Posts Tagged ‘HP’

Newer Entries »

HP Pavilion HDX

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

The HP Pavilion HDX is the BEST computer I have ever had. When you look at it, one may think “I dont need all of that”, but you do. The full keyboard is very nice. With the 20.1 inch wide screen, you can fit 2 web pages on one screen. The finger reader is very handy so that you only have to put in a username and password once, and it is very secure. The price is very overwhelming, but so is the weight. This computer is worth the $2500+ you will spend on it. If this is going to be your only computer, that is fine. It is more powerful then most desktops. The only downfall of the computer is that there is NO computer bag big enough to hold it. You have to have a small suitcase to carry it around. I would recomend this computer to anyone who wants to have the nicest computer in the office.

The HP Pavilion HDX, high-end desktop replacement is huge and heavy, but its fast performance makes it a great gaming machine.

Gamers have a new best friend in the HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series Notebook PC. Superfast, with great sound and a huge 20.1-inch screen, it’s a good, fairly portable entertainment system. Digital editors, artists, and multimedia enthusiasts will like this all-in-one, too. Just be ready to dig deep for it: Our test unit cost $3000.

The machine we looked at came maxed out with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate; Intel’s best mobile chip, the 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo T7700; and 4GB of RAM. All of that horsepower helped the HDX earn a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 86 and generate a frame rate of 109 in our Far Cry gaming tests. The HDX’s 2-hour, 22-minute battery life is quite poor for an ordinary notebook but remarkably good for a massive (15.5-pound) desktop-replacement model.

The HDX is impressively crafted. For one thing, the machine looks stylish; the exterior is a subtle variation on HP’s designer imprint finish called “The Dragon.” The 1680-by-1050 glossy screen is easy to move back and forth on its adjustable arm for a comfortable viewing angle, and it’s bright without being too reflective. The keyboard, which includes a dedicated number pad, offers desktop-like typing comfort along with one-touch QuickPlay media controls.

The system’s four integrated Altec Lansing speakers, aided by an HP triple-bass-reflex subwoofer, produce very loud, rich sound, but a rear audio-out port makes it a snap to add a nicer, external set of speakers for gaming surround sound. Its many multimedia connections include a coaxial port for a TV signal. Our test system included two 100GB hard drives, and if even that isn’t enough space for you, the HDX has an eSATA port for adding a fast new external hard drive.

If you’ve been searching for a powerful, luggable gaming machine or an ultrahigh-end desktop replacement, give the HDX a look. It’s one of the nicest 20.1-inch models we’ve seen yet.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Pavilion | No Comments »

HP Pavilion DV2660SE

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

The $899 (as of 2/7/08) HP Pavilion dv2660se offers strictly budget performance, but its battery life and a great design make it our winning laptop under $1000.

The dv2660se (the se stands for “special edition”) comes with a 1.5-GHz Core 2 Duo T5250 processor coupled with 2GB of memory shared with the laptop’s Intel 965 Express integrated graphics. The notebook’s WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 67 is significantly lower than the high-eighties scores of some portables with the latest mobile chips, but it’s not bad for a budget machine.

In fact, the score beats the average of 65 earned by the five sub-$1000 laptops we tested for this roundup and is only five points below the average for all the all-purpose notebooks that we’ve tested of late, regardless of price. However, don’t expect its graphics power to be good enough to play 3D games well.

Battery life was just short of amazing. This six-pound unit’s high-capacity 12-cell battery endured for a whopping 6.3 hours on one charge in our tests. That’s about 2.5 hours longer than the average mainstream laptop. The way the big battery protrudes from the bottom of the notebook does not make the dv2660se the most briefcase- or backpack-friendly model in our test bunch, but it does give the keyboard a very nice slant for extra-comfortable typing. The dedicated on-off touchpad button, slightly concave keys, and deep-depressing mouse buttons help typing, too.

The overall design of this Windows Vista Home Premium laptop is just about the best you’ll find among budget units. For one, as the latest in HP’s designer line of notebooks, this model is stamped with an embedded motif–sweeping tendrils that drape partway over the touchpad like a vine.

