Specs:CPU: AMD Zacate 1.6GHz Dual Core
Memory: 2x4 GB Allcomponents Memory
HDD: On Video Seagate 320GB 7200 RPM
*Boot time reference 128GB Samsung PM800
Video: HD6310 APU
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Screen: 11.6 inch LED display
Price: Base system $428 free shipping w/o taxes
Total with upgrades: $670 with taxes.
I've owned the HP Pavilion DM1Z now for two weeks. During this time I've managed to use it under various conditions. I've used it as a word processor, as an MP3 player, as a video player and as a gaming unit.
This is AMD's first outing incorporating video and processor under one microchip. The result is a chip that is able to run everything without the need for more cooling and more battery use.
Currently, the Zacate e-350 uses 18 watts. This is while running at 1.6 GHz dual core and a GPU Clock of 500 MHZ. The GPU has 80 cores too, which enable it to render 1080p HD content without much hesitation.
The chipset, which is nicknamed Bobcat, is not meant to be a processing or rendering beast, but instead a chip that can combine every day processing, while also being able to be used as a multimedia device.
The processor has the capability to decode H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 with hardware acceleration. It also supports STS-HD MA bitstreaming over HDMI and Dolby TrueHD. This makes the Zacate more capable than Intel Atom processors when incorporated in a multimedia unit.
The one drawback, currently due to Adobe Flash and the Zacate architecture, is the ability to cleanly run Flash video at 1080p. Some people are experiencing lag when running video in full screen and when using the HDMI out on their screen.
What happens is that the CPU cores get maxed out trying to render the video and the video comes out choppy. Something AMD is aware of and is currently working with Adobe to fix.
The HP Pavilion DM1Z:
The laptop itself is a nice looking laptop. It has a glossy outside shell with a footprint design.
The feel of the laptop is sturdy, with a well-built chassis. I couldn't find any parts that raddled or any gaps in between components.
The netbook does not come with a DVD/CD player. You will have to purchase that separately.
Keyboard:
The Chicklet styled keyboard has become a big deal ever since Apple popularized it on the laptops. Coming from an IBM x61s and a MacBook Air, the keyboard is solid. It's a full-sized keyboard with minor inconvenience. I do miss the END, HOME and Page UP and Page Down keys. Something IBM was able to implement on their X series.
The keyboard has dedicated multimedia buttons on the top. Rather than looking for the function keys to make the screen dimmer or brighter, they are just assigned. The same thing can be said for the Multimedia control buttons. I would like to see these buttons control other multimedia devices/players on the background. Currently, they only control Windows Media Player, but I use iTunes to catalog my music. The only way to go to a next track is by pulling up iTunes and then pressing the NEXT key, which defeats the purpose.
Mouse/Track Pad:
Though not as good as a MacBook, it is pretty good. However, I'm noticed that sometimes while typing if my hand goes over the trackpad it can cause the pointer to move. This can be a problem if you are typing away without looking at the screen.
You can use two fingers to scroll up and down on a page and also make a page larger or smaller.
Overall, an improvement over the regular trackpad, but I wish it was better thought out.
INPUTS: 3 USB 2.0, HMDI, 1 headphone jack, SD card reader, Kensington Lock
On the right side of the netbook there is a Memory card reader, a headphone jack, 2 USB 2.0 inputs, and a networking cable jack capable of 10/100/1000 speeds.
The cover design for the network adapter is awful. To fully access the adapter you have to lift the laptop a bit on the right-hand-side and move the cover. Some manufactures do not cover the network adapter, but HP did.
On the left hand side of the device there is another USB 2.0, an HDMI input, the fan outtake Kensington lock hole and the AC adapter.
Screen:
The screen is truly beautiful. The 11.6" HP BrightView LED display runs at 1366x768 with a refresh rate of 60 Hertz.
I have 3443 MB of Available Graphics Memory and 384 MB dedicated to video. This is partially due to the scaling based on the amount of memory in the system.
Graphics:
This is what one of the things that makes this processor/APU unit so unique. In computing power the E-350 compares to Intel Atom processors; however, when it comes to rendering graphics the chip is more than capable. This is where the difference between the Atom processor and the Zacate start. Rather than separating the work load on an integrated or dedicated GPU the e-350 does it all without dividing the workload.
The APU is capable to run Team Fortress 2 on default screen resolution. The settings were also set on High and I got an average of 30 FPS and a high in the 40's.
It is also able to handle Starcraft 2 at default resolution on Medium settings.
With an external USB Blu-Ray player, the DM1Z is able to play content at 1080p without hesitation.
Webcam:
The laptop comes with a Logitech made camera and special effects software. The camera is 1.3MP. However, beware that as soon as you try to do a fresh install of Windows you will lose the FX software.
Speakers:
The speakers are supplied by Altec Lansing and are Dolby Advanced. Though it's something most people will not pay attention to it does make a difference while listening to video and music. The speakers are very loud and sound great for a machine so small. In fact, I can say they are way better than a MacBook Air's 11.6" speakers.
Memory:
Currently the DM1Z is only able to work in a single channel capacity. It also works at a maximum speed of 1066. So there is no need to get 1333 memory or worry about dual channel capability.
HDD:
Sadly, the DM1Z is not able to take full advantage of a solid state drive's (SSD) speed. The controller is limited in speed and is something most users are hoping is upgraded by software patch or a BIOS update.
