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

YouTube - ‪NEW! HP Pavilion DV6t SE Touchscreen Laptop Review Part 2‬‎
Watch that they're same thickness. 1cm.

 

My laptop shipped to my house this past friday. I ordered monday the 19th, and had my laptop waiting for me after work on the 30th. Thankfully I didn't have any problems with shipping releases and such.

Overall this is an excellent laptop. I love the way it feels and looks. The etching is one of my favorite aesthetic touches. The fingerprint reader is a blast, and it makes me feel like a secret agent. I have used the backlit keyboard a couple times, and it is definitely worth it to have on the computer. Everything seems to be spaced appropriately, and I don't have to worry about the keys at all. All the graphics run smooth, and I played some old school CS1.6 for fun. Definitely no problems there. Thank you ATI. I have skyped a couple times, and the webcam is a webcam, as long as the other person can still see and hear me, I'm not too worried about it. The i7 720 core processor is very very quick. I didn't even do a clean install and I still feel that this is a strong performing computer. It's fun to see how fast this computer blazes through file transfers and installs/uninstalls.

However, after finally coming to my senses, I realizes that I have absolutely no need for my computer to be this fast. This is only because of the cost of decreased battery life. This quad-core processor just EATS through it all. I lowered the screen brightness all the way, set the power plan to power saver, installed Granola, and tweaked the power plan as much as I could, and I still cant get 2.5+ hours out of this laptop. That is the only thing that I dislike about this laptop, that and the speakers. The speakers aren't too bad, they just arent as good compared to my prior laptop, a dv9000 which was definitely more suited as a desktop replacement with a higher resolution screen and bigger speakers for louder and better sound quality. A nice set computer speakers has done the trick for me though.

With all that being said, I absolutely love the laptop aside from the battery life. The way I see it, I have 2 options:

1. Buy the 9 cell battery for better battery life at the expense of a larger size, and slightly more weight. I would've done this all ready but HP says they are out of stock, and I'm worried that with the over-sized battery, it may not fit into any of the sleeves or bags that I will be carrying my laptop in for college. Can anybody help here?

2. Return this laptop, and replace it with a laptop of exactly the same specs, except this time, equip an i5 450 processor instead of the monstrous battery hungry i7 quad core. This should give me the better battery life that I am looking for since I will have 2 less cores draining power, and I will have switchable graphics as well.

Does anybody have any suggestions or tips? I really wouldn't mind some feedback on this, especially since I've only had this laptop for a week, and many of you will have better suggestions or ideas for me. Thank you all!

 

Here's a vid that shows the 9-cell at around 2:50 if I remember correctly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM7suoNw2xM
Its actually pretty small for an over-sized battery.

P.S. - I posted this on my itouch so it may not work on a desktop. If it doesn't, the vid is part one of the vid that MicGoogle just posted.

 

Thanks MethodToTheMadness! By the way the video descriptions of those videos have tons of helpful links

BrianMigs, you can get the 9 cell and it might give a boost to 4-5 hours overall but your best chance might be the i5-450m, i don't want to sound pessimistic but if you know for sure quad core won't be any use for you, its only going to be eating battery and over time progression over 3 years, battery life is cut in half, so you might be down to or even less than 2hr over time.. Though BEFORE you return call HP to see if they can downsize processor spec and give discount for any prev. coupons used before ordering, you might have to talk a while with them to convince lol.

 

Hey guys I just did a clean install, but lost the Fingerprint Reader software. Anyone have the same problem, or any solutions? I don't think I can find it in my backup.

 

I'm pretty sure you can just go to the download drivers section of HP's website under "support and drivers" and find it there. Download, install,search for hardware changes and it should be back.

I love your videos btw, I am getting the i7 720qm and the 9cell battery. Ill need it to be mobile and on battery power for maybe 3-4 hours a day... if i put it to sleep between classes and use powersaver I should have enough battery right? I debated between i5 and i7 for weeks, in the end I coudn't make up my mind so I just went for the i7 because that is what I had on my dv7tse that i returned because it was defective...I just really hope I don't regret it. * Eh on second thought I think i'm going to love the extra speed and power and I feel its the best for my money, but i would LOVE some power saving hints and techniques for when I get it. I won't even need wifi in class, just microsoft onenote.

