HP dv6500t Special Edition Review
The HP dv6500t Special Edition is in fact the same hardware wise as the HP dv6500t laptop, except that it’s white in color. HP has been on a design spree of late, and they figure offering more design options and charging a bit of a premium for “limited edition” designs will appeal to image conscious customers. The regular dv6500t, released in May of 2007 by HP, is black and has a nice ‘Radiance’ imprint finish design. The HP dv6500t Special Edition meanwhile is white with what HP calls an ‘Influx’ finish detail. In my opinion both dv6500t notebooks are pleasantly designed, but the the Special Edition with its eye-catching white looks really does look a little more, well, special!
The dv6500t series is the follow-on to the popular dv6000t series notebook. The dv6500t has the latest Intel platform, dubbed Santa Rosa, that offers faster processor speeds, a new and improved integrated graphics solution, Intel’s 802.11n wireless chipset and a larger amount of processor memory cache on certain processors. Note that the Intel T7100 1.80GHz processor I have in my HP dv6500t only has 2MB of L2 cache instead of the 4MB that comes with the higher clocked processors in this family.
System as Reviewed
The specs for the dv6500t notebook that I ordered from HP.com are the following:
- HP Pavilion dv6500t Special Edition customizable notebook
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 7100 (1.8GHz / 2MB L2 Cache) (this is Intel’s new Santa Rosa
- Screen: 15.4″ WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280×800)
- Memory: 2GB DDR2
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
- Personalization: HP Imprint (Influx) + Fingerprint Reader +Webcam
- Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
- Hard Drive: 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Optical Drive: DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
- Ports: 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0), IEEE 1394 Firewire, HDMI port, expansion port 3, TV out (S-video), Integrated Consumer IR (remote control receiver), 5-in-1 digital media card reader, microphone in, RJ-11 (modem), RJ-45 (LAN), VGA
- 6 cell: 14.05″ (L) x 10.12″ (W) x 1″ (min H)/1.69″ (max H)
- 6-cell Lithium Ion Battery
I paid around $1,200 after all was said and done. Unfortunately the very next day HP gave an offer for free upgrade to a Super-Multi DVD burner optical drive for free. Oh well, you win some you lose some.
Places to buy
The HP dv6500t can be purchased in fixed configurations from retailers such as Best Buy or from various online retailers. Currently, if you want to customize an HP dv6500t to order and get the special edition you have to order via HP.com. HP.com allows you to customize things such as processor speed, amount of RAM, hard drive and optical drive. You can save money by paying attention to coupon codes available, using the student discount if you’re in school, or just keeping track of changes in marketing promotions offered by HP.
What you get
- Inside the box you get the HP Pavilion dv6500t notebook
- HP Mobile Remote Control
- Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 pair)
- 65W AC Adapter
- 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery
- User guides and other documents
Weigh in
One thing I like to always do with any new gadget I get is take it to the scales and see if the weight matches what the manufacturer quotes. Light weight is important with a laptop, the easier it is to carry around the better. According to HP the weight of the dv6500t is 6.1 lbs.
| Notebook | Manufacturer Quoted Weight | Actual Weight |
| HP Pavilion dv6500t (15.4′ screen) | 6.14lbs | 6.10lbs |
| Dell Inspiron 1520 (15.4′ screen) | 6.4lbs | 6.7 lbs |
| Sony VAIO FZ (15.4′ screen) | 5.75lbs | 5.62lbs |
Kudos to HP for quoting the correct weight of the dv6500t! When I put the HP dv6500t on the scales it weighed almost exactly as the company quoted it would. This weight is just fine for a 15.4-inch screen notebook, it’s comfortable enough to carry around for short distances, though I wouldn’t want to lug it for miles all day long.
When you add the power brick and charge lead into the weight, commonly called the travel weight of the notebook, the total weight comes to about 7.2 lbs.
