Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 A great "Tweener"! February 10, 2010
Kort Kramer (South Florida, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This review is originally for the HP Pavilion dm3 1130us (AMD & ATI model) which is essentially the same except for CPU and GPU and a newer production version.
The DM3z is a good compromise between the portability of a netbook and the functionality of a full sized laptop. Technically in the "Ultra-portable/Thin & Light" category, I would say it is a netbook on steroids. I was looking for a portable computing solution but didn't want a small keyboard or a hard-to-read/small screen. It had to have a small form factor, yet have a more powerful processor and graphics than traditional netbooks. I use it mainly for office work, web surfing, video streaming, music listening and light gaming.
Most of the specs are readily available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP's site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I'm a Mac user normally but could not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price point, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a fifty dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C1BBU8/ , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a little leery about getting an HP since they don't have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It's fast, faster than I expected. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I've played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I think you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3" w/ a 1366x768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn't bad. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I've only had fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I've yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. Coming from OSX, I have to say I'm growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I'm getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I've used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The "mouse-buttons" could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OGMNT4 but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast as with my desktop's keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5's primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn't a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I could do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks included, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you've got yourself one heck of a deal!
What's not so great about it:
1. It is about 13" wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that's no big deal but if you plan to lug your laptop around a lot, you may want to look at something smaller and lighter. It is only one inch thick so it slides easily into most bags.
2. Speakers. You know going in that they won't be that great, but I still couldn't help being a little disappointed. However, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent output now, though not very loud. It does the job though. Use earphones. I connected it to my speakers with a subwoofer and Pandora radio sounds terrific!
3. Battery life. I get about 4 hours of constant general use life out of it. Another reviewer stated he was able to play the entire Fellowship of the Ring movie before it went into hibernation, but I have not tested that. The good news is that 4 hours is still decent, and the power cord isn't too cumbersome. If you need an all-day, cord-free laptop/netbook, look elsewhere.
4. Some bloatware. Being new to Windows I researched what to do when you first get a computer. One of the most common recommendations is to remove the manufacturer installed software. I got rid of the MS Office trial and Norton. I'll still playing around with the suite of HP software. I may keep some, but will probably ditch a good bit of it. However, some users may like the included software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy customer.
5. No optical drive, but I knew that and won't need one every day. The Samsung will also be useful for my other computers.
6. No OS restore disk. I know, there is no optical drive and there is a recovery partition, but it still would have been nice.
7. Possible fit and finish issues. I just noticed a very slight gap along the top right front edge where the wrist wrest meets the side paneling. Pressing down on it does reveal a little flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and could be cause for concern. It is too early to tell. (see my product photos)
I have not used the Quickweb feature, but Windows 7 boots up (after some re-configuration) in less than a minute so I'm not sure I'd need it. I've also not yet used the HDMI out port or webcam. I plan to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is good in low light. I've only been using the 1130us for a little over a week so I can't speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so good. I'll post an update if I have anything new to add.
So, is the dm3 1130us the right model for you? If you are not a 3D gamer and want a nice looking, sturdy, portable laptop without most of the limitations of a netbook, then the answer could be "yes". Of course, technology is changing rapidly and in a few months the next latest and greatest will be out. But if you need something now, and want a lot of oomph at a great value, then the dm3 1130us could be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price point other laptops couldn't match, so that is why I'm giving it 5 (4 1/2 actually) stars.
Great lightweight laptop with some gusto! February 26, 2010
Adam (Dallas, TX)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great little laptop and works beautifully for the price. I really like this laptop and let me tell you why I find it to be such a great little laptop and why it's such a good deal and SOOO much better than a netbook. I will also tell you the drawbacks as well.
