HP Pavilion ZV5000: Begs the Sarcastic Question, "Why Didn't You Get the Big Laptop?"
Written: Aug 04 '04 (Updated Aug 04 '04)
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Pros: Good power, great display, nice innovations, decent battery
Cons: Big n' bulky
The Bottom Line: Large and unwieldy, but aside from that it is a very good bargain with great options & useful "bonuses." For my money (nothing) I couldn't be happier.
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| lambchops's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion zv5000 (559158) PC Notebo... |
It came as no surprise that Best Buy gave me a new laptop following what I refer to as “the incident.” Basically, I dropped my laptop purchased in December 2002 (a Toshiba Satellite 1905-S301) on the floor and both the LCD screen and PCMCIA slots were rendered useless. I had managed to back up my documents and e-mail on from the hard drive (fortunately) so when the news came down after nearly a month in the shop I was pleased with the decision.
I was getting a new laptop computer. Since my computer was over a year and a half old, I knew that whatever I got would be a great improvement in both performance and options. I was given very few choices. Best Buy wanted me to buy an eMachines laptop. I nixed that immediately and told him that I was under no circumstances going to buy an eMachine. He baulked, but I didn’t care. My other two options were another Toshiba or a Hewlett Packard. After asking which had firewire and the salesman not knowing, I did my own inspection to find that only the HP did so that was in the end my final choice.
The replacement computer I ended up with is an HP Pavilion ZV5000 series notebook. It is much, much nicer than what I originally had and since it was free (errr, sort of) I really cannot complain about much. Heck, I could have gotten stuck with that EMachines junker in which case I would be complaining like mad right now instead of offering up praise. Hewlett Packard, which is actually part of Compaq, was definitely not my first choice in laptops. I would prefer a Dell or a Toshiba over it any day of the week--but like I stated I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Fortunately, my new HP (dubbed Narcisse after a character in a Clive Barker story) is a good and thus far sturdy model.
First things first. Size. The HP Pavilion ZV5000 is massive. It is by no means a compact portable and should be considered a “desktop replacement” and not something for the mobile professional. It weighs 7.9lbs (compared to my old Toshiba’s 8.38lbs) and boasts a widescreen 15.4 display perfectly suited for DVD play and design alike. This widescreen display proves to be a blessing and a burden all at the same time. It bumps the dimensions of the entire computer up to 14.3” long by 11.6” wide, a size which requires some care in choosing an appropriate bag. It also makes for a wider keyboard which works well with my not-so-dainty hands.
My particular ZV5000 model is the Best Buy specific ZV5240 which bumps the specs up significantly from the bargain base model. I am satisfied with the 60GB EIDE hard drive (4200 RPM). More would have been good, but for the price I can not complain. The system boasts 512 RAM which includes 128MB shared video memory (the video card is a ATI Mobility Radeon 9000). This is more than what was on my previous notebook, so again I’m fine with it but would have preferred more (in a perfect world, of course). The processor is a Pentium 4 3.0GHz with hyper-threading technology (another major improvement on the Satellite which was just a 2.0GHz). With a built in modem and network card in addition to 802.11g wireless (which supports the old b standard), my HP provides all the latest network connectivity. With three USB 2.0 ports, firewire (IEEE 1394), and built-in 5-in-1 digital media reader (supporting Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and SmartMedia), the ZV5000 series computer provides all the necessities and a few extras which have proven useful in digital photography.
While my new computer regrettably doesn’t come with a disk drive, there is that option. I doubt I’ll actually buy the peripheral though it will be interesting to see how I deal without the old trusty 3.5” drive. The CD-ROM is actually a CD burner (24x24x24) and DVD reader (8x) in one. This is a scant improvement on my old Satellite, so I am fine with it. One marked improvement for me is with the internal speakers. The harman/kardon 16-bit stereo sound is worlds better than the generic and unpredictable/oft-crackly sound of my old computer.
As far as input devices go, the notebook comes with a fancy touch pad. In fact, I really like this feature. I’ve never been a fan of the lack of responsiveness with most touch pads, this one is nice. It comes with the typical touch area and two buttons. Additionally, it has a textured area slightly to the right for scrolling. To this I say hallelujah--it’s about time. However, I do instead tend to use a peripheral infrared mouse instead despite my appreciation of HP’s lovely touch pad innovation. Speaking of useful buttons, HP also has a few easily accessible toggle options. It is simple to turn off your touch pad (unlike on my old computer). There’s a button for it just above (get this) the touch pad. You can also toggle your wireless in much the same manner. Oh yeah, and the battery is the expected Lithium Ion, though in the case of the Pavilion it seems to last relatively well (a few hours) as compared to my old Satellite which didn’t seem to do quite as well.
One final thing to mention is that the ZV5000 doesn’t come with good software. It comes standard with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (blech), the newest (double blech) Microsoft Works, Quicken New User Edition, Microsoft Money, Encarta Plus, among various other HP imaging software. I’m not impressed by this but fortunately have other better software at my disposal. The final cost of the computer (had it not been a “free replacement”) with rebates is right now about $1300--maybe a little less. For the price I’ve been impressed thus far--especially with the display and sound. It definitely isn’t a good choice if you are looking for something light and mobile, but if your laptop is your only computer the HP ZV5000 is worth investigating.
Good, bordering on great, computer from Hewlett Packard.
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Nerdy Specifications:
Processor: Pentium 4 3.0GHz with hyper-threading technology
RAM: 512MB shared
Video Memory: 128 shared
Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 9000
Display: 15.4 WXGA widescreen (1280 x 800)
Hard Drive: 60GB EIDE 4200RPM
Optical Drive: CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo
Networking: Built-in LAN and Modem
Wireless: Built-in 802.11g
Battery: Lithium Ion
Audio: Built-in harman/kardon speakers with 16-bit Sound Blaster Pro-compatible card
Peripheral Connections: 3 USB 2.0, 1 IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1 PCMCIA, 5-in-1 Digital Media (support for Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and SmartMedia)
Weight: 7.9lbs
Dimensions: 14.3” long, 11.6” wide, 1.8” height
Warranty: 1 year limited parts and labor
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Related Reviews:
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http://www.epinions.com/content_83195104900
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http://www.epinions.com/content_83189010052
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http://www.epinions.com/content_99059928708
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Recommended:
Yes
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
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 - Top 50 |
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Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Reviews written: 1172
Trusted by: 841 members
About Me:
Bye-bye CL hat. Hopefully I'll write some new reviews some time soon!
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