*HP dv5t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Just received my dv5t a few days ago and it performs very well even without a clean install of vista. I did clear a lot of bloatware manually though.
I have some questions about the dv5t drivers and DirectX.
1. Since it was shipped to me very recently, does that mean all the recent drivers are already installed? Do I update all the drivers anyway?
2. Should I download the new NVIDIA notebook GPU driver?
3. Also do I need to install DirectX? If so, which version of DX do I need?

I haven't fully tested the GPU's capability but i've thrown Left4Dead at it and it runs it with no problems at all in 1680X1050 and max settings without DX. Im just wondering if I should update the drivers and install DirectX to improve performance even if the computer runs fine.

Any help would be appreciated.
First post. =]

 

One thing I forgot to ask but someone's post made me think about:

I ordered mine with the 12 cell battery because I enjoy the typing angle and it naturally raises the laptop to allow for better cooling no matter what I'm doing or where I'm at (I don't really want to set up a cooling pat at starbucks )

That said, if I'm gaming (I'll have 1680x1050 and 9600M), will I still need a cooling pad if I have the 12 cell battery already raising it up?

Thanks

P.S. I know the Zalman NC2000 Cooler is the popular choice here but with the 12 cell battery, I don't even think that will work so I'm assuming the 12 cell allows natural cooling enough to not need a cooler?

 

One other question - when people talk about CPU temps and Video card temps, I assume they measure them by using:

CPU: RealTemp 2.70 or Core Temp 0.99.3?
Video: RivaTuner 2.22?

Thanks

 

HWMonitor. Shows ACPI temp, CPU (both cores), GPU and HDD (if it has a thermal sensor that is )

JPark, What exactly did you get rid of from your vista install? Norton i would assume for one...
As for DirectX, when I got mine, i just downloaded the latest from the MS website and installed. Id give it ago too. Would also recomend gettin the latest driver from Nvidia as they now offer Notebook GPU drivers directly.

 

Thanks. Just ran it for my desktop. My room temp is about 77F (I like it WARM) and I get:

E8500: core #0: 45C, core #1: 44C (not sure if ok, built it myself)
9800 GTX: 60C
Velociraptor: 31C
WD6400 AAKS: 33C

Wierd that the faster drive is cooler, and it's my primary.

Will be interesting to see how the laptop compares.

BTW, any advice on if I need a cooler still with a 12-cell since it seems I can't really use one anyway with that thing.

 

i just opened my laptop and i am talking to you from it right now

the first thing i want to know that i am connected to a network wireless and i am sharing some files on the other computer but it didn't appear here in Network
so how could i find the shared files and printer?
the other computer is running Xp sp2 and connect to workgroup named(workgroup)

 

Well..... I think you should be alright. The 12 cell should raise the back up enough for the fan in ur DV5 to work better alone.

It is all abit hit and miss thou. each DV5 is unique as I found out with one that im sure was just trying to set itself on fire (GPU hit 106 Deg C). My new one maxes at 85 degC. So, so long as you get an alright one, the 12 cell should be good enough

Obviously, if you still get high temps gaming then maybe get a cooler. if temps are too high, like mine was, just send it back as I dont expect my laptop to run at that sort of temp out of the box!

 

i am very concerned about the battery life here

i have my first charging cycle to about 90%

and then i disconnected the charger

the battery lasts for about 1.5 hours!! on balanced mode

just listening to music and surfing (i turned off the wireless sometimes during the interval)

is that normal???

 

After some more searching, I found the "Active@ Hard Disk Monitor", which reports on a whole bunch of SMART attributes.

Correct, the Fujitsu MHZ2250BH does not have attribute 194 (temperature) , but does report attribute 190 (temperature difference from 100; e.g. temperature=100-value). This value changes, so I know it's connected to something

Readings I got were current values range from 62 to 52 (meaning actual temperature would have been 38 to 48) (idle at 62, warming to 52 while doing backups).

You can get the Active@ Hard Disk Monitor (free or pro versions) from www.disk-monitor.com

 

Can you explain this for me more simply? I want to be able to check temps, but I really am pretty ignorant when it comes to this type of stuff. My dv5t is on its way, and I think its a pretty similar config. as yours. BTW, how do you like it so far?

 

On the first cycle, charge your battery completely.

If you have the 12-cell, and it lasts 1.5 hrs while listening to music and surfing (1.5 hrs until automatic shutdown), I'd say that something was wrong. But you do need to fully charge the battery before running a full discharge test. (You did not damage your battery by only charging to 90%, but your 1.5 hr data is not reliable).

Hope that helps!

 

Go to www.cpuid.com, and download the free version of HWMonitor. Unzip it, and run the program (no installation needed). You should be in the administrative account when you run it, & give it permission to run. It will report your CPU's temperatures (both cores). It will also report the GPU (graphics) chip temperature. Interestingly, my GPU runs cooler than my CPU...

