Entered CNET Catalog: 10/21/2005
SKU: CNETDV8000Z
Manufacturer: HP
Product summary
The good: Affordable; excellent keyboard, touch pad, and number pad; solid multimedia features and performance; includes a double-layer DVD burner with LightScribe; plays DVDs and CDs without booting the OS.
The bad: Dim display; TV tuner not included; subpar gaming performance; speakers inferior to those on previous model.
The bottom line: In addition to a pleasing design, a good basic set of multimedia features, and solid performance, the HP Pavilion dv8000 has a competitive price that undercuts much of the competition.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/01/2005
With the Pavilion dv8000, HP has slimmed down its huge desktop replacement, moving it to the quieter and more efficient AMD processing platform. With the midsize dv4000, the $1,600 dv8000 completes HP's solid troika of competent, competitively priced multimedia laptops, delivering enough performance and features for basic home use. Those looking for a Windows Media Center experience should check out the other, more expensive laptops mentioned later in this review.
Slightly slimmer and narrower than its predecessor, the zd8000, the 8.3-pound HP Pavilion dv8000 is more than a pound lighter, more in line with the streamlined $2,500 Inspiron 9300 than with bulkier desktop replacements such as the $2,450 LifeBook N6210, the $3,000 Qosmio G25, and the $2,800 VAIO VGN-A690. The dv8000's power brick is quite small, adding about a pound to the package, and the system runs relatively quietly and coolly.
With a layout extremely similar to the zd8000's, the dv8000 has an excellent keyboard and touch pad with vertical and horizontal scrolling capabilities, as well as a separate number pad. Gone is the touch pad's on/off button, one of our favorite features; alas, you get a button that calls up Windows' calculator instead. The few multimedia controls include ones for the laptop's Quick Play software (which plays CDs and DVDs when Windows isn't booted) as well as for volume up/down and mute.
The dv8000's wide-screen 17-inch display, with a WSXGA+ native resolution, isn't great. It's slightly brighter than the zd8000's but shows a pinkish tint and looks less clear; neither compares favorably to the excellent displays on the Sony, the Fujitsu, or the Toshiba--even the Dell's is superior. The dv8000's Altec Lansing speakers are reasonably loud and sound OK, but they lack the full bass sound we got from the zd8000's kick-ass Harman Kardons.
The dv8000 has a typical array of ports and connections for a desktop replacement, but they're particularly well distributed and clearly labeled. You get one four-pin-FireWire and four USB 2.0 connections, plus a VGA out, an S-Video out, a 6-in-1 media-card reader, one PCI-Express slot, and headphone and microphone jacks. For getting online, the dv8000 provides a 10/100 Ethernet LAN jack, a modem, and integrated Wi-Fi. Our $1,600 test unit had a double-layer DVD burner with HP's cool LightScribe technology, which etches labels directly onto a disc's surface. Sure, the Qosmio G25 has a built-in TV tuner, and the Inspiron 9300 has six USB 2.0 ports, but for the casual multimedia enthusiast, the dv8000 is well equipped. HP throws in a standard software package, including Microsoft Windows XP Professional, a few commonplace disc-burning apps, and HP's cool Quick Play multimedia utility.
Instead of the zd8000's Intel Pentium 4 desktop processor, the dv8000 features an AMD Turion 64 chip. As a result, the dv8000's scores in CNET Labs' benchmarks were significantly lower than the zd8000's but still very much in line with today's powerful desktop replacements; this machine can handle any common productivity or multimedia task you throw at it. Stocked with a 2.2GHz Turion 64 ML-40 processor, 1GB of DDR RAM, and a sluggish 4,200rpm, 100GB hard drive, the dv8000 mustered scores statistically equal to those of the LifeBook N6210, the VAIO VGN-A690, and the Inspiron 9300; only the Qosmio G25 came out clearly ahead. Things were less rosy in our gaming tests: using an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 GPU with 128MB of video memory, the zd8000 isn't going to cut the mustard for hard-core gaming. Though battery life isn't a crucial factor for a laptop this size, the dv8000 did last nearly four hours in CNET's battery-drain test--a good score for a desktop replacement.
HP provides solid support. The Pavilion dv8000 comes with a one-year warranty, and for a reasonable fee you can extend the term to three years. While the system is under warranty, HP will also cover the cost of returning it for repairs. HP offers toll-free, 24/7 telephone support and provides free help during the warranty period. The HP support Web site includes one of our favorite support features: real-time chat with a tech rep. Of course, you can also try to troubleshoot problems yourself by searching through the site's FAQ database.
For more detailed information about warranties and service plans, check out Computer Shopper's overview of 37 major computer vendors.
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System configurations:
Dell Inspiron 9300
Windows XP Media Center; 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Go 256MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 80GB 5,400rpm
Fujitsu LifeBook N6210
Windows XP Home; 1.86GHz Intel Pentium M 750; 1,024MB PC4300 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon x600 128MB; (2) Fujitsu MHV2100AT 100GB 4,200rpm
HP dv8000
Windows XP Professional; 2.2GHz Turion 64 ML-40; 1,024MB PC 2700 DDR SDRAM 333MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 200 series 128MB; Seagate ST9100822A 100GB 4,200rpm, Toshiba MK1031GAS 100GB 4,200rpm
HP zd8000
Windows XP Media Center; 3.6GHz Intel Pentium 4 560; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon x600 256MB; Toshiba MK8026GAX 80GB 5,400rpm
Sony VAIO VGN-A690
Windows XP Home; 1.86GHz Intel Pentium M 750; 1,024MB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon x600128MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 100GB 5,400rpm
Toshiba Qosmio G25
Windows XP Professional; 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760; 1,024MB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 128MB; (2) Fujitsu MHT2060BH 5,400rpm
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64out of 64 user reviews
Bad laptop and often over heats.
