*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

To current owners: I'd like some discussion on screen quality. Previous models have all had 2-3 different screens possible. LG has been best in the past. What are we seeing here? Thanks

 

The 512mb 9600m gt should be powerful enough to allow Crysis to be playable on medium settings, and fully playable on low settings.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GT.9449.0.html

The review used an nvidia 9600m gt GDDR3. HP is most likely using the inferior GDDR2 -therefore expect some loss in frames per second as compared to the chart (my guesstamate is subtract ~2-4 frames per second).

 

It's a bit pricey if you ask me. I would go with the least amount of RAM and then get a 4GB kit from Newegg for $55:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227251
Other than the RAM, your configuration looks great.

It's DDR2-800.

Definitely, I agree with the above poster. The 8600M-GT can do it at 1280x800 with medium-high settings, so the 9600M-GT should be able to do it even better.

 

I ordered mine yesterday, tried to keep the price down while gettign what i needed. Got the APP discount + $100 off+ $1092.85

HP Pavilion Entertainment dv5t customizable Notebook PC

* Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
* 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X4500
* HP Imprint Finish (Mesh)+Microphone + Webcam + Fingerprint Reader for HP BrightView Infinity Display
* Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
* No High speed 56K modem port
* FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive from 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
* High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

Thanks for the quick reply Chaz!

I have some questions regarding your reply. Are you saying it's bit pricey because of RAM or in terms of total price?

I think it would come out to $1600 w/o student discount. I got $1437 with student discount + HP discount + 5% coupon.

I doubt it but do you think they'll have like $200-500 coupon codes for these models anytime soon?

 

I'm surprised a lot of people are ordering the Lightscribe feature for their notebooks.

Are you ever going to use Lightscribe? the extra $15 is not worth it in my opinion. Lightscribe is raaarely used--- not to mention the fact that burning CDs is practically a thing of the past with the inception of MP3s and flash drives. Even if you end up getting the Lightscribe and decide to use it, I don't think you'll appreciate the fact that Lightscribe-capable CDs are significantly more expensive than regular CD-Rs. Pocket the $15 and buy yourself a Chinese Buffet dinner or let the money go towards your soon-to-be purchased notebook cooler.

 

Don't expect to see $200-500 coupon codes for the dv4t, dv5t, or dv7ts anytime soon. They usually only have those coupons available if they're trying to push the particular model off their shelves. Now they're pushing the older non-Montevina notebooks; so until those are nearly gone, or the dv4t's - dv7t's see horrendous consumer purchase levels, then I would expect to see some coupons. By "anytime soon" if you mean like in 6 months, then maaaayyybe, very maaaybe though.

 

How did you get the 5% coupon ? Also, what is that infinity widescreen display ? is it worth it to get it instead of the normal one ?

*NM, I found the coupon*

 

Would the 2.4ghz processor be worth it for a non-gamer? Should I upgrade something else instead and put it to 2.26 ghz?

 

Actually, if you were to use the laptop for gaming mostly, 2.26ghz is more than enough. If you are using it for daily computing, excel/word, internet, all that good stuff, you might consider upgrading to the 2.4ghz if you want to see a slight gain in performance.

What is your budget? If spending that extra $50 to upgrade to 2.4ghz is going to stop you from upgrading to 4gigs of memory (I spent ~$65 after mail in rebate from Newegg to upgrade from 2gigs to 4gigs on my own), then I would go for the RAM instead of CPU, but otherwise, it all comes down to how much you’re willing to spend. If a slight improvement from 2.4ghz CPU isn't a huge factor for you, then maybe even save the $50 and buy a quality laptop cooler to protect your investment.

 

It's a bit pricey in general, though I think if you get rid of the RAM then you would have a more reasonably-priced machine. It is almost always cheaper to upgrade RAM yourself, and upgrading RAM doesn't void the warranty.

Out of your configuration, I'd get rid of the Lightscribe (-$5), go with the standard RAM (2GB is free right now)(-$150), and if you want to save another $50, drop to the P8400. You will not notice the difference between it and the P8600.

See these posts:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3656348&postcount=237
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3656397&postcount=239
And also, I agree with the post below - upgrade the RAM yourself and save a bit of money, if 2GB isn't enough. I bought mine with the free 2GB upgrade, I figure I will see how it runs. If I start running out of RAM, I'm going to buy 4GB from Newegg.

 

I saw the infinity display at a Best Buy. It basically looked like the glass covered the frame and the screen (picture the entire face being flat), instead of the screen being "recessed" and the frame around it, and IMO not worth it. I thought it actually looked kinda cheesy.

As for Newegg OCZ RAM upgraders, keep one thing in mind that I just realized today. The OCZ $25 rebate deal ends on July 31st. You have to have your rebate stuff postmarked 12 days from buying the RAM. So if you haven't purchased your notebook yet, I would hold off on the deal. Example:

I ordered the RAM on Tuesday. Ordered the notebook yesterday, will get it on Aug. 4th. I will have sent in the rebate already (UPC required). If the RAM doesn't work (i.e. bunk sticks), then I can't return them to Newegg w/o the UPC code. Do I go for the $25 rebate and hope it works, or just screw it and cut my losses and try the RAM before sending in the UPC code. Dilemmas....

