*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

I just bough my dv5t with a -$250 coupon, I know if next week they come up with a mmmm lets say -$400 coupon, I can claim lowest price policy and have those $150 back, right?

But if the base price of the laptop changed, do I get that difference back?
I explain myself:

I bought this:

$1,753.99

-$150.00 Notebook instant rebate
-$250.00 Coupon NB0032

Order subtotal $1,353.99
Shipping $39.00
IL Tax $87.06

Grand total $1,480.05

That same specs, if I built it today:

$1,733.99

-$150.00 Notebook instant rebate
-$250.00 Coupon NB0032

Order subtotal $1,333.99
Shipping $39.00
IL Tax $85.81

Grand total $1,458.80


Thing is, I applied the same coupon to show you that price on the computer itself is $20 lower before applying tax, and $21.25 after... If NOW there was a -$400 coupon, the difference that they should give me back is just the $150 for the coupons difference? or $170 counting all? (or even $171.25 including tax variation).

Bottom line being, do I have to calculate the whole difference of price? or just coupon/promotions wise?

 

The 400$ coupon doesn't stack with instant rebates.

 

Oh yeah you're right! But still, if there was a better coupon than mine?

 

Hm.. I'd say, the price protection would give you all the most current prices... so you would save 170$ theoretically.

 

Chango99 is right, doesn't stack, and if you look at it, you're getting a 400 dollar coupon. 150 + 250 = 400 oh, i know.. it's obvious.. sorry

btw.. congrats Chango on 1000 posts!!! : )

 

Still on the fence about keeping this DV5T. Anyone got any suggestions?

Here is my current predicament.

Have a DV5T but thinking of returning it. It was an amazing price but it came with a broken fan and I am concerned about HPs longevity.

This is my current system, but I am thinking of returning it , it cost 869$

- HP Pavilion dv5t Entertainment Notebook
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7350 (2.0GHz)
- 15.4" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
- Onyx
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- Webcam Only
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- Wireless-G Card
- No Modem
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

This is the system I am looking at: You list it as about 1230$ with Idaho tax for me.
Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.26GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt ~
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9600M GT DDR2 DX10
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 200GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n
- - Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

What is important to me is price, durability, the ability to play World of Warcraft , Starcraft 2 , Diablo 3 ect... I went wit HP because of the amazing price they are offering. I have since heard stories that their build quality is questionable and their customer service is terrible. What would be the advantage of the Sager? Is there any deals floating around for a graduate student to make the Sager system more affordable? And how does the durability compare between the two companies? I plan on using this system daily for internet/chat/watching streaming video ect... and ever so often for gaming. I want it to last 2-3 years, not fail in the first couple of months or a year. Waht advantages does the Sager have over the HP for such a higher price? I need reliability in my laptop. The system specs for both systems are very close, which is why I went with HP. But I am worried about the reliability of the DV5T/ Any advice you could offer would be appreciated.

 

@Xythil please go read these three webpages to be more informed.

check out the 7600T at this site, it's quite a bit for not much money.
http://www.mtechlaptops.com/


http://www.mtechlaptops.com/who makes the worlds best laptop.html

this is probably the most informative of them all.

http://www.mindconnection.com/library/computertips/whomakeslaptops.htm

happy reading.

 

Tenspeed that computer has a terrible 9300.. the Sager 2096 has a 9600 and is cheaper... why the heck would I look at that computer?

Also the ODM vs OEM thing was interesting. But that does not really answer my question about HP. Is this thing going to last? I plan to use it daily. Is it going to break down and die within a year or two? This is my real concern. Does it have reliability. Everything else about the system, especially the price, I am fine with.

