Customer Reviews

HP Pavilion DV9812US 17-inch Laptop (AMD Turion 64 X 2 Dual Core TL-60 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

First and foremost, this notebook is good as a desktop, why? It is 17" wide and hence quite heavy. So if you are planning lugging this everyday, you better have a good shoulder.

Performance wise, 3GB RAM helps it run super fast. Screen is great, crisp and clear. Comes with a remote but don't really count on it - has very bare functions and can be useful only during DVD viewing.

Like any other new notebook, it is very quiet (no fan noise). All in all a very good notebook and wide screen allows you to open multiple windows placing them side by side. If you require to save space on your desk this is a great alternative.

OVERVIEW:

I purchased this laptop for the beefy components, but mainly because the segregated graphical system (NVIDIA), which should improve performance, and the dual-core Centrino. Beyond productivity software, I wish to play games and do experiments with operating systems using VMWare.

Much to my dismay, essential functionality in the Centrino processor (VT) is disabled and there is no option to turn this on, and the NVIDIA graphics system is unstable with Windows Vista.

PERFORMANCE:

I'll try to avoid going into a diatribe about the follies of Vista, but as this OS is foisted upon us, and HP doesn't support any alternatives, I feel it is appropriate to mention some highlights. The overall system is not very responsive, with programs like Explorer and Internet Explorer crashing frequently enough, and other networking programs often become unresponsive often enough. Sometimes with programs that require administrative access, we wait about 30 seconds for a dialog to appear asking us if we wish to allow the operation.

Beyond this experience, the graphic driver crashes frequently, and multimedia controls like sound volume lock up the system and render the system unresponsive. I talked with their technical support, and they told me to call NVIDIA as that's their fault, and NVIDIA's website says call HP for driver support, as they are the OEM.

OTHER NOTES:

I think there are two design issues with the laptop: the keyboard and speaker grill:

The speaker grill has tendency to not stay attached. Inspect your model carefully to make sure there are no flaws, and purchase an extended warranty in case a portion of the grill cover pops up in the future. I had to exchange my first laptop immediately at Fry's because of this.

The keyboard keys have open spaces between the keys and sharp edges. Thus it is easy to pop the keys off and destroy the keyboard. If you had this laptop in a bag with papers and folders for instance, the flat thin object could rip out the keys. So, I recommend keeping the black cloth that came with the box, and place it above the keyboard when transporting as well as keep the laptop in a separate cover or bag if placed in bigger luggage (such as large computer bag) to protect the delicate keys.

INSTALLING XP or OTHER OSes:

Undoubtedly, users will be interested to install alternative operating systems to get around the problems with Vista foisted upon consumers. I haven't dabbled with open source systems, but I do know that some of the hardware components, like RICOH, are infamous for not supporting or cooperating with open source community, so expect some loss of functionality with Linux, FreeBSD, etc.

For Windows XP, there will be major problems, because not only will you have to fetch drivers from non-HP sources, you'll need a driver so that Windows XP can see the hard drive (the whole F6 floppy ritual). Intel seems to only release this to OEMs (or makes it hard to get at it), and the OEM, HP in this case, won't release the driver to the user. Some of these heart aches might be important when considering this laptop.

SIDE RANT:

I know many will disagree with this, especially HP, but knowingly selling laptops with problematic graphics systems is just dishonest. It's like selling a car with a problematic transmission, and then telling customers to call the transmission company. Directing users to go to NVIDIA, who haven't been able to solve the problem in over 9 months just salts the wounds.

And disabling a major feature of Intel processors surmounts to false advertisement. You buy these things expecting things to work and be functional. This topic is often discussed in the forums with other HP laptops, and in some cases HP has addressed the issue and provided the option, but several of their laptops, including this one, are not addressed.

LAST WORDS:

Initially, I thought the laptop would be a good deal for the price tag, even with the unfortunate circumstance with Vista, a problem shared with other pre-installed-Windows laptops these days (sans Apple Computer, and perhaps Dell). But with the disabled features in the processor (VT technology) and lingering problems with NVIDIA and Vista (a problem that exist with other HP laptops for over 9 months, a cause for many lawsuits), I couldn't recommend this model or other HP models professionally or personally.

UPDATE:

I LCD screen broke. All I see now is lines through the screen. Maybe I have an isolated situation, but I am skeptical because I recall a Taiwanese friend had something similar happen to a different HP laptop model, and he said the problem was widely known through technical sources of information he reads from Taiwan. I really felt the price point was nice for this laptop, but now with it broken, I am none too pleased.

I purchased this system in January of '07. It had always given off a lot of heat so I purchased a laptop cooler. However, it still ran very hot.

One day, I realized that it would not close all the way. When I opened it up, I realized that the plastic bezel around the screen had expanded from the heat and actually split apart. I call HP technical support and even though it was still under warranty by one day, they said I must have damaged it because "it was impossible" for the bezel to come apart like that. They said I could send it in to be fixed but it would cost 700.00 to fix the display (the entire system had only cost 1000.00).

