HP L2000 Special Edition Review (pics, specs) -- GO LANCE!

Im quickly starting to dislike this laptop. The main reason. Fan and Heat. Its possible im just spoiled from my past laptops which were whisper quiet so if I'm wrong on this then please correct me. But it just seems that the L2000 is warmer than other laptops in its class.

Ive used cheapo laptops before where heat is just part of the $399 price tag. But at $1000+ im just not satisfied with whats going on. The right side of the laptop is normal in terms of heat, but the left side is giving my hand that weird effect where it feels like your hand is sweating but it really isnt. That side of the keyboard just seems to be releasing too much heat even when the system is idle. Is it the turion? Because i rarely find centrinos that give this much heat.

My other peave is that fan that goes on so frequently it seems like the laptop is breating. 45 seconds no fan, 15 seconds fan. its not loud, but in a dead quiet room it makes enough noise to be noticed. At home then who cares, but at a library or classroom then i could see how you could really bug your neighbors.


Its still a laptop i'd recommend due to its size, price and features. But for me then im just happy sams club has such a lenient return policy. Im going to give it a chance still, but im also currently looking for a replacement. I hope the DV1000 goes under $1000 before the end of the year.

 

CPU fan comes on too frequently?

Try this: Make sure the power scheme is set to "Portable/Laptop". The fan will only turn on when there's a load on the CPU.

The "Max Battery" setting will limit the processors speed and further reduce the time the fan turns on but your performance suffers (Not too much doing everyday things).

I noticed the "Home/Office Desk" setting causes the PowerNow! feature of the processor to be disabled while plugged-in. The CPU fan turns-on more frequently while in this setting.

The left-side of the notebook is warm you say?
The hard drive is located right under the left-palm rest. Make sure power options properties are set to turn off the hard disks after a small amount of time of inactivity (~10 mins.). Again, you'll have a small delay while the drives wakes-up but...

I hope this helps.

 

I got mine, and I think the battery tilt helps with 12 cell vs. 6 cell.

To me, the fan is no different than other laptops I've had, and always quieter than a desktop, so no big deal.

Same thing with the heat; not a big deal, on par with others I've had. Sure, if the case was aluminum there would be better disapation, but for a grand, what do you want?

I am very happy thus far - nice and fast, loooks good, and for the price, it can't be beat.

At this rate, I can afford a new one each year.

 

I tried all of that in the last few days. Nothing. Im wondering if any of the preinstalled HP software will help. I formatted my machine on day 2 because of all the junk. Is there something in the preinstalled stuff that would help?

Anyway, i left the laptop on while i was at work so its been sitting idle at a desk for a few hours. Its still pretty warm so im not sure how i am experiencing this but nobody else is.

 

I don't know where you got your computer but my L2005cu from CompUSA had no preinstalled crap. There was Works and Sonic but that was pretty much it. There was no AOL or anything like that. Make sure you look through there before you say that. There is a setup program that will install AOL and others if you want, but please don't.

 

I reformated my drive as well. The notebook comes with an Application DVD. Insert the DVD and select only the options you want to install. I recomend you select all of the drivers, updates and the Cool n Quiet software.

I updated the Athlon 64 (Turion) CPU driver offered on AMD's site. Here is the link.

TIP - You'll need to run the amdcpu.exe file twice. The first time removes the previous driver and reboots the laptop.

Good luck!

 

Okay, well we may be on to something. What is the "Cool n Quiet" software? I dont see it anywhere. On desktops its available in the bios but how about with these turions?

 

The driver is on the HP Application and Driver Recovery DVD.
It's listed under
Hardware Enabling Drivers
--> AMD Processor Update


Good luck

 

I just updated the driver to the newest one available from AMD. The driver that comes preinstalled on the l200cu was 1.1 and the newest is 1.2.2. I have noticed a dramatic reduction in the heat produced and the amount of time and frequence the fan runs. I would definetly recommend everybody try the new driver.

 

cygy2k,

can you give a link to where you downloaded this update? what exactly is this update called? my l2000 should be coming any day now and i'm hoping this update is the solution to the heat problem everyone is having with the 6 cell battery (i ordered the 6 cell). thanks

 

Here is the link from AMD's site:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/utilities/amdcpu.exe

You may need to run the installation program twice. The first time will uninstall the existing driver and the second time will install the updated driver.