Pros: Wide screen with number pad.
Cons: Over heats, heavy, short battery life, and slow.
out of 64 user reviews
looks nice, i like it
Pros: looks very beautiful
Cons: The price is expensive
2.looks beautiful
3.i like the color,
out of 64 user reviews
Nice at first, didn't last long.
Pros: Large screen, lots of hard drive space, lots of RAM for a laptop
Cons: Keyboard problems, overheating
out of 64 user reviews
Amazing computer!
Pros: Huge screen, 10-key, remote control for movies, scroll on touchpad, calculator quick button, 3 hard drives, etc.
Cons: Inhales batteries, very heavy.
out of 64 user reviews
If you want to spend your money on a computer that only lasts 2 years this is the one to buy.
Pros: Large screen, media features included
Cons: The sound device stopped working literally overnight, the keyboard has sticky keys and take more pressure than should be necessary.
buy. Although it is perfectly clean and has
rarely been moved around it is not holding up.
Of course the flaws don't appear until after
the 1 year warranty has expired. While it
seemed to be functioning well at first the
machine is breaking down long before it
should. This must be an indication of the
lack of quality of this brand.
out of 64 user reviews
HP Pavilion Dv8000
Pros: Great for games!! (using the NVIDIA Geforce 7400) this CPU ROCK!! ( Intel Centrino duo. 2.16ghz ) also 1 GIG of Ram (the video hase is own VIDEO vram! 256!
Cons: The batteries dont last long (1 1/2hr. when playing games) the sound is Ok at best, using the Conexant HD Audio drivers, The CPU Fan is not quite at all.. It sounds like it wants to go up,
Intel Centrino duo. 2.16ghz
1 GIG of Ram
Altec Lansing Sound
112 gig WD. SCIE RAID1+ drive (2 SATA drives)
Windows XP pro. back up disk ( user can make, 2dvd's)
out of 64 user reviews
The faultless Goliath
Pros: Full keyboard, ultra clear screen
Cons: None to speak of
out of 64 user reviews
Extremely poor quality
Pros: Beautiful screen
Cons: Poor manufacturing quality from the motherboard to the screen to the design
I strongly recommend not to buy this machine.
out of 64 user reviews
HP xb2000 Base Speakers don’t work after 8 months due to poor Laptop/Base connecting port design
Pros: Decent built-in speakers, second hard drive, 17” screen
Cons: Poor design + low quality computer port to connect to the XB2000 Expansion Base
In 6/06 Purchased the XB2000 Notebook Expansion Base at Best Buy. The expansion base speakers worked until 2/07. All the other functions of the xb2000 base work, but needed the expansion base speakers to hear the sound of old VHS family movies to convert to DVDs. Due to personal and business schedules, the 1 year manufacturers’ warranty expired on both the notebook computer and the expansion base.
Therefore, just purchased a second XB2000 Notebook Expansion Base via an Ebay seller in 11/07 to be able to use the built-in Harman Kardon speakers. The speakers work on the expansion base adapter when I apply pressure on the cable connector against the notebook computer’s expansion base connecting port. When I release the pressure, the speakers don’t work.
So it seems that there is a manufacturer’s defect in the HP Pavilion dv8000 Notebook Computer’s port connector to the expansion base or in the XB2000 Notebook Expansion Base notebook connecting adapter.
I am very disappointed with HP. I have been a long time customer, purchasing and recommending computers, printers and calculators to family, friends and at the bank, which is a free goodwill for HP. We also have personally purchased the following custom orders via HP.com and Best Buy store: 1 HP Pavilion zt3000 notebook and docking station; 1 Compaq Presario x1000 and docking station; Compaq Presario 1700 and docking station. The designs of these docking stations (without speakers) are fixed and securely attach to the notebook computers, without any problems.
I am posting this review here, but I will also post this as a complaint with HP and via Financial Reporting sites. Since HP is a public company, I am sure that investors would like to read about customers’ products complaints to see why HP stock price trades lower as a result of lower sales and earnings.
out of 64 user reviews
I love it except for the keyboard
Pros: Reliable, 10-key, large screen
Cons: Keypad sticks
out of 64 user reviews
Throw your money elsewhere!
Pros: Memory that is all.
Cons: KEYBOARD AND MOUSE PROBLEMS!
out of 64 user reviews
Major lemon
Pros: numeric keypad, nice display size
Cons: spent almost as much time in the shop as in my possession
The computer worked reasonably well for about 7 months, except for a hit and miss CD/DVD drive and an occasional phantom shift lock. Then the display died. I took it back to the store, which shipped it off to fix the LCD and the CD/DVD drive. HP reloaded the factory software on it, indicated they had "identified a software problem" (but couldn't tell me what software problem they had identified), and sent it back. They didn't touch the CD/DVD drive. Within a week the LCD screen stopped functioning again (surprise - NOT - I told them when I handed it over it was a hardware/electrical problem).
During the week it was back in my possession, I had occasion to use the XD reader (which I had never tested before) It wouldn't recognize the XD media. Back to the shop to fix LCD, CD/DVD, and 5 in one digital media reader. Home again 2 weeks later, with a new LCD and a new CD/DVD reader, but HP hadn't touched the digital media reader. Back out for two more weeks - with the motherboard replaced to fix the media reader problem.
The computer was fine for about a month, then the operating system hive ate itself. I managed to restore the operating system from the backup and only lost my Windows Office Suite software in the process. Within a day the computer stopped recognizing the battery. The store ordered a new battery. (the store claimed they only have about a 6 month life). I suspect the two problems were related - the coincidence in timing is suspicious.
