*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

1. I believe by definition all HDMI transmits audio.

2. Well, I am trying to find a proper temperature monitor for Windows. But I do have iStatPro for my MacBook Pro and it looks like this after it being on for 8 hours, no gaming, just normal email and internet:

CPU: 56 degrees
GPU diode: 61 degrees
GPU Heatsink: 56 degrees

(in Celsius)

And, my dv5t doesn't feel much hotter than that.

3. Mine hasn't failed yet.

 

Grabbing various wifi signals, i.e. at Starbuck's or anywhere else: how good/effective is the dv5t's Intel 5100?

Hi All: I'm sort of a newbie to laptops but always envy people who are so mobile. my previous laptop is a 4-yr old IBM T40p and the wifi on it is sort of "clunky acting", i.e. not swift. It does work but you sort of have to wait a bit, click this and that, and hope for the best and hope that it works well.

Part of the reason of getting the dv5t/new laptop is to be able to enjoy various cafes and other venues around the city with wifi access, either genuinely free (offered by the cafe) or just unsecured and available wifi signals.

May I ask if the folks here have experiments at various places and can give their findings as to how good/not good the Intel 5100 B/G/N is? It is working fine here at home with the G for a few days, and just today, it was reconfigured for N and it is working happily, so far at least, with my "draft N" router from a year ago. It's not the extreme N that they are selling now but it really makes no difference for the vast majority of the people - even N is an overkill unless you're transferring big files, for internet access, G is more than sufficient.

So, I'm hoping to hear what your experience has been when you take your dv5t out to various cafes and other venues and try to connect to an available wifi signal: is it really spiffy and quick and snappy? Or, is it a bit sluggish to find the new signal and try to connect?

thx in advance!

 

you should take a look at this post http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=290457 about the 5100 card. many are saying that it is a good card

 

Well, my son and I went to Panera today.. and mine worked great!

On kind of the same topic.. does anyone else notice that when you log into your user, aim etc. comes up super duper fast.. but the red x (ex) on the little network connection icon in the tray stays for a long time and then it takes a while to get a "wlan on" pop up? If I try opening windows mail after I log on..it shows the blue title square, but then it takes a long (and i mean long) time.. it opens up only after the red x (ex) goes away and wlan says on.. which takes a long time....

I have been comparing the 6700t with 32-bit 2gb RAM to this dv5t .. the 6700t is six seconds faster getting to the user screen..but after you fingerprint each and log in.. the dv5t is lightning fast compared to the 6700 (besides the red x thing hanging on the dv5t) .. the 6700t is about 12 seconds faster shutting down.. my son and i tried it many times...ahhh the next generation of computer geeks..

 

Ok so it looks like folks have been avoiding this question, (even though it's only come up like 2 times maybe.)

I was wondering if anyone has successfully installed XP on this machine and if you could provide the links to the drivers? I really don't like vista and I know that XP would fly on my machine.

Please I know you XP lovers are out there! Help me out!!!

Thanks,

 

Do you have specific software you need to run? This machine handles Vista Home Premium with ease. It is very responsive. Unless you have a specific incompatibility, there is really no reason to install XP.

On the wireless network issue (sorry, didn't grab the post to quote), I have found the 5100 to be above average. Signal strength in the same location as my previous laptop is higher. I also have not experienced any dropped connections.

Overall, I am fond of this machine. I also went to office depot, to check the demo units for keyboard flex. They had it to some extent, although in a different place than mine. I would have never noticed I had it, had a previous poster not mentioned it. It is not noticeable when typing on it, so I guess that is all that matters. It is definitely a little hotter than my old laptop, but it is also about 5x as powerful. I actually use it on my lap with little discomfort and I have the 512MB Nvidia card in it. I would imaging the Intel integrated graphics model would be quite cool.

 

Does anyone know on average how long it usually takes for an order to go from in production to shipped?

 

Mine was orderd on 8/12 and i recieved it on 8/20. Its really not long at all.

 

^^

It takes approximately 8 days.

 

Wow, that's quite a story! I hope that the dv5t is the last notebook you have to use for a while . . .

I've never tried ATI Tool with Intel integrated cards . . . though it can't hurt to try. The program does not modify any settings on its own.

