Need info on dv7t quad edition

Might buy one of these.

Has anyone bought it with the 160GB SSD option?

What brand and model SSD do they use? They will not tell me.

Also, what is the RAM speed? Is it 1333 MHZ

If I get the SSD option, do they install the OS on it, or is the OS installed on the HDD?

Does the machine have a dedicated number pad on the keyboard?

Is the case material bad w/fingerprints?

Is upgrading to the 2720 or 2820 processor worth it?

Thanks.

 

The case appears to be glossy, also the color is actually brown not black, and personally the whirled up at the back design is kind of lame.

 

Jeffmatthews,

I have alot of the same questions, haven't been able to get many answers though as I don't think anyone here has actually got theirs yet and there aren't any reviews or anything online so its pretty much everyone is just as much in the dark as everyone else.

From the demo though both the new dv6 and dv7 have dedicated number pads on their keyboards.

I think I read somewhere that the ram speed is 1333 and I know I've read posts with people wondering if it would handle 1600 if you upgraded the processor since the base processor only supports 1333 and lower. Nothing definite on memory though.

I would HOPE that they would put the OS on the 160gb SSD if it was included, if they put it on the 500 and left the 160gb for data that would just be stupid although not impossible i suppose. Im more concerned about what 160gb ssd they are using as ive read about vendors using 2nd rate SSDs to keep their costs down and performance suffers.

The processor upgrade may or may not be worth it. Its a marginal update speed wise but the upgraded CPU supports 1600 speed ram if the computer can take it and I think it has better virtualization support. I wouldn't update to the 2.7ghz base speed as thats a dual core instead of a quad.

 

Thanks. I did see a posting where someone says the SSD is the Intel X-25. While this model does not show impressive write speeds, compared to others, I have seen only positive reviews (though not a great many reviews). One common comment about this model is that it is considered reliable, whereas, I have seen many comments on other models about how they arrive DOA, or crash or degrade quickly.

I can definitely say, from my perspective, that I would want reliable. I hate, with a passion, trying to figure out why my computer broke or does not work right, or spending hours of time transferring data from the old drive to the new. So, as far as I am concerned, I don't want to play around much with the possibility of drive failure. Hours wasted on trouble-shooting and transferring gobs of data are worth more to me than a couple hundred of bucks.

I think I'll just go ahead and get this computer and be done with it.

 

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC

XW899AV


* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
* 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
* 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 660GB 7200RPM Dual Hard Drive (SSD 160GB + 500GB 7200RPM)
* No Additional Office Software
* FREE Upgrade to Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 Month Subscription (activation required)
* 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.25 hours of battery life +++
* 17.3" diagonal HD+ HP BrightView LED Display (1600 x 900)
* FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
* HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
* Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
* Standard Keyboard
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: April 11, 2011

This ships free Free standard shipping on this item

The HP Home & Home Office Store will accept returns or exchanges for this product up to 21 days after delivery

« Save for re-order

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Price: $1,779.99
Coupon: –$534.00
Price after savings: $1,245.99

 

Here is a link to HP's SSD specs. The model number seems to coincide with Intel's, and it's specs do, too.

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/13379_na/13379_na.HTML#Overview

 

I have been considering a dv6 with an SSD and yes I have heard they use the older Intel X-25 SSD.

Personally I would go with Intel's newer SATA III 120GB 510 SSD.
Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

It is a cheaper to upgrade yourself than to order the older (slower) SSD from Intel.

 

Actually with the discounts its cheaper (259 vs 319) to get the 160 from HP and in the case of the dv7 there aren't any drive options that are 7200rpm except when paired with the 160gb ssd. I would prefer the newer/faster tech though.

 

Normally, I might prefer faster, too, but I really don't want to have to mess around with installing the SSD, all the software and all that. It's just so much more convenient to not have to any of that and to just get a computer to plug in and turn on.

And you're right about the discount. After 30%, the 160GB really isn't all to pricey.

 

anyone know if this will accept 1600 memory if you update the CPU to one that supports it? Also curious if the bluray writer does lightscribe.

Getting real close to saying what the hell and getting one of these.

 

Don't know, but FWIW, about all you can do with laptops is make them marginally better before abandoning them for newer models when they are released and become cheap enough.

There really wouldn't be that much reason to hold back on the issue of whether it will support slightly faster RAM. But that's just me. I don't like to switch too often, and this purchase is in place of a Presario with an older AMD Core 2 Duo, which probably sells for about $350 these days.

 

Your right, with consumer notebooks you can't upgrade much, I've been looking too much at the sagers and MSIs of the world where swapping CPU/GPU and memory is a more common occurrence.

Right now im weighing the benefit of updating the CPU... The upgraded CPU has a higher clock rate for the integrated graphics so its marginally faster and a higher clock for the cpu (maybe 7-10% boost) and supports 1600 memory and widi although has to be implemented by the manufacturer.

 

I suppose. I did not know you could swap CPU's and motherboards in any brand. But anyway, I am not a gamer and primarily use the net, MS Office and MS Visual C#. I expect my configuration to "fly." Sure hope it does.....

 

I was thinking about the dv7t as well with the 30% coupon that is currently posted at techbargains.com.

I had a Toshiba P100-ST9012 that served me well since 2006. It went through 1 LCD replacement and now the video has finally died on it.

I am looking at the dv7t because of the dual HDDs. I had put a 80GB Intel X-25M in the Toshiba that I was going to use in the dv7t as the OS drive. This would work right?

 

That should work... I'm not sure if you get a dv7t with one HD if it will come with the bracket for a 2nd drive though, you might have to order that from HP somewhere... Some vendors include them some dont.