<p>This laptop model comes with a keyboard w/ full number pad, a touchpad with left/right buttons and a center biometric fingerprint scanner, and a touchstick with three individual click buttons of its own.</p>
<p>The keyboard is laid out very nicely and is constructed well. It is a bit of a tough switch to get used to having a full numeric keypad again, but it’s a switch that has benefits that outweigh the occasional hitting the “home” key instead of “delete.” The keyboard shows no signs of flex or sag when depressing keys, and the included touchstick and buttons do not get in the way like I thought they might. When typing, I don’t even realize the touchstick is there.</p>
<p>Wireless</p>
<p>The only wireless that came with this laptop is an integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (Centrino technology). Other configurations can include internal Bluetooth, but mine did not. Instead, I added a Zoom Technologies ultra-slim PCMCIA Bluetooth card. It draws no power unless I have the Bluetooth Wireless Manager software fired up, so I just keep it in the PCMCIA slot permanently and turn it on when I need it.</p>
<p>Battery</p>
<p>The battery lasts an adequate time. When conserving power by shutting down unnecessary drains (such as wireless networking, screen brightness, and full CPU utilization), this notebook can run for hours. A session wirelessly surfing the web will drain the battery after somewhere between two and three hours, and I haven’t tested the battery while watching a DVD but I have no doubt that it will hold out for the entire length of the movie so long as other drains are minimal.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-n150-battery.html"><strong> Samsung N150 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-n150-plus-battery.html"><strong>Samsung N150 Plus Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-np-q45-battery.html"><strong>Samsung NP-Q45 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-r519-battery.html"><strong>Samsung R519 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-r540-battery.html"><strong>Samsung R540 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-r780-battery.html"><strong>Samsung R780 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-r510-battery.html"><strong>Samsung R510 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-aa-pb9nc6b-battery.html"><strong>Samsung AA-PB9NC6B Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-aa-pb4nc6b-battery.html"><strong>Samsung AA-PB4NC6B Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/samsung-aa-pb9ns6b-battery.html"><strong>Samsung AA-PB9NS6B Battery</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>I purchased this notebook from my company’s dealer, one of the largest HP dealers in Croatia. The final price I paid was around $1,800 USD including 22% for VAT, the price was $1,500 without tax. This is a very good deal considering the prices are much higher in smaller shops in Croatia. I believe this particular model (RH441EA) is unique for South and Eastern Europe since it has an originally installed Croatian keyboard and manuals.Design is, well, a standard business like black box shape with sharp edges and sturdy looks. It has a dark gray lid with the HP logo in the middle. The notebook is quite thin for its size, measuring just a bit over 3 cm (1.3 in) when closed. The overall dimensions are 1.3 x 15.5 x 10.8 in (33.0 x 393.0 x 275.0 mm).</p>
<p>Standing open on a table the notebook looks elegant. The plastic case is sturdy and thick, the metal frame inside makes sure the overall sturdiness is good. The fan grills look simple and thick. The speaker grills are somewhat simple and cheap looking. The battery is very long and narrow. It has a hook that looks a bit cheap and of poor quality in my opinion, as I keep the battery in my backpack 99% of the time I have a fear that it will break. Most people keep their batteries in their notebook and will never see this as a problem though. The USB connectors are very firm and connecting USB devices requires a firm grip and a bit of force. There is a large metal silver button for power with a large green LED on the left. It is the only metallic detail worth mentioning. I’d rate the design with 3.5 / 5. It is a business notebook after all – strong and reliable – nothing fancy.The screen frame looks thicker than I expected, it is probably necessary to support the big 17“ screen. It is strong and doesn’t bend at all, plus it makes no sound when opening and holds firm in an upright position. It has a microphone built into the top right corner.</p>
<p>The speakers are quite good. They are positioned in the front and are quite large. The sound is very good, reproducing both high and low tones. You cannot expect any bass, but they are still very good for everyday use or presentations. They are better in comparison to many notebooks I have used. Notebooks generally either have very thin and weak sound on the cheapest models or they cost so much that JBL or Harman Kardon must be included for all that money you pay. The HP Compaq nx9420 falls somewhere in the middle and has decent sound, no question about it. 4/5.</p>
<p>Processor and Performance</p>
<p>This notebook has the Intel T5600 Core 2 Duo processor with 2MB L1 cache at 1.83 GHz. The FSB is set at 667 MHz. It should be fast and many benchmark results show that. Newer models have the T7200, 7400 and 7600 processors. It is quite cool, with temperatures while idle below 40 degrees C, and while gaming around 60-65. I tried undervolting with RM clock and the gaming temperatures went down more than 10 C.</p>
<p>I have installed Vista Ultimate and it boots in 31 seconds to the login screen and close to 1 minute when to load everything (all the fancy Vista stuff + Gtalk and ATi CCC ). You can start working immediately after the login. Shutdown varies but is around 30-40 s. Hibernate (2GB RAM) needs 45s to turn off but on the other hand brings the full operation state in 22 seconds.</p>
