*HP dv4i Owners Lounge*

[RCranium666]

They come with either an i3 or i5 processor.
They're both dual core with hyperththreading.
The i5 comes with turbo-boost which is overclocking
the cpu. Neither of them are quad core. Best Buy
has a version with integrated graphics. You can
get dedicated graphics as an option when you buy online.
Correct me if I'm wrong on any of those facts.

[nu_D]

i3 doesn't have hyperthreading. Windows will see 2 threads with the i3, and 4 with the i5. So it's kind of like have four cores..
Also, i3 doesn't have turboboost where the i5 does.

[xdimension]

i3 do have hyperthreading and windows sees 4 threads as shown in the task manager, but turboboost yeah i3 doesn't have.

[PECo412]

My dv4i has made it from Shanghai to a FedEx facility in my state! I guess HP was able to build it before April 12.

On hp.com, you can choose between Core i3 and Core i5 processors. On another site, I saw a performance comparison between the two and it's not huge. I'm not a gamer, so now I kinda wish I had stuck with the base Core i3 instead of upgrading to the Core i5. I rarely, if ever, operate my laptops unplugged, so battery life is not a major concern to me. I do, however, need to process a bunch of video and photos, so hopefully, the increase in processing power is worth the increase in operational heat and the decrease in battery life.

[RCranium666]

i3 do have hyperthreading and windows sees 4 threads as shown in the task manager, but turboboost yeah i3 doesn't have.

So I was right!

[Ksnow66]

Just purchaed the HP DV4I from Costco.($699) I took the laptop home and set it up. It looks great and runs well. I went to watch a HULU video and this is where i noticed a problem. When the speakers are above 60% volume i get a buzzing from the keyboard on the right side. It is very anoying. If i hold my hand lightly on the right side of the keyboad across all of the keys the noise goes away. Does anyone else experience this? Is this normal? I dont want to return it to costco for a swap and find out that every dv4i is like this.Any help is greatly appricated.

Intel I3

Thanks

Ken

[HotRod74]

PECo412, thanks for the tip on the stackable coupons. Saved $350!!! I have a customized dv4i in the cart right now with the 540m and 6GB! I've heard that the fingerprint readers aren't working with Windows 7 yet. Is this true still?
Gotta go now and transfer some funds at the bank!

Edit: 4/15/2010 Will be built April 26th and be shipped 2 business days.

Edit: 4/17/2010 Order has been declined because I changed the shipping/billing address and used a different card. Have made several calls, answered multilple choice questions to prove who I am, and still have to wait for another call from them! What a pain, I have done this before at other businesses and only had to make one phone call!

Edit 4/18/2010 HP sales called and made a new order# and got it done. Tracking pending build.

[PECo412]

@HotRod74 - The fingerprint reader works great with Windows 7 Home Premium. It appears to be the same on as on my wife's HDX 16 and is better than the one on my daughter's dm3z.

My initial impression of my dv4i is that I like it a lot:

I much prefer its size to the HDX 16. However, the case is similarly plasticky; there are some sharp edges around the display and the touchpad.

That said, I also much prefer the 16" 1,920 x 1,080 display on the HDX 16. I love the higher resolution because it allows me to see much more of most web pages with much less scrolling (I'm not yet presbyopic!). It also has much better viewing angles than the 14.1" 1,280 x 800 display on the dv4i. The vertical viewing angle is very narrow on the dv4i. You have to position the screen just right to be able to see everything clearly.

I really like the keyboard. It has very slightly raised markings on glossy black keys. The contrast is great. So great that I double-checked to make sure that they aren't backlit (for which I would have paid extra if it had been offered; it's my favorite feature of the dm3z).

I'm still adjusting to Windows 7 Home Premium, coming from Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. It boots up and shuts down a lot faster. A WHOLE LOT FASTER. Even with no tweaking.

I like the Altec Lansing speakers. The Altec Lansing speakers with subwoofer on the HDX 16 sometimes buzz on the right side of the laptop. I think it's a problem with the laptop construction; something is loose in there. I have no such problem on my dv4i. And the sound is plenty loud and clear for my needs. I use a Squeezebox Boom for streaming music, but the dv4i's speakers are sufficient for even that.

I'm still getting used to the trackpad. It's vertically smaller than on the HDX 16 and I've had a few instances of it not tracking my finger. Its non-responsiveness is reminiscent of the occasional non-responsiveness of the touch controls on the HDX 16. It's like there's interference of some sort. Static electricity, perhaps, since I use my laptops on my lap while sitting up in bed (and, yes, I use a book or something else to keep the cooling ports clear). Ironically, I've had no problems at all with the touch controls on the dv4i.

I haven't dug into this at all, but my dv4i does not detect the 5GHz band of my D-Link DIR-825 wireless router. I have the Wireless-N card, but it detects and connects only with the 2.4GHz band. I also had a problem with losing connectivity while using iTunes Home Share to transfer my iTunes Library from the HDX 16. The connection would just drop out from time to time.

Anyway, I've just started using my dv4i and am happy with it so far.

[HotRod74]

Just got my new dv4i yesterday. It came early, wasn't supposed to be built until the 26th and shipped in two days. Well, I got it on the 26th! Got the i5 540M and 6GB RAM.
First off it wouldn't boot from the hard drive after several tries to get all the setup stuff done. I messed around in the BIOS after trying and trying to boot. I finally gave up and changed the boot order to the DVD drive and used the System Restore disks. Not too happy about that, but it worked.

Edit 4/28
All set up now and I'm loving it. Very fast, can multitask like no other.Wish the graphics was better, but it's not like I'll be watching movies or trying to game on a 14". Installed Photoshop and it loads faster than I've ever seen before! Bought a 15" Incase (MacBook) neoprene slip sleeve from Best Buy and it fits like a glove. Still need to try out the TV tuner...

[HotRod74]

does the costco i5 processor have turbo boost? because costco specifications doesnt say but im sure it does? and i have intel hd graphics. so how many mb or gb of ram is that?

Yes, all the i5 CPU's have turbo boost.

Here's a link to Intel's info on the HD graphics. Towards the bottom it says "up to" 1.7 GB. I don't know how much that is true because it's kinda like many ISP's say "up to" 20Mbps and you never ever see it! Right now I noticed on the HP store you can get the 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4550 Graphics for $100. Probably worth it to some, but I don't plan on gaming on a 14" laptop anyway.

The dv4i I bought is excellent. I mainly use it on the go and I rarely have been using it at home since I have a desktop and a 17" laptop I use everyday. The i5 and 6 GB of RAM is amazing, I ripped a movie the other day in 20 min 15 sec from the time I put the movie in and the time I took the new burned disk out. FAST! The CPU never went above 5% because of the i5's raw power. Apps like Photoshop CS3 open in a blink. I would recommend it to anyone looking for mobility, but don't want something as small as a netbook.