Before I could pick the new battery up, however, the keyboard started phantom typing (space bar, forward slash, and underline) - and refusing to recognize some keys I actually did hit (space bar, half of the numeric keypad).
Am now waiting to hear if they will finally offically declare it a lemon and replace it. (They refused when it had only been in their possession three times for 36 days out of 45 . . . but this is now two additional problems they have had to fix, and one that is not officially in their records)
I'm done with HP - especially since several other manufacturers have now added numeric keypads to their widescreen laptops.
out of 64 user reviews
Simply awsome power house notebook
Pros: big bright screen, complete keyboard, good battery life, AMD 64 bit processor
Cons: Heavy by weight, Size is big so cannot be fitted into standard notebook bags
out of 64 user reviews
Lemon with substandard manufacturer support
Pros: very good all around performer with a number of useful features
Cons: poor quality. poor support.
out of 64 user reviews
Good keyboard and sensitive touchpad
Pros: Wonderful machine, good keyboard
Cons: I don't like the touchpad. It's to sensitive..
I seem to do it over an over.At first the remote for the DVD player didn't seem to work.
I use the laptop for audio video presentations. I use accessory speakers and my audience seems astounded with what they are viewing. The 17 inch screen is bright and wonderful for my purpose.
I realized later that you must be out in front of the laptop in order for it to received the signal from the remote.
out of 64 user reviews
This is a very good laptop!!
Pros: Good size,fair weight,good battery life.
Cons: Not a gaming machine .
out of 64 user reviews
GOOD DESKTOP REPLACEMENT
Pros: awesome screen,good video card,good options
Cons: short battery life,annoying fan
be sure to get at least 1GB of RAM, and a 256 vid card-otherwise this thing is a paperweight
out of 64 user reviews
One winner from HP!
Pros: Beautiful Screen, Awesome keyboard Layout, awesome speakers, strong wireless card,clever quickplay buttons,remote that fits in card slot.
Cons: No built in webcam, no orginal mouse port(only usb), black(dust shows up easily, glossy screen that collects fingerprints, HDD is 65 gb with another 15gb backup, but it depends on size of HDD.
out of 64 user reviews
Great desktop replacement
Pros: Powerful and fast, ready to go right out of the box
Cons: Screen can be a little dark, sound could be better
When I had a issue with a hardware conflict, HP support was easy to access and got it fixed in no time.
Also purchased the xb 3000 expansion base and that works great.
All in all, a great machine. So great that I just bought a 6000 for my kid.
out of 64 user reviews
hard drive failure <2 months
Pros: call center folks are helpful - you'll need them
Cons: questionable build quality - less than 21 days to get your money back through HPShopping
out of 64 user reviews
Good on the outside, rotten on the inside
Pros: Nicely designed computer, looks and feels good
Cons: Operating system failure left me with a dead computer
The big problem is that it is over bloated with bundled software, which takes up about 25 Gig of hard drive!!! As soon as I got it, I wiped the hard drive clean using the operating system CD, with the intention of reinstalling a pristine operating system without any of the bundled junk.
Unfortunately, this wiped out the drivers and prevented access to the Recovery partition, which made the computer inoperable. After spending several hours on the phone talking to tech support in India, I decided to send it back. To its credit, HP issued a prompt refund and apologized for the inconvenience.
out of 64 user reviews
Bad Experience.
Pros: Nice computer.
Cons: Very bad tech support.
out of 64 user reviews
GREAT LOOKING, BUT SERIOUS FLAW
Pros: Looks, customization options, really good customer service
Cons: HORRIBLE SOUND; tons of preinstalled crap
Just set up my dv8000z model last night (9/19/06) with the following specs: AMD Dual Core 2.4GHz; 17" Ultra WSGA Widescreen; 128MB ATI Radeon Xpress; 2 GB DDR SDRAM;100 GB 7200 Hard Drive. Was ready for a great new laptop experience. This unit is gorgeous to look at and I love the full-size keyboard. But this is marketed as a high-end multimedia unit which means (at least in my books) for watching movies, gaming and listening to MUSIC. Well, forget about the music. The onboard sound card (something called Conexant AC-Link Audio Driver) through the onboard altec lansing speakers works, but is unacceptable for any kind of true sound, so I hooked up my Klipsch 2.1 speakers and ... CRAP! Horrible, muffled, clicking, skipping, just unlistenable. I then tried installing my Creative Audigy 24 BIT Live external card, and while the overall sound quality improved, it still skipped, cracked and distorted, especially on any demanding music or soundtrack. I'm in the process of trying to resolve this with their great Support, but if I can't resolve it, then I'll either have to send it back for an exchange, refund, or entirely new model. Very disappointed.
Okay, i need to redo my evaluation. After some time spent online with tech support, both online chat and phone, I was able to get the onboard sound to work by uninstalling and reinstalling the driver for sound, then updating the driver from HP's website. Now the sound works fine. Still disappointed that at this price level, HP did not include a higher quality sound card.
out of 64 user reviews
Amazing Laptop
Pros: Everything on this laptop is amazing
Cons: The whole laptop is black so you can always see the dust, and i always have to clean the laptop screen but thats ok
out of 64 user reviews
Great Laptop for the price. Get the Nvidia go 7600 and you can run any game at medium to high.
Pros: Great Price, Great Screen, Great design. Great one touch function ability
Cons: battery battery battery,
out of 64 user reviews
Maybe you will be lucky, but I am returning my dead machine
Pros: Haven't got a chance to use it except surfing the Net
Cons: Totally dead after 10 days
XP Home -- Intel Core Duo processor T2500 (2.0 GHz) -- 17.0" WXGA+ BrightView Widescreen -- 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
-- 1.0GB DDR2 SDRAM -- 80 GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive -- Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support -- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection -- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery -- HP Mobile Remote Control
Today is exactly the 10th day after I received the machine. On the first day I spent more than 5 hours deleting all the junk stuff (> 4GB) from the laptop. On the second day, I spent another 6 hours installing all the important applications and configuring them.
