*HP dv6t & dv7t Select Edition / Quad Edition (6XXX series) Owners Lounge*

I appreciate all the info, I have been googlinig and learning more. If I want to upgrade/addon or use the cd/dvd player extensively and the eSATA port, I think I would want the Stepping 3 Rev. 5 HM65 chipset.

I talked to, chatted, and emailed HP support they love me I am sure. I really specifically laid out my concern in the email and am awaiting reply. From the phone and chat support, they expressed that 'there was no problem', but they could not definitively confirm that I will get the Stepping 3/REV05. Wait and see, it sure is a heckuva machine for the price, i'll keep googling and post any new info here, thanks again for everyone's help and info sharing!

 

The two SATA 6Gb/s ports aren't affected. HP uses SATA 6Gb/s for the HDD, but not for the optical drive and eSATA. There's nothing you can do to hook up either to the remaining SATA 6Gb/s port on the dv6, since there's no cable for it. With the dv7, people tried, but I don't think that anyone succeeded.

 

How many SATA ports do these notebooks have? If they just have two (Blu Ray + Hard drive), and no eSATA or second hard drive bay, than this doesn't matter so long as the notebook is using the first two ports. They're not effected.

 

Ah, okay, if there are three SATA devices and two of them are on lower ports, than there IS a problem if these really aren't updated, as the first two ports are fine, but anything after that could eventually fail. It's supposedly not a sure thing, but I'd rather not risk it, particularly for something as important as Blu Ray!

It's supposedly not a sure thing they'll ever fail, and could be years even if they do, but still...

EDIT: Makes me think AMD may be on to something when they advertised how their systems were working fine :-D

Unfortunately HP's not shipping an AMD system with anything better than a 400 core radeon.

 

I have read that people had 6Gb/s SATA issues also with the affected chipset ( http://www.tomshardware.com/news/sandy-bridge-sata-error-sata-3,12112.html#comments), so really i'd rather just not have the Step 2 version of the HM65 Southbridge ICH. It's like getting a new car where the windows in the back seats didn't work, but having the dealer tell you they still wanted to sell it to you because you can just open the front windows. Nor do I want a 'silicon/weld shut' fix, that's like buying a new car and finding out that there was a hole in the roof, but it's been fixed using gorilla glue.

Apparently Apple has recently shipped fixed versions: The MacBook Pro Review (13 & 15-inch): 2011 Brings Sandy Bridge - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

(there is also a good picture of one way to check your version)

Also according to HP website here: Intel® Chipset Design Issue May Affect Certain HP Desktop and Notebook PCs - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

"...on January 31, 2011 HP stopped manufacturing products with the affected Intel technology and placed a shipment hold on products in HP and channel inventory."

Which makes me kind of wonder how Jerohm ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-6xxx-series-owners-lounge-4.html#post7258496) ordered his 3/3 and got it 3/11 with REV 02 version of the chipset.

On a good note, HP in the past has had a great reputation for QA, and I found this about return processing:

HP Revaluating PCs Affected By Intel Chip Flaw -- InformationWeek

I'll await definitive reply from HP and update thread asap as this is really is a great deal if it comes with the fixed Step 3 version of the chipset,.

 

doesn't each SATA port support up to 2 devices?
so we are talking 4 devices BEFORE it becomes an issue... right???
the 6xxxx version don't have 'eSATA' port, right?

here are some interesting quotes:
"... But there may be good news. A source from an unamed (but sizeable) components manufacturer told us late in the day that they hoped to be able to continue to ship the affected motherboards as is, supplemented with a lengthy 'no quibble' guarantee - presumably with financial support from Intel.

