dv2500t/dv6500t/dv9500t Current/ Prospective Owners Lounge

Yeah, that and because you have it in your head that your new computer and faster network should be better, you then think that it actually is better.

Realistically, we're talking about hundredths of a second. To most human beings, the difference would be imperceptible. But we 'experience' a difference whether it's there or not because we're already expecting one.

 

Teefaf: For the sake of comparison with your setup, I would have paid $1207 (plus tax)...... without the Wireless-N card (extra $43), the $68 extra I paid for one year of accidental damage protection and the earbuds & wireless notebook mouse I got ($42 together). I bought it through costco.com, which offers an additional year of warranty (two years total), 90-day no-questions-asked Satisfaction Guaranteed return policy..... oh, and American tech support. When all was said and done, my final price came out to $1359 + tax. Free shipping.

If anyone is interested in the benefits outlined above but do not have a membership ($50/year) and/or live somewhere where Costco has no stores.... check out the web site. Even if I did not have a membership, I would have payed the 50 clams for a card just to buy through them with all the extra benefits.

Savings on the notebook alone (vs. through HP-direct) came out to about $35, which almost pays for the one-year's worth of Costco membership. The one-year accidental damage coverage -- $68 through Costco...... $99 from HP. Presto, membership more than payed for, plus the extra benefits spelled out above.

No, I do not work for Costco. Just a satisfied customer.

 

Umm....are you telling me costco has their own hp laptop support division?

 

Thanks for the info. The UK price I quoted included our sales tax of 17.5% - I also got free shipping.

I bought a customised unit from HP directly over the phone, which the sales guy told me allows him to offer a greater discount, whereas an off-the-shelf unit cannot be discounted. Add-ons like the TV Tuner (£42, retail £72), 3year warranty with accidental damage (£150, retail £260) and 12-cell battery were all cheaper when bought direct, at the same time as the machine. Given that I live in rip-off Britain, I do feel like I got a good deal direct.

 

AFAIK, Costco does have a support division, but only for the second year of the warranty. The first year is through HP.

 

No, you would be correct. It would be exactly the same internet speed... if your computer was right next to the router... but thats not the point of a wireless connection now is it? Wireless N allows you to be further away from your router while keeping the speeds that wireless ABG allowed previously. No, you're internet speed isn't increasing when you are relying on set bandwidths from your ISP, but it does help dramatically when you actually use the technology to its intended purpose, a ranged connection.

IE. 100 Feet away with G = 3 bars. 100 Feet away with N = 6 bars. Which one would load the page faster... so yes, you would be getting faster internet speed.

 

Can you elaborate on which three screws? Unless I'm mistaken, there are more than three on the underside of the laptop here...

 

Any new upgrades on the horizon from HP especially as to teh dv9500t? I am happy with the configuration now but can wait 30+ day to place an order. Any thing good to hold out for? New options tend to push the price down, I heard Intel will be out with new chips on July 22. Would this effect pricing of the 9500?

 

100 Feet away? Well, it doesn't make much difference for me living in a condo. As for future proofing - unless ISPs start offering speeds that match and surpass wireless-N in the next 3 years, there's no point in me investing in unusable technology.

 

I just made a forum site strictly for the HP dv6500t laptop. If anyone wants to post up there, it is going to be all about this laptop. the url is:
http://dv6500t.freeforums.org

thx

 

I'm glad you're enthusiastic about the notebook, but what's wrong with this forum? Notebookreview has tons of people here, and there's already a dedicated HP forum.

 

HP / Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv6575us Notebook Computer - 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 CPU, 2GB (2x1GB) RAM, 200GB 4200RPM SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti DVD Burner, nVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS Graphics, TV Tuner, 15.4" Widescreen Display, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Windows Vista Home Premium, 6.14LB

just made my purchase today cant wait to get it. still got to wait 8 days of hell

 

yea i hate waiting...have any of the 6500 owners updated their bios or still running the one shipped with the laptop? no complaints, just wondering if i needed to update or anything. thanks.

 

Need help in choosing. After reading what everyone has been writing, I was ready to go with the hp dv6500 but I came across another thread that stated Costco was going to have the hp dv9543cl on sale in the month of Aug. My dilemma is that I'm on info overload. No specifics in mind but for an all purpose use at home and sometimes to take with me on vacation. Here are the two comparison and both are from costco.

