HP Pavilion dv5000z

HP Pavilion dv5000z Review

Welcome to the multimedia revolution, where you'll find digital music, games, and movies diffusing throughout a wide range of gadgets including mobile phones, portable media players and laptop computers. Mobile computers aren't made to handle just office applications anymore; consumers are demanding more entertainment value from their laptops than ever before. To satisfy music and movie buffs, Hewlett-Packard packs a punch with their new multimedia-powerhouse, the Pavilion dv5000z series. Incorporating AMD processors, the dv5000z is a variant of the Intel-based Pavilion dv4000 but is more multimedia-centric, incorporating new features such as Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005 and an optional ExpressCard TV tuner to watch and record TV programming.

Overview

Welcome to the multimedia revolution, where you'll find digital music, games, and movies diffusing throughout a wide range of gadgets including mobile phones, portable media players and laptop computers. Mobile computers aren't made to handle just office applications anymore; consumers are demanding more entertainment value from their laptops than ever before. To satisfy music and movie buffs, Hewlett-Packard packs a punch with their new multimedia-powerhouse, the Pavilion dv5000z series. Incorporating AMD processors, the dv5000z is a variant of the Intel-based Pavilion dv4000 but is more multimedia-centric, incorporating new features such as Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005 and an optional ExpressCard TV tuner to watch and record TV programming.

The dv5000z turns into an instant entertainment computer with the help of a vibrant 15.4-inch widescreen display with BrightView to enhance image clarity, a set of Altec Lansing speakers built-in for better sound quality, and HP's Quickplay which allows you to listen to music or watch DVD movies without having to boot into Windows. The laptop also encompasses something you won't find in most other laptops: a Lightscribe DVD-RW/R drive that is capable of burning a silkscreen label on a CD or DVD disc! Unlike the dv4000, this model doesn't have an option for the more powerful ATI Mobility Radeon X700 graphics card, instead using the integrated ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M graphics, which is to say the least a bottleneck in the graphics spectrum if you're a gamer. Nevertheless, these are still big features in a very attractive package.

The basic model that includes AMD's Sempron processor at up to 2.0GHz starts at $699 after rebate and the high-end model equipped with the Turion 64 ML-40 clocked at 2.2GHz, ExpressCard Analog TV tuner, 1GB DDR RAM, and 120GB Hard Drive, is priced around $1498.99.

Design

Portability
Although the HP dv5000z possesses some attributes similar to a desktop alternative notebook, this is a performance laptop that won't break your back. Measuring 14.1-inches wide, 10.4-inches long, and 1.38-inches thick at the front section extending to 1.7-inches thick towards the back, the dv5000z is ideal for large sized cases and backpacks. I found that the Samsonite L45 carrying case to be the perfect companion.

Weighing 6.6 pounds with the standard 6-cell battery, the dv5000z is not intended to accompany you everywhere you go, but is rather suited for occasional travel. Similar to the Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi or Acer Travelmate 8100 series laptops, the dv5000z is a well-balanced machine that is feasible for travel while offering an abundance of features, including a beautiful 15.4-inch widescreen display and optional TV tuner. The thought of enjoying a DVD movie or even TV programming on such a feature-rich laptop makes it more appealing to take out and about, where typically laptops with features of this caliber are made to be used on the desk and nowhere else.

Case and Design
Resembling its little brother the dv1000 and its half-brother, the dv4000, the dv5000z maintains a conservative design with an inverted two tone color scheme of matte black and a touch of light grey that extends over the display lid and seen again wrapping around the bottom section of the computer. While this laptop isn't striking as the VAIO FS series, it's still relatively sleek in a simplified way. Personally, I find this color scheme to reflect more on the modern side.

Despite being constructed of thick plastic, the dv5000z build quality is quite rugged. Certainly, if it utilized more of the modern materials such as carbon fiber, the weight will certainly decrease but the trade-off is an increase in cost.

HP logo is embossed in the center of the top lid.

Generally, people like things that glow. To satisfy the users, this computer has several quick launch buttons that emit a dazzling blue light. These buttons include the power, DVD, media, volume, and wireless.

