HP Pavilion dv3000

Zitat

Light and small enough for reasonable portability, yet powerful enough for most usage needs, the HP Pavilion dv3000 is an entertainment laptop that delivers on many verticals. Based on its performance, the dv3000 is a workhorse of a laptop that's quite comparable to the other machines that we based our performance comparisons on such as Dell's XPS M1330, though to be fair it has been some time since we reviewed the M1330 so the improved capabilities on the HP notebook were expected.

Whether you use it as an entertainment device or something for work, the dv3000 is good enough for almost everything, with some exceptions of course. For example, it's really not recommended for graphically intensive gaming even with the GeForce 8400M discrete graphics processor that the dv3000 has, because this is one of the more entry-level GPUs. Simple gaming such as some MMORPG-class and yesteryear games run perfectly fine though. However the GPU excels in HD video decoding. So watching movies and videos will definitely be a treat on this machine in addition to a bright and clear screen. Speaking of the display, we would prefer a matt screen that's not so reflective as opposed to the glossy reflective screen of the dv3000, but its current glossy screen does go well in its internal motif. The HDMI port also allows for the content to be streamed to your HD television, but without a high-definition capable optical drive (Blu-ray or HD DVD), you won't be playing HD content to your TV unless you are able to get your hands on HD quality video files.

We've also mentioned the trackpad issue earlier, but this is easily remedied with a cheap USB mouse. Although if HP had integrated a better trackpad (like those in their TX1000/2000 series), it would have made using the notebook on-the-go that much better. The glossy fingerprint attracting surface is another matter entirely of preference, so do take note if you're the type of person who dislikes ugly fingerprints all over your stuff. Costing a cool S$2,299 onwards for the basic non-souped up version, the dv3000 is a laptop which can deliver the goods without one having to be a beast of burden. However, with the Montevina platform due to be out in June, users may either want to wait for newer models or prices to fall for current Santa Rosa laptops. But hey, if the wait's too long, then the dv3000 would probably be the best compromise between affordability and a newer hardware platform.