*HP dv7t Quad Edition (3XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Hi folks,
My first experience with my Dv7t was not a good one. But I must say HP's support was great. I received my Dv7t the Monday after Christmas. Two days later it would not power up at all. Spent a few hours with HP support but no luck.
I didn't want a 2-day old system repaired so I called their sales and they agreed to a replacement without any arguments whatsoever.
I'm now waiting for the new one to be built and delivered.

So I'm hoping the first one was just a dud, but has anyone else had similar startup problems?

 

Im frm india but i not able to buy dv7t quad frm official site can any suggest me wht should i do..


a little help will be very helpfull

 

Having been a huge fan of the Kensington Thin and Light 120W adapters, I've used them for years on my laptops (HP and Dell's) and I use them in my business (all models) and have never been disappointed.

Until now. I tried one on my dv7t with the N30(B) tip, which is the HP tip, and although it charges, I found that the Core i7 never goes into turbo mode. I'm not sure what the actual clock speed is, but the Intel Turbo gadget shows no movement when charging with the Kensington, and if I unplug it, the gadget shows clock speed increases. When I use the HP charger (120W), it works also (speed changes dynamically).

Anyone else using the Kensington Thin and Light adapters with the dv7t or dv8t? Any ideas how to really tell the clock speed of the cores of the i7? I tried the latest CPU-Z but the results were odd and didn't match the Intel speed gadget at all.

 

Costco has the dv7-3080us quad without Blu-Ray but with 6GB memory and a 500GB drive for $1,199. I find it interesting that HP offers the Blu-Ray version with a coupon for $950. Is this model on its last legs, and is there another one waiting in the wings that will offer more performance for the same price?

 

You guys have noticed that in the back of the lcd monitor of the laptop there is the HP logo that lights up. Does anybody know how to turn that off? It is sometimes annoying having it on.

 

According to the folks in the Dell S-XPS 1645 throttling thread, this can measure the i7.

S-XPS 1645 Throttling Info. and Updates

I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that thread. I would still be wondering why my system slowed down when I plugged it in.

 

I am not using the Kensington, but I can confirm that CPU-z 1.53.1 works fine in terms of seeing the throttle.

Just use prime95 to get the system to cook on something consistent - then cook on say, two cores. I can see that I max at 1.5 Ghz or so on the 90w adapter, but it goes up to over 2Ghz on just the battery. I have not tried the 120W adapter yet.

I did learn something from this thread, though. I was not aware that the 90W adapter would dissalow throttling beyond 1.6! Maybe I'll buy that 120W from ebay after all!

R

 

Well, I am not sure that there will be something for the same price with more performance - that would not make sense economically for HP.

However, considering CES and all of the new systems coming out, there is no doubt that the price will drop a bit on these existing platforms.

Six months from now I guarentee that these will be cheaper and new systems will take their place...that is the way of the world!

Best thing to do is to go shopping for what is available now, and buy what gives you the best value.

R

 

I just joined this forum but have been reading the comments for a while. Very informative and interesting. I ordered my 2nd HP yesterday (9 Jan) based on much of the information here and my experience with my first HP laptop. Got it for $904 and happy with the price.

# • Moonlight White
# • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
# • FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 3GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# • FREE Upgrade to 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# • 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
# • 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
# • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
# • [For BrightView Infinity Display] Webcam Only
# • Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
# • No TV Tuner w/remote control
# • HP Color Matching Keyboard
# • 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
# • Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 pair)
# • No Modem
# • System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

 

I saw posts where several people talked about the boxing of the laptop and possible loose components. It's not the laptop but some of the components packed on top. Check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvTlyQvB3oQ

 

is it available to other countries (india) also i need help i need 2 buy this dv7t quad

 

Well, after spending the good part of yesterday loading up my dv7t QUAD like my Dell 1640 is, and running a bunch of apps (a lot of Adobe CS4 apps), and doing some side-by-side comparisons, I've decided my dv7t is going back to HP on Monday.

Speed, surprisingly, was in the favor of my 1640. Both units are similarly configured (well, pretty close), and running single apps, I don't think the 4GB vs. 8GB difference ever came into play. Time after time, the Dell started Windows 7 faster, apps would launch faster, etc. Also, the fact that my Kensington thin and light chargers don't allow the i7 to go into turbo mode is a big downer. They're 120W, so not sure what the deal is.

The deciding factor, though, was the display. My 1640 WLED 1080p display (not the RGBLED) is one fantastic LCD. Bright, colorful, contrasty...images are like photos on the screen. Side-by-side, the dv7t was just a bit washed out, lacking pizazz, and not bright enough for me. Whites don't jump out at you. Hard to explain unless you see it for yourself.