 

Thanks for the info. How about the screen resolution ? Should I go with the higher one ? I am not sure if current games will play well on 1680 X 1050 with 9600m GT and I don't do any photoshop/editing.

 

Hey Chaz. You mentioned a week or two ago about starting an Official Dv5t owners lounge and it was decided to wait and see what happens with the 9600 M GT. Well, now that the 9600 is back personally I think the time has come to start an "Official" lounge. So if everyone else is in agreement I think Chaz should go ahead and start it.

 

What are your guys thoughts on an official dv5t owner's lounge? There seems to be quite a few of us now.

 

I say go ahead and start it up. We should start getting our laptops pretty soon, now.

 

How did you get the student rebate?
Where do you have to go on the hp site is quite confusing ...
Sorry about that newbie...

But I love the dv5t and I am going to order one

 

You have to register for the student discount, here's the link for it.

https://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/register_app.do?jumpid=re_r329_search/internal/hps_app

 

thanks
Appreciate

 

hmm so what would be a good cooler to get for this laptop?

 

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/epp_home.do

 

I currently own a dv2416 (HP 14.1" laptop, with similar ventilation to the dv5t) and it works very well with my Antec Notebook Cooler. The Antec Notebook Cooler has a fairly bright blue LED---sometimes I think it looks cool, other times when I'm going to bed, it looks too bright.

Pros: Cools my notebook down significantly (HP dv2416), so it does the job.
Cons: Noise level may be too loud for some, it's about as loud as a notebook fan on max.

I recently placed an order for a Zalman NC1000 Notebook Cooler from CircuitCity because other users in this forum say that it does a good job of cooling HP/Dell style notebooks, and at the same time it isn't very loud. Once my dv5t arrives, I'll give the Zalman a try to see if it's better than the Antec.

 

Do you have an old laptop to try those sticks on to see if they run properly?

 

I think it's a good idea.

 

We should definitely start an official dv5t owner's lounge soon, but I vote give it a couple more days so that the new thread will begin with nice photos and benchmarks as opposed to another two-three day worth of posts of speculations/comments (not that those are bad, but let's save it for this thread for now).

According to HP, my dv5t is due to ship out by July 28th. When is everyone else's dv5t expected to ship? I hope my July 28th estimate is a lie and that they will actually ship it out earlier!

 

yea im thinking of getting the zalman nc1000 or 2000 i heard the 1000 model is slighty smaller than the 15.4 notebook so im still thinking on which one to get ><..

My dv5t ships in the 29th. I hope its not a lie and not shipped later =P

 

I hope it's shipped either earlier, or later, but not on the day of. If earlier, then that's good in of in itself. If later, apparently you can call Customer Service about your notebook shipping out later than as stated, and they will more than likely help you by giving you some monetary credit... they have a special extension you can reach through Customer Service specifically for orders that are shipped late. I could definitely use the extra cash to buy ridiculously overpriced textbooks for school.

EDIT::: I'm reading that a lot of people use the NC1000 for 17" notebooks and have still given it good reviews. I bought the NC1000 cause it was a pretty significant price difference. $42 from CircuitCity after shipping/taxes (CCity has a 10% off coupon for the NC1000s and free shipping) as opposed to $71 for NC2000 off of Newegg after shipping/taxes.

 

whoa good find on the zalman nc1000 !! thx u made my day easier xD

 

Mine is to be Shipped August 5th. Does anyone know where these laptops are assembled? Ive been trying to find info on their plant/factory but no success, not even a video of their production line like dell has.

 

Mine shipped! I should have it next week.

On the tracking page, it says my laptop is going out of Shanghai, China.

Edit: Owner's lounge created. I took 80 posts from the old dv5t thread we were conversing in and moved them into a new thread. I didn't want to lose all those good/valuable posts.

 

yayayayya 1 week till my dv5t gets here!
Yeah, I think we should have our own lounge to ward off those "other" HP people.
I think it would be better to start fresh-this forum was kind of pre-release craze.

 

Your's shipped already? Sooo jealous! What was the estimated ship date when you placed your order?

 

Yea mine just shipped expected to come on july 30 =]]. Hooran did u order the cooler already from circuit?

 

For those of you receiving your laptops within the next week or two, could one of you do the unboxing thing and post it on youtube? I'd love to see a video review.

 

Man Im just pissed they added the 7200RPM Drive dropped the price $100 and added the TV tuner back in since I ordered mine..sheez..If it wasn't such a hassle I'd cancel my order. I was able to get the $100 off but I'd have to cancel the whole order to change everything...grr...oh well..It will still be a sweet laptop. I just feel I should have gotten the Accidental Warranty too and the 7200rpm drive..

 

@Hooran: I think it was like July 30.
@Luvmylaptop: Sorry, but I don't have a video camera...

