*HP dv5z (1XXX series) Owners Lounge* **PUMA Goodness**

If you feel that way i have a suggestion...
go buy your Studio 15 and then post in the DELL forum

 

Good suggestion! unfortunately I bought the dv5z already... I should consider returning it.

 

You mean those magazines and websites that have several computer and software vendors advertising on their pages. Yeah. It implies a lot

You do know that this machine isn't made for heaving gaming and video editing right?

 

I don't get why people feel this way about this laptop. It fits in a low budget, which, believe it or not, makes it a BUDGET notebook, not a PERFORMANCE notebook. If you're expecting jaw-dropping performance, go look in the $1000-$2000 range or above.

 

I was not expecting a spectacular performance but was expecting a machine as reported by Notebook Review. The only thing that the review got right are the Cons (bad bateery life, no fire wire)

 

Well I got my dv5z yesterday - I absolutely LOVE it! I could not of asked for anything more from this laptop, besides perhaps running Oblivion decently well (but heck, I know of laptops twice the price of this that still don't run it well).
This laptop is now officially the envy of all my friends .

 

though the one thing I would like to ask is that does anyone know where you can buy just a car adaptor for the charger that comes with the dv5z? (I dont want to have to buy a complete set with a wall plug-in and stuff that I already have)?

 

And which of these pros were not right?

* Amazing integrated graphics performance!
* Great design and build quality
* Fabulous screen
* Great keyboard and media buttons
* Includes HDMI and eSATA ports
* Did I mention the AMAZING integrated graphics performance?

 

A machine's overall performance is largely dependent on its user's ability, which makes scathing criticism like yours highly dubitable. Many users are happy with this notebook, and some have delivered good reports about its cooling abilities.

I wouldn't put any more stock on magazine advertizing than I would on television.

 

I'm really sorry, but I can't seem to find ANY review on cnet for the dv5z.

 

I have a 5% coupon from HP and its stackable with my APP discounts so my question is can I ever upgrade to the Turion ultra core later on?

 

Most likely, but the process will no doubt void your warranty. And you might have to remove more than just the bottom panel.

 

Quick question, i uninstalled ATI drivers currently installed to then install new ones, but while it was taking out the display drivers it mentioned raid ones. Now upon installing the new driver it didn't install any raid drivers, are there any i should download or just not worry about it?

 

That really depends on a few factors. I know from experience that laptops have upgradeable processors if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, but HP has been trying to tell me that the CPU can't be upgraded in any of there laptops, which I don't believe. When mine arrives next week I'll probably be able to tell you whether this one specifically can be upgraded. And as for your discounts, I would take a look at the $200 off of $1000 stackable with the $150 instant, I got the best CPU, the Infinity finish on the screen, and the HD3450 upgrade with everything else stock or w/ the free upgrades for $650. I don't know if the coupon's still active, but it was NB9970.

 

No, RAID drivers shouldn't be necessary for this laptop. They're for multiple hard drives to give you things like increased speed or security.

 

It's not that bad. Battery life isn't amazing but it is sufficient for most users. I've never had issues with heat or power when using a custom power profile. I get around two hours in general use. Yes, it will get hot at the High Performance profile though. I just customized my Balanced profile a little better in Vista and now the CPU stays around 45 degrees Celsius and around 70 degrees Celsius at full load. That's much better than my old Turion X2 in my Gateway. That thing never got below 60 degrees Celsius.

Besides its performance is quite good in its price range.

 

Thanks for the info, I cant wait for the 12 volt battery. I am glad i only got the regular battery now because I will most definently want to upgrade to the 12 volt.

 

It's 12 CELL not 12 VOLT. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be mean or anything. Just thought I'd let you know.

 

For future reference, does anyone know if the dv5z's processor is upgradable?

 

This is funny!

 

Well if it was 12 volts, somehow I don't think it would work quite right...

 

I agree with you

 

Just letting you guys know, I did a clean install of Vista with a ISO I downloaded and made into a Cd - and I recommend it for EVERYONE.

When I first got the machine, I completely removed all the bloatware (or so I thought) and my machine was running wonderful.....HOWEVER, I must say - doing a clean install of vista has this machine running atleast twice as fast, and I didn't even think that was possible!

This laptop is a monster - I HIGHLY recommend you all do a completely clean install of Vista/XP/Ubuntu or whatever you choose. It is SO worth it!

All The drivers can be found on HP's website - I'm so happy I did

 

Probably, but it's not going to be easy. I downloaded the Service Guide for the dv6700 to get an idea; accessing the processor requires completely disassembling the laptop. The dv5z service guide hasn't been posted on the HP web site yet but I suspect it won't be any easier.

