dv9000t First Impressions

My dv9000t arrived today...shipped from China yesterday morning and arrived at my house in N. Arizona today. Kudos to HP, I ordered "free" 5 to 7 day shipping and received it in less than 2 days.
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This is the 6th Hp Computer that I have owned and I cannot sing enough praises about the HP product or service. My business runs on HP computers.

My first impressions of the dv9000t: I'm replacing a dv7000 and the size is approximate but lighter. The fans are totally silent and the machine is fast, Here is my configuration:

HP Pavilion dv9000t customizable Notebook PC
Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7200 (2.0 GHz)
17.0" WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900)
256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7600
HP IMPRINT Finish + Microphone + Webcam
512MB DDR2 SDRAM (2x256MB)
240 GB 5400 RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120 GB x 2)
Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth


The one thing that is glaringly obvious is the WXGA+ Ultra Brightview screen...it may be too bright. At the lowest setting it gives me eye fatigue. Maybe this is something that I will get used to or it might just reduce the time that I spend on this machine, which if you ask my wife, is not a bad thing. The main use for this machine is photo editing and my photos appear vibrant and full of color. I'll follow-up on how it performs with Photoshop Cs.

The lid is a fingerprint magnet, the inner surface is more comfortable than the zd7000 and the keyboard is better than any laptop that I have experienced. The touchpad and mouse are near perfect in feel and response.

First impressions are kudos to HP on a fine machine and they once again exceed my expectations in customer service.

 

Got any pics to share? I'm very anxious to see them. Overall, how is the quality of the machine? Besides the screen being bright, how is the picture?

 

Congrats TGunn on your new laptop. I just got mine in yesterday too. The screen is too bright for me also. Because I use a computer all day long I like mine turned down to prevent too much strain on the eyes. You can adjust the overall brightness further by changing the Nvidia control panel settings.

The bad.

The right hand shift key is only one key wide! I’ve been trained for so long using a regular shift key, that now I’m always hitting a key next to it. I can’t seem to adjust to this.

The control panel above the keyboard is a terrible design. It doesn’t use buttons, but instead touch technology (the key word here being touch). While this may sound cool, it really causes problems. The design flaw is - it is too close to the upper row of keys. Whenever I reach up to press one of these (like delete or a function key), another finger invariably will ‘touch’ one of these keys too. You get an audio beep for feedback and that keys action. So I hit the delete key and ‘beep’ the volume goes up. I hit an F5 and ‘beep’ and it goes into quickplay mode. I’ve done this at least 50 times now and it’s not even 24hrs old. I’ll have to disable the button panel. BAD design!!! They should have either moved it back behind the speakers OR just used regular buttons.

The keyboard is much noisier than my old keyboard. Don’t know if this is bad, but different.

The good.

It has a great looking screen. (17.0" WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900) )
A button to turn the touchpad off and on.
Runs quiet and cool.

Also it looks good. You really can’t see the imprint design. The outside looks shiny black. It feels solid.

Overall I like it, need to get used the new keyboard since I do a lot of typing.

Zany

 

"You can adjust the overall brightness further by changing the Nvidia control panel settings"

Yup, this is really key on these laptop screens + nVidia. Adjusting the Gamma is really important, then brightness and contrast.

 

I'm also interested in this computer. Has anyone tried the HDMI with an HDTV? Does it transmit sound?

How is the build quality?

 

Hi there, i also do alot of work on photoshop.. how is the screenw orking for you.. is there enough screen space to edit photos or should i go with the wsxga. I currently have a dv8000t with wsxga and during the day the screen is not bright enough for me. But the screen space is quiet nice. But i also do alot of photoshop work in darker areas too and i am afraid that the screen will kill my eyes. Is there anyway to turn the brightness down even lower?

 

Can someone explain to me why HP got rid of PCMCIA card slot? How am I supposed to get quality sound if I'm unable to connect my audigy 2zs?! Apart from that, dv9000 is flawless...

