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

Hey everybody !
I had orderd my HP last nite .. its estimated build date is 19th aug
By when do u reckon it should be shipped to me , regular shipping ?

Also , can anyone tell me if its of any use buying a TV tuner card ( integrated or external , i dont mind any) .. Ill be studying in Purdue uni ...

Thanks

 

When i ordered mine, the build date was eight or nine days after i ordered it. I ended up getting my laptop on the day it estimated it would be built.

 

Mine's shipping from Shanghai today, or maybe yesterday... whatever the hell time it is over there.

Two days early.
What is the usual shipping time? I know 5-7 business days is quoted but I'm looking for actuals.

 

I usually get it in two business days.

 

Yes, the shipping is amazingly fast. I got mine two or three days (don't remember exactly) after it was built instead of the estimated 5-7 days.

 

thats good news! Mines shipping today instead of the 14th(estimated build day)

If it gets here by friday...I would be extatic!

 

Hi guys I'm on my brand new HP dv5z as we speak. It shipped on the 8th, and got here today , the 11th, from shanghai china, lol.

So far I am in love with this laptop, no problems yet whatsoever.

 

Could someone answer a few questions for me? My budget's lower than I expected (can't complain, I'm not paying for it), so I think the dv5z would be better for me than the dv5t. I just want to know if there'd be a very noticeable difference between the 2.1ghz AMD ZM-80 and the 2.26ghz Intel P8400. And secondly, is the 3450 worth it if I have extra money to spend? (keep in mind I'm just filling the budget my dad gave me, which is exactly $1000).

 

Well the future isn't exactly certain, but if things hold as they are where Crossfire can't be enabled, then the 3450 is a $100 waste. The performance difference isn't all that great. I would forget about the 3450 and invest more on memory to share with the integrated graphics solution.

As for CPUs, I can't say for sure because I've never used the P8400, but based on what I know of the CPU architectures, I would think the P8400 would be much faster. The ZM-80 is based on the older K8 architecture like all of the other Turions. I remember when I benchmarked my brother's [email protected] GHz, it came out to being the equivalent of a Turion TL-60. So if that stands true for the P8400 then there should be a noticeable improvement on programs that don't benefit as much from raw performance.

$1000 will get you a pretty beefy dv5z though. Just keep in mind that if you are subject to sales tax, your actual limitation in budget is around $920 since $75 gets tacked on for sales tax. Well that rate is only for California, but if you are subject to sales tax, I'm sure you can do the math of what your true budget for parts is.

 

All right, thanks. A beefy dv5z is pretty much exactly what I was aiming for. I'm not going to be doing much that would require a lot of processing power anyway. Plus, I've been running on this Intel P4 1.80ghz 256MB of RAM GeForce 4mx Dell for around 7 years, so this is going to be a pretty huge update regardless of not having the best processor or graphics card.

 

I need some help!

So far, the only problem I've run into , is today, on the second day of having my laptop - the sound went out. I cant get any sound from the laptop, or the speakers I plug into the laptop. Does anyone have any advice?

drivers are installed, sound was working the first day - nothing is on mute.

I did delete a bunch of stuff from the startup in windows registry, but this shouldnt effect sound should it?

 

nevermind, fixed the problem

 

what was it?

 

Sound was mute and his ears needed to be cleaned. :`)

 

While I wait for the nice folks in Shanghai to assemble my notebook, I have a few questions for you fellow dv5z owners that I'd really appreciate some help with.

1) Will the computer come with a manual of some sort? All I've been able to find online are component-specific PDF's. The last PC I bought was a P4 desktop, so I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to things such as Wifi, Vista, and the like. A nice, general how-to manual would be a big help.

2) Is it possible to remove all of those god-awful ugly stickers (MS, ATI, AMD, warning) without damaging the case finish?

3) Did anyone else here order the Deskjet 6988 wifi printer to go with the dv5z? I just received the printer today, but the box says that some features won't work with Vista. I hope that wireless connectivity isn't one of those missing features.

I can't wait to get my hands on this sucker. The last notebook I bought was a Satellite Pro T2150 blazing along at 75MHz. I think I'm due for an upgrade.

 

I used a little water/rubbing alcohol applied to a microfiber towel and it took the sticky residue off with out harming the finish.

 

I just placed my order for the dv5z. With the HP student discount and the 5% off coupon I got my laptop with these specs for $806.75 before tax.

Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1 GHz)
1280 x 800 display
3GB DDR2 Ram
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
802.11a/b/g/n WLAN
SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007


I was just wondering the fps I could get on Oblivion with this machine (if it plays it at all)

 

Believe me, you won't be playing Oblivion on this. I was silly enough to try and it didn't quite work out as I had hoped. Even at 800x600 with all settings at low, it is still quite choppy.

 

Nope. You have to be careful, because there are several audio options that you can select in the control panel.

Dual channel speakers, microphones, etc etc. Mine accidently got changed, and that simple thing wouldnt allow me to hear sound.

 

This laptop is amazing. I have no complaints whatsoever.

I've been playing Fallen Empires (Legions) on instantaction.com (basically tribes 4) and it runs very smooth. Its a very intense FPS as well

I also have this laptop hooked up to my logitech speakers, runs beautifully.

Next purchase is going to be a 500gig external HD to compliment this laptop, and it will perfectly replace my old desktop pc.

 

One question -

would it be fine to install Ubuntu as a dual -boot on this laptop? any suggestions?

 

Which do you have, the HD3200 or HD3450?

 

It's not difficult to do at all. I had it dual booting for a day or two before i accidentally wiped my mb. There are plenty of guides out. I'd suggest a clean install of vista though

 

im a total noob when it comes to notebooks (and pc's for that matter). i was attracted to the dv5z because of its "bang for buck factor". its cheap and i just cant bring myself to spend over 800 dollars on a computer that MAY be slightly noticebly better. i spent less than 700 dollars on the dv5z and am astounded by how much power this thing has got. i bought this for school which is why i got the student word disc, but deep down i wanted to play games on it. this whole week ive been on the forums reading about how the hd3200 performs. overal the consensus is not so good from what ive read. for those of you wondering about game performance i think you'll be glad to hear this. i love company of heroes. for those of you who don't know what it is, it's an rts that requires crazy amounts of system resources. it ran flawlessly on medium settings and even ran on high ,although while it was on the high settings i didn't get into much action, and for those of you who know there is plenty of action to get into. so there you have it, ill be able to enjoy coh while eating at the peter piper buffet playing on their wireless network - HP Pavilion dv5z Entertainment Notebook
- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1 GHz)
- 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
- ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics
- HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam
- 802.11b/g WLAN
- No High speed 56K modem port
- FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive from 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- $100 OFF Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2007!!
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

Hello all, is there anyone out there w/ a dv5z who plays hardcore world of warcraft. I mean, not solo playing, but playing in a guild w/ lots of raiding and stuff? is the hd3200 good for that? I'm hoping that someone out there can attest to the power of the puma!!! If so, i might get me one of these babies, if not i'll be looking at the sager np2096 =)

 

As long as yuo get the 1280x800 resolution, you should be fine. I have the 1680x1050 resolution, and its a little too much for the HD3200 to handle with High settings, medium settings gives a sustained 30 fps during Hyjal.

You won't go wrong with the HD3200, it compliments pretty well, as long as you have enough ram to prevent page file thrashing (=

 

Yay! After weeks of researching, deliberating, ordering a Dell, cancelling a Dell, ordering an HP and somewhat patiently waiting, my dv5z shipped this morning (two days early- way more than I could've expected from Dell)!!!! I'm sure I'll love it, but I'm just hoping I like the Infinity display, and the higher resolution.

HP Pavilion dv5z customizable Notebook PC

• Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1 GHz)
• 15.4" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1680 x 1050)
• FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
• ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics
• FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive from 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam for HP BrightView Infinity
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• 802.11b/g WLAN
• No High speed 56K modem port
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• No TV Tuner w/remote control
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

THANKS LUDEVIOUS!!!! =) That was exactly the input i was looking for!!!

 

lol, while that kind of sucks, it at least makes me appreciate my desktop a whole lot more.

Although it can't run Oblivion, how well do you think it will run other games such as Civ 4, Medieval Total War 2, Battlefield 2, and the Sims 2 (With the 2.1 ghz processor, HD 3450 and 3 gb ram)?

 

It will run the Sims 2 fine. I think it should handle that game at 1280x800 with little issue. I don't know about the other three, but based on the ages of those games, it shouldn't have too much trouble with them. You probably just won't be able to run them at high settings.

To me, Oblivion is a desktop pc game anyway. Especially since the game looks absolutely beautiful at higher resolutions. There aren't a whole lot of laptops that can quite handle Oblivion at higher resolutions. Especially when most laptops are 15.4" and 17".

 

Same here. I can't wait!

Out of the dozens of spec-lists that people have posted, I don't recall anyone else ordering the $10 POTS modem. Just one more level of connectivity when all else fails, as you can always find a phone line somewhere. I figured it would beat dragging an external modem along.