 

For those still wondering about the sound, I just updated my sound card driver to 6.10.6289.0 from the driver thread and the clicks and "buzzing" seem to have disappeared. Can't be too sure, but I've been using it for the past couple of days and at the very least it seems to mitigate the problem.

Still trying to figure out how to unlock Stereo Mix though; it's driving me nuts.

 

Nothing showing that it's left Anchorage. Considering FEDEX told me early this afternoon CDT that it'd be on a plane to Memphis or Indy tonight, I have steam coming out of my ears. Going to wait 30 minutes until the flight for Indy takes off and then call if it wasn't scanned in Memphis to figure out what in the heck is going on.

 

That's strange, my laptop successfully arrived at the sorting facility in Austin, TX on Aug 7th 5am, (That's where I am), so technically it's here but not where I live. Perhaps it has something to do with packaging?

 

I have no idea whether you can turn them off (I only played with both of them in the store, then ordered the 7 online). I'm sure you could get used to it, but I'm already used to orienting my fingers a certain way on the keyboard, and the function keys were screwing that orientation up when I used them in the store. Given that I was spending a decent chunk of change on the new computer, I felt as though I shouldn't have to force myself to adjust to a layout I really didn't like. But, I'm also someone who places a low value on the backlit keyboard. My local Best Buy had the two versions of the keyboard displayed right next to each other, so you might want to take a trip to a local store and compare for yourself.

 

Get it here you can't find it on hp downloads
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...3-dv7-gen-4-select-edition-envy-17-intel.html


Some of these questions are repeating, check above link or this link:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...select-edition-current-information-guide.html


Helpful pages: Page 99 for GPU/CPU heatsink cooling

And about specifics of laptop read the many reviews, things like touchscreen, battery, etc have all been covered 100x

 

How much of a price difference would it be if you got a similarly equipped i5 version (this would also include any return shipping costs and new shipping costs for the replacement)?

If you're willing to live with slower performance and are sure you won't need it later on, then getting an i5 version even with buying an extended 9-cell battery could make you further ahead - dollar wise. You just need to do the math to see if you are further ahead.

 

Are there any good coupons out right now?

 

Unless you're interested in the $200 rebate off +1399 dv6's and other laptops, then I wouldn't say so. Not for the Dv6's right now.

 

Thanks for the tip. The click is gone (knocking on every wooden object in my house) and music sounds better. Not sure if the last part is real or psychosomatic (me making it up).

The only time I've hit one (calculator) accidentally is when I've lifted my left hand up off the keyboard and then tried to hit CTRL+something. When typing and I go to hit control to italicize or copy something, my pinky always hits it and not the calculator.

 

Right now the coupon is $200 off $1399 or more config. However I have a screen shot (not on this comp) that showed the same config with a $300 coupon about a month ago. And it was actually more expensive. HP has a way of tweaking things to equal out. I think the overall cost of the compter went down $50 and the Vid card down $25 and they must have shaved a few more dollars off somewhere. So if you are going to configure your system over 1399 anyways, now is as good a time as any to do it.

 

Hear that weird sound down there? That's the sound of the explosion of steam coming out of my ears. It's still sitting in Seward's Folly with the same status as it hit after calling them yesterday. Going to call tonight and see what's going on.

Edit: Woohoo! Looks like it just left Anchorage. Still not happy it didn't go on the plane as promised yesterday but it still might get here by Monday

 

Well,good. Now I don't have buyers remorse. I just order this:
HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition Entertainment
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• System Recovery DVD with 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
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• Microsoft(R) Office Starter 2010
• No additional security software
• 50% OFF! One 6 Cell (standard) and One 9 Cell (over-sized) Lithium Ion Battery
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
• No TouchScreen (includes HP TrueVision Webcam)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
• Backlit Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

Hahaha well I bet I can give u some buyer's remorse ;P
The 540m only beat the 450m in a benchmark by 1 point out of thousands. The touchscreen would have been a waaaay better place to put $150. Most, if not all people who got the touchscreen have said it was well worth the money.