PC manufacturers have also told us that it is possible to simply reduce the power supplied to the problem SATA interfaces. This would allow them to ship risk-free, but is a less desirable outcome as it would have an (admittedly) minor performance impact... "

Ref: http://www.itworld.com/hardware/135607/intel-sandy-bridge-recall-what-you-need-know?page=0,0

 

Sorry guys to bother new to the forum and haven't found a help or questions topic to make a question but its about the dv7 quad 6xxx notebook!!!i'm from greece and the new/repaired sandy bridge models(6xxx) are not here yet and all i want to know is if yuo live outside the us you cannot order a notebook right??cause i made my customization on the new dv7 and after that i wanted to check the shipping and payment....and it told me to register and on the from was only us states no countries so i'm guessing no dv7 for me????is there an another way to get a dv7????it drives me crazy for 2 months now!!!!

 

No. One device per port, and it doesn't matter since they're using the affected ports anyway.

 

I was affected by the original dv6t intel sandybridge chipset flaw as well. I returned the old notebook a while back...yesterday I called and ordered over the phone, they knew I was one that was affected before, and they gave me the 2 yr HP care pack plus 2 day shipping for free (due to the inconvenience). So I pretty much paid the same for a similar spec'd notebook as the previous order...minus the backlight keyboard (which imo is a non-issue.....when it was on it just looked like glare on the kb anyways.....I would rather have full numpad..gosh that is so useful). On this new order I switched from 8GB ram downto 6GB ram (60 bucks saved for 2GBs that would never be used) I also opted for the 9cell batt this time....I like the raised backend (better cooling, nice grip to hold onto notebook, nice to type on). Just thought I would share my refinements given my second chance.

 

I think your numbers are pretty close, but perhap a bit conservative. Here are my current thoughts and, to be clear, I am not saying you are wrong. I think you are pretty close, to be honest. Anyway, this is what I am thinking on the issue:

1) The 6570M might not benefit from DDR3 Versus DDR5. If you think about it, it is basically 1/2 of Juniper, which is 800 Shaders, 128-bit memory bus and GDDR5. Juniper was in turn, 1/2 of Cypress which had 1600 Shaders, 256-bit memory bus and GDDR5. So, from what I can tell, the 5650M was a balanced chip (1/4th of Cypress, and 1/2 of Juniper) in pretty much all aspects with the use of DDR3. I don't see GDDR5 doing much for it in the way of performance. It *would* certainly increase performance, but I am estimating less than 10% (I could be wrong though!)

2) Whistler on the other hand should use GDDR5 if it is to assume the role of 1/2 Barts. The use of DDR3 would effectively give the processing power of 1/2 barts, but would only give the memory bandwidth of 1/4 of barts, a major imbalance! The 6600M series is basically the 5830/6830 all over again, memory starved.

So, it is really hard to predict how much faster the 6770M is than the 6570M due to the unknown territory of the added memory bandwidth. To my knowledge, AMD never released (to be more exact, sold via Laptop MFG) a 5600/5700 series with GDDR5 (likely because it never needed it).

So, because I love to research, I decided to see how Barts (6850) compared to Juniper (5770). However, because of the clock speed difference (775Mhz versus 850Mhz) I had to estimate the gain in performance that the 6850 would have by an 10% core overclock. Since scaling is not perfect as City Pig pointed out earlier, we have to give a realistic figure. That number is between 50% and 60% as far as I can tell with reviews. To be safe, I am going to presume 50%, which means that for my 10% overclock, I will be adjusting the performance by 5%. I will put the next part in a quote tag, to help seperate and make it easy to read.

We can glean some important information from these results. That is to say that a 6770M clocked at the same speed of a 5650M will be aprox 44% faster. However, the good news is that the 6770M is clocked significantly faster than the 5650M. Where does this place the 6570M? Frankly, I don't know. If I had to guess, i'd say that whatever speed increase it gained from GDDR5 it more than lost due to clock speed (650 versus 725). So, I am going to guess that the 6770M will be right around 40-50% faster than the 6570M on average and at least 75% faster than the underclocked 5650M found in the Envy 14.