 

So like the E1705, dv9000t has no PCMCIA slot ? There are PCMCIA converts/adapters available.

BGeo

 

Yes, I too have tried it on dv8000t and it adjusts very well.


BGeo

 

Expresscard is the replacement for PCMCIA just like how PCI Express replaced plain PCI. I'm pretty sure they have adapters or Creative will have newer products coming out soon.

 

I got mine 3 days ago. And I'M LOVING IT!
Same as TGunn, I got mine within 24 hours. They send it on 13th, got it in Chicago on 14th. Which I think its impossible if they shipped it from China, they probably have distribution center here in US. I'd say kudos to HP & FedEx to ship overnight for free (cause I took 5-7 days shipping for free).

I agree with all things said in TGunn's & Zany's posts:

• You'll get use to keyboard, it is so much better then Toshiba P105!
• You can adjust brightness!
• Yes, Lid is a fingerprint magnet, but HP is providing you with soft microfiber cloth,which cleans fingerprints very well!
• And I truly believe that kev99sl's overheating case is isolated!

I got myself also Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse which pairs with dv9000t really good.
I was able to save $100 by ordering my dv9000t with only 512MB, and buying 2GB RAM (pc2-5300) from newegg.com, which are working perfect!
In near future I'll buy one more 7200rpm HDD, but I'll also need $40 brackets from HP.

• Compared to dv6000 series dv9000's have Screen Latch, but it doesn't close really tight.
• Tone of bloatware. :-( But after removing everything but necessary, I cut boot time almost in half!
• Very poor battery life. Not even 2 hours, but which 17" notebook has a good battery life? This one specialy, because Ultra Bright screen.
• 17" notebooks are meant to be desktop replacement, cause they're to heavy to carry around anyways!

GREAT Performance!!! PI test (2mil) - 1m 02s. Didn't do PC/3DMark05/06 tests yet!
7200RPM HDD is super fast!
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG is catching signals like crazy!
WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900) is made by LG and it looks absolutely beautiful!​

Notebook is build really well and sturdy!

If you wonna be happy with your DTR buy dv9000 series!

Mike!

 

Well, my first impressions of this system are not as positive.

The system is awesome....until one begins playing a game.

I can only play PREY for 15 -25 mintues before the notebook shuts down due to overheating.

I contacted HP customer support today, and gave the service tech remote access to my notebook.

He attempted to update my bios, but the update was unsuccessful.

I was told that my notebook had a hardware issue which would require service center intervention.

That was bad news, because I just exchanged this notebook for a dv9000z about 2 weeks ago.

Ive only had the 9000t since Wednesday.

I went on to tell the service tech that I would like a refund instead.

He offered to send me a replacement, but I rejected his offer.

Now I have to talk to the quailty manager tomorrow, but the Notebook is boxed up and ready to go.

I just cant take this nonsense any longer.

I will eventualy get that notebook, but it is apparent that many bugs still exist.

I will wait.

 

How do you like the feel of the touchpad? I checked out a DV3000 I believe at Circuit City and the touchpad seemed to have a lot of friction compared to all the other laptops they had on display. Is it something that just takes getting used to?

 

In another thread I noted that mine started overheating out of the box. It's discouraging to hear of someone else with similar issues. Do you know what BIOS version came installed and what version the tech was trying to upgrade with? Did he say what changes in the BIOS were made? My replacement is on the way, but if I experience any temperature problems again I'm getting a refund. I got this thing decked out with the latest and greatest hardware to move between three desks and crunch Flash, After Effects, and Premiere files. If it can't do it at full-speed without shutting down, I may as well have saved my money and gotten a slower, cooler, cheaper processor ... or a better designed notebook. Hopefully I just got a bad one right out of the gate.

