HP Pavilion dv1000t

HP Pavilion dv1000t

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:15:57 PM, by Tim Supples

Overview

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Hewlett Packard makes some great machines for the money. We found the previous Pavilion dv1000 model and the current dv5000z to be feature loaded, high quality machines available at a great price. We were excited to check out the new dv1000t, eagerly waiting to see how much it had changed over its three generations. And the answer is: not much, which is a very good thing.

HP originally introduced the dv1000 model as their first 14" widescreen notebook, bringing a decent screen size to a small form factor. It first debuted with the 855 chipset and Dothan (2MB L2 Cache, 400MHz FSB, 90nm) or Banias (1MB L2 Cache, 400MHz FSB, 130nm) Pentium M processors. The dv1000 was quietly upgraded to Sonoma with the 915GM chipset and 533MHz FSB Dothan chips. The dv1000t still bears the "HP Pavilion dv1000" badge on the corner of the screen, but you've got to look at the model tag on the bottom to see dv1000t anywhere. Our test model came equipped with the Intel Core Duo T2400 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB), 14" WXGA BrightView screen, 100GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive, 1GB DDR2 533 RAM, LightScribe DVD burner, and Intel 3945ABG wireless card with Bluetooth. This is a very well loaded machine, having just about every feature one could need from it. This exact configuration is available from HP Shopping for $1449 with free shipping, before a $50 Mail-In Rebate. You can actually configure the same notebook for a hair above $1400 before the same $50 rebate, but it will take longer to arrive since it is a custom order. Either way the dv1000t is a great value for a dual core machine of this quality and with such a wide range of features.

Design

Portability
The 14" widescreen form factor is one of the most popular and versatile designs out there. The widescreen allows for a lower vertical footprint, while adding screen real estate and keyboard room for a more comfortable experience. Try to open a 14-15" regular aspect ratio notebook on an airplane in coach compared to the dv1000t, and you will realize the value of the 14" WXGA screen. Weighing in at 5.33lbs with the 6-cell battery, the dv1000t isn't the lightest notebook out there; but you wouldn't notice by carrying it. This notebook feels well balanced in your hand, despite the not stellar weight. The 12-cell battery, a must for all day computing, adds a little weight, but more notably sticks out from the bottom of the notebook. I feel it provides a bit more ventilation, a better typing angle, and a pseudo-carrying handle for toting the dv1000t. However looking at a 12-cell dv1000 and our 6-cell dv1000t, the 6-cell provides a cleaner, sleeker look. Choose your poison, but either way you won't have a problem taking the dv1000t everywhere you go.

Case and Design
Wisely, HP did not change the chassis design of the dv1000 series with the new 't' model. The same silver exterior, black interior, and blue glowing buttons remain. As before, we find this design very simple and stylish. The contrasting interior and exterior colors go well together, and the blue backlit buttons provide a neat atmosphere to the laptop, especially in the dark. Some people might find the plethora of buttons and glowing lights a bit too busy looking, but not us.

The same white labels on the chassis pointing out the various side ports are still here, thankfully. We always loved this labelling style HP implemented, providing a crystal clear view of what ports are located where, able to be glanced at in a second and not have to guess where to plug something in.

The only indicators on the outside are on the on the front face and rear center of the notebook. There is a tall, thin LED light positioned on the screen hinge which indicates WiFi status. On the front panel, in between the Altec Lansing stereo speakers, we find a row of status indicators: (left to right) Power, Hard Drive Activity, and Charging Status. Short, sweet, and to the point; just the way we like it.

On the inside of the dv1000t you'll see the same WiFi indicator below the LCD; the Wireless button also glows to indicate if the WiFi card is enabled. Indicator-wise, there are relatively few status LEDs to mention. The power button of course glows when on, the Volume Mute button lights up when muted, an LED above the touchpad indicates it is enabled, and there is a very tiny LED lights up next to the Caps Lock key when enabled. Unfortunately when you are sitting back from the laptop a bit, the Caps Lock LED is obscured from sight; luckily there is an on screen indicator every time you enable/disable Caps Lock.

