HP dv5t - Specifications and Summary
| HP dv5t Specifications | |
| Processor | Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz 6MB 1066FSB) |
| Chipset | Intel PM45 + ICH9M |
| Memory | 1x2048MB + 1x1024MB DDR2-800 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512MB |
| Display | 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) Glossy |
| Hard Drive | 250GB 5400RPM 8MB |
| Optical Drive | BD-ROM/DVDR |
| Networking | Integrated Gigabit Ethernet Intel WiFi Link 5100 Bluetooth v2.0 V.92 56K Modem |
| Audio | 2-Channel HD Audio (2.0 Speakers) |
| Battery | 6-Cell 55Whr |
| Front Side | WiFi On/Off Switch 2 x Headphone and 1 x Mic jacks |
| Left Side | VGA Expansion Port 3 Ethernet HDMI eSATA 1 x USB 2.0 1 x Mini FireWire ExpressCard/54 Flash Reader (MS Pro, MMC, SD) |
| Right Side | 2 x USB 2.0 Optical Drive (BRD-ROM/DVDRW) Modem (Optional) Kensington Lock Power Connector |
| Back Side | Cooling Exhaust |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit |
| Dimensions | 14.05" x 10.2" x 1.37"-1.50" (WxDxH) |
| Weight | 5.83 lbs (6-cell battery) |
| Extras | Webcam Fingerprint Scanner (Optional) |
| Warranty | 1-year standard, 2-year and 3-year optional upgrades |
| Price | $1840 as configured with 3-year warranty Prices start at $600 with T3200, 1GB RAM, X4500, and 160GB HDD |
Where HP truly differentiates itself from ASUS and some of the other competitors is in the ability to customize your laptop. As mentioned, the dv5t is available as everything from the basic $600 model with integrated graphics, all the way up to a maximum configuration (not counting software) that costs $2500. The model we received is priced at about $1650, or $1850 with a three-year warranty. (Note that the above prices include the current $150 instant rebate.)
The entry-level configuration is stripped down in many areas, to the point where we certainly wouldn't recommend it without a few changes. The biggest change we would make is to upgrade the memory from 1GB up to at least 2GB; as long as you're getting a 64-bit operating system, you might even go for 4GB. That takes the price to $650-$750, and most people would be content with that sort of configuration.
Processor options start at the entry-level Pentium Dual-Core T3200 then move up to the more capable Core 2 Duo T5800. The next jump is to the lower power P7350, P8400, or P8600 processors, with a maximum performance option being the T9400. Like the G50V, the laptop we received came with the T9400, but dropping back to the P8400 can save $200 and only drop performance around 10-15%. GPU options consist of the integrated GMA 4500MHD, the GeForce 9200M GS (definitely not worth the extra $100 relative to IGP, judging by the graphics performance of the 9300M GS in the U6V), or the midrange GeForce 9600M GT. The last is a $200 upgrade relative to IGP, but at least it enables you to play most games at 1280x800 and medium/high detail.
One of the odd choices that HP made with the configuration we received is that it includes a Blu-ray drive (BD-ROM/DVDR) but only at 1280x800 LCD. Not only is the resolution a lot lower than 1080P, but the contrast ratio is quite poor. We really would have liked to see the 1680x1050 option, or save another $150 and forget about Blu-ray support. All of the hard drive options are 5400 RPM models, with sizes ranging from 160GB up to 400GB.
The remaining options are what you would expect to find on any modern notebook - WiFi, a few software packages, several different battery sizes, webcam, optional fingerprint scanner and modem, etc. It's also nice to see that HP is now supporting 64-bit operating systems, although users still have the ability to select a 32-bit OS if they want. As configured, the system we received once again offers poor battery life. Switching to IGP and a lower power CPU would likely boost battery life quite a bit, although we still don't think it would come anywhere near to surpassing the battery life Apple's MacBook series offers - at least not unless you buy the 12-cell battery. Still, it's nice to have a wide variety of customization options available, which is not something you get from Apple.
The HP dv5t can be anything and everything from a basic laptop to a multimedia system up through a moderate gaming PC. It may not be the best that any of those tasks, but it generally works well. If your primary concern is gaming performance, you will definitely want to get something else. If you want a Blu-ray multimedia laptop, we are also more inclined to go with the Acer 6920G. The ideal package for the HP dv5t seems to be the WSXGA+ LCD, 4GB RAM, a P8400 CPU, 250GB hard drive, and a DVDR drive. As you will see later, battery life during DVD and Blu-ray playback is far from ideal, so you're better off watching movies that are ripped to your hard drive when on the road. Pricing for such a configuration ends up being about $1130, and we think many users would be very happy with that version of the dv5t.