When I receive my laptop, I will be sure to run some performance tests on it. The only thing that makes me think twice about my predicted performance above is that AMD is reporting 8 ROPs (1/4th of barts) while GPU-Z is reporting 16 ROPs. I'd like to think that AMD has better quality control over documentation, but it seems more likely to me that AMD has published that spec incorrectly as it would be inconsistent with a cut down barts.

 

I asked the same question a while back...but then I found the answer myself. You can have HP ship the package to a US address belonging to USA Address & Mail Forwarding which in turn will send it to you through frex FedEx for some 50 euros. I was looking forward to this since I would also be able to use a coupon but the problem is I'm in Italy right now, where the customs can really f*** you over.

 

Alright, here we go. Is this a good configuration? If I order this, I'll be ordering it on 3/19.

* • Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
* • HP 3-year Care Pack House Call Service with Accidental Damage Protection for HP Pavilion Laptop PC
* • 2nd generation Intel(R) Dual Core(TM) i5-2540M (2.6GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz
* • 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* • 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
* • No Additional Office Software
* • No additional security software
* • High Capacity 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.75 hours of battery life +++
* • 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
* • Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
* • HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
* • Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
* • Standard Keyboard
* • HP Biscotti 16" Notebook Sleeve, prism pattern
* • $30 OFF!! Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 9 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 9

Total: $2032 including the sleeve. I'm not saying I'm getting this laptop for certain. Toshiba still interests me. But there's a pretty good chance this is what I will be doing...I only wish HP made a Bluetooth mouse...

 

What

I did not know it is possible building $2000 laptop without quad-core lol

Obviously you should go with Envy 17 or Banana Macbook Pro 15 or Deli XPS 15, 17 or someothercoolexpensive laptops, not superbly overpriced upgraded mainstream laptop.

Even you can build XPS 15 with i7-2720QM plus 256GB SSD plus RGBLEDBLU FULLHD screen plus Bluray under $2000.

I really hope you did not order this yet.

 

haha probably should've explained. I already had a Dell XPS 15 with FHD, but I hated it because the tiny text gave me headaches, so I returned it. I already know what the 768p screen is like and I'm fine with it. Also, I have no desire to have a quad-core. I don't need it for any the work I'll be doing on it. Don't like Envy, already had a Mac (been there, done that). The Dell L502x is tempting, but the specs I'd get would be about the same as this...

But the HP is thinner, lighter, less expensive, and better battery life. So that's why I think HP over Dell.

 

yeah i also found about these sites like the one you sent me( USA Address & Mail Forwarding) and i heard that they are not all reliable!!! i don't know about the taxes too... a friend of mine said it would be really expensive to get it through!!!so i still don't know what to do!!!the thing is i searched about the taxes to import stuff from us and i get the dv7 for like 900 euros with the taxes!!!!i mean its really cheap for us but i don't know if that site is reliable or i am forgeting something...if you get on something inform me plz!!!

 

Now I see. I had HDX16 with FHD before and my eyes went bad.
Then dv6t could be one of choices. And if you really need those SSD and Adobe software, your build seems fine to me.

 

Hi, just registered here on the forum! I have been following the news of the new dv6qe release here and yesterday i went ahead and ordered one!


dv6t Quad Ed
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.5 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
• Blu-ray writer & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

I wanted a laptop that was somewhat future proof and would work well as an entertainment laptop, able to connect to an hdtv and act as a media center. I plan on buying a Hauppauge 1212 and installing XBMC. Eventually i'll get a dedicated htpc but for now this guy will do double duty. Although quad core is prolly more than i need, i am just learning about this stuff, and wanted to make sure i had enough fire power to transcode and edit video/ playback hd/ and rip blu rays. I looked at the new macbook pro's, and they are just beautiful but they cost a grand more for similar or lesser specs.
I am somewhat concerned about the SNB chip issue, but i'm just going to trust that HP has addressed the issue and isn't selling me a computer that is destined to fail. Cross fingers.

And superficially, the new external design of the dv6 looks very stylish and attractive to me which is important. I considered the samsung rc512, xps 15, macbook pro, but this computer ticked all the boxes:
*specs
*price
*looks

Anyway, I look forward to the pc arriving and participating in this forum. Thanks.