As with the previous dv1000 models, we were pleased with the overall build quality of the machine. There are no creaks or squeaks, negligible flexing in the palm rest and keyboard areas, and when closed the machine feels very solid. There is a slight gap between the LCD and keyboard when closed, but this is due to how the latching mechanism holds the screen closed and should not prove to be a problem. The only aspect we are concerned about is the LCD screen itself. From my experience with HP notebooks, the hinges are generally the weak point of the notebook. Over a relatively short period of time, if you are not careful about how you close the screen these hinges will become loose. I've not seen it progress to the point where they have difficulty in supporting the screen, but you can feel the loss of grip provided by the hinges when opening the screen. This can of course happen with any notebook, but HP's seem to develop this problem easier. Also, the screen itself feels less sturdy than those of larger notebooks and the fresh hinges cause a bit of wobbling if the notebook is jostled a bit. These are not major issues, but ones to be noted when comparing against other notebooks; particularly higher end ones.

Keyboard
We've always felt HP's consumer-level notebook keyboards came close to rivaling those of Lenovo and Apple, and the dv1000t is no different. The keys feel very responsive, have a good feedback to them, and the keyboard does not flex at all. An issue we've seen with some Thinkpad keyboards and in a number of machines in the dv1000t's class is that with fast, heavy handed typing you can catch the edge of an adjacent key and pull at it as you retract your finger when typing. I personally can get into a typing frenzy and have this happen frequently on cheaper keyboards, but not the dv1000t's.

Let's all hope they carry this keyboard on in future models to come, as it is probably the best you can get in this price range. The layout is pretty standard, and very comfortable to use. The only adaptation needed is on the right side, where the Home/PgUp/PgDn/End keys have been laid vertically. This actually becomes natural quite easily, as they are easily reached when needed. HP chose to put the Ctrl key on the outside, with the Fn key being directly to the right of it; we've found that most people prefer this setup. Also there is a Menu Context key, albeit small, to the right of the space bar.

Enlarge Image

Being a multimedia oriented machine, there are a multitude of extra buttons available here. We'll start at the top of the notebook, just below the LCD screen you will find the following from left to right: Quick Play (DVD menu), Quick Play (main menu), Previous Track, Play/Pause, Next Track, Stop, Volume Down, Volume Mute, Volume Up, and Wireless. We'll go into more depth about HP's QuickPlay software later, but the two QuickPlay buttons bring up a clean, simplified interface for playing a media of your choice in Windows. The playback control buttons work in Windows Media Player and QuickPlay as well.

As previously mentioned, the Mute button lights up when the volume is muted and the Wireless button lights up to show the WiFi card is enabled. Finally, we come to two additional buttons near the arrow keys: "Back" and "Ok." Back of course is useful for back tracking web pages and Windows folders, while the "Ok" button does the same thing as hitting the Enter key.

HP also has included a huge amount of Fn operations, from left to right: F1 loads Windows Help, F2 prints if available, F3 loads your default web broswer, F4 enables video output, F5 puts the machine into sleep mode, F6 locks the machine (Same as Start+L), F7 lowers screen brightness, F8 raises screen brightness, and F9-F12 duplicate playback controls.

Design Continued

Touchpad
HP has always had quality touchpads and the dv1000t is no exception. It is a good, proportional size considering the amount of space available. The texture feels a bit rough at first, but that feeling quickly goes away and you are just gliding away. The two mouse buttons are raised nicely and do not depress very far, exhibiting a sharp click every time. I personally prefer buttons that are a little more "plush" when you push them, but there is nothing wrong with the buttons on this machine. The Touchpad On button is a nice touch, allowing you to disable the touchpad if you find your palms accidentally triggering the touchpad when typing.

There is a virtual vertical scroll bar setup in the software, and a horizontal one can be configured as well. It works smoothly and you can just adjust about any aspect of it in the settings.

Connectivity Options
We can't very well have a multimedia notebook without a plethora of connections, now can we? The dv1000t is well stocked in that department!

On the front of the machine you will find the LCD latch, microphone jack, and twin headphone jacks. We love the LCD latch design on this series; its just a simple, wide push button that allows you to effortless unlock the screen. The twin headphone jacks are nice also, allowing people commuting together to easily listen to the audio from whatever media they are playing!

The backside only contains the power cord and an exhaust vent. The design of the power connector is a little curious. The actual connection is made farther inside crevice where you insert the connector, so it requires a fair amount of force to insert and can be difficult to tell for sure if it is properly connected. The metal power connector itself is rather small, making it less sturdy. Over time, the connection can get a bit loose and easier to pull out accidentally. Once again, this is possible on most machines, but the little design quirk here makes it stand out.

