HP Pavilion DV2-1030US 12.1-Inch Laptop

Other products by Hewlett-Packard

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches ; 3.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001UHOX1Y
• Item model number: dv2-1030US
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #764 in Computer & Accessories (See Bestsellers in Computer & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 15, 2009

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Measuring just under 1-inch thick and weighing just under 4 pounds, the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us makes it easy for your to work and play on the go thanks to its bright 12.1-inch LED BrightView display and a nearly full-size keyboard. The lustrous magnesium-aluminum alloy casing on the outside is complemented by color-matched HP Imprint finish on the inside in Espresso black.

The HP Pavilion dv2-1030us in Espresso Imprint.

See larger image.

Super-lean but fully-loaded with the performance and connectivity you expect, it's powered by a specially designed new AMD Athlon Neo Processor-based platform that's designed specifically for small, ultra-portable notebooks. The energy-efficient 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 delivers a full PC experience, true HD entertainment and a longer battery life (of up to 3.5 hours).

Turn your next instant message into a live video chat with the integrated webcam and omni-directional microphone. Optimized for low-light environments, it's great for capturing short videos to share on your favorite social networking site. Carry all your favorite entertainment with the large-capacity 320 GB hard drive and HP MediaSmart software, which enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, and Internet TV at the touch of a button--including access to the best video clips from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV. An HDMI port also allows you to connect the Pavilion dv2 to your HDTV for large-screen, high-def viewing.

Other features include 4 GB of RAM (maximum capacity), an 8x SuperMulti dual-layer DVD drive with LightScribe printing, Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11a/b/g/n), Fast Ethernet wired networking, a 5-in-1 memory card reader, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 graphics (with 512 MB discrete memory and up to 2302 MB total system-allocated video memory). Additionally, HP's ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection locks your hard drive into place when it senses abrupt motion to help prevent data loss.

High Style
Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of HP's notebook design from the past few years, the new DV series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes. Bursts of energy and excitement are brought to life with the HP Expresso Black Imprint, using bright flickering balls that erupt outwared against a sleek black backdrop. The streamlined look is enhanced with a color-matched keyboard and touchpad. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance.

Spec Check 12.1-inch LCD screen 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor 320 GB hard drive 4 GB RAM (maximum) Dual-layer DVD±R drive Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 graphics (512 MB discrete) Windows Vista Premium (64-bit) Weighs 3.95 pounds

The Basics

• Processor: Designed to deliver the balanced performance you need from your ultra-thin notebook, the 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 is an energy-efficient processor that helps keep your laptop running cool. It has a 512 KB L2 cache and up to 1600 MT/s system bus running at AC/DC mode. AMD's PowerNow! technology is the first dynamic power management technology in the industry--dynamically switches performance states (processor core voltage and operating frequency) based on processor performance requirements--and helping extend system battery life.

• Hard Drive: The large 320 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to Firewire and USB 2.0.

  You'll enjoy enhanced hard drive protection with HP's Protectsmart, which includes a 3D accelerometer that safeguards your data by parking your hard drive if your notebook detects any range of motion, such as being knocked off your desk, falling or taking abuse.

• Memory: The 4 GB of installed RAM (2 x 2 GB) maximizes the capacity of this notebook.

• DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds.

  This LightScribe DVD±RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 92 percent full-sized keyboard and a touchpad with a scroll zone.

Screen, Video & Audio
You'll enjoy razor-sharp graphics and widescreen movies with the 12.1-inch WXGA high-definition LED BrightView screen, which contains no mercury and is more efficient and thus draws less battery power. It has a widescreen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels--perfect for watching DVD movies the way they were meant to be seen. Video is powered by the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410, which provides 512 MB of discrete graphics memory (for 2302 MB of total available graphics memory). ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 Series graphics processors have breakthrough efficiency, with phenomenal performance-per-watt and energy-saving features. Advance to the power of discrete graphics for HD gaming with best-in-class performance, amazing effects, and lifelike worlds and characters delivering a compelling gaming experience.

