*HP dv7t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

I agree with the two posts above me too. The dv7 is an awesome machine and no one should be putting it down.

 

You can say what you want, but the version with the 9200GS has a very bad cooling system. Hp must have used a better cooling system with the 9600M Gt graphics cards, since your systems are running cooler.

K-TRON

 

That sounds a bit... excessive. I think graphics cards are probably fine if they max out as high as 90 degrees since they are designed to withstand higher than that. I don't think any of my other components ever break 60 anyway except my processor peaking at 60 after a few hours of gaming.

Getting custom made fans sounds obsessive- how much did that cost?

 

custom made fans run over $600 if you do not supply cad drawings. But if you supply CAD drawings, its $350, but with shipping from Germany about $400.
They are custom make, so they are expensive.

I for one feel that over 60C, parts will degrade much faster, because in essence 60C is really hot. if you were to stand in 140f room, you would feel the same way laptop components do.
The problem is, the components can take the heat, like up to 80C, but after 60C, the heat is so high, it kills the efficiency of the components, forcing them to work harder, and once too much current goes through, as the efficiency drops, pop goes the weasel occurs. It is safer to have cooler temperatures, but for my friend cobra, to use a heat gun, for cars to read his temperatures, and report they actually are over 200F is really scary.
I dont own the system, but after seeing pictures and different thermal programs, its quite sad that Hp did not use a larger heatsink. Their was room to have a bigger sink for the 9200GS, and I really wonder why Hp didnt take advantage of that space.
Obviously others here are reporting its cool, but you all have a graphics card which has its own heatsink. So if the chassis can fit a larger graphics card, but an onboard is used, means their is a significant amount of open space where a larger heatsink could be used.

K-TRON

 

^ LOL. Ok.

 

Hello everyone. I purchased and then received my HP Dv7t yesterday. It came with 4 gigs of ram, T9400 2.53 GHz, 9600M GT, and 64 bit Vista. I'm in love with it so far, but I've noticed something that concerns me.

When I play games like Counter Strike Source, my CPU instantly goes up to 50 percent usage, one whole core is taken up. However when I focus out of the CSS window, say onto a notepad, the CPU drops back down to normal. Even though I can see that everything is being rendered and processed as if I was actually focused on the window.

I've also tried this on another game called Blockland, it had the same result, when window is in focus 50 usage, when unfocused barely anything at all.

Is this normal? I'm a little concerned because my temperatures go around 70C when this happens. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

Is anyone having issues with the Blu Ray drive with built in DVD burner not being reconized in burning software? I use Deepburner and Ultra ISO and can not burn in either. Says the drive is not a burner. Any thoughts?

 

Well mine FINALLY shipped out - 3 days later than it was supposed to - but the tracking info still isn't showing up on the site. Does anyone know about how long it normally takes for delivery? I'm in AZ if that helps.

 

I have been using my DV7t for a day and I must say that the screen isn't all that. I actually like the infinity, but the corners of the screen have dark spots and the white is a bit grey. The contrast shift when you change angles is aweful. You move just a little and the screen goes darker. There were a couple of dings on the left panel which even if I truely liked the machine I would retrun for an exchange. If I buy a new machine there better not be any nicks or dings on it. It plays games pretty well. I really don't think I want the HDX18t anymore. Seriuosly, that machine doesn't offer much more than the DV7t. Why is it taking them so long to ge the machine out? Maybe they are going with a different card. If Dv7t came with Ultra Bightview than I would keep the Dv7t without any reservations.

 

3 days max.

congrats
JohnG

 

Hi Shstuka
The main reason I decided to wait for the 18t is the display. It's the *Ultra* Brightview @ 1080P. From all I've read the Ultra is head and shoulders above the standard Brightview when it comes to bright vivid colors. I'm a display guy so the choice was a no brainer. IMHO the DV7t is a great machine if you're comfortable with the display. BTW, if the 18t isn't available without the Infinity I'll have to look elsewhere.

 

ok, let's try to keep this thread more on the dv7t than on comparing it to the 18t.


Quick Question,
how many of you have downloaded the laptopvideo2go nvidia driver or have just kept the standard nvidia driver?