I love staring at the cool LED lights.

The blue glow continues to illuminate on the front left section of the computer to indicate power, battery, and hard drive accesses.

Keyboard
The black 88-key straight-laced arrangement keyboard contains all the essential function keys. The PgDn, PgUp, Home and End cursor keys are present and are placed vertically on the right side of the keyboard. Like most laptop keyboards, the numeric keypad is embedded within the keys located near the center of the keyboard and is activated with the num lock key. In addition, there are function (Fn) keys that are used in conjunction with the F keys to alter the screen brightness, open the web browser, and switch to an external monitor when connected. Further, there are combination function keys for multimedia purposes such as play/pause, stop, fast forward and rewind. There is an on-screen indicator that identifies the function you are toggling when you adjust the volume.

Full-sized keyboard works well (Enlarge Image)

With respect to usage the dv5000z's full-sized keyboard is quite responsive with minimal spring. The keys depress around 2mm to 3mm. This is similiar to the 3mm travel distance from the Lenovo ThinkPads. The keys produce noticeable noise while typing but not enough to distract you. Overall, it works well as I can type fast and accurately. In comparison to the best keyboards we've used (Thinkpads, PowerBook, Acer Ferrari), it comes very close in ergonomics and comfort. Thanks to the computers wide frame, the keyboard is centered nicely with 1.2-inches of room on each side, allowing sufficient room around the palm rest area to ensure that your wrists enjoy a comfortable typing experience.

Touch pad
To match the wide aspect design, the touchpad measures almost 3-inches wide and 1.6-inches high, offering sufficient surface area to allow the comfortable gliding of one's finger. Like the palm rest area, the grey flush surface is clean and smooth, sensitive to touch and responds accurately to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons.

To the right edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a textured area that can function to scroll vertically. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. HP designed this so the user can feel as if they were scrolling using a mouse; the scrolling texture works well to identify its purpose as well as its function. The two click buttons are appropriately sized and exhibit minimal noise when clicking.

Design Continued

Connectivity Options
The dv5000z is loaded with a multitude of connectivity options surrounding the left and right sides of the computer. This keeps connections more organized with only having ports on two sides, rather than the traditional three. However, it also increases cable clutter assuming all ports are being used simultaneously. The computer offers only three USB 2.0 ports instead of four found on the dv4000. For users who prefer to connect their laptop to an external monitor, television or projector, the dv5000z supplies VGA and S-Video while omitting DVI. With DVI displays becoming more and more common, we hope to see more manufacturers including a DVI port standard and perhaps including a VGA adapter as well. Today mostly computer enthusiasts prefer a DVI connection, but we feel it will not be long before most consumers want DVI capability. The sooner a company can implement this new standard feature, the better off they will be.

Several ports over here

More ports over here

Front
On the front panel, the speaker grille extends across the entire front edge. LED indicator lights are stationed at the lower left as mentioned earlier.

The LCD panel comes with a simple latch mechanism to secure the display when shut. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by seven rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.

Rear
There isn't much on the rear panel, other than the air vents and protruding 12-cell extended battery.

The extended battery pack protrudes from the rear.

Left Side
On the left-side we have from left to right: Security slot, VGA out, S-Video out, Network (Ethernet) port, Expansion Port 2, 2 USB 2.0 ports stacked vertically, IEEE 1394 S400 FireWire port, PC Card slot, and a memory card reader supporting Memory Stick Media, Secure Digital Card (SD), and XD.

Right Side
On the right side: the new ExpressCard slot, headphone jack, microphone jack, a third USB 2.0 port, Lightscribe DVD-RW/R drive, the modem/phone port and lastly the power connector.

To help identify the ports, there are labels marked on the left and right sides of the keyboard.

Icons displayed for the left connectivity ports.

Icons displayed on the right connectivity ports.

