HP Pavilion dv9010TX

In a recent roundup, we previewed five desktop-replacement laptops with the HP DV9010TX being one of the machines that made the cut. The term "Desktop Replacement"—in case you are wondering what it means—is used to refer to an emerging segment of laptops which generally have a 17-inch screen, dual-core processors, lots of storage space and pack in at least 1 GB of system memory. Due to their powerful specifications, these machines generally suffer in regards to battery life and weight. Keeping in mind all the above specifications, the HP dv9010TX easily fits into this category. From its configuration, it seems to be very fast, let us see if it actually delivers.

The latest range from HP and Compaq (Compaq is part of HP) is simply amazing. The dv9010TX has a glossy black outer body and the area surrounding the keyboard is glossy silver making for a good contrast. Again, the glossy body is like a finger print 'magnet' which captures even the slightest touch but at the same time is also scratch resistant.




All the ports are on the front and the side with no ports on the back. The dv9010TX weighs around 3.5 kg, and this is a good factor considering that other laptops weigh almost the same but come in smaller screen sizes such as 14 or 15-inch.

Features
Keeping in mind the segment this laptop is aimed at, HP has certainly not skimped on anything. The laptop packs in a huge array of connectivity options with 4 USB 2.0 slots, 1 Firewire port, S-Video and VGA out. The LCD panel of this laptop is a 17-inch monitor wide-screen with a native resolution of 1440 x 900. This resolution makes it as 720p HD capable. The laptop also comes with two 80GB SATA hard drives. Though the hard drives aren’t connected in any form of RAID, you can keep the laptop running if one goes bust. But keep in mind that the OS is loaded only on one drive. Another feature in terms of "desktop replacement" you will appreciate, is the full-size 101-key keyboard with a full-fledged numeric pad. The keys are well spaced out and firm enough with a good tactile response.

In terms of support of optical media we were pleasantly surprised to find that the bundled drive not only supports Dual-layer DVD media it is also LightScribe capable! LightScribe is a technology that can make labels on the CD or DVD in grayscale, using the same DVD writer. You just need special media. LightScribe CDs are available for as less as Rs. 30. The LightScribe technology has been developed by HP.



Another noteworthy feature of this laptop is the fact that it has HD (High Definition) Audio. High definition audio supports multi-streaming i.e. you can send more than one audio signal to different audio devices at the same time. Also, HD audio provides 7.1 channel surround sound with a maximum of 192 KHz sampling rate at up to 32 bit resolution as opposed to other onboard chips which support a maximum of 48 KHz sampling rate and 20 bit resolution even though it comes with surround sound. A higher sampling rate accounts for better audio quality.

Other features that deserve a special mention include, Gigabit LAN -1000 Mpbs transfer speeds as opposed to 100 Mpbs of normal LAN), Altec Lansing inbuilt speakers—reasonably loud and much better sounding than other laptops, integrated Bluetooth, ExpressCard Slot (the next generation substitute of the PCMCIA card), 1.3 MegaPixel Webcam with dual microphones—and last but not the least, an HDMI input. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It’s a digital interface that combines both high definition video and multi-channel audio in a single interface using a single cable. So you can connect all the devices with HDMI-out to the laptop which also includes the PS3.

Performance
The DV9010TX signals HP’s move to the new Core2Duo platform better known as Merom. The new platform was recently launched by Intel and apart from the obvious performance jump promised better battery life. In this case the DV9010TX is powered by T5600 Core 2 Duo Processor running at 1.83 GHz, and has 2 GB (1GB x 2) of RAM running at 667 MHz. This makes for a blazing fast machine and is confirmed by the PCMark 2005’s score. The dv9010TX got a overall score of 4217 points. In comparison we got around 4500 points for AMD’s FX-53 desktop processor—AMD’s top-of-the-line processor—before the FX-55 and FX-60. So you can very well gauge the performance here, especially for a mobile platform.

The 9010TX also comes with Nvidia’s Go 7600 graphics processor. To test its gaming prowess we ran 3DMark 2006 on it. It scored 2192 points. To give you an idea, its desktop counterpart, the 7600GT a mid-segment card, scores around 3300 points in 3DMark 2006. For Prey, at 1024 x 768 (in wide-screen mode) under high settings, we got about 55-60 frames per second. In short, the gaming performance is way above average. The Go 7600 is also rated for Nvidia's own PureVideo technology which promises better video quality and is capable of outputting high-definition video.

We were pleasantly surprised with the battery life. It comes with a 8-cell battery and lasted our battery eater pro test for 1 hour 43 minutes. That’s very good for a desktop replacement laptop.

Specifications Table

Model	HP Pavilion dv9010TX
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T5600, 1.83 GHz
Chipset	Intel 945PM Express
Memory	2GB DDR2 (667 MHz, 1024 MB x 2)
Optical Drive	Super Multi Drive 8x DVD Writer 8x Double Layer (8.5 GB) DVD+/- RW, +/-R Writer DVD: 8x +/- write, 4x +/- re-write, 8x read DVD+R DL: 4x read, 2.4x write CD: 24x write, 16x re-write, 24x read max speed DVD-RAM: 5x read and write LightScribe Technology
Video Graphics	Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 256 MB
Monitor	17-inch wide-screen color TFT, Native Resolution: 1440 x 900
In-Built Speakers	Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers
Connectivity	10/100/1000 Network Card, 56k Modem, 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN
Battery	8 cell Lithium Ion
Interface	ExpressCard/54 slot Expansion port for HP Notebook Expansion Base xb3000 (optional) One Headphone/Line-Out (S/PDIF Enabled) One Microphone In HDMI Input port Four USB 2.0 ports One IEEE 1394 port (4 pins) One S-Video TV-Out One RJ-11 Modem One RJ45 NIC One DC Power In One VGA out Kensington Lock Slot Two Omni-directional Microphones
OS	Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Additional Features	5-in-1 card reader, Bluetooth, 1.3 MP Webcam with dual microphones
Dimensions	(H x W x D): 1.64 x 15.59 x 11.22 inches
Weight	3.53 Kgs
Warranty	1 year
Price	Rs 95,000

Conclusion
The 9010TX is a master at it's game. 17-inch wide screen goodness, a powerful T5600 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, a dual layer LightScribe DVD writer, a HDMI input, Nvidia’s Go 7600 graphics processor and an 8 cell battery which lasts an impressive 1 hour 45 minutes. There is nothing which holds back this monster except the price—it costs Rs. 95,000. Well, good things don't come cheap!

Laptop sourced from Croma, Juhu (Mumbai)