Size-Up
Another interesting metric I like to look at is the dimensions of the notebook compared to similar notebooks. The approximate volume (or space the laptop occupies) is calculated by taking the Width x Height x Depth. When the notebook slopes the average height is taken (max height + min height / 2) as the multiplier. Just for fun I also calculate the density, to show how much weight is packed into each cubic inch.
| Notebook | Dimensions | Approximate Volume | Density |
| HP Pavilion dv6500t (15.4′ screen) | 14.05″ (W) x 1′ - 1.69″ (max H) x 10.12″ (D) | 191.24 in’ | .0321 lbs / in’ |
| Dell Inspiron 1520 (15.4′ screen) | 14.12 (W) x 1.47 - 1.65′ (H) x 10.59′ (D) | 233.26 in’ | .02743 lbs / in’ |
| Sony VAIO FE (15.4′ screen) | 14.41′ (W) x 1.02′ -1.39′ (H) x 10.81′ (D) | 187.71 in’ | .0329 lbs / in’ |
| Sony VAIO FZ (15.4′ screen) | 14″(W) x 0.98-1.4″(H) x 10.02″(D) | 166.93 in’ | .0337 lbs / in’ |
The dv6500t is middle of the road in terms of weight and density, it’s not the lightest but neither is it the heaviest and densest. Sort of a Goldilocks ‘just right’ weight and dimensions if you ask me.
Above is a picture of the HP dv6500t next to a Sony VAIO FZ I have, both are 15.4″ screen notebooks and are very similar in size.
Looks
The HP dv6500t special edition is a really nice looking notebook. While I quite like the design of the dv6500t regular design that’s black and grey with a ‘Radiance’ imprint finish, the white is just so much more eye-catching. Above you can see a picture of the black dv6500t compared to the white special edition. Quite obviously the dv6500t regular design would suit those that prefer a more conservative look or need to use a notebook for business, the white is really great for those that want something different and are image conscious.
The top of the dv6500t’s white lid has sort of a weave pattern to it, HP calls it ‘Influx’. It’s a nice subtle design touch. The inside of the notebook also carries this same imprint design. The imprint is part of the plastic shell, so no worries about the design coming off like the paint does on some notebooks.
The base of the dv6500t special edition is still black, and some people complain it should be all white, but I like the contrast with the white lid and black base. Besides, you don’t want the dv6500t to look exactly like a MacBook from a distance do you? Well, maybe some would.
Bottom line is that the HP Pavilion dv6500t design sure beats seeing a bland grey casing you get with a Dell Inspiron. Yes, Dell has added color to their lids and that’s cool, but it’s not exactly subtle and the Inspiron laptops still suffer from a rather ugly interior look with that bland grey casing and beefy shape.
Above is a picture of the HP dv6500t resting on top of the Sony VAIO FZ competing notebook.
Construction
The overall build of the dv6500t is good, but not great. The case has some flex to it if you push hard, and the keyboard also has a bit of flex. It’s certainly not a rugged notebook, it’s mostly made of plastic, but it’s not flimsy either.
There’s no latch to hold the lid down, but the hinges provide for a firm close, so the lid won’t wobble open in your bag. The hinge also holds the screen in place well when the notebook is open.
Ports
The port selection of the HP dv6500t is pretty standard to above average for a 15.4′ mainstream multimedia notebook. Again I’ll compare it to what similar notebooks have so you get an idea of where it stands relative to competition
| Ports | HP Pavilion dv6500t | Sony VAIO FZ | Sony VAIO FE | Inspiron 1520 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| FireWire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Media Card Reader | 4-in-1 | Yes (MS and SD) | Yes (5-in1) | Yes (8-in-1) |
| Ethernet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Modem | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone in | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Monitor out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI | Yes | Yes (optional) | No | No |
| DVI-D | No | No | No | No |
| S-Video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ExpressCard Slot | Yes (34mm / 54mm) | Yes (34mm) | Yes (34mm) | Yes (54mm) |
| PCMCIA Slot | No | No | Yes | No |
| Expansion Dock Port | Yes (Expansion Port 3) | No | No | No |
The dv6500t offers a docking station, which is pretty rare for a consumer type laptop. The offering of an HDMI port is really nice and better than most other 15.4′ notebooks offer, but it having only 3 USB ports (I’d like to see 4 in this sized notebook) is a bit of a downer. If you buy the HP xb3000 expansion port you’ll solve any problems, at least when you’re at your desk.
Let’s take a look at the port offerings and locations on the dv6500t, in the images below the HP dv6500t is resting on top of the Sony VAIO FZ so you can sort of get an idea of how these two competing notebooks compare.
