| Microsoft has upgraded its TV- and media-friendly | | | | first hp laptop hp laptop battery we've tested with |
| Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) to MCE | | | | Intel's Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor. The |
| 2004, and HP's Pavilion zd7000 runs the new version. | | | | difference between this chip and the normal Pentium |
| The $2,600 laptop features a big, wide-screen | | | | 4 is the addition of a 2MB L3 memory cache on the |
| display; a handheld remote; a DVD burner; and an | | | | Extreme Edition chip as well as its normal 512K L2 |
| external box that ties in to your television signal. MCE | | | | memory cache. The HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's mobile |
| 2004 may be better suited for a PC, especially if | | | | performance score has less to do with this major |
| accommodating the OS requires a 9.2-pound laptop, | | | | bump in cache memory and more to do with how |
| plus multiple cables and paraphernalia. Nevertheless, | | | | low the speed of the processor is throttled in order |
| the HP Pavilion zd7000 is among the fastest, | | | | to conserve battery life. In this case, the HP Pavilion |
| best-designed laptops CNET has ever tested, and it's | | | | zd7000's 3.2GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor |
| equipped to please videographers, shutterbugs, | | | | does not drop its speed significantly and as a result |
| gamers, and even those who ponder spreadsheets. | | | | ends up with the highest MobileMark performance |
| However, its sheer weight and heat, plus a battery | | | | score we've yet seen. Unfortunately, the HP Pavilion |
| that conks out just past two hours, may discourage | | | | zd7000 P4EE's great mobile performance does not |
| you from taking the laptop off your desk. After | | | | come without a price, as is seen in its battery life |
| looking at several recent big-screen laptops, we think | | | | score. The Dell Inspiron XPS with its Pentium 4 |
| the HP Pavilion zd7000 has the best implementation | | | | 3.4GHz processor is a distant second in mobile |
| of a nonstandard-resolution display. In particular, its | | | | performance, with the original HP Pavilion zd7000 P4 |
| resolution is appropriate for its screen size, unlike | | | | bringing up the rear. Often with desktop |
| others we've seen. HP's Pavilion nx7000, for example, | | | | replacements, mobile performance comes down to |
| crams its 1,680x1,050 resolution onto a 15.4-inch | | | | how much battery life the manufacturer is |
| (diagonal) wide-screen LCD--that's 130 pixels per inch, | | | | comfortable sacrificing. In the case of the HP Pavilion |
| a view so dense, you have to squint. | | | | zd7000 P4EE, HP chooses mobile performance, |
| The HP Pavilion zd7000 (hp zd7000 battery )tops out | | | | designing a system that can run office and |
| at a comfortable 100 pixels per inch, displaying a | | | | content-creation applications very fast in a mobile |
| 1,440x900 native resolution--enough to sail through a | | | | state. |
| spreadsheet as easily as through a movie. We love | | | | SysMark 2002 performance: The Pentium 4 Extreme |
| the display's saturated colors and its sharp, clean text | | | | Edition-based HP Pavilion zd7000 outperforms its |
| on an evenly lit background. The image fades when | | | | Pentium 4-based predecessor, with increases of |
| viewing from above or the side, however, so | | | | about 14 percent over the older processor. This is |
| gathering friends around for a movie won't work. | | | | due not only to the laptop's Pentium 4 Extreme |
| The HP Pavilion zd7000's size allows for uncluttered, | | | | Edition chip, which has a superlarge 2MB L3 memory |
| uncrowded hands-on elements. A long, ridged latch | | | | cache, but also to the system's increased RAM, |
| opens the lid easily to reveal a full-size | | | | about (1GB as opposed to 512MB) and faster |
| keyboard--even the Backspace key is big--with a | | | | 5,400rpm hard drive. All of these factors result in a |
| separate numeric keypad. Keys provide a good "pop" | | | | 24 percent increase in office-productivity |
| feel and operate silently, and the keyboard is almost | | | | performance and a 3 percent increase in Internet |
| free of wiggle and sag. A wide touchpad features a | | | | content-creation performance. However, the great |
| scrolling strip down the right-hand edge; ordinary left- | | | | hardware improvement isn't enough to win out over |
