Customer Reviews

HP Pavilion DV7-3060US 17.3-Inch Espresso Laptop - Up to 4.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow what can I say about this laptop? I placed my order on 11/7, product was shipped 11/9 and delivered 11/11! The shipping was listed as free super saver shipping but since Amazon had a free 2-day shipping promotion going on shortly after I bought it, I think they may have automatically upgraded it to that.

Anyways back to my review. Since I've only had this computer less than a week, I cannot be too critical or list every single pro/con. However I will attempt to list that which I have experienced (Typing the review on the laptop now!)

1) Computer came securely packaged and arrived on time, much earlier than expected. Package had the computer, battery, user manual, quick-start guide, power adapter + cord, and an HP remote (made for use with HP MediaSmart technology)

2) Initial set up is a breeze for a novice user. I'm not a novice by any means, so it really was a snap to get this computer up and running. Just make sure to plug it in and then let the computer run all the necessary updates and whatnot. Expect to set aside a minimum of 2 hours to get all this done.

3) I have been using Windows XP since...about my 7th or 8th grade year (2nd year sophomore in college, currently), so suffice it to say I didn't want to use Windows 7. Because this is a 64bit computer, and it has 4gigs of RAM and a 2.4GHz processor, I must say that Windows 7 is surprisingly fast and a very refreshing change after the last disaster of Windows Vista. The transparency effects arent too flashy like in Vista, and everything runs very clean, fast, and efficient. It does take a bit of time to get used to all the new options, but that might only be me since I did NOT upgrade to Vista, so I'm really learning for the first time the new layout of Windows.

4) As far as performance and graphics, I have not done any task which is terribly processor or graphics card intensive for me to have any opinion on that. I have installed Unreal Tournament 2004 and Rome: Total War. Both games are pretty graphics heavy and have run very very smooth so far. The settings are automatically calibrated in the game and it is nice to see the game set everything to HIGH quality. Proves this computer really has the punch to deal with games, even in a laptop form. The 17.3" screen is very vivid and bright while gaming, allowing the user to experience the best high-quality and high-def computing experience available.

5) A MAJOR point I want to make is the size of the computer and the search for a laptop case. I read alot about this computer before I bought it, and I did my best to try and shop online for a case to fit a screen this big. Unfortunately, not many case manufacturers have items made for a 17.3" screen, so my advice is to NOT shop online and have it be a hit-and-miss for finding the right size. I initially bought an (overpriced) backpack from Best Buy for damn near $80, and very quickly realized the incredible markup and bloated price they charge. Very soon after I returned it since both Staples and a local computer specialty store (GT Computers) had much cheaper and better quality items. I do want to make a note that some cases say 16", but they CAN fit this computer if they are spacious enough. My personal decision was to buy a laptop backpack rather than a case since this computer weighs in at a hefty 8lbs and is not the easiest thing in the world to carry around. Long story short is the advice to go to a store, rather than rely on a website, when it comes to buying a laptop case that actually fits.

6) Accessories + junk: The computer comes with an Altec Lansing Premium Sound System with Built-in Subwoofer. While this sounds good on paper, its not the best sound in the world in actuality. Perhaps I'm a bit biased since I have a 2.1 system with 40W subwoofer at my desktop, but for a pair of laptop speakers for the average user, they are really good. I was in a loud cafeteria setting, and my friend pulled out his USB powered speakers to hear a video he was playing...just for comparison purposes I turned my speakers up maxed and they not only drowned out HIS speakers (these were seperate, dedicated, USB powered speakers) but they also drowned out some of the cafeteria noise. An audiophile or someone who is really tech-savy will be able to tell the difference between low quality and high quality, but any other user or someone just looking for a casual computing experience will appreciate this laptop. Another fun accessory is the built-in HP MediaSmart remote control. It is slim, stylish, fits easily into the computer, and its alot of fun to show off to friends by turning my music on/off or skipping tracks and changing the volume from across the room. This computer really is aimed to be an entertainment PC, and hooked up correctly with an HDMI cable and a decent sound system, one could stream movies or videos from the internet, watch them on the tv, and control it all from the comfort of your couch! Very nice touch, and very fun to have.

7) Battery life: The product name boasts an "Up to 4.5 hour battery life" and I'm not sure how true this claim is, since I don't get anywhere NEAR 4 hours, but more on the low end of 3. All my settings are set to low, including screen brightness...everything is designed to save power. Don't get me wrong though: for a laptop with a screen this big, and with the processing power it packs, the battery has stunning performance. However, don't expect to get more than 3 hours, maybe 3.5 hours if you do -nothing- but word process and web surf. Windows 7 doesn't show the battery time remaining when you hover over the system tray icon like Windows Vista and XP do, but to circumvent that I downloaded a free program called BatteryBar, and it gives detailed statistics on the battery's time left to charge, full charge capacity (measured in megawatt-hours, or mWh), as well as the charge/discharge rate, full lifetime, and battery wear (Mine is at 3.4% of 73,440 mWh, meaning I can use about 97% of the battery's full capacity. Its current capacity is 70,963 mWh, and this is just due to normal degredation that happens as soon as the battery if manufactured.) On that note, it is really best to USE the battery rather than not to, since either way it is going to degrade. You cannot stop the natrual degredation process, so its better to just use it up. The HP user guides recommend discharging the battery down to 5% before fully recharging, to help the battery retain its charge/discharge cycles.