Heat and Noise
In a notebook, components such as the hard drive and the cooling fan are responsible for generating heat and noise. The cooling system on the dv5000z is extremely well crafted in terms of maintaining low noise and offering adequate cooling, considering our model is clocked at 2.2 GHz. After using a wide range of notebooks and experiencing vastly different levels of noise, I found that the fan noise generated from the dv5000z is extremely quiet, especially in the 15.4-inch notebook category where other models operate fairly warm with a loud generating fan. In most cases, the fans on the dv5000z will hardly ever initiate, especially when the processor throttles down. When the fan does begin to spin, it ceases fairly quickly - approximately within ten seconds or less.

At a CPU frequency of 800 MHz and undertaking tasks such as word processing, the fan noise is hardly noticeable and rarely ever spins. During general Internet/email usage with the AC power plugged in, the fan does occasionally spin and creates a low-pitched whooshing sound as the air passes through the system's vents in the rear and sides. Most people will not be bothered by it at all. When using the laptop for prolonged use or when the processor is set to run at full-speed, the fan operates faster, thus noise level becomes only slightly more noticeable.

Heat build up on this laptop is kept at a minimal. The system becomes barely warm during heavy loads, but never comes close to reaching uncomfortable levels. In fact, this model is on my top list for one of the coolest running laptops Ive tested.

Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading components of the dv5000z is simple, thanks to the easily accessible memory compartment located on the bottom side of the machine, only requiring a standard Philips screwdriver. The user-friendly upgradeable components include the hard drive, Wi-Fi PCI adapter, and memory.

HP offers a few Notebook Expansion Base Docking Stations that are equipped with wireless keyboard, mouse and even hard drive kit ranging from $200 to $450. These are prefect if you want to mimic a real desktop experience.

Features

Processor/Chipset/RAM
The dv5000z is powered by the high-end AMD Turion 64 ML-40 clocked at 2.2 GHz with 1MB L2 cache. Essentially, the Turion 64 processor is a mobile variant of the Athlon 64, meaning Turion retains the powerful AMD64 micro-architecture. As the "64" moniker implies, Turion supports 64-bit operation and is designed to work with 64-bit operating systems like Windows XP 64-bit and the upcoming Windows Vista (Codenamed Longhorn). There are two types of Turion chips, ML and MT flavors. The ML variety is most common, with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 35W, meaning at most the chip will dissipate 35W of power. The MT chips stand to offer the most competition against Intels Pentium M as they consume a mere 25W, but right now the MT Turions are few and far between. The AMD64 architecture does not use a conventional front side bus (FSB), instead using HyperTransport technology to interconnect the different components and runs at 1600MHz (800MHz upstream & downstream). In terms of performance speed, this is one blazing machine when clocked at full-speed.

Similar to Intels SpeedStep technology, the Turion 64 supports PowerNow technology where the clock speed and voltage will adjust dynamically based on system usage. When the processor clocks down to 800 MHz, it is still fast enough to watch DVDs or do general-purpose computing (Web browsing, word processing) with respectable performance. Clock speed can be adjusted in the power options located in Windows Control Panel to Portable/Laptop. Programs like Notebook Hardware Control or SpeedSwitchXP can also be used to force the processor to run at Full, Adaptive, or Slow speeds.

Our dv5000z model comes with two 512MB DDR333 (PC-2700) SO-DIMM sticks for a total of 1GB and is upgradeable to a total of 2GB (2x1GB sticks). CAS latency is rated at 2.5-3-3-7 for each stick. Turions integrated memory controller supports single channel DDR400 (PC-3200) memory, however out of the box the dv5000z will only support DDR333. HPs official word on this is that the laptop was originally designed to use with DDR33. Therefore we dont expect a BIOS update of any kind in the near future to enable DDR400 support.

GPU
Unlike the Pentium M based DV4000 that is equipped with the discrete ATI Mobility Radeon X700 graphics card, the dv5000z only comes with an integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics chipset. This chipset is a derivative of the Mobility Radeon X300 discrete graphics chipset, which is still a low-end model. There are a couple variations of the Xpress 200M offered for the dv5000z: a 32MB shared memory version and a 128MB discrete with Hypermemory. Instead of only utilizing the shared memory architecture, the 128MB XPRESS 200M with Hypermemory uses system memory to increase VRAM and thus is effected by system memory & bus performance. In other words, the more and faster system memory you have, the better the graphics will perform. Still, the graphics engine is integrated and a smooth gaming experience is largely limited to older games at lower resolutions. Otherkey features include DirectX 9 hardware acceleration support and 350MHz core clock. It supports external displays at up to 1600 x 1200.