So, I'll be looking around some more, waiting for the next great thing!

 

Were you considering replacing the Dell with the HP? Will you replace the HP with another one?

Knowing that this was not a 1080p, what did you expect?

R

 

Yes, if the dv7t was worthy. But it wasn't and it doesn't have as much to do with the resolution, as the quality of the screen. I was working on a client's Macbook Pro on Friday, and it's only 1440x900 but looked fantastic! Viewing angles were great, no greyish/shadowey blacks, colors/contrast and sharpness were excellent. For a 1440x900 LCD, it was great! The dv7t, even though it has higher resolution than the MBP, looks worse. And, it looks worse than my Dell 1640.

As I've said before, unless you have something to compare it to, you have nothing to judge it against, and will be happy. But it's like eating hamburger your whole life and then having a good steak...suddenly hamburger ain't so great anymore!

The other little things I've mentioned about the dv7t also helped me decide to return it.

 

Lancorp, what was the difference in price if I may ask?

 

I ordered the dv7-3080us from Costco today, and am looking forward to the performance boost it will be giving me over my 4-year old Dell 9300, which has a failing LCD.

 

you're making me crave a hamburger right now... and also regret my dv7t quad order

 

I'll be looking at too-good-to-be-true deals on the dv8t in the future. That LCD is getting great reviews, and owners of the dv8t who also had the HDX18, say the LCD is the same. I had an HDX18 and although it's not LED, it was one great LCD. One of the best I've owned.

I'm also keeping an eye on the Dell 1647 with an i7-620M with 1080p (not RGBLED).

Time to go have a STEAK! Enjoy your hamburger...

 

So here is the question....can someone point to an i7 or better, nvidia 230 or better, 17" laptop with a better screen?

Laptops (like life) are full of choices and priorities. If the screen is your thing, then the dv7t may not be the best choice.

To me, it was the mix of all of the above for 1k - I am pretty happy with my purchase. Buyer's remorse in PCs is not unusual, but this time around I can't complain.

R

 

Gotta agree with RhyStar. We have 2 Dell laptops and 1 Hp in the family, so I can compare the two and HP has been great. That's why, along with a $904 price, I choose HP again. Just remember where the hamburger came from. Just a steak in disguise!

 

I'm not comparing brands. I'm comparing models. Dell certainly sells some models with really crappy screens too. You apparently have two of them, since, to you, the dv7t looks better. For me (and others in the 1640 Owners Lounge forum if you take a look) , the 1640/1645's 1080p screen is highly approved. I'm also not the only one who has complained here about the dv7t screen. Again, if you 've seen or had better, it's hard to appreciate the dv7t.

Apparently, you buy your steaks like you buy your laptops. The steaks I eat will never be on the hamburger shelf.

 

Hey thread,

I was originally thinking of getting the dv6t quad, but the things im hearing about the screen res arent pleasing to my ear :/ Im hoping the 7t my better suit my needs, is it worth it to drop the extra 100 bucks for screen resolution?

what is the battery life on this beast? and will it run Starcraft 2?

any good reviews any where does everyone like theres?

head over here if you want a better idea of what i need in a laptop

thanks!

 

Resolution and size it is a very personel thing. Go to stores, try to use the computer without sellers around and judge by yourself. For me 17" is essential and the $100 are deserved but depends on you.

 

Concerning DV7 screen: Viewing angles are bad specially vertical, i rate it worse than screens from years ago, it cames with an added strange benefit since the Good to Bad angle is so easy to find, it is difficult to the user find itself in a so so viewing angle without noticing.
Screen reflexions are bad too.
Instead i like the contrast, crispiness, and strong color.

It is a good screen if someone can be in right postion in front of it and not outside with too much ilumination. This is the thing that irks me more than the viewing angles the inability of Laptops in general to be good outside.

 

Just wanted to revamp this thread.

I am very pleased with my purchase, moonlight white is def the best option for staying away from finger prints and the glossy nightmare.

On the graphics card I havnt found it to be underpowered yet, runs all my games pretty well and has great overclockability,

i7 core is simply fast and powerful...

the screen ok has had mixed reviews but I feel its pretty good for the price of the system the viewing angles can take a little getting use to and the LED backlighting still probably needs a few tweaks to get it right in future manufacturing but all in all im very positive about this laptop.

 

I agree with you. I had the moonlight white also, and although not as sexy as black, it also does not show greasy fingerprints (although the trackpad "mirror" sure does!).

