ZT3000

Anyone know if the zt3000 is any good? I'm having trouble finding reviews of it online. I like the specs (Radeon 9200, 5400rpm hd, dvd-rw) but I want to make sure the pc doesn't suck. My biggest concern is probably battery life. Anyone know anything useful?

 

I would also like to know whether we can upgrade the TFT WXGA (1280x800) to SXGA (1680x1050) - it seems that HP takes that option to upgrade at their hp.com. And also, is the font comfortable for the eyes at SXGA resolution.

 

I just bought a HP ZT3000 and it's nice. The only problem I have with it is that the fan produces a very high pitched noise (almost like Morse-code). The tech people say that any Pentium 4 processor has this noise and it's quite normal. As for the font, I have a SXGA (1680x1050) screen and I'm not very impressed by the clarity and might have to adjust it to make it crisp while working on documents. Overall, I don't think I'll return it due to the noise. I really like to layout and keyboard and has a battery life for about 3hours (I wonder about the claim of 5+ hours!).

I hope this helps!

 

I just checked the www.shopping.hp.com and they do not have the XGA screen right now and they do not know when it will be available again. I bought my notebook 2 weeks ago and at that time they had SXGA available. The x1000 Compaq still has the option for a higher resolution.

 

And the battery life - it seems like all the notebook reviewers or buyers report much less (3 hours as opposed to the advertised 5 or 6 hours). There should be a government law or constitution against this kind of misleading advertisement.

 

nerhardt,

Thank you for the info. The ZT3000 contains Pentium M, not Pentium 4. It should be a low voltage quiet CPU. I am surprise to hear about the "Morse Code noise". Thanks again.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by detente

 

Hey Dent I just found a review on CNET.com check it out.

 

not sure if you are aware of the site, but try x1000forums.com...they have dedicated sections for the zt3k

 

Hello,

None of these models have a ATI 9200 video card, they have the ATI 9000. HP knew this and mislead customers. So the consumer bought a product under the belief they were getting the ATI 9200, yet did not. I find this EXTREMELY piss poor dealings. If you have any questions check out the x1000 Forums mentioned above...

Good Luck,

Arch~Angel

I shall NEVER own another HP Product!!!

 

I'm sorry for how this is going to sound but I'm not in the mood to put this lightly.

Who the hell cares if it is a Radeon 9000 that is in your laptop (or any ZT or X1000 model) because it PERFORMS the EXACT SAME. The only difference between the Mobility Radeon 9000 and 9200 are the clock speeds and AGP 8x support. The motherboard on those laptops don't support 8x AGP and they clocked it like a 9200. Look at any benchmark comparing the ZT and any other laptop with a Radeon 9000, it is MUCH faster because the performance of the 9000 is equivalent if not better than a "regular" 9200. So no, it doesn't SAY 9200 on the chip but it is clocked the exact same so there is nothing deceptive here. Quit spewing sh*t unless you have facts to back it up.

Don't blame HP/Compaq for your ineptitude to actually look at the performance of the computer. Heaven forbid.

Take a look here: http://reviews.cnet.com/Compaq_Presario_X1000/4505-3121_7-30422516-4.html?tag=review

From review: "The Presario X1000 is the first system we've tested that included the new ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics adapter. It features a faster core and memory clock speed than the Mobility Radeon 9000 used by the Acer TravelMate 800, however, both cards come with 64MB of video memory. In 3D graphics tests, the Presario X1000 easily outperformed the Acer TravelMate 800. . . "


*Edit* And take a look here: http://www.techtv.com/news/products/story/0,24195,3478633,00.html

From review: "In gaming performance, the X1000 blew the competition out of the water by up to 20 to 30 percent. We attribute its gaming speed to ATI's screaming-fast Mobility Radeon 9200 chip."

Then shut up about it because you didn't get screwed, you didn't get misled, and you most certainly do not have the right to tell people NOT to buy something based on FALSE information.

Find me proof that shows the opposite of what I said and I'll eat crow. I'm waiting.

 

I was very much impressed by all positive reviews all over the net for zt3000. i purchased zt3000 from HP shopping online.
i must say it looks awesome. my configuration includes
1.6GHZ, 512ram, dvd writer, Intel 2200 802.11b/g and 64MB
video card. everthing look fine as i opened the laptop form
the package. as i played some dvds i felt little warm on my
lap. when i looked at the bottom, to my surprise, the fan was
still. though, it was not hot it was warm n i had connected
to ac power. then i tried different things like using battery
to see if the fan rotates. then i called the tech support,
but they were not able to give me an answer.i ran the laptop for 15hrs continously with ac power, but the fan just didn't rotate.
form one of my friend i found out that since it has centrino
tech, the thermal settings might be set such tht it doesn't
rotate unless it's very hot or some pre determined value is
reaached.

can anybody who has this model or any centrino model help me find out what's going with my fan. I love the laptop but this issues bugs me. please give me ur feedback. Thanks. Suresh.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Arch~Angel