For the hard disk drive, the Fujitsu 250 GB disk that shipped in my dv5t does not report temperature in the conventional way. But if you download the "Active@" disk monitor program and run it, it will give you (in a backwards fashion) your hard disk temperature.

I want to run a stressful benchmark while monitoring temperatures, then, I'll stop monitoring temperatures for now.

I really like how the 12-cell battery raises up the back. On the basis of two day's setting up (evenings, really), I'm satisified. I called up the HP store, and they gave me $133.40 back (price drop after I'd purchased )

I really like the fingerprint reader. I've set up two accounts on Vista; the administrative account, and a non-admin account (for the rest of the family).

Minor dislikes: The white status LED's are quite bright for where I've got the laptop (bedroom).

Things that I've removed: (a) AIM-6 instant messenger, (b) Norton & Yahoo toolbars, (c) slingbox, (d) various desktop icons/offers. I am keeping the 60 day Norton trial, but I'll get rid of it & replace with either Avast or AVG free editions when Norton expires.

Things that I've added: (a) an external mouse (b) Open Office (c) just about all the updates that install themselves automatically (d) the updated video drivers from the HP site (system shipped with v169 or so drivers from June 08; HP support has drivers v179 dated November 08).

Things that I want to add: A "lap desk" so I can sit on the couch, watch TV, and do my taxes at the same time (well, claim to do my taxes while I'm actually playing something ); a can of canned air & a calendar program (to remind me to blow out dustbunnies from the vents once a month).

Let us know when you get yours & what you think of it.

 

I'm sorry but is there anyway for me to buy a HP DV5T in Canada ? Cuz I read at hp.com and it looks like they won't ship it to Canada. So I wonder if someone can help. Thanks in advance, bros!

 

How to keep this laptop free from getting soiled!?

 

http://h20386.www2.hp.com/canadastore/SubCategories.aspx?pid=C31992

That's the HP Canada online store. Not configure-to-order, but if it fits your needs...

Otherwise, try www.costco.com (if you're a member; I know Costco has some stores in Canada; Costco will sell configure-to-order HP computers). Also try J&R & newegg. (I don't know that they will ship to Canada, but I don't know that they won't).

Good luck!

 

Thx for the reply ill install DX and the drivers anyway. As for your question, I used PC Decrapifier and CCleaner to manually clear the bloatware (Some people use RevoUninstaller). I used Cable.tac's keep list for the dv5t that is on page 249 of this thread. I manually cleaned up because I don't have a Vista CD on me right now but I will soon. A clean install of windows is still the BEST way to get rid of all unneccesary software from your computer so if you can get your hands on any vista disc go with that. Good Luck.

 

Hey Folks,

Having followed this thread for a few months now, I finally got myself a Dv5 1199EZ a couple of weeks ago. My specs are as below

Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit)
Intel Core2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
15.4" WXGA+ (1280 x 800) with Infinity Bright View
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Blue-ray Drive

Last evening, I bought the Blue-Ray edition of Dark Knight and tried playing it on my lappie but, I have been having problems with it. While playing the movie, every now and then, the video freezes (seems to be playing with a very slow frame rate). I've not been able to sort this issue out even after installing the latest drivers from dannyres's thread and the hp support site. I thought I'd check with you folks for pointers before I get in touch with HP support. Any pointers on this would be of great help to me

The other problem I'm facing is with the touch pad. I'm not able to scroll horizontally using my touch pad. Some help on how to enable this would be great-

Many Thanks

 

I am getting so impatient. I ordered January 9th, and it says it will ship out the 19th. I was hoping it would have shipped by now (I know, wishful thinking) and I would have it by Monday or Tuesday. I must check the order status about 25 times a day.

 

Congratulations!

Couple of observations: (1) HP has, in general, tried to be conservative on their shipping estimates (mine was supposed to ship 1/12; it actually shipped 1/9 and arrived 1/12. So, we'll cross our fingers & wish you a speedy delivery!!) (2) You won't find Fedex tracking information for several hours after you've received an e-mail from HP that your unit has shipped. Once Fedex does have tracking information, note the signature requirements. If it says "Indirect signature" (and I'm assuming you're having the unit shipped to a residence), leave a note on your door (assuming you're willing to do that) allowing Fedex to leave your package. Otherwise, the driver is likely not to leave your package!

Again, congratulations, & hope that you enjoy your new computer!

 

I wish I could trust them to leave it, but I live in a townhouse neighborhood, and it's not that I think anyone would steal it off my doorstep, but I have found both FedEx and UPS drivers to be incredibly dumb in their placement of a package. We live on an end unit of a townhouse row, and our front door is on the side, and the garage door is in front. Right next to our garage door is the neighbors front door. In the past we have had packages delivered to the neighbors door because the driver thought it was ours. And once before, we had a rather large box delivered (it was a replacement ceramic stovetop glass) and they left it right in front of the garage on the driveway in plain view.