 

That's kind of disappointing. I was planning to place my dv9000t order tomorrow (T7200, 2GB, 100 7200RPM). But two people in this forum have already reported heat related shutdown issues with dv9000t. I am now kind of hesitant whether to go with dv9000t. The other option for is to go for E1705. But then it has only a single HDD...

Any more new dv9000t owners ? Please post your opinions

BGeo

 

I was supposed to do some work this weekend, but seeing I had my brand new dv9000t, I played instead. Played Far Cry, and Fear, Half Life 2. For hours and hours, until my fingers hurt. No heat or shutdown. I didn't check the gpu core temp, but next time I'll check and post it. It normally runs at 55-65c.

And oh yea, the games played and looked great. All set at maximum settings. Fear runs a test at the beginning - it had a framerate between 25 to 90 fps. I didn't do any mods or updates. Very happy with the results.

Overall my laptop has been flawless other than the 2 gripes I mentioned earlier in this thread.

I'm starting to get used to the mini-me right hand shift key, but the quick launch buttons still drive me crazy.

The touchpad is very smooth, no friction at all.

Update:

• Runs at about 73c when playing games.
• Front left of touchpad gets warm (not hot) that's where the 7200rpm HD is.
• Back left corner gets slightly hot. That's where the fan intake (bottom) and exhaust (back) is.

Zany

 

i got my dv9000t 3 days ago. It had a humming sound from the LCD the first time I had it turned on. The sound went away on the 2nd day. Maybe the LCD needs burning in. It doesn't power up at all on the 3rd day. I checked the power cable and remove/replace the battery but the unit just doesn't power up.

I also have the dv8000t and somehow the built quality seems to be better on the 8000. For example, the 8000 shuts snuggly but the 9000 does not. The LCD seems a bit sharper too (my 8000t has 256MB nVidia and the new 9000t has 512 nVidia, both have same resolution specification.

I'll be returning the 9000t and may consider the dell XPS or E1705.

 

Funny how certain things bother us. I went and checked mine, and yes your right, there is some slop in it. I never noticed. Someone else mentioned "fingerprint magnet". Once again I ignored that statement until my wife mentioned all of the fingerprints on the top last night.

Those issues I can live with. On the other hand the mini-me shift bothers me, but others don't seem to mind. Every computer is going to have some gotcha's.

I wanted a reliable fast computer with nice easy to read screen, and comfortable keyboard. And my dv9000t meets those requirements very nicely.

A really nice fix for the quick launch button problem would be to have an option (for people like me) to require the fn key to be held down for any of quick launch buttons to work. Are you listening HP?


Zany

 

Hey gang...

I've been watching the forums for a couple of weeks in anticipation of my dv9000t. I just wanted to return the favor of information received here by posting my experience with the HDMI port.

The HDMI port acts just like and external monitor - toggle via FN + F4 - for external, local or both. The display resolution passed when external only is 1920 x 1080 and audio signal is passed through as well. The audio control is also separate, as external audio is not muted when I mute the laptop, and the same goes for volume control.

I hope that helps and let me know if you want me to test anything else and I'll do what I can.

 

I should have added.... The above HDMI test was under Windows MCE 2005. I also just tested with Vista RC1 x64 and the video works, but audio does not pass. This was both with just Vista and MCE within Vista.

 

Can anyone of the new dv9000t owners do a review on dv9000t ?

BGeo

 

i would also love to see a review.. with a bunch of good pics.

 

I am so close to placing an order for the dv9000t! But I was wondering if anyone on this forum uses theirs for photography? I use Photoshop CS2 extensively for my post processing and the files I work with are pretty big (13megapixel). Just curious if anyone had comments on this particular laptop for photo editing. Thanks.

 

I just received my replacement dv9000t this morning. So far, it's been running without a hitch: no overheating, no shutdowns. I haven't done anything too processor-intensive yet, but before I wasn't even able to install software without the temperature skyrocketing. This truly is going to be a desktop replacement for me, mainly creating Flash content and doing audio and video editing, so I'll be interested in seeing how it performs on those tasks.

