HP Pavilion dv3510nr Review

by Kevin O'Brien

The Pavilion dv3510nr is an attractive 13.3" multimedia notebook from HP, offered in both Intel and AMD configurations. In this review we take a look at the Intel version of this notebook, packed with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA 9300M GS dedicated graphics, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and a 320GB hard drive. Retailing for $999, HP has it priced to compete with the Dell XPS M1330 and other mobile notebooks in the $1,000 price range. Is the high price worth it? Take a look at our review to find out.

Our review unit of the HP Pavilion dv3510nr was purchased at a Best Buy retail store and features the following specifications:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P7350 (1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache)
• 4GB DDR2 SDRAM (2GB x 2GB)
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1
• 13.3" WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280x800)
• 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 512MB VRAM
• Intel 5100 802.11a/b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth
• 5-in-1 card reader
• Lightscribe SuperMulti 8x DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Backlit Keyboard
• 6-Cell 55Wh Li-ion battery
• Dimensions: (LxWxH) 12.6 x 8.9 x 1.2-1.4"
• Weight: 4.8lbs
• Price as configured: $999

Build and Design
The Pavilion dv3510nr shares the same classic look and feel as the rest of the HP Pavilion lineup, with smooth edges and its shapely contoured chassis. The color scheme uses the HP Imprint finish, a durable glossy finish that is resistant to scratches and other blemishes. The Imprint Finish on the dv3 offers an attractive bronze or ash gold color that is shared with the outer cover, palmrest, and keyboard for a consistent look and feel.

While the design looks great, this laptop is not without its flaws. The build quality of our dv3510nr review unit was not as good as other HP Pavilion notebooks we've reviewed ... in large part due to a squeaky chassis and uneven keyboard. The keyboard tray was bowed upwards on the left side of the notebook with the top layer of keys separating from the backlight. The two layers were supposed to be held together with adhesive but the glue failed. Each time you pressed in that section of the keyboard the layers would squish together and put off a sound similar to a pair of stickers being pulled apart. We were not impressed to say the least. Internally the cause of the bowed keyboard section traced back to rubber padding used to hold the wireless antenna in place, but these rubber pieces were slightly thicker than the space allowed. This pushed up on the keyboard, stressing the layers until the adhesive failed. Other parts of the chassis felt weak and the plastics would squeak while you carried the notebook around.

Display
The 13.3" LED backlit display was average when compared with other notebooks equipped with TN panels. Colors were bright and vibrant inside the viewing "sweet spot" and contrast was excellent with the glossy finish. The screen was bright enough to stand out in an office setting, but would be difficult to view outdoors unless it was overcast or later in the afternoon. Viewing angles were limited to a narrow viewing sweet spot, quickly distorting as you moved out to steeper horizontal or vertical angles.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Outside of the issues described in the build quality section the keyboard on the dv3 was actually pretty nice. The keys felt solid and weighted, with barely any wiggle if you moved your fingers across the surface. Individual key presses gave off a mild click, not loud, but a step above stealth typing. The keyboard had good support with little flex, a benefit of the thicker design needed for the backlit keys. The backlight adequately illuminated the keys and was bright enough to type in a poorly lit room, but not blind you in the process. The backlight was triggered on or off by pressing FN+spacebar, with no varying levels in-between.

The dv3510nr uses an ALPS touchpad which worked adequately during our testing. Lag was minimal with a quick response time, but sensitivity could be improved. Part of the sensitivity problem relates to the glossy touchpad surface which requires a firm touch, but if you press too hard your finger doesn’t slide well across the surface. The touchpad buttons were large and gave moderate feedback with a shallow throw.

Ports and Features
Port selection on the dv3510nr was above average for a notebook of this size, offering three USB ports total, an eSATA/USB combo port, VGA, HDMI, modem, LAN, audio jacks, and IR for the multimedia remote. It was nice to see a combo port included on the notebook, as some manufactures waste space by using a standard eSATA port. It's also worth mentioning that HP decided to remove the dedicated port used for the HP xb4 docking station, so you'll have to use a less-capable generic USB docking station if you want to use the dv3510nr with desktop accessories.

