Centrino 2 Laptop Roundup

HP dv5t - Overview

The last laptop we're looking at today is the dv5t from HP, and it's very similar in a lot of ways to the ASUS G50V. Unlike the ASUS, however, HP allows users to fully customize the dv5t, so you can have anything from a $600 entry-level laptop all the way up to a very well equipped $2500 laptop with a three-year warranty and accidental damage protection. Regardless of which options you choose, you still get the same basic 15.4" chassis, so let's start there.

The dv5t chassis remains largely unchanged from the dv6500t we looked at last year, at least in terms of the exterior appearance. HP has added a logo on the cover that lights up, in addition to some new component choices. Opening the laptop reveals more noticeable changes, with the LCD immediately catching our eye - at least if you opt for one of the new BrightView Infinity displays. The BrightView Infinity displays have a frameless border with "designer glass". It does look quite nice, and our only complaint is that HP decided to send us a WXGA LCD instead of the upgraded WSXGA+ panel.

We've already harp on this a couple of times, but keyboard layout is an area that can have a direct impact on how you use your laptop. We still like the idea of having a 10-key input on the right side of the keyboard on larger laptops, but if it means sacrificing certain other keys (home/and/page up/page down/delete) we would just as soon do without. That's the approach HP takes with the dv5t, and again we found the keyboard more to our liking than the ASUS G50V. Naturally, personal preference plays a role, so try to get something you like. A nice little extra going along with the keyboard is the button above the touchpad that enables you to quickly enable/disable it. If you're using an extra mouse or you plan to do a lot of typing and don't want to inadvertently bump the touchpad, it's very convenient. (Of course, ASUS and many others provide a similar option to disable the touchpad via a function key shortcut.)

The HP dv5t was another laptop that had zero stability issues throughout testing. It just worked, and the overall quality of the build seems to have improved since the dv6500t. HP provides a standard one-year warranty, but you can choose to upgrade to a two-year or three-year warranty with optional accidental damage protection. If you want peace of mind, or if you just happen to be hard on notebooks, we like the ability to buy an extended warranty. Pricing and performance is similar to the ASUS G50V, with the exception that ASUS offers better graphics performance.

HP takes the opposite approach to ASUS when it comes to providing access to the internal components. Instead of one large cover they have three smaller covers. Moreover, where ASUS provides easy access to the CPU and GPU and two hard drives, getting at the processor and/or GPU in the dv5t requires you to dismantle the chassis. Most users are not likely to upgrade their processor however, so this is a minor point. Getting out the memory, hard drive, and the mini-PCI slots is quite simple, with an empty mini-PCI slot at the front of the case and the WiFi card underneath the hard drive.