 

Eh, I kept the standard HP's nvidia driver since that's the only one that works with Window's Aero (which I am quite fond of). I tried the latest drivers from laptopvideo2go but it took off Aero.

 

I used the laptopvideo2go version and it worked fine even though the driver wasn't listed on the inf compatibility list.

 

ya, I've stuck with the standard HP driver too. I don't want to take any chances.

Another question,

I feel as though I have this really powerful laptop sitting in front of me, but I'm mostly just using it for Internet Browsing. I want to do more high-end stuff with it. What software/games are you guys running that you really like?

 

The 177.92 drivers from laptopvideo2go work great for me.

 

I've run Crysis on mine, and I play a lot of C&C 3 and Generals. They all run magnitudes better than my old compaq desktop (granted it is very very old, and can't actually run crysis or C&C3, but Generals is amazing on the dv7t).

Does Aero work with it?

 

Since I have only been using mine, which unfortunately is going back to HP, I have been playing Medal of Honor: Airborne on full settings and it plays pretty well. Some stuttering when the there are a crud load of sprites on one screen, but plays really well. I use the Zalman NC200 at home and the new antec big boy on the go.

 

JPZ - try unreal tournement 3, which is a first person shooter. and try race driver grid for a driving/racing game...

i have only played unreal on my dv7t and the graphics are really spectacular. it's a good way to see what this machine is capable of.

other than that, yeah, it's wierd - i also feel like im 'wasting' a powerful machine just running IE and winamp to play my music.. LOL.... i watch a lot of movies / simpsons/family guy, etc on it but, again, nothing that utilizes the potential of this machine....

 

Hey guys, my dv7 will be arriving this week and has the blu-ray drive. It's the first time I'll be connecting my computer to a TV, and I had a couple of questions about the connection. My HDTV has a DVI connection, and the dv7 has an HDMI port, so I guess I'll just use an HDMI to DVI cable to watch blu-ray movies. Assuming this is right (please correct me if I'm wrong), will there be any degradation in quality on my TV?

Also, would I use this setup for just viewing desktop content on my TV and/or for playing games? What is the difference between the above configuration, and using the VGA connection?

One last thing: I just bought another HDTV, that is still in the box. I won't be using it as my primary TV, but I might decide to connect my laptop at some point. This TV has an RGB connection, and I'm trying to figure out what kind of cable I would need to connect to my computer.

Any help is great appreciated!

 

HDMI and DVI are both DIGITAL signal formats. Basically HDMI carries sound where as DVI is a video only format only and does not. Picture quality will be the same. You will have to provide a sound connection via the headphone jack (3.5mm stereo jack to dual RCA connection at the TV).

VGA is also a Video only format which is ANALOG. Again you must supply a spearate sound connection. A VGA connection is a slight step down from HDMI/DVI but may actually be a better picture from a computer depending on the TV / Computer graphics card. VGA is basically the same as component but also supplies Horizonal and Vertical sync as required by a monitor. I would purchase cables from a store with a good return policy and try both the DVI and VGA connections for yourself.

Is that RGB as in Component connections? VGA is also an RGB connection with sync. If it has a VGA input use that. You cannot connect your laptop via component connections. There is no HDMI to component cable since one is digital and one is analog. You would need to use an S-Video connection, yuk!

Another approach you can take is to purchase an HP docking station (Approx. $100). It has all the audio/video outputs you would need to connect to most any TV (it does not have HDMI or DVI out).

 

Yes. I have not had any problems.

 

Hmm...I might have to look in to that.

Update:
I just installed the 177.92 driver and Aero still works (Hurray). Thanks for bring it to my attention

 

Thanks so much for the info. So, would you suggest I buy a VGA to DVI cable and an HDMI to DVI cable and see which one performs better? It seems to me that there is going to be sound degradation using just RCA cables for audio, correct? Is there no other way to get audio to the TV from the dv7?

I will have to look at that RGB connection on the other TV. I know there is a special "RGB" button on the remote that allows you to quickly switch to that source - although I'm not sure what kind of connection it is.