On the front side of the notebook (seen above on top of the Sony VAIO FZ) are two headphone audio out jacks, so you and a friend can listen at the same time. A microphone port sits next to the jacks and to the left of these audio ports is a consumer level infrared receiver that works in conjunction with the provided small remote control. On the far left is a switch that allows you to turn wireless on/off.
The left side of the laptop (seen above on top of the Sony VAIO FZ) has most of the ports you’ll be using. There are two USB ports, a mini-FireWire port, HDMI port, flash memory reader, network/modem jacks, VGA, TV out and the Expansion Port 3 that allows you to plug into a docking station/port replicator.
Along the right side of the dv6500t (seen above on top of the Sony VAIO FZ) is another USB port, the power jack, the optical drive and an ExpressCard/54 slot.
The back of the dv6500t, seen in the above picture on the right next to the Sony VAIO FZ on the left, has no ports.
Above is the dv6500t regular on the left next to the dv6500t special edition on the right that’s flipped upside down so you can see what the underside looks like.
Keyboard
I really like the silver color of the dv6500t special edition keyboard, it’s just so sleek! I even dig the font style that HP uses for the lettering. The keys have a nice feel to them, and a slightly glossy finish to give it a bit of a shiny look. There is a bit of flex to the keyboard if you push hard enough, it’s not the most solid out there, but it’s by no means mushy and overall decent in terms of construction quality.
Touchpad
I really love the touchpad on the dv6500t. It’s wide aspect to match the widescreen and it’s sized just right. I hate it when you get a rinky-dink touchpad on a large style notebook, so I was happy to see an ample sized touchpad on the dv6500t. The touchpad has both horizontal and vertical scroll zones, nice for moving through web pages quickly. Also very handy is the on/off touchpad button at the top of the touchpad area.
The mouse buttons for the touchpad have a nice feel, good amount of travel and decent feedback. There’s no issue with them being loud or clicky either.
Buttons
The touch sensitive media button keys at the top of the keyboard are very nice to have for quickly controlling media. When you touch them there’s a quiet clicking sound to give audible feedback the button has been pushed. The way the media buttons light up is very attractive, especially in a darkened room. I should mention that while the buttons look nice and are fairly functional, they’re still not as easy to push as buttons that stick up. Sorry designers, though touch sensitive buttons are nice, they’re harder to feel-out and push in that the regular old button that sticks out.
There’s a wireless on/off switch and also a dedicated touchpad on/off switch. I’m a big fan of having hardware buttons for both of these
Screen
The HP dv6500t does not offer any high-resolution screen option, all you can get is WXGA. You’re also limited to getting a glossy screen, or what HP calls ‘BrightView’. I prefer the glossy screen to matte, especially since this is a consumer targeted media notebook. Watching a movie on a glossy screen is so much better than matte. The colors pop out and are much brighter with the glossy finish. Having said that, if you have strong lighting in a room you’re working in then be prepared for annoying reflections of light on the screen ‘ the screen is not good for an office environment with strong overhead fluorescent lights.
The brightness of the dv6500t screen is good. It’s not as bright as the Sony VAIO FZ I recently reviewed, but still adequate. Viewing angles of the screen are not great. The sorry fact is that there are few to no laptops out there that offer an LCD screen that’s as good as desktop LCD screen offerings you can get.
Sound
The dv6500t comes with integrated Altec Lansing speakers located at the top of the keyboard. The speakers are actually quite good, better than your average laptop. They’re not too tinny sounding and get loud enough to easily watch a movie from 10 ‘ 20 feet away. Of course a set of headphones or external speakers will provide better audio, but if you don’t have either of those handy then the internal speakers are certainly good enough.
The headphone jacks are located at the front of the laptop, there are two for those situations in which you and a friend are sitting close. The bad thing about the front located ports is that when you want to plug in speakers it’s a pain to run the wire from the front location.
Performance
The HP dv6500t is configurable with a 1.8GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Santa Rosa processor at the current time. You can also configure it with an Nvidia 8400m dedicated graphics card or go with integrated Intel X3100 graphics. I didn’t need a whole lot of power so I went with the Intel T7100 1.80GHz processor but you can get up to a T7300 with faster clock speed and more memory cache. The configuration I have came with an Nvidia 8400m graphics card for a $39 upgrade. I don’t do much gaming, but in the event I need to do any 3D work it’s nice to have.