Another nice extra is the notebook’s instant-on capability via HP’s QuickPlay menu, accessed through a touch-sensitive media control panel at the top of the keyboard; it lets you play a CD or DVD without first launching Windows, so it’s a great time saver. Two other nice multimedia touches: a Webcam and dual headphone ports on the front so two people can listen in private at once. (Not that you really need headphones because the built-in speakers sound pretty darn good without them.)

The 14.1-inch, 1280-by-800-pixel screen could be a tad brighter, but it’s easy enough to read, and it has enough room to comfortably view several open windows at once. The dv2660se does lack some increasingly mainstream features, such as 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, gigabit ethernet, and a fingerprint reader. However, it has 802.11g Wi-Fi, which should provide fast-enough wireless connectivity for most. It also has a DVD writer and an ExpressCard slot. And the dv2600se is one of the few laptops in this price range to bundle a full-fledged set of productivity applications in the form of Microsoft Works 8.5.

Finally, the dv2660se has the most upgrade potential thanks to a side connection that all Pavilion laptops have for HP’s Swiss knife-like xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base. Though you’re looking at an investment of several hundred dollars more, this stand/storage docking station lets you add better speakers and another hard drive, a nice option for those who might have the itch to improve the system later on.

All told, the dv2660se is pretty impressive for budget fare and well-deserving of our Best Buy.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Pavilion | No Comments »

HP Pavilion DV5000T

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

Long battery life and a great screen encourage you to take this speedy desktop replacement on the road.

Good desktop replacement notebooks usually aren’t good travel notebooks. But HP’s Pavilion dv5000t has both the desktop chops–including a superb screen and keyboard–and the battery life, in spades. As a bonus, our test unit’s 12-cell battery provides a comfortable ergonomic slant no matter where you are.

The dv5000t’s 15.4-inch, 1280 by 800 screen strikes a good balance between viewability and portability. And with this notebook’s battery life, you’ll want to step out. The 12-cell battery included with our test unit (which adds $39 to the price) lasted a phenomenal 7 hours, 7 minutes on one charge, a new record. The extra-tall rear-mounted battery, despite being a bit bulky and contributing to a 7.4-pound minimum weight, acts as a typing foot and lends the keyboard a welcome tilt similar to that of a full-size desktop keyboard.

The dv5000t is a workhorse. Our test unit, which included a 2-GHz Core Duo T2500 processor and 1GB of memory, earned a hot WorldBench 5 score of 98, putting it on a par with similarly equipped notebooks such as Dell’s Inspiron E1705 and Gateway M685-E, both of which received marks of 97. It finished the multitasking portion of the test in 7.6 minutes, about a minute sooner than the average dual-core notebook.

A well-designed entertainment notebook, too, the dv5000t boasts quick-play buttons that let you play video clips, DVD movies, or music CDs without having to turn on the notebook first. Our test unit came with the Windows Media Center Edition operating system (priced $30 higher than XP Home), a 100GB drive, an ExpressCard slot, and a TV tuner ($130 extra). Though they didn’t produce the best sound I’ve ever heard from an HP Pavilion, the dv5000t’s Altec Lansing speakers emit strong enough audio for you to enjoy a movie without headphones. The dv5000t’s graphic card options top out at nVidia’s GeForce Go 7400 with 128MB of RAM–good for general entertainment but not optimal for gaming.

Still, these are quibbles about a comfortable notebook that boasts an excellent consumer notebook keyboard. It has a sensible layout and a good feel, though the mouse buttons crowd the front edge. Color-coded keys double as media buttons for users who choose not to spring for the thin $15 remote control. The Wi-Fi switch and its status light are situated above the keyboard, and you can find side connections at a glance thanks to identifying icons stamped on the surface area just below and to the right of the keyboard.

Not surprisingly in view of its features, the dv5000t is not budget fare. Its $1984 price (as of May 18, 2006) made our test unit the most expensive all-purpose notebook in its cohort. The price did not include the alluring HP xb2000 Notebook Expansion Base, which has a screen stand, a port replicator, stereo speakers, and a bay for a second hard drive all rolled into one. Ordered with the 250GB hard drive kit, the base brings the dv5000t’s total possible storage to a desktop-worthy 350GB for an extra $499.