 

Could anyone please post some pictures of the dv9000t from the front, both sides, and back view. i would like to have an idea where the usb ports...etc are located.

 

look at the hp website

 

it doesn't show the back. Why are all the ports and such built on the side, it would be more logical to put them in the back. like dell E1705 has about 6 usb ports whereas this one only has 4.

 

See here. Its the z version but the location of the ports should be the same...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1548830&postcount=59

 

There are no ports on the back. Why would it be more logical? The headphone jacks and mic jack are on the front for example - and I find it really easy to plug the headphones in.

Ports on the back of a desktop seem like a good idea, but on a laptop, connections tend to be transitory, so convenience plays a part in the design as well.

I think the ports are laid out fine, the small shift key and touch quick launch buttons are another issue however.

Zany

 

Hello All,
I recieved my dv9000t yesterday and I am another very happy customer so far

Here are my initial impressions (and per many requests on this forums and others, I will be writing a full review on this notebook shortly). In the meantime, here are my initial impressions:

Good:
-This baby is fast! I haven't updated any drivers yet and even with the ones that came with it I am getting a 3925 3dmark '05 score, and a 1975 3dMark '06 score. To me thats pretty dang good.

-Build Quality is very solid. I love the look, the feel of the keys, the size, etc. it all just feels very 'right'.

-So far it is powerfull, I am using it to run Dreamweaver/Flash/SQL Server 2k5 and browse all at the same time with no big problems. I ran photoshop for about 10 minutes and that seemed to run great as well.

Bad
-The bloatware (as previously stated). Came with a lot of junk installed, took the majority off. I still haven't shut down all the start-up items in MSconfig cause I'm really not sure what is needed. I'd be curious what startup items other 9000t owners have turned off so we could compare notes.

-Vongo free trial code did not work. I really wanted to try the service, but after messing with it for about 20 minutes I gave up. Thats another piece that I'll be uninstalling.

Overall
Really happy with it. I have refrained from putting any games on it until my 2 gigs of OCZ memory get here (hopefully tomorrow). I have the free 1 gig upgrade right now, but I want to play the games with the full on 2 gig glory. I'll be back soon with a review and some pictures

 

Apologies in advance for the length of this from a NewB/Lurker but I thought others might benefit from my take.

Configuration:

WinDoze XP Media Center
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7200 (2.0 GHz)
- 17.0" WXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1440x900)
- 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7600
- HP IMPRINT Finish + Microphone + Webcam
- 2.0GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024MB)
- 100 GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
- LightScribe DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network w/Bluetooth
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Microsoft(R) Works/Money
- System Recovery DVD w/Windows XP Media Center



THE GOOD & THE BAD OF IT:

Overall this is a fabulous machine that does have its slight shortcomings.

To me the most annoying and worst is that half sized right hand side Shift Key... so bad in fact, I might even start typing all caps that are on the left side of the QWERTY keyboard in lower case. This was just a bad decision on the design engineers' part. The second is: I think the catch mechanism for holding the top closed with the two metal loops that stick out of the top of the screen panel are a bit cheesy and not up to par for a machine of this quality and price. Another shortcoming (in my mind) is the standard qwerty keyboard has key locations that are different from my last notebook (a 17" Toshiba) that also cause me to hit the wrong keys (ctrl) when I want to insert or delete - I'm sure I will get used to these eventually. With the setup of the keyboard (as it is) you have to move your right hand from the home keys to use the delete or insert/scroll keys at the top right of the keyboard - next to the function keys. With my typing skills the delete key is one of my most critical keys and this is also a nuisance. Lastly, try out the keyboard prior to purchase… it is just a ‘bit’ too ‘tactile clicky’ for me. This may get better over time but as it is right now I REALLY preferred my old Toshiba’s feel.