The complete list of ports includes:

• 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
• 3 USB 2.0 ports (including one USB/eSATA combo port)
• 1 VGA
• 1 HDMI
• 1 RJ-11 (modem)
• 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
• 2 headphone-out
• 1 microphone-in
• 1 Consumer IR (For remote)

Performance
System performance was excellent for a 13.3" notebook, handling multimedia tasks with ease thanks to the NVIDIA 9300M GS dedicated graphics. Gaming could be handled with some tweaking to lessen the burden of the gaming engine on the fairly low-end graphics chipset. The dv3 was quite at home decoding HD content, outputting 720p and 1080p signals through the HDMI port with digital audio. Daily tasks like typing a document or browsing the web were no problem for the 2.0GHz Intel P7350 Core 2 Duo processor, showing no lag switching between programs. A 7200rpm drive would have been a good upgrade, but most people probably wouldn’t notice the difference unless they were running disk-intensive applications.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
HP Pavilion dv4t (Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)	26.972 seconds
Toshiba Satellite U405 (Core 2 Duo T8100 @ 2.1GHz)	37.500 seconds
HP Pavilion dv3510nr (Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2.0GHz)	38.656 seconds
Dell Inspiron 13 (Pentium Dual Core T2390 @ 1.86GHz)	44.664 seconds
HP Pavilion dv2 (AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 @ 1.6GHz)	103.521 seconds

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
HP Pavilion dv4t (2.8GHz Intel T9600, Nvidia 9200M GS 256MB)	5,463 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv3510nr (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M GS 512MB)	4,920 PCMarks
Toshiba Satellite U405 (2.1GHz Intel T8100, Intel X3100)	4,145 PCmarks
Dell Inspiron 13 (1.86GHz Intel T2390, Intel X3100)	3,727 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv2 (1.6GH AMD Athlon Neo, ATI Radeon HD 3410 512MB)	2,191 PCMarks

3DMark06 graphics comparison against notebooks @ 1280 x 800 resolution (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
HP Pavilion dv3510nr (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M GS 512MB)	1,865 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv4t (2.8GHz Intel T9600, Nvidia 9200M GS 256MB)	1,741 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv2 (1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo, ATI Radeon HD 3410 512MB)	1,355 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite U405 (2.1GHz Intel T8100, Intel X3100)	539 3DMarks
Apple MacBook Air (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7500, Intel X3100)	502 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 13 (1.86GHz Intel T2390, Intel X3100)	470 3DMarks

HDTune for the built-in hard drive:

Speakers and Audio
The HP dv3510nr includes Altec Lansing speakers, but beyond branding we didn’t notice any considerable difference compared to other notebooks of this size. Peak volume levels were fine for a small or medium size room. Sound quality was average, with low and midrange frequencies lacking. Overall they are fine for day-to-day use, but if you want to really enjoy a movie use headphones or a stereo connected through HDMI.

Battery
Our configuration includes a standard 6-cell battery, though a 9-cell battery is optional. With the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows Vista set to the "Balanced" power profile the dv3510nr managed 3 hours and 9 minutes of battery life.

Heat and Noise
Thermal performance was very good, with the notebook able to keep its cool after being powered on for extended periods of time. In our tests the left side palmrest warmed up more than the right side by about 10 degrees, which might be explained by the wireless card located on that side. The bottom had a peak of 94 degrees Fahrenheit, putting it into the warm category but not too hot.

Fan noise is minimal under normal activity, where the processor isn't under any significant load. As the system warms up if you are encoding video, ripping music, or gaming the fan noise gets louder up but is still within reasonable levels. In a lecture hall the only person who might notice is someone sitting next to you.

