Bigger and Shinier
Just a few months back we had the opportunity to review HP's Pavilion dv3000 and we were left quite impressed with both its build and performance. With the recent launch of the Intel Centrino 2 platform and the subsequent plethora of Centrino 2 based notebooks, it's no surprise then, to find that the HP Pavilion dv7 has made its way to our labs. As the model name may hint, the dv7 is a much bigger and updated version of the dv3000, but you'll still find that there are pretty similar design aesthetics that are part of HP's current design lineup.
As a desktop replacement class notebook, the dv7 exudes the same classy and elegant look of the dv3000 and obviously packs Intel Centrino 2 technology to do its magic. It also features a pretty decent amount of entertainment options, from a TV tuner to a capable gaming experience and you can even upgrade to a Blu-ray drive to make full use of the HDMI output (though this option was not found in our review model).
The HP Pavilion dv7 in all its familiar looking glory.
The front of the dv7 sports the IR sensor and the headphone and microphone jacks.
The right side of the dv7 has two USB 2.0 ports, a DVD drive (that's upgradable to a Blu-ray Drive), the TV antenna jack, a modem jack and the power jack.
The left side plays hosts to more ports, and as you can see we have a ExpressCard 54 slot, a 5-in-1 card reader, a FireWire port, one USB 2.0 port, one USB-eSATA combo port, a HDMI port, a LAN port, an Expansion Port 3 (HP's proprietary docking connector), an analog video out and a Kensington lock.
Silver Surfer
Apart from a few minor cosmetic changes to the overall design, the HP Pavilion dv7 both resembles and feels like the dv3000, and if you look at the current Pavilion line up, you'll realize that they are all pretty much similar. Then again, this really isn't an issue for us, since we like the design and feel of the current Pavilion dv series (barring a couple of things that we brought up the last time, of course), but if you're not a fan of the dv3000, then the dv7 won't change your mind anytime soon.
As you can see, it looks somewhat like its smaller dv3000 cousin, though the dv7 is more spacious and the keyboard isn't as shiny.
The standard HP Webcam with dual-array microphones for all your video conferencing needs.
The dv7 uses the same touch sensitive controls found on the dv3000 that come alive when the notebook is powered on.
The spacious layout means there's ample space for resting your palms, and the keyboard is also a joy to type with. The only problem we found using the dv7 was the lower left corner got quite warm after prolonged usage.
The same shiny trackpad which we didn't quite like on the dv3000 makes its way to the dv7.
The dv7 has a decent speaker system including a subwoofer (more on that later) and delivered a pretty good audio experience.
Software Redux
Possibly one of the more fun things to do with the dv7 is using HP's QuickPlay functions, which is a whole suite of interesting (and fun) products that you'll probably enjoy using (or abusing). While the basic interface hasn't changed much since we last reviewed the dv3000, the programs on the dv7 have definitely been upgraded to provide a much richer experience. For example, the Internet TV service has more channels compared to the last time when we reviewed the dv3000. Also, HP will be bundling some very nifty software such as Motorola's SoftStylus.
The nifty SoftStylus program is a program that allows you to write with your fingers on the touchpad. Unfortunately, the program is currently only available in the Hong Kong and Taiwan region but HP may consider installing it for the local region if there's a demand for it. Luckily, our powers of persuasion was up to the task and we managed to convince HP to install it on the dv7 for us to test. The program utilizes the trackpad to write with and our tests showed that it's both really easy to use and accurate.
Interior Design
Hardware wise, as one of the latest models to use Intel's latest Centrino 2 platform, the HP Pavilion dv7 comes loaded with more than decent hardware: like an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, discrete graphics from NVIDIA and a healthy amount (4GB) of RAM that is fully utilized by the included 64-bit Windows Vista OS. This time around, instead of sending us a top of the line model just for the sake of getting unrealistically high benchmarks scores, HP has assured us that the model we received will be exactly what's hitting the retail market pretty soon. Factor all that in and you'll find that dv7 comes across as a solid all-rounder that's more than capable of productivity, gaming, multimedia and more.
The underbelly of the dv7 is kept simple and clean, with only one large panel to remove.
Seen here is a close up of the dv7's subwoofer and while it wasn't quite as boomy as we would have liked it, it was still a pretty decent subwoofer.
Opening the panel revealed a spacious interior with easy access to both the hard disk and RAM. Also spotted were the TV antennas and the Wi-Fi chip.
Battery Life and Portability Index
Given that the dv7's really more of a desktop replacement notebook as compared to a portable computer, we don't really expect the notebook to last very long on battery, but with Intel promising us loads of power saving measures for the new Centrino 2 platform, it would be interesting to see whether there was any impact, though it's probably safe to say that the dv7 isn't really a power guzzling hog like some other desktop replacements that we've reviewed before.