The Altec Lansing speakers provide exceptional sound, and it also includes SRS Premium Sound.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated quad-mode Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and wi-fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). It comes with the following external connectors:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
• Analog video output: 1 VGA
• 1 ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• 1 headphone jack
• 1 microphone jack
• 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
• 10/100 Fast Ethernet networking

Operating System
The 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium (with SP1) is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software

• HP MediaSmart Software Suite: Your one-stop multimedia and entertainment center to create photo slideshows, share personal videos, listen to your favorite music playlists and watch DVD movies.
• muvee autoProducer Basic: Automatically create professional looking home videos and burn to DVD.
• Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe: Automatically fix and edit videos and create CDs and DVDs. Edit, burn and archive data to discs.
• Microsoft Works 9: Includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database and calendar.
• Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 (60-day trial version).
• Adobe Reader 8: Read and print PDF files.
• Norton Internet Security 2009 protects your PC and your identity when you email, bank and shop online; 60 days of protection updates included.

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 11.5 x 9.45 x 0.93 inches (WxDxH, and it weighs 3.95 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 3.5 hours (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 30 days from date of purchase.

Reduce your impact on the environment with this Energy Star-certified system and HP's innovative take-back options, including trade-in, recycling and donation.

Product Description

For those who want an ultra thin and fully-functional notebook at a great value, the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us Entertainment PC delivers the next evolution in a notebook experience. Ultra thin, the dv2 -1030us provides the functionality not normally found in premium thin-and-light notebooks or in ultra-portable netbooks: AMD Athlon™ Neo Processor for Ultrathin Notebooks MV-40, 4GB DDR2 System Memory, Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1, 12.1" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition (8) HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800), ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3410 Graphics with M82-SE LP with up to 2302MB total graphics memory with 512MB dedicated, 320GB hard drive and standard connectivity options including HDMI and a 5:1 media card reader. Integrated WiFi and optional WWAN, plus the HP Webcam, make face-to-face chat from anywhere easy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great laptop, great size, May 5, 2009

By	Gazoo - See all my reviews

This laptop hit the sweet spot for me. I had a netbook, the MSI Wind, and it was great for what it was. However, the 1024x600 screen size was a constant issue for me..many programs weren't really happy with that resolution. My eyes are fine, and screen size isn't an issue, but the resolution was.

So my next laptop I also wanted it to be ultraportable, but I need a 720p minimum size resolution AND a discrete graphics card (and NOT an Intel.) I previously had dell 17" with a Nvidia 7900m GO video card - it was basically my traveling gaming laptop - however the size and weight got to be way too much for me.

The DV2 has everything I need, and these are some notable features.

- A discrete video card, ATI 3410 512MB (had to play TF2 and City of Heroes with no problem - I like to do light gaming). It's a decent card, but it won't replace a real strong gaming laptop or desktop but enough for my needs. This chart helps explain how the video cards stack up:[...]

- Screen size - 1280x800, a good solid resolution
- 4GB, Vista home premium 64 (on the 1030us model)
- Clear screen, but not a great viewing angle
- Lightweight, 3.8 lbs
- Cheap (<600 w/rebate)
- Good wifi card (a/b/g/n)
- no bluetooth (bummer)
- Alright battery life (just slightly above average, considering the intense video card)


A few things to note about some of the complaints:

- Yes it can run hot. However, I did not witness it heat up until AFTER I played a game and then it wouldn't come down. Using speedfan, I saw 41C at one of the probes (which I assumed to be the processor), another probe was like 15C. The hottest I saw was 58C, 17C. You have to remember to do the bios upgrade, this helps cut down on heat issues. You should expect heat if you game or put it down on a bed for long time or something. Get a laptop cooler for home like I did - it won't hurt and may help in the long run.

- There was an INCREDIBLE amount of bloatware..more than I've ever witnessed in my life (no kidding, really.) After removing as much as I thought safe and doing all the updates, I saw a noticeable improvement in speed overall

- I would be happier if it were a dual core. However, that being said, it is good enough to do office apps, web surf, email, and yes IT WILL GAME TOTALLY FINE too depending on the game title. So, the dual core, IMHO, is only needed if you are going to do video compression, which I would not do on this (that's what I have a desktop for, a quad core too.) The MSI WIND was good enough for office apps too.

- Viewing videos was ok. I'm having a hell of a time getting DXVA (video hardware acceleration) working. I can view a 720p movie (.mkv H.264) decoded in software via the processor running at about 70%. The MSI would run the same movie at 92% so this processor is definitely more powerful than that when it comes to video decode on CPU. The DXVA problem stems from it being Vista x64 vs the 32 bit version. I've always been wary of x64 operating systems on Windows and I would place the blame squarely on its shoulders because DXVA works fine on my 32 bit Vista desktop with an ATI card as well. Anyhow, I don't think I'll be viewing 1080p titles (since the screen can't do it anyway).

