Eyeing the HP Pavilion dv4t

[Steven]

So my eye is set on the HP Pavilion dv4t-5100 and I'm wondering how durable and the realistic battery life you guys are getting with it?

I'm currently taking advantage of the coupon HP is offering with -$75 off along with -$100 off bringing the total cost down to $654.99 for the following specifications:

* Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M Processor
*NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 630M Graphics with 2GB of dedicated video memory
*4GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
*500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive

Is this a good deal? Will it be fast and powerful enough for Guild Wars 2 and Minecraft?

Thanks!

[Andrew Baxter]

I get 6 hours 30 minutes of battery life with the dv4t-5100 I have, that was under conservative usage. You can see my review and battery life coverage here: HP Pavilion dv4t-5100 Review. The only thing I'd want to upgrade there is the memory, 6GB is a better amount to have as a minimum. However, you can upgrade after purchase for much cheaper. The $654 price is definitely pretty good, the Nvidia 630m card would be fine for the games you want to play. The Nvidia 650m is of course more powerful but a pricey upgrade if you don't need it.

[Steven]

I get 6 hours 30 minutes of battery life with the dv4t-5100 I have, that was under conservative usage. You can see my review and battery life coverage here: HP Pavilion dv4t-5100 Review. The only thing I'd want to upgrade there is the memory, 6GB is a better amount to have as a minimum. However, you can upgrade after purchase for much cheaper. The $654 price is definitely pretty good, the Nvidia 630m card would be fine for the games you want to play. The Nvidia 650m is of course more powerful but a pricey upgrade if you don't need it.

Thank you Andrew!
Glad to hear you were getting good battery life.

Can anyone offer anymore insight?

[R3d]

You should get the 650m for Guild Wars 2.

[Steven]

You should get the 650m for Guild Wars 2.

I've heard that even integrated graphics handle Guild Wars 2 well.

[edit1754]

Note that the GT 630M isn't a very potent GPU, but it's decent for light/moderate gaming. However, you can actually get a similarly-performing GPU (NVS 5400M) in a Lenovo Thinkpad T430, which I would certainly recommend over an HP DV4t due to its better build quality and offered higher resolution (and matte) display.

Lenovo Thinkpad T430 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA NVS 5400M, 14" 1600x900 matte display) - $681 + tax
- Sign up and sign in here: Barnes and Noble Gold | Lenovo | (US) (Barnes and Noble Gold discount page)
- Barnes and Noble Gold T430 page: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary...A8&action=init
- Click "Customize" on the cheapest base model.
- Under "Display type" select the HD+ (1600x900) display upgrade. Generally, you shouldn't buy the Thinkpad T430 in any configuration that includes the default HD (1366x768) display unless you require its larger text for eyesight-related reasons. 1366x768 resolution tends to result in a cramped workspace due to how little it allows you to fit onscreen. It is a tad on the low side for a 14" display, making things onscreen appear rather large. The offered 1600x900 display is part of why I'm recommending this laptop. Both of the displays are of mediocre quality though, just like almost all 14" laptop displays.
- Select the NVS 5400M GPU upgrade if you plan on using the laptop for gaming. It isn't the greatest GPU in the world, but it is a nice step above integrated Intel HD graphics.
- Selecting the Core i5-3210M CPU upgrade might not be a bad idea. It is by no means a necessary upgrade over the i3 for light/moderate gaming and especially for basic usage, but it is 15% more power-efficient (according to Intel) and has a faster integrated GPU (which would mainly only help for light gaming if you were to forgo the NVS 5400M GPU upgrade). Certain benchmarks put it at 22% faster, but that's only significant for CPU-intensive tasks. This upgrade should not take priority over the 1600x900 display upgrade, because it will not affect you as much.
- Recommended: Select the free Intel wireless card "upgrade". The stock Thinkpad b/g/n card has had a few complaints.
- In the cart, click the green "Activate eCoupon" button.

Though one disadvantage with the T430 is its smaller hard drive unless you upgrade it (and even then, the offered 500GB HDD is only 5400RPM), and another is its lack of a Webcam unless you pay $30 extra.

T430 battery life should reach 5-6 hours with the 6-Cell.

[Steven]

Note that the GT 630M isn't a very potent GPU, but it's decent for light/moderate gaming. However, you can actually get a similarly-performing GPU (NVS 5400M) in a Lenovo Thinkpad T430, which I would certainly recommend over an HP DV4t due to its better build quality and offered higher resolution (and matte) display.

Lenovo Thinkpad T430 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA NVS 5400M, 14" 1600x900 matte display) - $681 + tax
- Sign up and sign in here: Barnes and Noble Gold | Lenovo | (US) (Barnes and Noble Gold discount page)
- Barnes and Noble Gold T430 page: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary...A8&action=init
- Click "Customize" on the cheapest base model.
- Under "Display type" select the HD+ (1600x900) display upgrade. Generally, you shouldn't buy the Thinkpad T430 in any configuration that includes the default HD (1366x768) display unless you require its larger text for eyesight-related reasons. 1366x768 resolution tends to result in a cramped workspace due to how little it allows you to fit onscreen. It is a tad on the low side for a 14" display, making things onscreen appear rather large. The offered 1600x900 display is part of why I'm recommending this laptop. Both of the displays are of mediocre quality though, just like almost all 14" laptop displays.
- Select the NVS 5400M GPU upgrade if you plan on using the laptop for gaming. It isn't the greatest GPU in the world, but it is a nice step above integrated Intel HD graphics.
- Selecting the Core i5-3210M CPU upgrade might not be a bad idea. It is by no means a necessary upgrade over the i3 for light/moderate gaming and especially for basic usage, but it is 15% more power-efficient (according to Intel) and has a faster integrated GPU (which would mainly only help for light gaming if you were to forgo the NVS 5400M GPU upgrade). Certain benchmarks put it at 22% faster, but that's only significant for CPU-intensive tasks. This upgrade should not take priority over the 1600x900 display upgrade, because it will not affect you as much.
- Recommended: Select the free Intel wireless card "upgrade". The stock Thinkpad b/g/n card has had a few complaints.
- In the cart, click the green "Activate eCoupon" button.

Though one disadvantage with the T430 is its smaller hard drive unless you upgrade it (and even then, the offered 500GB HDD is only 5400RPM), and another is its lack of a Webcam unless you pay $30 extra.

T430 battery life should reach 5-6 hours with the 6-Cell.

Not for me.

[edit1754]

k.