HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Brand Hewlett-Packard
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Product Description * AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor L335 (1.6 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
* 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB)
* 320GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 5.5 Hours of Battery Life
* 13.3¿ Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Graphics with 128MB Display Cache Memory with up to 2046MB total graphics memory
SPECIFICATIONS
AMD Athlon LogoProcessor
VISION Technology from AMD with AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor L335, 1.60GHz
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Windows 7 Home LogoOperating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
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Display
13.3" Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Widescreen Laptop Display (1366 x 768)
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Memory (RAM)
4GB DDR2
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Hard Drive
320GB (7200RPM) SATA
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Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h)
4.21lbs; 12.83" x 9.06" x 0.96"/1.23"
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Battery Life
Up to 5.5 hours
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Battery
6-cell Polymer HP Pavilion dm3-1130us Laptop PC Battery
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Wireless
Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n WLAN & Bluetooth®
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Video Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics with 128MB Display Cache Memory with up to 2046MB total graphics memory
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Finish
Brushed aluminum
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HP Pavilion dm3-1130us Laptop PC Front View
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HP Pavilion dm3-1130us Laptop PC Top View
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HP Pavilion dm3-1130us Laptop PC Right Side
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Left Side
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FEATURES
YESBuilt-in HP Webcam
Video chat live from your HP Pavilion dm3-1130us Laptop PC
YES5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
Transfer photos from digital cameras to your Laptop PC Owithout using cables
YESBluetooth®
Save time with wireless synching and printing
Product Details# Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 9.1 x 1.2 inches ; 4.2 pounds
# Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds
>> more details.. Reviews HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3 Inch Laptop
After my brief time with my new HP, here are the pros and cons, for anyone considering it:
Pros:
1) It truly is a lightweight, portable model
2) The style is hard to beat, if you like the metal look
3) The keyboard style is different than what I'm used to, but I've found the chiclet style very use to type with
4) HP Quickweb is a useful, practical feature to get you on the Internet/listening to music or looking at photos without accessing Windows 7
5) Windows 7 itself rivals Apple's platform in the litany of user-friendly features and style. I was very impressed.
6) The battery life is about what was advertised- probably in the 4 hour range, if you're using wireless and looking at photos, etc. People who are only getting two hours probably are watching a movie and/or didn't let the battery fully drain the first time before they charged it.
7) The four USB ports, the SD slot and the exhaust fan on the side are all nice features.
8) I haven't had any problems with the mousepad- people who have commented negatively on it, I would guess, want the world's perfect mousepad. It's functional. And sure, it gets fingerprints on it, but that's because you use your fingers to use it. What do you expect? And are you trying to impress people with your fingerprint-less mousepad?
9) I was installing multiple programs and browsing the Internet all at once and experienced no interruptions or slow down. At least in that test, the RAM and processor are keeping up. I went with the AMD instead of Intel partly for cost (much cheaper), but also because I was told by some computer experts AMD might work a little faster. No regrets yet.
Most of the specs are readily available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP's site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I'm a Mac user normally but could not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price point, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a [...] dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a [...] , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a little leery about getting an HP since they don't have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It's fast, faster than I expected. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I've played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I think you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3" w/ a 1366x768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn't bad. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I've only had fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I've yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. Coming from OSX, I have to say I'm growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I'm getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I've used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The "mouse-buttons" could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a [...] but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast as with my desktop's keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5's primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn't a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I could do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks included, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you've got yourself one heck of a deal!