 

Funny how things work that way, I remember seeing the non-stackable $400 off $1399 customized laptops back in July but it honestly wasn't that great of a deal to me. Maybe I was wrong but I'm quite happy with my Dv6z choice. I'll regret not having backlit keyboard for maybe the first week.

Well I looked up some information and because it's at the sorting facility in Austin which I believe is the main one, I can't go and pick it up. It has to at least be delivered one time which would probably be on Monday but I'm working that day! I'm hoping it comes really early in the morning or some time before 9. Stupid hours

lol I got mine when it was a free blu-ray upgrade instead of 6gb ram. Honestly thought 6gb ram would benefit me more but a free upgrade to bluray ($150) was a much better payoff than free upgrade to 6gb ram ($100?). Of course I didn't go for 6gb and I'm at 4gb ram but that should be plenty for everything. As I've said before, I didn't opt for the backlit keyboard and I'll cry over it for maybe the first week but I definitely felt a $20 upgrade to High-cap 6 cell was more practical than a $25 upgrade to a backlight. I brought my cost down to $815 with instant rebate and $50 coupon. It's not a bad price in my opinion for just the computer itself but hopefully I'm not the 30% who receives a faulty product on arrival

 

Didn't work. I have no use for a touch screen. And I don't what benchmarks you have seen, but the higher clock speed and higher dual core turbo boost seem worth it to me.

 

I waited for the 6gb upgrade because I knew it would be worth more that blu-ray. Eventually, when programs start using them, I can take advantage of the extra memory.

 

Yeah it'll be more convenient for multitasking (6gb ram) and whatever else but with that blu-ray, this computer can really become a home entertainment device when I combine that with hdmi on some big screen lcd or something. Maybe i should look into buying an external Ram and then installing it myself. I think there's a guide for that. Hopefully 4gb won't be outdated in the next few years, it's fine right now at least.

 

Sorry about that. I should have said i haven't actually seen the benchmarks. However, many people on this thread have talked about benchmarks with the results I stated. Also, the 450m has nearly twice the DMI speed of the 540m (4.8 GT/s; 2.5 GT/s, respectively).

 

Even if it is, upgrading it will still be an option. (Though it might be more expensive to buy DDR3 memory once that becomes obsolete.)

 

My school is selling Windows 7 Pro Upgrade and Office Enterprise 2010 dirt cheap, but I don't know if they will work on this OS.

 

Thankfully I'm more knowledgable then previous years. I wouldn't even have known that parts could be replaced in a notebook nonetheless were able to be taken out in the first place. I think I'll be fine with 4gb ram. I just have to keep telling myself that when the day of 6gb standard ram comes.

 

Same here, I thought I knew a decent amount about computers before this summer when I was researching what to buy...now I realize that I haven't touched the tip of the iceberg!haha! I had 4gigs on my dv7t that was defective and it was enough for me...although I had the i7 so it was blazing fast anyway. I also had the bluray on that model and it seemed worth it because of the better screen resolution (1600X900). Now with the smaller resolution, 6gigs of RAM feels like the better option for me and the dv6t. I'm sure an external monitor and hdmi cable would make it worth it though!

P.S. (TO EVERYONE) I'm still waiting to hear some power saving tips for the i7 and 9 cell battery that I ordered if you would please . I just would like it to last through my 3-5 hours of class a day but I will never be far from an outlet and it will always be plugged in when I get home.

 

I worked it out to be around $850 with the i5 450. I want all the other specs to remain the same though. That price is with the instant $150 rebate, and I think a $50 coupon off. Originally I configured my current laptop to be $1,349, and with the instant $150 rebate and a $200 off a laptop over $1299, It came out to be $999 and I was very pleased with that price. So should I just complain to HP that battery life is not what I expected, and see if they can do anything nice for me from there? How exactly do I work the HP customer service people?