And now we get to the goodies on the left side. From left to right we have VGA output, HP's proprietary Expansion Port (docking station connector), Network port, Modem jack, USB 2.0 port, and ExpressCard/54 slot.

The right side features the memory card reader, USB 2.0 port, 4-pin Firewire port, optical drive, S-Video output, and USB 2.0 port from left to right.

Overall this is an excellent layout. Plenty of connections to satisfy just about everyone's need in an arrangement that makes sense. We're happy to see the ExpressCard/54 slot, three uSB 2.0 ports, and a 4-pin Firewire. As always, we do wish there would be more integrated CompactFlash readers, but so few laptops have them today it is almost a moot point.

Heat and Noise
One thing that we uncovered after our original dv1000 review is the model's high heat buildup. Temperatures on the original, coolest-running 400MHz FSB Dothan dv1000 were pretty much always in the 50 degrees Celsius or greater range. For those unfamiliar with the average laptop's temperature, most Centrino-based machines hover in the 40 C range when idling at its lowest clock speed.

Unfortunately the dv1000t suffers from the same problem. About the only thing HP didn't get right with the dv1000 series is its cooling system. The fans don't run often and you don't really feel hot air coming from the vents. However the underside of the machine gets very warm, with the CPU temperature running in the low 50 C range most of the time while spiking near 70 C or above. The left palm rest also gets rather warm, where the hard drive is located. The dv1000t's temperature also varies a lot with ambient temperature; in a cool room the CPU may idle below 40 C like most machines, but in a little warmer weather you're looking at temperatures 10 C higher. Fortunately despite the high heat, fan noise is negligible.

Upgrading and Expansion
Users should have no trouble upgrading their dv1000t. There are several individual compartments on the underside which can be removed for access to the memory, hard drive, and mini-PCIe wireless card. The CPU is not easily accessible, probably requiring the removal of the entire bottom panel or the keyboard and top bezel. Make sure to shop for a Serial ATA hard drive and DDR2 memory. While HP uses the less expensive DDR2 533 RAM, you can use DDR2 667 as well.

Enlarge Image

Features

Processor/Chipset/RAM
HP's Pavilion dv1000t utilizes the latest mobile technology from Intel, the Centrino Duo platform, codenamed Napa. At the heart of this system is the Core Duo processor, codenamed Yonah, and Intel's new 945 chipset. You can't have the Centrino moniker without the wireless card, so our test unit also came with the new 3945ABG wireless card. The Core Duo processor, successor to the Pentium M Dothan, has had a lot of updates since the last platform. Yonah is a dual core processor, incorporating two physical CPU cores onto a single chip for increased performance and multitasking. A common misconception had with dual core systems is that performance should double, or something near it. Unfortunately this is just not true, as the software you are using must be written to take advantage of the two cores. The average consumer's software suit of office applications and internet/e-mail usage won't see a huge performance increase from dual core alone. The performance of those applications is still primarily dictated by the CPU architecture and its clock speed.

However a 2.0GHz Yonah will still outperform a 2.0GHz Dothan in single-threaded applications, thanks to Yonah's architectural enhancements over Dothan. As with all good things, you can't get something for nothing. The Core Duo processor's Thermal Design Power is 31W, up from 27W of the single core Pentium M Dothan. Despite this increase in TDP, real world power consumption is overall decreased! The power management features of Yonah are even more advanced than Dothan, making it more power efficient despite the second core. The other big power saver Yonah has is the smaller 65nm manufacturing process, making it possible to fit two cores on a single, small chip and using less power.

The 945 chipset brings with it a higher front side bus, 533MHz to 667MHz, and support for 4GB system memory. Since Core Duo is still a 32-bit system, the maximum amount of memory Windows can address is 3GB. Another caveat is that 3GB RAM can only run at 533MHz, instead of the highly touted 667MHz frequency most people will have. The rest of the previous 915 chipset's features carry over, including High Def Audio, Serial ATA, and PCI Express.

Unfortunately HP chose to include only 533MHz DDR2 memory. This should only make a small performance impact, mostly effecting the already poor performance of the GMA950 graphics.

