*HP dv4t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

hey what date did you order and what was your estimated ship date?

 

Wow, kiddin' me? I'd order it now, then cancel the DV4t right after.

Actually, i've been scoping this thread for quite some time (ever since the unveiling of the DV4). I am extremely attracted to the DV4 design, but i'm strictly under $1000 budget. HP is too costly at the moment for the decent specs they have.

RADEON HD 3450, 3 gbDDR3? who wouldn't take that over a 9200m GS and DDR2!?!?

HOLY CRAP I GET LED AND FRAMELESS VIEW TOGETHER WITH 320 GB TOO?!!? AT UNDER $1000.

PS. I already ordered my first laptop, LENOVO IDEAPAD U330, before I registered to post here. Thanks alot NAM265, I went straight to Lenovo.com after reading your post! Peace! I guess i won't be visiting HP forums any time soon!!!

 

Item shipped. Must have just happened though...when i try and track the package through fedex website/phone i get no information

 

are you serious? mine still says in production. hope it changes soon though

 

nam265, lelezi

good job on getting the laptops the Lenovo looks like a goodbuy. Does not have everything the dv4t does but close. To others remember there will always be better laptops that are cheaper then yours coming out. If you keep changing your mind you will never have a laptop. If i dont like mine i will be looking at that Lenovo, but i am happy with the DV4T as it is right now.


i ordered my laptop late on the 13th, with the $400 coupon. Ship date was the 22nd. Its says it will get here the 27th, but i am HOPING for monday i want my new laptop. I live in fountain valley in Orange County



ps does any one know if we have to sign for it? Will they leave it at the door? I hope they do, dont want to have to pick it up after the driver gets back to fedex

 

@mindwip

I ordered mine on the 13th as well. Guess what, chances are our laptops will be here today. Here's what on fedex page:


Aug 25, 2008 8:00 AM
On FedEx vehicle for delivery
LOS ANGELES, CA

However, it does say "IP Direct Distribution - Indirect Signature Required."

So I guess you might have to go pick it up @ Fedex if no one sign it.
Man I should quick work today just to have a first hands-on with my dv4t.

 

dont quit work..

just take a day off ( I know what you meant tho =p)

 

LOL, the moment I left my house to work. My bro calls and says my laptop has arrived. That was pretty quick delivery from Fedex.

 

They deliver the notebooks around 9AM.

 

Here is the time scale for other users. I am at work and missed the delivery, but all is good as my work is right next to the Fedex building and i will be taking a um break later to visit Fedex! The driver will be back at 3:50 and i put a hold on the package, so they dont deliver it again. hehe cant wait!

Aug 25, 2008 9:35 AM
Delivery exception
IRVINE, CA
Customer not available or business closed - Signature required
7:44 AM
On FedEx vehicle for delivery
IRVINE, CA
6:42 AM
At local FedEx facility
IRVINE, CA

Aug 24, 2008 4:49 PM
Departed FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
9:48 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
1:12 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN

Aug 23, 2008 6:01 PM
Departed FedEx location
ANCHORAGE, AK
2:33 PM
Int'l shipment release
ANCHORAGE, AK
3:49 PM
In transit
SHANGHAI CN

Aug 22, 2008 3:58 PM
Left FedEx origin facility
KUNSHAN CN
9:56 AM
Picked up
KUNSHAN CN
Package received after FedEx cutoff

 

Guys, the review on this forum gave an impression to people that DV4T heats very hot, which is false.

Can everyone who owns DV4T posts Pro's and Con's regarding their laptop. Lets not kill the HP market.

 

In 30 mins i will picking up my laptop. And will be giving a first impressions review and a in depth later.

 

Yay, in about an hour i will be home playing my new dv4t.
I've never review any notebook before (So i have no idea how to take temp of notebook and write a full review like the ones I read on this site) but I can answer basic questions if you have any.

Apparently, one con that can be annoying is the Back Cover and the track pad both being finger-print friendly. I was hoping it will be different from Dv2xxx but oh well. I might buy invisibleShield for it. btw, Sony has pretty good Glossy cover that is anti-finger print which I like alot but can't afford.

 

Yes, I agree about all the focus on the heat. I don't think I have personally ever had a laptop that didn't heat up in some way. These machines are very powerful and there is a great demand on the components inside to work at there maximum performance. Fans can only help, but not in a way a cooling pad would. I myself am getting my dv4t and purposely wanted the processor of 2.26 as I knew that any machine with anything higher was gonna cook. Cars have radiators, laptops don't. And that is the other thing, I know for myself when I keep my unit on my lap it doesn't vent the heat as well and doesn't get the airflow it should. So, lets own up to our own Techy vanity when purchasing these kinda units. If it heats up beyond the norm than make adjustments or have it looked at. I myself have never looked more forward to this unit having several different models in the dv family. Do I expect it to be perfect no, just be a machine that will serve its purposes and realize it offers allot and has one great style to it to boot. Kudos to HP for finally listening and giving us more of a machine closer to what we want. Amen! or here here to all those that agree! lol Cheers...