Since then, I have used the machine only for surfing the Web, but I did notice the following three problems:
1) The screen is not very bright overall and is unevenly lit -- you can see wavy bands all around the edges
2) The screen color is not as rich as the Dell 19" screen I have with my desktop
3) The print screen key does not work, with or without the shift key
4) The sound is broken every time you log on to a user account, but is OK afterwards, however the quality is not very good
I am sure I will find other problems as I start using the machine for serious stuff like productivity and gaming, but I lost that chance today. The machine simply died this afternoon while doing nothing. I tried everything and still cannot revive it. Every time I power it on, the fan comes on for two seconds, then stops. The screen stays blank all the time; only a few fancy buttons are lighted (never the hard drive indicator!).
I have installed the Norton Internet Security on this machine from the beginning, and I happened to have done a full scan of the C: drive last night. My diagnosis is that somehow the motherboard gets disconnected from the power source, probably due to poor assembly. That explains why I can not even see the POST messages after pressing the power button. And the hard disk is apparently not spinning either. I put in the recovery disk and the backup OS disk but nothing happened. I work in software engineering and have assembled my own desktop before, so I consider myself an expert in consumer PC.
I called the HP customer service, and after waiting for 30 minutes, got to talk to a rep in India. I found him extremely difficult to understand. After repeated questions and clarifications, here is what he asked me to do:
1) Power on the machine with only the AC adapter
2) Power on the machine with only the battery
3) Press the power button for 30 seconds with neither AC adapter nor battery
4) Repeat Steps 1 and 2
5) Open the memory compartment and remove both memory modules, then put them back in
6) Repeat Steps 1 and 2
7) Open the hard disk compartment and remove the hard drive, then put it back in (The rep did not really know how to remove the hard drive and asked me to do something impossible, but I figured out the correct way)
8) Repeat Steps 1 and 2
After he was finally happy with the procedures, he put me on hold for 10 minutes while transferring me to a hardware person, another Indian guy. This second rep asked me if I wanted to have the machine repaired, and only reluctantly told me -- after repeated questioning -- that I could also opt to get a new machine. Since they are going to reformat the hard drive in any case, there is no point in getting a refurbished one! He promised yet someone else from their Quality Control will call me within 3 business days to arrange that. That means as late as next Thursday, September 7.
After reading some other users' postings on CNET tonight, I think I will return this machine if it is an option. I will go over the warranty and find out. I bought this laptop directly from HP with my own configurations. The major reason for getting a laptop is for making presentations at an upcoming conference in two weeks. Now I am screwed.
I have no advice for you, but if you do want to get an HP laptop, good luck!
In my original posting, I said I found three problems but I actually listed four problems. I remembered the fourth one but forgot to update the count.
Also, when I power on the machine, the screen stays black all the time. I said "blank" in the original posting, which may be misleading.
Hope this helps.
out of 64 user reviews
Keyboard Problems
Pros: Great Price for all the components
Cons: Had to return computer because of frustrating Keyboard Problems
out of 64 user reviews
Could not decide between Vaio and this computer and glad i decided on this one
Pros: Great screen, number pad, nice touch pad and keyboard
Cons: got model with only 512 mbs of ram
out of 64 user reviews
Perfect Desktop Replacement; Apple Powerbook Killer
Pros: Great Screen; Roomy Keyboard with Number Pad; Screen Size; PRICE
Cons: A little heavy but that is to be expected with a 17 inch notebook
out of 64 user reviews
VERY GOOD SYSTEM........!
Pros: Big 17" screen, 240 GB HD, Intel duo core 1.73 Ghz, many port options, lightscibe DVD-+RW, 256MB nvidia 7600 graphics card, price$$
Cons: Altec speakers on $1400 system? TV turner not included w/ my system, includes two 512MB RAM sticks instead of one 1024MB stick
, but I am concerned that they put in Altec Lansing speakers instead of a higher end speaker, due to the price...Also, you are forced to buy two 1GB RAM sticks if you want to upgrade the memory to 2GB... 
out of 64 user reviews
Duo 1.83, 2x1 GB RAM, 2x 120 5200 HDD, nVIDA 7600 WOW!!!!!
Pros: Fast, Multimedia, Best Value for the 3k w/3yr warranty
Cons: Media Center Sucks. I Installed Vista Beta2 and it seems as if Vista was made Just for it.
out of 64 user reviews
Bluetooth so rules and the speed is amazing!
Pros: BLUETOOTH! Beautiful screen, overall beauty and speedy.
Cons: I really don't have any cept the fact that I paid $1800 for it, but you get what you pay for.
Excellent range with the wireless. I got the 2 gig duo-core, with 100gb 7200 rpm HD, 2 gb ram, nvidia video card and xp prof.
Battery life is more than adequate and speed doesn't seem to change when running on battery power.
I tend to run a lot of programs at once and have never seen any slow down.
This is a joy to have.
out of 64 user reviews
Most good, some bad
Pros: Good performance
Cons: Screen glare, faulty keyboard
Pros:
Performance is excellent.
Cons:
Screen glare is such that the laptop is almost unusable in anything but a dark room. If there is any light shining on you, then you see a clear image of yourself reflected in the screen, and it is really hard to see the screen content.
After years of using laptops, the full size keyboard on this model is very awkward and neither of us can get used to it.
The system comes with tons of advertising-ware that has to be removed if you don't want it to free up disk space and other resources.