GPU
The 945GM chipset brings with it Intel's new Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 integrated GPU. While Intel touts highly improved performance of the GMA950 over GMA900, users will quickly find the GMA950 is not suitable for gaming in the least. Intel's specifications call for "up to four pixels per clock rendering," which in truth means that there are simply two pixel pipelines which can render two pixels per pipeline, but only if the particular software in question is designed to render two pixels per pipeline per clock. Luckily Intel isn't even trying to claim gaming performance with these GPU's, but instead going for a low cost, low power device that offers full support for the lastest user interfaces and video playback. GMA950 has full support for Windows Vista's new "Aero Glass" interface, which uses complex 3D graphics around the normal Windows interface.

GMA950 Specifications
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Core	256-bit graphics core at 400MHz Up to 10.6 GB/sec memory bandwidth with DDR2 667 system memory 1.6 GPixels/sec and 1.6 GTexels/sec fill rate Up to 224 MB maximum video memory 2048x1536 at 75 Hz maximum resolution Dynamic Display Modes for flat-panel, wide-screen and Digital TV support Operating systems supported: Microsoft Windows* XP, Windows* XP 64bit, Media Center Edition 2004/2005, Windows 2000; Linux-compatible (Xfree86 source available)
High Performance 3D	Up to 4 pixels per clock rendering Pixel Shader 2.0, Volumetric Textures, Shadow Maps, Slope Scale Depth Bias, Two-Sided Stencil Microsoft* DirectX* 9 Vertex Shader 3.0 and Transform and Lighting supported in software through highly optimized Processor Specific Geometry Pipeline (PSGP) Texture Decompression for DirectX* and OpenGL* OpenGL* 1.4 support plus ARB_vertex_buffer and EXT_shadow_funcs extensions and TexEnv shader caching
Advanced Display Capability	Up to 2048x1536 resolution for both analog and digital displays Consumer Electronic display (Digital TV) support Display hot plug support to automatically detect new display connection while system is operating (CRT and DVI) Two Serial Digital Video Out (SDVO) ports for flat-panel monitors and/or TV-out support via Advanced Digital Display 2 (ADD2) cards or Media Expansion Cards Intel Media Expansion Cards available providing TV-out and PVR capability Multiple display types (LVDS, DVI-I, DVI-D, HDTV, TV-out, CRT) Dual screen support through ADD2 digital video devices HDTV 480i/p, 576i/p, 720i/p and 1080i/p display resolution support Interlaced Display output support 16x9 and 16x10 Aspect Ratio for widescreen displays 2x2 Panel Scaler
Stunning Video Playback	High Definition Hardware Motion Compensation to support high definition hi-bitrate MPEG2 media playback Up and Down Scaling of Video Content Microsoft* DirectX* 9 Vertex Shader 3.0 and Transform and Lighting supported in software through highly optimized Processor Specific Geometry Pipeline (PSGP) High Definition Content Decode - up to two stream support 5x3 Overlay Filtering.

Display
The 14" WXGA display used on the dv1000t has a resolution of 1280x768 and features HP's BrightView technology. BrightView is HP's term for their glossy transmissive screens which are ever so popular these days. Overall, we really like HP's choice in LCD panels. The dv1000t's screen is bright and crisp, with very vibrant colors. Even at its lowest brightness setting, most people will find it sufficient for all but the most bright environments. Even outside on a sunny day, you can crank up the brightness and view the screen comfortably. With a glossy screen, glare is always a concern. The dv1000t's screen doesn't exhibit any more or less glare than other glossy screens, but as we've noted before it is something to get used to.

Enlarge Image

There is a small amount of text blurring when scrolling text at high speed, but it should not present a problem. The only complaint we've ever had about HP LCD screens is their viewing angle, which follows through on the dv1000t. Adjusting the LCD's angle only slightly, one can tell a discernable difference in the image. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the screen is gorgeous when viewed from the proper angle. Some people prefer poor viewing angles as a sort of privacy feature, to keep prying eyes from seeing everything. Others, like myself, enjoy huge viewing angles. Either way, the display is bright and true on the dv1000t, save for its viewing angles.

It should also be noted that the clasps which hold the LCD closed are not the most secure. There is a bit of "wiggle" room in the LCD when it is closed, as well as a bit of flexibility in the LCD cover itself. While it would be nice to see a little better fitment in this case, we aren't complaining given the dv1000t's great value.