Hope that helps!

 

So it's a Lance Armstrong system. Does that mean it only comes with one memory slot?

 

No, it has two slots.

 

I think he is making a dumb joke about Lance only having one nut from his cancer.

Way to show support for someone that is truly heroic. Go grow a heart.

 

Oh, I totally missed that, I suppose some peopple think it's funny to rip on a national icon and an inspiration for thousands.

 

Boy you guys are hypersensitive. Calmdaheck down. The man's won seven TDF's, has sponsorships and commercial deals out the wazoo, and has Sheryl Crow on top of that. I really doubt he give's a rat's ass about some dude on a forum making a dumb joke.

If that's enough to make y'all flip out, I'd say you'd better avoid any kind of "social functions" in the future.

 

Hi everyone. After reading this and a few other posts regarding this laptop, I am quite interested. I am looking to downsize from my 15.4" Dell D800 to something smaller, but still widescreen. Has anyone else experienced a similar switch and can comment on if it really is a substantial size difference?

Also, what is the general consensus on battery life with this laptop? Am I correct to say that it is:

6-cell = 2 hours
12-cell = 4 hours

I was actually hoping for more battery life out of the large battery, but has anyone actually really tested the battery life yet?

Thanks for the help.

 

I haven't tested the battery life but I can talk about the size factor. I am really pleased with the screen size and quality on the L2005cu. I have found no flaws in having a 14" widescreen. I also have a 12" Powerbook and feel like I have twice the screen area to work with just due to the widescreen format. I don't think you could find much wrong with this laptop. I upgrded the AMD processor driver and have had no heat problems and thus the fan has barely come on. I also just bought a new Antec laptop cooler that I keep on my lap so to keep my "manhood" in good shape

I think you could safely expect 4.5-5.5 hrs on the battery life. It all depends on how much you use WIFI, DVDs, etc. Jump on board, it's a great notebook with tons of price/perforamnce goods.

 

Okay, thanks for the answer. I am thinking the 14" will be a good compromise. I was otherwise looking at 12" models, such as the Dell 700m, but this HP has really caught my eye. I really like the promise that the Turion is showing. I think I'm going to check this laptop out later tonight at CompUSA, to get a real feel for the size. Hopefully it's small enough for what I'm looking for.

Now for the tough part - finding a good home for my Dell Latitude D800. It has been a great laptop and it is in near perfect condition. The only reason I am selling is to downsize from the 15.4" widescreen. Hopefully I can find a buyer in these forums, so that I don't have to worry about going the eBay route.

Thanks again for the help.

 

I just got my L2000 and I want to know how can i create 2 drive so i can divide the 80GB to 20 and 60. When I try to reinstall the XP (dunno wat to do) it ask me for the 25-code and i can't find it anywhere. PLZ help me.

The 14" Brightview Widescreen High Definition is very good it gives a very nice graphic. I also try the GTA San Andreas on it and it worked fine. If you are not a decent gamer and need a light labtop. BUY IT.

 

I buy it from SAM's by shipping in 3 days. only 1120$ with everything the same as COMPUSA except the 6-cell battery, 512 RAM, and 80GB harddisk(5400 instead of 4200rpm) run things faster.

AS I SAID PLZ HELP ME! I'M NOT SURE IF THEY GIVE THE CODE WITH THE WINDOW XP CD OR NOT. :hp:

 

The product code is usually stuck on the bottom of the laptop.

 

Is the product code the same thing as the WindowXP CD code?
Or is it usable for the CD too?

 

I am asking for it becuz if i want to reinstall then i will need the code.
THX for everyone that will answer.

 

If you want to re-install Windows, you"ll probably not need the Windows XP code since the CD is an OEM version( I have reinstalled Windows on my Compaq twice & was never asked for the Windows XP CD code). Even in your case it does then yes, the product code on the bottom of the laptop(it is printed on a Windows XP hologram/sticker) is the key you would use.

 

Does any1 now how to seperate the memory(drive) from 80GB drive c into 20GB drive c and 60GB drive d

 

When you install Windows it should prompt you about partitions and which one to install into.. delete the current partition, create two of 20 and 60 GB, and choose one to install in.

 

gasp! am i to understand that we are talking about a real windows installation cd, not just a restore disc?