Conclusion

The HP Pavilion dv3510nr could be an impressive notebook given its features which include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA 9300M GS graphics, and backlit keyboard inside a 13.3” chassis. What we got was a notebook that had some quality control issues, with a bowed, separating keyboard and a squeaky, flexible chassis. For almost $1,000 we expect a higher level of quality for a notebook. If the cost of the dv3510nr was between $500 and $600 some of the problems could be overlooked. On that note, HP currently offers the AMD-equipped dv3z for $679.99 if you are looking for an alternative to the Intel configuration.

Bottom line, the HP Pavilion dv3510nr excells in terms of design and features, but falls short when it comes to build quality. If you enjoy the overall looks of this model, I would recommend checking out the dv2 or dv4 which share a similar design but offer superior fit and finish.

Pros:

• Good performance and dedicated graphics for a 13.3” notebook
• Backlit keyboard
• Nice design and color scheme

Cons:

• Poor fit and finish
• Bowed keyboard

Related Articles:

• HP Pavilion dv4t Review
• HP Pavilion dv2 Review

 

Ok, battery life is dismal

To much money

 

too expensive for a creaky toy

 

One minor remark: the Nvidia 9300 GS has 256 MB of memory, not 512.

Other than that, good review, as always.

 

3 hours, is that not standard for most laptops?

I agree though, for $1000, there could be a bit more to it.

 

I get over 5 hours with my Dell 1420 with max brightness, wifi, and a 9 cell.

A 13 inch with the same size battery and newer should be better even if it does have a 9300m (vs a x3100)

 

When the dv3z appeared on the HP website, I assumed that the dimensions/case was identical to the dv3510nr sold at Best Buy. Then someone mentioned that they weren't the same. I did some digging and here's what I found:

dv3510nr- 12.59" x 8.97" x 1.15"-1.41"/ 4.6lbs

dv3z- 12.28" x 9.05" x 1.02"-1.28"/ 4.35lbs

According to these specifications (from the HP website), the dv3510nr is 0.31" wider, 0.08" shorter and 0.13" thicker than the dv3z???

 

The review is for the wrong model. This is the dv3000, not the dv3. There are subtle differences such as lid material (plastic carbonite vs magnesium alloy), thinner frame on the dv3, slot loading optical drive vs tray optical drive and different layout of the ports. There is no Intel version of the dv3z announced so far and the dv3000 is being discontinued.

HP has not marketed the dv3000 series as the dv3 as the dv3 is currently an AMD exclusive.

How can an official NBR review make such a serious error?

 

They say they have the 6-cell version with the option of a 9-cell....

So it seems pretty standard to me.

 

Aha...the dv3000t appeared on the HP website in the U.S. for about 24 hours several months ago, then vanished. That's when the dv3510nr was released as a BEST BUY 'Blue Label' Exclusive. Other than the dv3510nr, no other dv3000-models were sold in the U.S.

 

Oh, read it as it was using a 9 cell. My bad

 

Exactly. The dv3000 series was sold primarily in Asia Pacific markets and has a limited release in the US. It is definitely on its way out, so I don't know why NBR is reviewing this rather than the dv3z. There will be a refresh coming up, but not this one.

 

This is definitely not the dv3, at least as HP touts it in the US, because the dv3 has ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics, not NVIDIA.

Even the photos say dv3000. Please fix the Review title.

P.S. Thank you for your detailed review in proper NBR fashion.

 

The backlit keyboard is quite impressive coming from a manufacturer like hp.

 

nice catch NBR, do a better "quality" check...

 

I'm thinking when this thing gets refreshed its not going to have the 16:10 display anymore. The issue with fit and finish is a deal killer . Also remember if you put it into power saver mode you will most likely get another hour of battery life. I run my dv6500t on PS mode and for the most part, I don't notice any performance loss. But on certain Wifi routers Vista can get pretty choppy with connections when online with the PS mode on. A vista bug I am afraid and one that still has not been fixed.

After reading this review and the one for the DV2 I think its obvious which one is better. And since the DV2 surprisingly has a 16:10 screen it makes it really easy to choose between these two models IMO.

