HP Pavilion dv5000t Core Duo laptop reviewed

Laptop Magazine has taken a closer look at the HP Pavilion dv5000t Core Duo laptop that we first spotted at CES, and bestow it with four out of five stars, concluding that "this sleek mainstream machine is a great buy." Highlights include the 1.83GHz dual-core processor, of course, as well as the Nvidia GeForce 7400 Go card, which sacrifices a bit of performance (compared to the dv4000's ATI x700, that is) in exchange for exceptional battery life- 7.5-hours with the optional 12 cell battery, which is double the life of the stock battery for only $39 more. Also of note were the performance of QuickPlay 2.0, an instant-on option (instant in this case equals 11 seconds) for boot-less multimedia playback, and the crisp 15.4-inch WSXGA screen. Downsides include the aforementioned video performance (i.e. gamers look elsewhere), 7.4-pound weight, and protruding battery pack with the extended-life option. Still, these are mostly trifles for a ~$1600 dual-core notebook with solid performance and a healthy feature set, so consider this your permission to buy.

[Thanks, Bill]

[Dale @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:29PM]

Don't want to start an OS war here (really!) . . . but why do Windows machines always have so many items on the desktop? Do they have to be there to work? Is it just how the users manage their files?

The only files I have on my desktop are temporary attachments or other short-term items. Just seems odd to me . . .

[kou5oku @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:38PM]

NO WAY! I have one icon on MY desktop. its the recycling bin. and its only there cause i cant get rid of it!


You know, I was just about to post a flame for the N00b who took a picture of a laptop with 32 shortcuts on the desktop. WTF!! computers are for users not for noobs


mebbe thats the default load for HP, but if it is I sure wouldnt want one.

-kou

[khamel @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:08PM]

i dont understand the shortcuts hate. my friend has a powerbook that is filled with shortcuts. i mean probably between 100-150. i have two screens and half of one is shortcuts. i like them and i'm closer to l33t than a n00b but since im no longer 14 i don't talk like that. if you dont have shortcuts how do you access programs? everything in the start menu or do you just yell at your computer? half a dozen of this, 6 of that in my opinion.

[Sohail Ahmed @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:10PM]

you can get rid of the recycle bin, just download TweakUI powertoy from the microsoft website

[G @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:11PM]

You can even get rid of the Recycle bin, at least on XP.

Regards.

ps. lemme look for the page with instructions to do remove the damn thing

[Silver @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:04PM]

"but why do Windows machines always have so many items on the desktop? Do they have to be there to work? Is it just how the users manage their files?"

Shortcut to AOL trial. Shortcut to Earthlink trial. Shortcut to anti-virus program trial. Shortcut to "Welcome to HP." Shortcut to "Register with HP." Shortcut to "HP Tech Support." Shortcut to "HP After-Hours Tech Support." Shortcut to Real Media. Shortcuts to various game demos. Shortcuts to a dozen other worthless things you don't care about. It all adds up.

If you're a Mac user, you wouldn't understand.

[jason @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:37PM]

I delete the default shortcuts and make my own. I mean, if I bury my schoolwork folder somewhere in My Documents, why not have a shortcut? I put one on my desktop and one in the start menu right under the internet icon. It increases effeciency. I don't understand the benefit of not using shortcuts. Why would you want to waste time navigating, even if it's only a couple of seconds?

[W @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:54PM]

Hmmmmm, I wonder if it will crap out when you put two dimms in it and use photoshop like my zd7000 does? I wonder if it will refuse to come back from sleep mode like my zd7000 does? I wonder if it overheats when you run a virus scan and completely shuts down like my zd7000 does? HP sucks. Yes, I'm bitter.

[Reg @ Mar 2nd 2006 7:02PM]

"Shortcut to AOL trial. Shortcut to Earthlink trial. Shortcut to anti-virus program trial. Shortcut to "Welcome to HP." Shortcut to "Register with HP." Shortcut to "HP Tech Support." Shortcut to "HP After-Hours Tech Support." Shortcut to Real Media. Shortcuts to various game demos. Shortcuts to a dozen other worthless things you don't care about. It all adds up."

Why do you think that Dells are so cheap? They come with built in advertisements.

[Max Watson @ Mar 2nd 2006 7:18PM]

Wow. Lamest off-topic thread, ever.

Anyway, I'm weary of HP laptops because they're quite often lemons. Just look at all of the "remanufactured" HP laptops that retailers sell. My laptop is an HP (x1000), and the video card died in it due to poor design. I was lucky to find a replacement for

[Spyvie @ Mar 2nd 2006 11:47PM]

HP notebooks ship with the �classic desktop� and all those icon already there

[Dan @ Mar 3rd 2006 12:38AM]

Mossberg at WSJ reviewed it against the Macbook Pro today.
Here's a link:
http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html

Dan

[wim @ Mar 3rd 2006 5:41AM]

Who Cares about the shortcuts, they are all shortcuts to pre installed useless programs. If you are going to buy a high spec machine like this, just format it as you turn it on and install what you need. that way, you'll have it to your liking.

[Trevor @ Mar 3rd 2006 7:03AM]

I bought the HP Pavilion in September 2005 and it's an amazing computer! Haven't had any problems with it yet, so I don't know what people are talking about when they complain about HP. I can't even imagine how nice it would be to have a dual core processor though - wish I had waited for that.

Only problem is the aforementioned graphics issue - i enjoy computer games, but I really can't play most of the new and/or high end graphics ones (although GTA San Andreas works fine). I almost went with the Toshiba Sattelite, because it's basically a portable desktop, but it looks like a damn tank. I didn't want to feel like a turtle - I'm a sucker for sleek. So I'll buy and Xbox 360 for games, and use my computer for everything else. I do use Photoshop a lot by the way, and it works fine.

[Greg hates Lemmings @ Mar 4th 2006 11:53AM]

i have an HP notebook but mines suxs

[devilsoulblack @ Mar 12th 2007 4:57AM]

i have that laptop :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devilsoulblack/304581917/