 

Yes, HP generally provide a real Win XP install disc rather than just a restore CD.

 

Someone above mentioned that they're ordering L2000 from Sam's Club. I checked online and don't see it. What am I missing?

 

Yeah I also did not see L2000 at Sam's Club but I ordered it a week ago from Sam's Club and it was on the website.

 

the 12-cell battery -
longer battery life, improved air-flow, cheap upgrade.
but what about the physical attachment to the laptop? is it held on stongly? it is after all kinda hanging off the bottom and looks like it might be prone to snags or extra stress. any thoughts on this aspect?

Thanks!

 

THe edges are fairly rounded, and it snaps in very securely, so I wouldn't work about it.

 

I increased my memory bus speed to 166MHz from 133MHz using A64Tweaker and my 3DMark03 score increased to 1120.

Funny thing is, 166MHz should be the default memory bus speed.

L2000 owners - please post your default memory bus speed. Use CPU-Z to find out the memory bus frequency.

 

My default memory bus speed reported at 133.3Mhz.

 

Devenish,
Thanks for posting your memory bus speed.

 

blksnake: Could you provide instructions of what you changed and how you changed the settings for A64Tweaker?

 

strategist333, here ya go!

First I determined my default memory bus speed using CPU-Z.



Then I ran two benchmarks to test the speed of the memory and established a baseline - Sisoftware Sandra & Lavalys Everest

Memory Bus Speed = 133MHz

Lavalys Everest Memory Benchmarks
READ
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2100 DDR SDRAM 1662 MB/s

WRITE
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2100 DDR SDRAM 632 MB/s

LATENCY
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2100 DDR SDRAM 2.5-3-3-6 96.2 ns

SiSoftware Sandra Benchmark Results
RAM Bandwidth Int Buff'd iSSE2 : 1487 MB/s
RAM Bandwidth Float Buff'd iSSE2 : 1488 MB/s

Once the baseline was established I used the A64 Tweaker utility to view the current memory settings. To be honest, I don't know what half of thoes settings do.



I adjusted the memory settings back to the default according to the SPD (166MHz 2.5 3 3 7) and pressed "Set".



I verified the changes were made using the CPU-Z utility.



I then re-ran the benchmarks and measured the difference.

Memory Bus Speed = 166MHz

Lavalys Everest Memory Benchmarks
READ
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2600 DDR SDRAM 2249 MB/s

WRITE
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2600 DDR SDRAM 978 MB/s

LATENCY
Turion64 ML-34 1800 MHz Hewlett-Packard Presario V2000 (EC182UA#ABA) PC2600 DDR SDRAM 2.5-3-3-7 68.9 ns

SiSoftware Sandra Benchmark Results
RAM Bandwidth Int Buff'd iSSE2 : 2214 MB/s
RAM Bandwidth Float Buff'd iSSE2 : 2215 MB/s

There you have it. I hope that helps.

 

Mine also defaults at 133 mhz, thanks for the tip! Has anone seen if the l2000 can run pc3200 at 200 mhz?

 

I tried this and the laptop froze; (screen got fuzzy, locked up).

Ideas?

 

As being a person who also only has one nut, i am truely offended......

not really, i would have made the same joke myself

to me its good fun, but pay some respect man, Lance Armstrong is an incredible person who is one of few true roll models for kids today.

he's a professional athlete that peoples kids could look up to now days. Heck even most NASCAR drivers arent good roll models anymore...

on that topic
GO KURT BUSCH

 

It's role not roll, just so you know.

 

Is changing the bus speed safe. I mean, his laptop just froze and locked up. I mean, don't you think they set it at 133 for a reason? Can anyone comfirm that this is safe and won't produce more heat? Is this overclocking safe?!

 

Can anyone tell me about the dead pixel policy of HP.

MIne L2000 has two dead pixels. Thanx for the new pc driver though it makes my labtop more quiet and gives off less heat.

 

Increasing the memory bus frequency to 166MHz (Default for PC2700 RAM) has not caused any problems with my L2000 notebook. You'll have to make the decision for yourself if it's safe or not.

 

I've attached a transcript of a conversation I had with HP's tech support.

 

That's weird...my default is at 160mhz for my L2000

 

Has anyone tried DDR400 RAM yet?

 

I think you should be the first strategist