HP Pavilion dv5z First Look

by Jerry Jackson

The newest 15-inch notebook from HP arrives just in time to make a big impact for back-to-school shoppers in 2008. The HP Pavilion dv5z features the latest AMD dual-core processors, cutting edge graphics that slaughter the competition, and a price that's so competitive you'll have a hard time coming up with reasons not to buy this notebook. Let's take a quick look at what makes this laptop so impressive before our full review.

Our HP Pavilion dv5z has the following specifications:

• Processor: 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor ZM-80
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3200
• Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium with SP 1 (64-bit)
• Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
• Memory: 2GB (up to 4GB configurable)
• Storage: 160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Optical Drive: SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Wireless and Communications: 802.11b/g WLAN
• Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion
• Dimensions: 14.05" (W) x 10.2" (D) x 1.37" (min H)/1.65" (max H)
• Weight: 5.84lbs
• Warranty: 1-year

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The pricing on the dv5z starts at around $699.99, and our configuration has a few upgrades that brought the final price to $849.99 at the time of this writing. Needless to say, this is a fabulous price point for back-to-school shoppers.

Build and Design

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The dv5z has a new and improved design, replacing the long-lasting and much-loved dv6000 series chassis design. The display cover has the durable plastic Imprint finish, which holds up quite well to minor abrasion without scratching. The body of the notebook is smooth with rounded edges, making it extremely comfortable in your hand while carrying it around. The screen also sports a latchless design, making it easy to open the notebook with one hand. Although the lid lacks any latch to keep it held shut, the hinges feel fairly strong, keeping the lid secure. Pressing firmly onto the back of the screen cover will produce some ripples on the screen ... but you must apply significant pressure to cause this.

The plastic chassis is quite rigid and suffers from no flex or creaks even when twisted between my hands. Although I don't recommend tossing your notebook down a staircase, the dv5z should survive years of daily travel in a backpack or the occasional drop off a desk.

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Our dv5z features the "Mesh" Imprint Finish which looks the name implies: a fine gray mesh pattern over a black surface. The Imprint Finish on the dv5z is much more subtle than the previous designs we've seen on HP notebooks. I suspect most average consumers will find the mesh pattern more acceptable in workplace environments than the older generation patterns. While the dv5z still looks like an attractive consumer notebook, the Imprint Finish isn't quite as "splashy" or "busy" as it used to be.

Screen

The 15.4-inchdiagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050) is quite simply one of the best 15-inch screens I've seen on any notebook. Detail is amazing, colors are rich with deep contrast, backlighting is even across the entire surface, and viewing angles are good. There is some color inversion when you view the screen from below ... but how often do you tilt your screen back and view it that way?

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Input and Output Ports

The dv5z has an impressive number of ports with some nice additions you won't find on most consumer notebooks. Here's a run down of the ports:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 eSATA port/USB port
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• HDMI 1.3 connector
• 5-in-1 multi-card reader
• Microphone in, two headphone/audio out ports
• 1 Expansion Port 3 Docking Station Connector
• 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
• 1 VGA out
• Kensington lock slot

While three USB ports might not sound like enough for a 15-inch notebook, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, this budget notebook comes with an eSATA/USB port which allows you to connect either a USB device or an eSATA device. Although USB is still a great connection method for accessories USB cannot provide fast data transfer rates for huge amounts of data. We need a faster way to transfer files as more and more consumers start storing their family videos, digital photos, and personal media collections on 2TB and larger external hard drives. This is where eSATA comes in. Without getting too technical, an eSATA port can transfer data to and from an eSATA-equipped external storage drive six times faster than USB.

The second important feature to consider on the dv5z is that HP still includes a dedicated docking station connector on their laptops for those of us who use our laptops as desktop replacements. This is far more important than most people realize. Most other notebook manufacturers have removed dedicated docking ports and now only offer USB docking stations. USB is great for connecting one or two devices at the same time, but if you are trying to transfer data, video, audio, and perhaps even your Ethernet connection over a single USB port you will suffer a major reduction in speed. The dedicated Expansion Port 3 on the dv5z can handle all of your docking station needs all at the same time with virtually no reduced performance.

HP deserves serious praise for adding the eSATA port and keeping the dedicated docking port when most of the competition doesn't offer these features on consumer notebooks.

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Performance and Benchmarks

HP offers the new Pavilion dv5z with a range of AMD processors, including the older generation 1.9GHz Athlon X2 QL-60 dual-core processor. However, the big news this year is the availability of AMD's new "Puma" platform with improved processors and graphics. The newAMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 2.1GHz dual-core processor is an obvious evolution of AMD processor technology, but the real news is the integrated graphics.