With regards to speed, though, I think I concur with what others say about the Core i7 series. If you're running everyday apps (and maybe some gaming), a traditional Core2Duo series could be faster (that being one with a fast clock speed like a T9550 or higher). You can set the C2D to run full clock all the time, whereas the Core i7 starts at 1.6Ghz and hovers around the low 2Ghz's most of the time (turbo). Sure, you have 4 cores/8 threads, but for most stuff, you don't use it, and wind up with a 1.6-2Ghz CPU. Me, I like FAST all the time! In my testing this weekend between my dv7t and Dell 1640, the 1640 was mostly faster in everyday stuff (launching, booting, etc.). Both had 256GB Samsung SSD's, too. In my case, I did not see huge differences. If I got into audio recoding, though, the Core i7 would definitely cream the C2D, as I could recode 28 simultaneous MP3's and the Core2Duo can barely manage 10.

The core i7-620M looks interesting. 2 cores/4 threads, high clock speed (2.66Ghz/3.33Ghz Turbo, 4M cache, 35W). Many of the benefits of the Core i7-720QM, but higher speeds most of the time and runs cooler.

 

lancorp you're only fuelling the flames of buyer's remorse with these comparisons

it's a little too late for "could've"s for most of us

 

Not everyone who comes here already has a dv7t to be remorseful of. Many are looking for feedback and information to help them purchase one.

Also, many do still have the option to exchange/return.

I don't mean to "fuel the flames" for anyone. The Core i7-620M was just released, so to me, it's useful, new information.

 

I have seen the RGBLED display. It is fantastic.

It sucks up so much power that it made the S-XPS 1645 throttle like crazy.

I also realized that I really didn't need to pay the premium for a 1920x1080 display. I want a machine that will run fast with multiple applications, but I do not necessary play games (other things having to do with games... sure).

I know I will benefit from the Core i7 if, and only if, the system is getting the power it requires.

So, I can confirm that lancorp is right. The RGBLED display Dell is peddling is a thing of beauty.

After returning it (with some remorse) I went back to my current Latitude D820 and realized "for what I do, every day, I just don't need that. I'll spend that money somewhere else."

I am NOT knocking the display. Just saying it isn't the end-all for some users.

That said, I have reservations about the dv7-3080us arriving today. Let's hope it is satisfactory.

 

That i7-620 is definitely interesting. I'm sure if I was looking at buying a machine today instead of Christmas time, I may have more thinking to do than just having the 720 to choose (820+ too expensive)

 

I agree with lancorp that without an direct comparison of various machines, we would easily get satisfied with our Dv7t machine.

Well, i did some research on the components between the Dv7t and Dell XP 16 and found out that there are actually some differences. Although they use the same processor but their ram frequency is different. Dell XP 16 ram frequency is 1333MHz while Dv7t ram frequency is 1066MHz.

Although both computers' harddrive have the same RPM but we don't know their latency values. Also, I don't know what mother board the Dell XP 16 and Dv7t uses so i can't compare those components. So if assuming that the motherboard and harddrive are the same, the Dell XP 16 still wins in ram performance.

According to Dell's site, the Dell XP 16 start at a price of $1699 and the highest Dell coupon i have seen so far is %25 off making it at least $1274.25 without tax; but i personally haven't seen any coupon applying to this special i7-core laptop. http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DYDWFN5&s=dhs

 

all i have to compare mine to is my old asus core 2 duo and this is much faster in everything, except despite the faster hard drive it seems to take longer to convert mp3s into wav files. Everything else runs faster and smoother, my display looks fantastic, if a little heavy on glare(i have the brightview).

my only beef is that when gaming or watching videos it runs hot as hell. I dont know the max safe temp so I have to take breaks to let it cool a lot. Also the back of the screen is flimsy feeling which worries me with my travel.

audio editing and processing(besides conversion) are awesomely fast on it. I haven't seen the dells, but I think the screen on this is is great. sure i get a tiny bit of flex but it is only noticeable when i look for it. I use an external audio interface which works amazingly with it, so the speaker issues don't really effect me.

Any recommendations on a bag? I still have my 50$ coupon to use.

 

I got the Targus bag they have and really like it.

 

lancorp you're totally in the right. mine is due to arrive in the next few days and i'm just a bit shaky after reading about the screen & speaker issues.

i shouldn't even be concerned about the speed, when all i have to compare is my dell pentium 4 desktop with 256mb of ram from 5 years ago with a shi*ty stock monitor and speakers. i'm sure i'll be blown away by it but it still doesn't stop me worrying!

