HP Pavilion zt3000
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CNET Editors' Review
The good: Wide-aspect, 15.4-inch screen; firm, comfortable keyboard; lots of useful buttons, ports, and slots; includes built-in 54g wireless networking.
The bad: No onsite service option.
The bottom line: Families in need of an all-around notebook for parents and kids should consider the Pavilion zt3000.
The Pavilion zt3000 is the home version of HP's business notebook, the Compaq nx7000. Both laptops come in the same thin-and-light case, measuring 1.3 by 10 by 14 inches and weighing 6.5 pounds--a standard weight for a notebook with a 15.4-inch screen. The two notebooks also feature some identical design elements, such as a big, comfortable keyboard flanked by two rich-sounding speakers. Three handy buttons--volume up, volume down, and mute--sit atop the right speaker; a tiny red light alerts you when mute is off.
The notebook's software bundle includes some useful applications for everything from office productivity to multimedia tasks. Windows' XP Home and XP Professional are available as operating systems; Pro costs $75 extra. HP throws Microsoft Works and Microsoft Money 2003 in, too, but you can also buy more-expensive options such as Office 2003 Small Business Edition for up to $250. Other highlights include InterVideo WinDVD for DVD viewing, Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator 6.0 for CDs and DVD burning, and Quicken New User Edition 2003 for personal finance tracking. The Pavilion zt3000 came in first place in mobile performance in this small test group. This system has the advantage of sporting the fastest processor in the group, with its Pentium M 1.7GHz. Unfortunately, it also has a relatively slow 4,200rpm hard drive. This may be why the Dell Inspiron 600M was able to score only a point below with its slower Pentium M 1.6GHz processor: it has a faster 5,400rpm hard drive. Beyond basic specs however, mobile performance can be determined by how much each system throttles its processor speed down in order to save on battery life. This may explain why the WinBook C series came in a close third even with its slower 1.4GHz processor and 4,200rpm hard drive, as both the Pavilion zt3000 and the Dell Inspiron 600M throttle their performance down to the WinBook C series' level. The HP still achieves good performance when running office and content-creation apps in an unplugged state, though with a faster hard drive, the performance could have been much better.
Performance analysis written by CNET Labs assistant lab manager Eric Franklin. Find out more about how we test notebooks. System configurations:Dell Inspiron 600M HP Pavilion zt3000 WinBook C series The HP Pavilion zt3000 lasted well over three hours in battery life, thanks to its 14.8V, 4,400mAh (65WHr) battery, which gives the system the juice to run office and content-creation apps at a good clip, while still giving the user ample time to get work done on the go. The system's score was 20 minutes longer than the Dell Inspiron 600M's, which has a less powerful 11.1V, 4,320mAh (48WHr) battery. The WinBook C series was the clear winner, however, as it lasted more than four hours with its 14.8V, 4,400mAh (65WHr) battery. The WinBook C series also had the advantage of having the slowest processor, which draws less battery power.
To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark 2002. MobileMark measures both application performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0). Battery life analysis written by CNET Labs assistant lab manager Eric Franklin. Find out more about how we test notebooks. System configurations:Dell Inspiron 600M HP Pavilion zt3000 WinBook C series HP offers a standard warranty with the Pavilion zt3000. The system includes a one-year parts-and-labor warranty with return-to-depot service. The company sells various extended warranty options for up to $350, including extras such as three years of service and accidental damage protection. Unfortunately, none of these options feature onsite service, which could deter small businesses considering the addition of several Pavilions to their lineups. Toll-free telephone support is available around the clock for the length of your warranty. HP's support Web site includes a limited hodgepodge of FAQs and an unintuitive search feature that failed to produce FAQs based on the most basic search words, such as modem and wireless. The one bright spot amid the mess is the ability to chat with an HP tech-support rep in real time. To find out more about how this product's warranty really stacks up and what you should look for in terms of service and support, take a look at CNET's hardware warranty explainer. Hide ReviewCompare to other sCompare selectedUser ReviewsSee all user reviewsMost Helpful User Reviewstars 5 of 5 users found this review helpful "My Renaissance Laptop" By BryanhoopPros Unusual combination of features, stunning screen, full keyboard, fast, slim, respectable speakers, great battery life, large touchpad Cons Power input on right side, no line-out jack (just headphones on the front) Summary This laptop is the dark horse of the HP line. It has since been discontinued since I bought it nearly a year ago, but that doesn't mean it wasn't amazing. Very unusual to find a 15.4 WUXGA display on a laptop of this "thinness". The 64meg ATI ... Expand full review Most Recent User Reviews (Showing 2 of 103 reviews)Where to BuyPricing not available  Where to BuyPricing not available 
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