A big feature users will appreciate in the ATI integrated graphics over Intels solution is Windows Vista compatibility. The Radeon Xpress200M will fully support the Windows Vista graphical user interface, however Intels GMA900 will not. The new GMA950 on Core Duo notebooks will support Windows Vista just fine, but it would be difficult to find a notebook this loaded with features and the new Centrino Duo platform for under $1500. We recommend users to spring for the higher end 128MB Radeon Xpress 200M, as the discrete VRAM will be useful for Windows Vista.

Display
One of the many striking features found on this multimedia laptop is the beautiful wide-aspect 15.4-inch TFT WXGA LCD screen, which has a native resolution of 1280x800. It also incorporates HPs BrightView technology, the name coined for its glossy screen to enhance image clarity, improve contrast and optimize for outdoor viewing. As a result, pictures and movies displayed on this screen look absolutely stunning.

Beautiful luminous widescreen display with BrightView
(Enlarge Image)

Image quality is as impressively bright, vibrant, and sharp. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth and color rendering is rich. In 2D desktop use, the screen provides sufficient brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and true. With respect to screen brightness, its evenly lit, with no dead pixels or other artifacts. The response rate is fast enough to keep up with movies without significant ghosting. Although, scrolling through a webpage full of text does exhibit noticeable motion blur. With a glossy screen, expect to see a lot of glare depending on the lighting condition that youre in.

The viewing angle is sufficient.

The 15.4-inch widescreen offers decent amount of desktop real estate. One can bring up two Word documents side by side and comfortably view both files. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. With a native resolution of 1280 x 800, the display equates to 98 pixels per inch, which produce adequately sharp text and legible. For comparison, the same 15.4-inch display with a WSXGA+ LCD like found in the Acer TravelMate 8204 or Acer Ferrari 4005 boasts 129 pixels per inch. If youre interested in connecting to an external monitor, the graphics chipset only supports resolution displays at up to 1600 x 1200 and only through a VGA connection (or S-Video for TV).

Sound
While majority of laptops include sub-standard speakers, the dv5000z lives up to its multimedia purpose by including a high-end speaker system carrying the Altec Lansing name. These brand name stereo speakers are positioned below the wrist rest. Yes, the speakers produce loud and crisp sounds, but still lack the hard-hitting bass we crave for. Dialogue and sound effects from DVD movies (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) were impressive; instruments and vocals (This Love) were also crisp and clear sounding, but once again bass was lacking.

Overall, the sound capabilities produced from the built-in Altec Lansings are slightly cleaner-sounding compared to most laptops with a non-branded set of speakers. Music and movies sounded excellent with my trusty Bose Triport connected, which helps emulate realistic surround sound.

Features Continued

QuickPlay
HPs QuickPlay allows for a quicker way to watch a DVD movie, listen to music or view photos without ever launching Windows operating system. While the laptop is turned off, press the DVD button located at the top of the keyboard to launch the QuickPlay menu. The intuitive QuickPlay automatically loads a DVD once inserted in the optical drive and plays a music CD with a touch of a button. You use the function keys that are highlighted in blue to navigate and toggle around the menus. HP currently doesnt offer a remote control that would be stored in your PC Card slot like found on the HP dv1000. Easy and fast, just how it should be.

TV Tuner
In addition to immersing yourself in harmonic music and indulging in a seat-wrenching DVD movie, you can also glue yourself to viewing TV programming on this laptop. For an additional $129 through HPShopping.com, you can equip the dv5000z with an ExpressCard Analog TV tuner and Windows Media Center remote control. This makes recording and watching live television programming possible, but only with the inclusion of Windows XP Media Center Edition. At the time of writing, Windows MCE is a free upgrade from XP Home.