As noted, there's an option in the BIOS to tell it to turn off. I don't have that option enabled, and mine runs all the time. It's so quiet that I don't care though.

NOD32 isn't making your system hot. It is not resource-intensive . . . not even Norton would cause that.

This is normal - I don't know why, but all of the laptops I have owned/used have lost charge if left unplugged for periods of time. It's something to do with the Lithium Ion batteries.

If you hold the Ctrl key while looking at the Desktop, then move the scroll wheel on your mouse, you can resize the icons on your desktop.

I completely agree about the vertical resolution being more important than horizontal. Scrolling almost always vertical, not horizontal.

Thermal paste is already applied - probably some generic stuff, but it works well enough. An aftermarket compound like Arctic Silver 5 will reduce temperature by only ~5*C max, and that kind of temperature decrease would only be important/noticeable on a system that seriously needs the extra cooling (for example, an overclocked desktop). The Core 2 Duo CPUs in the dv5t are rated for 105*C max. My dv5t's P8400 CPU only gets to 64*C under 100% load, so reducing that by 5*C would make zero difference.

Another poster already replied to your questions, but I'll chime in as well:
1. Yes, it transmits audio & video
2. It depends on how you define 'problem'. Yes the laptop gets hot, but it isn't overheating. For best results, use a notebook cooler like the Zalman NC1000.
3. Hard to tell - all the conspiracy theories coming from the Inquirer fog up the scene. I suggest not worrying about it; if it does fail, that's what you have the warranty for.

 

thx all for telling me that for most everyone, the wifi Intel 5100 performance is above average.

i've been so busy for the past 5 days trying to do a proper clean install of Vista, installing the 4gb OCZ ram, and doing the memtest that it occupied all my time!!

i still have some other things to test: eSATA, some of those media control buttons, and other misc things.

i really should take the dv5t out to some coffee bars and see how it works "in the wild"! the past 6 days since it arrived, it has been on only ONE wireless router - mine! though it was on G for 5 days and only today, i reconfigured the router to N.

may i ask if anyone has a great site for wallpaper? i need 2 sizes: 2560x1600 (for my desktop) and 1680x1050 for my dv5t. So far, i've been using the InterfaceLIFT site and it's been nice. I typically like extremely sharply focused images rather than fuzzy/misty images. Peaceful, restful images are preferred for me, rather than tough, urban-esque images.

thx so much in advance!

 

Not really. I'll agree with you, Vista has been improved and I know I have to take the plunge sooner or later. I just want to know if it can be done so that I can dual boot XP and Vista, (Actually would love to Tri-boot with Ubuntu) I really like this laptop and if I can get XP drivers for it, I'd be extremely happy. It seems that HP doesn't agree with me though as the only XP downloads they offer on their site are for the Quickplay software. I have to go to intel and nvidia for everything else.

 

I haven't had any issues with the standard 802.11b/g card; I've connected to 4 different secured wireless G networks in different environments.

 

I would wait until October for the Ubuntu. I had Ubuntu on my dv5t for a week, and took it off. Everything seemed to work fine, except for 2 things:

1) The 8.04 release and included kernel do not support the Intel 5100 wifi card. I found where you could roll your own kernel and it worked, but I just didn't have the time nor the patience.

2) Every time I booted into Vista, windows wanted to run the checkdisk utility. I always skipped it. I don't know where it came from, but it disappeared when I let Ubuntu go.

I did upgrade to the Intrepid Ibex Alpha 4 release, but that didn't help with the wifi card. I know the Alpha 5 is out now as well. I'm still quite a novice at Linux (I'm actually starting my Linux class tomorrow night at community college). Depending on your level, Intrepid Ibex will be out in October.

 

Haha...sorry, its the anticipation that is eating away at me (posting relieves?!)

 

er..."relieves"? er...you're on the wrong site! i think you're lost! ha ha ha!!!

all kidding aside, i completely understand your anticipation. when i was waiting for mine, it seemed like forever. mine arrived the day before the originally indicated "finish build/ship date" on the website when i ordered it.

i am certain that hp.com does that to give themselves a huge cushion, as well as "manage their customers' expectations". that said, they are not nearly as clear as, for example, dell.com is. i really enjoy dell.com's graphically indicated "time line" showing you the selection of the parts, the assembly, the testing phase, the boxing, and the shipping. so clearly laid out, so transparent! au contraire, the hp.com "system" is opaque.