HP Pavilion dv6500t Entertainment Notebook PC
Price $1,211.99
Selected Features:
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
75% OFF upgrade to 2GB DDR2 (2 Dimm)!!
FREE Upgrade from 120GB 5400RPM to 160GB 5400RPM!!
50% OFF!! 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS!!
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
FREE Upgrade from Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic (32-bit) to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium!
Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
FREE Upgrade to LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Included Features:
HP PhotoSmart Essentials
QuickPlay 3.x
Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
1 Expansion Port 3 connector
1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
3 USB 2.0 ports
IEEE 1394
1 Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)
TV-Out (S-video)
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader

HP Pavillion dv9543cl
Price: $1299.99
Microprocessor: 2.00 GHz Intel® Centrino® Duo processor technology featuring Intel® Core ™ 2 Duo processor T7300
Microprocessor Cache: 4 MB L2 Cache
Memory: 2048 MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm); Memory Max 2048 MB max supported
Bus Speed: 800MHz FSB
Video Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
Video Memory: Up to 1023 MB total graphics memory, 256 MB dedicated
Hard Drive: 320 GB (5400 RPM) Dual HDD - 160 GB x 2 (SATA)
Multimedia Drive: LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
Display: 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition BrightView Widescreen (1440 x 900)
Network Card: Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Connectivity: Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection
Multimedia Features: HP Imprint Finish & HP Pavilion WebCam with Integrated Microphone
PC Card Slots: 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
External Ports: 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
2 Headphone out
1 microphone-in
1 VGA (15-pin)
1 TV-Out (S-video)
1 RJ-11 (modem)
1 RJ -45 (LAN)
1 notebook expansion port 3
1 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin)
1 Consumer IR
Power: 90W AC Adapter, 8-Cell Lithium-Ion battery
Genuine Windows® Vista Premium
Symantec® Norton Internet Security 2007 (including 60 days complimentary live update)
HP Total Care Help & Support Center
PC Recovery (Softthinks Restore Solution)
Vongo
HP PhotoSmart Essentials
HP Quick Play
Muvee AutoProducer Basic Edition
RealRhapsody
Roxio Creator 9 Basic
Snapfish
Microsoft ® Works
Microsoft® Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition: 60 Day Trial Version
2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty, Toll Free Support (NA)
2-Year Free Hardware Technical Support
30-Days Free Software Support (Free 90-Day Software Support with Product Registration) from date of purchase

 

This is ultimately dependent upon how you expect to use it - the 6500 and 9500 systems have very different form factors. If you think the system will primarily be tied to a desk with very little moving around then I think you'll benefit most from the 17" screen on the 9500. If you want something to lug around the house and across town with you then you'll probably appreciate the 15.4" and less heavy 6500.

You can see both models in Costo's today so you can get a feel for the size and usability but I would also check the HP site directly and compare prices just in case. In either case I would recommend high-capacity batteries to increase portability as well as any available screen resolution upgrades to maximize screen real estate for browsing, document or photo editing.

One slight error to correct on the data from Costco's site - both systems are capable of upgrades to 4GB of RAM; however if this interests you then I would suggest looking for the RAM upgrades aftermarket as they tend to be way cheaper (two 2GB 667MHz SODIMM's should run you around $200 currently online).

 

I have a 9500 and am using it the same way you mention. I think it works well for those uses - around the house and occasionally taking it with you. Also keep in mind that between the two you listed - the 9500 is superior in more respects than the screen size. The hard drive, video card, and battery are also better. To get double the hard drive, a better video card, a larger screen, and a bigger battery is worth the extra $90 - especially if you don't plan on taking it with you all the time.

Plus, if you change your mind you can always return it to Costco within 90 days and get the 6500.

 

Thx for the input I've received so far. I'll take your advice Brad, and mosey on down to Costco and check them both out. FYI - Using my daughter school discount on the HP site for both these models, dv6500 price out to $1175.30 making the savings about $37.00 from Costco's price; dv9500 with the same stuff as the dv9543cl priced out to $1467.72 making the cost about $168.00 more than Costco's price. Either way, the reason for choosing Costco would be the benefit of their return and warrenty policy.