 

well, from what everyONE else has been saying all along... there are 1000's of happy users who do not post that they are happy... they don't even know about this site to post anyway. Most of the time, posting is for help. People come for answers. I know I do. every type of computer out there has complaints about it, in some form or another. It's all one big crap shoot really. I've had to return my DV5 already, but i'm willing to give HP a chance to correct the problem from their end. I think Chango99 has already returned 2 of them, if I recall correctly. As far as your fan noise is concerned, I would definately call HP and discuss it with them, so at least there is a record of the problem, because I do believe you only have 21 days from Ship date to get a replacement sent out. From your video of the noise it made, I would send it back if it were mine. It's unacceptable for the amount of money spent, which would be any amount of money.

 

hello~

*i decided to post this here because i know some other dv5t owners probably have already done orev's clean install already.

i just recieved my dv5t the other day. i wanted to do a clean install using orev's guide but am worried about locating/loading the needed drivers in the swsetup folder (speakers,video,dvd player etc). also having the knowledge of whats what in that folder. i dont need all these add ons hence why i want to do a clean install. i already have the necessary tools to do the format. i believe i have enough common sense to pull it off just need reassurance.

heres my set up:

vista home prem 32
cd2 p8400
3gb ram
gfrce 9600m gt
blu ray player
infinity screen

ps: let me know what software you kept if any other than quickplay.

 

The fact you have had to send one back, Change has had to send 2 back, and mine came defective, is what makes me worried man.

 

How many times are you going to continue to ask this SAME D@MN QUESTION over & over again, even though you keep getting the same answers from everyone?? It's getting a little annoying to keep reading this crap in every thread. For the last time (hopefully), no matter what brand you buy there is always the risk of some part of it failing during the time that you own it. Plain and simple. HP is a good brand, one of the best. Sager is also a good brand. So is ASUS, so is Sony, and so are many others. Just buy the laptop that has the specs that you need within the budget that you can afford, and just hope for the best. That's about all you can do.

 

There are literally thousands of happy HP customers for every one or two who have problems, so why do you get so caught up on those few and just ignore the so many who are happy? Makes no sense. Just do yourself a favor and return it and don't even bother getting another one, because apparently all you're going to do is worry about it breaking. Just relieve yourself of the stress and save us from having to read all of your posts. Thanks!!

 

Amen to that

 

Well look at that - Xythil got banned today! I guess the mods got tired of reading his pointless posts over & over again, too!

 

^ excellent. he was annoying the bejesus out of me and several of the other active members of this forum. that's what happens when parents give their 11 year olds computers......

 

Mods are gods XD

 

thank you whomever did it!! i noticed this morning too, but didn't want to sound too excited.

 

What seems to be the general consensus among owners concerning Blu-Ray play-back? What I mean is what card would you recommend the 9200 or the 9600? I dont do any gaming really so HD viewing is my main concern. I would also use it as a stand alone sometimes but I believe it outputs sound as well as video through HDMI, correct?

I ask because I am debating the T series or the Z series with ATI

 

I ordered my dv5t yesterday over the phone.
I was informed that anyone who buys a laptop from HP between Nov 1 and Dec 24 2008 can return the laptop anytime until Jan 15 2009 at no expense. Apparently this is a *promotion*.

Anyone else have a similar conversation? I tried to read through the last few pages, but couldn't find anything.

Another funny thing..the 30% off coupon which is available at the moment was not working for the Rep, though it was working for me on the website. She used a different one, but that doesn't work on the website.
Really weird!

 

Hi,

I have a 9200 Graphics card and i never had issues with Blu ray play back. But make sure you set the laptop power mode as "High performance" as instructed. Blu play back wouldnt be smooth at other power schemes. I am not a gamer, i just chose 9200 for Blu ray and i am pretty satisfied with it.

yes it outputs both sound and video through HDMI, i did connect it to a samsung HDTV and had no issues (video or audio). One thing with Blu ray in HP dv5t is it doesnt restore from the point you stop, i mean if you close and start the program again. But dvds restart at the same point where u stopped before.

Swaroop.

 

Hope you're all having a great veterans day.