I paid extra for the system disks and fully expected to get an actual WinDoze XP system disk and a separate driver’s disk. Instead I got a set of 'system recovery' diskettes that have all the bloatware that comes on the machine and will reinstall the OS with all that extra garbage as originally configured. A separate call to HP and additional money is required to get the true OS system disk that I expected to come with the machine.

HP SHOULD offer the configuration option of a single one gig RAM chip (or even a single 2 gig chip) instead of forcing you to either configure with 2 – 256 chips, 2 – 512 chips or 2 – 1 gig chips. Maximum RAM for a machine of this caliber should be 4 gigs (instead of 2 with Vista – the memory hog – on the horizon) since 2 gig chips are available. They don’t… wake up HP and others! Many of us would rather not have extra chips lying around or have to trade in if and when we decide to upgrade. Would a bios upgrade solve the 2 gig limitation on the RAM?

Even when the additional recovery disk is ordered HP partitions the hard drive and places the recovery files on the partition. On my 100 gig HD it occupied almost 14% of the total capacity of the drive. There is an option to delete this partition and keep the configuration that you have spent some time getting to with the directions on how to do that in the support literature. There is not too much ‘bloatware’ (compared to some other machines) but it would be better in my mind to send this crap on DVD’s. I have absolutely no use for AOL, Internet connectivity solutions and promos, MS Office free 30 day trail versions, or MS Works / Money and resent having to uninstall this junk. When they take the order for the configuration of the machine, HP could also configure the setup of the software at the same time (like Dell) OR they could ship on DVD’s and eliminate the problem. The WinDoze media center OS had 52 security patches that had to be loaded on a brand new machine with a brand new OS (including the Validation BS) – God forbid if I had dial up! This should have been done in China BEFORE they shipped the machine.

I thought that I got some kind of free skin option when I placed the order but I guess that extra had expired because I can find no evidence that it ever existed. This would help because the glossy finish of the exterior is a fingerprint magnet (as previously cited by others). I took the original static vinyl that came on the top and 're-installed' with a spritz of water under it to help from seeing the top covered with fingerprints all the time.

Final shortcoming (for me) is the screen itself. It is very pretty and glossy... I much prefer a matte finish for the surface of the screen in the majority of my ambient lighting situations. Back lighting (behind me) can be distracting when the glow of the fluorescent lamps can be seen on the screen. The quality is good but a matte finish would improve the reflectivity situation.

Now that is the end of my carping and complaining. Here are the good things:

I would rate this machine as an 8.8 on a 10 scale. It is far closer to my 'ideal' laptop then any I have previously owned and I have owned quite a few. I opted for the 100 gig 7200 RPM HD and am truly glad that I did. I had returned an 8000 to HP because of dual RAID HD problems early this year... if you order a DV9000t, the faster hard drive is well worth the small bump over the two slower 80 gig HD’s that come standard. It is so easy (and cheap) to get USB large capacity portable HD's to store all the junk you accumulate and you don't need to be defragging all the time. The 7200 RPM hard drive feels at least twice as fast as the 4800 RPM HD's I previously used on the 8000.

The DV9000t is a joy to use and very attractive. It is faster than my old tower which is being retired. It is not so heavy that I can not tote it in my 17” notebook carry case. The switch to turn off (or on) the touch pad is a joy and will eliminate the pain of reconfiguring in Control Panel if you want to use a mouse. The number keypad is an asset for what I do… if it is not something that you need the smaller 15” machine is also out there. I opted for the 256 MB video card since I am not a big gamer and it will do everything that I need to do with this machine. I have had it a week and have almost everything loaded that I need to use and everything is working nicely. It took some time getting to that but I think that it was worth the effort. The machine is definitely worth the price if you want a 17” capable laptop. HP delivered machine almost a week before promised… it took a total of 2 days to get from the loading dock at the factory in China to my house in Florida even though FedEx had quoted 5 days… now if HP can teach this kind of attention to their design engineers they will really need another CEO, again. I knew with the FedEx tracking exactly where the machine was after it was shipped and was waiting on the front porch for the driver.