 

I just ran 3D mark. My score was 4020. Is that good? I don't know much about gaming, wish I had more time to do so. Didn't get too hot either.

 

After running ATITools and checking for artifacts for 10 minutes, I'm pretty happy that my GPU ran about 81 C and with he 3D View, about 84 C. The left side of the laptop is pretty hot but burning hot.

 

That sure did read wrong - hehehe...

Has anyone considered a screen protector - I've got 2 kids who like to press their fingers on the screen...

I guess - it may diminish or accentuate the glare problem?

 

ok so live in the middle east and there are pre-configured hp dv5ts around... the option which i can afford is configured as:

-2.26 Ghz
-Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8400
-Level 2 cache 3 MB
-3072 MB RAM (1 x 1024 MB + 1 x 2048 MB)
-250 GB HDD
-Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
-Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection
-15.4” WXGA High Definition BrightView Widescreen
-NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT Up to 1791 MB total graphics memory with 512 MB dedicated

this whole thing costs around $1,252.1099... should i go for it?

im a student off to university in a few weeks so i am thinking of buying this one... my main requirement is games...
the only bad thing abt this configuration is that it comes without a finger print reader...

can anyone tell me how long does the battery last on balanced mode???

 

oh one more question... does this one have intel turbo memory 2?

 

That score is normal for a dv5t, so you are fine. For best results, raise the back up when you play games - it keeps the notebook significantly cooler.

That configuration is a good deal. The battery lasts between 2:15 and 2:30 on balanced mode, give or take 0:10.

I recommend making a thread in our What Notebook Should I Buy forum so we can help you find the right notebook.

It does not.

 

Thanks for doing that jbond... so you don't think its a 64-bit thing.. See..I have made up my mind that I'm going to exchange this dv5t for another dv5t.. I just need to figure out if I'm going to make config changes. Now..it seems silly to upgrade my graphics card only because shockwave games are screwed up..but you know how that could be a sign that something else isn't right? I mean..if I have an OLD Dell Latitude that even plays shockwave games just fine.. this much better dv5t should be able to, right?

Does anyone else have 64-bit with the x4500 card.. could you just try some shockwave games? I've tried multiple now, and they are all funky with spiked out graphics, etc. If you play Sherwood Dungeon go to /teleport6 and look at the rainbow portal.

If this were a 64-bit thing and this is just a sign of other incompatibility issues.. I was thinking I would just get 32-bit with 3mb ram.. and then get the next graphics card up from the x4500 (what..9200?) Any advice would be so appreciated.
*one more thing* everything else looks great as far as graphics.. even other rainbow portals in sherwood look perfect.. things I' ve done.. I've uninstalled shockwave, flash, everything with the adobe uninstaller program..I even took firefox off of my computer.. then reinstalled into ie 32-bit.. nothing changes

 

hey thanks for the advice Chaz... i had a stinking suspicion that since HP did not implement the PUMA platform properly it would hav had done the same for Centrino 2....

one last thing... the wireless Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN... does it support n wireless specification?? is it the same as the 5100 ppl have been talking about?

 

Does anyone know if HP plans to introduce a larger battery?

 

HP does not use Turbo memory and yes higher capacity batteries should be available soon.

 

Just received mine this morning. Fedex showed up at 7:50 AM!!

First thoughts:

1) Build quality - very solid. The hinge action however, isn't quite as smooth as my T60p, but I guess I will have to get used to it

2)Screen - although I only have WXGA, its just looks so much better than my IBM. Although, I'm having second thoughts that I should have gotten WXGA+

3)Touchpad - WOW - picks up really well, although I will miss my finger nubby

4) Heat - I haven't really stressed it, but just booting it up, the underbelly feels pretty hot (I guess that's why everyone's got a notebook cooler)

5)Blue-ray player - it kinda makes a grunting noise right before it ejects, on my Thinkpad its really quiet and smooth, is this normal?