Anyhow, I think that is more than enough information from someone who has only had this computer 5 days. I'm sure I will write a revision to this review in the future, if I notice any major changes, or decide to upgrade the information for more potential buyers. Thanks for reading, and I hope it helps in your decision! My verdict? Get this computer if your are someone looking to watch lots of movies, view pictures or slideshows, and do alot of music/video based stuff (watching Youtube, movies, etc). I'm not a gamer but in looking for a laptop I wanted something that HAS the performance, if I need it, whether I decide to use it or not. If you are a college student (like I am), its a great laptop with great battery life, but be prepared to carry around a bit of added weight, just due to the sheer size of this thing.

Overall great laptop and I wouldn't change it for the world. Thanks for reading!

I had bought a zd8000 series 17 inch laptop 5 years ago. And not had a single problem with it.
So I went back to HP for this model. The zd8000 is a p4 and cannot chomp high def video.

This computer, dv7 3060us can chomp/edit the high def video. You'll be able to hook up that 500 $ canon
high def camcorder to it and flow easily. Which is what I was looking for. Using magic edit movie pro 15
when I added 3D titles, it began to struggle and the cpu went to 100 %.
Hehehe, this is to be expected. Regular titles are no sweat. I'm having no probs with high def playback.

Came sealed in the box, which is a +++ Nothing cheeky.
I seen someone complain about the chrome touchpad in another review, believe me, its a non issue.
I see someone else complain about fingerprints, believe me, its also a non issue.

This computer is high tech looking, and when I compare it to my old zd8000 it sits lower
but is wider. My wrists are very happy with this lower position, good work HP.
Super wide comfortable keypad ....

I'm also using this laptop to do multi tracking with music, and so far, no hiccups for that.
Working like a dream for multi tracking.

Windows 7 on this will boot up in about a minute, which is very nice also.


For the money, its a great laptop, good update for me.

My parents (in their 70s) bought the DV7 w ith AMD TurionII last month, and they love it. Very easy and intuitive, nice sreen size, not heavy--it's perfect for them.

I am rewriting this review after 1.5 years of use of this laptop. The DVD player is pretty much dead. It gives a screeching sound every time I insert a DVD and stops playing movies after an hour.
The fan is always on and is not able to keep up with cooling the processor. I had to purchase a stand to lift up the laptop from the table so it would get more airflow otherwise it was shutting down due to overheating. In addition the fan are so loud that you have increase the volume to watch movies.
All in all, this is not a lasting piece of electronics. It already feels years older than it is. I am not going to buy from HP ever again.

Contrary to what BizPerson says in their review the fan does NOT run at high-speed all the time. It is selectable in the Bios Setup Screen that you can enter at startup. The default is set to run at high-speed all the time. I changed it while I was setting up the Virtual Machine option and now it cycles and adjusts speed as necessary. As far as his comment about this "being a known issue in the bios", he clearly just made that up to sound credible.

His review should be removed since he gives it 1 star based on that one issue, which is false.

I bought this here a week ago, to replace another HP 17" laptop that had failed after 3 years. I've been using laptops exclusively since 1995. I use them hard (every day and lots of travel) and 2.5 to 3 years is what I expect.

My previous machine was an HP dv9230us. I experienced the hinge failure (which I fixed with superglue) and the motherboard/video chip failure (which killed it). Both of these failures are well-documented and common, so HP has clearly had some quality/design problems in the past that you should be aware of. The hinge on this machine is clearly much better designed, running the entire width of the display. Whether this machine will have other problems remains to be seen. I give this one 4 stars instead of 5 due to design/reliability issues I had with the previous model.

Overall, I find Dells to be more durable than HPs, but more expensive.

I selected this machine to serve the following needs:

1. big screen
2. big hard drive
3. desktop replacement/only machine
4. reasonably fast (I do very complex spreadsheets and financial programming, but no video/audio editing or gaming)
5. built-in N-series wireless networking
6. capable of running Virtual Machine/XP Mode under Win 7 professional
7. lots of ports and flexibility
8. integrated 10-key
9. not too expensive since it will get destroyed within 3 years

It works great. The AMD processor seems to run cooler than the Intel T6600 in the old machine. And the T6600 does not support Virtual Machine/XP Mode (I have an old plotter that needs to run under XP).

It doesn't have a Blue-Ray drive so if that is important to you, look elsewhere.

It DOES have LightScribe disc labeling which I use all the time and is very important to me.

The only thing I wish it had that it doesn't is built-in Bluetooth. But I got a Bluetooth dongle for $20 and it works great, but it takes up 1 of the 4 USB ports.