Quick question guys. Have any of you gotten trouble sleeping by pressing Fn+F5? This has happened a few times, (even now) after I updated to the newest BIOS on Hp's website.

Thanks.

Sleeping thru Start menu still works and so does closing lid. remote control's Power button does not.

 

newbie question: are the video cards intergrated into the laptops? i really want to upgrade (hp messed up on my order)

 

Sorry if I'm making a stupid question, I hope I dont get as annoying as this other wontmentionhim guy...

But, I want to know if for me, the best coupon is the 30% coupon, my total is $1,745.68, so its a $523 discount, better than the coupons for 15%, the $400, the $250, the $300, the 25%, and cant remember other good coupons... so far the best is 30% (in my case), does anybody remember a better coupon?

(I hope this question helps people who is building their laptop at this moment, going crazy on coupons an promotions like I and many more did)

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, all the graphic cards on dv5t are integrated, hope that helps!

 

No correction possible.

 

Hi everyone.

I have been using this site for a while to help me choose which computers to buy. Im really excited about my recent purchase so i thought i would actually join the forums. I just ordered a dv5t with these specs:

Core 2 2.53GHz
4GB RAM
Geforce 9600M GT
250GB HDD
1680x1050 infinity screen
Tv Tuner
Webcam and Fingerprint scanner

Can't wait to try this badboy out. I have 2 questions though: how is this computer with fingerprints, and is there anything that i can put on the palmrest? My last computer got really bad palm marks after using it a while.

 

I am configuring now with intent to buy, but I choose vista 64 ultimate but they don't offer the option for the $19 dvd OS media for that OS choice wheras they do for home premium and business - why not?

 

It's to benefit those that are buying it as a Christmas gift. Since it won't be opened/used until Dec 25, HP extended the return period so those receiving it will have the proper 21 days. There were major problems in the past where people purchased computers early in advance as presents, only to find out on Christmas day that it's defective and too late to return.

But if you're just buying it for yourself, I guess you have that added luxury of an extended return period.

 

congrats on the order. you can put something on the palmrest area but i dont think you need to. i have had my dv7t for almost 3 months now, with nothing on the palm rest, and have not noticed anything like discoloration or anything like that. it's literally like glass.

as for finger prints, it's so prone to fingerprints, hp includes a microfiber lookin' napkin/towel thing that you can use to rub the fingerprints off. this addition made many people LOL.

 

As a matter of symantecs, all graphics cards on dv5t are integrated into the motherboard, thus not user serviceable.

I think by popular terms, Integrated Graphics Cards are the ones that come part of the core chipset and usually use system memory for its video RAM, versus discrete cores, which have its own set of video memory

 

Yep, I lol'd quite a bit when I found it in the pack next to the remote control.

And yeah, it's mostly the more grainy matt-based palm rest areas that tend to wear away I reckon. My mom has a really old HP Pavillion and when we put my one next to hers for comparision, not only did we see a huge difference but we saw how the design of the dv5 is very smooth, like uncming said, almost glass-like, so I think it's more prone to scratches.

 

Well thats good to hear about the palm rest; my laptop started showing palm marks after only a couple months. And its cool that HP took it upon themselves to include a microfiber cloth with it. Saves me the trouble of having to buy one.

I really cant wait to get this computer. A new computer is like an early christmas for me, but i guess im just kinda nerdy that way.

 

Hello all, new (future) owner of a dv5t, which should arrive the week of Thanksgiving

I'll try going through the 414 pages here, but has there been any reliability issues with this laptop? I know it runs hot, but does it get so hot that it shuts down the machine?

Also, according to their page I thought they said the 9600 GT was a dedicated video card - I guess they meant it has a 512MB dedicated memory. Not too big a deal IMHO - Still a great deal at 800 bucks

How easy is it to reformat this guy clean with a Vista install disk (I have an extra copy of Vista Ultimate at home, and I want to clear out the bloatware)? Does HP have all the drivers we need online? In particular, I'm worried about what I need to use the fingerprint reader.

