In a move to make their AMD-infused Pavilion dm3z models more attractive, HP has recently (and quietly) outfitted their ultra-thin line of 13 inch Pavilion dm3z notebook PCs with AMD’s latest Athlon II Neo processors (which also come in single and dual core flavors) that were made official barely two weeks ago. Compared to the first generation mobile Athlon Neo MV-40 of last year, these new 2010 chipsets from AMD feature two to four times the amount of L2 cache (1 or 2 MB L2 cache in the new processors versus 512 kb) and more processing power (ranging from 1.7 GHz single core to 1.3-1.5 GHz dual core choices, compared to the 1st Neo that was 1.6 GHz single core). They also are made based on 45 nm tech (versus their predecessors’ 65 nm). All while featuring the same TDP of 15 W (and an even lower 12 W for the single core Athlon II Neo “Geneva” K125).
If you spring for the more affordable single core 1.7 GHz K125 processor, you’ll get 512 MB’s worth of slightly dated ATI Mobility Radeon 4225 graphics. Going for the slightly pricier dual core 1.3 GHz K325 processor will allow you to choose between the mentioned Mobility Radeon 4225 card or a 512 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 5430 graphics option (which is ATI’s latest). The most powerful processor of the bunch (which comes at a $150 premium over the base single core option on HP’s website) will come standard with ATI Mobility 5430 graphics.
In other news, the HP Pavilion dm3z’s Intel counterparts (the Pavilion dm3t series) have not been updated and instead, have strangely disappeared from HP’s website… new Intel ULV Core i3 and Core i5 equipped Pavilion dm3t’s for summer, anyone?!
HP also launched a couple of new consumer-level Pavilion models today. Looks like they’re heading towards a new direction with a full rehash of their 14 to 17 inch Pavilion dv models. These new models no longer have those overly glossy lids and keyboard decks (you know, those that people were complaining about being fingerprint magnets) and, with the exception of the glossy display, have lost all things “shiny” (those touch sensitive, lit keys included). Instead these new Pavilion models now have a much more subtle, more aesthetically pleasing I must also comment, design – with aluminum cases with fairly low profile (Except the Pavilion dm4) imprints, full-size and color-contrasting chiclet style keyboards (the Pavilion dv6 even “borrows” the Envy 15’s whole keyboard design, trashy quick launch buttons included! But thankfully the rest have regular keyboards… for, you know, typists who don’t want to hit the wrong keys) and of course, big and buttonless multi-touch trackpads – it’s pretty evident that the Envy series had a pretty big influence on the guys who designed the new Pavilion dm4, Pavilion dv5, Pavilion dv6 and Pavilion dv7 notebooks we see today. Oh, these new notebooks also have more airvents and more LOGICALLY placed airvents (ie the vent for outward airflow isn’t placed facing the bottom anymore) than their predecessors. Note that the latter three models (dv5, dv6, dv7) share the model designations as their predecessors, but have completely different designs – so watch out before you buy!
HP Pavilion dm4
HP Pavilion dv5
HP Pavilion dv7
Specs to come…
HP Elitebook 8740w on EPEAT's website (click for larger)
There’s a high possibility the HP Elitebook 8740w might be announced later this month, but right now, HP’s elusive 17 inch Mobile Workstation is more official than ever with news of Epeat (special thanks to Casper) giving this unannounced notebook their Gold award and Energy Star certification. According to that page on EPEAT’s website (EPEAT stands for Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool, by the way) on the Elitebook 8740w, the notebook was ‘registered’ for green certification not that long ago – barely a week – on February 23 and has since received 21 of 27 Optional Points along with an EPEAT Gold rating.
Elitebook 8740w listed weight on EPEAT site
But hey, how many of us actually obsess over how ‘green’ our notebooks are? Well, not yet… but if you’ve come here looking for other juicy titbits on the 8740w, not just the pride of improving air freshness and reduction of waste landfills, when you dispose your several grand Mobile Workstation one day, don’t fret. EPEAT also lists the weight of the HP Elitebook 8740w under the Materials section of their site – it will come in weighing 7.86 lbs (that’s 3.57 kg based on Windows 7′s units conversion calculator). Okay, you may be thinking “so what? If I could carry the 7.50 lbs 8730w, then what’s a mere 0.3 lbs increase to me?!”. Well, that leads us to become suspicious of WHY the Elitebook 8740w put on that wee bit amount of weight. Could it be that it has two built-in hard disk bays PLUS an optical drive?! Could it be an increase in build quality? Bulletproof plating, perhaps? Nah I’m just kidding about the bulletproof plating, but the various weight fluctuations between 2010 Elitebooks and their 2008 predecessors gives us a good reason to be suspicious – the weight increase in the 8740w could be because of an additional something or two, or nothing at all!
Pic sent by reader T.Y.: Is this the 8740w's lid?
And finally, a picture was sent by a reader going by the initials T.Y. claiming it’s the lid of the Elitebook 8740w. Using some rather primitive yet effective tools in Paint to measure logo distance and area around it, and comparing them to those of the 8440/8540, there is reason to somewhat believe that this may be real… or maybe not. Another one of those things up for speculation, folks.
News of several upcoming HP computers has just broke out (or should I say, leaked) on the internet, apparently sprouting from online retailer Logic Buy. The folks there appear to be slightly unsure about the products (but they do have pictures), with specifications lists made out of some potentially real facts and some patchwork speculation.
Disclaimer: The source for this news article is not on HP Fansite’s “trusted sources” list, so do take specifications with a pinch of salt! The pictures appear to be real though!
Compaq Mini CQ10: Starting from the least significant of things is the Compaq Mini CQ10 netbook. This Compaq-branded netbook is a mashup of last year’s HP Mini designs (with the ‘old’, non-chiclet keyboard) and the guts of the recently leaked-n-selling HP Mini 210. The Compaq Mini CQ10 will sport a single-core 1.66 GHz, latest Intel Pine Trail N450 processor, GMA 3150 integrated graphics, 10 inch display and 250 GB hard disk, but UNLIKE the Mini 210, it will be limited to 1 GB of RAM, hinting that the Compaq Mini will ship with Windows XP (as opposed to Windows 7 on the Mini 210)
3rd generation HP Pavilion dv4: Unlike what they’ve done with the dm1/dm3 models, HP probably decided they’d save time and costs by re-using the hull of the HP Pavilion dv4. This 3rd generation dv4 sports the same design as its predecessors but with a different color scheme/exterior patterns. The 1st generation dv4 was a mix of silver and black, the 2nd generation dv4 was all-black and now, the dv4 is back… in all brown/gold (see the 1st picture above). Now, the folks out there on the net are only circulating pictures and speculation, but as the HP Fansite, we received exclusive information from a reliable source that HP will be offering the new Mobile Core i3/Core i5 processors with the new dv4. It will also have DDR3 RAM slots, new Nvidia graphics (as opposed to the crappy G105M in the 2nd generation) and optical drive with optional Blu-ray. To put things short, the new dv4 brings small changes: cosmetic, processor/graphics and DDR3 RAM – the rest stays the same.
Four new HP Pavilion Elite desktops: HP has four upcoming Pavilion Elite desktops. The Pavilion Elite 110t and 150t will be sub-$800 models with entertainment and media in mind, while the 170t and 180t models will cost around $1000+ and will offer more powerful Core i5 and Core i7 options, with a host of other step-up… plus the latter model will feature Nvidia GeForce GTX260 graphics
Well, things don’t seem too exciting for the HP’s consumer PC range this spring. Let’s hope for better from their business/enterprise PC side, shall we? =)
