*HP dv7t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

in my opinion, and i think it is pretty accurate, the dv7t outruns the dell studio by a mile in basic computing, gaming, looks, etc. here are my specs:

Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz) FBS-1066 MHz 6Mb internal memory L2 cache
17.0" diagonal WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1440 x 900)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT GDDR2
HP Imprint Finish (Mesh)+Microphone + Webcam + Fingerprint Reader for HP BrightView Infinity Display
Upgrade to Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
320GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
3-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with HP Pick Up and Return
no high speed modem port
no tv tuner
no verizon wireless broadband


as a casual gamer i think that the dv7t would be a great choice for you as long as you went with the 9600M GT optional graphics card. it should be able to play Oblivion and WoW smoothly on the highest detail settings. for WoW i would recommend the T9400 processor that runs at 2.53 GHz because those kind of games are generally processor intensive. i would recommend at least 2 GB of RAM and you have got yourself an extremely nice casual gaming computer. Also, with the uprgraded processor and extra RAM basic computing will be much much faster and easier.

yes it is very easy to watch dvds without any kind of upgrade as long as you are not watching blue-ray dvds

As far as the tv tuner, yes you can get cable tv, but i would only recommend it if you would rather watch tv on your computer screen than on an ordinary cable tv, but then again i opted not to get the tv tuner so i might be a little biased in any case i would read reviews on the quality of the tuner from other people before making that decision.

 

ooooo. non-work friendly picture hosting

 

Just wanted to say Thanks CrashConrad, that sounds like the best advice I've gotten in three weeks of searching.

 

I attached the images to this post for those who couldn't view the last ones.

 

Thanks ! The version I will buy is a pre build model, it is called dv7 1070eo
But that is EU version and the language was in danish, so I did use the one of Canada site , so people could read it without any problems

Where I live, we can only buy per build versions
and the verions I want to buy only have 3 gb ram insted of 4 gb

Here is all the dv7-1000 series modules HP offers in DK - click here !!!
maybe they will change that, but offen they dont .

So my big wounding is have much I do miss, now I will buy my low end dv7-1000 version

Why ? that is like, having a blu-ray with no use ?

 

crashconrad or touchdowntexas?? lol i thought i gave you the advice unless i missed something

 

Added a picture of the quick strip thing to my above post.

 

OOPS! Sorry Touchdown, and Thanks !

 

Bonus! I was mostly going to say exactly what tex said, but he posted first.

On choppy graphics, 1st, make sure your power setting isn't set to 'Battery Saver' as that runs the CPU/GPU at slower speeds than say the 'High Performance' option which turns everything up (WindowsKey+X for Vista to access the Mobility Center). Then, always ensure you have the latest video drivers as they can make or break a game. If that doesn't help 3D performance.......not much else will help other than a new video card.

 

Doesn't look like your missing out on much on the model you listed. Other than a faster CPU/Higher Resolution screen (1650x1050), but that's a personal preference and you know your budget for buying a notebook.

Having only 3GB vs 4GB is not huge deal, especially having Vista x32. Also, you generally only notice RAM increases when you double what you have. (Which the Dv7t max is 8GB iirc)

You do have the dual 250GB option which is cool.

 

Just one more question before I order:

17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)

Infinity glass is a designer screen with a clean frameless look
-$50.00Id : KF625AV Price : 175.00 EPP Price : 0.00 MIR : 0.00 IR : 0.00 17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1680 x 1050)


Is this just a preference thing, widescreen or not ? The screens are still the same size (17") so I don't understand how one is wide and one is not.
Is there much difference in 1680x1050 from the 1440x900 besides the price?

Configuring it as Touchdown has above besides the screen I'm coming up with $ 1,854. so I dont think a few extra dollars are going to hurt since I'm already $1,000 over budget.

 

The difference between 1680x1050 and 1440x900 is its resolution. 1680 is more expensive but will give you more desktop space to work on. The downside to this is some people don't like having all the icons and fonts smaller, though this is fixable with a little extra work. 1440 isn't a bad size either, I've never owned a 17'' so I can't say which is better but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a matter of preference.

 

Last line says it all, personal preference... I'd go for 1920x1200 if they offered it

 

i know they have the 20.1" hdx for larger screan real estate but maybe someone should rethink the 17" form factor. maybe a 18.5" form factor paradigm shift is in order

 

the very picture (not drawing) in the quickstart brochure they have of this model, that comes in the box it is shipped in (i know, cuz i received it) shows clearly, vents on each side where each of the hard drives are, so i know that they fabricated/manufactured them. why did the assemblers not do it is the real question.

can someone please post a scan of this, since i do not have a scanner.

