HP Pavilion dv9700t

The HP Pavilion dv9700t is a model series of laptop/mobile computers manufactured by Hewlett-Packard Company [http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/dv9700t_series/3/computer_store] featuring a 17.0 inch (diagonal) display and an Intel Crestline PM965 motherboard mounted in a clamshell-type case. This model was released in January 2008 and is currently in production. The specific internal components can be custom-chosen by the consumer or pre-selected by the manufacturer for the retail market. It is comparable to the Dell XPS M1530 and the MacBook Pro.

Characteristics

According to the [http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/dv9700t_series/3/computer_store HP Store] web site, May 2008:
* Dimensions (inches): 15.16 length x 11.65 width x 1.57 maximum closed height
* Weight (pounds): approximately 7.7 to 8.2
* Display Size (inches): 17.0 diagonal widescreen (14.4 inches wide x 9.0 inches high, 1.6:1 aspect ratio
* Display Type: WXGA (1440 x 900) or WSXGA (1680 x 1050) High-Definition "HP BrightView" Active-matrix liquid crystal display. This is a dual-lamp backlit display that is intended for brightly lit environments.
* Video Output: HDMI 1080p, S-video, VGA (resolution depends on graphics display adapter)
* Speakers: Integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers
* Audio Output: analog and digital. Early releases of this model had three separate auto outputs: one 3.5mm stereo, one S/PDIF optical, and one HDMI. Newer releases of this model have only two audio outputs: one 3.5mm stereo and one HDMI. [http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=219524] HP product documentation alludes to this. [http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01278134.pdf]
* Chipset: Intel "Crestline" PM965 (see Intel Mobile Chipsets, [http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/PM965/] ) featuring I/O Controller Hub 8 (ICH8) southbridge (see [http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/datashts/313056.htm Data Sheet] )
* BIOS: Phoenix BIOS
* RAID: BIOS does not support hardware RAID. (Note: Windows Vista does not support Stripe Volume or Spanned Volume for the system volume, thus eliminating RAID support for this system.)
* Front Side Bus: 667 MHz to 800 MHz (dependent on processor model); The "T5550" is limited to 667 MHz.
* Memory: 4 GB maximum, 2 slots DDR2, 1.8 volt unbuffered, asymmetric or interleaved operation supported. Intel specifies that the chipset only supports 533 to 667 MHz memory clock speed is supported however HP Pre-sales telephone support has stated twice that the motherboard supports 533 to 800 MHz memory. The sales team does not differentiate between compatibility and utilization. 800 MHz DDR2 is being installed for orders that include 800 MHz-capable processors.
* Hard Drive(s): 2 internal SATA drive bays [bus speed, max capacity, dimensions requested]
* Network: Intel "PRO/Wireless 4965AGN" (with or without Bluetooth)
* Processor Series: Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile with Micro-FCPGA package
* I/O Ports: 4 Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) (3 on models with fingerprint reader), IEEE 1394 Firewire, PCI expansion port 3 (proprietary bus for docking port), ExpressCard/54, Integrated Consumer IR (remote control receiver), 5-in-1 digital media card reader, microphone in, RJ-11 (modem), RJ-45 (LAN), VGA, TV out (S-video), HDMI. Does not have external SATA port.
* Accessories: remote control, 90 watt AC power adapter
* Dock/Base: The HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base is intended for this system.

Optional Integrated Components

* Processor Options: T5550 1.8 GHz, T8100 2.1 GHz, T8300 (SLAPU) 2.4 GHz, T9300 2.5 GHz, T9500 2.6 GHz
* Graphics Options: 256 MB NVIDIA "GeForce 8400M GS" or 512 MB NVIDIA "GeForce 8600M GS"
* Battery Options: 8 x 2.2 AHr Cell Lithium Ion Battery (17.6 AHr total) or High Capacity 8 x 2.55 AHr Cell Lithium Ion Battery (20.4 AHr total)It also has options for integrated Bluetooth, mobile broadband from the Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard, microphone, 1.3 megapixel webcam, and/or fingerprint reader.

Performance

"Note: current listings are posted from independent testing by author. Updates/revisions are requested from verifiable 3rd party websites."
* High Capacity Battery: test on an out-of-box model with dual hard drives, 2.4 GHz processor, 4 Gb RAM, no external attachments, WIFI enabled, "Balanced power plan", approximately 75% screen brightness yielded 2 hours 35 minutes of DVD runtime before system automatically shut down at 5% battery power.
* Windows Vista: test on an out-of-box model with 2.4 GHz processor, 4 Gb RAM, 256 Mb graphics adapter, 7200RPM hard drives, no external attachments, WIFI enabled, "Balanced power plan" yielded a Windows Vista Windows Experience Index of 3.4, with the two lowest scores being "Graphics" (3.4) and "Gaming Graphics" (4.5). Comparatively, the Dell XPS M1530 with matching configuration yielded a Windows Experience Index of 5.1.

References

# [http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx?ParentRadio=All&ProcFam=2643&SearchKey= Intel Processor Finder]
# [http://www.intel.com/products/chipsets/PM965/index.htm Intel chipset information]
# [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodinfoCategory?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3650971&lang=en# HP Product Information webpage]
# [http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3650971&lang=en& HP Product Manuals]

External Links

# [http://review.zdnet.com/laptops/hp-pavilion-dv9700t/4505-3121_16-33003075.html review by ZDNet]
# [http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4267 review by NotebookReview.com]
# [http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4378&review=HP+Pavilion+dv9830us+Entertainment+%2D+Core+2+Duo+T5550+1%2E83+GHz+%2D+17 review by NotebookReview.com]