Cnet's reviews the DV9000t and touts the Dell XPS M1710 as faster... it would have to be one heck of a lot faster if it is to compete on a level playing field with the DV9000t. From Cnet’s review of the Dell: “At $4,215, our Dell XPS M1710 test unit came configured with the most high-end parts money can buy…” including a 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo chip... The exact configuration of the DV9000t that I ordered, if I ordered the same configuration on the Dell (which did not include a webcam or the one year of accident insurance in case I drop my HP in the lake and was included in my price) was $ 1000 more expensive than what I paid for my machine ($1,818 after rebates and with free shipping). The only real life differences between the machine I ordered and the Dell Cnet tested and reviewed are: the Dell can utilize 4 GB of Ram, HP only 2 GB; Dell had 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo option, HP had only 2 GHz chip (faster chips will obviously be available when HP can get them, but will they be worth the bump in price?); and the NVidia 7900 graphics card with 512 MB, HP only offers a NVidia 7600 (they state with 512 aboard but this has been disputed and some say that the extra 256 is shared – I want the final answer on that one!) and I got the 256 MB; 1,900x1,200 screen resolution VS.1,400x900 (higher resolution is available at an extra cost on the HP - but only 1680 x 1050); 6 VS. 4 USB ports (are you really running 6 USB peripherals on a laptop at one time? Buy a hub then… and some others… but not in my mind sufficient to cover buying 2 of the HP DV9000t’s for less money than one of the Dell’s that were reviewed.

Did I mention that the HP has the numeric keypad and the Dell does not (a big factor in my decision); the HP has a webcam and the Dell does not; the HP has two plugs for earphones (don’t know about the Dell) and some others features... like a Lightscribe double layer DVD drive or the included Intel Bluetooth on the HP instead of an option to upgrade on the Dell $ 4,215 machine.

One more thing: I don’t think that notebooks will be kept in service at the higher end of the performance spectrum for more than two years with the way the technology and OS’s are moving now... so based on that: the Dell that was reviewed would cost $ 175.63 / month to own over its useful life, while the HP would cost $ 75.75 / month. I don’t know about you, but in the RW $ 100 per month is very handy at my house. Oh, and the tax on the extra cost of the Dell VS. the HP in my state was an additional $ 175.

In RL I wanted another monster Toshiba but the Qosmio looks and feels like a brick and the P105 just really needs to add some features (that they don’t even have as options) to offer the same things that are standard on the DV9000t.

I am very pleased with this new computer so far… thanx HP. Send me your next machine when your designers get it down before you offer it on the market and some of the others on this site and we will let you know what you have to do to get a 10… for now, I’ll revise my rating to a 9.2.

 

You might have a windoze xp need for a download here... look to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads and search for KB918005 - which is a fix to help improve battery life in notebooks when USB devices are connected... you will, of course, have to validate.

Don't know if this is the problem but if you are using a USB wireless mouse or a thumb drive or whatever the download should help.

 

Welcome to the 9000 club srplus. Glad to have you aboard.

I agree with you on the mini-me shift key, but you do get used to it over time.

That's been discussed. This might help.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=80707

Zany

 

Yes... I read that discussion but on another forum there is a 7 page discussion on this and in my mind I have to go with Sledgehammer's opinion and really want a definitive on this issue.

see: http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50109&highlight=dv9000t

that takes up the discussion in the middle of the thread... no one from HP from what I read there stated that the ENTIRE 512 MB was discrete... both participants in this pissing match seem to show different results after changing out RAM modules.

Like Regis always said: "Is that your final answer?" I suspect that the 256 is discrete and the 256 is shared as Sledge opines. It is what I thought when I ordered mine with the 256 and still suspect with a bios or driver upgrade that my 7600 can become a 512 when needed.

comments?