The system comes with a restore mechanism based on a 12 gig disk image in a separate partition on your C drive, so forget about 12 gig worth of your drive. You'll never be able to use it. I didn't see any instructions for how to delete it to get the disk space back. Note that a bare system would take no where near 12 gig, so you are losing all the disk space to store the above mentioned advertising-ware.
No drivers disk is shipped with the system, so purchasing a Windows XP disk with your system is useless. This is not mentioned by the sales people. There is no way to wipe your system and install just Windows + Drivers.
Defects:
The left "shift" & "ctrl" keys on both laptops get stuck "on" fairly frequently, and must be pressed again to get them to release.
out of 64 user reviews
Best laptop I have ever owned!
Pros: fantastic screen, keyboard, keypad, processing speed, connectivity, all around dream to use
Cons: for crap battery life. need to offer the double capacity battery when configured with dual drives.
out of 64 user reviews
Awesome desktop replacement!!!
Pros: Great price,love my remote!
Cons: Battery life could be better.
out of 64 user reviews
Big Bad Boy: A Great Budget Desktop Replacement
Pros: 17 inch widescreen, Buget-priced: $700 at CompUSA (after rebates) - July 2006, You get more perfomance than similar priced notebooks
Cons: Not Duo-Core :-( Not the greatest portable
Purchased at CompUSA 4th of July 2006 Sale: $700 USD after rebates. Bottom line is that $700 is an awesome deal - but not the awesome new technology that many people want. This PC will be more than sufficient for the above average user, but if you like multi-tasking, go Duo-Core. I am happy with my purchase; a very good value notebook.
out of 64 user reviews
It's big but as my main computer I appreciate that.
Pros: Love the screen, generally quiet (unless the air intake is obstructed), boots quick (pre-OS anyway), good overall specs for price, decent gaming for a laptop
Cons: Unfortunately soundcard crackles at higher volumes, speakers too quiet on their own, sometimes left-rear corner of the laptop gets a bit warm during use, slightly but not unreasonably heavy
A big bonus is out of the box Vista compatibility. I am running Vista Beta 2 now and I haven't had any major problems other than slight bugs in the beta which are to be expected.
While it's heavier than the average laptop, I carry it around a lot (and I'm a small guy) and I don't even think about it anymore. Maybe I'm building muscle mass on my shoulder
The screen is nice too. It has a glassy finish (rather than the matte on some other laptops) which makes it a little shiny sometimes but I think it looks slick personally. Visual quality of the screen is on par with anything I've seen so no complaints there; at full resolution (what else would you use on an LCD?) it is crystal clear.
The numpad is also a nice addition. I like to type numbers on that exclusively and it's convenient to have it there.
Playing games, like Halo, I have to lower the resolution a bit if I want full graphics details and still have 30fps but I'm not complaining, I've never owned a true gaming machine and I wasn't expecting this to be one either. But being able to go into the BIOS and share RAM with the video card in addition to the 128 dedicated RAM already on the ATI card is innovative to say the least (I haven't seen that before), and, I've never had any problems with lack of RAM; my configuration (store-bought at Best Buy) came with 1 GB of RAM and a 100 GB hard drive.
This is a good machine for people who want a PC now but also want to run Vista later when it comes out, I'd say that performance when doing so is perfectly acceptable and even in Vista with all graphical embellishments, it does not hinder other CPU and GPU-intensive programs.
out of 64 user reviews
Excellent product for professionals and students. Serves professional and personal tasks with ease.
Pros: HP customer support is second to none. Large screen and built in features definately make this a desktop replacement.
Cons: It does not come with a TV tuner, and display is dim.
out of 64 user reviews
Serious keyboard problems and more
Pros: If you love misery this is the computer for you
Cons: keyboard malfunctions horribly
out of 64 user reviews
Unlike any other Laptop
Pros: A must have
Cons: Nothing to say bad about it
out of 64 user reviews
Nice laptop, not very portable
Pros: Nice big screen, extra number keys, two hard drives
Cons: Heavy, annoying blue lights
Before my motherboard died, I loved this machine. The big screen was a good thing because I use AutoCad, so the more drawing room the better... it also allows for having more than one window up at a time. The pc was fast, we upgraded the memory to 1g from the 512mg.
The other issue I have with it, and I knew that it would probably be an issue before I bought it was the lack of portability. I take this thing to school once a week, and it was impossible to find a case or bag that would fit it. So BEWARE, its too thick and too long to fit pretty much any backback. I ended up having to put it in a bubble wrap envelope to take it in my backpack. Its also heavy, but i don't mind saying i only have to carry it once a week.
The blue lights are annoying, especially if you keep the pc in your bedroom and tend to leave it on all night, often I have to cover the lights up with a cushion.
Hopefully this motherboard issue will be a one time deal, but at least future shop was able to pull my files off of the drive before they sent it back to hp to get it fixed ($80 canadian to get the files off, BACK UP YOUR FILES!) I'll probably be without it for 2 weeks, which is an inconveinence, and right now I have to say that I wish I had bought a mac.
out of 64 user reviews
CNET should upgrade review to include dv8230us
Pros: duo-core, Nvidia 7400, two 80GB HD, 1024 ram
Cons: Crashed frequently, until I reconfigured start menu
out of 64 user reviews
No complaints
Pros: Good sound, graphics are decent, love the keypad on a laptop
Cons: The upper left corner of the bottom gets hot, hard to hold it on your lap without a coolpad. But less hot than my older Vaio.
out of 64 user reviews
my first laptop very please with it
Pros: very good so far
Cons: speaker sucks
out of 64 user reviews
shouldn't the keyboard work? hmmmm....
