HP products review


HP Pavilion zd7000 review

Microsoft has upgraded its TV- andCard slot. A fixed DVD-R/RW drive
media-friendly Windows XP Media Centeraccommodates most optical media but,
Edition (MCE) to MCE 2004, and HP'sunfortunately, not a backup battery.
Pavilion zd7000 runs the new version.Inside, there's a screaming-hot 3.2GHz
The $2,600 laptop features a big,desktop Pentium 4 (it really does run
wide-screen display; a handheld remote;hot; good thing the Pavilion zd7000 is
a DVD burner; and an external box thattoo heavy to park on your lap for long);
ties in to your television signal. MCENvidia's AGP 8X GeForce FX Go5600
2004 may be better suited for a PC,graphics controller with 128MB of its
especially if accommodating the OSown memory; 512MB of 333MHz memory
requires a 9.2-pound laptop, plusfilling both memory slots; and a 60GB
multiple cables and paraphernalia.hard drive.
Nevertheless, the HP Pavilion zd7000 isMicrosoft streamlined and extended Media
among the fastest, best-designed laptopsCenter Edition (MCE) 2004 in some useful
CNET has ever tested, and it's equippedways. The basic idea is a separate,
to please videographers, shutterbugs,no-keyboard interface that lets you use
gamers, and even those who ponderthe remote to run utilities for viewing
spreadsheets. However, its sheer weightand recording television, organizing and
and heat, plus a battery that conks outdisplaying photos, and performing other
just past two hours, may discourage youmedia-oriented activities. MCE 2004 can
from taking the laptop off your desk.teach itself how to work with your
Design of HP Pavilion zd7000set-top box, walk you through
After looking at several recentcalibrating color on your screen, and
big-screen laptops, we think the HPnotify you when someone is trying to
Pavilion zd7000 has the bestcall you (if you have Caller ID). It can
implementation of adownload current TV schedules unattended
nonstandard-resolution display. Inand record a TV show while you're using
particular, its resolution isthe system for other tasks. Microsoft
appropriate for its screen size, unlikealso improved the television listings;
others we've seen. HP's Pavilion nx7000,you now have tools to sort and filter
for example, crams its 1,680x1,050them, and you can find listings based on
resolution onto a 15.4-inch (diagonal)keywords.
wide-screen LCD--that's 130 pixels perFor those moments away from television,
inch, a view so dense, you have toHP bundles Microsoft Works 7.0 with
squint.Microsoft Money 2003 and Encarta
The HP Pavilion zd7000 tops out at aInternet Edition.
comfortable 100 pixels per inch,Performance of HP Pavilion zd7000
displaying a 1,440x900 nativeMobile application performance
resolution--enough to sail through aThe HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE comes in
spreadsheet as easily as through afirst place in mobile performance in
movie. We love the display's saturatedthis small test group of desktop
colors and its sharp, clean text on anreplacements. The HP Pavilion zd7000 is
evenly lit background. The image fadesthe first laptop we've tested with
when viewing from above or the side,Intel's Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
however, so gathering friends around forprocessor. The difference between this
a movie won't work.chip and the normal Pentium 4 is the
The big keyboard includes a separateaddition of a 2MB L3 memory cache on the
numeric keypad.Extreme Edition chip as well as its
The wide touchpad features a scrollingnormal 512K L2 memory cache. The HP
strip down the right-hand edge.Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's mobile
The HP Pavilion zd7000's size allows forperformance score has less to do with
uncluttered, uncrowded hands-onthis major bump in cache memory and more
elements. A long, ridged latch opens theto do with how low the speed of the
lid easily to reveal a full-sizeprocessor is throttled in order to
keyboard--even the Backspace key isconserve battery life. In this case, the
big--with a separate numeric keypad.HP Pavilion zd7000's 3.2GHz Pentium 4
Keys provide a good "pop" feel andExtreme Edition processor does not drop
operate silently, and the keyboard isits speed significantly and as a result
almost free of wiggle and sag. A wideends up with the highest MobileMark
touchpad features a scrolling strip downperformance score we've yet seen.
the right-hand edge; ordinary left- andUnfortunately, the HP Pavilion zd7000
right-click mouse buttons sit just belowP4EE's great mobile performance does not
it. Stereo speakers line the laptop'scome without a price, as is seen in its
entire front edge and sound at least asbattery life score. The Dell Inspiron
good as small external speakers. There'sXPS with its Pentium 4 3.4GHz processor
also a power button for the 802.11gis a distant second in mobile
Wi-Fi radio.performance, with the original HP
Features of HP Pavilion zd7000Pavilion zd7000 P4 bringing up the rear.
The DVD-rewritable drive is fixed, soOften with desktop replacements, mobile
you can't swap in another battery.performance comes down to how much
HP stocked the Pavilion zd7000 withbattery life the manufacturer is
features on the outside and muscle oncomfortable sacrificing. In the case of
the inside. Along the edges, it has athe HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE, HP chooses
quartet of USB 2.0 ports; a four-pinmobile performance, designing a system
FireWire port; S-Video; two flash memorythat can run office and content-creation
slots that read Secure Digital,applications very fast in a mobile
MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, andstate.
SmartMedia; and a Type II/Type III PC



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