I usually see the FedEx guy around 9am-10am in the morning making the rounds and although someone is home, they usually drive off before someone can answer the door. If it is missed, I can always drive to the distribution center. It is only about 10-15 minutes away on the highway.

 

Goto Control Panel - Mouse - Device Settings - Settings - Virtual Scrolling - Enable horizontal scrolling.

 

Thank you anyway, but I'm looking for the one that can be built on hp.com (with P8600 + GeForce 9600M GT ...) I also visited hpshopping.ca and they do have dv5 but that's not the one
Thank you again!
Is there anyway else, pp ? +_+

 

I ordered mine on the 9th too, and it also said ship by the 19th. I got an email yesterday (15th) saying it was on its way. The tracking page said it missed some cutoff, so it sat in Shanghai till today. It estimates delivery by Friday, Jan 23! That is a long time, a whole week from today.

Maybe as HDT says, it is conservative and will be here sooner. Thanks for the heads up, I do see indirect signature on my page, and did not even think to worry about that. I'm lucky in that I'm in an isolated area (reason why there is no broadband ) but I guess for this situation it will work in my favor. I have no problem letting them leave the package. I'll leave the note on the door starting Monday and keep my fingers crossed.

 

caithiw, same thing for me. At least they shipped it before the estimated ship date. It would have been nice if it was faster seeing as how school started already.

 

Mine said it shipped out but missed the cutoff. From what I have read even when you select the 5-7 day delivery, they still get it to you in about 2-3 days.

So I guess mine will be here on Monday or Tuesday.

 

Also, I noticed on HP.com, the DV5t went up to $599 from $579, and the bronze option is free now, and the only video card available is the 9200M.

 

Great.....so now not only one of HP's more popular models loose a powerful graphics option (9200M is now the top choice on everything below the dv7), but the price is jacked up as well. Brilliant move (unless of course things will change again soon)

 

I saw that too. Hopefully it's a minor error and gets fixed soon. After waiting this week for a coupon that could be used on it, I don't want to wait another week for them to get their specs back in line.

 

Just saw the same thing. 9600 GPU is gone and the base price is now $20 more than yesterday. These companies change prices like the wind. Would there be negotiating room if I got on the phone with a rep to get the $20 removed?

 

I don't see it hurting anything. $20 should be easy for them to remove. Whether you can get them to put the 9600 in it though is another story.

 

I noticed the same thing... is it just an error on their site?
it says on their site:
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS
Includes 1394 firewire and 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports

do graphic cards include ethernet ports?
it doesn't make sense..

 

So, RoGuE1230, cathiw, Amerika et al.:

The factory in China sends a note to Fedex (China) that the package is ready to pickup. This always misses the cutoff, so Fedex actually picks up the package after the airplane has left. The package makes it on the next airplane for Fedex International Priority (IP) delivery. For "routine" shipments to the US, the Fedex airplane lands somewhere in Alaska. All the packages need to clear customs in Alaska. If your packages all indicate "shipped" yesterday (Thursday), and missed the cutoff, that means that they get on Friday's airplane to Alaska. They arrive in Alaska and clear customs generally Friday. They fly to Memphis Tennessee (Fedex hub) on Saturday, and from Memphis to your city Sunday (except for those in very rural areas or Hawaii). If it arrives early enough on Sunday, Fedex will put the package on a delivery truck Monday. It has been my experience that HP ships computers (but not accessories) by 2nd day air or better, regardless of the option you choose.

Re: 9200 vs 9600 graphics. My guess is that the factory is out of the 9600 chips at the moment, so you're stuck with having only the 9200 on the configure-to-order, until they get more chips in. So, if you want the 9600 graphics, just wait a bit, and I'm sure it will come back. I have a very cynical guess about the "free bronze upgrade." They probably have too many bronze cases, and so they're just giving them away until the supply gets even again

Congratulations to all of you, and I hope you enjoy your new computer(s) when they arrive!!!

 

It was right in front of me....

 

no i have the standard 6-cell high capacity battery

 

I suspect that the dv5t is about to go EOL (End of Life) since HP just released some new models. None of the newer "Versatile performance" series notebooks offer the 9600GT as this cuts into their "HDX" lineup so I would wager this is the end of the 9600GT and dv5t model.

I am glad I orders mine last week as well.

 

So I saw a post above that mentioned shipping from China...

Mine shipped today and the FedEx tracking show it left from Shaingai, CN.

China?!? Obviously many IT fabrications, components, etc. come from there but I thought HP, like Dell, assembled much of their items out in the US.

