HP Pavilion dv5000t

HP's 7.4-pound Pavilion dv5000t not only takes advantage of Intel's new dual-core processor and HP's Instant On capabilities but also boasts over seven hours of endurance using the 12-cell battery included in this configuration. This is an excellent mainstream notebook at a reasonable price.

Aesthetically speaking, the dv5000t is, for the most part, a well-designed notebook. It's carefully shaped with sloped edges that add a subtle but futuristic touch to the black-and-silver body. The only flaw and really the only major drawback to this notebook is the battery chamber that sticks out the back. Unlike most batteries that fit seamlessly into the bottom of the notebook, the dv5000t's is 0.4-inches thicker than the bottom and causes it to sit on an incline. You can choose to downgrade to a six-cell battery that doesn't cause the lift, but you'll sacrifice about half the runtime.

The marquee technology here is Intel's 1.83-GHz Core Duo, a dual-core processor officially introduced in January. The dv5000t is one of the first notebooks to use Nvidia's mid-tier GeForce 7400 Go processor. In terms of raw performance, it actually represents a step down from the dv4000's graphics chip (ATI's Mobility Radeon X700). That scored a 5,744 in 3DMark03 when we reviewed it last November; the 7400 on the dv5000t scored a lower but still respectable 3,996. In our FEAR frame rate test, the system turned in a score of 23 fps with autodetect settings (800 x 600 resolution), which is good enough to play the latest titles at lower resolution.

The trade-off in a slightly slower graphics package can be seen in the battery power. The dv5000t can last a whopping 7.5 hours unplugged. Granted, that's on the 12-cell battery that represents a $39 premium over the standard 6-cell battery, but it's worth the extra cost for such a long lifespan. The dual-core system  scored a solid 220 on MobileMark 2005 and had strong Wi-Fi connectivity, using Intel's improved wireless solution.

If you want to watch a DVD, play music, or view a picture album without firing up Windows, simply click the DVD button above the keyboard to launch QuickPlay 2.0. Instead of waiting the normal one to two minutes for Windows to load, QuickPlay boots in 11 seconds, a practical tool for those who want their notebooks to double as entertainment centers. Movies and pictures looked crisp on the 15.4-inch BrightView display, but like all glossy panels it's susceptible to glare depending on the amount of ambient light.

If you want to watch TV on that display, HP offers the Media Center Edition 2005 operating system ($40 less than the XP Professional OS bundled with this system) and an optional HP ExpressCard Analog TV tuner ($130), which comes with a remote control. You can also pause and record your favorite shows.

Beyond that, standard features include a dual-layer DVD burner, a 6-in-1 memory card reader, and a special Expansion Port 2 docking bay for extra storage or multimedia access (like a remote control). Triband Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g is included, but one of the few things missing is a hard Wi-Fi switch to save on battery life.

At $1,668 the dv5000t costs about the same as its dv4000 predecessor when you equalize the memory and hard drive, but this is a superior performer and you get two extra hours of runtime, as long as you don't mind the bulkiness of the 12-cell battery. Considering the premium features (dual core processor, QuickPlay, midrange discrete graphics), this sleek mainstream machine is a great buy.