 

Nah, shipito is reliable, I know many who have used it. Sure there are some of them like bongous and viaddress who are either scam or unreliable. I have family in the US who can forward the package to me, the problem is the very unreliable Italian customs. Although I am from Albania I have never had to deal with Greek customs directly (unlike other Balkan states) so if you are sure you won't have to pay much in taxes, nor will the package remain in some dusty dark place for a long time, then go ahead and contact shipito.

Myself I am waiting for the local chain stores (MediaWorld, Euronics etc) to receive the new products. I doubt it'll take more than a few weeks for that to happen anyways. I don't know how's the situation in Greek stores, but here they are almost empty, so I am sure they'll offer some nice discounts to attract the customers once again. Back in January MediaWorld was offering 200euro discount on all products with i7 processors (and 100 on i5 + 50 in i3)and Ihope on something similar to happen in April. These new HP notebooks are very powerful machines (I've had the chance to try the dv6 3013sl, with the i-7 720 and ATI 5650), they're worth waiting for.

 

Did you mean $1032? Because if that's really $2032, that's massively overpriced. You can get an Envy 17 or M17x-R3 with better specs for less than that

 

Hey all, thanks for your expertise. I just purchased my dv7QE yesterday afternoon, then saw the cougar point stuff. After some digging around in other forums, I think that the chipsets for dv7-6xxx are okay, but there is still some confusion.
List of Intel chipsets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At the bottom of the page it lists the HM65 chip, which is in the dv7-6xxxx models internationally (haven't found a page for the US versons). The wierd thing is that there are 2 "sSpec" numbers, one for B2 (SLH9C) which has been recalled; and one for B3 (SLJ4N). I have no idea what all these model numbers mean, so some clarification would help.

In addition, there is a driver upgrade for the dv7-6000 CTO Software & Driver Downloads HP Pavilion dv7t-6000 CTO Entertainment Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)
I can't find a good description of what it really does.
"Intel Chipset Installation Utility and Driver"
"This package contains the Intel Chipset Installation Utility and Driver for supported notebook models and operating systems. This utility enables the operating system to show the correct name for the installed Intel hardware in the Microsoft Windows Device Manager."
"Supported Devices and Features
Intel CPT Chipset Family LPC Interface Controller - 1C49"

Does this mean that "refurbished" B2 models are in these notebooks? Or are we getting B3 versions? I would like to think the latter. I have spoken to a HP rep, who tried her best to reassure me that the new shipsets are there, but I have no confidence in the answer I was given.

On a side note, if the B2 is there, could I upgrade to a second HDD or SSD in the future, or would I have to worry about the problems with the chipset?
dv7t Quad Ed
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• FREE Upgrade to 750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.25 hours of battery life +++
• 17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
• Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

This post was copied from the other lounge: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/553705-new-pavilion-dv7-dv6-available-spring-unveiled-66.html

 

Hello All,
I just placed my order yesterday to take advantage of the coupon.

dv6t Select Ed
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Dual Core(TM) i5-2520M (2.5GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz
• Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000 [HDMI, VGA]
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• High Capacity 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.75 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
• Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

$889.00 - I felt like it was a pretty good deal.

I have a few questions I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction:
1) Can someone please point me to documentation to all the options in the BIOS/UEFI?
2) Is there an mSATA slot? can the mini-pcie slot be used as mSATA?
3) Will this be a HM65 with B3 stepping?

Thank you for your consideration.

 

if you really have that much to spend, might as well get the new sandy bridge $2200 15 inch macbook... you get a better screen, backlit keyboard, (personal opinion) better build quality, better battery life, etc etc etc.

point of going PC over Mac is 1) program compatibility, which i suspect you don't have any problem with, and 2) price, which obv isn't an issue for you...

given that, i don't know why you would burn $2k on this over a mbp...

for comparison, this is what i'm getting:

now i'd choose this over a $2200 mbp anyday

 

You don't want to pay for a quad, but you'll pay $100 to have 15% higher clock rate than the base dual?
The SB quads (like 2630qm) can shut off unused cores to save power, and can turbo boost to very high clock rates on one or two cores. And if you later install software that can use more than two cores...