 

Well its a full 512 as stated on the page. I am not the only person thats said this nor the only person thats pointed out the 7600go does not use turbocache. There is no bios adjust for it either.

 

Just a heads UP for those NOT wanting to use Autoupdate, connect to MS and have them probe your system..

Google something called AutoPatcher.... (1) one download gives you all the updates...

I'd don't trust MS after what the did using the regwiz.exe program used to "register" the OS in Windows95...

 

.


I have a request for those that OWN a dv9xxxx series machine with the HDMI output port...
(If you don't own one that's cool also if you have any info, Please do post links to your source though.)


Allot of people want to know your impressions on using the HDMI output to connect to a BIG SCREEN HDTV, via HDMI


Please post your impressions, what resolutions these units can output.

720P
1080i
1080p


.

 

I have owned my dv900t for about a month now. I highly reccomend it. I am writing a review and a buying guide. I have spent 20 large on computers since 2000 so I would like to think I have spent my way to computer wisdom...

I have a 1.66 ghz merom core. For all intents and purposes it functions as a 1.95 ghz Athlon X2 in synthetic tests. It processes divx files like a 1.9 ghz X2
Dont be afraid to get a 1.86 ghz C2D vice the faster models. Any C2D is sufficient these days. If you select the entry level core duo (yonah) you won be dissapointed either. Just to make sure I wasnt smoking crack, I ran 3D mark 2005 on my X2 3800 @ 1.9 ghz and 1.6 ghz. There was no change in score. There was a slight difference in gaming at low resolutions but no change when the eye candy is turned up. The fan is noticeable but not a trouble. Then again my ULV centrino in my Fujitsu started out that way 2 years ago.

I have 2GB of DDR-667. I opened up 8 web pages, ran Dr Divx, Auto GK, Rome Total war and had a whole slew of hardware monitoring programs running on another monitor. I never used more than 1.2 GB. Dont be afraid to get only 1GB of RAM in your machine. You wont miss the extra GB. If anything, forego the extra GB of RAM and get a faster processor if bragging rights are your thing.

The 7600GO will play any UT 2004 generation game at the highest settings. Doom 3 generation games will play at high settings at max resolution just fine. FEAR generation games will play at almost the highest settings at 1024x768. This is assuming 30-40 Fps is just fine by you (they are with me). Games that came out this quarter that use advanced shaders and HDR will pose a problem though. The MTW2 demo lags pretty bad at the next to highest settings. Marvel ultimate alliance (its like Diablo 2 on roids) gets 10 fps with the advanced shaders turned on (resolution changes having no effect). The stock settings for the GPU is 400mhz core clock and 760mhz for the RAM. I did a mild over clock of 495 and 900. I gained about 2 fps on Marvel ult alliance. It was hard to guage the heat increase but I would say it went from 150F on stock to 160F OC'd. I think OC'ing is a waste. You can get the 512 MG 7600go if you want but beware! In order to load a game up at the highest quality settings in Doom 3, you really should have a 512MB graphics card. But many would argue that the 7600go lacks the horse power to push those ultra quality textures at a playable frame rate anyways. It is safe to say that if you are a hardcore gamer you need to spend about $1000 more and get an XPS. The dv9000 will not push frames with quality by this time next year. The problem is with a lack of shader pipes and such. But at 1500 bucks you cant do any better than this notebook.

I have dual 80GB HDDs. They get hot along with the RAM but that is to be expected. the heat from my 10.6" fujitsu's HDD and RAM was hot enough to peel the paint off the bottom. The dv9000 wont have that problem thankfully.

The trackpad is canted off to the left. if you use your right hand to track and your left to type, this will present a problem since your fingers will seem to end up on the "scroll" part of the track pad. Other than that, it is fine.

The screen is very high quality and bright considering the circumstances. I have owned 7 notebooks and this one has just as good a screen as the others.