 

Sounds like a great idea - the APP/EPP program is pretty nice although I'm surprised to hear that Costco still beat it on the dv9500. I do know that Costco changed their return policy regarding computers and flat screen televisions to limit the return policy. I think it's 90 days now but you should verify that yourself.

I always purchase the 3/4 year extended warranties, does Costco offer some sort of extension? When I priced out the system on their website the option for the "accidental damage protection" was not offered - one of the reasons I went back to the CTO option via HP's site (also used the APP program).

 

Just to let you know I did go to Costco today to look at both models but unfortunately for me it was just looking at it, touching what I could touch 'cause it was a little too high and slightly too far on the rack. Their hp dv6500 series had a crack screen and the screen on the dv9543cl was just ok. I'm going to sleep on the solution. As far as for the warranties, Costco has only the 1 year accident damage protection and the others are their extended warranties up to 3 years. Since I'm accident prone, I may have to factor that in. Thank you very much and I appreciated all of your inputs.

 

Thanks for clarifying that - you can order 3 year accident protection through the HP site (also a deciding factor for me since I travel so much with mine).

 

For further clarification on the warranties - you can purchase warranties from HP after the fact if you buy your laptop from another source. I have spoken to HP about this possibility and they will let you buy extended warranties after the fact as long as you are within the standard 1 year warranty period.

Here is a link:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...gory=esps&a1=Category&v1=Notebooks&catLevel=2

 

It might be worth bearing in mind though that in the UK, at least, warranties can be bought for a considerable discount if purchased direct from HP at the same time as the laptop. I saved about £100 ($200) on my 3 years extended warranty with accidental damage when I bought it with my dv6500.

 

I found this deal on dv6575us on compusa http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...&Nty=1&D=dv6575us&Ntk=All&product_code=346218
for $1,199 after $200 rebate the spec is quite good
spec link: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...9047&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
I compared it with the CTO one, the good point of buying this 6576 is that u don't need to wait and you also get the TV turner for the same price as without it if u buy from HP. However, this 6575 uses slower HDD - 200GB, 4200 RPM not 5400 RPM.

What do u guys think? Should i go for it, or buy the CTO from HP website.

 

this link might help:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=134820&highlight=4200+rpm

imho, get this system, then upgrade the hdd to 5400 or 7200

 

I was faced with the same dilemma as you when I came across the 6575 a couple of weeks back for $1299. What moved me back toward my new dv6500t were a couple of things: First, I really like customizing my computer's hardware & software exactly to my liking. Second, I saw no other choice but to buy through Costco, with their ultra-customer-friendly return policies, American tech support, free extra year warranty and cheaper prices, which I've already mentioned a couple of times in previous posts. Lastly, the dv6500t I ordered had RAM options up to 4 GB, while the 6575 maxed out at 2 GB supported.

Which brings me to a question: I just left both Costco & HP's ordering pages (same interfaces) and now see that the customizable dv6500t only offers up to 2 GB. I'm quite certain that 4 GB RAM option was not a hallucination, as I vividly remember choking on the price they were charging for this: something just under $400 as I recall. Now...... <poof>..... no more 4 GB RAM option on the 6500. I also seem to remember reading somewhere that you need to run Vista Ultimate with the 4 GB upgrade. Anyone have info on the disappearance of this upgrade?

Given all of the above, the 6575 looks really good -- ESPECIALLY at that $1199 price-tag. Even with the potential for rebate hassle, this price would be hard to pass up. Keep in mind, however, that you may end up spending as much or more than a CTO unit if you plan on upgrading to a faster HDD, 12-cell battery and anything else you might find necessary.

 

The price of 4GB has been fluctuating a lot, so they may have removed it because of that, or relatedly, because there is a short supply. Either way, you're MUCH better off buying the RAM after-market. $200 will pretty much get you 4GB.

