HP Pavilion DV9812US 17" Laptop (AMD Turion 64 X 2 Dual Core TL-60 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

List Price: $1,187.00 Discount Price: $949.99

Features:

• Entertainment-centric notebook PC with widescreen 17-inch LCD and stylish high-gloss finish with wave imprint, integrated webcam
• 64-bit 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 dual-core processor, 250 GB hard drive, 3 GB RAM (4 GB max), LightScribe dual-layer DVD drive
• Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); 10/100 Ethernet; Nvidia GeForce Go 7150M graphics (up to 1071 MB of available memory)
• Connectivity: 4 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, ExpressCard 54/34, 5-in-1 memory card reader
• Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (Service Pack 1); includes remote control

Customer Reviews:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly [Posted on 2008-07-01]
OVERVIEW:
I purchased this laptop because it has a large amount of memory and hard drive space (4GB memory, 320GB hard drive), it has a dual core Pentium processor, and also important is a separate graphic system (NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS) that doesn't suck performance like on other laptops.

It comes installed with Vista Home Premium, which is the basics + multimedia (similar to XP Multimedia Edition in product positioning), and it comes with a folder of installers and drivers, should you want to back that up and install your own clean version of Vista without the fluff or junk.

Some nice things about the laptop is that is sports 4 USB ports and a firewire port for access to external devices, and has the newer PC Card expansion slot. It has a DVD recorder with BlueRay playback (haven't tried it yet), decent speakers (Altec Lansing), memory card reader, HDMI port, S-Video, and the standard modem and ethernet port. The coolest thing, should you need it to store all your music and videos, is a secondary drive bay to hold another hard drive, so you can get another 320 GB drive should you need that.

PERFORMANCE:

Overall, the performance is reasonable, but I know I could get more mileage with Windows XP, as lesser powered systems are more responsive. Vista has some nice features, but is not as responsive as XP. Many times, at least 2-3 times a week, I have stuff crash. Explorer (clicking on Start Menu) and Internet Explorer have crashed, and some programs seem to lock up and choke the system of resources, making other programs unresponsive. Programs requiring administrative access, sometimes take 30 seconds before you get a dialog to "allow" the program to run.

The worst problem I've had is when the video driver bugs out frequently when using programs that use full screen (DirectX) like 3D video games. Windows notes the NVIDIA driver at fault. I updated the driver, but still have these problems, where the screen goes completely black, is unresponsive, until Vista resets the driver, and I get a display again.

Another major problem, is that the multimedia controls, like sound volume, lock up my programs. In addition to raising/lowering the volume, it draws a graphic to show feedback of settings, but in doing so, my program is momentarily frozen. When playing an online video game like Warcraft during an intense moment, this well, was frustrating.

OTHER NOTES:

I think there are two design issues with the laptop: the keyboard and speaker grill:

The speaker grill has tendency to not stay attached. Inspect your model carefully to make sure there are no flaws, and purchase an extended warranty in case a portion of the grill cover pops up in the future. I had to exchange my first laptop immediately at Fry's because of this.

The keyboard keys have open spaces between the keys and sharp edges. Thus it is easy to pop the keys off and destroy the keyboard. If you had this laptop in a bag with papers and folders for instance, the flat thin object could rip out the keys. So, I recommend keeping the black cloth that came with the box, and place it above the keyboard when transporting as well as keep the laptop in a separate cover or bag if placed in bigger luggage (such as large computer bag) to protect the delicate keys.

INSTALLING XP or OTHER OSes:

HP doesn't support installing Windows XP, and so the Windows XP drivers are not available. In order to install XP, you'll have to be really computer savvy. You'll need to identify the devices (use device manager), and get the Windows XP drivers from the chipset vendors.

If that sounds complicated, well, it gets worse. Even after grabbing the needed drivers, you'll find that Windows XP will not recognize the hard drive during installation. There's a new serial ATA chipset from Intel, so you'll need to get drivers on a floppy disk and use the F6 option when installing XP. Even worse, is that it wasn't easy to find, I have to scour the internet, and what I have I'm not sure will work.