Finally, for cost I elected to go with the T5700 (2.0 GHZ) Core 2 Duo, rather than the higher end processors. Anyone know if this processor is poor or not?

 

reliability: not a problem. The machine may get warm, but will never shut down (or hasn't happened to me yet).

On the first page, first post, there are instructions on formatting with a clean install of the bloatware.

the processor is good. 2.0ghz is speedy. the newer P processors have 1mb more cache, and probably absorb a little less power but thats it.

Congratulations!

 

not too nerdy. my dv7t was a christmas gift for myself too. it replaced a 4 year old emachine that i had bought refurbished for like $450.... that thing is still working fine, still good enuff for internet / work stuff, etc.

i just never bought an insanely high spec'd machine before which is why i went nucking futs when i ordered this dv7t....

the main reason i got it was because the 30% coupon was out at the time. with the $700+ i saved with that coupon, i bought a logitech z5500 surround sound system, an external 750gb hard drive, some 8 gig usb drives, unreal 3, a laptop bag, a happauge tv tuner, and some other stuff. i went really eff-ing overboard!

merry christmas ^_^

 

Thank you very much - Really happy I found this forum before I bought, and I'm real happy with the laptop specs (my first personal laptop).

 

I have mine coming too!

2.53Ghz
320GB
4gb
Blu ray
9600M GT
Bluetooth

that cost me around $1.2k. I think its pretty cheap isn't it?

 

Customized dv5t's come with that cleaning cloth? and headphones? or are both of this things just for pre-built models?

 

well, my dv7t came with the cleaning cloth and since the models are made with nearly identical materials, i think the dv5t and 4t comes with it as well.

as for headphones, i have no clue but my dv7t did not come with headhones.

my dv7t was a custom build.

 

HP was offering free headphones with their DV6000 special editions....

 

You should get at minimum the P7350. It's the lowest of the newest low power processors. It DOES make a difference even though it too is 2.0Ghz.
L2 cache is larger and the front side bus speed is 1066Mhz.
That means faster performance as the "information highway" paths are larger and data can move faster. Plus, you can use faster memory using DDR2 800Mhz instead of the slower 667Mhz.
It all adds up.
I'm very impressed with my P8400 2.26Gzh processor, 9200GS card, and 4GB of memory.

As far as the vid card, I'm sure what people are talking about here, but the 9200 and the 9600 are REAL dedicated video cards that do their own on-the-card processing instead of the built in vid cards that share their processing and memory with the overall system. It is a real upgrade.
However, if you are not a big gamer, then don't spend the money on the 9600GT. Get the 9200GS and use the money to get the better processor.

Other than the poorly designed touch volume controls, the DV5T is a solid machine. The heat issue rears it's head on machines used mainly for intense gaming with the 9600GT card. However, do the "undervolt", per the instructions on these forums, and the temps drop a good deal.

 

Im so excited im practically jumping up and down in my seat. I recently received the tracking number for my computer. It says it should be here sometime on saturday. The moment i get it, i will post pics up.

 

I also got a cloth with mine but no head phones.

 

Thanks for the information! The main things I'll be doing with it are web browsing, some stuff Via Virtual PC (Visual Studio 2008 development), and EverQuest 2 when I traveling. Talking with the EQ2 folks, the game is more GPU dependent than CPU. I struggled over taking the upgrade you suggested, but ended up going with the lower processor to let me take the bigger GPU.

My assumption is I could replace the processor at a later date, correct?

 

Did you get Vista Ultimate? Apparently, virtual PC is not supported under Premium. I got it to work on my 32 bit premium machine, but not on 64 bit.

 

I ordered a dv5t 2 days ago and i saw in the invoice it said "HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope". What is that? is it a carrying case?

 

It's nothing deltachaosx.

 

No, but I have an extra copy sitting here at home I plan to use on the laptop.

 

Wrong assumption.

JohnG