To see the whole 4GB, you will need a 64bit system. I think HP only offers 64bit with Ultimate, which is why you'd need ultimate. If you had a 64bit version of Home Premium (for example), that would work with 4GB also.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by BayAreaTech:
"Which brings me to a question: I just left both Costco & HP's ordering pages (same interfaces) and now see that the customizable dv6500t only offers up to 2 GB. I'm quite certain that 4 GB RAM option was not a hallucination, as I vividly remember choking on the price they were charging for this: something just under $400 as I recall. Now...... ..... no more 4 GB RAM option on the 6500."
Your right BayAreaTech. Both sites had the 4 GB RAM option there around 4 this mornin before I went to bed.

 

Why do you care if costco offers 4gb ram? Like the other poster said, the dv6500t will support 4gb of ram but to use all of it you need to be running the 64-bit versions of the OS. And 4gb ram will be alot cheaper aftermarket than from HP or costco.

 

It wasn't about whether or not Costco (and HP) offered the 4GB option, it was more of a question of whether HP may have yanked the option altogether after finding some sort of glitch. There's no way I would have bought through either Costco or HP at their prices anyway -- we're all in agreement here. Thanks for the clarification on running the 64-bit OS versions for the 4GB upgrade.

 

I dont think there is a glitch as the latest dv6500t fixes some issue with 4gb ram so I know it will work. The option was probably removed due to a supply issue with 2gb dimms.

 

Not true - even though it's technically a "32 bit OS", Intel procs (using AWE) have been using 36 bit memory addressing for at least a decade now allowing 32 bit OS's to address more than 2GB of RAM. 4GB in XP is doable, but not nearly as efficient as a 64 bit OS is managing it.

The x64 editions now support up to 128GB of RAM, of course you can't physically stuff that much in...yet.

 

I dont see it (in Maintanance Guide), so i think the 9500 has not a MXM-Graphic-Card ..right ??

 

Correct. The gpu is not replaceable.

 

I think you're talking about PAE extensions. AWE is specific to each application, so each program must specifically be compiled to use it. AWE requires that the system is already running with PAE enabled, so it's really PAE we'd be talking about here.

I have seen references to running XP with PAE enabled, but I have not done that myself. From what I hear, it's a precarious proposition, as it can cause drivers that are not written well to crash. But again, as I have not done this, I cannot speak to it.

I'm talking about Vista though, which is what I think most people running the x500 series will be running. In that case Microsoft has actually removed the PAE option on 32bit, and has limited the memory to 3.2GB. Here's the relevant quote:

 

Man, this sucks.... HP says my lappy shipped on Friday and had a tracking number. But, nothing on FedEx's web-site until today and it shows that they JUST picked it up:


Status
Shipment exception

Date/Time Activity Location Details
Jul 23, 2007 12:28 AM Picked up SHANGHAI CN Package received after FedEx cutoff
12:13 AM In transit SHANGHAI CN
12:12 AM In transit SHANGHAI CN

And it says delivery by the 26th.... crap! I was hoping for Monday/Tuesday! This blows!

 

Does anyone know if theres any chance of an 8600 working its way into either the 6500 or 2500 anytime soon?

I'm seriously considering buying one of the two for school because they're cheap for the specs, but the weak gfx card kind of worries me. (plus it would be stupid to buy now if its going to be updated in the near future)

 

i really doubt it

 

This may have already been brought up, but......

I installed the new Nvidia drivers via HP update. Big download, but went quickly and installed without a hitch. End result:

Windows Experience Index Graphics score before update: 3.3
Windows Experience Index Graphics score after update: 3.1

Nice. I guess this would upset me if I were a hardcore gamer. As it stands, I'm just rolling my eyes at this, umm......upgrade?

 

I did a Windows Experience Index on a dv9543cl today at Costco. It had the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS with 256. I do not know what version of the driver it is using. Costco password locks the device manager.

Graphics: 4.7
Gaming Graphics: 4.9

 

hey everyone glad to be here. I was hoping if someone can help me with an issue i've been having with the 6500t. Everytime i play music on the thing, be it from website, mp3, or cd, it skips and pops like a broken record. Sometimes it's only a few seconds out of a song, and other times it can get really bad(every 30 seconds or so). Doesn't matter if i'm idle or running programs, doesn't matter what program i use to play the music...i've scoured the internet and posted in 3 different forums to no avail. No one seems to have an answer. I've sent the computer back a few days ago and hopefully HP can figure out what's wrong with it and HOPEFULLY it's a hardware malfunction and not a compatibility issue or whatever else.