 

I ordered on the morning of Jul 16, which was last Wednesday, and it shipped yesterday, Thurs the 24. Right on target with what they say on their website, about a week to build.

It just shipped out of China today, so with the 5-7 day shipping I should have it next week.

I'll see what I can do with mine . . . I will be doing a full review of this machine, by the way, I'll try to get it up within two weeks after it arrives.

I wouldn't be too worried about it. You can always upgrade the hard drive later on, and without voiding the warranty. I am thinking of getting one of these in the future:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280

 

Sounds good . . . I got rid of the older posts. Basically what I did is I took all of the posts starting a few days ago when the 9600M-GT became available again and moved them into a new thread. I think there's a lot of valuable info in those pages and I'd rather not lose it. Let me know what you guys think.

 

I ordered mine evening of July 16th. Maybe that made them decide to slow down my production by 1 business day + 2 weekend days

leoano- I ordered the notebook cooler yesterday morning, I've been at work all day and haven't been home yet, but it should be here by today. I did the regular free shipping, but since I'm only 1 state away, the shipment was basically equivalent of an overnight shipment . If it helps any, they shipped mine from Champaign IL.

 

I ordered mine around the same time, hopefully they ship at tomorrow! I keep checking my order status but it still hasn't changed, but it better by tomorrow, lol.

EDIT: Just remembered tomorrow is Saturday, so hopefully Monday!

 

min is comming around early august ><

 

Hey! Is it possible to order the dv5t in Canada? Like, does HP US ship to Canada? and also is the 9600m gt the ddr2 or ddr3 version? Because it will either be this Dv5t or the Xoticpc Force 3551 for my University Laptop!

 

The HP dv5t isn't available in Canada to my knowledge - there are some configurations listed on HP's site, but none of them have the 9600M-GT . . . only the lower-end card. And they're not in-stock at any resellers.

 

First off, I had a question about system recovery. I noticed on both HP's and Costco's websites, there was no option to order the recovery DVD's for an extra $20, like I've seen before on other custom HP's. Will they be included, or is it just upto me to burn from a recovery partition? I know I had to burn my own with my HP m8120n desktop.

Also, hopefully one of the guru's out there will start right away on the WinXP and Linux installs. I don't know about XP yet, but Linux will definitely be on here, for school (I may just blow out Vista too, and make the whole think Linux). I'm looking at either Ubuntu (the easy way) or Fedora Core 9 (the school way). Once we all get our dv5t's, we should start tweakin' right away!

 

If the recovery CD isn't included, I'm pretty sure it will be included in the hard drive partition.

I went to the Best Buy to see dv5 (well dv5z), wow, I must say, the new design is very sleek.. didn't expect to be that nice.

 

Hello All,

I've been following this forum for several months now and finally decided to join. I ordered my dv5t on July 15 for and it shipped today! Estimated delivery is July 30. Can't wait after using a hand-me down Toshiba 5005-S504!

Specs:
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
* 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam for HP BrightView Infinity Display
* Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
* No High speed 56K modem port
* 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

I agree - I thought the dv5 looked nice in the review pictures, but I went to check it out for myself and that is what finally made me buy it.

That's very similar to what I got, great choices! Welcome to the forums.

I just realized that I don't have a bag for this laptop . . . I am using a very crappy one right now for my Sager. So it's time to start looking for one of those.

I did go to Best Buy and get a Bluetooth mouse though:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...tooth&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1186005934479
On sale from $50 for $35. Good price, even compared to Internet deals. If anyone's looking for a Bluetooth mouse to compliment the dv5t, I recommend it.

 

I had ordered a dv6700t with the $500 off coupon last week. They called me today and said that they don't have any more dv6700t's and that they can't ship me that laptop. They said that the dv5t is the new replacement, and that they can give me a dv5t with my $500 off coupon. This is what I'm getting:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz)
15.4" High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1680 x 1050)
4GB DDR2 System Memory
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner

all for about $1250! Yes, I'm very happy.

On a side note, can any one give me more information about the HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner? I want to know more about the "HDTV Hybrid" part. Does it have component inputs, or an antena that can recieve over the air HD chanels? Thanks.

 

Wow, that's a sweet deal. Maybe I should've ordered a dv6700t...

 

If I do decide to order this laptop, I have at lest 2 concerns now.

1. Would like to buy at Costco and take advantage of extra year warranty added for free. But, I often travel with my laptop in my Kensington Contour Overnight Ntebook Roller bag, pulling it on the sidewalks of NYC (quite rough territory). Resort to this bag after two shoulder surgeries. Concern - can I trust this laptop to hold up over a couple of years without getting accidental warranty just in case, not offered through Costco but only HP?

2. No battery option greater than 6 cell. This becomes more of a problem as I often run presentations, two in a row that have my laptop running for several hours but AC sometimes is available. On the XPS 1530 there is a 9 cell battery but no eSATA port which I would like to utilize on this laptiop if I decide to order it? Generally would we get 3 hours battery life out of this machine? I record Camtasia studio Powerpoint presentations with just a lot of text and voice audio. Thanks for your help.

Gary