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

You should be good with the 4gb's of ram. I think the dv6z comes with 5650 and 4200 series igpu.

 

As a quick reminder, my configuration is as follows:

HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition Entertai
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-540M Dual Core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
• 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
• No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
• FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (over-sized)
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
• No additional security software
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

A standard configuration, just over $1,000 with the instant rebate and $200 off coupon.

Initial thoughts after only one hour of use:
Sturdy, well built laptop. I have not noticed any manufactured flaws, at least not of yet. The screen hinges are tight and secure, keyboard flex is consistent throughout, mousepad buttons appear to require the same amount of pressure, keyboard backlight is bright.

My old laptop is a 3 year old dv6000t (1.73ghz Core2Duo, 2gb ram, 256mb Nvidia geforce.) Many things that I have become accustomed to with that laptop such as viewing angles, fan noise, and operating temperatures all seem to be consistent with the new dv6tse.

I do not have plans of doings anything major to the laptop tonight, other than uninstall the bloatware. Tomorrow I plan to work on updating drivers, change the function keys back to normal, learn to use the fingerprint reader, overclock the GPU and follow many of the recommendations I have found in this thread. Hopefully within a couple of days I'll have this laptop ready to try out the many games that I have been wanting to play: Transformers ROTF & War For Cybertron; Ghostbusters; Batman Asylum; COD Modern Warfare; Ghost Recon 2; and eventually Starcraft 2. A varying selection of older and newer games.

My only complaints as of now are the hotkeys to the far left of the keyboard and the simple fact that I will have to get used to a slightly different OS and its applications. Is HP's quickplay still available?

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. I new what to expect from HP when I purchased it and so far it has met my expectations. Will it down the road, who knows? But I hope it will be as reliable as my old one.

 

Two more quick questions:

How are the viewing angles on this thing?
And how are the reflections? Will I be able to use it outside?

 

Don't use it outside. Make sure you sit in front of it lol.

 

That's too bad, I was really hoping to be able to use it outside... I was just about to pull the trigger, too. Now I have to think more.

 

lol thanks Nsx

 

I was extremely excited to receive my dv6tse earlier today because I wasn't expecting it until tomorrow! Anyway, my first impression: it's great, even though I'm coming from a fairly old, although good, Dell laptop.

The laptop looks great! I love the design and metal chassis! IMO, it feels "businessy" and is great to hold. Doesn't feel cheap and plasticy like most consumer laptops I've had/seen. The backlit keyboard is a VERY nice addition too.

I also opted for the Touchscreen (mainly because there was a great coupon at the time and I really wanted a E2E display), and I'm actually surprised at how responsive it is. I don't plan on using it that much, but it's nice to know that if for some reason I do, I shouldn't have any problems with it.

As for performance, I haven't really done any in-depth testing (I'm still removing bloatware and installing programs) so I can't comment much on that. So far however, the system seems snappy (i5-450, 6GB, ATI5650, 500GB). I'll be testing some games on it later this week. I recall hearing reports of users have high fan noise (even while idling), but I haven't noticed anything of the sort. The fan was at its loudest when Windows was setting up, but even then, it wasn't obnoxiously loud at all.

I do have a few minor complaints however...
*The only problem that truly bothers me with this laptop is the resolution, but I think that's because I'm coming from a 1200p 16:10 Dell laptop that I've been using for years, so the difference was immediately noticeable for me. HOWEVER, it's NOT blurry/pixely like I was afraid it would be; I just notice the smaller screen real estate. It's also definitely easier on the eyes though, which is a plus. Side-by-side, the Dell display also has better contrast, but I didn't notice until I literally put them side-by-side and started to scrutinize them. What stands out to me the most surprisingly, is the screen ratio (16:9 vs 16:10). The vertical space is noticeably smaller on this laptop, but it also provides for a smaller laptop overall, which is what I need. Besides, 16:9 seems like the standard for non-desktop replacement laptops nowadays anyway.
*The laptop has a very slight pinkish tint, but it's nothing major
*The disk drive (NOT bluray!) makes a click sound if I push it inwards. This is the only problem I found with the build quality. It seems secure, but it just doesn't feel like it should be there (others have reported the same problem, so I guess it's just the way it's made)
*The touchpad will take some getting used to, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be after reading these forums. Oh, and it's HUGE.

Overall, I love this laptop, and it was definitely worth the price. Excellent build quality, looks great, thin, has a nice weight IMO (slightly hefty but not a pain to carry), and most of all, an excellent price.