 

Windows 7 Pro Upgrade IS THE OS! Depending on your situation Microsoft has a very easy way to upgrade from one Windows 7 version to another. There's an upgrade option in the start menu that once you click on it asks you for your key. Once you put that in, it automatically "unlocks" the Pro features. Office 2010 was built FOR Windows 7 so once again, no problem there.

If you have the kind of deal we did at IU ($20 for Office and $5 for the OS), you'd be crazy to pass it up!

 

My laptop already left Anchorage.. which means hopefully it'll be here tomorrow! Now that's 2 day shipping

 

New coupon guys. Only $100 off, but base price only needs to be $1199 to use it. There's also an extra $20 "laptop instant rebate" in addition to the "notebook instant rebate." So obviously you get less off the price, but now have the ability to build a cheaper laptop using the coupon than before ($929 min price after coupon and rebates vs. $1049 before).

 

That is great news. My desired configuration just got cheaper. Do you know when this coupon expires? I am undecided as to whether I should await another coupon.

Also, a few pages ago I asked whether this laptop supported "hot swapping" of batteries, but unfortunately received no replies. I am wondering about this because I am interested in purchasing the two-battery option (perfect for college). However, this would be kind of useless if you have to turn off the computer in order to switch/recharge batteries.

 

Hot swapping is possible, don't know if this was already answered. I just unplugged my battery right now and am typing only on AC power.

 

Good to know that batteries can be swapped while on AC power. However, I also wanted to know if batteries could be swapped while the computer is in sleep mode.

Anyone have another battery and is willing to test this out? Or does the user's manual mention anything?

 

It expires 8/15 or after 800 uses.

 

Can you current owners check something out? Run your finger along the black and silver edge between the keyboard and the metal all the way around and tell me if you feel any separation or if they are flush all the way. Mine is flush until you get to right above the f2-f4 keys and below the fn-alt keys where the black sticks about a fair amount from the silver. Also pressing on the keyboard between that area has quite a bit of flex for me.

 

You cannot swap under S3(sleep/standby) mode unless you have ac connected.

Under S4 (hibernate or hybrid sleep), you can switch battery without ac connected

 

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate the info. In fact, this might be worth including in "DV6TSE Current Information" thread. Again, thank you very much.

 

Same here, but I don't have that much flex, but I can see a very tiny gap when I turn my backlight on. The keyboard is barely raised.

 

Thanks. My keyboard is fairly solid everywhere else except the area between those keys. If I take a coin or something and push in between keys 's' and 'd', it's at least a good 2-3 mm of flex... =/

 

Does anyone recommend any sleeves/cases for this laptop? I'm considering buying this when I get my laptop-

Walmart.com: HP Laptop Sleeve, Silver: Computers

 

For the sleeves, I got another Logitech Kinetik Sleeve. Been using one for my first DV6. I like the quality and material and it fits the dv6tse fine.

 

Could you tell me where I could buy the sleeve you mentioned? I couldnt find any on logitech's website, or on amazon.

 

I have updated the http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...select-edition-current-information-guide.html thanks for all the input guys!

 

No thank YOU for the guide

 

Amazon has it: Logitech 15.4 Notebook Sleeve. Although I got mine without the mouse from a local store.

 

I purchased this: Amazon.com: Microsoft 15.4" Neoprene Laptop Sleeve: Office Products

Initially, I wanted to buy one with a pocket but I realized a handle-less sleeve would need to go into a bag anyway making the pockets somewhat useless.

Tons of options, take your pick.

 

hohoho my computer is officially on the move and in transit on the Fedex delivery vehicle...but I have work in 1 hour! Situation calls to ask my neighbor but she's not home either! I hope it come soon lol or else it means tomorrow

 

I want to know whats the max 3dmark06 score on this laptop with overclocked hd5650 (650/1000) with 450m processor.