DV9000T Review

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Well, I got my HP DV9000t laptop today. Decked out with everything important… 2GB RAM, 2Ghz Core 2 Duo, Webcam, 7200RPM HD, etc.

It arrived about 5 days early… and I’m failry caught up with all of my work – so I decided I would write a review of this very sleek looking machine. I’ve decided this partly because I was looking for reviews when I was going to purchase it, and party because I like to type on the new keyboard… 😉

Firstly, let me say that my last laptop was an HP zd7000 – and in comparison to the dv9000t – my old laptop is thicker and a little less attractive. Obviously, it has fewer bells and whistles… anyway, now that you know where I’m coming from:

What I like:

  • Very attractive body. The paint is nice, but there is more than that – I like the rounded keyboard, rounded screen (edges and base), and the fact that there are no ports on the back of the laptop.
  • The laptop runs cool and fairly quiet… my leg does cover the air intake on the bottom of the laptop, which is slightly annoying, but it still does not get hot.
  • The built in webcam is very handy – and the microphones are just fine so long as you are in a relatively quiet room.
  • The optional remote, which I got, is very nice. I like how it slips right inside the laptop. Well worth the (cheap) upgrade.
  • I really like the touch sensitive media controls above the keyboard – very easy to use. They emit an awful beep from the factory, but you can disable the annoyance via the BIOS.
  • Two headphone jacks are very slick and conveniently placed (front and center).
  • USB ports are everywhere you need them, two to a side… this is nice IMHO.

What I dislike:

  • The half-sized right shift key. (This was done to make the keyboard line up correctly for the rounded look).
  • The speakers are not in the front of the notebook, they are on the top above the keyboard. This doesn’t sound as good IMHO.
  • The hinges don’t seem to close the screen as tightly as I am used to. It kind of wobbles when closed – maybe it’s just me.

Overall, once you remove all the crap HP sends with the system… (not in insane amount, but enough to consume time for removal)… it runs VERY swiftly. Overall, I am very impressed with the machine as a whole. It looks elegant, runs well, and is competitively priced. I am pleased with the purchase.

I did not get the HD DVD drive because I do not watch too many movies and another ($450) was a little steep.

I’ll be installing Fedore Core 6 (FC6) on here this weekend – and maybe I’ll write about it.

If you found this review helpful, please leave a comment – I don’t usually review products, but if others find it useful I may consider doing so more often.

15 Replies to “DV9000T Review”

  1. Hey Andrew –

    This is the machine of choice for me, so far anyway. I will also be migrating from a ZD7000, [P4 3.2, 2G-RAM, 128MB Nvidia]……..I would be very, very interested to hear more about speed differences and trus battery life, from the ZD7000 to your dv9000. It looks as though you had yours configured as I intend to. [I do very intensive 3D CAD work, no games, so this is serious stuff for me……..well mstly anyway :-)]

    Thanks in advance!

  2. Jeff:

    The most noticeable difference between the zd7000 and my dv9000t is the battery life. The dv9000t, with the high capacity battery, lasts just under four hours. I was lucky for an hour and a half with my zd7000.

    There is a subtle speed difference between the two that makes itself known from boot-up. The (32 bit) Windows XP OS just seems to be more responsive. 3D Animation and Large Photo editing are markedly more swift.

    (64 Bit) Linux is MUCH faster on the dv9000t than on the (32 Bit) zd7000.

    If you have any more questions, let me know.

    -Andrew D. Anderson

  3. Hi Andrew,

    I’m using a dv8000 with the AMD Turion processor and it’s hot as a firecracker. I’m considering the dv9000t because I read that it is cooler. Sounds like you agree that is does not get hot.

    Now that you’ve run in for a couple of weeks, have you had a chance to use it in your lap for extended periods and have you noticed it getting hotter during the extended period?

    What about the right shift key… have you gotten use to it being smaller yet?

    Did you go with the standard BrightView screen or did you step to the Ultra BrightView (+$125)?