I really like the computer, and apart from this, everything else works perfectly, but i'm a perfectionist when it comes to my music and this is unacceptable, even a few seconds out of a song is unacceptable. I've tried updating drivers, reinstalling vista, turning off enhancements, turning off the wireless....everything under the sun and nothing seems to help.

The good news is i've only found one other person that has this exact same issue, so hopefully it's just a bad batch. Does anyone else have the same issue or any suggestions on how i can fix it? THanks in advance.

 

Sounds like a sound driver issue. I have the same notebook and havent experienced any of those problems. I would try to do a system restore and restore the factory HP build and see if it happens there. If it does, it would inidicate some kind of hardware issue. If it works fine on the HP factory build, monitor it as you add software and drivers.

 

I noticed the same thing. It seems to be worse when it's humid. I certainly would not use any chemicals on it, as you will ruin the touchpad. One thing that comes to mind are screen protectors you can get for a pda. They might have a different texture, and shouldn't leave any sticky residue behind.

Otherwise, I'd get used to it, or use a mouse.

 

i tried updating, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers ad nauseum and it didn't fix the isssue. I also did a full system restore too and it didn't fix it either, so i'm hoping it's a defect with the sound card.*fingers crossed*

 

i got mine today hehehehehehe just have to get it throught customs i am soo not sleeping tonight


HP / Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv6575us Notebook Computer - 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 CPU, 2GB (2x1GB) RAM, 200GB 4200RPM SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti DVD Burner, nVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS Graphics, TV Tuner, 15.4" Widescreen Display, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Windows Vista Home Premium, 6.14LB
Includes Free Class On Demand Windows Vista Made Easy Training DVD-ROM

 

Hi All

I got my dv6500t last week. Works fine and looks good, with few buts;

1. Fingerprint reader doesnt work
2. No option to repart. the HDD
3. My XP cd say's NO HDD connected, so, can't have XP
4. Civ 4 doesn't install
5. WebCam doesn't work if i disconnect a web chat in yahoo msgr and connect again. I need to restart the OS. I thought it's yahoo msgr issue, but in Live Msngr also same issue.
6. Not able to see anything if i slightly bend the screen
7. I got with 2gb RAM, T7100 2mb L2, 2GB RAM, Nvidia 8400M GS. But, from this forum i feel i shoulve gone to 8600M GS / with Dell 8600M GT (for same price now - ~1200$)

I now decided to return it back. But, i've few things i cant digest to go for another brand, due to this dv6500t look and feel.

+'s;

1. This has a HDMi port (not avl with Dell 1520's 8600M GT. Available with Samsung R70, but costly). I can connect with my LCD 26' tv to play games
2. No fingerprint reader in other brands (though it's not working in my piece, i hope it'll work if i get a new piece)
3. Look & Feel is far far far good than Dell (it's worst i've seen from the review pic's. Sam. R70 is ok i think)
4. No option to select 8600M GS/GT with dv6500t, i've to go for 9500t, though atleast i'll get 8600M GS atleast. But, i dont need 17', since i've HDMi & 26' TV
5. Lightscribe DVD (not with Dell/R70)

1. To be with HP for the Look & Feel, HDMi, Fingerprint reader, Lightscribe. But, i can scrifice FP reader & Lightscribe, but not able to on L & Feel & HDMi.

Help me out what to decide. My requirements are;

 

I think HP has a heads up right now on getting into the living room. So that is why you see the HDMI and the good looks. Also HP has a pc express tv turner so you can get digital programing to make good use of the HDMI. I figure Dell will come around over time. With Vista Home Premium including all the Media Center stuff that you used to have a separate OS for, I think you will see all vendors having an easier time adding the entertainment features.

 

This is my opinion, blended in with facts to consider:

When purchasing computers and equipment, I not only look at the hardware specs, but also the company behind what I am getting. For six years I was a Dell loyalist. That ended abruptly when I went through -- literally -- the worst customer-service experience of my life last year with Dell, now commonly referred to as "Dell Hell" (way too long to get into, but it involved back-to-back defective desktops and 8 months of haggling to get my money back). Obviously, I am not alone in my experience, as Dell has rapidly lost market share to HP to the point of HP now being the #1 in worldwide PC sales. Dell's still atop U.S. sales, but the lead narrows every quarter.

