If you hate lugging around a large laptop but are looking for something that performs better than a netbook, the HP Pavilion dm1z with AMD Fusion technology is a worthy machine to look at.
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| HP Pavilion dm1z Laptop |
Netbooks have always seemed like a great idea until you actually try to do something useful with them. Typically they don’t have enough RAM or a big enough screen to accomplish much more than web surfing and word processing for an extended period of time.
The HP Pavilion dm1z![]()
features an AMD Fusion processor that combines the CPU and graphics chips inside most laptops into a single unit. The Fusion processor delivers moderate-performance computing and graphics in an affordable, low power chipset suitable for these ultra portable PCs.
This laptop from HP strikes a good balance of portability and functionality and starts at $399 for base configuration, $479.99 for recommended configuration, and higher according to desired specifications.
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| HP dm1z comes with 3 USB ports, VGA, HDMI, ethernet, and a headphone jack |
Quick Specs:
- The laptop has an 11.6” screen with a resolution of 1366×768 which is better than many netbooks with a barely-usable resolution of 1024×600. This laptop’s 11.6” screen displays as much information as many other 13” or 15” laptops.
- The silver and black case has 3 USB ports, VGA, HDMI, ethernet, a headphone jack, and a SD card slot. The laptop comes with integrated Bluetooth and wifi. Battery life is listed as 9.5 hours although I didn’t ever run it down to empty to test it.
- Above the center of the screen is a VGA webcam with average 640×480 resolution. At this resolution, it isn’t what people would consider HD.
- The laptop weighs only 3 pounds, 7 ounces. Despite the compact case, it contains a full-size keyboard with raised buttons and physical separation between the keys on the keyboard. The keyboard is a huge bonus when considering the typical netbook experience that comes with a shrunken keyboard.
- HP dm1z ships standard with Windows 7 Home Premium which is not included with most netbooks.
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| The patterned black case resists fingerprints |
Processor and Memory
The laptop has a dual-core 1.6ghz processor that isn’t going to win any speed races but has the performance of a “real laptop” instead of the downgraded experience found on many netbook systems. It supports 2-4 GB of RAM. The model tested came with 3 GB, which should be enough for most people. The dm1z can be purchased with hard drives ranging from 250GB to 750GB or a 128GB solid state flash drive.
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| The full-size keyboard is a wonderful addition to this lightweight machine |
Graphics
The Pavilion dm1z’s integrated graphics processor is considered part of the “AMD Vision” family that means it has the horsepower to support full resolution HD playback. The laptop has both a VGA and HDMI port for displaying video (or video and audio) on external monitors/TVs. The VGA port means that you don’t have to travel with a laptop bag full of video cables or connectors to hook up to a projector or monitor while on the go. In addition to that, the HDMI port gives you a crystal-clear image to drive your HDTV at full 1080p resolution.
Connecting the HP dm1z to the television in the living room demonstrated that this lightweight laptop contains the graphics horsepower to support a multiple-monitor configuration using the built-in screen and a 42 inch LCD running at 1080. I had an extended desktop with a web browser on the laptop screen and full-screen YouTube videos on the 42” TV.
Tech Savvy Daddy fired up 1080p full HD music videos with the video and audio over the HDMI port, driving our living room TV and surround system. We may have woken the children up playing Lady Gaga and Katy Perry too loud. All in the name of testing!
YouTube may not have been the best choice for demonstrating the laptop’s 1080p playback capabilities. The Adobe Flash-based video stream was occasionally jumpy with audio/video sync issues. When I switched to 720p-mode on YouTube, the video was smoother and the lips matched the audio much more closely. Off topic: In full HD, the increased picture clarity really brings to light the fact that music videos are lip synced. That wasn’t quite as obvious watching MTV in high school on a tube TV!
HP sells an optional (external) Blu-Ray player for this laptop and from what I can tell, the laptop could support Blu-Ray 1080p BluRay playback without a problem.
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| Super slim yet provides a substantial experience either at home or on the go |
Audio
Most laptops have terrible speakers but I was impressed with the HP Pavilion dm1z’s built-in Altec Lansing speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio. The sound quality was really good for coming from such a small laptop. Of course, on an airplane, you’d be using the headphone jack. If you wanted to show off home videos or play a movie on the TV, the HDMI port carries the audio and video to your TV/stereo. Or use the Bluetooth to connect a Bluetooth enabled speaker like the Jawbone Jambox to fill the room with sound.
Summary
For those that want a lightweight machine when on the go but a more substantial “at home” experience, this laptop could be used at home by connecting it to a 24” monitor, USB keyboard, and mouse.
During the holidays, one of my favorite laptops was a Toshiba ultra-portable system, which is now discontinued. The HP Pavilion dm1z is an updated/upgraded version of that laptop. The Pavilion dm1z weighs less and comes with a slightly faster processor, longer battery life, and a lower price.
If you’re interested in an ultraportable machine, consider the HP Pavilion dm1z![]()
with the AMD Fusion processor.
I am an AMD Mom (#AMDMom) and received this product for review as part of my participation in the program. All opinions are my own.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012
Very nice review!
Our first ‘serious’ computers was the original HP pavilion desktops- we thought we would reach the end of the internet on that thing 🙂 That was back in ’97 and it STILL runs- HP builds some great machines!
Great review but just to clarify there are 2 SO-dimms on this computer and the motherboard can support up to 8 gigs of RAM.
Awesome review! This computer seems amazing!! I can’t believe how super slim it is!