*HP dv4t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

maybe this is a stupid question, but how do you check the temperature of your hard drive?

 

you can check the temperature of your hard drive through many different utilities, but i use hd tune or hard drive inspector

 

Ok, I am thinking about purchasing a dv4t. I have three questions.

1. What is the performance of the Intel graphics? I currently have an ATI Xpress 200m in my current laptop and am able to run Doom 3 at around 20-30 fps. Would this be comparable?

2. What is the battery life of the machine? Also would there be a big difference for battery life between having the Intel graphics and Nvidia one?

3. What is the good/bad about the laptop that you have experienced so far?

 

nice computer, is that the brightview infinity edge display? or the regular bright view display or is that the LED display?

 

That is the LED display.

 

I used PC Decrapifier to get rid of the bloatware. Fairly simple and painless process to remove everything.

 

Clayton, can you give your CPU temperature, GPU temperature, and hard drive temperature?

 

I have a Western Digital 250gig in mine.

Both my cpu and HD temp's are the same according to everest at 48c.

Real Temp lists my cpu-temp at 33c

 

You don't have a Hitachi HD?
It makes me angry...

My CPU is just fine. It is 42 degrees Celsius right now.

My HD is 51 degrees Celsius.

 

Oh... guys

I just removed the cover that covers and protects the hard drive on the bottom of the dv4t. Now, it stays at 45 degrees Celsius. Now, I know why it was that hot... I think I need to get a notebook cooler...;;;

 

Any chance you could drill some holes in the cover? Hmmm...may have problems with dust getting in though.

 

Well.. It already has vents that allow air to flow in and out.
I don't know why the temperature increases rapidly....

 

hope its turning better from now on.~

 

Wow.. I begin to ignore all the heat!
Is that a good thing or not? I hope it is a good thing....

Well... I think it is much better just to get used to it for my mental health!

 

so can anyone give the definite word if the dv2700 12 cell will fit in the dv4t?

 

If it did HP would be making $$$ selling it. So no, it wont work.

 

This is the part # 484172-001 for the yet to be released 12cell battery.


http://h20141.www2.hp.com/hpparts/Search_Results.asp?mscssid=3XUNK9DBMURM8KC4HQRD3VD443V3D71A

 

Hello everyone!

So, I've read every page of this forum and we're missing a few things.

1) Battery life. 6 Cell lasts how long? High capacity 6 cell is better?
2) Anyone have any complaints about the camera?
3) How does it run games? As we all know, the dv4t is limited in video card options. Is the 9200 sufficient for games? Doom, Second Life, Halo? How are the graphics on the 9200?

And I have one more request from all current dv4t owners. How big is the charger? May sound like an odd question, but I bought an HP 3 years ago and the charger was pretty large. If someone could list the dimensions on their charger I would greatly appreciate it. (It's honestly one of my main concerns!)

Clayton: Great pictures! And that link does not work. I am definitely interested in a 12 cell though. If you find out more don't hesitate to post!

 

The brick is 4 7/8" x 1 13/16 x 1 1/8 and weighs about 8.5 oz. That's 12.4 x 4.7 x 2.8 cm and 240 gm if you prefer.

The power cord and cord to the PC are both about 6 ft. long. There's no tie-down to hold the cords in place when wrapped around the charger, which seems kind of cheap.

 

The 12-cell battery for the dv2700 is not compatible with the dv4t. HP should release 12-cell batteries for the dv4 and dv5 series soon.

I think the brick is not big. I have an old Presario 2100 notebook, and its brick is larger than that of the dv4t.

 

HP Pavilion Entertainment dv4t customizable Notebook PC
KH600AV
– Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
– Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz)
– 14.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
– FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
– 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS
– FREE Upgrade to 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
– HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam
– HP Color Matching Keyboard
– Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN
– No Integrated WWAN
– No High speed 56K modem port
– LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
– No TV Tuner w/remote control
– 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
– Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
– HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

i also bought one for $1.089 (tax included) , u think this configuration and price are alright?

 

so no one's gonna try to put windows xp on their dv4t?

 

I have another question for all dv4t users. What is the difference between the 64-bit and 32-bit on this laptop?
Is 2gig of ram sufficient enough for 64 bit? or if getting 2 gig should you only ask for 32-bit vista?

What exactly is the difference between the two, and how do they run on the dv4t with your setups?

 

if u wanna run 64 bit u need 4gb ram 32 bit system only recognizes 3gb ram

 

if you want a really professional explanation check out wikipedia....it does have the comparison between these 2 versions of vista.

basically 64bit calculates faster than 32bit, to my understanding. unless you work on things that have really high requirements i dont think its necessary to get 64bit.besides you have to have 4GB to go with 64bit while 2-3GB would work fine for 32.

another problem is most of the software drivers right now dont have the version for 64bit yet, i.e. for printers.

im not quite sure about it either, i think there's not gonna be any significant differences between 32 n 64 on dv4t..