    Thanks,
    Sonnie

  4. Sonnie:

    I’ve used it on my lap on numerous occasions for 2hr+ sessions of programming. I kid you not… you can hardly tell it is on. I’m throughly amazed by how little heat the dv9000t produces.

    The smaller right shift key is not so pleasant. I’m still hitting the up arrow quite a bit, but another month or so and I’ll be used to it. The good news is, getting used to the smaller shift key doesn’t really affect usage of a standard keyboard.

    I went for the higher resolution rather than the increased color gamut. I’m glad I did – the extra space from 1440×900 is noticeable and makes working with lots of windows easier.

    Hope I answered your questions in sufficient detail.

    -Andrew D. Anderson

  6. Hi Andrew, I’ve been thinking about switching to either the dell e1705 or hp dv9000t. Dell could be cheaper because of the 30% coupon. But I like the HP’s full keyboard layout and dual hard drive. I was wondering whether you’ve been able to set the hard drives up in raid 0. Also I was wondering whether the high capacity battery sticks out. I’m also sort of a gamer, so I was wondering which video card you got and the benchmark score you got. One last thing, I can’t seem to find a good picture of the keyboard, could you take one?

    Thanks a lot,
    Ruibing

  7. Andrew:

    Your review was quite informative and although I have already purchased the same Dv9000t as you have I’m sure it will help other people decide.

    I agree with you on most accounts:

    Headphone Jack: Not placed where I would like it. On the sided, IMO, would have been more convenient. The design creates pressure on the input from the plug as it sits on my lap.

    Upgraded Paint and Finsh: I am impressed. The new finish, so far, has endured my sweaty palms and remained intact. On my brother’s DV5000 the acidity from his palms has already caused the paint to chip. Even his trackpad seems to have developed a “bald spot” on it.

    Comfort: I find this laptop to be very comfortable to type on. The size of the laptop lends itself well to my hands. There is even enough room to break out my mini-optical mouse and use the body as a surface to employ the mouse on.

    My only caveat is the mini-shift. Most of my right hand shifting has “shifted” to my left in a “Pinky-strike-stretch” maneuver. Bad for my touch speed but not all together a show stopper.

    IMHO this laptop is a good choice. I would avoid Dell laptops, though I do hear their desktops are very good. This laptop was the best equipped for the price.

    Thanks again Andrew. Very through review.

  9. Andrew: I’m considering buying a dv9000t, since hp can give some of the best performance for a budget. Is disabling the beeping of the media keys straighforward through the BIOS?

    Thanks,

    Mark

  11. I was just wondering with the dv9000t How does the video card work with games? I mnean I play Worlf Of warcraft and I would like it too work lol but I was just curious if anyone tried to play slightly graphical games.

  12. I bought the HP dv9000 for family use and I have been pleased especially in comparison to the zd7000, zd8000 and nx9420 series I have had in the past.

    The only stickler has been that two days after I bought the laptop the “C” key completely broke and could not be reattached to the keyboard. HP would not send me a replacement keyboard and said that I would have to send the laptop in for repair and it should be returned in about 1 week.

    I went ahead and bought a replacement keyboard but can not find any documentation on how to remove the faceplate in order to replace the keyboard.

    Any directions or links on how to remove the faceplate in order to replace the keyboard would be appreciated.

  13. Hey, Shane, where did you get the replacement keyboard? My wife damaged it with a hair dryer (don’t ask). I called HP and they said it’s not available for purchase. They want a minimum of $300 and week to repair, as you said above. There’s a manual available on the HP website showing the replacement procedure, but I haven’t found a replacement on the web.

  15. Like many, I can’t stand the proximity of the up arrow to the right shift key. Shift keys are really big for a reason, they are hard to hit with the pinky while touch-typing. Mishitting the up arrown causes text insertion in unwanted portions of the document. There is a happy solution, remap the up arrow to perform as a second shift key using KeyTweak, http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/. Simple and painless as it will edit windows registry. Note that the arrow keys are redundantly included in the keypad and the up arrow can still be accessed via fn+8 on the keypad.

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