Pros: great screen, fast processing, love the new format
Cons: uh, the keyboard is terrible
I'm not sure what to do exactly because except for this glaringly fatal flaw, the other features of this laptop are incredible, especially for the price.
-Mysty
out of 64 user reviews
Is the AMD turion up to snuff?
Pros: Nice set of features for the price (costco.com)
Cons: Odd slowness and error-prone keyboard
1. The AMD Turion may or may not be a good CPU, but in whatever chip set and motherboard it's mounted on, the speed is anything but impressive. I tested a DVD rip against a 3.5 year old IBM 1.8 GHz Thinkpad, and the Thinkpad won even though it was writing to an external USB drive, and the dv8000 was writing to internal disk drive #2.
2. The keyboard does not register all keystrokes, and exhibits other odd behavior. e.g. I have found that if I (mistakenly) press the shift and caps lock keys together, then the upshift light is lit when the keyboard is generating lowercase, and the light is on when in uppercase mode.
3. It appears that if I change the setting for what the laptop does (standby, hibernate or do nothing) in response to closing of the lid, the setting does not necessarily take effect until after a reboot. And I've noticed that after closing the lid on a hibernation setting, startup may report that sufficient memory was not available to fulfill some function (what function I do not know, but with 2 GB of memory, it appears to be a logic problem rather than a componentry issue).
*****
In fact, re problem #2 above, the keyboard just now froze after I repositioned the pointer and clicked on the rating scale shown above this text edit area. To get the keyboard working again, I had to mouse over to request a preview and then mouse over to request an edit of this message. This is very weird behavior, in my experience.
It reminds me of the first Tandy (Radio Shack) color computer in the early eighties (oops -- I'm showing my age). Every so often the computer would generate on the display the incorrect letter "D" in place of the correct letter "C". Seeing that in the Radio Shack store certainly turned me off to their computer products, if I had ever been thinking about buying one.
But as I'm sure you all know, now that I've invested 25+ hours in software installation and configuration, and have bought $300 worth of accessories (more memory, an extra power supply, a Shawn Jackson Design case for it), I am loath to just return it for a refund. And I can't be without a machine for long, as my profession (software development and teaching) requires it.
Long blog! MAI
out of 64 user reviews
Great Laptop For the Money!!!!!! Great Deal !!!!!!!!!!
Pros: Everything you coud want or need in a laptop!
Cons: No TV Tunner
out of 64 user reviews
not too bad
Pros: pretty good
Cons: not much really
out of 64 user reviews
Great for ArchiCAD 9.0 - Very nice overall
Pros: Screeen, Proformance, blue lights, remote, labels, Value for money
Cons: Speakers shock!
Works like a dream. Creating models and movies for quick time is great. Real-time viewing of the models feels effortless. This is where the 128 videocard really helps plus give you the optimal resolution to run ArchiCAD. The model files are large so the fact that it has space for 2 hard drives will be a plus later when I need more space.
Love the speakers at the front. The sound on my last notebook kept getting muffled as the speakers were on top and my hands had no where else to go when typing.
It has more appeal than the photos give on. Don't get me wrong though it no Powerbook either. Nice clean design that is stylish. It has a sturdy look and feel, save for the battery pack feels a little shaky too. everyone loves the blue lights.
The quick play buttons are great. The fact that I can boot to DVD, Photos or music with booting the entire system is really saves time. this will become even more important when the system gets older and starts slowing down. The little remote that fits in the PC card slot is nice too, only wish it had more capabilities. The widescreen is a nice compliment as the proportions is good for viewing two programs or in the case of ArchiCAD, you can have the floor plan and 3D windows up at the same time. For the later I recommend a second monitor though.
Everything is nicely labeled so it is no longer necessary to lift or tilt the notebook to plug in devices and cables because you can't see.
If you’re in the AEC industry, the one touch calculator button and full numeric pad is great. Great I say! I can’t forget the burner. The lightscribe technology is cool as one can burn labels directly onto compatible CD’s only wish it didn’t take so long even on the lowest contrast. But it’s good to have never the less. Lots of WoWs!
Main complaint is the speakers that give me a shock when my arms get close to them. Mark you I often generate static in my car and at the office too so it could be me.If anyone else has this experience let me know? The other thing that I'm not happy about is the battery life. The truth is that I thought it would have been more based on some benchmark tests I had read. Running ArchiCAD with a full battery I got 2hr exactly. Not bad for the most part but some of those benchmarks recorded up to 4hrs. They must have been using notepad.
So I got the xc2000 media cable as I wanted to present to client in the comfort of their homes on their own TV sets. The thing shows in B/W on all TVs I've tried so far. My heart is broken, especially after paying $80+ with added tax. Still trying to fix that but HP hasn't been very helpful so far. But thats the cable.
Though nothing I use is optimized for the 64 bit Turion, I look forward to Microsoft Vista with the only worry of getting drivers when it comes out.
Overall I love it and 8lbs is not bad at all. I find it’s the other stuff in the bag that makes it heavy. The power supply is relatively small too. Everyone who has seen mine now wants one too. Good solid unit. Well done HP.
System Specs:
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with
SP2
– AMD Turion(TM) 64 ML-37 (2.0GHz/1MB L2
Cache)
– 17.0" WSXGA+ BrightView Wide Viewing
(1680x1050)
– 128MB ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M
w/Hypermemory(TM)
– 1.0GB DDR SDRAM (2x512MB)
– 60 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
– LightScribe 8x DVD+/-RW&CD-RW Combo
w/Double Layer
– 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN
w/125HSM/SpeedBooster(TM)
– 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
My earlier review didn't point out an important consideration when running ArchiCAD 9.0. Max out the specs on the processor where possible as the software demands lots of processing power especially when working (rotating the model)in the 3d window.
