*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Yes, and don't forget the free shipping code (I posted it a few pages back). I get mine tomorrow, I'll post about it then.

 

Ok so here is the final analysis of the esata combo port. Esata works fine with clean install of vista. It does not create the icon to safely remove hardware when you plug a drive in. Instead the Intel matrix storage manager pops up a warning about a new drive attached. In regards to the usb port I think mine is simply faulty. If I wiggle the cable just right and pull it out slightly, it works. Not sure why flash drives seem to work ok, but anything with a cable is a no go. I know its not a power problem, because vantec NexStar enclosures have their own power supplies. It really seems to be a physical connection problem. So the big question I want input on is...should I make hp send another laptop? It seems to me I should be able to get a defect free laptop. I advise everyone to check all their ports, particularly the combo esata usb one. One other positive note, I plugged the HDMI port into a sony 52 inch 1080p tv and it looks increadible. Synced right up and boosted res to full 1080p. Now I need to get some BluRay discs to test out. Also the TV tuner is pretty cool. It comes with a little antenna that has a suction cup on the bottom I was able to get all the local HD broadcast stations and they looked great. Cant wait to hook up to cable and see how it looks. All of you looking for a single dorm room solution, this is the way to go. More updates as the saga unfolds.

 

here to confirm.The 400$ coupon code still works, I put it in checkout and it took 400 off my laptop.

 

Hey guys, I just went researching on the dv5t off HP.com's website, Costco's, and a whole bunch of retailers and I found a pretty good deal on a dv5t. I'm just a high school student (upcoming Junior) just trying to get a decent laptop with enough processing power for Word, Powerpoint, and some multi-media tasks, such as encoding music, video, ripping video/audio and stuff like that. And I was wondering if the deal at Circuit City is good. It's $850 with a decent processor and 4GB of ram with 64-bit Vista. I'm not a very big gamer, so the Intel GMA X4500 isn't really an issue, but I do tend to watch a lot of DVDs and videos every now and then, so I was wondering if the intergrated video card is good enough to watch movies at full screen without being choppy. Thanks for the help.

Here's the link to the dv5t:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-dv5-1000us-15-4-Widescreen-Entertainment-Laptop-FE850UA-ABA/sem/rpsm/oid/215030/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

in regards to vista's ram, just so you know, vista uses about half your ram up regardless of what you have running, simply to utilize it at all times and keep certain things in the OS (or other) in quick cache to improve performance. i upgraded from 2 gigs to 4 gigs on my desktop and it went from 900mb to nearly 2gb of ram used instantly.

 

sdh02

why mine still saying order in production?? i ordered dv5t on Aug. 10 and expected BUILD DATE is by 19th... but i still don't get any update from my account status page or email. do you guys think it's possible to get mine on this week??

Sdh02, just wanted to let you know that I have an expected build date of the 20th, and mine is still listed as in production as well. Maybe HP's orders are getting slowed down due to so many people in this thread ordering dv5ts?

 

I managed to try out a dv5 yesterday... man how do you owners stand that keyboard? It's so plasticky smooth and not nice to the touch imo. I was hoping this was the right laptop for me too

 

Are you kidding Airan? I LOVE the keyboard. Probably one of my favorite things about the dv5t.

 

yeah. I liked the keyboard too when I tried it at BB

 

To each his own I guess! I really didn't like the smoothness of it, didn't feel nice compared to my Thinkpad T61 from work, or even my £7 desktop keyboard. I think the positioning of the keys might have something to do with it.

 

hi again. mmm...may i ask if you read my post (repeated below for your convenience? it's really not a matter of the Vantec having or not having a power supply, it is how the Vantec has "wired" and supplied the power to the circuitry in the enclosure. By circuitry, I do not mean the hard drive itself. I meant the small circuit board that came with the Vantec enclosure (controls). Please see:

 

I figure I'm going to expect mine to ship 8/21 (like hp says) and if it ends up being earlier than that...awesome

 

^ hah, still waiting for my dv7t to ship also... they said the 21st too.... :: rolling eyes ::

 

Charge light in the front left corner:

may I ask how to tell if the battery is "fully charged"? does the white LED (in front left corner) turn to green?

i just got my dv5t (!) 2 days early. charging since 9:00am. Initially, when i plugged in the power, the LED for "battery" in the front left corner is white...it is STILL white, but it's only been 20 mins. May I ask how one can tell when the battery is "fully charged"?

also, is there an easy/certain method of telling whether the battery they enclosed is indeed the Extended 6-cell rather than the Regular 6-cell? (physically, i think they are the same size)

Thx!