I'd like to see the documented procedure, I'd really like to try putting some ArcticSilver on the CPU and see if that helps with the temperatures...

 

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269&CMP=AFC-C8Junction

Will this work in the dv5z?

 

No thats desktop memory. Notebooks like the dv5z use 200 pin DDR2 SODIMM's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227251

 

No and not in any laptop out there thats desktop memory

 

Ya, I've been meaning to do a clean install using the guide posted here in the HP forum, but I cant find a copy or ISO of a Vista disc I can use to do it. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to find one?

 

Right i thought i should post my thoughts of the DV5z, my model being the 1002nr so the more basic version. RM-70, 3gb ram, 250gb HDD & ATI 3200.

Initial thoughts upon opening the box, the laptop itself looked very good, packaged good, came with a cloth to wipe it, headphones, there was a cover in between the screen which i kept and keep using, the charger, surprisingly not very big as my friends (dv9xx series). So i boot up and quickly enter details and the system is ready to roll.

So upon using the system my first issue was all the bloatware and rubbish, no problem i will remove it all and do a clean install when i get the time. But apart from this, it was surprisingly fast, i was loading photo's from my memory card, and the screen was really good for viewing them, good colors and nice and bright. Good for movies, no build quality issues with back light bleeding neither. In regards to movies and music i will say the speakers are fantastic, one of the best i have heard from a laptop, really nice. Now I had some heat issues at first but most likely down to the power option i was using, now it seems ok, still maybe hotter than other laptops but usable. Battery life, a bit more to be desired but it's fine, i will see myself using it plugged in more, i just needed the portability as i am moving around countries traveling atm.

The 3200 IGP, i must say performs quite well on the games I've tried and just as good as my friends HP dv9xxx series with 8600gt and C2D 2ghz cpu & 2gb ram. So i have to say i am impressed with this laptop, a bit more powerful than i had anticipated, and that's no exaggeration in regards to performance (games wise, his cpu most likely a bit faster on some tasks). Other points to note, the touch buttons, i took off the thing that displays the volume on screen and they work flawless apart from the wireless one which won't work, but it doesn't matter, the multimedia ones do work which i will use.

So final thoughts for 599dollars this system packs a good punch, good for multimedia, everyday tasks and the odd bit of gaming. Lacks in battery department, but makes up in other areas and the laptop just looks really good as well, some comments from friends about it too. Happy with my decision.

 

Mossy88, just curious, what games did you run on the 1002nr? I think my dad got me that too.

 

Nothing too intensive so it will be why the performance is the same, and better in WOW, but Counter-strike: Source and WOW as i said.

 

I see. Pretty much the same here.

 

So people seem to be focusing on the performance of the 3200. Can anyone say anything about the 3450? And not just saying "it's not worth the extra $100" without showing us why, because that's not very helpful.

 

I have the 3450 but I don't play any games on it. I only ordered it to get the firewire and gigabit ethernet.

By the way, on Vista after I changed the power profile to Battery Saving, the laptop ran a lot cooler. It seems they're doing something extra in Vista because I don't get the same effect in Linux.

 

I saw somewhere else that it's set up so that the cpu temp is only readable in Vista, so that's probably got something to do with it. I know they got around that somehow, but I can't remember what they did.

 

That might have been highlandsun's post.

 

As I've said in earlier posts, though there is a difference in performance, it is very small. In most games it might be a mere 2-4 fps depending on the game. Though I haven't heard of anyone overclocking the HD 3200 in an M780G, I do know that if it performs like its desktop version, the 780G, the gpu clock can be nearly doubled. If the laptop version can be oc'd to this degree, there's virtually no difference between the HD 3200 and 3450.

I have the 3450 in my DV5Z. In 3D Mark 06, I typically score 1800 points. I also have the HD 3200 in one of my desktop computers. I have the gpu oc'd to 900 MHz. My 3D Mark 06 scores are typically around 1900.

There are bonuses to the 3450 though if you want the added firewire and gigabit ethernet options though. Not to mention, the 3450 doesn't use shared memory as there is 256 MB dedicated.

 

i dont think anyone has support for the 3200 notebook chipset for overclocking yet =\

 

You might be able to use the AMD GPU clock tool to test its overlocking abilities. It's the only thing that worked for my 3450. The only thing that sucks about it is that it won't save any overclock profiles so you have to readjust your clocks after every startup.

At least it helped me get an idea of how far the 3450 can clock. Turns out the memory on a 3450 isn't overclockable at all. The GPU core can be raised to 700 MHz. It will effectively get you a 2000 score in 3D Mark 06 with the 3450.