I'd definitely rather use a $325 off coupon on a DV6t Quad than a $250 off coupon on a DV6t SE.

Also, I'd buy my own SSD from NewEgg before I'd pay $410 and a 640GB hard drive for a factory installed 160GB. Very fast 160GB can be had for $200-300 now.

That said, here is what I get with a quad that CPUmarks at 6500, where yours was probably in the mid 3000 range:

* Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
* 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
* 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
* No Additional Office Software
* FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
* High Capacity 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.75 hours of battery life +++
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
* Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
* Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
* Standard Keyboard
* $10 OFF!! Adobe(R) PhotoShop(R) Elements 9
* $20 OFF!! Adobe(R) Premiere(R) Elements 9
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
plus 3 year service and biscotti sleeve.

Total before tax and recycling fee, $2129.97 with coupon code nb2212.
The shocker was that the $325 coupon killed not only the $150 instant rebate on the DV6t, but also the $130 instant rebate on the service agreement and a $4 discount on the sleeve, so my $325 coupon saved about $40.

I can't see paying $330 for a 3 year service agreement on a lappy that comes with a 2 year warranty. I also can't see paying $2000 for a HP consumer laptop. Have you looked at the small business web site and priced the business class 15.6"?

 

Well the HM65 chip,which is in the new DV6 and DV7 models have B3 (SLJ4N) or B2 (SLH9C) which has been recalled.
What was really wrong on B2 and ps. confirm whether whether the new one have B3, can it be found by looking into the laptop?

 

To everyone who says "1366x768" is horribel for that screen size - Let me ask you this, do you say the same thing about a 23" 1920x1080 monitor? Because, they both have nearly the same pixel density.

15.6" 1366x768 = Pixel Density: 10097 pixels / sq. in.
23" 1920x1080 = Pixel Density: 9176 pixels / sq. in.

Asside from screen real estate, I can't see how anyone can complain about that resolution. So to be clear, I understand the issue of screen real estate, but I do not understand the issue with picture quality as you can see above that the pixels are smaller on the 15.6" display.

Additionally, with the limited GPU power that most laptops have, you will gain performance by having a lower resolution display. While you can lower the resolution if you have a higher resolution display, you typically will not want to because it will not be in native format and it will look rather awful. A display that has a native resolution at 1080P will look worse than the same size 768P display when running that lower resolution. So the arguement "just lower the resolution" really doesn't work.

The new 6770M @ 1366x768 will likely run games 35% - 50% faster than running them at 1920x1080 provided you have the CPU power. Although you probably could get by without running AA on the higher resolution display. These days, the hit on AA isn't nearly as bad it once was.

Anyway, I just wanted to give my perspective. I don't like having to squint to see things, I don't like adjusting DPI as not all programs play nice, and I certainly don't like to game with a slide show.

I am also quite certain that the 6770M on the DV6T with its 768P display will outperform the 6850M on the Envy 17 with its 1080P display in games.

Not trying to argue or be hostile, I just wanted to offer a counter point that I don't really see given. If you like the additional real estate and don't mind adjusting DPI, then it would make sense to desire a higher resolution display. But I wanted to bring up the point that I don't hear people say "That 23" display has crap resolution"... Most people are extremely happy with their 23" 1080P dispay, and actually sports a larger pixel than a 15.6" 1366x768 display.

 

I don't want a computer that big, damn it! 15.6" max!



The last computer I considered getting was $2700 in the end (Sony VAIO Z), so this is a lot better than that. I have expensive tastes...(and rich parents)...