The power of the HP dv6500t I configured is fairly low-end for this series, but it doesn’t feel underpowered. Once I’d removed some of the ‘free software’ HP provided, performance was quite good. You’ll definitely wan to go with 2GB of RAM so that Vista will run well. The T7100 processor is a good performer, it doesn’t have the 4MB of cache that the higher-end Intel Santa Rosa processors use, but again for basic use such as Office tasks, email and web browsing I can’t possibly think why you’d need more. If you’re gaming, yes, definitely you’d want to get the 2.0GHz processor and go with a dedicated Nvidia 8400m card.
The graphics card I got is the Nvidia 8400m graphics card. This will work for some light gaming, such as Half Life 2 played on medium settings or higher end games on low settings, but it will not work for more demanding games such as Oblivion. If you want to do some light gaming or you want to use your dv6500t to output high-def video then definitely go for the Nvidia 8400M graphics.
I configured the dv6500t with an 80GB 5400RPM hard drive. I don’t exactly hog a bunch of hard drive space or save large media files to disk, so 80GB was just fine. You can get up to a 200GB hard drive, but it only spins at 4200RPM which is slow, I prefer a faster smaller sized hard drive. I’d love an SSD drive, but that’s not an option and right now they’re still too expensive!
Bottom line, the HP dv6500t as configured performs well for most normal tasks, and if you want better performance just step up the specs.
I ran PCMark05 on the dv6500t to get an overall system performance score, you can see that the system performs well with a 4,069 score. This result was gained using out of the box configuration settings and before any of the bloatware was removed from the system.
I also ran Cinebench, a benchmark that tests the graphic and dual processor capabilities of a notebook, the HP dv6500t scored a respectable 564 with the configuration I have.
Bloatware
There’s unfortunately a ton of bloatware on the dv6500t that you’ll have to take the time to remove for better performance. It’s so sad how year after year the situation just gets worse with the amount of crap manufacturers install on the PC systems they ship, here’s just a short list of everything HP puts on the dv6500t:
- Norton Antivirus
- AOL desktop link
- MSN online desktop link
- Vongo desktop link
- Vonage desktop link
- HP Total Care Advisor (can be useful, but it’s annoying how many times it pops up to prompt you to register and other such things)
- Rhapsody
- HP Photosmart
- EBay.com desktop link
- My HP Games (WildTangent)
- AOL High Speed Link on desktop
And the list goes on, but you get the point. To uninstall this stuff go to the Control Panel and select Programs to see the entire list of what’s on the machine and uninstall them from there. Some might be tempted to do a fresh install of the OS, but that takes so much time it’s hardly ever worth the effort in my opinion, unless you’re trying to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your laptop and you do things like gaming.
Below is a screenshot of the desktop in its default configuration so you can see all the trial software links included initially (click the image for larger view).
Noise
The dv6500t I have is one of the lowest power configurations you can get, yet it still manages to make noise when doing anything more than basic tasks. When you first turn the dv6500t on it cranks the fans at full speed for a few seconds, it’s very loud and annoying and I would recommend you not bootup in a quiet public setting because you’ll get some glares. When running benchmarks the fan went all out too. The fan seems to run fairly often and if you’re in a quiet room and really sensitive to noise this will be an annoyance. If you’re in an office setting with ambient noise, or if you’re watching TV while working on the laptop then the fans will not be any bother. Personally the fan noise doesn’t bother me, at least I know it’s working to cool the system when it’s running! But some folks won’t like this characteristic.
The hard drive was quiet with no annoying clicking noises and the optical drive was not particularly loud either, so that’s good news. Some people have reported a high-pitch noise coming from the HP dv9500t notebook and I can report I have no such issue with the dv6500t ‘ though I’m getting older and probably couldn’t hear some of the high-pitch noises the young ones hear anyway!
Heat
The heat of a notebook can correlate a lot with the noise. This is because the hotter it is the more the fan has to run. The HP dv6500t stays cool in the keyboard and palm rest areas, but it does get quite warm on the bottom. If you’re using this in your lap for an extended period of time it’ll probably get uncomfortable. Thirty minute stretches will be just fine, but more than an hour and your legs will be sweating.
Battery
I got the regular 6-cell battery with the dv6500t. You can get a high-capacity 6-cell battery that gives you longer life and weighs a bit more, or you can also get a huge 12-cell battery that sticks out but gives you the ultimate battery life of between 6 ‘ 9 hours. If I were going to be taking this laptop with me on my travels a lot I would have gone for the 12-cell, but this puppy is staying around the house mostly.