So that's all I can tell you for now. I've had it for a few days only but it seems fine, especially given the price. TF2 runs at like 40+ FPS at full screen resolution (1280x800), with medium to medium high settings. City of Heroes runs a little more sluggish 22+ FPS at full screen resolution and low settings. However, CoH is a more CPU intensive game than most due to the PhysX stuff and logic behind the game so it would definitely benefit from a dual core. It does play and that's what's important.

Overall it's a great laptop but you have to know what to expect. Don't think it won't get hot, because with that kind of oomph and teeny package it will happen. It won't burn you legs or anything but hot it will run.

So remember, uninstall all the bloatware, do a BIOS upgrade, get a decent H.264 DXVA compliant video codec installed, and you are set for a nice mobile experience. I will next try to load Ubuntu 8.10 using WUBI to see how it installs out of the gate with it. Should be a nice experience. The MSI WIND ran that nicely and even ran Compiz no problem with the big cube and effects on. It should be a piece of cake for this machine.

Enjoy, and don't let the negative reviews deter you. It's not a dual core machine, but it does have a lot going for it...in a 12 inch ultraportable form factor too!

Basically it's not really a netbook (and would not be fair to compare it to one), but it is an ultraportable laptop. No doubt, this will blow the doors of a netbook. This is about as small as I could find that would do gaming. It is more expensive than a netbook, but look what you get. Look around, 12" laptops you have to pay a premium to purchase that size ($1000+). This is priced in the range of some decently powered 15.4" laptops but as I said, you pay for the size.

It is for someone who is looking to purchase this size AND wants a firm multimedia and ok gaming capability, but doesn't want to spend $1K for the dual core and near desktop replacement features.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I've been looking for, May 7, 2009

By	Alex K. "ak67" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

To me, it's just the right combination of power, portability, and features. This laptop is positioned perfectly between a netbook (which costs half as much) and an ultraportable (which costs twice as much).

It looks a lot like a netbook, except it's not a netbook. There is no sense comparing dv2-1030us to a glorified calculator with 1 GB of RAM and a 4 GB SSD. This laptop comes with 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive, so it can be used to do real work, not just take notes before transferring the data elsewhere.

The screen is bright and clear, and has the same resolution as a 15" HP laptop such as dv5-1250us. There is an HDMI port so I can hook it up to my large monitor or an HDTV.

There is no internal DVD drive The external drive comes bundled. This makes dv2-1030us much lighter than other laptops. I rarely use the DVD, so I won't have to drag the external drive with me.

Pros:
- 64-bit CPU, supports 4GB RAM
- 320 GB hard drive
- great screen quality
- HDMI connector
- very good touchpad with scroll
- more power per pound of weight than any other laptop or netbook
- a physical switch to turn off wireless
- external DVD drive, no need to drag around the extra weight
- power cord is about 15' long, you don't have to sit by the outlet

Cons:
- external DVD drive, I will probably misplace it one day
- power cord is about 15' long, I constantly have to untangle it

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent performance/price ratio..., July 7, 2009

By	EKLC - See all my reviews

Bought the DV2 for about 700 2 months ago, and am pleased to say that this little notebook performs quite admirably, all things considered. The Neo surprised me with astounding speed - for a single core processor. Don't let that mislead you, however; under most circumstances, one wouldn't be able to distinguish the diminutive single core from one of AMD/Intel's lower/mid-range dual core processors.
Speedfreaks beware: this machine does not handle 1080p videos and high-end games terribly well... Nevertheless, anything 720p and below will play flawlessly on the beautifully bright screen, and games like TF2 and COD 4 will play at wonderfully high framerates and mid-high settings. Even Crysis, to some extent, was playable at low settings.
Two cons: heat and battery life. The left side of the laptop can get prohibitively hot; this isn't much of an issue if one tends to use the computer on a desk, but sitting on a lap, one should be rather careful to make sure the vent isn't blocked, lest a potentially dangerous situation arise... Battery life isn't anything to write home about - I see an average of 2-3 hours, which isn't terrible, but could be better.
Design-wise, HP made this model perfectly. This laptop is quite thin, quite light, quite fetching, and also quite prone to fingerprints...
All in all, a wonderful machine that I wouldn't hesitate to buy again. As a side-note, HP recently updated this model to a dual-core, which would undoubtedly make this machine faster and more capable than before. Check it out!