As per our standard procedures, we looped a DVD on the dv7 at our standard settings of 50% brightness and volume and boy were we surprised by the results. Given the fact that the dv7 has a much larger screen and a sub-woofer to boot, our test showed that the unit lasted a cool 139 minutes, even longer than the smaller dv3000. Don't however, jump for joy just yet as the reason for the much better battery life was due to the higher capacity 8-cell battery that the dv7 was using. It's still pretty darn good however.
Portablity Index
Using the results obtained above, we then calculated the portability index of the dv7 based on our own internal formula and found that the dv7 scored a very low figure of 0.132 which, given its substantial weight of 3.46kg and large 17-inch design, it's no surprise that it scored much lower score compared to the dv3000 or the other previously reviewed notebooks.
Performance Benchmarking
Since the dv7 is the first Intel Centrino 2 based notebook that we'll be reviewing, we only have at hand older Santa Rosa based notebooks to go mano-a-mano with the dv7 and we have selected the following models based on their hardware specifications.
Specifications / Notebook | HP Pavilion dv7 | HP Pavilion dv3000 | Toshiba Portege M800 | MSI GX600 |
Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400 (2.26GHz) with 3MB L2 cache | Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9500 (2.6GHz) with 6MB L2 cache | Intel Core 2 Duo processor T8300 (2.4GHz) with 3MB L2 cache | Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB L2 cache) |
Chipset | Intel PM45 | Intel PM965 | Intel GM965 | Intel PM965 |
FSB | 1066MHz | 800MHz | 800MHz | 800MHz |
Memory | 2 x 2GB DDR2 | 2 x 2GB DDR2 | 2 x 1GB DDR2 | 2 x 1GB DDR2 |
HDD | 1 x Western Digital 320GB SATA ( WD-3200BEVT) 5400RPM / 8MB Buffer | 1 x Hitachi 250GB SATA (HTS54252K9SA00) 5400RPM / 8MB Buffer | 1 x Hitachi 250GB SATA (HTS54252K9SA00) 5400RPM / 8MB Buffer | 1 x Western Digital 250GB SATA (WD2500BEVS-22UST0) - 5400RPM / 8MB Buffer |
Video | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT | NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS | Intel GMA X3100 | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT |
System Benchmarks
The HP Pavilion dv7 scored pretty well in our PCMark05 benchmarks, possibly due to its more balanced hardware specifications. While its overall system score did better than the dv3000 and the Toshiba Portege M800 by a fair bit, it was barely on par with another desktop replacement, the MSI GX600 in Turbo Mode. Unsurprisingly, the dv7 didn't do too well compared to the others in the CPU department, as it's using a slightly less powerful processor with a smaller cache compared to the dv3000 (our review unit then was souped up to the max), the M800 and the GX600, whose processor is actually overclocked via Turbo Mode.
Comparing the dv7 against the dv3000 on the newer PCMark Vantage benchmarks revealed that the older dv3000 does score much better for some of the tests, including the main PCMark Suite test. The dv7, however does much better in gaming and productivity suites, thanks to its NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT chipset.
Graphics Benchmarks
On the graphical end of things, thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT chipset on the dv7, the unit was able to easily beat the other machines by a significant factor. Do note that this is also solely due to the fact that these notebooks were using an older 8400M GS or 8600M GS/GT graphics chipsets and that the dv7 is the one of the first 9600M GT based notebooks so it's understandable why the dv7 pulled ahead in the 3DMark06 scores.
In real gaming tests via Quake 4 however, the MSI GX600 was ahead of the dv7 due to the GX600's Turbo Mode setting, which gave it a slight edge (as surmised earlier in our GX600 review) due to its faster, overclocked CPU. A more GPU dependent game would probably give the edge to the dv7's newer graphics chipset, and we'll find out if this holds true when we get our hands on more Centrino 2 based notebooks for review.
More of the Same?
If bigger is better, then the HP Pavilion dv7 is certainly that, given what we've seen and experienced during our hands-on testing of the unit. In fact, the size helps to seal the deal for the dv7; it's an entertainment unit and it's capable of some level of gaming but it actually manages to look and feel pretty thin and slim in spite of that. Given its ample real estate, HP has made good use of the space with a decent keyboard layout, with generous connectivity options that doesn't feel cluttered.
If you're a fan of glossy reflective surfaces, then you'll love the shiny look of the current HP Pavilion series. Luckily, it's not that fingerprint prone thanks to the imprint coating used but we do have some reservations over the flushed glass panel that's really reflective and somewhat distracting when you're using it. It's undoubtedly nice to look at, but we do prefer a less reflective surface when watching videos.
If you're looking for a desktop replacement you can rely on, the HP Pavilion dv7 is a good, versatile choice with its all-round performance capabilities and multimedia functions.
Slated to retail from S$3099, the HP Pavilion dv7 isn't really that expensive compared to the current range of similarly configured competitors. The feel and build of the unit though, will appeal to both new notebook owners and veterans looking for an additional notebook to play with. Given the appeal that we've seen in the previous dv3000 and considering that the dv7 is a bigger version of the dv3000, we're going to probably say that HP has a definite winner on their hands, if of course, consumers don't mind paying for it.
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.