With screen brightness set to medium, wireless off and the notebook being used to type this review I got about 2.5 hours of battery life. That’s not bad, I kind of wish I’d spent an extra $29 for the high-capacity 6-cell to give me what would probably be an extra 30 ‘ 45 minutes of battery life, but oh well.
Conclusion
The HP dv6500t Special Edition is the best looking 15.4″ screen notebook PC out there in my opinion, notice I said PC, the MacBook Pro could be called better looking I suppose. For me the extra money for the Special Edition over the regular dv6500t was worth it, I’m big on design, good looks and having something that looks a little different to the standard offering. I paid around $1,200 for my configuration and I think the price to performance ratio I got is good. I’d love it if HP left off at least half the bloatware that was included, that was a real disappointment. The build could be slightly better and the notebook could be a bit quieter, but overall there’s little to complain about and a lot to like with the dv6500t!
Pros
- A really pretty notebook, the white finish and imprint design is a pleasure to look at
- HP shipped the notebook fast, only took 12-days from time of order to arrive
- Good performance to price ratio
- Good selection of ports and nice to have optional port for expansion base
- Great multimedia buttons, the wireless on/off and touchpad on/off switch is great to have too
- Screen is decent and bright enough for watching movies enjoyably
Cons
- Way too much bloatware pre-loaded that you’ll have to uninstall
- Glossy white finish means you’ll have to polish the lid to keep it looking clean!
- Fan runs a lot when under anything more than normal use, can be loud
- Bottom can get quite warm, especially if in your lap for a long time
- A bit of flex to the body, could be a bit sturdier
- No option for anything higher resolution than a WXGA screen
July 6th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Does the Sony run cooler/quieter? I hate loud fans !!!
July 6th, 2007 at 12:35 am
hey Kim, the Sony is a bit quieter than the dv6500t was for me. I had the Sony FZ with integrated graphics though, so I can only say that the FZ with integrated graphics is cooler and quieter.
July 6th, 2007 at 9:26 am
which screen would you say looks better and brighter, the dell e1505 or this hp dv6500t?…
Also, which one do you think is better over all as far as performance, noise, and speakers??
thanks ahead of time.. I really would like to know your opinion because I’m a bit torn between the two
July 6th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
The dv6500t screen is slightly brighter, performance totally depends on how you configure it. Also, the Dell e1505 is no longer available, you’d have to go with the Dell 1520.
July 7th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Thanks a bunch for this useful info
July 7th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Which laptop has a better screen, HP dv6500t or Sony FZ? And between the two, which laptop is better overall, from your experience?
July 8th, 2007 at 3:17 am
i was looking at the dv6500t til i saw the dv2550se Verve special edition at bestbuy. i cant decide between the FZ or dv2550 now. any suggestions? i initially was leaning towards the FZ since it offered 200GB but the dv2550 is prettier (IMO) and cheaper. plus i’ve only seen the 6500 that you purchased with and AMD 64×2 processor. do u think the intel core 2 is better than the AMD? helppp!
July 8th, 2007 at 11:07 am
The Intel Core 2 Duo is a better processor than the current offerings from AMD. Remember, the HP dv2550 is a 14″ screen notebook while the dv6500t and VAIO FZ are 15.4″ screen notebooks. If you want something that’s more portable and easier to carry around, go with the dv2550se. If you want something with a more powerful processor get a Core 2 Duo in the dv6500t or VAIO FZ.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:37 am
hey i was planning to buy Dell Inspiron 1520, till i read this review, HP sure scores on the design front.
Which notebook would you suggest dell or HP. My basic use is for gaming.
suggest plzzz…
July 12th, 2007 at 11:45 am
If i were you and wanted a notebook for gaming I would go with the Dell 1520 since you can get an Nvidia 8600m graphics card. It also runs cooler when gaming.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Nice review thankyou. Would like to get the HP dv6500t but unluckily for me there not available from HP in Australia! Anyone in the U.S. know of a place that will ship this notebook internationally? Thanks.
July 15th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Great review. Thanks!
I was just wondering what the finish looks like on the SE… I haven’t seen a good picture; it just looks kind of plain white in the pictures I’ve seen. Is there anything special about the Influx finish? And is it a pain to keep clean and looking nice?