I wouldn't recommend destroying existing OS, as you'll need it for support calls if there is something wrong with hardware. You'll have to create partitions for XP (Vista has limitations, so I used Linux live CD). After you get XP installed on another partition, you will have to get some utility to boot between Vista and XP, or install Linux to help juggle all the OSes.

As for Linux and other OSes, I notice at least one problem chipset from RICOH, which is well known for not supporting non-Windows OSes. Thus, some or many components of the laptop may not work under Linux.

For installing your own Vista, HP does not give you your own install CD, so you'll either have to buy a full retail version, or purchase an OEM install CD w/o license key, which may be accessible through dealer channels (talk to your local small computer shop). As Vista Home Premium is limited, I would recommend upgrading to Ultimate if you can afford the added expense. Ultimate is business + multimedia essentially.

If that sounds complex, well, it unfortunately is quite involved. I tried my best to keep the technical side simple, but HP lack of support for XP and Vista woes makes this difficult.

LAST WORDS:

Overall, I think the laptop is a good deal for the price tag. The unfortunate circumstance with Vista is a problem with other pre-installed-Windows laptops as well. We're all forced to go that direction, as that's whats is sold from big companies (except Apple naturally).

The multimedia features is a nice bonus, but not a major selling point for my casual usage. The biggest selling point for me on this laptop, is the separate video card for increased performance (increased performance just perhaps not under Vista), and the secondary drive bay is nice for media collectors.

Great laptop, can't say much for the OS [Posted on 2008-07-03]
The only bad thing about this laptop is the fact that Microsoft has once again shoved an inferior OS down our throat by the name of Vista. Too bad HP is not allowed to upgrade this from Vista to XP or Win2000 would be even better!

No la compres [Posted on 2008-07-03]
Es la peor lap que he comprado!!!
Tiene un problema en la pantalla... se pone blanca... claro que tiene garantía HP... pero ya la he regresado 3 veces... si... escuchaste bien... 3 veces... y la respuesta de HP siempre es la misma... disculpe señor ahora si la vamos a reparar...

HP Pavilion dv9812us [Posted on 2008-07-03]
This has been a great notebook computer for me. Some reviewers complained about it being heavier than others, but duh! It is a bigger notebook with a wide screen. The wide screen has worked great for doing my graphic design work on with lots of room for windows and palettes. Its fast with plenty of memory.

Poor Ergonomic Design, Other Problems [Posted on 2008-07-05]
After months of research, I bought this computer when the price seemed right ($700), mostly based on its good reviews, because it seemed to incorporate all the features I needed for a semi-replacement to my aging desktop.

I have had several laptops and this rates lowest, despite its sleek look and large screen.

I had hoped the unit would double as a DVD viewer at times, the main reason I went with the 17" screen. However, the sound set at highest volume is not loud enough to be heard from more than about 4 feet away, and even then, the audio quality if poor.

The DVD tray vibrates alarmingly when started and takes a lo-o-o-ong time to load.

The weight does not seem an obstacle in the beginning. That is, until you pack your padded computer bag -- vital especially with such a large screen surface -- with the hefty charger, much less a spare battery. This puts the total weight at about 10 lbs., which should keep your chiropractor busy if you choose to carry it on your shoulder. (Even if you are young and in good shape, this will come back to haunt you in later years when you are surprised to learn that your rotator cuff is shot.)

The mouse has a mind of its own, the cursor mysteriously disappearing and reappearing elsewhere on the screen during use.

But most bewildering of all is the placement of the pad-mouse itself, toward the left side of the unit. Since most people are right-handed, it would only make sense to place the mouse to the right side of the machine, or at the very least, in the middle. Its placement on the left makes balancing the large and heavy machine on a lap challenging, plus one's hands feel crowded to the one side. The opportunity to provide a roomier feel, as in a desktop, was sadly lost.

I would never purchase this computer again, even at a much lower price.

Click here for more details and discount information...