 

give the unit a couple of hours and then take a look at the light. i would charge it for a while before using it for the first time - im thinking over 3 or 4 hours. you'll probably see the led change color or turn off to signify that the battery is fully charged.

as for the battery - you can look at the part # on the battery and google it and see the 'description' that it comes up as.

congrats on getting your unit early!

 

timesquaredesi: may i ask what color is your front left LED for "battery" when it is fully charged? even though you have a dv7, i suspect this detail will remain unchanged between dv4/dv5/dv7. thx.

 

i didnt get my dv7t yet. it's still in china being built. i think the olympics may have something to do with the delay ;]

l0l

 

I would say that CC deal is just OK. After the $400 coupon, plus using something like Fatwallet or whatever, I think I am getting a significantly better machine for just a little more money, especially on the video card front. But the CC deal isn't bad.

 

Hey guys - take a look at this product:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3496
That will fix the slippery touchpad problem.

 

i think i figured out the battery status LED light...

the front battery LED is lit white when charging. when full/not charging, it is unlit, but the white LED by the round charger plug on the right side is then lit - i suppose this LED simply indicates that there is power "coming in" from the power brick/transformer/wall outlet.

 

Won't it tell us this stuff in the manual??

That's so cool that you got it early - so have you tried it out.. what do you think? You're not waiting for the battery to charge before you turn it on, right?

 

this situation HP is putting me through with the credit cards is killing me. I WANT MY DV5!!!

 

hi AshleyinVA: please see my post below re: what i think is the battery status LED's situation.

i'm actually going to exercise great restraint this time... I will not use the laptop at all until i burn my recovery disks (which i will start doing shortly). then, i'll try my hand in a "clean reinstall of Vista". i am not thrill about having to do this clean install of Vista thing but i feel that the pain and suffering that it "costs" me today will be worth the lower "overhead" the system enjoys EVERY SINGLE MINUTE from now on for the next couple of years! So...i'll do it, but i'm a bit concerned.

i'm certainly not enjoying the laptop ... yet... hopefully, by later today, i'll get the whole thing running, with the clean Vista install completed, and drivers re-installed.

why do things have to be so difficult? surely, many many people don't go through this and they all do rather well on their laptops, right?

 

I just got my dv5t today and unless i mute the speakers, a clicking sound comes up. i thought it was from the microphone or something, but i disabled all of them and the sound still comes. i can almost guarantee its not from the hard drive. its definitely from the speakers. help please?

 

This has been a really helpful forum in the process of deciding on a laptop for me - thanks.... originally thought the xps m1530 was the way to go but happy i found the dv5t. to my question - as an architecture student who does alot of rendering, alot of cad use, and uses the adobe suite frequently, i am curious to anyones thoughts on the cpu i should go after... originally i was thinking the t9400 but am now questioning the p8600... i am not worried about battery life so much as this is primarily a desktop replacement and will be plugged in the majority of the time. I plan on running 32 bit vista (most arch programs only compatible with this), 4 gb memory, and the 9600 gt gpu. will the t9400 be more suitable for my uses or would the p8600 really be much different?

 

I'm pretty sure that 32 bit Vista will only recognize 3 gigs of ram...not sure if there is a workaround for this though.

 

i think this is limited by architecture - even if there was a way of getting windows to recognize anything over 3 gigs, the amount of ram over 3 gigs will not be used.

but when you get vista 64 installed, there is no 3gb limitation as the 64-bit architected OS is built to handle ram over 3gb.

 

Just got my Dv5t and it really impressive.

Love it from the very first time I laid my eyes on it.

 

My dv5t just shipped. It was expected to ship on Aug 21. So that is a nice surprise. It is in Shanghai now.

What really just drives me crazy, though, is apparently there a new coupon out. A $200 off $999 coupon that can be stacked too with instant HP rebates.

Ahhhh!!

I think (hope) I still got a good deal though.

 

The Vantec enclosure works in any other usb port on the dv5. The combo port is on the same hub as the port right next to it and shares the same power output. The Vantec enlcosure also works fine on the other dv5t I have. If I hold the cable just right, sometimes it will work on the problematic combo port. Seems to be a mechanical issue. I think I am going to request yet another dv5. Thanks for the information, I wish your ideas were all that was wrong.

 

I just ordered mine

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4 GHz)
* 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity 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
* [For BrightView Infinity] Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
* No High speed 56K modem port
* Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
* 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 can't wait....errggg

 

can someone point me in the direction of an XP downgrade guide. this came with vista, and the bios is ****, so i cant revert back to legacy mode on the hard drives, and the xp boot disc bluescreens before i can partition and format the hard drives.

i figured there must be a way to do this using the slipstreaming technique, but i havent had much success with the drivers i found. if anyone has successfully done this, please tell me how.