If you’re thinking of ditching your home PC for a notebook that you can pack up and take along, the dv5000 is one to consider seriously. From desktop comfort to long battery life, this machine has what it takes.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Pavilion | No Comments »

HP Pavilion DV4000

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

I like HP Pavilion DV4000 very much because her Reasonably priced, newly updated dv4000 notebook has a great mix of features.

It’s hard to imagine a better consumer notebook than the HP Pavilion dv4000. Since I first reviewed this unit in July 2005, it has been refreshed with better graphics; instead of video integrated into the chip set, it now comes with an ATI Mobility Radeon X700 PCI Express module with 128MB of dedicated memory.

RAM, but aside from better performance, it’s pretty much the same notebook as its predecessor, spilling over with useful and fun features even at its rock-bottom $1860 price. It has a 15.4-inch wide screen, a multifunction DVD burner for reading and creating any type of disc, a good keyboard, a memory card reader, a high-speed FireWire port, an ExpressCard slot for next-generation expansion cards, and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless communications. Shall I go on?

The dv4000 is well designed, with the optical drive and two of the four USB ports on the right side of the case. Identifying symbols stenciled on top of the case as well as on the sides help you locate ports at a glance. Having one on/off switch for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning is less than ideal, but the LED is very nice, a bright blue ring in the center screen hinge where you can’t miss it.

When you’re ready for a break from work, instant-play buttons turn the dv4000 into a Linux-based stand-alone music and movie player. You can control the tracks and volume from the keyboard or kick back and relax with a credit-card-size remote control that resides in the PC Card slot–a nice touch.

Even the expansion options are generous for a consumer notebook, starting with user-upgradable storage and memory slots that include elegant captive screws. HP’s $299 xb2000 docking station fleshes out the notebook into a solid desktop replacement. Much more than a port replicator, the xb2000 features a screen stand flanked by attached Harman/Kardon speakers and includes a second hard-drive bay. A wireless mouse and keyboard are also included. Docking requires some precision–you have to slide the notebook in keyboard first and plug the stand’s cable into the left side–but the value of using the dock is worth these small inconveniences.

The dv4000′s tested speed was good, if a tad behind that of its peers. This 2.13-GHz Pentium M 770-equipped unit with 1GB of RAM earned a WorldBench 5 score of 88, trailing an identically configured Asus machine by about 9 percent. We did, however, get a big boost in battery life this time around, despite the new video card: This version of the dv4000 lasted almost 4.5 hours on one charge.

Upshot: A terrific choice for consumers, the dv4000 strikes a good balance of work and entertainment features for a reasonable price.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Pavilion | No Comments »

HP Pavilion DV8000Z

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

After having two Toshiba Qosmios I moved to the HP DV8380US when my Toshiba experienced a melt down.The HP as a number of great options. I bought TWO docking stations — one for home and one for the office. They are overpriced, but they work well and I hope I can use them on future laptops.Ergonomics are beautiful and it is absolutely one of the best buys on the market right now!

The HP Pavilion dv8000z notebook rivals a desktop PC for storage and entertainment while saving room. The unit has a gorgeous 17-inch WXGA+ screen, superb sound (thanks to built-in Altec Lansing speakers), and a full-size keyboard with dedicated numerical keypad.

QuickPlay buttons located above the keyboard provide one-touch access to DVD movies, music, videos, and photos without starting Windows. HP’s credit-card-size remote control lets you sit back and control the action on the big screen. When you’re not using it, you can store the remote in the notebook’s PC Card slot. You could amass a vast number of digital photos, MP3s, and home videos on the maximum dual 120GB 4200-rpm hard drives (which our unit featured), or you could use the second drive for backup.

Add the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system ($30 extra) and an ExpressCard Analog TV tuner ($130)–both of which the unit I looked at had–and your dv8000z can function as a portable TV, too, letting you watch, pause live action, and record your favorite shows wherever there’s a cable connection.