I called back another couple of days later and they said they couldn't help me since the laptop was no longer under warranty.

HP had always had a reputation for solidly built PCs. However after the problems I had with this system and the lack of sufficient support and the actual rudeness associated with tech support basically accusing me of lying, I will never by another HP computer system again.

The brand and the construction has just gone way down hill and there are many better alternatives out there -- including Lenovo (stick to the thinkpad series) and the Acer line (which I have a new respect for -- they seem to be built as well as the older HPs and are a lot cheaper)

Just received mine today and the first impressions are good. The laptop is bulky and a little heavy which is to be expected since it sports a 17' screen, but otherwise is a great system. The screen is very good; bright and with a clear display. The 4GB memory and the graphics card are more than sufficient for most purposes. The laptop is really quiet and I tried the webcam and the speakers and they too are impressive. I think that the full sized keyboard is a great asset. Working on it is easy and the large bright screen really helps. All the ports & slots are on the sides but I didn't find that much of a problem. If you don't intend to carry the laptop around on your shoulders for a long while, just to the office & back, then this is a very good system.

This is a very nice computer. The large 17" screen is glossy and high quality, which my nephew who uses an Apple noticed. The memory and graphics are sufficient for most uses, but don't buy this model if you plan on using it for a lot of graphics-intensive games. Also, don't buy it if you plan on downgrading to Windows XP. Of course you can downgrade if you are willing to invest the time and effort of finding and installing third-party drivers, but HP does not support XP on this model. I would give a rating of 2 or three stars to the whole package (Vista+the computer) only because Vista makes it run as slowly as my five-year-old laptop did on XP. I give the computer on its own a rating of 4 stars, and if you take into account that you get what you pay for it probably deserves 5 stars.

I made the decision to buy this model because it fit my budget and Amazon was able to get it to me quickly. Although I was disappointed that I could not easily downgrade to XP I am satisfied with it as a low-end laptop.

After months of research, I bought this computer when the price seemed right ($700), mostly based on its good reviews, because it seemed to incorporate all the features I needed for a semi-replacement to my aging desktop.

I have had several laptops and this rates lowest, despite its sleek look and large screen.

I had hoped the unit would double as a DVD viewer at times, the main reason I went with the 17" screen. However, the sound set at highest volume is not loud enough to be heard from more than about 4 feet away, and even then, the audio quality if poor.

The DVD tray vibrates alarmingly when started and takes a lo-o-o-ong time to load.

The weight does not seem an obstacle in the beginning. That is, until you pack your padded computer bag -- vital especially with such a large screen surface -- with the hefty charger, much less a spare battery. This puts the total weight at about 10 lbs., which should keep your chiropractor busy if you choose to carry it on your shoulder. (Even if you are young and in good shape, this will come back to haunt you in later years when you are surprised to learn that your rotator cuff is shot.)

The mouse has a mind of its own, the cursor mysteriously disappearing and reappearing elsewhere on the screen during use.

But most bewildering of all is the placement of the pad-mouse itself, toward the left side of the unit. Since most people are right-handed, it would only make sense to place the mouse to the right side of the machine, or at the very least, in the middle. Its placement on the left makes balancing the large and heavy machine on a lap challenging, plus one's hands feel crowded to the one side. The opportunity to provide a roomier feel, as in a desktop, was sadly lost.

I would never purchase this computer again, even at a much lower price.

Out of the box, within an hour, I was connected through the network to my HP C6810 printer, internet was up and running, Outlook 2003 was set up to receive email. Staples is the place to buy this, I got a promotion deal on it, $[...] with $[...] rebate.

The only draw back was IE was corrupted. But I was able to download Firefox.

This is a sleek machine. Runs all my old game software and my Office Pro 2003. I do have Office Pro 2007 as a demo for 60 days.

Buy this machine. I am now exploring Slingbox so as to run my TV through it.

Bought this unit about a month ago as a replacement for my wife's aging Toshiba 2.8MHz 15" laptop. She was looking for a machine with a full size keyboard and number pad with additional speed, storage, and memory. She owns a retail store and also runs 3 websites so portability is only a factor taking the computer from home to her shop and back. Although a "heavyweight" at 7.7 lbs this unit is still .1 lbs lighter than her old Toshiba. I was very unsure about going to Vista, but after stripping off the uneeded HP extras, this unit has plenty of memory and speed even running Vista to keep my wife (the only person I know who normally bounces between 10 web pages, MS Frontpage, Excel, and possibly Word) working without a degradation in speed. The screen is bright and clear. She often also works at a local coffee house and the battery life seems decent once you adjust the settings to the saver mode. So far all aces...

This has been a great notebook computer for me. Some reviewers complained about it being heavier than others, but duh! It is a bigger notebook with a wide screen. The wide screen has worked great for doing my graphic design work on with lots of room for windows and palettes. Its fast with plenty of memory.

Good solid laptop...worked right of the box. Set up was quick and easy. So far Vista is behaving itself.