And I don't want a Mac because I HATE MAC OS. It's a fluffy amateury Facebook/Twitter/Email OS. I could give you 15 reasons why I prefer Windows over Mac, but I'd rather not get into that. And I just find Mac computers boring. The only reason I got one was because everyone else had one and I wasn't thinking much about specs or anything. My ideas about computers have changed a lot since then. Ugh. I shouldn't have posted this config, I'm sorry. For me, spending $2000 on a laptop isn't that much. This MacBook I have now was $2800, so $2000 is much better in my mind.

 

you can still use the mbp as a windows computer through bootcamp? lets put it this way, in my opinion, the only thing that prevents the current 15" macbook pro with 6750m as the best consumer windows laptop available, is the pricing. if that's not an issue, i see no reason why you would NOT choose it for the combination of form factor, components, etc.

for most of us though, price IS an issue, a big one at that, so that's where PCs shine - best bang for ur buck.

my point is, if this is how you configure your order, for your $2000, you are getting a laptop with very mediocre screen (resolution, viewing angle, brightness), single band wifi card, no backlit keyboard, low resale value. for about the same price, you solve all those problems, on top of a quad core CPU (2820qm) and thunderbolt port.

i like PCs over Macs as well, but at the price range you are talking about and for your intended use, i just don't see why you would choose that over a mbp.

 

It's not bad, but it's not really designed to be pushed hard, and it's only got a mid range GPU, and no Blu Ray...so it's not great either.

 

I miss the backlit keyboard as much as you do.
But when looking at what you ordered....why not go with the DV7 quad? It is a size issue or battery issue? I just priced your system and I got $1719 for the computer, plus $200 for the protection package, plus $23 for the sleeve.

I priced a DV7Q with the below dv7Qe (actually, I went with the more expensive 6 cell and 9 cell battery combo) and it came to the exact same price ($1719) There isn't a sleeve, but there is a $45 travel case , and 3 year home service protection is $50 cheaper.
-----
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
160GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
No Additional Office Software
FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
One 6-Cell and One 9-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
Standard Keyboard
$30 OFF!! Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 9 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 9
HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
----

If I use the same battery, it is about $100 cheaper for the 7. The difference being the 2540 vs the 2630....or $50 more expensive if jump up to the 2720 on the 7 (with the same battery).

Just throwing that out there....

 

It's not like I haven't considered it, I'd sure like a higher resolution than crappy 1366x768. But the 17-inch is just a little too big and I need better battery life. A 17-inch is totally impractical for school (and I need this computer to bring to school).

 

Oh....cool...
I wondered if it was something like that....

I'm still pissed off about the back-lit keyboard... That was the main reason why I went with a 6 over a 7...

 

Hey, no problem. I've been trying to get a new laptop for over 6 months now. At this point, I'll consider anything. But it's my goal to order one by the end of March.

I have one right now, trust me. I've had it for over a year and half. I don't hate it, it's a perfectly good computer. But it's not my favorite. I want better speakers for one. I'd like an HD webcam (hence why I'm considering Dell XPS 15 and this HP), I'd like a blu-ray player, and I'd like a combination of the highest memory and a good-sized SSD that doesn't total over $3500 (I configured the Mac with similar specs to the HP and the total price is over $3500 and the specs are technically not as good!) I might have more money to blow than most people, but which would I rather spend: $2032 for a tricked out HP or $3500 for a less-powerful Mac?

And plus, biggest of all, I FAR prefer Windows over Mac OS and people say Windows doesn't run perfectly on a Mac either, there are always problems. I'd rather get a computer that's optimized for Windows. That's why I'm choosing a PC over a Mac. I know plenty of people for whom price is not an issue, but they still choose PC. Macs are incredibly overrated. Incredibly.

