Opinions on my HP Dv9500t

Alright I'm about to pull the trigger on my 9500t and I would just like some opinions on my config.

- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/4MB L2Cache)
- 17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680x1050)
- 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 511MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Mic + Fingerprint Reader
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network w/Bluetooth
- 200GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (100GB x 2)
- FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Price = $1,709.31

Is that a good price for this notebook? Also how does the Geforce 8600M GS run? I really just want to play some games like The Sims 2, Sim City 4, and at the most some F.E.A.R. How will it play these games?

I want the 7200RPM drive because that will be great with my 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo and I think it will just blaze through Vista and anything else.. Am I right in a assuming this because I want like a minute bootup time.. This drive adds another 5 days to my ship date so if it wont help please tell me so I can get it sooner =). Thanks.

~Eric

 

F.E.A.R. should play decently well, i'm thinking around 20 fps on high settings. The notebook is a pretty big investment, perhaps you might want to look into a dell or an asus because I find HP's current gen line-up is more expensive than for what it is worth

 

Well I don't think that 2.2ghz Core 2 Duo is ever much better than 2.0ghz unless you're doing encoding and The 7200rpm hard drive will increase your boot up time, but by a marginal amount. The 8600gs isn't a great card but it's certainly good enough to handle most of those games. The Sims 2 is almost 100% RAM and CPU dependent, you could run the Sims 2 on an MX4000 if you wanted to. Sim City 4 I'm not sure if it's as CPU dependent but the 8600GS has more than enough juice to handle it. F.E.A.R. is a hard one... I would say medium settings you would be able to run it at playable frame-rates.

Oh and 1 more thing... regarding the boot-up time... Every notebook with a 5400RPM drive that I have seen starts up in less than a minute... ~45-55 seconds. The 7200RPM drive will make it a bit shorter... 5-10 seconds maybe. Just use programs like TuneXP to rearrange the boot files so that it starts up and shuts down faster. Or get a $600 SSD drive!!! =D

 

I was wondering though, how does 8600gs compare with previous generation 7600 when it comes to 3D? Has anyone tried to compare 3dmark results of the two? Thanks!

 

i would really like to know where people keep saying dell had equivalent laptops spec wise for the same price... i have always configured a dell to the same build and got it costing over 200-300$ more. anyone want to show me where the 14inch dell is the same as the 14in hp?

 

Um. Not to be rude, but who really cares about boot up time? You buy the 7200 rpm drive for speed improvements in *every* application, particularly in loading times for large applications and also games. It's quite a bit faster than 5400 rpm drives.

 

Yeah I know, I just wanted to give an example of the drive's capabilities. Also I want to be able to use this notebook on my lap, you know like a laptop..lol.. So does it get too hot to have on my lap or to lay down in my bed with? I have the high capacity battery so I dont know how it will affect its heat output. Any input would be great..

~Eric

 

My dv9500t (see sig for specs) gets only slightly warm on the bottom side, not hot. I have it on a desk though, never in my lap.

Any notebook that has vents and fans on the underside should not be used on your lap or in bed because it severely hampers the airflow necessary for cooling. Almost all modern notebooks have fans and vents on the underside. Apple and Panasonic are the only new notebooks I'm aware of that do not.