 

I think it still comes with a regular 56K modem port. I don't really know the difference between the two. My limited understanding was that the high speed 56K port would allow you to get faster dial-up speeds through the phone line.

 

Marquis,

I think it's either modem or no modem. In the NotebookReview article about the dv5z, the photo of the right side of the notebook shows a plugged RJ-11 connector. Of course that might have been an early review model.

For those lucky enough to have the dv5z in hand, did anyone of you who didn't opt for the $10 modem upgrade still get a modem of some sort?

 

Nope. My RJ-11 phone jack is closed off. It still shows in the custom build options on the HP site that the 56k modem is optional. I personally didn't opt for it because every place I go, there is a wireless connection (legally) available to me.

 

Well, it was just my assumption. But I'm confused. I know it comes with a wireless reciever, but is there still someway to get broadband internet through a cable?

 

Is there going to be noticeable difference between the Turion Ultra w/ an ATI 3200 or the Turion x2 w/ ATI 3200? I mainly run CS3, Office, and SimCity

 

There could be a significant difference, seeing as the Ultra has 3600Mt/s bus speed with DDR2-800 and the X2 only had 1600Mt/s I think with DDR2-667, unless you happen to have a Tyler X2 and run DDR2-800. So the shared RAM is slower in the case of an X2.

Now if the manufacturer would have added some display cache/sideport memory/frame buffer then the HD3200 would have some dedicated RAM, but I have only seen that on the 780G based desktop mobos.

 

Yes, its the RJ-45 port for LAN on the laptop, which is not a modem, you have to have a separate cable/dsl modem, not the RJ-11 modem jack.

 

Here is what I am debating between right...

Option 1 $949
AMD Turion X2 Ultra
2MB on die Level 2
4GB RAM (DDR2)
ATI RADEON HD 3200 graphics RS780M up to 1918MB
64bit Vista Home Premium

or

Option 2 $699
AMD Turion X2
1MB on die Level 2
3GB RAM (DDR2)
ATI RADEON HD 3200 graphics RS780M up to 1406MB
32 bit Vista Home Premium

For my uses, CS3, Office, and very light gaming, should I spend the extra and get the Ultra?

 

Option 2. The only difference between the Turion RM & the ZM series is the L2 cache. The extra 1MB isnt going to make a big difference in most situations but its definately not worth paying $250 more just for the processor.

 

^ dr devious
I recommend you get the ZM-80 chip in spirit of the "lower end of the high end" rule of thumb. The extra 2 gigs of RAM might be overkill... get them from newegg if you really feel it's necessary, it will be way cheaper.

 

So I got my dv5z today (ZM-80, 2 GB RAM, 3450). I'm still setting it up, but it's growing on me. I am in the process of returning a Dell Vostro 1400, so this is its replacement. I wanted to get a dv4t for the smaller size, but I couldn't justify the price premium... the one I wanted (with a 9200m) was going to be over $900. Too much for my budget. Or maybe not. We'll see how I like the dv5z. My primary concern was that it would be too big for my purposes (school: campus twice a week plus libraries). Again, we'll have to see.

Mine came with a remote. I popped in the battery for it and it works! Did others get it or am I special? I thought I read that it wasn't supposed to come with it. I like the small size of the AC adapter too... much better than the Dell's big honking chunk. The power brick is similar to the size of my old T42.

I got mine the day it was supposed to be built.

 

What kind of discount does the APP have? My brother is a incoming and would sign him up for it. Since he needs a laptop too, it would benefit both of us. Also how big of a difference is 2Gb of Ram compared to 3Gb?

 

That was my line of reasoning. I went from the Athlon (QL-60) to Turion (RM-70) for $50. From there the upgrade to the Ultra (ZM-80) was only another $25, so I figured 'what the heck'. At the rate I buy laptops, I won't be buying another one until 2021, so I thought I'd splurge a little.

 

Whoa, that is a long time!

 

Heh, in 2021 the kids will be looking at your computer like it belongs in a museum with its measly two cores. They won't even understand how you get by without a 32 core CPU and 512 GB of memory. xD

 

That sounds sick! But what can you do with 32 cores? I dont even know what to do with 4 cores.

 

Also, I haven't heard this said definitively yet, or maybe I misread/skipped it , but does this machine come with DDR2 667 or 800 Ram? Or does it not really make a difference?

 

Do I need to purchase the Media remote separately?
Or does it come with the unit?

 

My dv5z shipped out today. How quick was Fedex shipping for you guys?
The tracking info doesn't give me an expected delivery date.

Cant wait to get it.