HP dv2500t Durability

Just wanted to know...

How durable is the HP Pavilion dv2500t?

I've heard another person on this forum say that he was impressed with it's build quality after comparing it to a ThinkPad. However, the dv2500t doesn't seem so tough, at least in appearances.

Is the dv2500t something that could last about 4 years?
Could it survive a fall? How's the exterior shell? The thing doesn't look it could take a beating.

Does it use a magnesium chassis like some of other notebooks out there?

Also, how long does it last with the 12 cell battery?

And one more thing, if you were to put them side-by-side which would be more durable, the Inspiron 1420 or the dv2500t?

Thanks

 

Well, I just took delivery of a review unit of the dv2500t, and since there is a lot of interest in this notebook I'm going to try and have the review up early next week.

As far as durability goes, this same review unit has been put through "the ringer" so to speak by several other news agencies (CNET left some inventory stickers on the unit) and I can say this dv2500t still looks brand new. There isn't a scratch on it.

HP's "Imprint Finish" isn't just paint ... it's actually a complex process that starts with the molding of the plastics. The design and glossy coat on the HP Imprint Finish is actually "inside" the plastic ... it isn't just a top layer that scratches off.

Yes, it has a magnesium alloy skeleton like most modern notebooks. I haven't had a chance to test battery life since it just came in via FedEx this morning, but keep in mind that manufacturers ALWAYS over-estimate battery life. If the Dell or HP website says a battery will last 6 hours you can assume it will give you 3 ... "maybe" you can get close to the advertised lifespan if you undervolt/underclock your processor and lower the LCD backlight to minimum with wireless off and don't use the optical drive.

On the other hand, I'm finishing my review of the Dell Inspiron 1420 today (it will be up on the site tomorrow) and that notebook had a scratch on the paint when it was NEW out of the box. We were the first news agency to get this particular Dell, so that doesn't make me feel confident about the durability of the Dell paint job.

I will have side-by-side images in the dv2500t review. I probably won't have time to take the side-by-side shots for the 1420 review.

 

Are you sure? An HP Pavilion and a magnesium alloy skeleton...err, can you back that up?

 

I will confirm. I thought the HP's were using a thin magnesium alloy frame beneath the plastics. I'll check with HP now.

 

i have the 2500 its really nice,if this laptop fell it might crack the plastic body depending on how high and what surface is dropped on. the day after i got it i fell asleep with it on my lap and it fell off the bed with the screen open it fell about 2.5 feet and it was fine only thing is the hd cover pooped out a little i just opened it and re-screwed it in. But the build is really nice i don't have any scratches on mine yet but i'm hoping it wont get scratches like the ipod's do, and the imprint finish like jerry said is not paint its really deep and nice looking. Even tho this laptop doesn't have any latches to hold the screen down what ever they did works great when the screen is open or closed it is nice and tight and not wobbly or flimsy. If you take good care of this laptop it can easily last 4 yrs pretty much like any notebook, don't drop it and keep it clean of viruses and spyware. i have the 6 cell but i keep my settings on high everything so i only get 1.5 hrs out of my battery but if you go to power save mode and you have the 12 cell you can get a lot of time out of that battery. Hope this kinda of helps. o yea my girlfriend is getting the 1420 in a couple days ill get back to you with how durable that 1 is compared to my 2500

 

Can't wait for that dv2500t review.

I need to decide between that or the 6500t. Is the 15"/14" difference huge? Which is better?

 

The difference is noticeable. I do a lot of work on UNIX systems and on a 15.4" I can get two terminals side by side fine with a reasonable font size and is still usable when docked and farther away then normal typing distance.

The 14" feels cramped when I do those things. Although it is smaller and weighs a bit less, so it comes back to usability vs portability.

 

I personally don't see that much a difference in practical screen real estate ... but my job doesn't involve writing code in multiple terminals one screen at the same time. That said, I do notice the difference in weight and bulk between 14.1" and 15.4" notebooks.

In my opinion a 15.4" notebook is a "desktop replacement" ... something you leave on your desk most of the time and only occasionally use while traveling. A 14.1" notebook doesn't sound much more compact but it is more portable than a 15.4" notebook.

Of course, 12.1" notebooks are MUCH more portable. However, you usually have to sacrifice performance/features when you drop to a 12.1" notebook. The only thing you lose going from a 15.4" to a 14.1" is bulk, weight, and a little bit of screen area.

If you need a desktop replacement that you only travel with from time to time then buy a 15.4" notebook. If you have to haul a notebook with you every day to-and-from work/school then you probably won't want anything larger than 14.1" notebook.

 

j-dogg, that was the hardest 3 sentences I've ever read.

 

sorry its partially the keyboard and me, im still not used to the keyboard on the 2500 so i don't hit keys hard enough and its because im at work typing while im working in AutoCad lol
anyways if you want to get into grammar it would be

j-dogg, those were the hardest 3 sentences I've ever read

i re editied my post to make it more understandable lol

 

I am downgrading (eh...sorta) from my DV6000t to the DV2500t, because of the screen. I like the size, but I figured that I would need (and I do need...) the portability more, since I am a college student. I just got an external monitor to hook it up to when im in the dorm room, so it doesn't actually matter that much.

That being said, I am actually surprised by the build quality of this HP line. It is a pretty line, and when I first got it I thought "what am I thinking, this is going to break so easily" because it FEELS like it would when you first get it. However, the DV600t I have has been through the hell called college life and doesn't contain a noticeable scratch or any wear or tear. It is really surprising and comforting.