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JarredWalton - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
I chatted a bunch with ASUS on this; there was some confusion so I may have ended up with the wrong conclusion. (Yeah, marketing wasn't positive on the specs, and engineering didn't ever pass on the exact details.) I actually had a paragraph detailing the differences between the 9800M GTS and this supposed 9800M GS. Since I don't have one in my hands, I can't say one way or the other with certainty.The worst case would appear to be clock speeds equal to that of the 8800M GTS (500 core instead of 600 core on the 9800M GTS), which is still going to be a lot faster than these other notebooks. Since it's also limited to 1366x768, gaming performance should be no problem at native res... but there's a lot of headroom left untapped. Certainly, gaming performance won't be lower than the G50V tested here, unless the game happens to be CPU limited.
Enrox - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Take a look at the Gateway P-7811 battery's life: it's about 150 minutes regarless the task (DVD playback, web surfing, H.264 playback).That to me says only one thing: no power management in place.
Is that a Vista issue or a BIOS issue?
JarredWalton - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Oh, the P-7811 is definitely doing *something* - though idle battery life is lower than I'd expect relative to the others. Actually, I think it's more that the P-7811 is doing quite well in other tasks. Remember: 17" 1920x1200 LCD, 7200 RPM HDD, and a 9800M GTS put it at a much higher power envelope than most of the other laptops. Relative to the P-6831 and m15x, the results seem to be right where you'd expect. If only Gateway had implemented Hybrid Power....jonmcc33 - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Did you verify that with the Power Saver setting that EIST was working properly? Use CPU-Z or similar to see if the clock speed of the FSB and CPU does change as it should. Check the BIOS settings as well.CU - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Yes it would be interesting to know what the cpu, gpu, fsb, and ram clocks are at when in power saving mode for Vista and OSX.JarredWalton - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
CPU speed drops to a 6X multiplier, so at least that aspect is working. Looking at the voltages (according to CPU-Z), they're all at 1.083V except for the G50V, which runs at 1.338V most of the time. (I'm still trying to figure out what's going on there and will update when I know more.) I'm not as concerned with G50V battery life, though, since it's in a different class of performance and size; it's the U6V and similar notebooks that need to do a lot better.Regarding RAM, GPU, and FSB, the FSB stays locked at the base speed - 1066 MHz on the Centrino 2 notebooks. RAM likewise stays at a set speed, in this case 800 MHz. 2D GPU clocks (according to GPU-Z) are 169 MHz core, 200 MHz (100 base) VRAM on all three of these notebooks. GPU-Z also reports a memory clock of 800 MHz (400 base) for the HP dv5t, which seems wrong - I though the 9600M GT was supposed to be much faster RAM, but apparently not.
JarredWalton - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Update: The G50V was back on "High Performance" mode after rebooting (an issue with some of the ASUS software). Setting it back to "Balanced" or "Power Saver" dropped the CPU voltage to the expected voltage - though still slightly higher than the others at 1.063V.fabarati - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Asus is known for their crappy batterylife in the latest generation. When compared to equal or even better specced laptops, they fall flat on the ground. It's probably because of bad ACPI coding. My F8Sa has worse battery life than my old A8Js, despite having less powerhungry parts. And the A8Js had mediocre batterylife (I reached about 3½ hours, with hardware disabled). I can barely break 2 hours, and that's when I disable hardware.The HP DV5 seems to suffer from the same issue, at least that's the conclusion we came to when it was tested by NBR.
JarredWalton - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
I haven't tested a comprehensive selection of laptops by any means, but if you look at the specs for the various laptops and the resulting Minutes/Whr chart you can see that if this is bad ACPI coding the practice extends far beyond just ASUS and HP. If the MacBook Pro was around 3 or 4 Min/Whr, I'd think maybe it was just some fine tuning that was missing, but it's still literally double what the closest tested Vista laptop managed.The best result I've personally seen on Vista to date is the http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=328...">ASUS U2E, which manages 3.72 Min/Whr with the 86.5 Whr battery. That's a lot closer than the other laptops, but keep in mind that has a U7500 CPU (10W max TDP), X3100 IGP, and an SSD, plus an 11.1" LED LCD.
Another 15.4" laptop I'm currently testing with T7250 and X4500 graphics (plus 4GB RAM, 250GB 5400RPM HDD) manages 4.18 Min/Whr, which is closer to Apple. Still, that's a 50% advantage for the MacBook, so it's not really *that* close. (It gets 204 minutes of battery life in our web surfing test.)
nizanh - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
Can't you just install Vista on one of the MacBooks?Sounds to me like the best testing methodology.