HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop - Review

HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop - Review


Core 2 Duo T7300 processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM

With the Pavilion dv2500, HP brings Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform to its popular 14.1-inch home laptop. Aside from the new components, much remains the same: The sleek, black-and-silver case still houses most of the features that a home user will want, all at a competitive price. The price is so competitive, in fact, that our S$2,699 (US$1,775.08) review unit cost less than a similarly configured S$2,748 (US$1,807.01) Dell Inspiron 1420 (before online discount), but without the fancy touch-sensitive controls or mini remote. At that price, we're willing to overlook the Pavilion dv2500's merely average battery life--you can easily buy an additional battery--and recommend it for home users who want an inexpensive, media-friendly laptop.

Design of the HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop

We've always been fans of the HP Pavilion design, which combines sleek, rounded edges with a shiny (though somewhat fingerprint-prone) black-and-silver finish. Our dv2500 review unit's finish featured the "Radiance" imprint, a subtle pattern of organic swirls and circles across the lid. The laptop's LED indicators glow a soothing blue. Most helpful is the light ring around the power connection which lets you know when the battery has finished charging--thanks to that LED we discovered we'd plugged our laptop into a dead outlet. Size-wise, the dv2500 is more or less the same as other 14.1-inch laptops, such as the Dell Inspiron 1420, though it's worth noting that the Pavilion dv2500 weighs slightly less than the Dell.

We like the Pavilion dv2500's 14.1-inch widescreen display, which features a fairly typical native resolution of 1,280 x 800. Every Pavilion dv2500 includes HP's BrightView glossy screen finish, which displays richer colors and deeper blacks but also some reflections. In the display bezel sits a VGA-resolution Webcam with built-in dual-array microphones for video chats.

The keyboard on the HP Pavilion dv2500 is almost full-size, with only a slightly abbreviated space bar and Ctrl keys. We never found ourselves hitting the wrong keys by accident, as sometimes happens on laptop keyboards, and typing for long stretches was extremely comfortable. We did accidentally graze the dv2500's touchpad (and thus misplace the cursor) while typing, an irritation easily avoided by using the touchpad on/off switch located right below the keyboard. The pad itself is a bit narrow, but functional and responsive. To the right of it sits an optional fingerprint reader, which frees you from remembering passwords. Above the keyboard you'll find a row of light-touch controls that launch HP's QuickPlay media software, control disc playback, and adjust volume. As with all Pavilion models, the controls provide an audible click when pressed; users annoyed by the sound can turn off the feedback in the system BIOS. Along the hinge edge sit the laptop's Altec Lansing speakers, which produce full, well-balanced sound. The final feature of note on the keyboard deck: Handy port labels that let you know where to plug in peripherals.

Features of the HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop

The HP Pavilion dv2500 includes a fairly average selection of ports and connections for a thin-and-light laptop. We were a bit dismayed with our review unit's mere two side-by-side USB ports; it's the price we had to pay for the addition of an HDMI port, which took over the space otherwise occupied by a third USB port. (The HDMI requires a discrete graphics card, so if you opt for integrated graphics on the Pavilion dv2500, you'll get three USB ports.) The laptop does include a double-layer DVD burner with HP's LightScribe technology, which etches labels directly onto a disc's surface. We love that HP gives its users two headphone jacks, so they can share movies or music with a friend. We also appreciate the inclusion of an ExpressCard slot, which should make it easy to add a TV tuner or mobile broadband down the road.

Performance And Battery Life of the HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop

On performance benchmarks, the Pavilion vied for dominance against the similarly configured Dell Inspiron 1420. The difference among the two systems on the Photoshop and iTunes encoding tests--not more than 19 seconds--is so slight as to be negligible. The distinction is more apparent on our Multimedia multitasking test, where the Pavilion dv2500 scored as much as 10 percent behind the competition. Nevertheless we'd gladly sacrifice a little multitasking performance for the Pavilion's much lower price, especially considering that any current Centrino Duo laptop can easily handle the Web surfing, document editing, and media playback of the typical home user.

The HP Pavilion dv2500 includes a common six-cell battery that lasted 1 hour 39 minutes on our demanding DVD drain test--on the low side of average for this category. You can expect longer life during typical Windows use, but we would have liked to see the Pavilion dv2500 hold out for at least 2 hours. For the power-hungry, HP offers a high-capacity 12-cell battery that should last between 3 and 4 hours on a DVD drain.

After-Sales Service And Support for the HP Pavilion dv2500 Laptop

The HP laptop comes with a one-year international warranty. At HP's support Web site, laptop owners can download the latest drivers and manuals. In the event of a simple malfunction, the company offers an online knowledge database and support forum for troubleshooting. Further diagnosis or repair can be made at the service center, though the owner has to bring the notebook there. Telephone support is available during normal working hours and for current or potential customers who are not sure which HP notebook is right for you, a dedicated number is available for assistance in purchase selection. If more comprehensive coverage is required, you can purchase an extended three-year pick up and return option in which HP will collect the unit and send it back after it's repaired.


11 comments:

dont buy these laptops, faulty as fuck, hundreds and thousands of them returned due to overheating issues, some dumb fuck at HP decided to cut back on costs by sharing the CPU heatsink with the GPU heatsink, creating constant overheating and high probability of failiure within a year.
i can confirm the overheating issue. one year after i bought it, i had to have my dv2500 to service because of overheating.
Well the HP dv2500 is a nice laptop but the issue is that the over heating is so much that..Laptops which is so called because it is meant for the lap loses it name with Hp dv2500...i call me HEATTOP...Damn..just wasted my money...
dont buy hp laptops and if you had bought then sell it because it will over heat after 1 year.
I agree.
Its been barely over a year and my machine has started acting weird with overheating and constant fan blowing even after 5 min of starting the machine.
The battery barely lasts 10 min after just ONE year of use!
I too agree on the previous comments that the battery overheats over a period of 1 yr or so and the battery charge drains within 5 minutes of starting the system.Yes the meaning of laptop is not true with HP DV 2500 coz ur lap would burn if you keep it on your lap.So my advice is to go for DELL laptops.
i agree with the rest,

i have a 1.5 year old dv2500,
hard drive was fried,
now motherboard screwed up.
Dv 2500 is very nice laptop for HP Associates only not for others.compare than this laptop-local laptop is the better choice.
yes this is true.. i am having big problems with the GeForce 8400 GS video card that comes along with HP DV2500... since i am out of the Warranty period i'll have to fix this on my own or get a new compatible video card.. this is really a waste of money. Thanks to your posts, now i know the problem.. it's the fucking heat sink/motherboard/video card that comes along with this product that makes it a big waste after a year of satisfaction.. now i'm having a really big problem... the display turns to a multi-screen and noises are in the screen! it's all messed up and i can't even have a good boot.. chances of a good boot with the display not messing up is only 10%! NOT REALLY A GOOD BUY... DON'T BUY THIS OR YOU'LL BE IN REAL PAIN REALLY SOON!
I agree with everyone, I am so fucken disappointed with HP if I would have heard of something sooner I would have never went with them. Now I am out of warranty and HP wants 400 to fix my problem with no guarentee. WTF is this. They get millions of money and still cant make a decent laptop. This model is discontinued and I wonder why cuz of this issue HP should compensate us for there mistakes.
I agree this laptop is useless I have only had it barely one year and it wouldn't turn on my guess is my motherboard is gone USELESS! You can't compare with Dell, I have had a Dell for 4 years with children playing games in it and nothing has ever happen, HP is asking for 398 dollars to return the computer, with 90 days warrantee, I don't trust them after this experience. Am so upset with this economic they are taking us for a ride!