The only one thing the dv8000z doesn’t do well is games. The notebook’s ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics card comes with 128MB of dedicated RAM and can pull up to 128MB more from main RAM. The new memory management scheme is supposed to be faster than traditional integrated graphics because it can take advantage of the bidirectional speed of PCI Express to access system RAM, but this doesn’t seem to help much. The best the dv8000z could manage in Far Cry at 1024 by 768 resolution and 32-bit color (with antialiasing turned off) was 23 frames per second. More typical was its performance in Doom at the same settings, where it staggered along at an unplayable 10 fps.

Equipped with a top-of-the-line single-core AMD 2.2-GHz Turion 64 ML-40 processor and 2GB of RAM, the dv8000z turned in an overall WorldBench 5 speed score of 95–strong but nevertheless a little below the marks that most mobile Intel dual-core notebooks we’ve seen so far have achieved. And in the multitasking portion of the test, the dv8000z was 30 percent slower than the average new desktop replacement at browsing the Internet while converting a sound file, taking almost 12 minutes to finish versus a little over 8 minutes. If you can get by on less than 240GB of storage, you can give performance a boost and save $175 by choosing dual 80GB 5400-rpm hard drives. Though the 8000z is heavy at 9.2 pounds, its tested 3.1-hour battery life indicates that it is truly portable.

The dv8000z is a chunky but attractive black-and-silver unit with many thoughtful design touches that make using it as a desktop replacement a pleasure. Among them are hidden hinges and an easy-to-find eject button on the right-side optical drive (a DVD burner in our review unit). Four USB ports, a FireWire port, and a six-in-one card reader help handle connection and data-swapping needs. An expansion port mounted on the right side gives the notebook further desktop replacement credentials by allowing docking in the optional HP xb2000 Expansion Base, which features a screen stand, port replication, and housing for a third hard drive.

Even without the expansion base, the dv8000z is a solid all-round option.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Pavilion | No Comments »

HP Pavilion a1510n Review

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

Ultra-budget-conscious buyers can certainly find a cheaper PC; a bare-bones HP a1400 series system, for example, starts at under $300. But anyone who wants to run an e-mail client, Web browser, and several other programs simultaneously or who wants to work occasionally with photo or other large data files will appreciate the extra processing power that the system’s Athlon 64 3800+ CPU and 1GB of DDR2 RAM deliver–especially if an upgrade to Windows Vista is in their future.

The a1510n earned a performance score of 97 on PC World’s WorldBench 5 test suite, a mark that ranks it a few percentage points below other systems running on the same CPU.

Due in part (we imagine) to its integrated GeForce graphics, which relies on both dedicated graphics RAM and system RAM, the a1510n posted an abysmal frame rate of 20 frames per second on our Return to Castle Wolfenstein test at 1280 by 1024 resolution; that’s one of the lowest marks we’ve seen in recent times. Game play at chez Wolfenstein was choppy at best, and images displayed on the HP vx17e screen were far too dark for comfortable viewing. Nevertheless, other images and small (6.8-point) text appeared clear and readable.

HP has left the door open to faster graphics by providing an open X16 PCI Express slot on the motherboard. Adding a decent graphics card could be your ticket to a meaningful performance boost. Beneath the easy-off cover, a relatively uncluttered interior presents no obstacles to the open RAM and PCI slots, so you could easily add a TV tuner, which this bare-bones Media Center PC lacks. A single-screw clamping bracket secures all of the expansion cards, but you may have to wrestle with a wad of unkempt wires and cables to reach the open drive bays.

Other pluses for this budget system are a LightScribe DVD burner that introduces text and images on the “top” side of recordable CD and DVD media–at a price of around a $1 a disc–and a keyboard that offers lots of big, easy-to-reach control buttons.

As usual, HP’s documentation includes a well-illustrated setup poster and excellent setup guides, making this system a great choice for a cost-conscious novice who wants a little more processing power than the typical entry-level PC offers.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Tags: , ,
Posted in Cell Phones | No Comments »

Newer Entries »