Sound
Being a multimedia machine, the dv1000t is equipped with above average speakers for a laptop. Branded Altec Lansing, the speakers are placed on the front bezel of the machine. This is an ideal location for listening whether the laptop is open or closed. We find the dv1000t's speakers to be some of the best found on laptops these days, especially one so small. Mid and high range sound is excellent, very crisp an clear. Low range sound, or bass, is actually above average for a laptop. While the bass from these speakers may not rattle the walls, the speakers don't sound overloaded if you queue up a song with a good beat to it. The volume can get quite loud and is easily controlled via the media buttons at the top of the keyboard.

Features Continued

Wi-Fi
HP only offers one wireless card choice, the Intel PRO Wireless 3945ABG; that makes every dv1000t a certified Centrino Duo unit. Just like the name says, the latest Intel wireless card can connect to 802.11a, b, and g networks for ultimate flexibility. Wireless performance on this model was actually quite excellent. It was able to pickup and connect to wireless networks in areas we've had trouble with from other laptops. Users will also appreciate the convenient wireless button at the top right of the keyboard area, easily enabling or disabling the wireless card and/or bluetooth radio.

Bluetooth
The dv1000t also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices like printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones. We connected a Radtech BT500 bluetooth mouse with ease, thanks to the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard that detected the mouse immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously. If Bluetooth and WiFi are not enough, the dv1000t comes with infared (IrDA) communication that allows you to synchronize with PDAs or mobile phones. It is also worth mentioning that the wireless button above the keyboard can be configured to toggle both the WiFi and Bluetooth radios or only one of the radios at a time.

Optical Drive
HP has always offered a wide range of optical options in their notebooks; the dv1000t series comes with a DVD/CD-RW, DVDRW Dual Layer, and a LightScribe-equipped DVDRW. Our review unit came with the superb LightScribe version. While it does get a bit loud when spinning up a disc to read, overall the drive is relatively quiet. It burns DVD +/- R's at 8x and even handles the latest dual layer media.

The supported read and write capabilities are as follows:

• Read: 24X CD-ROM/CD-R, 12X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-RW
  
• Write: 24X CD-R, 4-16X CD-RW, 8X DVD +/-RW, 2.4X DVD+R Double Layer, 2X DVD-R Double Layer

Hard Drive
HP is now equipping all of their Napa-based laptops with Serial ATA hard drives. While SATA drives offer no performance advantage over IDE at the moment, it is nice to see companies like HP moving to the new standard. Also, all of the SATA drive options are now 5400RPM only, which offers an upside and a downside. Now you are no longer stuck with the lower performing 4200RPM drives in base models, you also don't have the option of using a 7200RPM drive. Most people do not need or want 7200RPM drives, which makes this move understandable from HP's point of view and we applaud them for eliminating 4200RPM models.

The hard drive included in our machine is a 100GB Fujitsu MHV2100BH, spinning a 5400RPM with 8MB cache. You can see how the IDE version of this drive fared against others in our 160GB Seagate 5400.3 drive review. In a perfectly silent room, you might hear a little clicking as the hard drive spins away, but its unlikely. Performance is excellent on this hard drive and the 100GB of storage space is extremely useful.

Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 6-cell lithium ion battery is 4000 mAh and 10.8V, respectively. The physical shape of the battery with grip support makes for an excellent carrying handle when toting the notebook around by hand. With 43Whr of juice, the 6-cell battery actually lasts a reasonable amount of time. Average usage with WiFi will yield you around 4 hours, down to around just below 3 hours with moderate to heavy usage. We're very happy with the battery life of even the relatively meager 6-cell battery, and the 12-cell should nearly double the battery life. For the $39 increase at the time of writing, the 12-cell is a great add-on. Keep in mind that it does stick out the bottom and prop the rear of the notebook up some.

AC Adapter
The dv1000t's AC adapter measures 4" long, 1" wide, 1" thick, and is quite light. On the plus side, HP uses very long cables on both the wall-plug connection and the laptop-plug connection. Both the laptop-plug and wall-plug are 6 feet long, plenty of length to reach even the most obscure power outlet. On the tip of the laptop plug, there is a small rubber grommet that will allow the laptop-plug cable to clip to itself, helping to manage the long cables. Unfortunately, like a large number of manufacturers, HP's AC adapter requires a three-prong outlet to connect to.