If I had to choose a con, it would be the screen resolution. 1080p might put too much of a strain on my eyes, but 900p would be nice. Some people might be wondering why I didn't just get the Envy 14? Here's why: I'm a college student on a budget (somewhat flexible, but still), and the dv6tse gives me a better price: performance ratio. At the time, I was comparing these two laptops at about the same price point: Envy 14 - i3, 4GB, 320GB, 5650 (supposedly underclocked? idk), 6-cell, 900p, VS Dv6tse - i5, 6GB, 500GB, 5650, 6-cell & 9-cell battery (this was VERY important to me), 768p touchscreen, better exterior design (my opinion of course); the choice was easy for me. However, if you can afford to outfit an Envy 14 with better specs and like the exterior design, then I would recommend it. Otherwise, I would stick with dv6tse, which is still an excellent laptop despite not being advertised as "Premium."

 

I think the 5650 in the e14 is down clocked and barely oc'able unless they made progress on that. I like the dv6t a lot. Just wish it would quit warming up sometimes, although I've done some things to help that.

 

I noticed that the intel graphics media accelerator display drivers have been installed in addition to the radeon HD 5650 display drivers. Are the intel drivers needed for the switchable graphics?

 

Yes. The drivers are needed.

 

Also, if you ever want to install drivers (as a complete package) you can only go with the HP flavored package since it comes with both the ATI Radeon drivers and the Intel drivers along with the capability to switch graphics.

Though it is also possible for you to update only the ATI drivers if you just download the specific driver only.

 

Any other input on viewing angles and whether or not the screen is viewable outside?

 

Side to side viewing is pretty good though it results in a darker screen which equals mirror.

Look from the top - don't even bother. Looking from the bottom - I don't see how this is possible.

Outside viewing - ohohoho.

I was on my way to SF (from LA) which naturally includes driving through the (dead) 5. So I was trying to watch a bunch of movies and even on maximum brightness it was almost impossible to see anything dark. Lighter colors fared well but was still difficult to read. The only thing visible was my face. At this point, I kind of gave up until I passed through anything shady, but it was kind of pointless having to play and pause every 10 seconds. Also another caveat - running the display at 100% also nerfed my battery life slightly.

In short, viewing this thing outside sucks.

 

Thanks for the very detailed reply, FatPigs. Sorry you had to drive from LA to SF, as well. I recently flew up instead of driving and its so much nicer (I live in LA and have family in SF that we visit every once in a while).

Well, I'm still trying to decide between the dv6tse and the Envy 15. I was hoping to be able to use my laptop outside some, so this is unfortunate news. Of course, the Envy 15 has the matte screen option. Man, the dv6tse is so much cheaper than the Envy 15, and I get an SSD on it, but with the Envy I get a better screen, graphics card, and its a little smaller. It would be great if there was a $200 coupon for the Envy as well...

Anyone know if I can order both, and then return the one I don't like (or like less) for a full refund? I think I read somewhere that you can return your laptop to HP for any reason within 21 days, and I just thought of this.

Oh also, just thought of something else. How much battery life does the high capacity 6 cell add and/or is it worth it?

Wow, I just thought of another thing. Is the Blu-Ray player worth it without a 1080p screen on the laptop?

Thanks for all the help, guys.

 

Hey guys,

How to i access the Bio setting for this laptop?

I need to change the Fn key to on

Thanks

 

Nah, I just had my parents and my sister drive.

Even though I could - i choose not to.

 

Hello,

I am new member to this forum. I recently purchased DV6t Select edition with Touch screen. My configuration is below,

Intel i5 2.4GHz/8GB RAM/640GB HDD/1GB ATI HD5650/Bluray/Backlid keyboard

I was too much excited as this is my first touch screen laptop. I was on vacation when the package arrived to me. Yesterday when i power on for the first time, i saw two major issues

1) LCD screen is fully scrambled and white bar with green, red lines appearing in the screen. I can see only 50% of screen without any issues.

2) Uneven back cover - back cover (Memory, HDD) was not inserted properly and i can see a hinge coming out.

I suspect HP has sent me a defective piece. What should i do now? Unfortunately, i am in India now. Here they don't the DV6t launched yet.
Your views will be really helpful to resolve my issues.

Thanks
Arun

 

Will I lose the ability to switch graphics if I only update the ATI drivers?

 

I updated mine to the latest ATI radeon driver. The switchable graphics is still there

Just remember to unsinstall ATI's CCC before installing the latest driver. 10-7_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc. Your screen may go blank. Just wait a few minutes. If in case after 10 minutes you still ahve a blank screen just do a force reboot.