 

well i'm just saying that your configuration is not optimized. for example, why do you want maximize memory when you don't care about getting a quad core/good graphics card? memory is almost NEVER the bottleneck in performance as far as the generic $1000+ computers we are looking at these days.

your choice of SSD is fine, but it's MUCH cheaper to get a better one elsewhere, all these laptop manufacturers overcharge incredibly for mediocre SSDs.

new macs have HD cams. blueray drive is the only thing i can think of that matters, however, seriously? 1366x768 for blueray??? if you are using an external display at home, why not just opt for an external blue ray drive at home as well? you can't take the screen with you, why take the blueray with u???

 

The difference in memory cost is just not enough for me to get the lower option. I might as well just take it all.

As for the SSD, I know I can get a better one for cheaper, but I've never done that before and for me, it's just easier to get the one that comes with the computer (I don't need any more space; I keep all my big stuff on external HD). But if I were getting the Toshiba that I've been looking at, then I would get an SSD from somewhere else.

Why not have blu-ray? I already have several blu-ray discs, I want my computer to be able to play them. I know 1366x768 sucks, but it's the standard now and I don't really have a choice unless I want a 17-inch laptop...

My dream is a 15.6" laptop with 1600x900. Sadly, no such thing outside of business laptops.

Also, there's just the fact that I just don't like Macs much anymore. You're not going to convince me to get a Mac, so this is not going to go anywhere. I've already made up my mind that I want a PC. I just haven't decided on which PC yet.

 

I was going to say.....check out the Envy 14...

But...they are still pushing last gen i5/i7's.... Come on HP....get with the program....

 

Hey guys, I decided to jump on this deal

HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• 50% OFF!! One 6-Cell and One 9-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Standard Keyboard
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

It all seemed like a good deal at $973. My only concern is how hot or loud these may run. I know that, with the processor and graphics card running, noise and heat are unavoidable but does anyone know how these might run with the coolsense? Thanks!

 

CoolSense is marketing hype ... it is just software that allows you to choose how much fan noise/performance you are willing to accept. On the other hand, the new models are ALSO suppose to address cooling from a new air flow design aspect. To my knowledge, its effectiveness has yet to be put to the test. The previous model runs hot and you better make sure not to obstruct any of its venting. Anything under 70c is nothing to worry about and you are probably safe all the way up to ~85c ... but there, you are getting into iffy territory.

 

I'm not sure about the accessibility of the internal components in HP laptops but I really hope I will be able to remove the heatsink for a thermal repaste.

 

Yeah, I just priced a config, and if anything the quad actually comes out CHEAPER, which is of course nuts. No reason to go for the dual except price. At best the base quad is only 500MHz slower than the fastest dual core...at absolute worst case scenario it's 80% as fast, but normally it'll be the same or faster.

People on these forums have said it comes with the B2 chip...posted logs from their machines. If that's correct, that's bad. The SATA ports other than the first two (only used by the hard drive in these models) can fail over time....the estimates I've heard are probably in the 1-2 year range, though kind of random and might never happen.

Yeah, this is why I don't understand these crazy high resolutions on small screens. I've got a 24" 1080p monitor, and...well frankly I could go bigger fine with the same resolution. 1080p on a 17" notebook isn't TOO bad, but given the choice I'll go with 1600x900whatever instead. Honestly 1366x768 on a 15.6" monitor sounds great to me. I've got 1280x720 on my 14.1" one and I wouldn't want denser than that.

Yep, those are all reasons I don't want super high. DPI settings mess things up, bad for design work (and possibly other things) and anyway even Windows 7 only lets you set them per system and not per monitor (wouldn't be so bad if it was altered DPI on my notebook screen but normal on my external, for example...at least maybe not).

Interesting thought! It's hard to account for all the variables...I don't know the clock speeds for sure, so I'm going with the lowest listed clocks for both, 725mhz and 575mhz (though either or both could be underclock in the HP models...or the 6850 could be as faster as 675mhz, significantly throwing this off).

PLUS I don't see ROP counts at all...that would matter of course...in fact actually without that I can only estimate based on the idea that the parts have the same ratio of cores to ROPs...which may not be the case, though probably isn't too far off.