Thanks
July 16th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Kudos for a very informative review!
Thanks
I’m planning to buy a laptop for programming, computationally intensive work with occasional movies, entertainment. I have two choice hp dv6500t or dell inspiron. (basically a 2GHz core 2 duo with 2gb ram system). what do you suggest? Any other suggestions also welcome
July 17th, 2007 at 3:59 am
I recently got the HP dv6500t SE and not only did I get a great laptop but also great service. The order said that it would take up to three weeks to send out but they shipped next day… and they offer free shipping. With my EPP i paid just under $1400 with the 1 year warranty and some good upgrades.
August 13th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I am planning to get a laptop, I was thinking of getting the HP 6500 or HP 6500t. But after reading your review I am a bit conserned about the noice. I had a toshiba laptop which would heat up quickly if you placed it on your lap or on your bed and the fan would be constanly runing loud unlike IBM T61 which was superbly quite no matter where you used it.
I had these 4 laptops on my mind HP6500(t) or Sont VAIO CR edition or Dell vostro or the Inspirion. I really like the kepboard in Sony VAIO CR it looks very sturdy.
Any suggestions?
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:02 am
Great write-up by reviewer. I agree with what has been said in the review. The only thing I would disagree with is that I think the build quality is slightly better than what the reviewer portrayed. It is not quite as good as the Dell, but really close. Also, if you get the white special edition, you really won’t notice fingerprints on the cover (the black is very bad about this).
I have spent months evaluating and testing the three computers mentioned herein; Dell 1520, Sony FZ and HP 6500t. I know how much time can be spent (wasted) trying to get it right. Therefore, I felt compelled to write up my own detailed thoughts about them. I think in the end, I got it right. I hope this helps anyone else out there wanting a high end 15.4″. I want the power of an entertainment/work PC without the huge form factor of the 17″. Unfortunately, no on provides the perfect solution in this notebook size, making the decision pretty tough.
First bought the HP 6500t; special edition, loaded up. Loved the form factor and feel. Although the only screen opition is 1280 x 800, the color was indeed bright and beautiful. However, the 8400m GS graphics card is not sufficient to handle serious games except on the lowest of low settings. Don’t expect better with the FZ’s 8400m GT. The HP computer scored a Vista Experience of 3.1. Graphics being the key holdbacks. I didn’t feel that it was acceptable for a $1,270 new laptop. I sent it back to HP. All I can say is that HP has incredible customer service. In that regard, I am disappointed to leave them. Also I will miss the fingerprint reader, HDMI out and fast docking port; but these are all secondary “nice to haves” for me.
However, I just got a Dell 1520 with specs exactly like those of the review on this website except I opted for the wireless N and the WXGA+. The 1440 x 900 display is great. It is the brightest of the three options and looks great. Also, I spent the money for the 7200rpm. Let me now end the 7200 vs. 5400 debate; the 7200rpm drive is much, much faster on bootup and loadup of programs. Let me tell you, this computer is smoking fast. Vista experience jumped to 4.8; very good. Many of the Vista Experience factors are in the low 5’s. Although not a huge gamer, I can run Call of Duty 2 at very high settings and it looks stunning and plays great.
I would highly recommend this setup on the 1520 if you are at all inclined to have a powerful graphics experience (games and video editing). Go with the HP or Sony FZ if you want a nice bright screen and good movie watching. However, neither of the 6500 or FZ will cut it on texture intensive graphics applications. I would go with HP over Sony due to overwhelmingly better customer support, equal or better form factor HP (special edition) and better pricing.
I have to say again that HP absolutely won me over on several occassions with their amazing support. They are making a huge mistake by not offering an 8600 card in this model (even 8600m GS would be fine, based on 3D marks people are posting for that one). I would have kept the HP if it offered a 8600 card. If you go with Dell, try to find someone who has a business account manager. This person will have a direct phone extension and can place a consumer order for you. It is like a majic key into the Dell “machinery”. Once I got this established, Dell became great to work with. However, calling in to their main consumer lines is like beating your head against a wall of spikes. However, I was dealing with them during the huge back to school rush, so I probably saw Dell at its worst.
I got the 1520 for $1,266. To make a long story short, I got a bit lucky. Again though, a business rep can help you trim the cost versus what is posted on the Dell website. I saved $348 based for what Dell.com is currently pricing the same rig.