Remote Control
One of the options available for the dv1000t is a compact remote control that slides in the Express Card slot. This tiny little piece of electronics is actually rather fully featured, allowing you to control any aspect of the QuickPlay software and even playback in Windows Media Player. The really neat part is you can actually power the notebook on & off with the remote! Only an extra $14.99, we really think this is a must have for anyone who plays any kind of media on this machine. Its just so cool!

QuickPlay
QuickPlay is the name of HP's proprietary software dedicated to media playback. In early dv1000 models, QuickPlay was only a pre-OS boot program and at first, was rather basic. QuickPlay has now evolved into a well featured playback program available pre-Windows and can also be launched in Windows. When you first launch the program, either pre-OS or in Windows, you'll be greeted with this screen. The icons are fairly self-explanatory: DVD, Audio, Pictures, and only in Windows a button that takes you to software upgrade options.

Choosing the Audio or Pictures buttons will take you to a screen like the one below. The icons on either side of the screen take a little while to figure out, but the gist of the interface is that you are browsing available files and making a playlist. The downside is that you can only browse files located in the "Shared Documents" folders. Slideshows can be setup for your pictures and playlists for your music. Video file support is there, but we tried playing an Xvid-encoded video file with no luck.

When playing a DVD, you'll have menu controls like these:

As you can see, there are quite a lot of options available here! You can control any aspect of playback from this menu, or access it with the remote control as well. Most of the options here are self explanatory, but the "i" icon is particularly interesting. It brings up an in-depth series of menus adjusting any playback option you could want. Video aspect ratio, color reproduction (Vivid, Bright, etc), audio playback format, and more.

Overall we are extremely impressed with the features of this QuickPlay software. We don't see much advantage to booting to QuickPlay before Windows, as it doesn't save a lot of boot time, but some users will definitely appreciate it. Full video file playback support would be nice, with integrated codecs for playing back the most common formats. QuickPlay combined with HP's tiny Remote Control makes for an easy and hassle free multimedia experience.

Webcam
One of the new optional features on the dv1000t is an integrated webcam. Placed at the top of the LCD screen, this little camera sports a 640x480 resolution. It doesn't show a great deal of motion blur and has sufficiently sharp image capture for your basic web conferencing needs. Color reproduction is a little bland on it, but what more can expect of something built into an already very thin LCD panel?

Built-in web camera

Setup Method

The HP Pavilion dv1000t was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

• Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
• Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.

Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

• Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
• DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.

3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.

PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.

Configurations

Specifications	HP Pavilion dv1000t	Lenovo Thinkpad Z60t	HP Pavilion dv5000z
Processor	Intel Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core)	Intel Pentium M 760 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)	AMD Turion 64 ML-40 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)
Front Side Bus	667MHz	533MHz	800 MHz (HTT)
Chipset	Intel 945GM	Intel 915GM	ATI RX480M + SB400
Wireless LAN	Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Bluetooth Wireless IrDA	IBM a/b/g II 802.11a/b/g Bluetooth Wireless IrDA Sierra Wireless MC5720 EVDO	Broadcom 54g 802.11a/b/g
LCD	14" WXGA TFT LCD (1280x768)	14" WXGA TFT LCD (1280x768)	15.4" WXGA Glossy TFT LCD (1280x800)
Hard Drive	100GB Fujitsu MV2100BH 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA	100GB Toshiba 5400RPM 16MB Cache (MK1032GSX)	120GB Fujitsu 4200RPM 8MB Cache
Memory	1GB DDR2 533 PC4200 SDRAM (2 x 512MB) in Dual-Channel Mode CL 4	1GB DDR2 533 PC4200 SDRAM (1 x 1GB) in Single-Channel Mode CL 4	512MB (2 x 256MB) DDR333 PC2700 SO-DIMM in Single-Channel Mode CL 2.5
Graphics	Intel GMA950	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900	ATI Radeon Xpress200M 128MB w/Hypermemory
Graphics Interface	S-Video/TV-out/VGA-out	S-Video/TV-out/VGA-out	S-Video/VGA-OUT
Optical Drive	LightScribe DVD+/-RW Dual Layer	DVD+/-RW	Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD+/-RW
Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem	Integrated V.90 Modem
Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet	10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet	10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet
Audio	Intel High Definition Audio (ICH-6)	Intel High Definition Audio (ICH-6)	AC'97 2.2
Audio Interface	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support	Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support
Ports	3 x USB 2.0 ExpressCard Firewire 1394 5-in-1 Card Reader	SD Card Reader FireWire 1394 3 x USB 2.0 PC Card	Memory Card Reader FireWire 1394 3 x USB 2.0 PC Card/ExpressCard
Weight	5.33 lbs. with 6-cell battery	5.1 lbs. with 7-cell battery	6.39lbs with 8-cell battery
Size (W x D x H)	13.15" x 9.24" x 1.18-1.52"	13.1" x 9.0" x 1.05-1.22"	14.1" x 10.4 " x 1.38-1.7 "
Operating System	Windows XP Home w/SP2	Windows XP Professional w/SP2	Windows Media Center Edition 2005
Battery	4,000 mAh	5,200 mAh	7,100 mAh