 

OK i have my laptop,

First impression review, will add pics and a better review later. If you have pic request now is the time to ask. Will only be going over things about the laptop, not HP or vista related.


After taking it out of the box and inspecting the out side everything looks great. I have seen this model in stores and know what it should look like. But all was not good as soon as i opened up my lid i saw a "key" the R i beleive sticking up at angel that no "key" should ever be at. Looked like it was only half on. After inspecting it i just pushed it down and it seems to be working fine now. Not really a good way to see your laptop for the first time. eerrrrrtttt

Next i turned on the computer and ran through HP'S crapware intro. As i was doing this i gained another surprise, i have a DEAD pixal in the center of my LCD. It is stuck on Black.... I have used dead pixal buddy to make sure its there.

Third... now a quick note i knew about this before buying the laptop. The Trackpad sucks to no end. First its way to smooth and sticky, your finger stick and makes the pad harder to use, also it has a better finish then my mirror.. Now as i said i knew about this and already have a plan to get past this. Option one buy a matte covering for it like those used on glossy screens, or just put a piece of paper over the thing and be done with it. Using a postit note works wonders.


Heat, i dont see what all the beef is about its not abnormal. And very livable

Noise, i can hear the fan. But in no way would i say its loud or annoying.

Screen looks ok, i have never been fond of LCDs and think CRT wip them any day of the week. But as far as this one goes. Looks good enough or as good as the rest of them out there in this price range of laptops.


Overall i would have to say my happness rating out of 100% would be about a 55% to 60%. The dead pixal and key sort of put a damper on things.


Hope this help some of you, i will be using it all night, and will get pics out to night or tuesday.

 

@mindwip

Man, I'm so sorry for you. That dead pixel must have struck you hard. But.. I think HP take back their product within 21 days with no restocking fee. Maybe you can switch to the Lenovo U330.

Me, on the other hand, has a perfect keyboard and no dead pixel. Beside, the LED Screen is so much better (brighter and clearer) than the Matte display on my old Compal DL76. The LED is perfect. Although it is not frameless which might be a good thing cuz the U330 has a huge reflection which wont be good for outside usage.

Unlike those HP you get from Bestbuy or Circuit City, this CTO doesn't have all those lame stickers on the rest palm.

Everything else, I agree with mindwip.
Heat from hardrive is not a problem, (I have a Hitachi hardrive) if compare to my Compal DL76, this is cool.

My overall impression for this would be 95%. (-5% for its price and the hassle to remove all the junks).

 

I took this pic as i dont see many people taking pics of the under side of laptops
As you can see i have a 320GB WD hard drive. And yea the laptop does come with the media remote and a battery!

Yep i will call HP and see what they say, i may use this laptop for a bit to see if i like it the get a new LCD, or if i dont like it then well its a new laptop. Looking at Lenovos tonight

Thanks nam265, boy does it suck... LOL should of gone with the LED, and i i have the basic screen option so i dont have the Frameless look

 

hey mindwip, I need to ask you a favor.

Could you check what is the name of the finger print software?
I just reinstalled vista home premium (for a fresh start) but I can't find that software in the swsetup folder.

So now my finger print driver is there but I have no software to enroll my fingers.

If anyone here knows, please tell me.

 

DigitalPersona

 

Hi guys

I just received my system today and thought I'd share my thoughts (although they mostly echo what's already been said).

Firstly, a little background. I have a three-year-old Dell 17" system and wanted something more portable for work and traveling. I got fed up waiting for Dell to update their XPS line, so I had a look at Sony, but the Vaio SR isn't spectacular, and although the Z is impressive, it has a price tag to match.

I stumbled across the DV5-T review here, and it sounded great for the money. However, it's a little big for my needs, and since HP haven't updated the 13.3" DV3000 (Asia) yet, I only had the DV4-T and CQ20 (a 12.1" Compaq machine designed for Asia) to choose from. The CQ20 is cool, but sacrifices some things for portability, so the DV4-T looked the best option.

Here's my off-the-shelf specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T9400
• 4GB DDR2 RAM
• 320GB 5,400rpm Western Digital Hard-Drive, Lightscribe Supermulti DVD+/-RW drive
• nVidia GeForce 9200 GS graphics
• 14.1" (1280x800) Infinity Brightview Display
• Intel 5100 A/B/G/N WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit LAN, 56K Modem
• HP (Avermedia) Digital/Analogue TV Tuner and Two Remotes
• Fingerprint reader, webcam, altec lansing speakers, 5-in-1 card reader, e-SATA etc.

I'm in Taiwan, so the price retail price is NT$44,900 (US$1,425). The online store I ordered from also gave:

• Free 24-hour delivery
• Free HP 14.1" Notebook Case (Very Nice)
• Free 802.11n Wireless Router (No-name brand)

My initial impressions are very positive. The system looks beautiful, but as others have said, it really shows every imperfection and fingerprint (although HP knowingly include a microfibre cloth). The keyboard is nice, although the key positions take a little getting used to (as do all new keyboards). The trackpad is good, but it's slick finish produces greasy fingerprints which reduce its accuracy. The fingerprint reader is also a nice novelty and well-integrated.

The palmrest and trackpad do get warm, but not excessively so. I've had my laptop on in a hot room all day and it's not been uncomfortable to use, and I really trust Western Digital when it comes to hard-drive reliability (others' mileage may vary, of course). Naturally this system runs hotter than my old 17", but that's to be expected (it should also be noted that the fans are quite loud by default). HP also ship a chasis cover in case you want to remove the optical drive, but as has been discussed, this isn't the source of the heat.

The display is probably my major concern. I'm not sure if I have the LED screen, but the colours do look really washed out by default, and the viewing angles are poor. Reflection is a given, because of the infinity screen, but at full brightness it's not a problem. I used Clayton's settings in the nVidia control panel and it has helped, but you really need to sit dead centre to appreciate the true colours.

Right now I've been uninstalling all the usual rubbish, but the system performance is great, and some of the software is nice. HP's QuickView media center is very slick, the fingerprint reader is nicely done, and some Asia-specific apps are also handy.

Overall I'm really happy with the system. Once it's all setup nicely, it should be a pleasure to use. No regrets

Kind regards

Jonty

P.S. Is it okay to use nailpolish remover on the laptop? Some of the stickers have left residue behind. Normally I'd use nailpolish remover to get rid of them, but I'm not sure about it on this very polished surface. Any tips?

 

I'm not sure if nail polisher will damage the surface. But for what i did, I just use some paper towel wet with water and clean off the residue on my girlfriend's dv2000. So it should work for you too. HP uses pretty good stickers that don't leave permanent marks. Try it first and see.

 

If you want to take the residue off the laptop, dont use nail polish remover, just take the sticker with the tacky side down, and put it ontop of the left of residue and peel it up again really quickly like you are waxing your laptop and all the stickyness will come off. ive done that with every one of my laptops and its worked fine.

 

Thanks guys, it worked a treat. I guess I was too impatient before, but a soft damp cloth and some patience did the trick. Thanks again.

 

I have a couple questions regarding DV4:

1. The OP says the integrated TV tuner is available for DV4, but it's not available in the configuration page. What gives?

2. Does DV4 runs cooler than DV2000? I had DV2000 before and due to the overheated issue that now I am looking into DV4.

3. Does DV4 feels lighter than DV2000? 4.82lbs (5.18lbs with 6 cell) for DV4. 5.29lbs for DV2000, no mention if that's with battery or without.

thanks in advance to anyone who can answer my Qs.

 

mindwip

hi im a new member here and im waiting for my dv4t to arrive from Hong Kong... but im a little bit nervous due to heat issues regarding the HDD...can you take some pictures on the under side of the laptop specially the ventilation. because im thinking to buy a laptop cooler before my DV4T arrives...

I will post my review and some picture when my dv4t arrives.. and hoping not to be disappointed....

thanks

 

I'm having to send my dv4t in for repairs, received mine 12 Aug I believe. Pretty much the 2nd day of having it the audio crapped out. It gets stuck in mute and the laptop speakers will not play sound, while the headphone jack still works. The mute "touch" button above the keyboard stays red as if it thinks its muted, odd thing is Windows still mutes & unmutes when pressing it. The only way to fix is to restart the Audio service in Vista....which has to be done each time its booted. I've reinstalled the drivers and restored to factory settings....same issue after rebooting. Not going to keep doing this each reboot

 

Mine is here

 

LOL I was wondering the same friccin thing...wasn't really a big deal not to have it, but if i had the option to get it on the site i would have

 

I had the same problem but all you have to do is reinstall the quickplay button drivers. Have you reinstalled vista?