Bottom line: Games/intensive video apps = Dell 1520 loaded; Normal user, basic graphics/web videos/movies/great form factor = HP 6500t special edition. Extreme portability / beautiful screen / price not as important = Sony FZ.
Hope this helps.
August 26th, 2007 at 2:28 am
Thanks a lot for the in-depth review… I was going to buy the regular dv6500t, but decided to by the special edition after reading your review. I was a little disappointed with the battery life… I opted to buy the high-capacity 6-cell battery, but wasn
August 28th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
My HP dv6500t Special Edition arrived yesterday.. I am very excited with this laptop. It looks excellenet, is very sleek and provides great value for money. I got it in 1070$ including taxes for t7100 Processor, 2GB RAM, 120GB hard disk, 8400 GSM graphics, which is the best value I could get in any of the competing models in HP, Dell or Sony VAIO. I also had done months of research, read reviews, visited Circuit City, Best Buy et al, and finally after all evaluation went for HP. I know Dell is quite close, and the HP as this review tells, does have some “cons” like high fan sound, keys making some loud sound,display not upgradeable, and graphics not the best.. but being an IT professional, and with kind of use I am looking at this is a very good middle way for a great cost
Dell Cons which put me off
1. Bad look and feel.. Bland
2 Heavy and bulky
3.Dell website quite confusing with so many options to choose
4. For exactly the same config that I choose Dell 1520 would have easily gone to 1200$ plus even after applying coupon codes. I verified this many times. And 150$ did matter to me..
So maybe I lost a bit on Graphics support, fan noise n all, but for my day to day operations, HP looks great till now..
August 29th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Thanks for the in-depth review…
Very Good Review !!!
I was going to buy the Dell 1520 with NVDIA, but now, I’m going to buy the dv6500t SE. I would prefer more dedicated memory for the graphic card, but the Pavillion looks better and has very nice design.
Sorry for my poor English, In Spanish I would explain more and better
September 4th, 2007 at 3:49 am
I have been comparing Dell Dell Inspiron 1520 and HP dv6500t for a long time… I am fighting over which one to buy so i actually went their sites(dell.com & hp.com) and customized up the point I wanted. Both laptop were customized to almost same spec. As i was customizing them, I found out that dell’s processor only goes up to T7500 while HP can go up to T7700. Also HP has higher memory in graphics (383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS) but dell has (256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS) since I am not at good with graphics i do not understand the difference between 8400M GS and 8600M GS. please someone explain it to me ^^. After all the customizing, HP dv6500t was about $250 cheaper than Dell Inspiron 1520. Lastly, Dell Inspiron 1520 does not have N dv6500t wireless card (Intel
September 8th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Just ordered the SE a week ago, should ship in on Tuesday. Your review was really helpful and it definitely persuaded me to go with the HP.
I do a lot of graphic/printwork/flash design for my college, and one thing I like to do is to go out to the coffee lobby to work on stuff without having to deal with the BS that goes on in my office. With the 12-cell battery that comes with this thing, I think 6 hours of juice is going to make me very happy.
“Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7500(2.2ghz), 2GB RAM, 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS, 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, and the 12-cell.”
I build PCs as a hobby, but I am not very familiar with this processor. Is it going to satisfy my design purposes?
September 8th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Oh yeah and forget about the loud fan, I always keep my iPod with me anyways with noise-cancelling headphones.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
sir?? uhmm, im starting to get in to video/graphics/audio editing using adobe,sonar,sony vegas,corel,maya… id like to hav a laptop bcz il be having a lot of traveling next quarter so i can hav this learning gadget with me.. would you recomend this piece?? the 15.4″ monitors is small enough for mobility, the smaller one is too small for editing(visualy), the dv9000 is too heavy for traveling..
id like to have a 2.4ghz core 2, 2 gb ram, 383mb nvidia geforce, 12 cell batt, 120gb 5400 rpm disk(plus 2 external harddisks), etc. bcz i wna make sure my pc runs fast specialy on renderings.. uhmm, am i getting it right?? uhmm, i rili need a good advice and am sure u can help me..
and,, ur review is very comprehensive, and i i believe its one of the best reviews iv read.. thanks!!
peace thanks!!
