HP Pavilion dm3t Review Discussion

The Pavilion dm3 is a CULV thin and light notebook series from HP that includes both the AMD-based dm3z and Intel-based dm3t. This notebook packs a 13.3-inch screen, optional integrated WWAN, an optional matching external optical drive, and a wide range of processor options. In this review, we take a look at the Pavilion dm3t powered by an Intel SU7300 CULV processor, and includes 3GB of DDR3 memory and Intel X4500 integrated graphics.

Read the full content of this Article: HP Pavilion dm3t Review

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Sort of an old model- but I guess it will be a round a while because of Intel delaying low voltage Arrendales.

Nothing really compelling about this model. Especially without overclocking (like the UL30vt) this CULV processor really lags when compared to newer models.

 

It's a great little laptop, my dad bought one for around $525 I think so it was well worth the cost, excellent laptop to take to school, use for notes, great battery life...

One thing to note about the build quality though is that the chrome lining around the laptop feels cheap, even thought it has come apart at all(4 months in a backpack and my abuse) I don't really trust it... The rest of the build quality is solid and the brushed aluminum is absolutely fantastic looking.

I'd highly recommend this if you can get it at a lower price and just need a simple 13" laptop for regular needs!

 

Love this laptop, wish it last a bit longer ~8 hours.

My dad chipped a chunk of the chrome lining in the corner of his dm3.

 

In most of the retail locations I have been to showing off the dm3 the chipping of the chrome was visible. Obviously retail notebooks are a special case since they get abused badly but it's still worth mentioning.

 

Hmm ... good to know.

For me, though, the battery life on the Asus models still make them more interesting then the HP rough equivalents.

 

One thing that has me curious. I've read many people say before their DM3 had major heat problems, yet in this review system cooling is "excellent". Considering this review is a little late, is it possible that HP could have redesigned the cooling system?

 

Heating problems are probably from the AMD variant.

 

I've had no issues with heat and I've had the laptop for quite a while. Used it on my lap with no issues, but I've never really had to run anything to intense on it either...

I can't say exactly what the battery life exactly is because it'd take me at least 2 days to run it down 2-4hours of class note taking each day.

 

I have the AMD model and have had it since the first day the DM3 was available, on October 22, the day Windows 7 came available.

I have been very impressed by this laptop, it looks great, I have no build quality complaints, and it has done everything I've asked it to do perfectly... my uses are as follows:

-iTunes, Opera Web Browser (with 3-4 tabs), Microsoft Word 2007 at the same time
-Hulu Desktop fullscreen 480p
-Photoshop CS3
-Light gaming (League of Legends, Age of Empires 1, 2, and 3, Deus Ex, etc...

I get about 4-5 hours of battery life on a single charge after I undervolted it without problems... before I undervolted I got 3.5 hours on average.

 

I've bought a DM3-1044NR of Ebay. Very cheap, something like $450. I like it a lot.

Mine (Intel SU4100) gets very hot during CPU intensive tasks. It's not a problem though, it's not too hot.

Maybe mine gets hotter because of the 7200rpm drive... I'm not sure.

Yes, happens very easily.

PS. my max battery life is only about 5 hours...

 

Well, what do you consider "very hot" and "not too hot"? Do you have any numbers? Anything above 80C and I'd start to worry. :\

 

The CPU doesn't get that hot, it's just the palm wrests that I can barely touch.

Especially when I was in Thailand with 35 C the laptop overall would be very hot on the outside, even when it's not under load.

Here back home it only gets hot from CPU intensive tasks like playing youtube.

I'm really surprised that the battery life from mine is so much shorter than what Kevin got. May have to do with the heat I'm getting.

Update:
I just ran the latest BIOS (3-2010) update. After 5 minutes Youtube 1080p the DM3 is still cool to the touch.

I reckon battery life wil have improved too. I'll try to measure it.

 

This model might use a lot of passive cooling so the CPU and chipset stay relatively cool while the surfaces are a little painful to the touch.

 

After applying the BIOS update my DM3 stays cool to the touch, just like the one reviewed here.

 

I have been using this laptop for probably 6 months and I cannot stand it. It disgusts me.

1) Screen.

a) Viewing angles. I don't know if the reviewers got a screen from a different panel manufacturer than I did, but the screen on my dm3 is abysmal. The vertical viewing angle is so narrow that you cannot adjust the screen to a point where you can view the screen without colors inverting. Even if you look perfectly straight at it, the top edge and bottom edge of the screen will be inverting due to the terrible viewing angles.

b) Blue tinge is very noticeable.

c) If you look closely you can actually see the black lines between the pixels on the screen. It looks like someone has put a screen door or screen window over the laptop display. It's particularly distracting on constant color backgrounds like a white background.

2) Keyboard. I can't stand the chiclet keyboard - the keys have no sculpting/rounding to them, so you cannot tell from tactile feedback if your fingers are actually on the right spot on the keys - hence a lot of missed key presses. Also, hitting F5 to refresh locks your computer thanks to the inverting of the function keys.

3) Touch pad it TERRIBLE. Terrible. The worst I've ever used.

If you think about the above items, the notebook falls on it's face in every way you interact with it - the screen, the keyboard, and the touch pad. How do you have a positive experience with a laptop you can't interact with without wanting to pound it through the floor?

Anyhow, I picked up a Latitude E6510 and I'm super happy. The screen is beautiful, viewing angles are great, the touch pad is smooth as butter, and the keyboard has the necessarily subtle tactile feedback to keep your typing on track.

The dm3 is going to eBay as soon as I can get it up there. Be gone with it!

 

What do you expect from a consumer notebook.
Dell is no different.

You need to shell out the big money.

 

I've had my Dm3z now for 6 months and I have little complaints. The keyboard is awesome and the chassis is strong. It's attractive, and fairly lightweight. I've long gotten used to the touchpad, perhaps general use has worn it in (although there is no physical wear to be seen).

Of course, the speakers blow, and vertical viewing angles are nothing to write home about. But as a day-in and day-out web browser and musical centerpeice, it gets the job done and has never let me down.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

 

I picked up the 1140us model (su4100 intel) 4 days ago and am pretty happy with it. Replacing my asus 1000h this is a nice upgrade in performance. I am running office productivity apps, surfing, and internet video for the most part.

I have had no heat problems even during a 4:30hr Hulu watching in bed with the bottom of the laptop on top of a blanket on the bed. Barely warm to the touch at the end of that which was surprising as the asus 1000h would be HOT after such behavior.

Battery life has been great too. That 4:30 of constant 480p full screen hulu watching chewed up a full charge but at about 50% screen brightness. I'm pretty happy with that.

Today at school running about 30% brightness I have gotten about 7 hours on a charge and it's not dead yet, but close. This was note taking and surfing w/ 15 minutes of sleep in between two or three sessions of use.

All in all I am pretty pleased. Battery life, thickness, and weight were the considerations which kept me away from a similarly priced i3. Though I am wondering whether I might have been happier with a refurb'd HP 5130m business class machine from the HP Outlet for the same price...hmmm.

 

I am about to replace the biggest piece of junk I've ever owned (an MSI U100) with a HP DM3 but have a question first: HP advertises it on their website as a DM3T whereas Best Buy has it listed as a DM3 - is there a difference? If it's the processor, which one is the Intel i3-380M?

 

Just look at the specs. It shouldn't be too hard to find out if it comes with an Intel Pentium Processor U5400 or Core i3-380M.

If it's an older HP dm3 model, it'll come with a Core 2 Duo SU7300 or Athlon Neo x2.