Whats the exchange policy in terms of coupons? If I wanted to just update the display will they still honor the old coupon or is it pretty much like another purchase and I have to wait for the coupon again

 

WOOOT
just got my dv5t
came on the expected ship date

everything looks all good, i dont have that raised left grill problem that ppl have been saying...the left side speaker looks the same as the right

Also, i have to install my 4gb memory OCZ from newegg
anyone that has done this, can u give me directions as to which panel to open up and how to install the memory?

Also i should be doing a clean install first right?

 

hi uncming: i can understand your perspective.

i tortured myself as well but prior to my purchase and had to decide between the 2 resolutions.

i decided on the 1680 x 1050 because my IBM T40p that i've had for 4 yrs has 1400 x 1050, and that's a 4:3, so that's the equivalent of the 1680 x 1050.

my eyes aren't the greatest now, even though they were just fine/great previously, but i like this resolution...a lot.

the new screen is great, better than the IBM T40p's LCD.

i wrote a reply to someone else's post re: resolution a day or two ago, and it has to do with how the vertical resolution is far more important than the horizontal, simply because most webpages are much longer than they are wide, also, most documents are longer than they are wide.

as a consequence, the task bar is taking up uber valuable screen real estate. that's a no-no in my book!! poor choice to put the task bar at the bottom! so i moved both my desktop PC's and my dv5t's task bars to the left, and now, the "orb" button (aka the start button) is on the upper left corner of the LCD.

that frees up valuable vertical resolution. you know, the difference between the 1680 x 1050 and 1280 x 800 is only 250 vertically speaking, so the addition of the task bar is not a good idea in my opinion. it only took a few days for me to get used to the task bar on the left but it's the only sensible solution, in my opinion.

this might "buy" you some valuable vertical real estate without having to return your current unit.

...just a thought.

 

Hi, tht config is quite gud and is availble for SAR4590 or sumthing at Jarir Bookstore in KSA.
I am going for the dv5-1070ee which is SAR6190 at Jarir and has the T9400 processor, 4gb ram, and Blu-Ray.

Anyways for 4590 thh config is worth it and will run almost all the games with decent frame rate, so I wud say go for it, or u can wait for like a week or so whn Extra in KSA comes out and thn jarir mite knock down the price as they will have competition, tht is wat jarir normally does in case of laptops, I waited last yr a week or so and got a lappy for my sis SAR350 cheaper from Extra with a free HP bag, and 2 years ago i got my lappy SAR400 cheaper from Extra with a free HP bag aswell. So comparatively Jarir normally has a higher price thn extra for sum reason

 

Here's a nice "how to" for installing memory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yirNejnzbEM

The memory compartment for the dv5t is in the very middle of the notebook.

 

Okay.. I'm going to go ahead and do an exchange for another dv5t instead of the 6700.. I think the defect is only on some...just a matter of some poor quality control.

My issues:
Is my shockwave not working correctly because of 64-bit glitch stuff?.. Should I get 32-bit instead?
Is it my video card? Or is it maybe a bad video card? Should I get the 9200 instead.. if I did.. I would change my config to 3gb of RAM.. to bring it to same price.. is that a good tradeoff?
Or... should I stick with the x4500...
Things to note though... I like to hdmi my laptop up to my hdtv... is a better graphics card going to change anything with that? I like to watch movies through netflix watch instantly and view them on my hdtv also..
Any advice welcome..

 

Mine doesn't have the raised grill problem either...maybe just a batch of bad notebook bodys?

 

Hey does anybody know what i should say to hp to get 80$ Lol. Just tell them i want to send it back? My speaker grill isint exactly lined up so can i use that lol?

 

- FYI, there is a new coupon for 30% off $999 or more. This is actually a better deal than the $400 off coupon I used. My config with the coupon saved me 29.5%, lol.
Google HP Coupon and you will find the code.

-Mine does not have any of the raised speaker issues, they line up well and none of my keys are messed. I can see how some would have the issue though bc of the way it is designed. So far I really like the laptop and only complaints are its does get warm and it guzzles the battery unless its on power save, and even then it 2.5 hours max.

-BTW, got mine with out infinity display and like it much more than with the infinity. I saw the infinity at Best Buy and it was very reflective!

-Can someone please do a brief guide on installing ram for the DV5t or know of one? I want to do it but I have no expiereince.

Thanks!

