We tested an early build of the HP Pavilion dv9000t that featured a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor; however, that processor will not be offered on the system in the near future (for now, the dv9000t will top out with the 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 chip). The rest of our configuration included 2GB of fast 667MHz RAM; two 100GB, 5,400rpm hard drives; and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB of dedicated VRAM. This configuration, with the 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, costs $2,394; rebates and discounts currently available on the HP site shave $200 off the price. On CNET Labs' application benchmarks, the Pavilion dv9000t fell right between a Dell XPS M1710, configured with a slightly faster processor and hard drive, and a Gateway M685 with a previous-generation processor and less RAM. When it comes to battery life, though, the dv9000t triumphed: its battery held out for 3 hours, 19 minutes--longer than both the Dell's and the Gateway's and above average for a desktop replacement.
HP backs the Pavilion dv9000 with an industry-standard one-year warranty; the cost to extend the term to three years is a reasonable $85. Toll-free telephone support is available 24/7 during your warranty period, and the HP support Web site includes one of our favorite support features: real-time chat with a tech rep. If you want to troubleshoot problems yourself, you can search through the site's thorough FAQ database.
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BAPCo MobileMark2005 battery life (in minutes) |
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BAPCo MobileMark2005 performance |
Find out more about how we test Windows laptops.
System configurations:
Dell XPS M1710 Core 2 Duo
Windows XP Media Center; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM PC5300 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm
Gateway M685
Windows XP Media Create; 2GHz Core Duo T2500; 1GB PC 5300 DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 256MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 80GB 7,200rpm
HP Pavilion dv9000t
Windows XP Pro; 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo T7400; 2GB PC2 5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB; Fujitsu MHV2100BH 100GB 5,400rpm (2)
What You'll Pay
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