| and right-click mouse buttons sit just below it. Stereo | | | | the Dell Inspiron XPS (dell laptop battery). Although |
| speakers line the laptop's entire front edge and sound | | | | the Dell Inspiron XPS uses the normal version of the |
| at least as good as small external speakers, There's | | | | Pentium 4, it runs at a faster 3.4GHz. Also, the |
| also a power button for the 802.11g Wi-Fi radio. | | | | system includes a superfast 7,200rpm hard drive, |
| HP stocked the Pavilion zd7000 with features on the | | | | which helps give it a performance boost over the |
| outside and muscle on the inside. Along the edges, it | | | | competition. That said, the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's |
| has a quartet of USB 2.0 ports; a four-pin FireWire | | | | maximum performance is still one of the best we've |
| port; S-Video; two flash memory slots that read | | | | seen and should satisfy the performance demands of |
| Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, and | | | | even the most demanding user. |
| SmartMedia; and a Type II/Type III PC Card slot. A | | | | To measure maximum notebook application |
| fixed DVD-R/RW drive accommodates most optical | | | | performance, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's SysMark |
| media but, unfortunately, not a backup battery. | | | | 2002, an industry-standard benchmark. Using |
| Inside, there's a screaming-hot 3.2GHz desktop | | | | off-the-shelf applications, SysMark measures a |
| Pentium 4 (it really does run hot; good thing the | | | | desktop's performance using office-productivity |
| Pavilion zd7000 is too heavy to park on your lap for | | | | applications (such as Microsoft Office and McAfee |
| long); Nvidia's AGP 8X GeForce FX Go5600 graphics | | | | VirusScan) and Internet-content-creation applications |
| controller with 128MB of its own memory; 512MB of | | | | (such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia |
| 333MHz memory filling both memory slots; and a | | | | Dreamweaver). |
| 60GB hard drive. | | | | 3D graphics performance: The HP Pavilion zd7000 |
| Microsoft streamlined and extended Media Center | | | | P4EE places a distant second behind the Dell Inspiron |
| Edition (MCE) 2004 in some useful ways. The basic | | | | XPS in 3D graphics performance. The good news is |
| idea is a separate, no-keyboard interface that lets | | | | that the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's 3D score is a huge |
| you use the remote to run utilities for viewing and | | | | 25 percent increase over the older model's, thanks |
| recording television, organizing and displaying photos, | | | | mostly to the P4EE processor's huge 2MB L3 |
| and performing other media-oriented activities. MCE | | | | memory cache. The 3D performance of this system |
| 2004 can teach itself how to work with your set-top | | | | is great. However, the Dell Inspiron XPS performs |
| box, walk you through calibrating color on your | | | | even better. Using 3D architecture that is about half |
| screen, and notify you when someone is trying to call | | | | a generation ahead of the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's, |
| you (if you have Caller ID). It can download current | | | | the Dell Inspiron XPS houses ATI's newest mobile |
| TV schedules unattended and record a TV show | | | | GPU, the Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB, which is the |
| while you're using the system for other tasks. | | | | successor to the Mobility Radeon 9600 Pro. Thus, it |
| Microsoft also improved the television listings; you | | | | comes as no surprise that the Dell Inspiron XPS beats |
| now have tools to sort and filter them, and you can | | | | the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE (laptop battery)by 15 |
| find listings based on keywords. | | | | percent. It should be noted, however, that the HP |
| For those moments away from television, HP bundles | | | | Pavilion zd7000 P4EE is still one of the highest-scoring |
| Microsoft Works 7.0 with Microsoft Money 2003 and | | | | 3D laptops we've seen. It was just outclassed by |
| Encarta Internet Edition. | | | | newer hardware. Still, the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE |
| The HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE comes in first place in | | | | should have no problem meeting the performance |
| mobile performance in this small test group of | | | | needs of most gamers. |
| desktop replacements. The HP Pavilion zd7000 is the | | | | |