Since my last post on this notebook Version 10 of ArchiCAD came out and I upgraded. For the most part It ran well but I qickly recognised that version 10 was demanding more than what my Turion 64 could offer. archicad is processor intensive and I found the reading in the performance meter show my processor flatlining in 3D window operations especially with the internal rendering engine active.
Next I'm sticking to HP as I think they offer the best value for money for 17" notebooks but I'm going for the fastest intel dual core they have to offer with the dv9000t series. Oh, archicad has a number of buds when it relates to vista so watch. Check out Graphisoft.com for those fixes.
out of 64 user reviews
Great desktop replacement
Pros: Very well designed, sleek and a great all round performer at that!
Cons: Difficulty playing copied or home made DVD movies
out of 64 user reviews
Luv my dv8000z
Pros: big screen, full keyboard,
Cons: one small dead pixel, no on/off button for touchpad
I only have two things about this thing...its big, so traveling with it can be alittle awkward. Find a notebook bag that can accommadate a 17" notebook, really helps. Other than that, I got one dead pixel on my screen when first arrived. HP said that it needs to have more than 5 for a replacement. Oh well, with warratny extension, I dont want to go through the trouble of returning it for one pixel. Also, the very reason I stayed with HP was because of their feature of an on/off button on the touchpad. Messed around with the touchpad settings to have it where Im satisfied. OK, so its three...=P
Got one with the one 80GB harddrive, but you really can install a second hard drive if you wish. Really don't need the bracket as it can hold its own. Installed mine from older laptop. Make sure you know about the jumper settings, one has to be a master and other a slave if you want them to work.
Can't imagine a time when I didn't have a notebook with a keypad. This thing rocks!!!! Its decent on gaming, but I don't play 3-d games all that much.
Only regret =(, now HP has a Intel Duel option with NVIDIA!!! So goes the saying....When you buy it, its outdated already...=P
Still, luv mine to the max. I don't even touch my desktop anymore.
out of 64 user reviews
powerful notebook
Pros: Big screen lots of power for a notebook
Cons: - cons RUNS HOT, Battery life only 1 hour
Anyway, I got 3gHz P4, 2gig mem, 80 gigHD, 256mg video card, Extra Brite screen & DVD-RW. + 2 year warranty: I got this for $1750 AFTER taxes, I got a HP worker discount from a family member.
I run BOINC 24/7 so it runs hot, I don't need a heater for my room, my computer is it. The fans are good at colleting dust bunnies' so I have to vacuum out the computer every month. It has gotten soooo hot you can't touch, I burned my self 1 or 2 x's when I put it on my lap, even w/ good air flow under it.
out of 64 user reviews
For the price , looks and perfomance 10 out of 10 !
Pros: Fantastic Screen, Very Fast, Dual HD, HP Quality, Beautiful crafted
Cons: could be the ati 200 3-d card, havent played Generals yet.
If I dont like the 3-d speed I will replace with the ati 600... The only thing I saw that was close to this in looks, performance and quality was the Toshiba Quasimo...and it was $2,800 at best buy.. this was $1,500 on sale at BB for $1,300.. beleive me I went through every computer for three weeks
ease of use a 10.. I have my home wirless now and was able to transfer all data and config a network with little trouble.. I had never acomplished that before.
I guess you can tell i like it :P
After using for six months now and downloading a 3D game (Generals)...this Lap outperformed my Dell gamer with the Radion 9800Pro video card (amazing)... I dont see a need to ever buy another, works perfect.
out of 64 user reviews
Performance on Par with My Desktop 3.0GHz 1mb L2 Cache
Pros: good performance, sharp screen, a keypad. AMD 64 Bit
Cons: Wish TV was built it. but PC Card works just fine.
out of 64 user reviews
Absolutely more bangs for your buck.
Pros: 17" Wide Screen, 2x HDD, Play media w/o booting to Windows, runs cool and quite.
Cons: Have not found one yet.....
First of, battery life is as expected to be shorter due to the screen size and 2nd hard drive. So don't even compare to any thing else with a smaller screen size or same screen size with more cells in the battery.
1:35 full load – CPU peak 100% (1.79 GHz)
2:40 Normal use – CPU idle with normal load (800MHz – 1.2GHz)
How I test battery life:
Full load: run fold@home until the laptop shuts down.
Normal use: Photo editing, video editing (w/o render), office product, web browsing. (Adobe PhotoShop/Premier 2.0)
Integrated wireless work flawlessly and very strong thanks to the antennae’s mounted on the inside (top) of the screen.
I was able to pick up 3 other wireless router/access point from my house that my IBM was not able to pick up (AT&T PCMCIA card).
Photo and video editing is amazingly fast. Compare clock per clock to my desktop (P4 3.2 over clocked to 3.7GHz with 2x512 Corsair XMS PC3200 RAM) that can render 8Gig of video in 37 min.
But this baby (ML-32 stock 1.8GHz with 2x256 PC2700 RAM) does the same file in only 1:14(h:m)
Heat is NOT an issue with this one. I set mine up on “Home/Office Desk” as when on AC, it would run full speed (1.8GHz). But when on battery, it would throttle down to 800MHz at idle and increase the MHz if/when software/system demands it. Did not notice any speed difference or lag between the 2 modes.
I found that fan comes on more often when plug in then on battery and run a little cooler as well.
This is NOT a gamer’s laptop for sure since it’s got the integrated GPU with 128 Hypermemory, but you can allocate another 128meg from system memory to it easily.
3DMark03 score 1542 on my ML-32 with standard 128 RAM. I supposed you can play games that less GPU intensive.
