HP Pavilion dv2700t Review

[chong67]

Why do co. like to make glossy computer and even glossy headphone that attract fingerprints?

[double_edge]

Still no improvement in the build quality. Dell really beats HP on this budget notebooks contest.

Actually, I'd much rather have the HP over the Dell anyday. The build quality of the Dell (the Inspiron range) is not that great, the screen hinges are not tight enough and results in screen wobble after a few months of use, the paint chips and fades and the touchpads and keyboards are not as good as the ones on the HP; not to mention the hardly inspirational design of the inspirons (see what I did there ) I mean apart from a few modifications over the past couple of years, the inspiron design is really, really old and it shows.

[Redline]

Cutting edge design but it's getting old at the same time...gotta watch those contradictions...

Its true though. As with the MacBook Pro (to an even greater degree, actually), there isn't anything anywhere near the HPs (like, consumer mainstream notebook) that has a design thats even half as good as it, though the design is now two years old with essentially no changes. So it is still cutting edge, and it is still good looking, and it is getting old. Until somebody can come up with a design to top it, it'll be brilliant. Once they do top it, the HPs will be dated. I'm actually tempted to say that they already are. Still the best though, and the sales figures show it.

[Leo7]

Still no improvement in the build quality. Dell really beats HP on this budget notebooks contest.

Really?

A brand new dell xps m1330 just entered my household four days ago and it has all of the following defects:

- Wobbly base
- Hard Drive and Remote not flush on sides of system
- Visible 'teeth' above the screen where the plastic doesnt completely sit right
- Big gap near left hinge where LCD is attached
- Wobbly battery

Apart from those the LED screen flickers on battery power so it's being replaced

[Jerry Jackson]

Cutting edge design but it's getting old at the same time...gotta watch those contradictions...

I don't really see that as a contradiction, just a sad reality of the current notebook market. When you walk into a local big box store and listen to customers, or read customer reviews online, or ask the "average" person who recently purchased a new laptop what they think of notebook designs you'll hear basically the same thing.

Most "average" people (and even more than a few knowledgeable techies) think that HP notebooks have the best and most modern designs from an aesthetics point. In other words, consumers think HP notebooks look great compared to most other notebooks.

If you've got a design that most consumers still think is the hottest and most modern looking on the market, then I think it's still safe to say you have a "cutting edge" design ... because you're still cutting through the competition.

The problem for HP is that other notebook manufacturers are figuring out that customers are buying HP laptops in large part because they look better. The most recent designs from Gateway, Acer, and even Dell look like a bunch of art directors took photos of HP notebooks and then applied as much of the HP designs as possible to their new laptops without violating design patents or copyrights.

At CES this year we got a sneak peak at some of the designs coming later this year from other notebook manufacturers ... and those designs seem pretty "HP-esque" if you ask us.

Bottom line, HP's designs are still hot ... but they're getting old, and consumers won't think HP notebooks look as hot later this year when every other notebook manufacturer has laptops with similar designs on the same store shelves.

If HP wants to stay ahead of the competition they need to "refresh" more than the hardware inside their notebooks and the Imprint Finish ... they need to refresh their notebook chassis designs.

[kmmr99]

What (if any) are the benefits of the 2700 over the 2500? On reading both reviews I can't see any major difference.
The HP Price for this laptop is £999... which is a shock to the system. I will see if I can find it cheaper elsewhere - but I am thinking of going with the 2500 if I can find it.
Thanks

K

[Jerry Jackson]

What (if any) are the benefits of the 2700 over the 2500? On reading both reviews I can't see any major difference.
The HP Price for this laptop is £999... which is a shock to the system. I will see if I can find it cheaper elsewhere - but I am thinking of going with the 2500 if I can find it.
Thanks

K

The only practical advantage to the dv2700t over the older dv2500t is if you get one of the higher-end processors or dedicated graphics. The dedicated graphics in the dv2700t has more RAM and the Penryn processors are available in the dv2700t.

If you don't care about dedicated graphics for gaming and don't need a Penryn processor you'll have a hard time seeing any benefit in the dv2700t over the dv2500t.

[kmet999]

I just ordered the dv2700tse with the Penryn T9500 so this review came just a little late. I'm glad to see it got decent marks and I'm hoping it lives up to what I've read. This will be my first HP laptop and I'm anxious to see if I keep it. My Sony Vaio didn't keep me interested for long so it's being replaced.

[Jerry Jackson]

I just ordered the dv2700tse with the Penryn T9500 so this review came just a little late. I'm glad to see it got decent marks and I'm hoping it lives up to what I've read. This will be my first HP laptop and I'm anxious to see if I keep it. My Sony Vaio didn't keep me interested for long so it's being replaced.

The dv2700t is a solid notebook and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone shopping for a 14-inch notebook. You should be VERY happy with the performance of the T9500 Penryn processor if you do a lot of processor-intense tasks like video editing/encoding and complex high resolution photo editing.

Enjoy your new laptop!

[Leo7]

The dv2700t is a solid notebook and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone shopping for a 14-inch notebook. You should be VERY happy with the performance of the T9500 Penryn processor if you do a lot of processor-intense tasks like video editing/encoding and complex high resolution photo editing.

Enjoy your new laptop!

Great! I also recently ordered one, specs in sig.