Anyone have experience with the HP Quickdoc, with the dv7? I do like the idea of being able to plug everything into it, and just be able to quickly disconnect my laptop without a mess of cables. On the Quickdoc, I see a VGA connection, but only headphone jacks for audio. So again, I'm concerned about the audio quality coming from the laptop.

 

Although I sent my dv7 back, I still have the QuickDock (will be for my HDX18) and it has S/PDIF output on it, so no worries about sound quality there.

 

According to the HP site my DV7T shipped out today, too bad the tracking number doesn't work yet.

 

No not exactly. HDMI to DVI-D(I) cable, yes (check to see if your TV has a DVI-D connection or DVI-I).

The other cable (connection) would be VGA out on your PC to VGA in on your TV. Remember VGA is typically monitor connection and might give you a better screen fit for computer text / page display and may be sharper in some cases (that is why I would give it a try also). One reason for this is that VGA as I mentioned before also contains H/V sync pulses provided by the notebook graphics card.

That is correct RCA analog does not provide for the best audio but your choices are very limited.

Unfortunately TV's usually don't have any other high quality sound inputs. HDMI usually takes care of that since it contains digital audio. If by chance your TV has a S/PDIF audio input use that but you would need something such as the QuickDock with the S/PDIF output to connect. I am afraid you are stuck with either HDMI, S/PDIF as true digital formats or RCA analog.

Your only audio output choices as I mentioned above is S/PDIF if your TV has it, which I doubt (or connect to a surround sound processor). Or, RCA analog which basically just gives you some sound.

 

Definitely do the HDMI-DVI solution - I've used HDMI out to our Sony 55" LCD and it's outstanding, then recently picked up a DVI converter (used the same HDMI cable) for ~$8, ran some audio out via the 3mm jack and that was an equally outstanding setup (though the audio wasn't 5.1 like HDMI).

FYI, Monoprice.com has fantastic prices on cables and adapters. If you want to get into more exotic signal conversion, check out the boxes by Gefen - we use one of their HDMI switchers and everything they make is top notch.

 

As 'DT' indicates you probably will get the best quality picture with Blu-Ray discs using the HDMI-DVI solution.

BUT, you mentioned also wanting the ability to view desktop, apps, and games. This is why I mentioned VGA.

With all the automatic signal detection and manipulation that the new HDTV's perform on the signal inputs you may find that the desktop image does not always fit properly on your TV display. A little overscan or underscan with a movie doesn't affect much, but can make a desktop app unusable. VGA allows for minor tweaking of the Horizontal and Vertical sync to make the desktop fit better. Just food for thought, that is why I mentioned it.

 

Oh just an an extra FYI, we have our Sony setup as a dual display with the native LCD panel - so we can run our regular 1680x1050 concurrent with our TV at 1920x1080 (HD). It's pretty slick: just drag a window over to the TV (including media center) and run it full screen!

That way we were able to optimize the output from the HDMI and keep our setting for the native LCD.

This machine has enough juice to run a full screen HD video and handle something like looking up an actor on IMDB I'm actually thinking about picking up a Logitech Mediaboard so we have a completely wireless solution (plus it works with a PS3 running LINUX).

 

How do you like the non-infinity display at 1050 resolution? I heard it may be preferable to the Infinity since it does not have as much glare. How are the viewing angles?

 

Great, thanks for the advice! At least I know I can get a decent connection for blu-ray movies this way. And am I seeing correctly on monoprice? $5.82 for a 15' HDMI-DVI cable?? If that's right, it's an incredible price. Best Buy has 6' Dynex cables for like $40, and their "Geek Squad" cables go for around $100!

You're correct, and thanks again for suggesting the VGA connection specifically for viewing my desktop and apps. I'll probably end up buying both and just switching between them when needed.

 

What happened to the Intel Deep Power Down that was suppose to be in penryn? Is there a way to use it on my dv7t?

Thanks

 

The biggest markup in B&M walk-ins are on cables and blank media. If you head over to any A/V forum, you'll see a ton of positive comments about monoprice. You'll see plenty of folks with fairly high-end gear using monoprice!

The $6 cable is probably 28AWG which is generally fine up to ~15 feet (when you starting moving toward 30+ generally 24AWG is preferred).