Okay, having said that, I fully realize that one could find many people out there with nightmare HP stories (let's see, Dell Hell.... um, HP Haters?), but when looked at from a wide angle, HP's service has been ranked #1 by J.D. Powers & Associates for quite some time. There is a reason Michael Dell thrust himself back into the role of CEO: The ship has sprung major leaks. They've even grown desperate enough to do what for Dell was once unthinkable: Sell through retail outlets, including Walmart.

Lastly, and most important to me personally: I am investing in HP as a company when I buy their products. Hewlett-Packard, from it's early days in the 1930s, always placed huge emphasis on research and development. HP pours billions of dollars into R & D every year to INVENT, develop and improve products for us. Dell, on the other hand, puts chump change toward R & D. Reason? They don't really invent anything. They either slap together parts developed in Silicon Valley and put a Dell logo on the case, or stick their name on something another company (unknown to us) made (printers and cameras, for example).

HP has made me a brand-loyal customer not only because of the products I own, but also for the company's innovation (Lightscribe? Invented by HP. Fingerprint-reader? HP offers it..... don't know of any other major player that does). While I am certain Dell still makes some nice PCs, I look beyond just the hardware, as you've now come to know.

 

Wanted to update all on my hard drive upgrade on my dv2500t. Bought it w/ 80gb hard drive intending to immediately replace it with 160gb 7200rpm hd. Settled on Seagate Momentus 7200.2 ST9160823ASG 7200rpm 160gb. 7200 rpm hard drives not an option on HP CTO site for this computer.

When the Seagate hard drive arrived - looking through the antistatic bag - it definitely appeared to have a different electrical connector than on the HP supplied hard drive, also the screws etc. did not appear to match up.

Finally realized, HP supplied hard drive had a probably-proprietary connector adaptor that changes the standard contacts on the hard drive to a different format - also there is an outer carriage on the hard drive in the computer that looks rather like part of the hard drive, wasn't immediately obvious to me it was a removeable carriage.

Bottom line - a SATA hard drive like the Seagate 7200.2 works though it may not initially appear to physically/electrically fit.

Re installation - I never completed the boot sequence with the supplied 80gb hard drive - pulled it immediately, installed the 7200rpm 160gb drive and used the restore disk to format etc. the 160gb hard drive. Took lots longer than I anticipated - perhaps a total of 6 hours of formatting, reboots, comms on the internet, etc. I was surprised - expected it to mirror what was on the supplied 80gb hard drive but it felt more like a fresh windows install than restores I have done in the past (but all the installed bloatware was there!).

In the end the hard drive install went well despite longer time than anticipated to image it, and initial trepidations as to compatabillity.

Sorry - can't provide 5400 rpm vs 7200 rpm statistics - haven't done any benchmarking. The new 7200 rpm drive is very quiet - no noticeable noise. I do feel a slight buzzing/vibration in the computer from the hard drive when resting palms on the palm rest. Some might find this vibration objectionable.

 

While I can appreciate your affinity for HP (as I feel similar), Dell is not the only company that utilizes ODMs for their flagship products. HP does the same, as the current Pavilion/Presario lines are manufactured by Quanta and the previous generation by Compal. How far this ODM utilization extends into HP's entire product portfolio I can't say, but I'd imagine that they (HP) really don't manufacture too much of anything anymore.

I believe that companies such as Dell & HP are little more than marketing brands with regional distribution/repair facilities. Outsourcing, wether it be personnel or products, seems to be the norm today for many companies.

 

R4000, while it's true that very few Western brands manufacture their own goods any more, that's not the point BAT is making. The point is that the innovation - the R&D is largely still done here in the west, in-house by these companies.

Dell does almost no R&D and simply combines off-the-shelf parts. HP does a lot of R&D, and works with its manufacturers to incorporate its innovations (e.g. fingerprint reader, sleek case etc) in to their manufacturing processes and the final product, alongside the off-the-shelf parts that make up the bulk of the notebook).

That's the difference.