I paid seven hundred for this machine from amazon 2 weeks ago. That included a rebate for fifty. The current price of one thousand fifty (a 50% increase!) makes it look like just a good deal rather than a great deal.

If you are seriously considering this machine, you should also look at the Dell Studio 17. It has similar specs, same horrible customer support, and might be a little more durable.

The big difference for me between the 2 was this: the Dell offers a backlit keyboard for $25, but no LightScribe disc labeling. The HP includes LightScribe, but does not offer a backlit keyboard.

Don't pay more than nine hundred for this machine. It is available out there for that much or less as of the date I am writing this.

Hope this helps.

This is the best laptop you can get for less than $730 (after the $50 HP rebate) with free shipping & no taxes or fees (search the internet for the best price). Compares to laptops costing $1100 to $1300.

Very high resolution screen. You can see pictures and movies in their original resolution instead of being limited by the LCD or monitor resolution.

The wide screen at first seems odd but once you start using it, it is a pleasure. You can get so much more information on the screen that you wonder how you lived without it. Movies look great. You can get lost in them instead of thinking you are watching them on a laptop.

Sounds great with the subwoofer. You have to turn up the volume in three places: in the windows control, in the SRS Premium Sound source, and in the actual application (movie or music player). The volume is set to half or less by default in all of these. Also in SRS, select the small speaker setting. It is set to large speaker (hence less sound). You can also choose the equalizer preset based on the type of music (dance or classical have the most bass), and can move up the bass and definition controls manually. Great for personal listening and for the room.

Note that playing music that has too much bass, at full volume, with the low frequencies in the equalizer turned up, will make some parts in the computer vibrate. It is after all not an empty speaker box like in a hifi stereo, but a high performance computer that is chock full of electromechanical parts in a very slim 1.37" to 1.7" profile. You can eliminate the vibration by setting the sound to the highest quality: Click on the speaker symbol at the right end of the taskbar, click on the picture of the computer above the volume slider. In the window that opens up, click on the Advanced tab, then choose "24 bit, 192000 Hz (Studio Quality)" at the bottom of the drop down list.

Windows 7 is very fast and has a lot of new features to make your work convenient and keep the desktop uncluttered. With the dual AMD processor, 4GB of RAM and a very fast 7200 rpm hard drive, you can get a lot of work done in parallel without worrying about slowing down the computer.

The battery goes from 100% to 12% (alarm) in 2 hours with heavy hard drive and speaker use. If you were at a coffee shop or away from an outlet, you probably wouldn't use the hard drive and speakers as much and could possibly get 3 hours or more. It is best to charge the battery fully and then use it till it gets down to 6%, every day, for the longest battery life.

The computer is very quiet and cool running. Even after 5 to 8 hours of heavy use, it stays cool. Of course you shouldn't put it directly on your lap or on the bed and thus block the ventilation. I use a 3" card board tube to keep the rear end of the computer off my lap. The computer is very light for a large 17.3" screen: only 7.69 lbs.

I have had no problems with hardware or software installations so far in 7 days of use. File transfer from the external USB hard drive is very fast (over 28MB/s). Internet is instantaneous. Internet Explorer 8 exceeded my expectations. Full screen mode gives you a direct window on the internet. Favorites bar is a good place to keep the sites you visit regularly. SmartScreen Filter and Protected Mode keep you safe.

I have a 2001 Toshiba Satellite 15" which was a great multimedia laptop for its time and still works great, but this HP is a good upgrade for watching high-definition digital media, playing graphics intensive games, and enjoying all the beautiful new features of Windows 7.

This is the second 17.3" Pavilion I have purchased, the first one is a year old, not a single problem. So far the build quality appears to be excellent and the price competitive for this class of laptop. The battery life is good as well as the WiFi which allows me to use the PC anywhere in the house with no communication problems. Amazon had the best price and as always delivered ahead of their promised date.

My husband needed a new laptop for his home business. He absolutely loves the HP Pavilion dv7-3060! It is much lighter, quieter, and 100% cooler than his old HP Pavilion. Boot-up is quick with Windows 7 compared to XP that took way too long. He is completely satisfied with this laptop! (Because it is a 64-bit machine, we had to buy a new wireless router. Not a big deal since the new, updated router is a major improvement from the old one.)

I bought this computer to play World of Warcraft in my mancave. I needed a computer that had a strong WIFI signel, lots of memory, a fast video card, and good processor speed without breaking the bank. After several days of research I selected this one and I haven't been disappointed. It not only plays World of Warcraft with out a problem, it does a great job playing movies. I recommend this computer to anyone.. For those that may have computer problems.. Always buy an extended warrenty!

Hp is always sleek, great desigs and the standard that we will all be pleased with. i have the hp pavillion 6707 entertainment pc a 15.6" and i wanted something a little bigger and i got this 17.3" hp pavillion DV7-3060US laptop. Firstly it looks amazing, the layout of the pc is quite nice. the pc runs and works really well. So far i have no complaints so i recommend this pc for anyone who is on their pc as long and often as i am watching movies, downloading apps, movies, software, doing work projects, playing games, and just having fun.