It isn't very often that we get excited about an integrated graphics processor (IGP). Every IGP on the market is painfully inferior to a dedicated graphics card and every IGP on the market struggles to handle high definition video and 3D video games. Not so with the ATI Radeon HD 3200. For the first time ever consumers have a low-cost IGP that offers flawless 1080p video playback and can even play many 3D video games at reasonable frame rates!

Let's take a look at a few basic benchmarks so you can get an idea of how the dv5z stacks up.

wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, this processor benchmark program is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, it measures the amount of time to run a set amount of calculations.

wPrime comparison results (lower scores means better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)	39.745s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)	43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.485s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	40.759s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz)	58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)	76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)	42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)	37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz)	38.327s
HP Pavilion dv6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)	38.720s

You can see from the results in WPrime the new Turion X2 Ultra processor from AMD's new "Puma" platform provides a respectable amount of raw processing power but isn't significantly faster than the previous generation processors when it comes to basic calculations.

We'll have a full set of synthetic benchmarks in the full review coming next week, but we know that many of our readers are sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out how the new ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics perform. I decided to publish some 3DMark06 benchmark numbers ... just to keep you happy.

3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores are better):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)	1,599 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	545 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv6500z (2.0GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60, NVIDIA 8400m GS)	1,551 3DMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	504 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	4,332 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

All of the 3DMark06 scores for all of the systems listed above were run at 1280 x 768 resolution. Bottom line: AMD is speaking truthfully when they claim that the new ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP provides roughly three times the performance of the Intel X3100 IGP and rivals the performance of low-cost dedicated graphics cards.

Just for laughs, we also ran the 3DMark06 benchmark at the full screen resolution on our dv5z (1680 x 1050) and the system returned a score of 1,131 3DMarks. Even when running a higher resolution display the integrated graphics on the dv5z provides more than double the performance of Intel's current integrated graphics!

Keyboard and Touchpad

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The keyboard on the Pavilion dv5z has zero flex and excellent key travel with quiet presses. I can't say with absolute certainty, but I suspect the keyboard is the same part used on the dv6700t (or at least the dv6780se we previously reviewed).

The keys have a durable coating which makes the keyboard look and feel better when typing. The slight glossy texture of the keys won't develop the typical "shine" that begins to show up on keys after extended use.

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The palm rest area features the same "Mesh" Imprint Finish used on the lid. The touchpad is nice and large and features a durable and responsive surface that is also covered in the HP Imprint Finish. The marked vertical scroll section is likewise accurate and responsive. The touchpad buttons have deep feedback and produce quiet, cushioned clicks.

One of the nice features found on HP touchpads is the touchpad on/off button. If you press the small button above the touchpad you can disable it ... perfect for people using an external mouse. Although the touchpad is quite nice I would have liked to see the same style of touchpad that HP started using on the tx1000z, tx2000z, tx2500z and HDX notebooks ... perhaps on next year's notebooks?

First Impressions

As of this writing we've only had the HP Pavilion dv5z in our office for a short while now. Still, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about this notebook. First, we're just glad to see HP release a new notebook chassis design since they were using the same old dv6000 series design for several years. More importantly, we're in complete awe over the performance of the integrated graphics on this machine.

Sure, you can get better gaming performance if you spend the money for a notebook with a good dedicated graphics card, but you would have to purchase a mid-range or high performance dedicated card to surpass the performance of the integrated graphics in the dv5z. For the first time consumers shopping for a budget notebook don't have to sacrifice performance in order to have a low-cost laptop.

We reserve final judgment for the full review, but right now it's hard not to recommend this notebook to anyone and everyone needing a laptop for less than $900.

 

a great review thx!


BTW,when can we get dv7 review?

 

Well, this is just the "first look" ... the review is coming next week.

As for the dv7, we'll have that review as soon as we can get our hands on the dv7. Since the dv7 still isn't available yet, we'll have to wait a while.

 

Very interesting indeed.

I'm looking forward to see the battery life and heat production in comparison to the Intel configurations.

 

Very nice... As I thought, the Asia Pacific only dv3000t (came out about 2 months ago) is almost identical to the new dv series. Except the dv3000 had a ''liquid metal'' imprint finish, which meant it was very shiney...lol

And yes I must agree that the keyboard is pretty much identical to the dv6700/2700/9700 in terms of the touch when typing. I think the build quality is a great improvement from the last series.

Just one question, Jerry, does the optical drive sit flush with the rest of the chassis? Because there were one or two people that spotted such problem with the dv3000.

EDIT: attached a pic of the dv3000.