<p>I can play FEAR at 1280×800 on high settings and other games look good and fast. CSS runs at 1680×1050 with all on high. The notebook comes originally with 1GB RAM (but there are also 512MB versions) – that is the minimum requirement for Vista optimal work. Vista uses the advanced caching technology called Superfetch (it follows the “empty ram is wasted ram” logic) and REP (Resource Exhaustion Prevention) – so it actually always uses the entire available RAM making Vista look responsive and snappy. But once you start games like FEAR you realize that 2GB is optimum for this computer. I haven’t tested the XP performance, but I expect it to be very fast.</p>
<p>I purchased the notebook directly from HP at www.hp.com. The website has a clean interface and I made my order in five minutes. The dv2500t isn’t the cheapest notebook out there, but I think it gives you the most bang for your buck. Sure you might be able to get a better deal elsewhere if you search the internet for deals and coupons and stalk the Dell site daily, but HP has fair pricing so you won’t necessarily feel buyer’s remorse after buying it.The dv2500t is by far, the slickest piece of technology that I have seen in awhile. The glossy black finish matches the lacquer of even the finest grand pianos. The new Radiance imprint keeps in tone with the chicness of the notebook. This is truly luxury on a budget. Aside from the fabulous design, the build isn’t so great, but that’s expected from a consumer notebook. The casing is made out of plastic which feels quite sturdy. There is a slight flex in the screen when being twisted, but it doesn’t feel like it’s any weaker then a magnesium-alloy notebook. The most annoying thing about the notebook is that it does collect fingerprints on the lid, but they can only be seen in the right lighting so it’s not that much of a big deal. It’s also very easy to clean up, so unless you’re meticulously clean this shouldn’t be a problem for you.</p>
<p>The monitor itself is capped at 1280 x 800 which is a drag if you prefer higher resolutions, but I feel that anything bigger on a 14.1 inch would strain the eyes too much. I love the glossy Brightview Screen though. Even with the lighting turned to the lowest setting, it still is a pleasure to view. From watching DVDs, to gaming, or even browsing the internet, the Brightview really does make everything more enjoyable due to its easiness on the eyes.For notebook speakers, HP’s incorporation of Altec Lansing branded hardware seems like a match made in heaven. I have yet to hear any distortion in the sound even with the volume maxed. The only problem that I have with them is their placement. The speakers are at the top of the notebook and that’s fine you’re doing something with the screen open, but say you want to listen to some music and keep the screen closed, the sound gets slightly muffled.</p>
<p>Battery Life</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps2c-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS2C Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vaio-vgn-fz-battery.html"><strong>Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vaio-vgn-nr-battery.html"><strong>Sony VAIO VGN-NR Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13_s-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13/S Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13a_q-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps22-battery.html"><strong>SONY VGP-BPS22 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps2b-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS2B Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13b_s-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13B/S Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13a_s-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13A/S Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dearbattery.co.uk/sony-vgp-bps13s-battery.html"><strong>Sony VGP-BPS13S Battery</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>The battery life of the 12 cell is more or less what I expected. With high performance on and brightness maxed I get on average four hours and 30 minutes to five hours of battery life and if everything is lowered with wireless off, I get roughly 5:30 to 6 hours.</p>
<p>Nvidia 8400M GS</p>
<p>One word. Brilliant. I couldn’t have expected the GPU to work any better. I’m playing some of my favorite games at near max settings such as Battlefield 2, Granado Espada, Counterstrike Source, and Company of Heroes. Below, you’ll find screenshots of these games, because a picture is much better then me blabbering about how great it is. Counterstrike: Source didn’t turn out so well with settings on max so I changed it to 2x AA and 2x AF for much better performance. Likewise, Company of Heroes is playable on high settings if you don’t mind low frame rates, but changing the settings to medium provided much higher frame rates.After a quick install of the drivers located on the included CD I was able to begin watching TV on my dv2500t. The Quickplay program does a scan for the local channels and soon there is an array to pick from. I immediately go for anything that has HD in its name. TV runs very smoothly on the dv2500t and there’s only a slight lag when I’m going to a new channel that I have never loaded. Recording is easy to learn, but it’s a hassle without a TV guide. There’s a schedule located within Quickplay, but you have to look at the schedule, remember what you want, and then back out to the menu to go to the recording portion of Quickplay and input the channel and times you wish to record. Recorded TV shows are in MPEG format and take up an immense amount of space because they’re uncompressed.</p>