With the help of Windows Media Center 2005, it took me no longer than 10 minutes to setup the TV tuner and begin watching TV programming. Image quality is surprisingly clear. The Media Center connects to the Internet to download guide information so that all your channels are identified, providing information about the content that is currently viewed (for example the name of the show). Recording your favorite TV show is simple as pressing the record button with the included remote and of course can be viewed or burned to DVD in the future, making it ideal to take this laptop anywhere to watch your favorite television show. Thanks to this neat option, the dv5000z replaces the saying, couch potato with mobile potato.

Also included with this bundle is a RF Coaxial Cable with dongle and an S-Video & Composite dongle to connect to an external television or LCD monitor.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The dv5000z uses a Broadcom54g 802.11a/b/g WLAN & Bluetooth card, which can connect to 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g wireless networks. This wireless card comes with a feature called Afterburner technology developed by Broadcom, more popularly known by the SpeedBooster moniker coined by Linksys. Afterburner/SpeedBooster claims to increase 802.11g speeds by up to 35%. At default, the feature is enabled.

Afterburner or "SpeedBooster" is enabled.

As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the dv5000z includes a button to turn on or off the Wireless LAN located on the center above the keyboard, which helps conserve battery when WiFi is not needed.

Enable or Disable -- it glows!

In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall. Our tests mainly consisted of connecting to a home and office 802.11b/g wireless network with no difficulty to speak of. Signal strength was reported between very good to excellent while using the laptop in my home and business network, even when being about 30 to 40 feet away from the wireless base station.

Bluetooth Device Selection helps connect a Bluetooth enabled device.

This WLAN card also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices like printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones. I connected the Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse with ease, thanks to the Bluetooth Device Selection Wizard that detected the mouse immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. The Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse felt responsive and precise without ever loosing connection. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously.

Optical Drive
The TSST (Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology) Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD+/-RW Drive gives this multimedia notebook even more functionality. This LightScribe-enabled drive is capable of burning DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, CD-R/RW discs, and Double Layer DVD+R. The drive loads DVD and CD discs almost instantly. It burned a couple of audio CDs and a backup recovery DVD disc with no problems to report. I also have to mention how quiet this drive loads discs compared to other drives that tend to be notoriously loud.

Thanks to HPs LightScribe laser technology, the optical drive is capable of burning silkscreen-quality labels on CDs and DVDs! Using the included Sonic Express Labeler (Sonic DigitalMedia Plus v. 7) software, you can easily personalize your own graphics, text, or photos to be printed on the disc. To burn a label, you must flip the disc upside down (label side down) in the disc tray. Burning a full-sized print took approximately 36 minutes to complete. However, the results were impressive as shown below.

Laptop Logic CD baby! Yeah!

In order for you to utilize this feature, you must purchase LightScribe media separately (HP included one LightScribe disc bundled with the laptop). 10-pack CD-R discs can cost around $7 and 30-pack CD-R discs run about $20.

The supported disc formats and burning capabilities of the optical drive are as follows:

Write: DVD+R DL Write (2.4x MAX); DVD+R Write (8x MAX); DVD+RW Write (4x MAX); DVD-R Write (8x MAX); DVD-RW Write (4x MAX); CD-R Write (24x MAX); CD-RW Write (10x MAX); DVD Read (8x MAX); CD Read (24x MAX)

Massive Hard Drive
The dv5000z does not disappoint when it comes to storage capacity. HP includes a massive 120GB Fujitsu (MHV2120AT) 2.5-inch hard disk drive with 8MB data buffer and a low 4,200 RPM rotational speed. This is disappointing since HP offers the 80GB hard drives in a reasonable 5400RPM, but not the 100GB or 120GB drives. Based on our 2.5 hard drive tests, 5400RPM in these storage capacities are the best bang for the buck. We spoke to HP about the lack of 5400RPM and even 7200RPM drives. We were reassured that more 5400RPM models will be available in the future, but 7200RPM drives just arent in nearly as high demand from most consumers. We agree and hope to see more 5400RPM options soon.

