HP dv9500t Mini Review

Hello everyone,

I just got my HP dv9500t from Costco on June 21st, 2007. I ordered it June 7th for the price of $1,598.00. It shipped a few days before the estimated ship date. The specs are as follows:

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7300 (2.0GHz/4MB L2Cache)
Display 17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680x1050)
Memory 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Graphics Card 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Personalization HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader +Webcam
Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network w/Bluetooth
Hard Drive 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Primary Battery 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Opening/First Impressions

As soon as I opened it, I was amazed at the design of the notebook. It is stunning. The Radiance Imprint (on the lid and interior) is really neat. It is very subtle but it makes the notebook stand out. The screen is also massive (in a good way) and I was surprised at the weight (rather low) and thickness (relatively thin) for this type of notebook.

Build Quality

The build quality is pretty good for such a large laptop. The screen will flex when a substantial amount of force is applied, but not enough to be worried about. When carrying, I do take extra care of the notebook do to the weight and size, but I guess that is expected. I do have a small problem with the disc drive. If I push on it, it will push in ever so slightly but it is detectable. This isn’t bothersome though. The dimensions are 15.16" (L) x 11.65" (W) x 1.57" and it weighs 7.7 lbs.

Start Up

The notebook did come with a lot of bloatware, but I was expecting it. I went right ahead and deleted programs. I then tried to install Microsoft Office and it didn’t work and the disc drive made a loud clicking noise. I decided to start over by simply pressing F11 and it led me to a simple set of instructions and twenty minutes later, it was in the state I received it in. This time, I deleted only the main bloatware programs (AOL, Norton, etc.) and the Office installation went fine with no disc drive problems whatsoever.

Display/Webcam

The display is one of the notebook’s strongest features. It is absolutely stunning. The viewing angles are impressive. Horizontally, I can view it from almost any angle, but vertically isn’t as good. I opted for the higher resolution screen instead of a brighter screen. I STRONGLY recommend the higher resolution as the screen is plenty bright. It comes with a glossy display which improves the colors dramatically. I still cannot believe how amazing the screen is. It is much brighter and more colorful than the Acer TravelMate 8200 I had previously. The Webcam is pretty good. The frame rate is impressive which should make for great video conferencing. The notebook also has dual microphones which are great at picking up a regular speaking voice.

Speakers

The speakers on this notebook are great. At full volume (very very loud), the sound is doesn’t get distorted. The speakers can get VERY loud. At regular volume, they are amazing. They are crystal clear aren’t tinny like most notebooks.

Heat and Noise

Heat and noise have not been a problem for me. I haven’t done any gaming yet, but the notebook keeps cool and is virtually silent when performing everyday tasks and Super Pi.

Keyboard/Touchpad

The keyboard has a very good feel to it. The keys give a satisfying click when pressed but not a loud on. It even comes equipped with a full-sized number pad. I do have one complaint about the keyboard though and that is that the right shift key is the size of letter key. It takes some getting used to. The touchpad is not the best I have used. It has a drag to it and it doesn’t allow your finger to slide quickly. On the other hand, the buttons are the best I have ever used. They are quite and have a “soft” feeling to them. They require just the right amount of force to push down. This notebook also features HP’s touch sensitive QuickPlay and media buttons. They have a beautiful blue glow to them and the mute button turns red when muted. They also look great in the dark when the display is off. The touchpad also has an on/off button which is great if you use an external mouse (I do).

Fingerprint Reader

The fingerprint is a very neat feature that can be added for a pretty low price. Once trained (follow a short set of prompts on the screen), the reader can be used to log into Windows (without even having to choose your profile because it will select it automatically) and even log into websites. This is one of my favorite features.

Inputs/Outputs

Front

• 1 Microphone
• 2 Headphone
• Lid Latch (push)
• Wireless Switch (slide bar)

Left

• Card Reader (SD, MS/Pro, MMC, XD)
• 1 Firewire
• 2 USB
• 1 HDMI (output only)
• 1 Modem input
• 1 LAN input
• 1 Expansion Port 3
• 1 VGA
• 1 S-Video

Rear

Nothing

Right

• 1 ExpressCard
• 1 Disc drive
• 1 USB
• 1 Power input (glows blue when plugged in)

Wireless

This laptop has the optional “N” capability. I took full advantage of it considering I have an “N” router. I am usually 50 feet away from the router and I have excellent signal.

Battery Life

The battery life on notebooks these sizes are never great. I have yet to run the battery down all the way but I can get about 2.5 hours just doing light tasks and with the screen dimmed to about 40% (still rather bright).

Conclusion

I highly recommend this notebook. If you don’t plan carrying it every day and you want a large display, this is the laptop for you. It has many features for a rather low price. The main highlights I would like to emphasize are: the webcam, dual microphones, tough sensitive buttons, full number pad, fingerprint reader, lightscribe drive, and HDMI port. At the price of about $1600, this notebook is a bargain.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them on this thread.