Performance

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

Internet Content Creation

Having a dual core processor clearly makes a huge difference in SYSmark2004SE. In Internet Content Creation alone scores increase dramatically, despite the much higher clocked 2.2GHz AMD Turion 64 processor. The 2GHz Pentium M in the Z60t doesn't even hold a candle to the low clocked 1.66GHz Core Duo.

Office Productivity

Again the Core Duo leads, although by less of a margin as the Office test is more single-threaded oriented.

Total Score

Overall we see the expected correlation, with the dual core systems outpacing AMD's best mobile chip and the "older" Dothan core by a large margin. We can't wait to see what AMD has coming in the dual core mobile field, but until then Intel's Core Duo is reigning supreme.

PCMark05 Advanced
Performance was very respectable across all systems. The dual core CPU's of course took the lead, DDR333 RAM doesn't hold a candle to DDR2 667 RAM (especially 2GB in the Acer), and the Mobility Radeon X1600 rocks everyone else. The T60's Hitachi 5K100 though bested the other hard drives.

Here are the associated scores:

PCMark05	HP dv1000t	Lenovo Z60t	HP dv5000z
CPU	3889	3193	3094
Memory	2711	2781	2565
Graphics	939	757	983
HDD	3789	3067	3242

and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:

PCMark05 shows the clear differentation between single and dual core processors here, on systems that all use integrated graphics. Even the relatively "slow" 1.66GHz Core Duo outpaces some of the fastest single core mobile processors out there.

Multi-Tasking Performance

We added these tests for a better way to compare dual core systems. Looking at numerous testing methods and results, we found the existing SYSmark2004SE benchmarks to be an excellent choice. The tests are easily performed and repeatable, providing a consistent and simple way to test dual core systems. The three sub-tests below show a noticeable correlation in CPU and memory performance, the two most important aspects of a multi-CPU system.

Acer TravelMate 8204 : Core Duo T2500 (2.0GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core), 2GB DDR2 533 RAM, 120GB Seagate 5400.2 5400RPM SATA HDD, 15.4" WSXGA+, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

3D Content Creation

This test is described as "The user renders a 3D model to a bitmap using 3ds max 5.1, while preparing web pages in Dreamweaver MX. Then the user renders a 3D animation in a vector graphics format."

The dv1000t's 1.66GHz Core Duo smokes the single core Dothan, but the Acer's 2GHz Core Duo and 2GB RAM pull even farther ahead of the dv1000t.

2D Content Creation

Next up we have "The user uses Premiere 6.5 to create a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into Photoshop 7.01, modifies it and saves the results. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using After Effects 5.5."

This test is more memory dependant, giving the advantage to the 2GB-equipped Acer 8204. As before, the single core Z60t is rated much lower than the dv1000t.

Web Publication

Next up we have "The user extracts content from an archive using WinZip 8.1. Meanwhile, he uses Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed using Windows Media Encoder 9 series in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches in Dreamweaver MX and the system is scanned by VirusScan 7.0."

Lastly, this test pretty much repeats the 3D creation spread. Clearly Intel's Core Duo processor dominates any single core processor in many usage scenarios, but it is important to keep in mind that real world performance doesn't show the percentage increases you see here. Dual core processors generally help the system "feel" smoother during normal operation, but they truly shine when you try to run two CPU hungry applications at once. I bet you never thought you could game and rip a DVD at the same time, but with dual core processors it is possible.

3D Performance

3DMark 2001 SE

3DMark01 is CPU limited, but the GPU still separates the machines here. Integrated graphics are differentiated here, with Intel's older GMA900 in the Z60t falling behind the more powerful GMA950 and the dv5000z's Radeon Xpress 200M.

3DMark 2003

3DMark 2003 is mostly GPU limited, at least in the notebook realm. Once again the notebooks are separated by their GPU.

3DMark 05

3DMark 2005 is 100% GPU limited in all but the NVIDIA Go7800GTX, which isn't featured here. Again we get the results we expected: the dv5000z's integrated leads, with the GMA950 behind, and the Thinkpad's GMA900 integrated graphics at the bottom of the barrel.

The latest in the 3DMark series, 2006 puts more of an emphasis on dual core CPU's and advanced graphics features. We don't really have a suitable system to compare to the dv1000t, so we just thought we'd throw this score in here for fun.

Battery Performance

So much for dual cores using more power! The dv1000t has the smallest battery in this test and has an extremely competitive battery life. Remember the dv5000z is using much larger 12-cell battery and the Z60t even has a higher capacity battery.

We see the same trend here, with the dv5000z's larger battery leading a bit now that more strenuous testing is being used.

The dv1000t falls quite a bit on the DVD test, but is still respectable for a 4,000mAh battery. The dv5000z wasn't able to run the DVD Playback test due to technical reasons.

Overall we were very happy with the dv1000t's battery life, even on the meager 6-cell battery. The 12-cell battery should provide near double the battery life, which will make for an impressive run time indeed.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Gorgeous screen
• Attractive design
• Loaded with features
• LightScribe DVD burner
• Great battery life
• Plethora of Function keys
• ExpressCard
• Great value

Cons:

• Runs very hot
• Slight fitment issues
• No discrete graphics options

Recommendation
Ever since we took a look at the first iteration of the Pavilion dv1000 with Intel's Carmel-Centrino platform, we've been in love with HP's quality, features, and value. The latest dv1000t continues those accolades with Intel's latest mobile platform and some extra goodies. The features are near unrivaled for the price point of this machine, and dual core performance is a blessing.

Overall quality of the machine is excellent, but there is a bit of a fitment issue with the LCD lid latching closed. This shouldn't dissuade a buyer from the dv1000t, but it is something to keep in mind. We do really wish HP would fix the cooling issue the entire dv1000 series has had. From the original Dothan-based dv1000 to the brand new dv1000t, all of them have had high running temperatures. We really noticed this on the left palm rest above the hard drive, where the combined heat of the CPU and HDD really get temperatures rising. A discrete graphics card would be a nice addition, but we learned that the forthcoming Pavilion dv2000 series will retain the 14" widescreen form factor in a new design and add discrete graphics.

The Pavilion dv1000 series has always been a bit of an odd duck, in a good way: a multimedia-oriented budget machine that comes with a plethora of features. You will be hard pressed to find another machine that offers Core Duo, LightScribe DVDRW, 100GB Hard Drive, 1GB RAM, and the numerous other features of the dv1000t for the low MSRP of $1,249. You can purchase the exact configuration of our test unit over at HP Shopping for $1,249 with free shipping and a $50 mail-in rebate on top of it. If that doesn't scream value, I don't know what does. The bare minimum configuration of a Core Solo T1300, non-BrightView screen, no webcam, 256MB DDR2 RAM, 40GB SATA HDD, DVD/CD-RW, no wireless, and 6-cell battery runs only $949 before rebate, with the necessary add-ons like WiFi and BrightView coming as cheap additions to this great machine.

Overall Hewlett Packard's Pavilion dv1000t is a shining example of quality, performance, and features at a great price. The dv1000t lets you do a little bit of everything while staying mobile and not in bankrupcy. Let's hope HP doesn't change the formula too much for the new dv2000 models, because the dv1000t leaves little to be desired.

If it wasn't clear from the previous discussion here, we love the value HP presents with their laptops and particularly this well-loaded $1,249 bargain. Accordingly, we are awarding the dv1000t Laptop Logic's Best Buy Award.

Availability/Warranty
The Hewlett Packard Pavilion dv1000t (model dv1650us) is available now for $1249 in the United States. The default warranty coverage is for one year parts and labor, one year on the battery. dv1000t models are available starting at $949.

Discuss in our HP Message Forum!

No User reviews for this product! Be the first to write a review on HP Pavilion dv1000t

To post a product-review you have to be a registered member.

Technical Specifications

No specifications are available.