 

an igp that can play games!!!!!

 

excellent "first look"

I was looking at this model the other day, but wanted to know more about the graphics card...as it is rated quite low on the external graphics review sites....

Planning to buy a laptop this FALL End (~ Oct / Nov) so plenty of time to finalize

cheers
MadEng

 

The HP website makes it sound like you must get the ATI 3450 to get an HDMI out:


Does it come with an HDMI out when equipped with the integrated HD3200?

Also, when selecting a blu-ray drive, you must get the 3450.

I thought the whole point of the 3200 was you could handle HD content without a discrete graphics card?

 

the notebook looks solid but they've been milking this design for every last drop and now it seems as though dell has surpassed them in designing attractive notebooks.

 

I see one in the middle.

Large image: http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/34615.jpg

 

Wow, a Radeon 3200 is "cutting edge graphics that slaughter the competition"?!? That was written by HP press release department I trust...

 

Does the dv5z support the external graphics solution? It doesn't seem like it has the appropriate external port.

 

How does the fan behave? Does it run always or cycle on/off? And how much does it make noise at each speed level? Is the noise more of airflow whoosh or is there any mechanical whine?

 

... the competition is X3100 and the 8400m GS. It beats them both.

I don't think you're going to get an 8600mGT in a $699 configuration of ANYTHING. At least, not without sacrificing the all-around performance of your notebook.

 

Jerry, thank you very, very much for benchmarking the IGP. I've been interested in the new HP tx2500z which also uses the Radeon HD 3200, so it's nice to see that kind of performance come out of ATI's word.

I've long been an Intel loyalist, but this time I might actually jump ship for the reasonable pricing, and the surprisingly outstanding IGP performance. Credit goes to this interesting new team of AMD and ATI...

I look forward to seeing what they'll continue to bring to market. Intel's evolving Core platform continues to find itself creeping upward in the price segments, and with Nehalem to replace it in the coming year (or two), AMD-ATI seems to have a naturally developing edge: the space that Intel leaves every time its price segment creeps up. Where people still want performance, but don't want to pay more than they have to for it.

 

When paired with HD3450 you could use Hybrid Crossfire that will give more boost than standalone 3450

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but this HP is priced at $849. Maybe you are referring to something else?

 

hmmmm... looks good so far!
I love to see this on my lap.

2.4ghz X2
250gb
4gb ram 800mhz
HD 3200

HP, can you deliver that to canada please?

 

And the UK please, money is waiting

Chances are they will just change the $ sign for a £ one and that will be the price though. Then they can kiss my ***

 

Like I've said before, the hd 3200 seems amazing for an igp, and the dv5 series looks really nice too.

 

Yes, you get HDMI with the integrated graphics. Unfortunately, although the integrated graphics processor is 100 percent able to handle 1080p Blu-ray playback, at the time of this writing HP restricts the configuration of Blu-ray player systems to systems with dedicated graphics.

You better believe HP will be hearing a few negative words about that in the full review.

 

No. It was written by me ... someone who is tired of benchmarking budget notebooks with IGPs that only get 550 or below scores in 3DMark06 and that can't play HD video without skipping frames every now and then.

 

I'll have details on fan noise in the full review, but to give you a quick preview, the fan noise is there when the IGP is being stressed, but it isn't as loud as the noise from the previous generation AMD-based HP notebooks.

That said, the tx2500z we have in our office for review produces a MUCH louder fan noise than the fan on our dv5z. Still, the tx2500 is a smaller notebook with less room for cooling and I suspect out dv2500 review unit either has bad drivers or a hardware issue because it's exhibiting some "issues" (more on that in next week's tx2500 review).

 

Impressive performance results for an IGP. However, does it use less power than the 8400M GS?

This is good news for the AMD / ATI camp. They've not had it so good for the past year but it looks like they were working on something useful. Moderate gaming performance suddenly becomes more affordable.

John

 

Wow.... almost 1600 3dMark06s from an IGP?! I'm speechless!

That dv5z looks really awesome too, but I don't like how they simply "blocked off" the RJ-11 modem port. And I really hope the touchpad isn't glossy like it was previously. However, I'm impressed that HP is finally offering WSXGA+ on their 15.4" pavilions. I hope they'll offer WXUGA on the dv7!

 

Finally some competition from AMD! The notebook looks unbelievably awesome for $699 USD.

I'm wondering; seeing how the HD3450 gets 2000 points in 3DMark 2006, does that mean I should expect ~2500 for HD3200+HD3450 Hybrid Crossfire (I think that's what it's called).

 

I'm pleased to hear this is a great machine, I think HP has a real winner on their hands here. Nice writeup and pictures, Jerry.