 

I'm not sure about qs 1. But for qs2, Dv4 does run alot cooler than Dv2000 (my gf owns one). The only part that gets a bit warm (not burning at all) is the left resting palm where the hardrive is located.
For qs3, the dv4 feels a bit lighter than my gf's dv2000 but that maybe due the liquid metal that is used on dv4. (Also I have a LED screen so that helps too)

 

Everyone,

I love my dv4t, but I have one complaint. As everyone already knows, only 2 USB slots come with the laptop. Did anyone else notice that the two slot are too close to eachother? Not all USB's are thin and when you try to put two of them in simultaneously, the push eachother. It's not like i'm using old hardware, i'm using the 4GB cruzer micro in one slot, and a wireless mouse in the other. It may just be the design of the cruzer micro flash drive, but its very annoying since I have to force them in together causing the cruzer micro to look slightly bent.....

 

^ that sucks. for $100, you can consider their quick dock solution. i ordered one for my dv7t. it comes with 6 usb ports, two on the right hand side and 4 in the back. i know this doesnt fix the problem but at least you have an option.

i have the quickdock being delivered today. i will have the following connected to it - lan cable, audio cable, usb stuff (flash drives, etc), and wireless mouse.

i can not imagine having to plug and unplug all that stuff all the time! ;-D

 

I have a question for the experts.
I feel like my dv4t underclocks itself constantly (I check with CPUz). That annoyed me a bit because that would causes small lags whenever I do something out of a sudden such as move Firefox around the screen after let it idles for seconds or try minimize all 3 windows about the same time. However, it'll gain the smooth feeling a bit after.

Is there a way to set the CPU running at some minimum clock speed that prevent the laggish movement from happening?

This is a brand new laptop with a brand new intel platform. It should be able to handle vista as smooth as possible without the need of overclocking.
My old Compal DL76 with a pentium M 2.0 and 2GB of 667Mhz Ram feels speedier than this. Does any one else feel the laggish movement?

 

fdsalfiti, I bet you haven't notice your e-SATA port also serves as an addition USB port?

The Dv4t comes with 3 USB standards. The last one is fused with e-SATA which I think is a very clever move by HP. I love their designs and creativity.

 

Does anyone know if the 6 and 12 cells battery from DV2000 will fit in DV4? They look remarkably similar to me.

 

no they wont

 

NAM265: Thank You! I totally missed the e-SATA port. This makes my life easier....I apologize to everyone for missing this...thanks again.

 

hi i have a dv4t coming soon and i have been reading a lot about the mute light problems. many people describe the mute light staying orange even if the sound is not muted. is there any one here having that problem

 

It happened to me once when I cycled through on/off really quickly. ie on/off/on/off/on

 

The Tv Tuner seems to come and go. It was available at one time with the DV4-T.

It may be that they are in short supply of the tv-tuner components and removed it from the config page until they are well stocked once again.

 

so yeah i guess the light just couldn't keep up with the rapid pressing. so no more problems after that?

 

No problems, but I would say that all of the touch buttons (except volume +/-) suffer from the same issue when rapidly turned on/off.

Not that one normally switches sound/wifi on-off rapidly, it can happen. I've had the laptop 3 weeks, and it's only happened to me once (both wifi and sound).

 

When it's available, how much does hp charge?

 

If I recall correctly, I very well might not, $100.

 

does the problem just go away by itself or did you restart?

 

Well it just becomes out of sync, so it can be fixed one of two ways.

1. Restart OR
2. Cycle quickly again

If you cycle quickly again it should become "realigned."

 

Hi to all dv4t owner, can you tell me what is your index base score or the performance information of your dv4t?

also, do you know where can i find the latest update of nvidia 9200m GS?

thanks for the reply...

 

My Dv4t is on it's way! Does anybody have any idea when I'll actually get it? I had thought that all shipments went through Memphis Tn, but I guess not, so I am posting this for anybody who needs it. I can't wait for this thing to get here! I been waiting 2 weeks! Thing must be seriously fast, it made it form Oakland to ontario (400+ miles) in 25 minutes!

Aug 28, 2008 3:16 AM
At dest sort facility
ONTARIO, CA

2:51 AM
Departed FedEx location
OAKLAND, CA

Aug 27, 2008 2:16 PM
Int'l shipment release
ANCHORAGE, AK

12:12 PM
Arrived at FedEx location
ANCHORAGE, AK

2:57 PM
In transit
SHANGHAI CN

Aug 26, 2008
7:55 PM
Left FedEx origin facility
KUNSHAN CN

11:17 AM
Picked up
KUNSHAN CN

 

i have just received the dv4t and so far it is awesome. at first for some reason the speakers didn't work. so i just disabled and enabled the sound device again. right now i am creating discs and it is at 50% for a long time. i haven't put in any discs yet. i am waiting for it to prompt me to put in a disc. is this normal? also how can i tell if i have the LED screen

 

I think it took about 2 hours to burn the recovery disks to DVD+R. It goes through a file creation which takes about 45 minutes or so. Then it burns the disk and goes through three phases. The last disk only takes about half the time. I think i watched almost 3 quarters of football last Friday night just doing this.