 

personally i got just under 2100 for 3d mard 06
on 05 i got 3200 i beleive
i havnt played any games on it that would tax it tho i mainly got it just cuz i hope to play diablo 3 and starcraft 2 when they come out
i have the 2.1 turion ultra 3 gb of ram and 3450 btw

 

hi guys

I'm new at notebook review... I want to purchase a AMD Puma based HP, do you know if $400 off coupon is still active?

Thanks

 

No, it isn't. The current coupon is better in some ways for the dv5z though. It's $200 off $999 or more (instead of $400 off $1299), but it stacks with the instant $150 off so it's really $350 off $999!

 

Bad news for me... because I want to buy the DV7z and that coupon not applies.

Anyway thanks! I'll wait a little bit more..! Do you know if HP will offer again (and soon) the Turion ZM-86?

Thanks!

Dalago

 

Are you running 3D Mark 06 at all of the default settings? I only ask because I get 3200 in 05 as well but I'm definitely still getting 1800 in 06.

 

So I got my new dv5z in the mail Monday, and I've been messing around with it ever since. Thought I'd stop by and give it a little review of what I think. This is the first laptop I;ve owned but have been working with PC's for about 6 years now. No reason for the wait except I've never been a fan of mobile computing, since I'm somewhat limted on the tinkering.

So, these are the specs I sprung for.

Got the Ultra 80 2.1Ghz 1mb cache, looked into it and saw that the ultra 80 had a bigger cache and I'm not going to pop this thing open to try and upgrade later. 2gb RAM, regular screen, onboard video, and the reg G wireless without bluetooth.

I know the specs are boring factory settings, but I didn't want to spend much, and I don't really game on the laptop, more of a work horse. Got the vista 64 edition just for the fun of it. I followed the "how to" on how to get a clean copy of vista installed from the sticky on the forum main page. worked like a charm. Drivers I installed were the ATi 8.8's and the rest from HP's site. One driver you may have a issue with is the HP Mobile data protection sensor driver. You can get that from the swsetup folder that you save per the instructions on the clean install.

System to me seems somewhat sluggish compared to my desktop with about the same specs, only faster hard drive. Onboard uses what looks like 256mb system ram, so with 2gb in vista, it hurts a little on performance, so I ordered more RAM off newegg. Got the ocz 4gb (2gbx2) 800mhz for $88 shipped and a $25 MIR. $64 isn't bad for 4gb ram, and I can sell the 2gb...

Only thing I can see maybe working better to help performance on this laptop is a 7200rpm drive. I'm not real picky on battery life because I'm always close to a power outlet.

On mine, the cpu shows an average of 20% on idle and the ram shows about 50% with 1.8gb available to the system. I will post the cpu and ram specs when I get the upgrade.

Pros: shiny, new, cheap price for the performance it provides, HDMI, VGA, eSATA, remote, webcam, not too flashy but draws good feedback. HP symbol glows on the LCD lid, and it's a nice little addition. Keyboard is comfy, touchpad can be disabled. onboard speakers are decent for laptop sound

Cons: the screens tilt mechanism seems to be flimsy and maybe easily broken. Attracts fingerprints and smudges EASY, Windows XP won't even try get to the point to install-blue screens, BIOS options are SOOOO limited, you can change the date and time, and the boot order thats it!, installed factory image is bloated, after the reinstall the touch buttons are buggy and don't light the right way at some times, hp initial backup to dvd took 3 single layers and about 2 1/2 hours+

I like this laptop a lot, I think 4gigs with onboard is a must, but save yourself almost $100 and get it from newegg online. Maybe a 7200 drive as well, would make this a laptop with more than enough speed and function for avg and a little above avg users.

 

i used the free download one just to c im not a hardcore gamer i was just curious so yea i think so cuz u cant change any of the settings

 

the problem with AMD GPU clock tool is that it reads the GPU clock speed wrong on the HD3200. Mine came out to be 62.20 MHz, and while contemplating whether i should up the notch just to try it out, my conscious got the best of me, and i decided not to do something until RivaTuner or someone supports the chipset.

 

Yeah it does read it wrong but I have tried it and if you adjust the clock speed back up, it will adjust your card properly as well. I used GPU-Z to confirm my results.

 

BTW i have a question about the HP Home & Home Office Store e-financing center.

What are the requirements to get approved? Obviously they base it off your credit score so what do i need to get this?

 

there is noo doubt that HP deliberately screwed the PUMA platform... it would have had been gr8 if they had implemented it correctly but for sum reason they did a really good job fukkin it up...

I was planning to buy this one until i read this thread... altho its a nice budget laptop it could hav had been a performance one easily...

I wnt be surprised if AMD sued HP for incorrect implimentation of their platform which led to damaging the reputation of their product beyond repair and i hav a feeling that Intel was sumhw involved in this screw up...
bu if AMD doesnt sue then as the thread says it --> its AMDs goodness