On board 6-in-1 media reader is great and very handy. Especially for shutterbugs that use’s any of those types of media on their camera. I wish one of the six would include CF reader, but it didn’t. Too bad for me, I have to use an external reader for that one.
Integrated speakers/sound is pretty decent for a laptop (as with most laptop). I just plug mine up to a my Logitech Z-2300 and it sound better then my desktop (ASUS P4C800-Delux mobo)
The credit card size media remote control is small and fits in one of the PCMCIA slot for storing. But don’t let the size full you. The beam is very strong and I was able to control the media functions about 15 ft. away w/o problem.
Overclocking, I was able to use clockgen to overclock this laptop. The highest speed it’ll go is 1,980MHz (2.0GHz or ML-37). At idle or full CPU load, I did not observe any temperature increase and it pass all test w/o any error.
Test: Memtest86 for 12 hrs. and, fold@home for another 12 hrs.
So, for $0, I was able to gain 200MHz or bump up my ML-32 to ML-37 (w/o cache) with out endangering the hardware or increasing in temperature.
Laptop comes with a 65watts power supply, and it’s pretty small and light. However, when charging your battery and/or laptop is at full load. It can get VERY hot. HP send me another one and it runs a little cool but still hotter then my liking.
Over all, I would recommend this laptop to any of my friends and family any day. Well, as a matter of fact, I have.
out of 64 user reviews
Great 17" notebook
Pros: 64-bit Turion CPU, light for 17", two HDs
Cons: No GPU upgrade option
out of 64 user reviews
I love this notebook
Pros: Everything.... all the features & especially the price
Cons: none (should have ordered more options)
I've used 15" Dells forever (Inspirons and Lattitudes) and the HP dv8000 is in totally in a different league.
The best way to give it full credit is to compare it with a 17" Toshiba Satellite M60 that a buddy in the office bought.
Comparitively configured (w/ the upgraded monitor, 80 gig 5400 rpm drive, 2.2 gig hert chip, 3 year warranty, 1 meg memory, the Toshiba prices out at about $1000 more. (Prices from HP and Toshiba's web sites).
On top of that the buddy's Toshiba keyboard keys are not making contact and he said they downsized some of the keys on the right, like the shift key, etc. So it's a pain to type on. So he's had it less than a month and it's in for repair.
The Dell 9300 was criticized because of the rough feeling mouse pad etc. Toshiba for the mouse buttons....HP's mouse pad is perfect as well as the keyboard.
Because of the reviews I went with the upgraded monitor, the 2.2 chip, and the 5400 rpm 80 gig drive....display is outstanding and the this baby is fast.
Wish I would have gotten the Blue tooth for something like $25 bucks, and the light scribe DVD, (I did get the double layer DVD) they are both the same price...
Got to look at the good side, I could have wound up with the competitions machine instead of the HP..... I love this notebook.
out of 64 user reviews
AMAZING!!! This monster really is a Desktop replacement!
Pros: Huge Wide-Screen, 200GB Storage, 2 GB RAM, Faster than a speeding bullet
Cons: Yeah, the thing isn't light but... IT IS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE
1680x1050 17" HD Monitor
2.4 Ghz AMD Beast
2GB RAM
I fleebayed the (2)100 Gb 4200 hard drives and upgraded to two 100gb 5400's. I was very close to having an even swap LoL
TV Tuner w/MCE Remote
Win XP Media Center
Bluetooth
CD/DVD Writer
LightScribe (Such a great invention)
Kensington Bluetooth Pilot Mouse
Gaming is average with it...Its not gonna blow your doors off but it is not gonna wow your friends who only care about FPS. We all know the graphics card could have been better. You shouldn't not buy this 'puter just because of that.
I never thought I would leave my Dell...Now I I wish I would have left them many years ago!
If you are an average person in average shape. You could carry this laptop around with you. Don't be afraid of the size, it is worth every square inch.
Definitely a recommended buy!
With TWO thumbs way UP!
out of 64 user reviews
Very Good Desktop Replacement,
Pros: Large Bright Screen, Fast Processor, Good Quality Onboard Speakers, 10Key on Keyboard
Cons: Keyboard Is Stiff, Battery Life Seems Short
out of 64 user reviews
What a blessing!!!
Pros: Room to get loose, power, speed, handsome, a great team player.
Cons: Have to be straight up on the screen, dim from the sides.....thats it.
out of 64 user reviews
Well CNET should really get a decent machine to review
Pros: ... uh all of it ...
Cons: battey life seems to be a bit slow in coming...
out of 64 user reviews
A laptop with everyone in mind. Lacking gamer's reviews, when properly optioned can be a force.
Pros: duel drive option, AMD, optional high res display, connectivity, cool docking station and a full sized keyboard.
Cons: I can't think of any outside of slow hard disk drive, and the standard display.
As for comparison for drive speeds the HP's are slow and I recomend upgrading to dual drives... yes this can have two drives. Hint!
Also as a needed upgrade is to upgrade the flat panel display... It is sharper, more vibrant and can be seen at greater angles.
Also if your into Linux the speed will improve... getting away from Blote-me-soft!
All in all you may not find a beter deal will all the bangs and wistles... for the price during the review, I got mine before the end of the holliday with a bit more than the one reviewed.
Highly recomended.
out of 64 user reviews
Good desktop replacement
Pros: Full size keyboard, 17" screen, lots of ports
Cons: Weight, Altec-Lansing instead of Harman Kardon
out of 64 user reviews
This should be a great laptop for multimedia professionals.
Pros: The 1680*1050 resolution is great! And the price is right.
Cons: Weight, I hope it could be lighter.
Its 3D is not that good. I don't care since I don't play 3D games, I use my computer to create multimedia works.
