*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

I'm on kind of a tight budget ($1100), and I don't know whether I should go for the an upgraded Processor (P8400) or 3 GB of RAM.

 

I'd go with the processor. You can always upgrade the ram at a later date. Upgrading the ram is usually cheaper if you do it yourself as well.

 

Considering ordering a dv5t, but it seems there are a lot of problems. Feedback? Are the problems just speaking louder than the people who love them? Would an XPS M1530 be a better choice?

 

But how does a 0.26 GHz difference compare to an extra GB of RAM?

 

I went with the P8400 and 2GB RAM and integrated graphics. I wanted
a PC that would run cool and have extended battery life. I also got
free upgrades for the 250GB HDD and 5100AGN Wifi card. Total cost
with all discounts was only $835, which is a screaming deal(free shipping,
too). You can still get onboard for all the upgrades, etc. Now is the time
to spec out the dv5t.

Rob

 

I played COD4 for two hours straight. I had my HWmonitor on the whole time to record and I hit a peak of 89 degrees celcius and a average of 83 degrees celsius. BUT THAT IS WHEN I LIFT THE BACK OF MY LAPTOP HALF AN INCH, IF I DONT I HIT 93 AND AVERAGE 89

 

It's a tough choice. I suggest the processor, since that is difficult and expensive to upgrade later on (not worth it). 4GB of RAM can be had from Newegg for a little over $55 after rebates, and that price will only come down over time. I am using 2GB of RAM with Vista on my dv5t and it is running extremely smooth. I used the tune-up Vista guide here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532

You can wait for my review, which will be up in less than two weeks. My initial impressions are very positive. I like this machine a lot.

Those mirror my results then. I got confused with your earlier post and thought you were talking about the CPU:

Definitely try the clean install. My machine is running with a lot less issues.

 

Ill definately be waiting for your review Chaz.

Temperatures, battery life and gaming performance is what im looking forward too.

 

chaz idk if your laptop specs are similar to mine but how does crysis run on your laptop? What setting and how much fps are you getting? (DX9 or DX10?)
I should prob have similar results to what you are getting. I think the differences between ours is the ram proc and resoulution. You play crysis at 1280x800 though right?

BTW my laptop just got shipped today it's in China.

 

The laptop that I returned(DV9700t) had volume issues, as when I changed the volume the volume screen would pop up (showed volume level) and freeze up the laptop for like5-20 seconds. I had to uninstall the quicktouch buttons to resolve that problem. For the people that have the dv5t are there any volume issues?

 

None here, i only wish that the touch sensitive controls were a bit more "sensitive" i must swipe multiple times to lower the volume completely, otherwise you can just keep your finger on the negative icon and it goes down relatively quickly and unlike the older models the volume bars dont change color when lowering or increasing the volume they just remain white.

 

MUCH better, thanks man =)

 

I haven't installed Crysis yet, though I will be for the review. I expect it to run 1280x800 medium-high, at least. The 8600M-GT can do that.

The volume slider works fine on my machine, it is quite responsive. Note that its responsiveness varies on how dry your finger is.

 

Ok, quick update. My dv5t with nvidia 9600gt and t9600 cpu just clocked a 4077 with 3dmark06. Heat under cpu stress test with Everest is 91 C. Dont have a program to measure GPU temp, so if someone can recommend any other tools to check, let me know. Only heat issue I find slightly bothersome is the warm left wrist area. Otherwise everything looks good

 

Considering that 91 C is the maximum temperature that the T9600 has reached, I think T9600 is pretty good... But, I hope to know the performance and comparisions with other CPUs like T9300 or T9500.

Hmm... Does anybody know what program nwperformance should use in order to check the performance of T9600 and to compare it with other CPUs?

 

Hi all.... my word... 37pages of posts in only 2 weeks?! nice!

I've been looking for an upgrade to my Acer 5920G, and have stumbled on the following:
* DV5-1050tx (2Ghz, 2GbRAM 9600GT @ $1599AUD)
* DV5-1007tx (2.5Ghz, 4GbRAM 9600GT @ $1999AUD)
* DV5-1009tx (Same as 1007tx but includes BluRay combo @ $2299AUD)

Today... I managed to convince them to let me 3dMark06 these puppies for sh!ts'n'giggles.

And in comparison to all the 3dMarks posted so far I thought I'd post my findings.

* DV5- 1050tx (2Ghz, 2GbRAM 9600GT @ $1599AUD) = 4397
* DV5- 1007tx (2.5Ghz, 4GbRAM 9600GT @ $1999AUD) = 4569
* DV5- 1009tx (Same as 1007tx but includes BluRay combo @ $2299AUD) = 4578

These are stock standard in-store display models in Australia. No matter how you look at it... 4500 3dMarks stock is brilliant!

This almost doubles my Acer 5920G score of 2390

I can't quote temperatures since I was just happy to 3dMark them.... I was also fortunate to make the comparison to the Acer 6920 which was there also. The Acer has a 9500m GS and a 2.1Ghz processor. It sadly dissapointed with a 3dMark06 score of only 3102.