September 14th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Just bought my beautiful white dv6500t Special Edition here in Canada last week. AMD Turion 64×2, 2 gig ram, NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150, 160 gig HD (5400rpm). Cost $1095 plus $350 (minus $100 for knowing the salesman) for a 3 year total hard/software international warrenty, which is important because I travel for months at a time. Oh yeah, plus the 14% tax that we have in Ontario…ouch. However, I also got a linksys wireless router, HP printer,scanner,copier, a beautiful black with orange trim Targus messenger bag, 1 gig USB key chain, all thrown in. Total about $1700 CDN. Can’t complain except for those bloody taxes…haha.
Anywho, just want to say I had been looking at the black version of this all year and then I spotted this, just $100 more, and said that is mine. For an average user like me, the whole HP dv6000 line is superb. I use my Xbox 360 for gaming.
Loved your review and also the one by “undecided”. You know your computers. Thanks.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Sorry, just noticed that Mike is the gentleman who wrote the second comparitive review. Just realized the name is at the bottom and not at the top. Mike, nice review. Thanks.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Great Post. My HP Pavilion dv6500 SE has arrived a couple days ago. I’ve removed several bloatware, but I still feel slow, the hard disk works a lot. It’s working even if I’m not doing anything.
September 19th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
hp dv 6500t is the best at the price when costomized
try to costumize another brand with the same specs
i tried
dell,sony,gate way, hp dv 6500t was the best,
other brands dont even include an optional tv tuner which is hella gay
September 25th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
I just ordered the dv6500t in black!!!!!!!!!
can’t wait until arrives am so excited!
intel core two duo processor T7500(2.20ghz) 2gb ram memory
383MB NVidia Geforce 160gb 5400rpm hard drive (12cell ) battery
intel pro/wireles 4965AGN n.c & bluetooth
HP imprint+fingerprint+webcame+mic
all this for just 1,313.49 $ including tax
the best price ever!!!!!!!
September 26th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
I just ordered a dv6500t with the Nvidia 8400M GS, 2 Gig, 2.2 GHz 7500 and the Intel ABGN wireless card.
I assume here that Intel in this chipset also includes the X3100 graphics processor, which I now understand is far more power efficient than the Nvidia (assuming that the usage is not graphics intensive). I also know that on the SONY Vaio and some other laptops (ASUS) it is possible to switch between the X3100 (power saving) or 8400M (performance) modes. Is this also possible with the HP dv6500t ?
thanks very much, JT
September 27th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Fantastic review! Very in-depth and informative.
I
November 9th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Got this laptop about a 2 months ago now and it is stunning. Get the aesthetics out of the way.. it is excellently styled.
The 2GB of ram is more than enough for Vista etc. I do not play games so i don’t know about that, but it is perfect for audio editing etc which I do, doesn’t skip etc. The 2GHz processor is also extremely fast.
When i got it i immediately used msconfig to alter startup programs etc, took off some of vista’s useless stuff. And disabled most of the HP crapware. This all helps to speed it up. Now and again i try to get it to crash, i.e. by opening all my media editing programs, playing music, videos, etc, and cannot beat it! This thing runs vista so stable!
overall, an excellent buy and would recommend to anyone.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Checkout today’s (11/27) HP deal with 30% off - I got the following config for under $1000.
HP Pavilion dv6500t Special Edition customizable Notebook PC
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* 15.4″ WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* FREE Upgrade to 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
* 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
* HP Imprint Finish (Influx) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
* Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
* 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
* Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
* HP Wireless Laser Mini Mouse (White) and Mobile Stereo Headset (1 pair, White)
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
November 28th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Thanks so much for the very comprehensive review. This review helped me finalize my decision to purchase the HP dv6500t.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Hi! Just ordered my HP dv6500 SE… its only 999 @ costco if u r a member. addt’l 5% if not. All the great specs are here for just $999 + tax & shipping. Visit this link… http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11238188&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1 Am too excited to receive my Special Edition Laptop… before am too worried bout d color white coz I used to buy d black one but after those reviews I decided to try d SE for a change!
November 30th, 2007 at 2:41 am
forgot to mention…. theres a free usb mobile mouse & stereo headset (matching d color white huh!)…GREAT price!!!!
December 6th, 2007 at 7:19 am
does anyone know if this is a “durable” computer? by this i mean i want to know if it’ll last me a good 3 years.
cheers!