 

Jerry, is the HDMI output enabled when using the IGP? I mean i don´t care about 1080p because i have a 720p TV. Will i be able to watch hd content on my tv if i opt for the HD3200?

 

Ya! coolest IGP to date

 

very impressive performance from an IGP, but I think we should wait to see some battery life tests untill we congratulate ATI.

 

Can someone answer my question (1st page) about the flush optical drive??? :cry:

Also, I thought i woudl dig up my old thread about the dv3000 you you guys can read some user opinions since the dv3000 is almost identical to the new line.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=237508&highlight=dv3000+1st+look

 

Wow... A 15.4" HP notebook with screen resolution options other than WXGA? Sweet.

 

Will HP not be putting Intel chips into any of its DV5 series?

 

DV5t will come out with Intel Chips

 

I'm disappointed with this review. Last time I thought that you guys would go for the HybridCrossfire version but instead you just took the IGP. None the less, it is good written. I've went through 4 pages of this discussion. Only 3 post mentioned something about Hybrid Crossfire, but they never got any replies. Any answer for this, Jerry? Yea, I just ctrl-f the word, Crossfire, if I miss out something. Do point out. I'm really eager to see how this machine fairs when HCF(hybrid cross fire, i really hate to type it.. something short like SLI is better, but in this case, HCF?) is on. I hope to see you add this information as soon as possible. Many thanks ahead. You've guys been the best.

 

Nice review but I think I'll wait to see what the dv5t offers. It's supposedly going to come with a Geforce 9600m GT right? Should be a great midrange gaming notebook. Wish they would ditch the glossy touchpad though, it's hard to use that thing if your fingers are even a little wet. I wonder how that little flaw has made it through validation testing for the last few years.

 

Good news that the screen is excellent. Any idea what make it is?

 

Well, I'm trying to save a few things for the full review, but since you're crying about it I might as well tell you that the tray-loading optical drive on our review unit sits very flush to the rest of the chassis. It doesn't look like it sticks out at all and you have to rub your finger over the seam to tell were the chassis ends and the optical drive begins.

 

NBR gets what HP sends them. I don't believe there's much choice in the matter on our part.

I really like this notebook from what I've seen from afar. It's nice to be enthused about AMD again for some other than the price. Now that the 1510 only offers WXGA+ or WUXGA screen, the dv5z makes a nice bargain alternative for those of use who prefer a high resolution screen.

 

I'm really surprised and quite pleased that HP is releasing consumer grade machines with high resolution screens and a decent GPU. It's about time! I'm currently shopping for a new home machine and this one is looks very good. Thanks Jerry, we're looking forward to the full review.

 

Great first look! Will the full review will you look at:

• Does the dv5z with an ultra proc and the HD 3450 upgrade support Hybrid Crossfire for sure?
• Will the full review mention Hybrid Crossfire in any way?
• Will you look at a 64 bit OS with 8GB RAM installed?

Hoping to order one of these soon, but honestly I am waiting for the full review now

Thanks!

 

Awesome laptop

Love the idea that a sub $900 notebook can play HD content on a WSXGA+ screen.

Well played HP/ATi, well played.

 

I believe the HD 3450 config will support Hybrid Crossfire, but I can't confirm that with 100 percent certainty since we only have the HD 3200 in the office at this time.

Yes, we would be fools not to mention the Hybrid capabilities of the new Puma platform in the full review. However, it won't be a major focus of the review since this system only has HD 3200. (If we dedicated a huge chunk of the review to the new Hybrid mode it would just confuse the heck out of most of our site visitors because this configuration doesn't have it.)

Eventually we will look at notebooks with 8GB of system RAM running 64-bit Vista, but not right now since we don't have 8GB (4GB x 2) of RAM that will fit into any of the 64-bit notebooks. We will eventually ... so stay tuned.

 

How much heat does dv5z produce? For me, DV2000T is way too hot on the left side.

 

Pretty much spot on for crossfire estimate (I think HD3450 get a little less than 2000 pts)

 

no firewire port ? I can't belive!!.. . can someone confirm ????

 

There appears to be a covered RJ-11 jack. Does this still have a dial-up modem? Dial-up is still used (in prepaid card form) in some countries I visit.

Thanks

 

I checked out the configuration page on the HP site. The modem is an optional $10 upgrade.

 

Yeap I should learn to read.

Still a great deal though.

 

This thing looks ugly. I prefer the look of the previous HP 5000 series.

The silver side where the ports are located does not look good at all. It would seem that HP has copied Dell or Toshiba?

Why has HP regressed in design?