My only problem I have with the dv5 to be the perfect laptop for me is the distinct lack of optical spdif digital audio. I'm reading that the only way to get digital audio is via the docking station. Since my Amplifier only HDMI switches and won't extract the digital audio. Hmmmmm I'm sure I'd figure something out with that.

Ramjet

 

I'm sorry for asking again, but can someone please post screenshots of CPU-Z with this model?

 

very nice benchmark scores =). I realize that some people were expecting 5000+ but this isn't bad at all.

 

So my question to all you far more knowledgeable people is, why are ramjetr's 3dMarks higher on slower processor machines. I only achieve 4077 on a T9600 2.8Ghz machine with 4Gb Ram and the Nvidia 9600M GT video. Oh and what does screen shots of CPU-Z stand for or refer to?

 

There's a free software program called CPU-Z. It shows the detailed specifications of the CPU, memory, and so on. However, it does not run any bencharmks. I think agentphish wants to see the specifications of a CPU and other things on a dv5t.

 

Here is your CPU-Z screenshot.

CPU-Z is a program that gives info about your CPU:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

I have been stress testing my CPU . . . even in an 80*F room and sitting on a not-so-great surface, the temps are not going above 64*C on either core. Its cooling system is working fine.

 

EDIT: moved to new thread...

 

What would be the performance difference between a system with a P8600 compared to one with the t9600?

 

Another update. I just ran 3dMark06 again with CPUID Hardware monitor running in the background. Core 0 hit 102 Celsius (215F)....wow. Oddly the second core only hit 90 C. Anyone else have experience with two cores running at different temps? The ACPI system temp hit 95C and the GPU 87C. Hard drive maintained a cool 55C. Score was lower than last time at 4044. So the T9600 CPU gets pretty hot. It will be interesting to test it with the P8600 I have shipping in a week or so. Thats all for now

 

nwperformance, is that with the back lifted up an inch or whatever? If yes, then im concerned

 

UFC_w00t - could you repost your motherboard shot? The HTML code you pasted in messed up the code on this page, I had to delete it.

That is very, very hot. Your CPU will not last long as those temperatures. As I noted, my P8400 is not going above 64*C at full wPrime load (both cores @ 100%); right now at idle, my P8400 is only 36*C in an 83*F room with the back raised up a half-inch; it is 43 - 45*C if the laptop sits on the surface.

Try CoreTemp, maybe it is the program that is reading the temperatures wrong:
http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

 

Chaz did u undervolt ur notebook or left it as it came?
is undervolting a good option?

 

Hi Chaz, what program are you using to load the CPU's? I want to duplicate your methods exactly. SWIP, my laptop is sitting flat, not raised yet. More soon

 

hi people, what is the webcam on dv5t, is it 2M or just 1.3?

 

Alright cool, and thanks for the reply.

 

it is 1.3 ,megs

 

where are the intake vent of this notebook?
link to the back picture
im assuming its the one on the right or maybe the one above this one... (neither of them are directly in the bottom, so... wich notebook cooler will work here?)

 

Well thats why I had to register last night and reply to the 3dMarks postings I'd been reading over 37 pages.

I benchmarked 2 DV5-1007tx's in different stores. Harvey Norman in the Valley (brisbane) and The Goodguys (Loganholme). Both laptops posted scored over 4500. I did save a couple of the 3dr marks scores to upload. I tell ya what. I'll upload the scores now if I can attach them... it seemed to work... I ran multiple marks and these are the ones I managed to save to usb stick I had with me at the time.

I can't offer you a reason why yours is lower than these.... perhaps you can find the answer in these marks?

Right click on the 3Dmarks06 logo from within 3dMarks06 and select upload from file.

Ramjet

Oh these were Windows Vista 32bit machines too... there is a 64bit option with them, I don't know if the drivers for 64bit are less refined. Oh and try disabling the Nortons antivirus which comes with it whilst you run a 3dMark.... these machines on the show room floor had not yet setup the Nortons viralware. May make a difference?

 

Hi Ramjetr, interesting info. Mine is a 64bit version of Vista, I wonder if the drivers arent as refined. I uninstalled norton before I ran latest benchmark and it actually dropped to 4045. Go figure.

 

hmmmm perhaps? 64bit OS's are sadly known for poor driver support. Good to know Nortons doesn't adversely effect 3D Apps.

You could try making an Acronis TrueImage of your HDD for backup, throw on an 32bit OS and try it. But thats a full day of work But I'm guessing the 64bit driver is responsible for the 500marks.

We need more 32 and 64bit 3dMark06 scores to confirm that theory.

Ramjet

 

Thats weird I would thing the 64 bit would get a higher score. Thats not good for me b\c I am getting vista 64-bit. Try leeting your laptop cool down then run the test again.

 

I haven't experimented with undervolting yet. It can help you save battery life though . . . if you try it, let us know how low you can go. Use Notebook Hardware Control.

