*HP dv6t Select Edition (3XXX series) Owners Lounge*

For those who own the notebook, how do you like the touchpad? I've heard good and bad things about it. Are you able to scroll with it?

 

I like the touch pad. Doesn't bother me. I do use a mouse to game though.

 

I plan on using a mouse most of the time as well, but for the times when I'm using it on the go, I would use the touch pad. I've heard a few people say you can't scroll with it though, which I find hard to believe. Do they mean there is no bar on the right you can use for scrolling? If that is the case, are you able to use two fingers for scrolling? (similar to a macbook)

 

You can set it up in the mouse options lol. Do people even look?

 

Most people don't. But there are options to set it up? I wouldn't believe a laptop today wouldn't be scroll using the touchpad.

 

You can scroll with the touchpad, and you can even set it up to do one finger scrolling in a zone on the right and along the bottom. Once in a while I run into something that won't scroll no matter what though--just last night I noticed that Steam wouldn't let me scroll through the list of my games. The cursor became a little scroll bar and everything, but the list wouldn't scroll. Don't know what's up with that. It's annoying. Works great in PDFs and browsers, though.

 

Alright. Just needed to make sure. I figured it was people being dumb, but I had to confirm it.

 

Lol. More new buyers popping up now than they did when the coupons were around. Crazy!

 

What is everybody's estimated lifespan on these lappys? I'm hoping to have mine last me 4 years. By estimated lifespan I mean the amount of time it is in working condition without a warranty repair or anything, not the amount of time until it is outdated.

 

I've had this happen on other laptops too. I think it's a steam browser thing.

 

Actually, I thought my machine didn't have it, and the paper instructions that I had focused more on being able to use two fingers etc. Then I had to look really hard (this is my first Windows 7 machine) and found the Synaptics stuff. By default, my vertical and horizontal scrolling were turned off. I was so used to vertical scrolling on my dv8000. Now I'm hooked -- my work Dell doesn't have it and I keep scrolling lol.

As for impressions on the touchpad, it feels a bit different if you're coming from an older HP or other brand (like a Dell).

 

Yup. It's one reason why I'm visiting this forum a lot more lately

From what I'm seeing in stores here in Canada, the older dv6's and dv7's are being quietly phased out, and they are advertising these newer models. From my recent buying experience, the appearance, features and value-for-money factors are excellent. I've been hunting around for a new laptop for a while now, and this just fit my needs. I'm sure with school in a few months we'll see more folks here.

I hope this one lasts me at least 4 years (the same amount of time as my dv8000).

 

Not sure if this has been answered yet. My apologies if it has. Does this laptop have a slot load optical drive?
BestWishes,
-mac

 

no too bad :\ It's the traditional kind, the slide out ones.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I still might consider this laptop if my ENVY 14 turns out to be a disappointment.
BestWishes,
-mac

 

What I despise the most about the envy line is the rose engravings on the top... but then everyone's opinions are different.

 

Hi, I'm thinking of buying this, but first I have some questions

With all other specs the same, how would the battery life compare between an i5 and an i7 machine?

Do these all come with fingerprint readers?
It looks like I can choose between "Full-size island-style keyboard" and "Full-size island-style backlit keyboard with HP TrueVision Webcam + Fingerprint Reader"
Is there any way I can get a backlit keyboard without a fingerprint reader?

Also under the Touchscreen option tab, it seems that the webcam comes with either choice
So do these always come with webcams?

What's the difference between "SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support" and "LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support"?
I guess I should ask, what's LightScribe and what's the point?

Is there a worthwhile difference between the normal 6 cell and the high capacity 6 cell?

Are the graphics manually switchable by the user? If so, how?

Am I to understand that the touchscreen comes with edge-to-edge display while the normal screen comes with a raised bezel?

Also, will there be a huge difference between "Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-540M Dual Core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz" and "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz"? (the fastest i5 config and the slowest i7 config)

How much bigger is the quad's AC adapter than the normal dual core's AC adapter?

How much of a difference will I notice between 4GB of RAM and 6GB, and between 6 and 8?

