Customer Reviews

HP Pavilion zv5320us Laptop (AMD Athlon XP 3000+, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

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

 

 

I just bought this notebook as a Desktop replacement. Nice machine, although it is a little bit thick.

The incorrect CPU speed reported by the previous user is not a problem. The 797Mhz speed reported is a result of the AMD Powernow! capabilites of the processor. Until there is a demand it will use this setting as an idle to save power.

There is a downloadable app (free from AMD), PowerNow Dashboard which will display this throttling. As far as the system reporting the correct CPU speed, you can get it to report 1.6GHZ if you choose XP power meter settings of "Home/Desktop" and rebooting. This creates a "non-throttle" condition and the CPU reports the full 1.6GHZ processor speed. This also is confirmed by the Powernow Dashboard program showing 100% CPU.

Based on ignorant people stating the 797Mhz processor speed as a fault there is proof that there are still a lot of people that have no business owning a computer. The HP ZV5320US is a decent computer. It's not a high end laptop, but it's nice. I did a benchmark test side by side against my Dell Inspiron 2650. The Dell having a 1.8Ghz P4. The HP out-performed the Dell on every level. One might ask..if you had a P4 Dell why did you get a new laptop? Easy Dell Sucks BAD!! They are the Bose of the computer world. Tons of Marketing (it's a dell DUDE) and very bad product. Anyhow back to HP. I love the styling of the computer. The screen is probably the best feature. The worst feature is the video card is weak, and the mouse is sluggish every now and then. This is my first AMD machine, and I am sold. No more Intel for me. Over inflated prices for the performance. I bought the computer for $850 from a retailer new, so shop around. Another thing is the AMD runs way cooler than the P4m.

My laptop is approximately 6 months old at this point and I have been experiencing problems with the power cord. The cord has become extremely touchy and most of the time will not make a proper connection to charge the unit. At first I figured it was a broken wire in the cord and purchased a replacement cord only to encounter the same problem. After researching this issue on the Internet, I have found that I am one of a very large number of people encountering this problem with the HP Pavilion laptops.

Most people have tried contacting HP support only to be told that it is not covered by warranty and requires you to pay for a full system board replacement. I purchased the extended warranty from where I purchased my unit and am hoping that they will not tell me the same.

I've always been a fan of most HP products but I'm now dreading the idea that I may have just flushed over $1000 down the drain. Aside from this problem, the unit is great. But then, how great is a laptop with no power?

I HAVE HAD MANY LAPTOPS OVER THE YEARS, THIS ONE IS PERFECT, I PICKED THIS ONE OUT BECAUSE OF THE SPEED,WIDESCREEN, AND GRAPHICS... I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER CORD!OR ANY THING ELSE. THE GRAPHICS IS GREAT FOR GAMING OR GRAPHIC WORK. ITS A LITTLE HEAVY BUT I PREFER IT THAT WAY, SEEMS THE LIGHTER THE LAPTOP THE MORE THEY TEND TO BREAK, ATLEAST I KNOW THIS CAN STAND TO BE BUMBED INTO.

I have the same issue with power cord, it just does not work any more ...

Got to laugh at Dell (they SUCK!, Service is atrocious/outrageous responses..please don't purchase the "extended warranty" from them...they will not honor it, DELL products are middle of the road, although cheap...and that sums up what you get....cheap). Traded in my Dell for this HP and was totally blown away with it! I've always had Pentium machines....NO MORE! AMD is the superior performer, hands down, faster, lighter, less power consumption, cooler... Oh, and I forgot to mention the most important factor, WAY CHEAPER!

This machine has a great 15.4" LCD, which I watch movies on when I travel (about 18 days/month). Harman/Kardon speakers are excellent! No problems at all from the HP, and since I have been so happy with this one I just upgraded to a new model with a 17" Ultra-Brite SVGA and a DL DVD Burner! If I had to list negatives, my only complaints with this machine is that it really needs a better graphics chip and probably needs a firewire port, other than that....this machine is a winner! Great general business performer!!!!!

Great screen, battery life, nice keyboard, wireless is perfect.
BUT
The CPU will not run faster than 797MHZ on the one I bought, and HP admitted it is a flaw. They claim a BIOS fix will solve the problem and the fix will be available "soon" - I would wait until the problem is fixed befor buying this otherwise very nice machine.