OR

You can first switch to the Intel® graphics before upgrading the ATI drivers without the need to uninstall the CCC and a possible blank screen along the process Ü

 

Arun fully charge your laptop and boot again maybe they'll fix itself. If not after startup right click home screen and look for color calibration and try to see if that'll help. Reboot etc try.

As for backpart, it's meant to be opened so freely just open that up and try to fit the cover back on this time without unevenness, take out jutting pieces like hdd, and place them properly back in.


Since you're in India, returning might take a while but it's doable, as HP Support Warranty is Global. Call HP US (i suspect thats where you got it from) and tell them you're currently overseas for a while nd if they can send you exchange package straight to india..

 

1 - Yes, you can order both laptops and return them no questions asked, and you will recieve a full refund
2 - I high capacity is 62WHr (or whichever ones are supposed to be capitalized), vs the standard at 54WHr, so the high cap adds around 15% battery life
3 - Well it depends on the circumstances. For me, I wouldnt go for it unless it was free because I have a ps3 hooked up to a 1080p tv and surround sound. However, the laptop does come with an HDMI port, so if you got the blu-ray, you could hook up your laptop to an external tv/monitor. And you can still watch the movies in hd on your laptop's screen; you don't need a 1080p monitor to watch blu-ray.

 

What time did everyone notice their systems went from In Production to Shipped? I'm curious if it's worth looking at during the day since daytime here is nighttime in China. I've been making it a habit to check it around 2am every morning since that's the magical FEDEX cutoff time (4pm in Shanghai.)

 

"Chinaman", really? Is it the 1930's where you live?

 

I don't think waking up at 2am everyday is going to make the laptop faster, although I probably shouldn't be talking. I feel like I ordered mine years ago.

 

Well they are from China and I'm guessing the factory is staffed mostly by men

Who said I was waking up to check it? Actually, it's the last thing I check before heading off to bed each night.

 

Finally made my way through all 2000+ posts in the thread and it only took me a little under a week! Good to know what to look out for when it finally gets here.

I called to check on the status last night (was hoping to get a feel for where in the production process it was/is) and mentioned the alumni discount. Since the promotion changed and they couldn't get the system to match up at a cheaper price they just issued me a $30 credit.

I'll be looking it over with a fine toothed comb when it gets here...esspecially if a $300-400 coupon is out. After reading through the thread I already regret not upgrading to the 5650 and think I should have paid for the upgrade to the BR burner considering how I like to save my Bears games in the best possible quality.

 

Can any of you guys recommend an external hard drive since I'm planning on getting the SSD? It's worth it to get the SSD even if I need an external hard drive, right? I would only need a 320GB external hard drive anyway. Maybe even 250GB. Thanks

 

The intel g2 ssd in my dv6 is a little slower than my ocz agility. Kinda sad.

 

A quick question that I haven't seen come up yet. Does this laptop support "hot swapping" of batteries? I have been thinking about getting 6 and 9 cell batteries, but I would like to know if this feature is supported?

To those of you who have picked up the two batteries (and actually use both), do you have to shut off the computer to change (and thus charge) each battery?

 

If you don't care about mobility with the EHD I'd go for one of the WD MyBook series. I've yet to experience any issues with the one I've had for over a year.

 

As far as external drives, I'd recommend an eSATA drive because the speeds are much faster and you've got a capable laptop.

 

Oops, I should have mentioned that. I do want it to be portable.

Cool, I'll look for one.

 

So I'm not missing much if I opted out of the backlight keyboard right? Right? D:

 

Correct. The backlight looks nice in the dark, but it's hardly necessary.

 

Anyone know how much battery life this gets with Wi-Fi off (using it to take notes, for example)? Preferably with an i5 processor.

 

Depending on your need for speed you can go with a seagate or Wester Digital external hardrive. Honestly there are not many USB 2.0 hardrives out there that will vary by brand. Of course reliability tends to increase with name brand like WD, most companies that stay in business for a single product will be reliable. However! If you want to have an external hardrive that will be able to move and open files/programs as quickly as your internal hardrive, you need to get one that is compatable with SATA. Almost any external HD out there that works with SATA will also have to use a USB port as well (for power). Dont freat though, you can get a single cable that will run from the external drive and split at the end to use your eSATA and USB ports.