 

I have the dv7t. Where do I change the contrast of the screen?

Thanks

 

Graphic card settings.

 

So I am having trouble searching this thread...so I apologize if I overlooked this being discussed.

Has anyone figured out a way to stop the GPU from taking the additional 1GB of RAM from the system memory? I don't see any settings in the BIOS to control this, so my GPU is hogging 1GB of system RAM at startup, for a total of 2GB being allocated to it!

I really wish there was a way to stop that from happening.

 

I never said the dv7t looked better than the 2 Dells my sons have. Certainly not crappy as you seem to think. I simply looked at what those Dells cost and what the dv7t I purchased cost. Option to option, the HP was much more cost effective for my everyday use and I consider it to have a very nice screen. I have no desire to pay several hundred to a thousand dollars for a better screen. I was not trying to be a smart a** ref the meat comment but it certainly didn't warrant the reply you threw out. After all, this is the dv7t owners's lounge. I came here looking for professional opinions and comments. Will continue to read them when they apply.

 

I guess i'll add myself to this owners lounge now,

Picked up a DV7-3074ca from futureshop,

Took out the stock 500gb hdd's and put in a 64GB SSD and a 640GB WD 5400RPM drive for storage, love the performance have the 230m OC'd to 605/1355/850(1700ddr) Getting 7650 in 3DMark 2006 @ 1280x800.

Only problem I ran in to was that I couldn't do a fresh install on my SSD, it would blue screen at startup every time it would boot and get to the desktop. Only way around it was to image the stock OS install and throw that on the SSD, either way i'm loving this laptop and it's got more than enough performance for what I need it for.

 

my guess regarding the mp3 conversion is that you're using a converter that isn't multithreaded. try to find one online.

edit: here's one. i've never tried it, but its probably worth a shot:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-Convertors/Mp3Converter.shtml

 

I made the recovery discs and backed up the C:\SwSetup folder.

After a wipe and reinstall, how do you get back Blu-Ray support?

 

Not really understanding all of the hate in this thread...I work in the PC repair industry and among all of the laptops I've seen in the price range of my dv7t there isn't a single competitor. Then again, I got mine for a steal at $899...the only thing that sucks about this laptop is the battery life

 

I thought my comeback comment on the steak/hamburger was actually quite clever, and offered with the same sense of humor as yours was. I certainly didn't mean to offend, but to merely say that some steaks (laptops) are of exemplary quality (albeit at a higher cost), and will never be made into hamburger (compare with low cost, lower quality laptops). To each there own, with regards to what one is happy with quality-wise and willing to pay for to get that level of quality. That was my point...

 

I don't have a problem referring to my dv7t has a hamburger. That was what I wanted. It is a yummy burger for 1k. If I wanted a steak, I would have spent 2.5k or so...

My desktop, an i7 950 with a GTX 295 and other goodies, that was a steak....

R

 

But what about the vegetarians that purchased this machine??

Still loving mine... just completed the main game missions of GTA4 last night!

 

Actually, the dv7T is fine. The "T" signifies Tofu.

 

Haha, good one!

 

@lancorp:

I've had a chance to put the machine through some paces. I put it down side-by-side with some Dells (older and definitely less expensive, even a few years ago). There is no comparison in the display.

The HP reflects my image clearly. The other two don't. One is a Dell Latitude, which has no reflection, and while the colors are definitely far from spot on (it is a business laptop after all), I can read the display without constant tilting, moving my head, etc.

Then compared to an Inspiron from 2007, the Dell display wins again. The Inspiron display is better about color and picture, and has little to no reflection, instead of a complete reflection.

In terms of viewing angle, I can't ever get positioned to where the entire display is uniform. There is always some part of it that is washing out.

Not a good first day. I haven't even tested for throttling issues.

 

Thanks for the comments. In my opinion, the LCD is not horrible...I don't mean to convey that. It's just that I was unhappy with it. In this day and age, anything but the cheapest Walmart notebook PC should have a decent display on it. Why is it OK to manufacture a display with poor viewing angles, washed out blacks and colors, etc.? There are certainly good LCD panels out there. Apple, Dell and HP selectively use them in certain models. I've said it before, but to me, the LCD is the most important aspect to a notebook. If it looks crappy, then all the power and specs in the world are meaningless to me. When you go shopping for a flat panel TV, don't you compare all the models and get the one with the best looking screen? I do.

In any case, regarding throttling issues...I haven't heard that anyone has complained about that on the dv7t yet. I think the power supply is ample enough and the BIOS does not seem to have any limitations.