 

Those of you who have purchased or will purchase the dv4t!!!

I highly recommend buying a notebook cooler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The design of the dv4t is both good and bad.
It looks nice, of course. But, the problem is that HP didn't think much about the cooling system!

You need find something that can lift up your laptop a little bit. Also, your hard drive will be easily overheated!!!

 

has it been that bad so far?? what's the highest u got til now? are you gonna try undervolting?

or are you gonna try kicking it back to hp...

 

I think it is HP's design flaw.
I searched this website by putting "HP hard drive temperature".
The first post title captured my attention. Yes...
It is HP's design flaw... The hard drive in HP's 14.1-inch model get overheated if you don't do anything.

If you want to carry around with your dv4t and doesn't want to carry a notebook cooler with it, I highly recommend buying a 12-cell battery that can lift your battery a little bit. The cooling system of the dv4t or maybe every one of the 14.1-inch notebooks from HP is a flaw.

 

I don't know... Today.... I contacted HP... I decided to exchange it with another unit, but I realized that it would be a waste of money and time. (I had to pay about 10 dollars more.) So, I decided to keep it.

I'll buy a Zalman cooler to rescue my hard drive from this disaster...

I think you should not cancel by reading my posts about the overheating issue. First, try it. Mine might be a flaw. If it is and yours is fine, then tell me... I'll exchange it.

When is your shipping date?

 

ive been thinking about getting a cooler too. shipping date's estimated to be 19th.suggesting that i should cancel it right now?

 

oh i didnt get that..weird..yeah, i'l wait see what happens, cuz that was really kind of a good deal for a laptop like that, bought it tax free...

 

The older dv2000 series was apparently the same way. After only web browsing for about 20 minutes, the drive on my aunt's dv2200 shoots up to 55C and hangs there....

 

Still far away... anyway... I don't know... you don't have to cancel it
Mine might be a flaw. Try it...

If anyone who has the dv4t right now reads this post, please post your CPU, GPU, and (especially) hard drive temperatures...

 

Oh.. yeah.... Mine is the same...

I measured the time from the moment when I opened the temperature-measuring program to the moment when the hard drive temperature reached 50 degrees Celsius.... It took just 30 minutes....

 

yeah it's making me a little nervous now too.. i was contemplating between the dv2700t special edition and the dv4t but i thought that at the time i ordered it the dv4t was more worth it. but i was also afraid cause it's so new.

so is the vent on the bottom or something?

 

kind of....

The disply takes most of the back side of the notebook, so there isn't much space for a vent on the back side.

For this notebook, the CPU temperature is not much of the concern.
You can easily raise your laptop using almost anything that has some sort of height. A 12-cell battery will do that for you.

However, the problem with this notebook is that heat builds up in the hard drive. Most hard drives run at temperatures from 35 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius. Of course, it is okay for a hard drive to run at 52 degrees Celsius or even 55 degrees Celsius. That won't damage your hard drive immediately. However, higher temperatures mean a higher risk of hard drive failure. Over a long period of time, it might cause a damage on the hard drive.

 

oh. hmm. so is it a hard drive flaw or is it dependent on the other parts, such as the cpu? like the processor i ordered is the lowest one, 2.0 GHz. do you think that'll make it any less cool?

i don't usually add height to mine.. i like it flat. i dunno. mine's to be shipped on the 11th, so i'm gonna test it out. what program do you use to check the temperatures? does all the hardware have sensors for that stuff? haha i'm a little confused as to how it all works. anyway i'm gonna try it out cause i should be getting it soon. i think if it gives me problems, i'll see if i can get it replaced with a dv2700t..

has clayton had overheating problems also? i wasn't really sure..

 

if you have ordered dv4t n you want a replacement, at least i think you shouldnt go with dv2700t...that thing's even worse when it comes to the heating issue.

hey PlanetEarth, is your processor T9? you know what, it probably has something to do with overheating as well,i checked out a few reviews n T9 is said to have significant temp rising compared to the Pseries....

 

really? hm. i guess i don't mind the heat. my current laptop could be like that. it's hot whenever i have it on my lap. even the top where the keyboard is is hot. i just don't want the hard drive to die. paid more than i wanted to for this laptop so i want it to last 4 or so years.. i was gonna go with the dv2700t spec ed cause it's 150 cheaper.

 

I don't think it is a CPU-related problem. The CPU is normal. Although the vents that allow air to flow in and out to cool down the CPU are located on the bottom, the CPU is fine. However, the hard drive doesn't look okay. I don't know why. My four-year old Presario laptop has a hard drive that runs at temperatures from (usually) 40 to 46 degrees. It has smaller vents for the hard drive. However, I haven't seen its temperatures over 50 degrees.
And, that's the story of my 4-year old, 15-inch Presario notebook.

In the dv4t, the hard drive and wireless module are very closely located.
The wireless module also generates heat. That could be a reason, but I can't say it for sure.