 

Its pretty common that HP will leave a model number on the display when it may not be a major design change. For example, my display says DV 6000 but I know its a dv6500. It may say DV3000 but its really a dv3510nr. Only when they do a major refresh with a new chassis will that number change on the display. At this point, I don't think its a big issue. It still has intel and if HP would have released a dv3 in the North American market this would be it. Call it a DV3 or dv3520rn.. its essentially the same form factor and internals. Unfortunately, for those that have been waiting for HP's 13.3 notebook with intel insides its too bad that it appears to be a POS as far as build quality. Its also a bad thing that you have to go to best buy to find one. I'd much rather get a CTO system direct from HP since you have a superior return policy when dealing directly with HP. The good news is they just released the dv2 which seems to be a worthy replacement.

 

I think the old lenovo U330 is better than this new Hp. The U330 is cheaper, much, much thinner, has great keyboard, and have similar, battery life
Why are Hp's suddenly getting expensive?

Specs for Lenovo U330;
13.3" 1280x800 - 2Ghz-1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache, 12.5 x 9.3 x 0.9-1.1", 4.4Ibs, Intel GMA 4500MHD / ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450, battery according to NBR 3hrs.20mins

Specs for Hp dv3;
13.3" 1280x800 -2Ghz-1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache, 12.6 x 8.9 x 1.2-1.4", 4.8lbs, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 512MB VRAM, battery according to NBR 3hr.9mins

I think the U330 is better. no?? somebody else think the same??
Quick question, which is better the Ati Radeon HD 3450 vs Nvidia Geforce 9300M Gs? Is one way better than the other??

 

There should also be another update coming up for the dv3 as it is available today from hp, changing over to the new expresso black/white finish like the rest of the notebooks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilF4OQG4yCM

 

Why is there no pictures with the backlit keyboard on in the dark?

 

Hmm, what's up with NBR nowadays . . . .

A lot of funny stuff going around . . .

Are the admins not getting enough rest or something?

Slow down, guys . . .. .

 

You could add something about noise to "Heat&Noise" section, at the moment it covers just heat

 

I want to say one of the early revisions of the dv6 we say still carried the dv6000 sticker. For now I am switching the title and dv3 status over the dv3510nr since it appears to be one of those "not this model but not that model" type of in-betweens.

Unless the laptop is pulling some unknown trickery it is definitely showing up as 512mb of dedicated vram.

Well that is actually in the dark. To get the shot the camera exposure had to be quite long (one second) and at that length the screen illuminated most of the area around the notebook.

Added a comment about it. Throughout most of the review the notebook's fan barely made a peep. Besides the exhaust grill you might not even know a fan was inside.

 

There is an HP dv3z CTO available from HP directly. The model reviewed here is the dv3510nr, which is the only Intel-based dv3xxx-model sold in the U.S. and only available from Best Buy stores. Hopefully, HP will offer a CTO dv3t at some point in the near future which will share the dv3z's superior build quailty.

 

Its this kind of problem why I would never buy a notebook from BestBuy. I can see it now trying to explain to them that I want a refund for poor build quality. They would probably argue its a justifiable cosmetic flaw within their defined control limits.. bla bla bla and there you would be coughing up 15 percent restock fee.. no thanks.

 

That's weird. Notebookcheck.net's list states that GPU has 256 MB. I know that because my laptop has that GPU (renamed as a Quadro, but basically the same hardware).

 

On the BestBuy note, this is what I found in the store when we went to purchase it. They don't even know who makes it

 

Wow! Thats is REALLY poor form.

I was really looking forward to the DV3 review, so we can confirm that this isnt the DV3, but rather a DV3000?

 

The dv3510nr and Toshiba Satellite E105 are both unique models built exclusively for sale at BEST BUY. Those two models launched Best Buy's "BLUE LABEL" product line...and they're still the only two 'Blue Label' products...There have been some quality and performance issues with Toshiba E105 also. The most ironic thing is that a 2-Year Warranty is standard on both of these!