On a positive note, the drive is virtually silent when operating, in idle and when seeking. The 120GB of storage space has a hidden partition and the main drive comes formatted with NTFS file system. You can check out how the MHV2120AT performed against other 2.5 IDE drives in our Seagate 5400.3 Drive Review.

Battery
Although the 6-Cell Lithium Ion battery comes standard, our model came equipped with the 12-Cell battery rated at 7128 mAh, boasting twice the capacity. Of course the 12-cell battery will protrude from the rear, but like other HP notebooks it props the machine at an angle (elevates) which improves air circulation and typing angle.

If you need more battery run-time, you can purchase an additional 6-cell Lithium Ion battery for $99, additional 12-cell for $138, or upgrade the base 6-cell to a 12-cell for $39.

AC Adapter
The AC Adapter is a commonly overlooked part of the notebook's features, even though it is the most important part! The included three-prong AC adapter measures 4.5-inches long, 2-inches wide, and 1.2 thick, which is the same dimensions as the AC adapter found with the Sony VAIO TX and the Fujitsu LifeBook. The AC adapter is extremely light and can easily slip in a carrying case or backpack pocket. Fortunately, it comes with a Velcro strap to organize the lengthy power cables but there is a small clip.

The included AC adapter is compact sitting next to our Motorola Razor phone.

Software
HP included a vast array of software applications to streamline your computing experience. Software includes HP Image Zone Plus, Microsoft Works 8, Microsoft Money, Sonic Digital Media Home, InterVideo WinDVD, Norton Security trial version, MSN Encarta Plus, HP Total Care to help you trouble shoot issues, and a Microsoft Office Trial version. Unlike other companies, HP included separate recovery discs to reinstall the operating system or software/drivers. In customizing the dv5000z from HPSHOPPING.COM, you can select Windows XP Home, Media Center, or Professional.

Design labels with Sonic Express

Setup Method

The HP dv5000z was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates PowerNow! technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi was turned on while Bluetooth was turned off. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

• Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
• Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.

Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

• Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
• DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.

3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.

PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.

Doom 3 (Version 1.1) using the built-in time-demo, initiated with the console command timedemo demo1 precache.

Test1: 800x600 resolution Quality Setting: Medium 0xAA VSynch Disabled High quality special effects enabled Shadows enabled Specular enabled Bump Maps enabled

Test2: 1024x768 resolution Quality Settings: High 4xAA VSynch Disabled High quality special effects enabled Shadows enabled Specular enabled Bump Maps enabled

FEAR (Version 1.2) with the following tests and graphic settings:

Test1 (Low Graphics Quality): 800x600 resolution Medium Computer Performance Low Graphics

Test2 (Medium Graphics Quality): 1024x768 resolution Medium Computer Performance Medium Graphics

Configurations

Specifications	HP dv5000z	Asus A7G	Lenovo ThinkPad Z60m
Processor	AMD Turion 64 ML-40 2.2GHz	Intel Pentium M 760 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)	Intel Pentium M 760 (2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
Front Side Bus	800 MHz HTT	533 MHz	533 MHz
Chipset	ATI XPRESS 200M	Intel 915PM	Intel 915PM
Wireless LAN	Broadcom 54g 802.11a/b/g Bluetooth Wireless	Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG (802.11 a/b/g) Bluetooth Wireless IrDA	Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG (802.11 a/b/g) Bluetooth Wireless IrDA
LCD	15.4" WXGA Glossy TFT LCD (1280x800)	17" WXGA+ TFT LCD (1440x900)	15.4" WXSGA+ TFT LCD (1680x1050)
Hard Drive	120GB Fujitsu 4200RPM 8MB Cache	100GB Fujitsu 5400RPM 8MB Cache	100GB Hitachi 5K100 5400RPM 8MB Cache
Memory	512MB (2) DDR333 PC2700 So-DIMM Single Channel	1GB DDR2 533 PC4200 SDRAM (2x512MB) Dual-Channel CL4	1GB DDR2 533 PC4200 SDRAM (1x1GB) in Single Channel Mode CL 4
Graphics	ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 128MB Hypermemory	ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 128MB	ATI Mobility Radeon X600 128MB
Operating System	Windows XP Media Center 2005	Windows XP Pro w/SP2	Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Battery	7,128 mAh	4,800 mAh	7,200 mAh

We took the dv5000z and compared it to the multimedia-powerhouse Asus A7G and the general purpose Lenovo ThinkPad Z60m.

