HP Pavilion dv5t

Its been a rather long time since HP updated the popular dv6000 series. Dell has been quick with its updates which have given them advantage over HP in the current market. But things could change rapidly with the introduction of HP Pavilion dv5t which is based on the latest Intel Montevina Centrino 2 technology. The chipset has many advantages over its predecessor such as powerful dedicated graphics.

HP Pavilion dv5t specifications :

• Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor 2.26GHz

• Display : 15.4-inch WSXGA+ Infinity display
• RAM : 2GB DDR2-800 RAM (2x 1GB)
• Hard Disk : 160GB 5400RPM hard drive
• Graphics : Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT 512MB DDR2 RAM
  
• Battery : High-capacity 6-cell Li-ion battery
• OS : Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Approx. price : $1300

Design has got a major overhaul and if the dv6000 had stylish looks, this one has killer looks. HP has put a lot of effort and thought into the design and added a futuristic look to it. The notebook is streamlined and has rounded corners. The display rests only on one large hinge instead of two. The surfaces are glossy and reflective pretty much similar to dv6000 series. The palm rest and base is metallic rather than plastic leading to a much better build quality.

The touch buttons are now a bit farther off from the keyboard but that does not affect their functionality a bit. The HP logo on the lid is backlit now, which adds a whole lot of class to this new notebook. The build quality which was not great in dv6000 series, has been looked after and dv5t has a compact and strong build.

The display resolution has also got a bump from the standard 1280 x 800. It now supports a resolution of 1680 x 1050 which is great for viewing movies especially HD ones. Also it leads to more viewable area and hence less scrolling is needed for large documents. There are two types to displays to choose from : standard BrightView and BrightView Infinity with the latter making the display borderless. Display quality is a strong point of HP notebooks and that goes for dv5t too. It produces clear and perfectly saturated images.

The speakers on the dv5t are the branded Altec Lansing ones which offer decent sound quality. There are standard stereo speakers without any subwoofer. Volume is high but not necessarily the sound quality. The media remote is the same that came with dv6000 series having good functionality to control the PC from a distance. The webcam produces clear images and handles video conferences smoothly.

Heat and noise are two issues that have also been addressed with the dv5t. The earlier series used to idle above 40 degrees even when idle and touching 70 degrees on full load. But the dv5t idles at around 30 degress and goes upto 65 degrees on full load. The graphic card though runs very hot under full load. The fan does not produce whirly sound even when running at full speed, although you can hear it running. The fan positions remain unchanged which means you need to have a solid base when running the notebook under load for optimal cooling.

Keyboard wasn’t of good build quality with the dv6000 and the keys felt wobbly. This has vanished with the dv5t as it uses a high build quality keyboard which offers tactile feedback. The feel of the keys is smoother and glossier. Overall a much better keyboard than dv6000. The touchpad is pretty much the same. It has a glossy finish and inlaid into the palm rest area. I have never been found of touchpads and this one is no exception.

The notebook has Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, e-SATA, IEEE 1394 mini-Firewire, ExpressCard slots. The right side has the optical drive with USB ports and TV tuner/modem fillers. At the front is IR Receiver along with couple of headphone jacks. Addition of eSATA is refreshing as eSATA devices are slowly making their presence felt in the market.On the wireless front, you can customise to upgarde to a wireless card having N band capability. Otherwise you get the standard 802.11b/g Broadcom card. You can also upgrade to High-capacity 6-cell from standard 6-cell battery. Battery life is low at about 2 hours when watching a movie.

You can choose not to add a graphics and use the onboard Intel X4500 Integrated graphics, good enough for casual gaming and running Vista with full effects. HP offers both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. The performance of the notebook is great with DDR-800 memory and Nvidia 9600GT graphics card. The processor is also top notch and performs well. The graphics card ensures you can play games at latest games at medium settings. Overall the dv5t is a great performer.

Pros :

• Great configuration
• Affordable price
• Good build quality
• Excellent display
• Excellent keyboard
• Runs cool and quiet
• Great performance
• eSATA, HDMI port included

Cons :

• High graphics card temperature
• Low battery life
• Average touchpad

Final Thoughts

The HP Pavilion dv5t is a excellent upgrade from the dv6000 series and manages to address most of the issues. Apart from the battery life, this laptop is a perfect blend of style and performance. It offers great performance at an affordable price.

Rating : 4.25/5