 

I finally shipped. Only 2 days early though.

 

All you people and your early shipping...

As long as mine ships on or before the date they said (20th), I'll be happy.

 

Hey All,

I hope mine ships as early as all yours. I'm on the East Coast as well, so that adds a few days. My ship-date is the 22nd, so wish me luck...


I was wondering what would be a good, relatively cheap HDMI cable to use for connecting my laptop to a TV in order to watch a Blu-Ray disc. Ten feet or so should be a good length. If any of you have some experience with one, any help is greatly appreciated!!!

 

Congrats to everyone who ordered. :wink:

The faster CPU would be worth it for you. I have a P8400 in my notebook, and a review notebook with a T9400. The T9400 is about 12% faster at best. The P8600 sounds like a good compromise. If you give me an hour, I'll run a rendering benchmark on the T9400 and see how much faster it is during that (my calculations were done according to a 3DMark06 CPU test, which is an excellent benchmark for judging differences in CPU power).

Try reinstalling the sound drivers. Uninstall them first via the Control Panel.

Agreed in full.

 

Following up on my previous post . . . I have run the rendering benchmarks.

The T9400 is 12% faster when rendering with a single CPU core, and 13.5% faster using both. So the difference is basically between waiting 60 minutes for something to render on the P8400, or 51.9 minutes with the T9400. The P8600 is a good compromise . . . I would go with that.

 

Okay, I almost purchased a dv5t last week with the coupon but am holding off til the next coupon when I get settled into school. I want to know if what I was gonna order is gonna be okay or over doing it.

Im simply using this computer for office, internet, listening to music, and the occasional movie. I'm a college student. I have a inspiron now thats about two years old but i'm simply tired of all the slowdown and not being able to handle the simple multitasking. I want the computer to be as smooth as possible handling the simple things I throw at it.

I really know nothing about computers but I was gonna go

64 bit
2.53
4 Gigs of memory
320 gig harddrive

Those are the important things. Should i drop down to 3 gigs of memory and the 32 bit, second, should i simply go 2.4? I'm in no rush and am simply waiting for the next hp coupon thats descent. Thanks guys.

 

There are a lot of really cheap HDMI cables on Amazon for sale. I bought one for like $5 max and they work perfectly.

 

Meritline has 2-pack of 6' HDMI 1.3b cables for $10 - $3 coupon HDMI3OFF = $7 with free shipping.

http://www.meritline.com/193-283-002.html

 

also monorprice has some cheap ones as well.

 

appreciate the help chaz - thank you

 

Hey, Looks good where you have it now. I would keep 64 bit since it is the future. And also i would get no more than 2 gigs of ram from hp and pick up 2gb from new egg and save 60$. This is the ram i got along with many members on the fourm. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227251

 

Is it any use buying a TV tuner card later ?

 

Actually I would say just get a dv5z with the 2.1 GHz Turion Ultra and 3 GB of memory. It would be cheaper than an equivalent dv5t and more than enough for your needs.

 

Wow, this laptop is getting really warm when I game..

Is it safe to game for some long periods of time (2-3hrs) on this notebook? The spot on the left to the touchpad is getting really warm. My palm sits there when I game (WASD) and I can feel how warm it gets.

I also have my notebook propped up in the back a good inch+ until I pick up a laptop cooler.

So anyways, is it safe (and normal) for this laptop (or laptops in general) to get warm like this? I don't want my GPU or something melting from gaming..

 

I've done a bunch of reading on this thread, and haven't found a really solid answer to this question...

I'm going back and forth between the DV4T and the DV5T. Really, I think I'd prefer the bigger version, the higher res screen as a big reason why.

The one thing that does have me concerned is some of the negative reviews regarding DV5T battery life. I'd be buying the P8400 processor, standard graphics card and the 5100AGN.

Can you all share what you are seeing in terms of battery performance, and what you are running on the computer? Thanks.

 

if you equip this laptop with the ZM-80 processor and the 3450 graphics, what kind of performance increase should i expect w/ games when i'm coming from a turion x2 1.9 ghz (TL-58) and ATI X1270 integrated graphics?

Night and day better performance? Or just marginal? Like no slowdown on Gametap games? fairly recent games?

 

You should buy the 12-cell battery when it comes out. It sticks out, but you get a lot more battery life.

slayerfaith1982, you can only get an Intel processor, I think you posted in the wrong thread.

 

With the specs you have mentioned, you would get easily 3.5+ hours with the High Capacity 6 Cell Battery.