HP Pavilion DV9088EA Review

Overall Rating

Great value, looks awesome, very powerful, good value for money and a very high spec.

Poor battery life (about 2.5hrs, less if watching a DVD), 'squidgy' touchpad buttons, fiddly button to open the DVD tray.

I bought the HP Pavilion DV9088EA from DABS.com for £1149. I had been looking for a replacement for my Sony Vaio FR315S and wanted a desktop replacement. I had been working in America and had scoured their stores and websites for the specification that I wanted. I almost settled on a couple but stalled at the last minute and am pleased that I did because HP have just released this laptop. Here's the lowdown:

Specification - Google 'dv9088ea' and you'll be able to get the full spec but here are the highlights:

17" Widescreen
Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1.83 GHz processor
240 GB Hard Drive (2 x 120 GBs although 10GB is set aside for system restore)
512mb dedicated nVidia 7600 graphics card
2048 MB Ram

Pros

Build Quality

The build quality feels good and the laptop's 'piano top' finish lends it a very stylish look and considerable lan. The keyboard is good and the inclusion of a numeric keypad is very handy.

Gaming

I have been playing Far Cry on the highest settings and the computer laps it up. I have even done this whilst converting old tapes to MP3 and there was no discernible difference in speed. I have also read that F.E.A.R plays at the maximum settings with no problems too.

Multi-Media Extravaganza

I have not played with Media Centre too much, but the remote control is comprehensive and you can watch and record DVB TV (Freeview) using the software. Unfortunately you need to plug in an IR receiver to do this, but it means that you can have the computer out of sight and watch TV, view your photos or listen to MP3s. You can turn the computer on and off with the remote control which is handy too. The remote itself is comprehensive, but be advised that you don't get the credit card sized one which slots into the side of the computer (despite what the HP website shows!).

Connectivity

You can connect pretty much everything to the computer via USB, Firewire and there's even an HDMI output. On top of this there is a memory card reader which accepts Sony Memory Sticks, SD, MMC and XD cards. As well as this there is on S-VHS output for watching through your TV and an HDMI output for connecting to an HD Screen.

DVD Writer

The HP DV9088EA has a built in DVD recorder as is standard on laptops today. However it also has a Lightscribe writer in it which means that you can write labels onto dedicated DVD or CDs. This means that you can produce professional looking DVDs and CDs.

The DVD writes to Dual Layer discs and I believe (although I'm not certain of this) that it will also read and write DVD-RAM too.

17" Screen

The screen is very good indeed with vivid colours and it's very bright.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard is well laid out and the numeric keyboard is useful. The touch pad is in a tactile silver finish and looks very cool. The software to drive it is the most comprehensive that I've seen. The touch pad buttons are a little 'squidgy' but once you become accustomed to this they're fine although the feel is not in keeping with the overall high build quality.

Along the top of the keyboard are a series of touch sensitive multimedia buttons. They are illuminated in a cool blue light ( la Playstation 2) and you can use them to start the computer without firing up Windows, which is handy.

Software

The laptop comes with Windows XP Home edition and Windows Media Centre. It also comes bundled with some basic CD and DVD copying and editing software, Lightscribe writing software and QuickPlay for media (ie DVDs and MP3s). Considering the price of the computer this isn't overly generous but is certainly adequate.

Cons

The battery life is about 2hrs 30minutes with the WiFi enabled (but only 1 hour 40 if watching a DVD)

The Touchpad buttons are not to everyone's taste.

The button to open the DVD tray is fiddly to press and hence its annoying to open the DVD tray.

Conclusion

In spite of its apparently high price (compared to the majority of laptops on the market today) the HP DV9088EA is excellent value for money. You won't find a better spec, for a better price, in any current laptop and it is a very sexy and well-built bit of hardware to boot. I am delighted with it and look forward to years of fast gaming and video editing. This laptop is a steal. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.