 

I got almost the exact same laptop from Costco and I completely agree with your review. I don't know if you noticed this, but in Costco's Passport coupon book they are putting a very similar laptop to ours (maybe slightly better) on sale for $1299 starting August 20th.

The specs are:
Intel T7300
2GB of RAM
320GB hard drive
256MB discrete Nvidia graphics

I am not sure if it has Lightscribe, Bluetooth, or the fingerprint reader - but if the graphics card is the 8600, that would be a great deal. It already looks like a great deal with the 320GB hard drive. Since Costco has the 90 day return policy, I might return mine to get this one.

Anyway, thanks for the review!

 

Nice review! Makes me feel better about ordering the same laptop!
Quick question, is that price before or after adding in Warranty?
And exactly what programs did you delete for bloatware?

Thanks
clay

 

the dv9500t comes with the 8400m GS as an option too? thought it was the 8600m or X3100

 

I remember deleting Norton Antivirus, AOL, and the Microsoft Office Trial (that on isn't really bloatware, but I have the full version), and Vongo. Basically anything that came with a free trial. Be very careful about deleting programs because, as I stated in the review, it may cause certains things not to work.

Is the new and slightly better notebook the same model (dv9500t)?

I did not buy any sort of extra warranty with this notebook. I won't we hauling it around and I am very careful with it. But if you are in public places a lot or you are clumsy then the warranty sounds like a good deal.

This notebook has the option for the 8600, 8400, and the X1300. I strongly recommend getting the 8400 or 8600 because the HDMI is then included. You will NOT get the HDMI port if you have the X1300. I believe that Vista also runs smoother with the 8600 and the 8400. HP kind of tricks you when it comes to the power of these cards. The 8400 SAYS it has 383 MB but only 128 MB are for the graphics card. The rest is borrowed from the system RAM. That is what I understand at least.

 

I love my dv6500, but i feel that anyone wanting an Hp should also be prepared to get a car wash subscription or something. Basically trying to say that this thing is a fingerprint hog, white gloves are in order for using the thing..
Not really a fan of the glossy screen, but i cant do a damn thing about that.

Outside of that, i love it.

 

what a great laptop you got there, mine is dv9207us and I think it is sexy enough to put in my room

 

does an HDMI Cable come with it or would you have to buy one

 

There's no hdmi cable. If you go but one, remember it is digital, so spending loads of money of monster cables is flushing money down the toilet. Buy the cheapest cable you can get. Either it will work or it won't. There's no in-between with digital.

 

Thanks for the info.

I was just looking at ordering one from Costco and was trying to confirm that it came with a HDMI output and that you could get the mic, webcam and fingerprint reader all in the same unit.

Here is what the HP rep told me

07/01/2007 01:50:05PM Richard: "if I choose the option for the fingerprint reader and webcam, does that mean I won't get a mic?"
07/01/2007 01:51:50PM Agent (Denise): "Yes Richard."
07/01/2007 01:52:33PM Richard: "so, is there a way to get all 3? The webcam, the fingerprint reader and the mic?"
07/01/2007 01:53:02PM Agent (Denise): "I am extremely sorry, but you cannot customize all the three."
07/01/2007 01:53:29PM Richard: "strange, that seems like a mistake to me"
07/01/2007 01:53:33PM Agent (Denise): "However, you can purchase a separate web cam with this."
07/01/2007 01:54:03PM Richard: "thanks for your help"

 

um AFAIK the most expensive of those options does give you all 3 regardless of what the rep says. dont listen to HP customer service, half the time they are wrong and the other half they are talking crap lol however there is that 1-3% of the time when they do say something that's right but i dont think this is one of those times.

 

yea i have all three on mines, rofl so i dont know what that hp rep is smoking

 

well..they must have read the website,and not the manual book.
yeah..dumb like person..

 

Hi,

I have the same exact configuration (T7300, 4MBL2, 2GB, 160GB, Fingerprintreader, webcam, 1680x1050) that has been specified by elementmailman which I bought last week from the HP Store Online. The Laptop is a brilliant one though it comes with a lots of unnecessary software. Over all it is a great laptop.

I found one problem with the Inbuilt Webcam, which I do not know how to resolve it. The webcam can be switched ON through the "HP Webcam" shortcut from desktop via Quick play or through chat programs like Yahoo Messenger. The problem I find is that once the Webcam is switched on by either one of the methods and later if it is switched off, it cannot be switched on again by any means. It brings up the error that the webcam is not connected. Once I reboot the system then I can Switch on the Webcam as mentioned above but though just only once. If I had switched it off then I need to reboot again to get it working. Bottom Line "One chance of using Webcam per reboot". Even logging off does not work. The OS is Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit.

This is a really annoying problem which makes the inbuilt webcam useless.

Please let me know if any one has encountered and resolved this issue.