Dont waste your time with the TV tuner card. It is choppy when used at full screen and will most likely work ONLY ONCE! Reboot once after installing the card and you will find yourself calling HP. Scan the net and you will find many people have the same problem. The manufacturer of the tuner no longer lists the tuner as a supported product as well. Turning up your GPU settings will reduce some of the choppiness but I dont find it to be worthwhile to have your fan running full bore.

The DVD ROM is fast and reads disks just fine. I use it to rip stuff rather than use my desktop's DVD ROM. Its relatively quiet as well.

The speakers leave something to be desired though. My buddy has a 12.1" XPS and his speakers drown mine out. The quality is better though so pick your poison.

I have never seen so much bloat ware in my life. but what are you gonna do?

Battery life stinks. Just unplug the doggone thing and your battery life goes from 100% to 98%. My buddy only got 30 mins with his 3.2 ghz P4/X800 mobility notebook. Thats bad. But gettin 1hr 45 mins just idling isnt anything to be proud of. At least the battery doesnt stick out the back though.

The overall build quality and feel is great. It looks clean and super tight. The media buttons and volume buttons are lighted up (the beeps that accompany pushing any of those buttons gets old though).

The bottom line is that if you buy a notebook from say ABS, Asus, Acer, etc etc, you will get 1GB less RAM, an X1600m, and a 15.4" screen for the same price. But the extra GB of RAM wont impact performance, the X1600m performs just as good as the 7600go, and a 15.4" screen may actually be a bonus to some people. I selected this one because if is the best you can buy from best buy. if I dont like something I want to take it back ASAP. If you really want a gaming rig then I doubt you will be able to get in at less than $2200-$2500. If you customize the dv9000 down to a Turion X2 or the 1.7 ghz core duo and 1GB of RAM for around $1100 you are getting a great deal out the gate and wont be too butt hurt when the laptop gets a little long in the tooth. just my 2 cents worth.

 

Thanks for the link. I read the very lively debate. Enough to make your head spin.

I have no idea who's right, but here is something to consider:

If it is shared memory, then what is the extra $100 buying?? Just the ability to read system memory? If that's the case why even offer it as an option. Just sell one version like all the other models. hmmmm


Zany

 

hello 9000 owners

I'm thinking of moving on to a dv9000t with 1,66 C2D,leaving my ASUS A7D behind.

I'm now experiencing Turion MT 32 and X700 performance,with 2:15-2:30 battery life while wifi browsing and almost perfect assembly quality. Had upgraded to 1GB RAM and 7200rpm hdd a month ago.

A brief inspection to a dv9000t at the local shop gave me the impression of a very good built quality for the z9000t but not exactly on par with the Asus. Also the dv9000t is slightly smaller(and has a 5400 hdd-no other option available here)

Do you think the performance increase of the 1,66 C2D over the Turion and of the 7600 over the X700 would qualify for the slightly smaller battery life, as reported here, and a 300$ price difference?

 

joystik & KerriAnn76:
What screen resolutions did you guys decide on and how is it working for you???? What do you like/dislike and what would you choose now?

Note: anyone is free to chime in here. I addressed joystik & KerriAnn because they mentioned Photoshop which my dv900t will be primarily for.

For my dv9000t I'm trying to decide between the 17.0" WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440x900) or the 17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680x1050). I like the idea of the former because the dual lamps give "improved color gamut by 72%", but the latter would give a lot more realestate to work with.

I do a lot of work with digital photography (lightroom, photoshop). Thus wide gamut is important, but so is area to work in. This will be a DTR.

Thoughts?

 

Digital photos = higher resolution. Besides, regardless of color gamut, it's never going to look as it does on a CRt or the real thing. Might as well save $50 and get more screen space while your at it. I personally have the 1680x1050 screen and am finishing up my review of the dv9000t with Windows Vista pretty soon.

 

How do you check the temps with Vista?

 

use speedfan, everest and/or rmclock

 

Can someone please tell me how to use the webcam on a dv9000t 17' hp laptop computer?