Performance

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

Internet Content Creation

All three systems performed very well and achieved very close scores in the Internet content test.

Office Productivity

The Asus A7G leads ahead with the dv5000z and ThinkPad Z60m behind.

Total Score

PCMark05 Advanced
Here are the associated scores (numbers in bold highlights the higher score):

PCMark05 Advanced	dv5000z	Asus A7G	Lenovo ThinkPad Z60m
CPU	3094	3184	3157
Memory	2565	2794	2782
Graphics	983	3256	1819
HDD	3242	3564	3572

and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:

The dv5000z falls behind the pack due to its integrated graphics and slow performing 4200RPM hard drive whereas the Asus & Lenovo come with discrete graphics cards and 5400RPM hard disk drives.

3D Performance

3DMark 2001 SE

Yeah...Yeah...so we ran 3D & gaming tests with an integrated graphics solution.

3DMark03

3DMark05

Gaming Performance

Doom3

FEAR

As you can see, this machine isn't designed for games.

Battery Performance

Thanks to the massive 7,200 mAh rated battery, the dv5000z can last long on the road.

Lasting4 hours and40 minutes in the office productivity test is quite impressive however falls short of the Lenovo due to itsbright hungry glossy screen.

Almost 5 hours in the reader test!

Unfortunately, we weren't able to complete the DVD playback battery test due to errors. We will re-run the tests once we determine the issue.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Sleek and durable design
• HP QuickPlay
• Dual Layer DVD Burner with LightScribe
• Built-in wireless communication: Broadcom WLAN 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth
• Beautiful screen 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display with BrightView
• Altec Lansing speakers
• Optional TV tuner
• Fast performance
• Runs cool & quiet
• Long lasting battery life
• Good value

Cons:

• Slow hard drive performance
• No hard drive options with 5400RPM above 100GB
• Poor 3D performance
• No discrete graphics option

Wendy REALLY likes this laptop.

Recommendation
Hewlett-Packard is striving hard to enhance its position as one of the leading notebook manufacturers, and the dv5000z represents a strong showing. The choice of AMDs Turion 64 processor was an excellent move in several ways. It offers fast system performance, respectable battery life (partially thanks to the large capacity battery), and runs extremely cool & quiet. Overall, all of the features offered from this machine perform exceedingly well at a great price.

Since the integrated Radeon Xpress 200M falls behind in 3D performance and there is no discrete graphics option, this wont be a system for gamers. Despite this fact, the Radeon Xpress 200M offers good system performance, Windows Vista compatibility, low power consumption, and lowers the overall cost of the unit; making it the perfect choice for the dv5000z. We wouldnt mind seeing a discrete graphics option thrown in there, but we realize it would cost more to even have that as a choice and thus reduce the incredible value in this machine.

Just about anybody will appreciate the ability to watch pre-recorded television shows out and about, thanks to the optional ExpressCard TV tuner. Adding Windows Media Center 2005 with remote control and LightScribe in addition to the HP QuickPlay and built-in Altec Lansing speakers certainly gives this model an edge over other multimedia laptops in the same class.

With all these features, our high-end model was priced around a very modest $1499, but you can tweak the configuration for an even better deal. The dv5000z is a very good value for a multimedia/general purpose laptop, considering the Toshiba Qosmio G25 costs almost $600 more. Top notch multimedia features, powerful performance and a reasonable price make the Pavilion dv5000z a no brainer recommendation for the mainstream home user. We proudly honor it.

Availability/Warranty
The HP Pavilion dv5000z is available now starting at $749 depending on options. HP offers one (1) year Parts & Labor warranty with one (1) year service and support.