First, it really runs alot better than I thought it would. With Windows 7 and 4gb of ram, this is smooth and rarely have I been able to push it too hard with basic tasks. I use a desktop for most of my serious work (video encoding, picture editing, and long term writing and spreadsheet work). But when I want to go out this almost always goes with me. It can handle anything online well, and I have really been impressed with how good the wireless range and reception are. I had a netbook and got rid of it as soon as I could as it was incredibly slow even with Windows XP. Really almost unusable. This is about 4 times the computer most netbooks are and really only about $150 more. Think of how many hours you will use this for (my guess is over an hour a day for a year). Then realize 50 cents per hour is not that much to be paying.
Second is size and style. I used to have 15.6 inch laptop with a great big old battery graphics card and the whole works. This small laptop has completely replaced it. It's quite thin, beautifully designed with some good use of metal and just well sculpted. It doesn't look like it's just one solid piece, but everything looks like it belongs. Nothing sticks out and it all just feels right. And at under 4 pounds, it weighs as much as about a nalgene full of water. It just looks great.
Battery life is also great. I routinely get 5 hours of video on flights and other things. Also it charges back up in a matter of an hour or so which is really great. It stays pretty cool, and quiet as well the fan noise will not be noticeable in coffee shop or in most meetings.
The keyboard and screen work great, in fact they are some of the best I have had in recent memory. The screen is bright and quite clear, and the keyboard is just rock solid. No flexing at all.
Also it has great connectivity with HDMI I have used this to play movies and TV shows from Hulu on a couple of occasions.
So now onto the not as great stuff.
First the trackpad initially had a few issues (completely freezing after coming out of sleep, and sometimes being weird with the multitouch zoom and scroll). However, there is a software update from HP that completely fixed the problem. Google it and you can get it fixed. Also the buttons on it were stiff at first, but they have loosened up and I quite like them now.
Second, the fan is quiet (my refrigerator in the next room is currently covering the noise) but it's always on. And for some reason the sound isn't as pretty as most fans. It's more true white noise than a whoosh sound most fans make. It doesn't seem to have a nice tone but just be a bit harsh.
Finally, the battery rattles a little bit. I was able to fix this with a piece of paper tucked strategically, but I shouldn't have to do that cmon HP!
Okay so this computer is basically as powerful as most low end laptops out there, it is thinner, lighter and gets better battery life and is more beautiful. As long as you are okay with no DVD drive, go ahead and pick this up. Look for a deal, you should be able to find one for just north of $500 if you wait a week or two and shop the deals.
Great Laptop For the Budget February 12, 2010
WhatDaHeLL (Somewhere, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Got mine last month from MS Store with 40% the MSRP bring it down to $488.70 after CA tax... Plus 3% from Bing Cashback. So it is around $465. This laptop works like a champ to me. Not really fast with the Intel Pentium SU4100 but for the 320G 7200RPM HD and 4GB DDR3 Ram, it is considered fast to me! Small, portable and fit my budget that's all that count. Haven't since any hang in moment or blue screen like other stated yet. It works good so far.
Perfect Ultra Portable LapTop December 29, 2009
K. Santos (Oakland, CA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the best Laptop I have ever owned not to mention its great looking exterior. I've never had a problem with its touchpad after disabling it via mouse settings. There is an instructional video as to how to do it on youtube. It runs perfectly on windows 7 ultimate. This is definitely the best laptop of its kind as far as looks, performance, and portability. The only downside I find with it is how hard the touchpad buttons are but I can easily live with it given its very strong points. The Pentium version is definitely better than the AMD one in my opinion.
GREAT PRICE, VALUE, ETC.... INTERNATIONAL BUYER March 3, 2010
Rodrigo Toledo (Guatemala, GUATEMALA C.A.)
I've just recieved this computer after a long research for a good laptop. aND I can assure it's awesome, for the price... it's an incredible value, I've just seen one identical except that it had just 3GB Ram here on Guatemala on Sale at Q9,500 which is about $1,200, and I bought mine at less than half of that. Also its gorgeous, really gorgeous. It has its own flaws, but non that are really really bad. I haven't had any trouble with the pad at all, its fast, its slick its a great laptop overall, also is incredibly quiet and cool. Way better than anything of this price.
If its lower than $550 dont think about it, just buy it.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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