Both models were launched back in October and priced at $1199. The HP is currently $999, but was down to $899 as recently as last week. The Toshiba has been priced at $799 for well over a month now! I'm thinking the Blue Label program is a flop...especially since no new products have been added to the line.

The best way to buy an HP notebook is to order it directly from HP. They have the most customer-friendly return policy of all computer manufacturers. Even on CTO systems, they don't charge any sort of restocking fee AND they even email you a pre-paid FedEx label to ship it back! I went thru the process last summer with a CTO dv7t that I decided to send back after a week of using it.

 

The biggest problem with most Best Buy employees is their complete ignorance of the products they sell, in my observation. They're also incompetent, as the "Toshbia dv3510nr" price tag clearly demonstrates! BUT, they will usually leave you alone to look and play around with the display models...especially if you grown or hiss at them!

But they're still far better than Circuit City employees were. Numerous times I had CC sales clerks argue with me over tech specs, etc. Most of them would get really p'ssed off when I found a way to prove that they were wrong and I was right! But they were so pushy in general, I hated going in there even to browse. On more than one occasion, I fantastized about taking a Taser gun or Pepper Spray into the store to repel the moronic employees!

 

Oh Kevin, you're so biased for these HP designs.

Personally I don't find this laptop attractive.

Though I do like the design of the ASUS F6Ve that you didn't like: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4923&review=asus+f6+f6ve

 

The HP design looks more polished and modern. I felt the ASUS F6Ve had a more dated look to it, something from a generation or two ago. It lacked the refinement of the newer ASUS notebooks.

 

Thanks for the review Kevin.

I'm glad to see my U330 I bought one and a half months ago still has this computer beat . . . . and I only paid $650 for it refurbished . . . . I love my Lenovo : )

 

This review is now featured on Engadget, although they still called the laptop the dv3.

Good review as always, Kevin.

 

Too bad this machine doesn't use the ddr3 memory, which would bring a noticeable improvement to GPU performance.

 

I agree. I've got a DV3510NR and think it's one of the best looking laptops I've seen, outside of Vaios.

I should note that mine doesn't have the keyboard issues that Kevin noted, except that it is not perfectly flat. I've seen that on other HP notebooks, specifically DV2000 models. In general, I really enjoy typing on the keyboard (my wife said the same thing) because it feels very firm and solid.

The screen looks great, color and brightness-wise, but the vertical viewing angles are indeed poor. Mine also had a significant amount of backlight bleed that HP is currently fixing. In fact, I just heard from them that they, after having it a week and half, are pushing out my return date another two weeks as they await an ordered part (presumably a new screen). Disappointed in that.

In many ways I like this notebook, but the quality issues bother me and I'm really trying to decide if it is worth the $1000 I paid for it. I will say that at least chassis-wise, it is way better built and better looking than the Toshiba U405 I was also looking at (another 13" with good power and ~$1000).

Honestly, in the powerful, portable, and ~$1000 category, not sure what I'd get over this.

 

I have it.

HP calls it DV3510, DV3550, DV3610 depending on the market (model name is DV3000)... there are just few changes here and there, but they are all the same.

Battery life is good: 3 hours with a dedicated VGA (not a crappy Intel one - p.s. 512MB DDR2 dedicated), IR receiver, High brightness, Fingerprint reader, Gigabit, Modem, etc... Well, for all this, you shouldn't have anything to complain (and to be exact, they are 3 hours and 15 minutes). Only Samsung laptops (Q310/Q210) are better.

I can play C&C Red Alert 3 on my bed for at least 2 hours before sleeping!

Battery is flush with the chassis. This is a big plus for me. Take this Asus F6V owners! Ahah

There is also a 9-cell battery option? Dind't know, but I would buy it... I found 3 hours are not enough for my usage

This is also the most hardware-packaged 13,3" on the market: think that the brand new Dell XPS Studio doesn't have the fingerprint reader, and it is a great feature to have (it also works with Windows forms and Web forms - nice also with the friends).

