HP Updates Notebooks For The Holidays

[Jerry Jackson]

by Jerry Jackson

If you have been sitting on the fence waiting to make that new laptop purchase, HP just gave you a few more reasons to click the "buy" button. Today HP updated the entire line of notebooks with increased dedicated video RAM options for gaming, Blu-Ray optical drives for you HD movie fans, and a few subtle refreshes to the design of their notebooks.

Santa's elves have been busy over at HP this week.

 

New HP Pavilion notebook configurations include:

14.1" Notebooks

• dv2700t
• dv2700tbw
• dv2700tse

15.4" Notebooks

• dv6700z
• dv6700t
• dv6700tse

17" Notebooks

• dv9700t
• dv9700z

The basic hardware remains the same with a range dual core Intel and AMD processors to choose from and up to 4GB of system RAM. The major feature updates include:

New Dedicated Graphics Options

• 128MB nVidia 8400M GS for dv2700t, dv2700tbw, and dv2700tse (upgraded from 64MB)
• 256MB nVidia 8400M GS for dv6700z, dv6700t, and dv6700tse (upgraded from 128MB)
• 512MB nVidia 8600M GS for dv9700t and dv9700z (upgraded from 256MB)

New Optical Drive Options

• Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

Overall, these "refreshed" HP notebooks aren't that much different than earlier configurations ... so don't worry if you already purchased an HP notebook for Christmas. However, gaming enthusiasts and Blu-Ray disc movie lovers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

Bottom line, these new notebooks shouldn't make new HP notebook owners upset and improve the features of the HP lineup just enough to make last-minute shoppers give HP a second look.

More information and detailed technical specs are available on the HP website.

[Andrew Baxter]

And you can *finally* order that Verve laptop from HP online in a configurable manner now. Best Buy was selling that as an exclusive Verve for the longest time.

[Rahul]

I wish they could have added Intel chips to the TX1000 line, oh well.

[sly]

i wish they added the 8600mgt

[Jerry Jackson]

I wish they could have added Intel chips to the TX1000 line, oh well.

That is the one thing that really amazes me. The tx1000 line has remained one of the most popular tablet PC notebooks for all of 2007 ... but HP hasn't updated it at all even though the rest of HP's lineup has seen several minor refreshes.

Although I still think the tx1000 series is one of the best consumer tablets on the market (if not THE best) I really think HP should have updated/refreshed the tx1000 series six months ago.

[Rahul]

Since all their other consumer notebooks have AMD/Intel options, they must have inked an exclusive deal with AMD for the TX1000 series. I agree its a really nice consumer tablet but it has mediocre/poor battery life and outputs lots of heat (complaints from me and many other TX1000 owners). Intel processors would fix that.

[brianstretch]

Switching to an AMD chipset from NVIDIA would fix that, much of it at least. AMD has done some amazing things since purchasing ATI. HP is probably waiting for AMD's next-gen integrated graphics chipset at this point though, not sure when that'll be ready for notebooks (read: don't wait).

[dubhagat]

what sense does a 256mb 8400GS make ?
should have offered 8600GS instead in 6700 series IMO

[parapudaw]

blah! not yet in Canada.

[aznofazns]

HAH... this is like what happened with the dv9000t laptop a few months ago. HP added a 512mb version of the Go 7600, which made absolutely no difference in comparison to the 256 version since the card is too weak to handle all that memory effectively anyways. They definitely should have just replaced the 8600m gs with a 256mb gt version.