 

Lol.. thanks. BTW, I believe 'anyways' is incorrect. Just a head's up

 

Wow, thanks for the feedback guys.

Thanks to the comments, looks like the dv2500t is for me. On paper, the weight difference doesn't seem like much, but I guess it is?

 

It is, especially when your carrying it around. I still opted for the 12 cell because of battery life however.

 

haha thanks man

 

I'm debating whether it's worth getting the dv6500t just for the extra USB slot. If I'm not mistaken, the 2500 has two, according to this pamphlet I got from the store. Not to mention 128 mbs of dedicated vide0 memory over 64..

 

You sacrafice a 3rd USB port if you opt for the higher graphic card option, which comes with HDMI output. Otherwise, its 3 USB ports, just like with the DV6500t. And video memory depends again on what graphic card option you choose.

 

I like the dv2500 because it has HDMI out and GigE which are hard to find these days. My screen is AU brand and it's a little washed out, but the text quality is amazing and crystal clear (no fuzzy text) compared to my previous dv2000t with Samsung screen.

 

Was there an option that you had selected to get GigE? I just have the fast Ethernet (Marvell Yukon)

 

I'm getting the 8400 GS option, of course. I want to do gaming (SC II, Civ IV, Guild Wars, etc.), which is why I'm leaning towards the dv6500t. 3rd USB port is a bonus as well; I also hear that the dv2500t USB ports are too close together, but is that true?

Thanks for answering my questions Crispy, I appreciate it.

 

The USB ports are not too close together ... unless you have two GIANT USB devices that need to be plugged in. I suppose that if you tried to plug in something like a pair of compact USB SD card readers (like the SanDisk MicroMate) in both the USB ports then theye would bump into each other.

Of course, the dv2500t has a built-in card reader so you wouldn't need to do something like that.

 

i have had a dv2000z since Oct 2006 which is last year's AMD X2 14.1" version so i'll just talk about build quality. i take it to and from work 5 times a week and it still looks new. i was a bit unsure about the high gloss look but so far no scratches not even hairline scratches when i reflect it off the light. i haven't dropped it but there have been times when my bag was thrown around with the laptop in it. still going on strong and i just upgraded the ram to 2gb and hard drive to 160gb in the past 2 months. before this, i had a 15.4" hp pavilion and those things are just too big to lug around.

 

Aye, I went to the store and saw the two laptops side by side - and my god, the dv6500t is much larger. I can't really see how it could comfortably be carried around. I think the dv2500t would hence be better suited for college life..Sigh. I wanted to have some gaming capabilities but I guess not. :|

 

Don't they have the same graphic card options? (if CTO...?)

 

What do you mean by "CTO"? <_<

 

CTO = Configure to Order (or Customize to Order)

If you build your laptop on HP's site you would see the ability to customize it including upgrading the graphics to something better than the Intel Graphics Chip.

You can upgrade the 2500 to an 8400 GS if you do a CTO unit direct from HP.

I wish I could get that on my older 2400. It would make it a perfect laptop.

Good luck.

 

Yeah, of course it's an 8400, both of them. I can't CTO, I can only choose from what they have at the store - and thankfully they have the 8400 options for all models.

I'm starting to think that the 15" bulk would not be so bad when carried around, surely it's worth the extra graphics power?

 

Can you tell me how you did that? I have a similar problem on my dv2500t (at least, I think, from judging your post).

On my laptop, the lid (screen lid) is uneven by a few millimeters on the left side (looking at the laptop), as it's cracked open a little bit. It's not a big deal, but dust is getting built up in it now. Can I do that on my own, or should I try to take it to somewhere like BestBuy and have them fix it really quick?

 

i'm talking about on the bottom of the laptop where the hard drive lives. I'm not sure if were talking about the same thing but heres a picture. all i did was un screw the 2 screw circled in red, then take off the hd lid and re fit it on. hope this helps

 

I hear about this "gap" often. :|

Hope it won't happen on mine..Seems to be fixed with relative ease, though.

 

I just got mine today. HP has added a lot more bloatware. -_-; nothing a simple reformatting wont handle. I noticed that it doesn't have the 1.3 megapixel webcam the DV6000T has.

I can take pictures, answer questions, etc. about it now, so yay!

 

I was deciding between the 2500t (14.1") and the 6500t (15.4"), but after seeing them side by side, I went for the 2500t, just the perfect size, weight, and screen real estate (for me, a college student).

 

Dang, we're not talking about the same thing

I mean the lid on my laptop, as in the top side -- where the screen is. The left side isn't fully closed like the right side is, and I didn't see any screws on the lid, so I was wondering how you did that.

Anyone know if I took my 2500 to BestBuy or Circuit City if they could fix it? I'll try and get a picture, but what I mean is that on the left side (if you're looking at the laptop) of the lid, the crevice where the two pieces meet is open by a few millimeters, which is letting a lot of dust build up. The right side is perfectly fit, though.

 

Magnesium alloy on a dv2500t?

What about the other HP Pavilion notebooks? I'm planning the get the dv9500t this week, and a magnesium alloy would be a nice bonus

 

They should be able to.

 

also curious about the magnesium alloy confirmation... But Jerry, pleaseeeeeeeee submit the review this week, or at least before the hp 20% of coupon code expires (which is the 18th)

 

Alrighty, I'll give it a shot, thanks

 

my dv2500 had uneven keyboard and also had flex so im sending it back for repair

 

I'm so glad mine came perfect. No lid gap, no unevenness, I'm really impressed with this laptop as well as hp's ship time.

 

Did you end up figuring this out?