Do all HP laptops ship assembled directly from China or is it because I ordered from Costco that it comes from China?

Speaking of which, I need to call Costco and ask them that when an issue occurs, and I bring in my laptop, do they send it back to HP or a third party service center.

I can't deal with 3rd party hacks who don't give a bleep about the condition of the hardware. I know HP has a bad reputation around service but I think a lot of it is because theyu allow for the use of so many 3rd party contractors.

When I've sent my hardware back to Dell, it has always been a great experience. If I used one of their 3rd party contractors to come to my home to try and repair it....sweet jesus...I might as well have just plugged in a soldering iron and tried to repair it while dragging it behind a lawnmower.

 

If that's the case, then they'll loose more than a few customer I imagine.....

 

I just got off the phone with HP Sales (rep was Morgan). According to him, the 9600 ran out and they are not going to be restocking it. So much for buying this machine, back to the Sager NP2096 (or the drawing board).

 

HP consumer desktops sold in the US are, for the most part, assembled in Mexico.

The vast majority of laptops (business and consumer) are manufactured in China. There are a handful of companies in Taiwan which work with the name brands (Lenovo, formerly IBM; Dell; HP; Toshiba; etc.) and make a large majorities of the laptops. Compal and Quanta are among the two largest (I think they make > 50% of the laptops worldwide). These companies in Taiwan actually design the laptops. They have manufacturing facilities in mainland China.

 

That's what I was afraid of. It appears that HP wants to point you to their HDX notebooks if you want a decent GPU from them.

 

People, anything on this please? After some googling I found this link http://apcmag.com/dont_count_on_nvidia_or_intel_for_bluray_says_amd.htm

Could this be an issue I have to worry about? If yes, could somebody please share some more information on the different codecs used to encode a BR DVD and how to find identify this (I know this might not be the right forum to ask this)

Thanks

 

And that's exactly what the first guy I talked to tried to do, push me towards the HDX16.

 

I find it hard to believe they would completely eliminate the "middle ground" 15.4 inch laptops. The 16 inch ones are too big and unnecessary for a lot of things.

Do HP laptops usually only have a selling life of 5 months? Didn't this come out in August?

 

Never one to take just 1 answer that I don't like, I also emailed HP. Here's their response:

"I understand that you are interested in purchasing HP Pavilion dv5t notebook PC at our store. I would be more happy to assist you with your concern. This is an excellent choice, by the way. I receive a great deal of positive feedback regarding this model. Right now, we only offer 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS feature for the graphics card of this PC. At this time, we are unfortunately experiencing stock deficiencies of some components necessary to build this model. Whatever listed online are the one available for the configurations."

I'm awaiting clarification on if that means they are restocking the 9600 and will make it an option once it is available again. If I get that info before leaving work (and relegated to the PS3 for internet access), I'll update.

 

From what I have noticed for the consumer notebooks... yes

Their business notebooks seem to have a longer sales lifespan.

 

if you configure online with the bronze color, you'll have the 9600 option. they propobly only put those in the bronze computers now...

 

Canveen,
I know nothing about blu-ray, but if you just got it can you still return it if that link is true?

RoGuE1230,

I think our laptops are on the same plane...it now says "Int'l shipment release" in Anchorage, Alaska. Is that what yours says? I also find it a little disturbing that it might be out of production in such a short time. Makes me wonder a little.

HDT,
You were right on the money. I hope you are right and it gets here Monday. It would be great to get it so much sooner than I thought.

I have lots to learn though, but I'll take it bit by bit. I want to see if it will work with my satellite television, I got the tv tuner and I would love to be able to record on it sometimes, but not sure what if any cable I would need. I gues I do need an HDMI cable if I want to hook it up to the TV I think, but but I'll wait and see what it says.

I can't wait to get started....I also hope I love it, and don't have any second thoughts about returning it. I keep seeing other deals and things and then I read negative comments and I go up and down! I should stop reading....

 

That's good news. Thanks for the update, but I still believe we are close to seeing the dv5t model with 9600GT retired. HP might just have some extra inventory of the Bronze dv5t baseunits with the 9600GT in inventory that they need to move.

Don't let that bother you, I have seen most HP consumer laptops only out for 6-9 months before they are retired.
Also, this dv5t model w/9600GT overlaps their newer HDX series notebooks. They can't have that can they?

 

Unfortunately no. Mine says it is still in China. I needed it to come on Monday since I have no classes on MLK day and would be home to accept it.

Any chance of it still coming Monday?

Jan 16, 2009

5:51 PM
Left FedEx origin facility
SHANGHAI CN

5:50 PM
Picked up
SHANGHAI CN
Package received after FedEx cutoff

 

Check tomorrow (Saturday) to see if it's landed in Alaska. I think "Left FedEx origin facility" means that it's at the Shanghai air freight airport.

Good luck!