One thing you might consider - get a good HDMI cable and a HDMI-to-DVI adapter. Then for just $6-7 more you have a 15' HDMI *and* a 15' DVI cable (so you can accommodate a couple of different digital TV inputs).

 

I personally like the 1680x1050 non-Infinity display much better than the Infinity display. There is just WAY too much glare on the Infinity display that it makes the laptop almost unusable in anything but a dark room. If you try to use it ouside, or even in a lighted room during the daytime, the reflections are ridiculous.

 

I'm really happy with the higher (1680x1050) rez option on the non-infinity too. I used this machine out on the deck the other day and it wasn't bad. I would have probably selected a non-shiny/anti-glare finished display (like the 24" on my desktop), but that doesn't seem to be the current design trend.

I personally don't "get" the infinity display - it's just more glass - no more screen area, or resolution, or lighting variance - just a cosmetic thing that sort of creates phantom extra display. I guess it looks kind of cool and certainly the visual aesthetic has become a big design consideration.

 

Has anyone tried one of those anti glare sheets for the Infinity display?

 

Did you keep your dv7t Ken just our curiosity?

 

LoL, I just printed out the FEDEx shipping label... I am so close but I think about the incredible deal I got, which adds to the confusion... Like a lot of others I purchased the laptop in my signature for only $1550.49 plus tax minus the fatwallet cashback...

I keep wondering how much more the HDX 18 will cost me for similar specs. I love the laptop just really hate that I can't sit on the deck and use my laptop. Thats the whole problem, thats my debate...

 

I'm so glad that I went into a Best Buy and checked out an Infinity vs. Non-Infinity displays before I made my purchase. I was set on getting the Infinity display just because it was more (so I assumed it HAD to be better), but upon looking at them side by side I was instantly turned off by the Infinity screen. For anyone who is still on the fence about this - check it out in person before making your purchase. It's a shame that they put something like this on a laptop just for enhanced aesthetics, when in reality it is completely impractical.

 

Well if you're not happy with the glare from the Infinity screen, then you probably shouldn't even be considering the HDX18. If its configuration options are anything like the HDX16, then you won't even be able to get it without the Infinity display. I was all set to send my DV7 back for an HDX16, that is until I noticed that you can't get it without the Infinity display. How retarded is that?

 

The difference is as a previous UltraBrite user, I know that the extra lamp help a lot and makes outdoor use bearable.

 

Also options could change for the 18t. They could add more for it since it's a bigger notebook.

Anyways I returned my dv7t. The money has been credited back and I'm just sitting here checking this website and HP's every few hours to see if it's up yet. I'm currently without a laptop so I hope HP hurries up and gets it out there with great options for customization.

 

I noticed some people talking about windows aero earlier and how some newer drivers don't work with it. What does aero do that is different than not having it?

 

OK, I downloaded the 177.92 driver from laptopvideo2go.com and when if finished downloading, the computer extracted the file, and then nothing happened. I waited like ten minutes, but still, nothing. I tried downloading it from another site and it said that my computer was not compatable with the driver when it tried to install it. Anyone help me out?

 

Laptopvideo2go should have step by step instructions with pictures. They're pretty helpful.

 

I found out that I need to download an "INF" file to get it to install correctly. I thought I d/l one from laptopvideo2go but it just came up with a notepad file and the driver still didn't install. For those of you who go it to work, what did you do?

 

I just figured out how to install the driver. Worked fine and restarted cpu. Did anyone's index scores change when they updated their driver? Mine stayed the same...

Just wondering.

Thanks

 

Just curious if you had any specific beef with the HP supplied driver or if it was just to see if there was any improved performance? Video drivers for me generally fall into the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it upgrades

Speaking of video (per the other conversation): the VGA / RGBHV (DSub15) on these DV7Ts send out RGB component and not Y-Pr-Pb (that would be compatible with a HDTV) [?] I'm assuming that's the case and a component connection will take a converter box (and not _just_ a cable).

 

My score's are still the same.

eh, I was just curious to see if it had any improvement. I suppose there could be less problems while playing certain games with the updated driver.