I am using wPrime, which is very stressful. See the NBR thread here on it:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=123570&page=1

The bottom of the dv5t is perforated all over to let air in/out. There is one fan at the back left corner of the notebook, drawing air from the bottom. The air is let out in the same corner, out the back and to the left as well.

Hmph . . . yeah I can't think why they would get higher scores. If you get a chance to see those machines again, could you run GPU-Z on them and take a screenshot?
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1132/mirrors.php
4500 marks is 12.5% higher than 4000 marks . . . so it is a significant difference. I am thinking the clocks are higher.

Also, if you could find out what kind of drivers those notebooks are running, that will help as well.

You are running the latest version of 3DMark06 on those machines, correct?

 

Thanks for running CPU benchmarks!
However, that's somewhat strange. Most computers are programed to shut down when the temperatures of their CPUs reach 100 C or a little bit above that. Hmm...

 

Well the temp monitor program says 105 C is the threshold temperature, assuming I am reading it correctly. I only hit the low hundreds on the one core, the other stayed in the 90's. I don't know if Intel dual cores average the two when deciding shutdown temps. Regardless, it definitely got hot on that benchmark. I am rerunning benchmark again after turning it off for an hour. Will update when finished. Will also try Chaz's wPrime when i get a chance. It bothers me that the top processor model is scoring lower than the Australian units with slower CPU's. Again my particular laptop has the defective lid switch, so maybe the heat sink isn't mounted properly either. Nothing like sloppy first run on production. Sadly HP has already sent Fedex to my house to pick up the laptop. I stalled my driver until Monday, so I have a few more days to play around with the T9600. So far I am leaning towards the P series processors due to the heat and lack of improved performance. Ok back to testing. So much for getting any work done today Take care all

 

3DMark06 latest results:

score: 4068

sm2 1635
sm3 1427
cpu 2521

 

Just a quick thing re temps... a trick we did on the Acer 5920G's is that inside the case, there is a fine gaus metal filter over the air intakes to reduce fluff and dust being sucked in. On the acer they were just stuck on with double sided tape and were easily peel'ed off to open up the airflow dramatically.

I did some temp tests on the mod and more significantly on load, reduced on average about 8degreesC.

There is also a dramatic difference in the software people are using to monitor temperatures. CoreTemp, Everest etc... Depending on which sensor they monitor, it could be the Thermal diode or the on-die junction temperature sensor. Each CPU and heatsink have a TJC efficiency value giving a Watt/Degree dissipation rate at room temperature. The difference between surface temp and on-die temp are wildely different and care should be taken to make sure your referencing the right temp. 80degreesC on the surface temp may make 125degreeC on-die..... that said... 102degreesC on-die may only be 60degrees surface temp.

All your worries in temperatures could be for nothing as the values are being miss-compared. People need to cross reference what software and which sensor they're monitoring in order for alot of these reports to line up with each other.

I'm hoping to pickup a DV5 tomorrow, and will try to gather as much information as I can for ya all. We are in winter here in Brisbane at the moment and early morning temps indoors are as low as 5degrees room temp... (our houses are built for 40C summer heat )

nwperformance.... if they're taking it back now... try your hardest to have them send you a 32bit OS next time... you'll experience no end of trouble locating drivers or even just basic software to support 64bit. Save yourself a whole heap of headaches

Ramjet

 

im going to be getting the t9400 do you guys think it gonna be bad or run reallllly hot?

 

Ok in comparing my scores to the Australian scores, I do have a higher CPU score which makes sense. However, the sm scores are lower across the board. What exactly are "sm" scores and would this be due to 64 bit over 32 bit versions of Vista? Alas ramjetr, the new laptop is coming with 64bit as well due to 4gb of ram. I can always reload 32 bit version. I thought 64 bit vista was supposed to perform better than 32bit. Thoughts? Take care

 

Sad... I hope my T9600 is fine and cool... I wished that I could get my dv4t this week, but it seems like HP can't ship mine earlier than the estimated shipping date, which is still fine with me.

Maybe, the benchmark program used in the Australian store was different from the ones you used... Did you clean-install?

Anyway, I'll find out how good my T9600 is next week.. (hopefully)

Thank you, nwperformance!

 

Isnt 64 bit vista supposed to be better than 32 bit??? Im reading on these forums that Everything that I am going to be getting in my laptop is gonna be bad or is gonna suck. Im hearing 64 bit is bad, my t9400 is gonna get really hot. Idk if I should be regretting this order. I wanna read some postive posts.

 

Ramjetr, you sound like an engineer. Are we in the presence of great knowledge and understanding from an electronic master?

 

Would someone be so kind as to share the easiest way to take screenshots of all these programs I keep running. Thanks and sorry for all the posts.

 

Is it possible to change for 64 bit to 32 bit with having to buy vista all over again?

 

Just press the Print Screen Key, which is usually located on the upper right corner of the keyboard.
Then, open Paint and press CTRL+V to paste. You can cut or edit the screen shot if you want or need and save it in the JPG or GIF format