In addition for those who are really finnickey about the amount of cable and/or ports used, the dv6t se comes with a eSATA port that is capable of providing power-over-eSATA. Meaning you would really only need one cable with one prong to plug into just the esata port. Unfortunately with USB 3.0 making its grand arrival and shoving SATA into the mud, there are no Avaliable External drives that support power-over-eSATA. There was an external enclosure that supported this feature however it is currently out of stock.

If you want to know more about the power-over-eSATA debockle, go Here

 

With USB 3.0, I take it the normal usb ports on the dv6z/t SE (and pretty much usb 2.0's everywhere) won't be compatible and that we're losing out on the next thing?

 

With this in mind, would it be better to get an HDD now, and just upgrade to a SSD in a year or so instead of getting a SSD+external hard drive now? If I go with the dv6tse I'm getting the SSD since its so cheap with the $200 coupon, but I'm also looking at the Envy 15 which I can't afford an SSD for, so if HDD + SSD upgrade later is a good option, that might make me lean toward getting the Envy 15 more.

 

SSD's are supposed to get cheaper maybe? Not sure, but I know the next gen stuff [sandforce] blows the current gen stuff out of the water. I would go with a regular HDD and then upgrade to a ssd later, but I just got it with my set up.

 

If you have general questions about the laptop, feel free to check out my thread, if the info isnt there and you think it should be, please add it in a post or pm me and I will update it. Hope this helps

 

hey guys i finally got around to doing part 2 of my video review, here it is: YouTube - NEW! HP Pavilion Dv6tSE Touchscreen Laptop Review Part 2

I touch upon sound after using JBB modification, backlit keyboards, touchscreen use for Flickr & Youtube, and some other fun stuff.

Hopefully it answers other questions anyone may have

Thank you cazper for making that thread!
Also if anyone was wondering, the 9 cell part # is MU09, hp support will tell you no 9 cell battery for this model exists in their store, they're wrong, search up that part # on their store, thats the one for this laptp.

 

USB 3.0 is backwards compatible as is USB 2.0.

However, because there is no Express Card slot we're forever stuck with USB 2.0 and will never reap the full benefits of USB 3.0.

 

What's the JBB modification you're referring to? I've looked around a bit but I can't seem to find it yet.

 

So, I was just watching a youtube video and my screen went black and the same sound kept being played over and over. Granted the laptop has been on for the past 12 hours roughly (was off for an hour or so midway through), I was only gaming on it for a short bit. Atm my temps are 73 on the first core and 75 on the second. (i5 450)


Should I be concerned of this? Or is it more likely its just from being on for an extremely long time? Usually my temps are in the low 50s when just web browsing and talking to people.

 

Is there a way to use the webcam without having to open up touchsmart?

 

So a USB 3 flashdrive/plug can work with a USB 2.0 slot? Interesting and if it can run at the supposed speed USB 3 is stated (super super fast) then that's even better.

EDIT: CRAP I read this wrong, sorry

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...on-current-information-guide.html#post6548395
Scroll down to where it says How to get awesome sound..




To other question, yea the webcam works outside of HP Touchsmart, I've tried
It on chatroulette and it should work fine on Facebook video recording and YouTube record from webcam feature



Regarding USB 3.0 first no intel chipset other than i7s have USB 3.0 support. HM55 doesn't support this. Second it eats battery usage, sure faster speeds but that's a big downside, I learned these from a Dell marketing manager, so can't blame hp for not having em, we probably won't see it catching on until late 2011

 

Having an external drive in all instances is a good (and lazy) way to make sure you back up all important data. There's nothing worse than panicking you've lost an important document or rare photo that means a lot to you or someone else.

I have been using the Western Digital MyBook external drives (all with USB 2.0; 500 GB one has FireWire, and 1.5TB one with FireWire and eSATA). I also have a WD Passport drive holding 500 GB.

Any of the name-brand drives should give you decent service. From the looks of things, you will get those who love one brand versus another based on reliability or usage (just like notebooks). If you have a large enough hard drive sitting unused in another computer or laptop, in most cases you can get a hard drive enclosure and "reuse" that drive as an external.

 

It shipped! I'm curious how reliable the FEDEX estimates are. I know it missed the plane today but I'm hoping it takes one of those quick trips through Alaska tomorrow and is on it's way here on Friday as I've seen happen to some posters here. The estimate I'm being shown is next Tuesday.

 

Yeah my notebook (Dv6z SE) just had its Fed-ex id sent and such and there's a prediction of Aug 10th (Tuesday) as well. I'm hoping it'll arrive much faster than that but the dang weekend's upon us.