I greatly appreciate help with any of these questions!

 

answers above in your quotes.

 

Thank you Morx for so many answers!

Another question, there's no dedicated volume control, is there? Is it found among the function keys?

Can anyone post a picture or a list of the additional buttons found on the farthest left column of the keyboard? To what extent can they be changed or customized?

 

Does anybody use the fingerprint reader? How exactly is it used?

Oh and where are the brightness control and keyboard backlight toggle buttons found?

 

With the 21 day grace period, does it cost anything to return your computer? Shipping?

 

Is the screen bright enough to be visible sitting outside?
Is it really reflective/glaring?
Does it have a small sweet spot/angle to be seen clearly?

 

Does this get better battery life with an SSD? Considerably better?

 

I like all the seperate post questions (I know you just write them as they come to you but its still quite entertaining) From reading a couple hundered pages of posts from this lounge as well as teh Envy14 Lounge I have seen that people really dont see a large difference of power consumption when changing from a spinning HDD to a SSD. If you live in Phoenix AZ like me, you dont want to take your laptop outside for the greater part of the year, when you do, still a wise choice to find shade. It is a glossy screen so it is fairly reflective, yet it is fairly bright to make up for some of the reflectiveness. (There are skins you can place on the screen that supposedly, help protect the screen[especially when using touchscreen] and cut glare. I have only looked at these options a little bit but they seem to help overall at a very small investment cost 20-30 bucks.) The Angles look alright, there are some comparison pictures a couple hundered posts back, sorry I am too lazy to go find them. I believe there is no cost to you on the 21 day return as you get a return label from hp. (possibly wrong?) Sorry I forgot your other questions since they are on the previous page. Hopefully that helps some, keep in mind I am using a DM4T and am only using knowledge that I have read in these forums.

 

It is pretty reflective and I would say it's almost impossible to use outside

Well, I would not say considerably better but slightly, I don't have one myself but I can hardly think it is more than 10-20 minutes unless you are working the harddrive hard and in that case it will probably be a bigger difference.

But the thing you pay for when buying an SSD is mostly the speed and also that it does not have any mechanical parts so you can move it around like an airplane-toy if you want.

 

Yeah if your main concern is battery, that $300 for the SSD can buy you 3 or 4 extra batteries

 

I have noticed the touch pad area is sensitive all the way over the left and right button click areas.

Is there any way to disable the touch on the button areas, I cannot find it in the options?

 

If you mean is there a way to control the volume using something tangible, I believe there's a volume control above the keyboard on the top right.

There are a bunch of pictures uploaded from various people of the laptop in previous posts.

As of now, you can still get a grand total of $350 off - still not too shabby

 

Volume control is on F-9/10/11 and it is dedicated in that you don't have to press anything else in unison with it to use it. To use the function keys that the multimedia controls rest on you have to press function.

There is mail, HP mediasmart, internet, printer, and calculator and someone posted how to change them somewhere in this thread, iirc, but I have no idea where.

I usually use it to sign in to Windows, it is a lot faster then typing my password, but in Firefox I have all my passwords saved anyway so I only use it when a session expires on a website and I have to login again.

The brightness controls are on the F-2/3 keys and work just like the volume controls and the backlight toggle has a button of its own above the backspace key.

Nope. You call/email them and tell them that you want to return it and they email you a prepaid shipping label and refund you the full purchase price.

 

Has anyone tried to run linux on theirs, yet? I've been thinking about throwing it on there for a dual-boot since I prefer it over Windows.

I'm worried about the switchable graphics working in Ubuntu (or any distro, really), since it seems to be an HP-specific driver update kinda thing.

It's not a major issue; I'm good with windows, too. The laptop is only about two days away, so I'm just curious.

 

I plan on installing it today so I'll let you know how things go. But my hopes aren't too high for switchable graphics, I never got it working on my T500.

 

Thanks again, everyone, for all the responses
Some more questions...

How much of a difference would I find between a 5200RPM HDD and a 7200RPM?

