance than 720QM, see here PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End the 640M is ranked 127 with 3302 points, while the 720QM is ranked 131 with 3256 points. It's not a big gap though, but it shows that a dualcore beats a quadcore if it has higher clock speed and runs cooler. And if a quadcore runs too hot it will underclock itself and decrease performance. Oh and your problem... maybe your laptop model is one of the newest so HP hasn't published the drivers for it yet. Also you can go to Start-menu> Controlpanel> System and security > Device manager and then find the hardware you want to update, right click on it and select "Update driver". I never update though, because I don't think it's necessary to update if everything works. I learned that with my old laptop. I updated a working driver for the graphic card. Then I rebooted and nothing would show on the screen. So updating drivers isn't always a must imo.

 

Any idea what's the average shipping time for a laptop being sent to the US? IL to be exact? My laptop was shipped today and though I have a tracking number, I think it's not yet in the system.

 

May I ask how you managed to get your system for free (or almost free)?!

 

Thanks for the advice magiclove. I have an issue with HP simple pass, sometimes when I use it to log on to some pages in firefox, I get a runtime error, then I won't be able to use the fingerprint reader to login to any page unless I restart the computer. I'm also wondering if new video card drivers would push the frame rates I am getting from my 5470.



esskay381 - I got mine as a replacement after my tx2z went bonkers after 8months of use.

 

Received my dm4t a couple of hrs ago and my worst fears have come true.... the trackpad is just horrible. Or seems that way to me in any case. My fingers were paining after using it for an hr or so. Needless to say, I'm really disappointed as the rest of the laptop is great. Well, the speakers could have been better but then one can't have everything.

Now have to decide whether to keep the laptop, trackpad and all and just get used to it...or return it and wait for some reviews for the new Dell XPS 14 to pour in.

 

hi guys.

i've been a lenovo and asus guy all my life. but this notebook is so much thinner and cosmetically better than those. question is when are they coming out with usb 3.0 ports?

 

So, I did the inevitable and returned my dm4t. The trackpad was just not to my liking. Anyone know if and when HP will bring back the Radiance display for the Envy 14?

 

esskay381,

Was the dm4t your first laptop with a trackpad? Or have you used other laptops and compared to them you found the dm4t "horrible"?

I'm asking because I briefly used a Dell and a Compaq and thought they had awful trackpads. After I bought my dm4t I thought that it also had an awful trackpad. However, after some tweaking of the settings and a couple of months of use, I think it works fine. No problems at all.

The Envy 14 has the same type of trackpad. If you didn't like the dm4t, you won't like the Envy 14.

 

Boot dm4t from ESATA drive?

Has anyone tired and been successful at getting the dm4t to boot from an external SATA drive?

I called HP twice about this; one presales support rep said it could boot from ESATA. On another day a different rep said it could not; so I don't know which is correct.


I have tried to boot Windows XP from an ESATA drive that would boot my old desktop. I took the drive to a store that sells the dm4t and asked a sales rep if we could test it. It started booting Windows XP in safe mode but stopped after a screen full of text output. Of course it could be because the motherboard chip sets are different; but again I can't be sure if it really will boot. I want to purchase the dm4t but would like confirmation on the ability to boot from ESATA. Thanks!

 

Wanted to link over to my thread about the dm4t I'm considering buying (not sure if I should have just posted over here in the first place).

Need some input on the build, especially if I should go for the 512MB or the 1GB graphics card for light gaming (WoW at most) and HD video, especially to my TV.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...369-my-dm4t-potential-build-should-i-buy.html

 

Hi all - curious if anyone knows whether the dm4t comes with a TPM chip. I asked HP 6 different ways and they assured me it did but i can't find any information that confirms / denies this anywhere on the web.

Any guidance ii appreciated - thanks!!

 

I have a Dell and I guess I'm just used to using my thumb and index finger together while using the trackpad, which is not the ideal way to go with the dm4t.

I guess I could get used to it over time but now I think I'll just wait and see whether the Radiance screen comes back as an option for the Envy 14.

 

I wasn't familiar with the Envy 14 with the Radiance Display, so I did some Googling. It sounds like it was a great PC! Sad to introduce a machine and announce it's death in the same year.

 

I'm wondering if anyone knows when HP will be refreshing this line with more features (BACKLIT KEYBOARD) and newer processors. I assume this will be when Intel release their new line or a couple months later. Is it annual (last year it was May) or arbitrary?
Thanks,
csm725

 

How much does the 512mb graphics card add to the weight and amount of heat?

 

Some reviewers complained that the DM4 keyboard feels cheap.
What is your opinion ?
2 seconds from buying one.

 

I just ordered my DM4 after stalking for some good deals after a couple of months. I got mine for $743.31 shipped after tax and the recycling fees. I used the $250 off coupon for orders $1099+ and it came with the $150 and $30 instant rebate. My configuration is the following:


• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-430M Dual Core processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
• 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
• 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Only reason I got the Intel Wireless N and the upgraded video card is due to the fact that I had to get the price to $1099.99. I didn't feel any need to upgrade the CPU as it seems good enough already. According to HP, the estimated ship date is November 18, 2010. Hopefully I can get it before Thanksgiving break. Would be nice to play some Starcraft 2 at medium-high settings with this laptop. This laptop would be replacing my 3 year old HP Dv6323us which is a huge improvement.

 

Got my new dm4t - actually a replacement as the first one had a defective keyboard and skipped letters frequently. This new one is great - finally getting used to the trackpad and the keyboard is easy to use.
I have a question about the fan. My runs at all times, whether in ATI or Intel graphics and independent of how bright the display. Its very quiet, so it doesn't bother me at all, but I just want to ensure that this is the way its supposed to run.

Can anyone confirm for me that their fan runs (quietly) all the time?

Note: I tried disabling the "fan always on" in bios and it had no effect. HP tech support thought fan should run all the time, but he wasn't real confident.

 

After more than a month of looking for laptops, I have purchased the HP dm4t. I used the LogicBuy.com coupon for $250 off for $1099+, along with the instant rebates of $150 and $30. Total cost including tax is: $736.09. My configuration is:

HP Pavilion dm4t Entertainment PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
• 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
• 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
• 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
• Wireless-N Card
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

This laptop will replace my almost 4 year old Dell Inspiron 9400, which has been good but I figured it's time to move forward with the latest technology. Plus this laptop is much lighter and less bulky than my current Dell laptop which will be much more convenient for travel. I upgraded the OS to Professional, and the processor to the i5-450M mainly to get the price above $1099. I didn't upgrade the RAM, because I figured if 2 GB is fine for Vista, 4 GB should be plenty for 7.

 

Yes, the fans should always run to make sure your computer doesn't overheat To turn off the fans for whatever reason, is like saying "it's smart to drive with the doors open".

 

Hey, guys, I have a question. I got the ssd version, and the speed is great, but I am quickly finding I'm running out of space. So I am thinking whether it's possible to put a second hdd in the optical drive bay. Has anyone here tried it?

I found a e-shop offering these hp-compatible hdd drive bays that fit inside the optical bay, but the dm4 is not listed in there, and after looking at the others, I don't think their existing models fit in the dm4. Below's the link. Does anybody know other options?
HP Hard Drive Caddys

Thanks,
Sorin

 

Sorry, this isn't a reply, it's a call for help.

I have the HP Pavilion DM4t 1065 with the bluetooth option. When I boot I get an error message about the bluetooth stack, and elsewhere I'm told the device is operating properly and elsewhere that it's disconnected. Can any one help?

 

Well I've been researching to buy my first laptop for almost a few months and wanted just something simple just to do the primary things like browsing the internet, check e-mails, hear music etc. Honestly I particularly like Sony Vaio product since I had a desktop which I sold like a 2 years ago so basically I'm new to laptop and always heard good things about HP. My girlfriend had an HP Pavilion DV6000 that she bought it like 3 years ago and she never a problem with her computer until one day I had it and felt causing the screen to get cracked so I decided to get her a new one so she decided to get the DV6t and of course we bought it online and the wait wasn't bad at all but when we received it the keyboard was popped out and it gave her problems in starting OS so returned it back and got a new one. However since I saw the HP DM4t I felt in love with it and I had to get it but I was between the DM4t and the DV6 Select Edition just because it had the backlit keyboard but it is too heavy so I chose the DM4t and as of now I bit the hook and bought it on Nov. 10 and I should be receiving it on Nov. 18 so basically it didn't take long.
What do you guys think of the configuration?

HP Pavilion dm4t customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
• Intel(R) HD Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard)
• 14.0" diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768)
• 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision Webcam and Fingerprint Reader
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Estimated build date: November 19, 2010

The total cost including tax is: $829.04 and an HP Wireless Laser Mini Bronze Mouse with the HPA Discount.

 

Well surprisingly I got received the computer today but I have some question. Did you guys receive yours with the plastic protector that goes around the screen, the keyboard and the outside lid? I ask since my girlfriend's DV6t came with it and the mouse trackpad its almost uneven with the palm rest platform and I pushed it in but it won't move down. Also the bottom platform feels so rough to the touch and I checked the whole computer since some people had problems like mine so it had scratches or anything and it tiny scratches or swirls around the HP logo. The screen had two lines which I don't think that it looks like scratch but I don't know why they don't check their product before sending it out to the customer which I may sound really picky but when I buy something has to be in perfect shape because since my girlfriend's laptop had problems with the keyboard and when we received the replacement afte and the HP ProtectSmart cover wasn't sitting properly so I had to snap it in place.

 

how does everyone like the color? I am thinking of purchasing one and i read some mixed reviews about the color of it and how it looks like a off pink color

 

Honestly in my opinion it does look more champagne than pink.

 

I just want to tell I just love the cooling in this laptop!! I downloaded CoreTemp and in my room it's 19*C and snow outside. I waited a couple of minutes and checked the temperature on the processor on idle (0% load). It's an i5 430M and guess what it got down to 24*C And it also showed the processor underclocks itself to about 1,4 GHz when it's idling (I didn't knew that before lol) see here if you wish http://i51.tinypic.com/jsgi2c.jpg