The Samsung PM800 boots up the system in 39 seconds from system boot up and 51 seconds when it connects to the Wi-Fi.
Battery:
The HP website states battery life is 9 hours. With the Wi-Fi on and screen set at 60% brightness it is more like 6 hours and 46 minutes.
If you have Skype on you are looking more at 4 hours of battery life.
While viewing pages with Flash you are looking at about 4-5 hours of battery life.
With the SSD drive, Wi-Fi off and screen set to the lowest viewable option I did get about 9-10 and a half hours.
Conclusion:
This is perhaps one of the easiest netbooks/notebooks to upgrade. As per the video all you need to do is take out the battery and lift up the plastic bottom. This should be a sign of how easy it is to deal with this machine.
For $427, this mobile computer is able to handle 1080p video, game TF2 on high, and Starcraft 2 on medium settings. The DM1Z is definitely on top of the list. Not to mention that at base price it is still still cheaper than its Lenovo and Sony counterparts.
My use of the DM1 was basically limited to some light web browsing. It really did not get used much--perhaps an average of thirty minutes per day. It actually never even left the house.
As I write this, my DM1 is not quite two months old. Yesterday, I used the DM1 for a few minutes of web browsing. I powered it down, closed the lid, and walked away. A while later, I started it back up and immediately noticed some issues with the display. There was a row of dead pixels and a white rectangular block of dead pixels in the top left corner of the display, and a spot that I can only describe as looking like a black ink splatter.
Today, I called HP support to report the issue. With the laptop being not quite two months old, I figured there would be no issue getting this covered under the 1-Year Limited Warranty. The HP Support Assistant told me that I was fortunate that it was under warranty. He then put me on with a Hardware Manager, or something like that. I had to describe the issue again to this individual. The Hardware Manager told me that my issue is due to a crack on the inside of the display. He said that there might not be a visible crack on the outside of the display, but there is a crack on the inside. He also told me that this could only occur from some sort of "pressure or impact". I explained to him that the laptop was never dropped or impacted in any way. He told me that if the lid had even had any pressure applied to it, then that could have been enough to cause the internal crack. He also went on to tell me that the 1-Year Limited Warranty will not cover the damages. He told me that I could have them repair it for $329 plus tax and all shipping costs.
Nothing ever happened to this laptop that should have caused any damage. There is a little bit of flex in the outer surface of the lid (behind the display). If this flex caused the crack when I last closed the laptop prior to finding the issue with the display, then I believe this would be an issue with poor build quality, not a user inflicted damage issue.
Please beware this poor build quality! The laptop was barely used and was taken very good care of. No incident occurred to cause this damage. HP will not cover it under the 1-Year Limited Warranty.
I think this is absolutely horrible of HP. Now I have to buy something else, and it definitely will not be an HP.I was really looking forward to getting this laptop after reading all the online reviews. I'm sad to say I returned the device to HP.
So the good news about the laptop is its performance. I really doesn't feel like a netbook and its ability to play 720P streaming video full screen was fantastic. It did stutter when I tried to watch 1080P streaming video full screen from YouTube, but what do you want from such a little device!
The fit and finish of the laptop is great. The keyboard is wonderful to use and I really liked the quality of the plastic used throughout.
OK, now for the bad news. The main issue I had with the laptop was the high gloss screen. If you only use this indoors in dim light then you'll be fine. But when I tried to use it in an office environment under florescent lights all I saw was reflections from the lights. If I tried to tilt the screen to get rid of the reflections then the screen became difficult to see well. This really became a show stopper for me and ultimately made me call HP to return the laptop.
Others have mentioned the almost always on fan it's a bit annoying but I could have lived with that. The only other issue I had was with its weight. Given how small the laptop is you'd expect it to weight very little just like similar sized netbooks. It feels more like a regular value-priced laptop. Again this was something I noticed but was willing to live with if it wasn't for the screen.
I really wanted to like this little guy, but on Monday it goes back to hp...nice thing about that is they picked up the return shipping costs. I'll give them high marks for customer service!I purchased this laptop directly from HP. It took more than 3 and 1/2 weeks for this laptop to be shipped from China arrive to my home address. That's the worst part!
The laptop is very nice. Even thought it's built in China, HP did a great job on the design and the material selection. The screen looks sharp and vibrant. The keyboard and battery life have dramatically improved from last year's model. I can easily get more than 8 hours if I primarily use it for internet browsing. I haven't streamed video for no more than 4 hours, but there is still about 4 hours of battery life left. I am confident that I may be able to stream for amazing 8 hours.
For the $500 range laptop, I have to say this perfect size laptop is worth every penny. It's small, light, and powerful enough to be the best ultra-portable laptop I have ever used. You have to spend about $700 to get a laptop with similar performance and less battery life. This laptop is a keeper.
Updated on 3/1/2011: Some people have stated that they are having problem with NetFlix. I have not experienced such problem since I've upgraded to 8GB DDR3 memory from the first day of this laptop usage. I strongly recommend upgrading memory since you can feel a huge difference (esp turning the laptop on and off very quickly).I purchased this direct from HP with a $30 coupon, so the total cost was $419 + tax.
Nice little netbook, faster than the Atom. Battery life was about 51/2 hours, so not too bad.
It was fine with Netflix, which is what I wanted for travel purposes as well as internet.
Recommend.
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