You can use different kinds of programs that measure the temperatures of main hardware parts. HWMonitor (or CPUID) and Everest can help you see those temperatures.

After you get it, wait for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then, use one of those programs to see the temperatures. Although those temperatures easily fluctuate, the hard drive temperature will stay at a certain temperature like 50 degrees Celsius.

Yours might be different from mine, and you might not see your hard drive overheating at all. That should be a good thing for you and a bad thing for me.

Please post your temperatures and your impression of the dv4t when you receive it

 

Yes... My processor is T9600. The T series should generate more heat than the P series, but I just chose the T series. But, I can deal with the heat from the processor by raising the laptop a little bit. It significantly decreases the CPU temperature and the frequency of the fan spinning.

However, I can't deal with the hard drive temperature while using the notebook. Even if I raise the back of the laptop, it doesn't decreases the hard drive temperature. I have to change the dv4t to the sleep mode or turn it off to cool the hard drivee down.

 

I don't think so....

The dv27000 series should have the same problem if it is similar to the dv4t in design. Almost all HP's notebooks have their hard drives right below the left palmrest area. The dv2700 series should have the same problem.

I don't know why dv2000~dv2800 series users don't complain about it much, but in my opinion, it is a serious problem. Maybe, I'm too sensitive.

But, I can't say it for sure since I haven't used the dv2700t series.

 

that kind of sucks...unlike you i wouldnt have the patience at all to put mine into sleep mode.it'll end up getting a new HDD anytime right after the warranty time i guess....

thought so after i posted up,CPU temp shouldnt really affect HDD that much..checked out a few things about hp the old series all have HDD overheating issues,maybe its general then. getting a cooler will definitely be an option, but i doubt it making big improvements,usually just a few degrees drop.

im wondering where'd all the dv4t owners go...?? appreciate it very much for letting us know all these.i really hope that you havent felt this was a wrong choice at the begining...

 

I think a cooler will make a HUGE improvement. The cover that covers and protects the hard drive/wireless module part has vents that allow air to flow in and out.

One thing that is so "funny" (or sad or ANGRY) is that the hard drive is running hotter than the CPU and the GPU right now...

I really want to know how other dv4t users are doing with their dv4ts, but it seems like they rarely visit this forum...

 

maybe it's just the hard drive? since you have a different from from clayton.. my current laptop has western digital also, and cpuid says it's at 40 degrees. i'll check my laptop when it comes in probably sometime next week..

 

Well... As I said before, I have another laptop that is more than four years old. Its hard drive runs at abou 40 degrees Celsius. I don't know what is wrong with the hard drive in the dv4t. I hope the hard drive is just a defect.

 

installing office enterprize my hd temp hit 49C, it has since cooled down to 46C.

 

I've been following this heat issue of the hard drive pretty closely and I need to clarify something.

On 08-06-2008 I see a post from Clayton that says "I have a Western Digital 250gig in mine. Both my cpu and HD temp's are the same according to everest at 48c. Real Temp lists my cpu-temp at 33c

The same day I see a post from PlanetEarth saying "You don't have a Hitachi HD? It makes me angry... My CPU is just fine. It is 42 degrees Celsius right now. My HD is 51 degrees Celsius."

So, my question is is that accurate? Clayton has a Western Digital 250 and is having no hard drive over heating problems. And PlanetEarth has a Hitachi?

 

Well, I have a 160-GB Hitachi hard drive, compared to Clayton's Western Digital 250-GB hard drive. It seems like HP uses Hitachi for 160-GB hard drives and Western Digital for 250-GB hard drives. Mine could be a defect. I need to make sure, though. I didn't have a chance to get the free upgrade to a 250-GB hard drive. Others may not find this heat issue, but it seems like many other 14.1-inch models from HP have suffered from this issue. Mine seems to be worse than others as I saw the temperature reaching 58 or 59 degrees Celsius yesterday. I can't say whether the programs that I used or Clayton used are accurate, but those programs that I've been using are widely used. I'm using Everest (Ultimate version) and HWMonitor.

Also, I can feel the heat from the hard drive. With my 4-year old laptop, I was concerned about the heat from the CPU. Now, I'm not worried about the heat from the CPU of my dv4t. I'm worried about the heat from the hard drive. I touched the bottom of the notebook to feel the heat from different parts of the notebook, and the part where the heatsink and CPU are located was much cooler than part where the hard drive is located.

About 10 minutes ago, I turned on this computer. It started with 27 degrees Celsius. Now, my hard drive rose to 43 degrees Celsius... Something should be wrong with the hard drive.

 

CPU (P8600): core0 43C, core1 37C. Topped out at 49/47 on a fairly cpu intensive task.

GPU (Geforce 9200): 41C. Max 49C.

HD (Hitachi 160GB): Currently 42C. Drifted up from 40.

From upthread comments these all seem reasonable. Nothing feels hot.