Does the SSD produce less noise? heat? (I know the main benefit is speed but I'm curious about other side-benefits)

Could I just buy this with a HDD and buy an SSD separately and install it?
Would it be cheaper?
What requirements should I look for to get a compatible SSD?

And finally, does anybody know of any current deals/coupons?
Does HP offer a student/academic discount that would be stackable?

Thank you everyone for the support!
I've decided on getting this computer and I'm just cleaning up the details

EDIT: Does anybody have experience using HP Academy to get a discount? And again, is it stackable with other coupons?

 

Depends on what 7200RPM but generally it's not that big of a difference unless it's an Momentus XT (4 GB built-in SSD which transfers the most used files to the SSD).

Since the SSD does not have any moving parts the only thing that generates a little heat is the flash memory but there is no noise from it. You can read about all the details of SSD here.

The SSD is cheaper if you buy it from HP and since it's an Intel-based SSD it's one of the best SSD out right now (a few newcomers that is a little better but for real life usage they are practically the same).

I'll let someone else answer the student discount since I'm from Sweden...



I wish this laptop had IR-receiver right now since I just started configuring my Harmony 525 and would like to use it for XBMC. I'm already in love with this remote, have had it laying around for ages but never had the time to configure (I thought, it took me 10 minutes, lmao).

 

I signed up for an account with HP Academy. They allow the 150 instant rebate, but don't allow the $200 coupon, so it ends up being about $80-$100 more expensive.

 

The SSD of the dvt6se is overall superior to the Momentus XT. An interesting link if you want to learn more about the given SSD:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2808/4

(this is the final page, just go back to the original page to start from scratch)

 

yayya arrived at anchorage.

 

I've been noticing a buzzing sound in the speakers whenever I have a split second of lag. Does anyone else notice this? It's like the audio freezes momentarily but instead of just skipping, it buzzes. This happens regardless of whether or not I have headphones plugged in.

 

Sameee!! Mines at anchorage should receive it in about 2 days

 

Mine bypassed anchorage and went straight to Memphis, for some reason. Even though I live just south of Seattle. Hm.

 

Mine just went to anchorage as well, it says i should get it by wednesday, and I better.

 

Im supposed to get it on the 22nd. "International shipment release" is what mine says... What? skipped anchorage? that is very weird...

 

What 200$ coupon?

 

NBJ459873

make sure you are not logged in to an academic discount account when you apply the coupon, but if you get a warrenty package log into your academic account for a discount on the warranty

 

Could any of the people who recently purchased this system comment on HP's shipping method? Where are these produced? When was the computer shipped in relation to the "estimated built date"? How long has the FREE 5-7 business day option taken?

I ask all of these questions because I am leaving for college in a few weeks, and I am concerned that this computer might not arrive before I leave. Would appreciate all the information you guys can provide.

 

Hey all, quick question. So I've ruled out putting a SSD in and was wondering, what would overall be better? A Core i5 450M with 8 GB of RAM, or a Core i5 540 with 6 GB of RAM? If anything, I could always go with a 540 and 8 GB of RAM, but I don't think upgrading both would be worth it. And also, to clarify on battery life, I've read that on an i7, the battery life is said to be 3-4 hours? A Core i5 would surely beat that right?

 

^ I would allow plenty of time for it to be built and delivered. For me and a few others, HP had customs issues since the computers come from China. Mine was stuck in Alaska for about a week because they didn't send correct documents to Fedex. After I finally got it, it didn't work and had to be exchanged. I'm waiting to get my replacement by the end of the month. Not a good first experience...

 

Overall, how long has the building/shipping process since you purchased the computer?

 

Keeps telling me it doesn't apply to the items in my cart.

 

I think HP learned their lesson and my laptop shipped according to time. It usually takes about 5 -7 days to build, and 5-7 days to ship. The "estimate built date" is always longer than actual, and the shipping is usually 7 days exactly. If I were you I would order asap, then time would not be a problem. (but I make not promises :\)

 

You have to configure the laptop to cost more than $1299 before instant rebate/coupon... so the minimum you will pay is $950 pre tax but you get to add some nice upgrades for free

Edit: