HP pavilion dv4000 laptop review

This review is for the Hewlett Packard DV4000 laptop.The unit is a multimedia notebook in a medium sized form factor. For several months I have been looking for a portable computer that I could use to surf the internet while sitting in my easy chair. I looked at the Dell Inspiron 6000,
Toshiba Satellite 3000 and the Sony VAIO FS550. The Toshiba didn't have a glossy screen and the Sony's audio system was barely audible. I thought the Dell was clunky looking. I always liked HP's DV1000 but thought its 14-inch screen too small. When the dv4000 came out with a beautiful 15.4 inch screen, it was just the ticket I had been looking for. I purchased this configure-to-build unit fromHPShopping.com for $1191 after rebate (before taxes) . I saved a little by going through the EPP (employee purchase program) site which gives modest discounts to employees of large companies. It only took 8 days from placing my order to being delivered at my home after being built and shipped from China. When I placed the order, HP estimated it would take a month for delivery. I understand from others who have ordered from HP, they are often this conservative and give you a ship date further out than what is actual.

Striking just the right combination of black and silver, HP made the Pavilion dv4000 one cool-looking laptop. The inside is black; the lid, the sides, and the touch pad are silver; and a handful of status lights scattered around the case glow a pleasing blue. Similar to the Acer Aspire 1410, the midsize Pavilion dv4000 measures 1.5 inches thick, 14.0 inches wide, and 10.3 inches deep. At 6.7 pounds, it's about the same weight as the Gateway M460S, half a pound lighter than the Dell Inspiron 6000, and 1.2 pounds heavier than the dv1000. With its 8-ounce AC adapter, the Pavilion dv4000 has a reasonable travel weight of 7.1 pounds.

My configuration for the HP Pavilion dv4000 customizable Notebook PC:

• Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2


• Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 740 (1.73 GHz)


• 15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)


• Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 900


• 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)


• 60 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive


• FREE Upgrade to 8X DVD +/- RW/R & CD-RW Combo!!


• 54g(TM) Integ. Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth


• 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery


• Microsoft(R) Works/Money


• Remote control (purchased separately)

Upgrades

As you can see, I upgraded the drive to 5400RPM , added Bluetooth and a 12-cell battery. This is one of the reasons I didn't buy a retail version like the dv4030us ($1399-$50 rebate)....you are stuck with a 4200RPM hard drive, Wi-Fi but no Bluetooth and only a 6 cell battery. If you ordered the 12 cell battery as an extra it would cost you $179. When I configured my dv4000 it was only $25 more than the 6 cell battery. If you do the math you can see the customized laptop was a better deal for me even though you can sometimes buy a retail unit for $1199 when CompUSA or Office Depot is running a promotion.

Screen

The screen was one of the main reasons I bought the dv4000...it is stunning. When I play DVD's on it, my friends can't believe how clear and bright it is. Similar to the DV1000 (as was pointed out in the excellent review of the dv1000 and hp pavilion dv1000 battery), the DV4000 LCD has a limited vertical viewing angle. You have to tilt it just right to get the best contrast and brightness. This is mostly an issue when playing DVDs and less of a problem when running typical applications for web surfing and word processing. The glossy screen can introduce a lot of glare, especially in a bright office, but in a dimly lit home it is not as bad. I want to stress this glossy screen can look like a mirror under some lighting conditions. Here is a photo showing the screen reflecting my backyard:

Audio and Build Quality

Besides the nice screen I picked the dv4000 for its audio. Those front firing speakers are very impressive for a laptop. Few other notebooks are as loud and clear. The fit and finish seems first rate. Build quality also seems pretty good too for a unit in this price range. Let's be clear, it's no bullet proof IBM ThinkPad, but it isn't bad. The keyboard has very little flex and the keyboard travel is good. I have noticed that the shift keys sometimes make a plastic rubbing plastic sound. I hope this does not become a problem. I suspect since the shift key is so large it may not be supported as well as the smaller keys. The only other key issue is over the up/down arrow keys. Sometimes it doesn't want to scroll a page. I have had to click a few times on the page before the arrow buttons work.I tend to use the up/down keys instead of the scroll bar as it is much faster. The scroll bar is located on the right side of the touchpad. It takes a while getting used to, I would prefer a scroll wheel like they have on a mouse (I don't know of any laptop with a built-in scroll wheel though!). The LCD hinges are sufficiently strong to hold the screen at any angle. The LCD frame does appear to be a weak spot. Don't get me wrong, the LCD doesn't distort when you move it like some cheap notebooks, but when you press on the back of the LCD (the top of the notebook) it creates distortions. I shudder to think what would happen if you dropped a heavy book on the top of the closed laptop. Speaking of closed....when you close the cover it is quiet...no loud clicks. It appears to latch well.

Hard drive

I was concerned that the 60GB 5400RPM (Hitachi) hard drive would be noisy. It is not. You can hear some little ticking sounds if you are in a quiet room. In a normal room with TV or music you won't hear the drive. Another thing you won't hear is the fan. It rarely comes on- almost never when just web surfing. When it does come on it sounds like an ocean breeze that is rather pleasant. It must not be a high RPM fan because it is nearly silent. Once again in an average room with background sounds you won't hear a thing.

Hard drive Benchmark:

HD Tune: Drive model # HTS541060G9AT00 Benchmark

Transfer Rate Minimum : 18.2 MB/sec

Transfer Rate Maximum : 36.0 MB/sec

Transfer Rate Average : 28.9 MB/sec

Access Time: 16.3 ms

Burst Rate: 73.9 MB/sec

CPU Usage: 5.7%

Battery

I got the hp pavilion dv4000 extended battery because I wasn't concerned about the extra weight it added, but with the 12 cell battery this sucker is heavy. HP says it is 6.5 pounds with a 6 cell battery so with the big battery it's about 7 pounds, this is not terrible but not light either. I wouldn't want to carry it from class to class. As you can see in the picture the battery bulges out of the bottom giving the unit a nice slant for ergonomic purposes. Air circulation is improved with this raising of the notebook also.It ruins the sleekness of the laptop, but I don't care. I don't plan on moving the laptop too much so the extra weight is no big deal. Battery life has been impressive, about 7.5 hours under light use.