Too bad my model doesn't have the backlight keyboard... and here comes the first big problem: bronze glossy keyboard with black characters on it - I'll let you imagine how much it is usable (hint: neither in the sun or the dark). Stupid HP.

Aside of that, keyboard buttons are very good. They left me a better impression than the ones on the Toshiba U400-15H (U405 in other parts of the World).

The design is simply astonishing. The Bronze/Chrome with the glossy texture finish (that isn't so fingerprint magnet as in others laptops) will be envied by both men and women. I'll call again the Toshiba U400-15H for a comparison (since it was the one wanted to buy - and was also next to it) and there is simply no match. Toshiba=plastic feeling, HP=pro feeling. It is also look and feel better than many other mid-range VAIOs (that seem like big toys), and Q310/Q210, too (very plastic and a little girlish).

Build quality is not great, but surely above average, the only problems are the DVD reader and the battery: since they are detachable, they don't stay firmly attached (well.. a detachable DVD reader is nice to have - so a tradeoff I gladly accept ).
There aren't any noticeable flexis on the chassis (that is also quite robust).

Wi-Fi is simply great in coverage and stability - I feel sorry for future dv3z owners (p.s. dv3z is a dumbed down version of this dv3000 ) without the Intel 5100 (p.s. the AMD CPU will give you also less battery life - sorry guys).

Touchpad is neither good or bad. It works well until you touch two points at the same time - then the pointer will jump from a point to another of the screen. Maybe ALPS wanted to implement multitouch? Annoying (but it could just me).
But since Lenovo and Toshiba use ALPS on their 13,3", too, I think we shouldn't complain.

The other real problem is the screen. Great when viewed on the front (I'd say - one of the best), but very bad from any other angle (and very very bad from the vertical ones - hell!).

Verdict? 8,5/10 (-0,5 points just for the bronze/black keyboard on my sample, -0,5 points for the screen, -0,5 points for not having a multitouch touchpad and a qualcomm gobi).

Bought for $800. I think at that price it is a steal (you only find netbooks or 15,4" at that price). Thanks dv3z!

 

I have the "European" Dv3550 and I have to say it´s pretty good. I bought it for less than 800€. The letters on my keyboard are in white BUT there is no backlight on the keyboard. I´ve read on some swedish forums that there are some people with the "bulging" keyboard problem but I haven´t seen it on mine.

 

As a fellow owner, I'd say this is an excellent summary of the machine.

By the way, there is no 9 cell option for the dv3000 machines, only for the DV3, at least according the HP support I talked to on the phone. Perhaps the batteries are interchangeable, but no one at HP could give me an answer on that. Too bad, because I would absolutely buy one if they offered it. All they have is the same extended-life 6 cell that it comes with.

 

The least you could have done was compare it with the current gen macbook/air with the nvidia 9400m, which scores about <s>1,800</s> in 3DMark06, and not the last gen with intel graphics. Kind of seems like the results were padded a bit to show an advantage by the HP.

Edit: It appears I was wrong. The new macbooks appear to score about 2,000-2,100 at native res in 3DMark06.

 

Would you plz let us know where you bought it for 800$? Ebay?

Thanks

 

hi to everyone....i bought the hp pavilion dv3510nr last march...and i have a concern with my laptop's top cover. and after viewing this site's review i saw in one of the pictures of the laptop the same problem i have...
there seems to be a line bulging out of the top cover but when you touch it you won't feel the line, you can only see it with your eyes...
below is the link of the image from notebookreview.com, here you can see a thin line bulging at the center of the cover

http://www.notebookreview.com/shared/picture.asp?f=42314

Does anyone have the same thing on their HP Pavilion dv3510nr laptop? i had my laptop check at our HP service center and they said that that is normal...i'm just bothered by it...and why would HP design a cover like this if its normal...

 

I was really close to purchasing this laptop. Seems like such a steal for the price because the specs are great.

 

You get what you pay for when it comes to HP.