So anyway, based on that we've got:
1,440,000 versus
2,073,600 pixels...well now actually bear in mind you can get the Envy 17 with that same 1,440,000 pixel screen too, but anyway...

that's 44% more pixels. The Envy 17 has 66% more cores...which might mean 66% more ROPS. So assuming that, we're left with clock speed...the Pavilion's GPU may be as much as 26% faster.

So the grand total would be the higher resolution Envy screen would be 44% more pixles with a 32% more powerful CPU in terms of ROPs....with a LOT of estimates in there, but anyway you're point is an interesting one, and quite possibly the case! (Though you can do the lower resolution screen on the Envy, which would give you at least 32% higher frame rates)

 

Actually, when I had the Dell, I tried adjusting the DPI but I hated the way it caused distortion in some icons and didn't work for all programs, etc. I'd rather have a computer where you don't have to adjust anything like that.

 

It'll most likely have the B3 stepping.

The problem with B2 was that the SATA-II ports (ports 2-5) might fail (which, in the case of this notebook, means that you wouldn't be able to use your DVD/Blu-Ray drive) at some point within three years. The HDD bays use the unaffected SATA-III ports (ports 0 & 1), so your data would be safe.

 

Knowing HP, you'll have to disassemble the laptop just to get to the vents for cleaning.

 

So, I've been trying to buy a dv6tqe for sometime now, but I've been on the fence between the i7-2630qm and the i7-2720qm. The Ghz doesn't really matter THAT much to me since the two are nearly similar. But in the long term possibilities, the 2720qm feels like a more capable processor.

I'm not a gamer, unless you consider Maple Story a game lol. I Don't mess with Photo/Video software except maybe a touch up here and there. I usually hook up my laptop to my TV to watch movies. I do open a lot of small programs at once now and then.

So any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Since you don't do too many cpu demanding tasks then save your money and go with the 2630. You can't go wrong with either.

 

They lowered the 2720 upgrade from $200 to $150 which represents ~10% performance advantage over the 2630 (the wholesale price difference is about $55 ... so HP makes an extra $100). If you decide to do it later, the 2630 won't provide much resale value, being at the bottom in the family. Is it necessary? probably not, but if the $150 doesn't kill ya, I'd do it (In fact, I did) The other thing is this 6G upgrade (the only reason they are doing it, is to get rid of the 2G modules - and you won't get dual channel access because both modules are not the same size)... It cost $60 to get two matched 4G modules ... again, an upgrade worth it in my book ... So both together adds $210 to the final cost and represents a measurable value. If you plan on keeping the unit for a few years, it seems reasonable.

 

What I'm getting from Wiki, assuming that the GigaFlop ratings are comparable to relative throughput:

6770m 696 GFlops at 725mhz
6850m 920 GFlops at 575mhz
6850m 1080 GFlops at 675mhz

(assuming that HP doesn't underclock either one, or the underclocking can be overridden)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_AMD_graphics_processing_units

 

Thanks for the inputs guys. I was leaning towards the 2630qm and I think I will go with it since I don't use my computer for much more than multitasking.

About the 6gig ram, Since i won't be getting dual channel, does this mean I'm better off with the 4gig 2 stick? Or is that also not symmetrical?

 

These are really tough questions, because most people will probably never push the system, to a point where they could even tell. Again, IF you get 2 x2G and decide to upgrade, the old modules are basically worthless. If you get 2G + 4G and decide to upgrade, you only need one more 4G and burn the 2G. If you are NOT worried about absolute performance, which it sounds like you are NOT... maybe just going with the 6G is for you. Win7 runs FINE on 4G under normal circumstances in any case. You are going to be PLEASED with the 2630 compared to any other laptop you have recently used. Whether that is true in three year is harder to say.

 

lol, sorry about the technical questions. Just curious. And you have a good point about the upgrade advantage with the 2gx4g. That came to mind after I posted my question. Thanks for the response.

 

@Radukr Hi how did you come about the info that the new design comes with chipset B3/can you confirm this please, thanks!