 

just say something minor, like you want to change the configuration slightly or something. then it isnt worth their time to have you return the notebook. they might offer you a rebate for it instead. i havent tried this, but can give it a shot.

 

Here are some pictures of my speaker grill...

 

Wow, thats pretty careless on thier behalf to send it like that, although it may have been damaged during shipping. I would definitley send it back and order another.

 

Thanks.. I really wanted to make sure others' laptops weren't the same way and that it was I that was just being picky.

Flopakq.. how is your 64-bit running on 3gb of RAM.. I am thinking about getting my replacement dv5t with 3gb RAM, but with the 9200 video card.

 

yup mine definitely dont look like that
my speakers are completely in line, with a small gap between the speakers and the rest of the laptop. they are not raised like that. in fact compared to mine, the inner part of the speakers are raised up, while the outside seems dented in as well

i would definitely send it back cuz it either took some large hits during shipping, or it was very badly put together.

 

Mine is like that but on the left side.

 

hey guyz, i just ran 3dmark 06 with my dv5t,, it seems that my score is 4537.
i ran in 1280x800 resolution, with P8600 (2.4GHZ), Geforce 9600m gt, 320gb HDD, 4gb RAM, 1280x800 infinity display..
I guess it's pretty good right??
Also, i ran crysis with all medium, i get like average of 20fps.. when i put a high option except shadows and shades, i would get like 12~15fps.
i ran DMC4, COD4 (which is over 30fps), Grid, it all seems to run fluently..
i'm really happy with my dv5t now lol..

 

It runs fine, but I did notice that when using the 64bit internet explore some sites dont work, so I stopped using it. I have not done anything extreme on it, but it have done a few programs at a time and it was smooth. I did not do a full reinstall of Vista but I deleted alot of the bloatware which allows for quicker start up. I am definitly going to buy a 2gig memory chip to upgrade to 4 gig, but I probobly wont even notice a difference.

I did make one mistake when ordering, and I forgot to get bluetooth which I realized after I got it. Not a big deal but I kinda wish I had it.

Good luck with your second computer...hopefully it arrives straight!

 

So if I get 3gb of RAM.. it will be 2gb and 1gb.. so we just buy 2gb and upgrade the 1gb? Did that make sense? LOL

 

Ahh.. so I didn't make sense. If I buy a dv5t with 3gb.. to upgrade to 4gb.. would I just have to buy one 2gb stick?

 

i think it would be cheaper to get the free 2 gb from hp
then buy the 4gb upgrade from newegg. the hp 4gb upgrade costs $150
while the OCZ 4gb upgrade from newegg only costs $57 after rebates

 

ok.. duh..'cause even if I bought the dv5t with 3gb.. i'm paying fifty dollars extra for one 2gb stick.. that's almost as much as it would cost me to buy 4gb.. got it\

Then again.. if they're going to be strict about me having a total of 1299 or more... I can't find any other upgrades I want.. other than the 3gb of RAM that would get me there.. and then I'm left with the same question.. can I just buy a 2gb stick from newegg only? for the other slot?

Oh.. looking through newegg.. I can't just buy 1 2gb stick.. do they have to be matching brand?

 

just got off the phone with Extra in Saudi Arabia, they have the dv5-1070ee in stock and it is SAR100 cheaper than JArir, its SAR6090, hurray price reduction and Extra is giving away a free HP BAg as well

 

The Dv5t with t9400 and 9600m-gt I ordered on thre 15th arrived this morning before 10:00. Nice unit. Keyboard and touchpad are excellent. Volume controls are great on mine, touch sensitive and better than my dv6700t- which is also very good. Touch wi-fi control is very cool. My speaker grill is down and even on both sides, although it looks as though the speaker grill cove is ever so slightly up, but difficult to notice. Left palm / touchpad are only slightly warm, and marginally cooler than my dv6700t with the t9300 and 8400m-gs. Bottom rear left side is a bit warmer though than the dv6700t. Every laptop I have ever had was warm somewhere, even those without discreet graphics. I haven't tried gaming on the unit yet though.
I am very pleased with this unit, and really like this keyboard!

 

This is my last question for you all before I order.. If I get 3gb RAM.. and want to upgrade to 4 at some point in the future.. can I just buy one 2gb stick and put it in the other slot?