 

haha no problem just wanted to think i helped someone with their decision. sounds like you've got a pretty nice laptop coming along! i got the infinity screen because the guy at Hp told me it looked a lot better but personally i didnt really know what it was. resolution like the others have said is all personal preference but make sure you get the one you want because that definitely cant be changed later. good luck with your new laptop

 

my scanner at home is actually not working right now, but if by tomorrow no one has posted a pic of this "problem" i will do it tomorrow at work. i too am still curious about this matter.

 

Maybe the guide was printed from a pre-production photo of a dv7 and what you physically received is a production model dv7.... The guides could have been made well before the actual product even had a mold created.


Moving along ... anyone else see the specs for this chipset supporting a max of 8GB DDR2?

 

Looks like it should per Intel (PDF link)

Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express
Chipset Family
Supports faster DDR2 (800 MHz)
memory
Faster DDR2 memory support (vs. prior generations). Delivers fast, high data bandwidth performance and up to
8 GB memory addressability for faster system responsiveness
and support of 64-bit computing.

 

From Kingston ...

I will be waiting for the price to drop on this one....

Kingston RAM modules for the DV7

 

Can soemone who got their DV7T tell me if it comes stock with the subwoofer? I thought it did but then two things made me wonder. A) someone here posted high-res pics of their DV7 and I didn't see the subwoofer port at the table near the speakers, and B) on Hp's site it says it's "optional" yet when you custom build there is no option for it. Can someone or multiple members clarify for me? My last Toshiba had a subwoofer then my current 9700t does not and you can notice the difference in music and movies. I was wanting to get the DV7 but the subwoofer could be a dealbreaker, no subwoofer, maybe I'll just get a DV5. Thanks all!

 

The subwoofer comes with stock model.

The subwoofer works really well!

 

The Sub Bling!

 

Here are some pics of the new laptop, have never posted Images so here goes...

 

an unboxing video on youtube now!! big shout out to raiden.

 

Hey guys,

After reading through everyone's posts, it seems as some of you have successfully installed Windows XP 64-bit, even if some things don't work (sound, web cam, etc.)

Well, how exactly did you install Win XP? I get a blue screen when it tries to load hard disk drivers in the Windows setup, and I haven't been able to find any RAID drivers to install to make it work properly.

I'd really appreciate any help, as I don't think I can stick with Vista.

Thanks!

 

This is the laptop i want and need (CPU & GPU) but i really dont dig the chrome color and trackpad but ill prolly get it is there anything to change the trackpad so its not chrome or shiny?

 

Not to be a fan boy or anything but i use vista and it it works great all the software and compatibility mess ups are fixed its fast you should at least try it for a couple days and see if you like it before you downgrade.

 

I just ordered mine today!!!! im so excited.

but im a little concerned the
Estimated delivery is Aug 2, 2008....

isnt this too early??....its been like a day....

 

maybe u just got really lucky lol

 

hey guys, I previously ordered a 2.8ghz version although I had to cancel. any notable difference between the 2.53 and 2.8?

 

i wouldnt notice a big difference but to me why spend 200+ extra bucks for 300mhz?

 

Hi do anybody have time to post some 3DMark06 benchmark ? ( don't buy it )

It could be fun to see the difference for the low to the high end dv7-1000 series

3DMark06 benchmark battel

1) P7350, 2 gb ram, gf 9600m gt, 5400 rpm harddisk, vista / linux

vs

2) T9400, 4 gb, gf 9600m gt, 7200 rpm harddisk, vista / linux

Or if you will post your configuration + 3DMark06 benchmark

But it would be fun to see the the 1) vs 2)

 

Its a tax for those that need the very best of everything I reallocated that amount, went with the T9400 (2.53) to add a BluRay drive.

 

Add in if its on a clean install or what HP shipped with the system.

My Dv7 is suprisingly quick, even with all the HP fluff.

 

There was some discussion in earlier posts about coupons .
FYI Coupon code NB3089 worked just fine for me as of 7/31, It knocked an extra $98 dollars off.

 

So I just received my dv7t as well...

Does anyone notice their build quality alittle iffy...The controls that light up... that piece of chrome on the edging is alittle chipped off...

I don't know if I feel that is enough to ask for another in return...Anyone else?!

Keys feel great, mouse tracker has to be used a few times, the mouse clickers underperform if you click to the outside of the buttons... so click on the inside

Does anyone know why my windows experience score would be a 3.3 for graphics? I only got the nvidia 9200 gs but that was definitely better than my last graphics card in a dv9233cl... and that was 4.7 ...

should i look into updating the drivers or potentially installing some forceware...

 

If mine comes with chipped paint I'm sending it back for a "new" one.
sounds like someone has been using yours.

 

its the chrome finish on the edge of the round corner... seems like just lack of quality control...

Should i ask for another one in return?? such a pain

 

upload photo od that corner.

 

my freakn iphone doesnt show it haha... Photo by end of day

 

biggy135,

- I guess it depends partly on how bad you need your laptop and if you can live with the timeframe for returning it; or if you feel this is a liveable cosmetic defect even though you spent good money on it. This is a personal choice.

- My Left and Right click buttons might need some break-in time too.

- OEM's like HP don't usually ship with the latest graphic drivers, so go to LaptopVideo2Go and get some new Nvidia drivers and see if that perks up your GPU performance.

Looks like your old GPU was a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600...

 

yes.. the 7600 Go is what i had...

this new card is supposed to be alot better... I installed the nvidia forceware driver and still didn't see any move in the index score

 

I'd have to use some google-fu to find specs on the 7600Go vs the 9200GS.

In this 9 series vs 7 series showdown, the 7600 could actually be faster due to any combination of these factors:

Faster GPU/GDDR
More Graphic processing pipelines
Wider memory bus (256 vs 128??)

So the 7600 could be quicker in some respects than the 9200GS in your dv7, but not offering all the other newer features (Purevideo, Newer shader models, DX10 features etc..)

Again, I haven't looked up the specs for those two cards, but from my experience, a higher end card from a previous gen can easily be faster than a entry level next-gen card. Thinking about the 9600GT now?

 

Inquiring minds would like to know, for those that have already received your dv7, who is the manufacturer of your HDD. Kinda an informal poll.

Fujitsu 320GB (single drive)

 

Also, for those of us that got two identical 7200 rpm drives, is there a way to configure these drives as RAID 0? I only assumed they came that way, to later find out they are NOT, despite the chipset supporting RAID and AHCI.
Of course there are no options in the BIOS, but hopefully there's a way to configure them as RAID 0, otherwise what's the point of having two identical drives as opposed to a single larger drive, right?

 

Just ordered my dv7t. Looks like the build date is a couple weeks out but maybe I'll get lucky and it will ship early. Think I got a decent price at $1246 before tax.

Your customized PC includes:
- HP Pavilion dv7t Entertainment Notebook
- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
- 17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1680 x 1050)
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
- 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
- FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

 

hi i ran 3dmark06 and pcmark05, but for some reason pcmark05 scores wouldnt show up online and it showed in the window that none of the tests had been completed even though i had just ran it. here are my specs and 3dmark06 score

Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz) FBS-1066 MHz 6Mb internal memory L2 cache
17.0" diagonal WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1440 x 900)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
HP Imprint Finish (Mesh)+Microphone + Webcam + Fingerprint Reader for HP BrightView Infinity Display
FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
320GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
3-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with HP Pick Up and Return
no high speed modem port
no tv tuner
no verizon wireless broadband

i scored 4518 in 3dmark06, which i dont really understand because the smaller dv5t's with the same specs on their computer scored only 3980 and 4000 at the most. could the dv7t's GPU be slightly overclocked or maybe even a different version of the 9600M GT??? i plan on doing another run in 3dmark06 just to make sure it wasnt a fluke on my computers part and then run pcmark05 and try and get my scores. laptopmag.com also did a review on the dv7t and they said it only scored 3936 on 3dmark06 so im really wondering why im getting so many more pointsbut im not complaining . i havent overclocked by the way but i have installed rivatuner.

 

ok so pcmark05 still wont work. it says that HDD General Use test failed and skipped as well as HD Virus Scan, Web Page Rendering, and another that i dont rememer. im wondering if it has something to do with vista 64-bit or windows media player 11. i dont really know. any suggestions??

but i did 2 more tests in 3dmark06. so all my tests went like this:
Run1: score- 4518 sm2.0=1823 sm3.0=1664 CPU=2281
Run2: score- 4536 sm2.0=1840 sm3.0=1671 CPU=2243
Run3: score- 4529 sm2.0=1827 sm3.0=1672 CPU=2272

so it all looks legit to me. i still dont understand why im scoring 500+ points higher than the dv5t series though when they supposedly have the same hardware.