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Our take: Handsome looks with incredible capability



It is already a given that this Hp DV4 is one absolutely Handsome laptop with its masculine Espresso Black imprint and chrome detailing. It is for this reason that the descriptive article will focus more on the new AMD “Tigris” platform featuring the new components AMD Turion II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor M620(2.5Ghz) and ATI Mobility HD4200. The Hp DV4-2049WM is part of the first batch of laptops we have received featuring AMD’s VISION branding scheme <click here> and importantly this laptop is categorized as part of the VISION PREMIUM platform. Is this laptop deserving of the Premium category? Before we get technical allow us to share our initial impression that this specific laptop model is like Football Player KAKA(<click here>) or Blessed with Handsome looks with incredible capability.

The AMD Turion_II Ultra Dual-Core M620 Mobile Processor is part of AMD’s top-of-the-line mobile processor as evidenced by the ULTRA branding. In comparison to the basic Turion_II mobile processor the ULTRA series offers a larger 2MB L2 cache. Cache is a type of fast memory that store recent instruction and data. It makes the system faster because the computer saves the trip to the slow system RAM effectively boosting performance. The technical specification of the Turion_II Ultra M620 shows it is rated at 2.5Ghz with 1809Mhz FSB and is manufactured using the latest 45nm production process.



Customers have a tendency to be impatient and write to us – “do not tell us how it works just what it does!” To avoid all the technical jardon, we use the Windows Experience Index (WEI) found on Vista and on Windows7 as our reference in evaluating system component performance. The WEI includes five subscores: processor, memory, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, and hard disk. <click here>. Some may argue that it is not a very informative benchmark but for us at CoolTOYZ it is the only indication of performance that we have found to be consistent for both AMD and Intel processors. The WEI score posted below shows that the Turion_II Ultra M620(2.5Ghz) is provided an impressive 6.1Points rating. Searching our database of laptop we have tested, the only other model that has reached the 6.1rating for the processor is an XPS 1340 <click here> with an Intel Core2 Duo P8700 (2.53/3mb/1066Mhz). The WEI score, should be sufficient to all provide confidence to first time AMD users that AMD is not slow!



Aside from the new AMD Turion_II processor, the latest AMD TIGRIS platform also includes that ATI HD4200 onboard graphic system. AMD after the acquisition of graphic market ATI, is usually superior when it comes to the performance of integrated graphics chipsets and the latest HD4200 is intended to further extend this leadership against its arch rival Intel. As evident with the WEI score above, the ATI HD4200 is given a subcore 5.4-rating for gaming graphic which is impressive given that the VAIO NW240 with an Intel X4500MHD <click here> is only rated at 3.4 using the same Windows7 WEI scores. Simple math the HD4200 is 59% more capable.



The ATI Mobility HD4200 is the update of the impressive HD3200, adding more processing power for HD content and light gaming and also bringing DX 10.1 support to the chipset as well. Because it is new a lot of the benchmark softwares we normally use are still not updated to measure the performance of the HD4200. What we did was test it on actual games and we impressed with that we can play Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty: World at War, and even L4D_2 on medium settings. This is certainly something a user can not do with an Intel X4500M and for additional reference we are posting below comparative 36Mark'06 benchmark results for your evaluation of the graphic capability of the ATI HD4200 in this system. In addition, HP in the specs provided for the DV4-2049WM indicates 128MB Display Cache Memory AMD M880G with 128B GDDR2 (sideport memory). What does “Sideport” mean? Because the Tigris platform is new there are limited information available online. We do still do not know what sideport means and before making a claim we need to do additional research to be able to provide a factual answer. What can not be denied is that the ATI HD4200 offers stark improvement over the previous model ATI HD3200.



The HP Pavilion dv4 Entertainment Notebook PC integrates a full spectrum of multimedia features, bringing mobile entertainment to a whole new level. These premium features including, a multi-format Dvd±Writer Dual Layer capable of playing and also burning DvD Disc, a built-in webcam, a remote controller, Integrated Altec Lansing Speakers,and even Dual Head Phone jacks. The port and connection assortment on the DV4-series is solid for a notebook of its size; there's really no wasted space on either side. The inclusion of a VGA and HDMI port makes it easy to use an external display. While an eSATA/USB combo port and the built-in 5-in-1 digital media reader makes transfering photos and files quickly and easily. To make it every more enticing the DV4-2049WM also includes a 500Gb 7200RPM Harddrive. Given some games now need 6Gb to install, we know what the large and fast harddrive is intended for ^.^



Finally we come to the aesthetics. The very very elegant Espresso Imprint is described by Hp senior designer Stacy Wolf as featuring “white flickering balls that erupt outward against a sleek high gloss black backdrop”. The design is definite to catch attention while at the same time a classic not to become out of fashion in the near future. The Espresso Imprint is enhanced with the color-matched keyboard and media controls that light up and become visible only when the system is powered, tagged by Hp as “magic chrome”. Attention to detail is evident on the LCD back cover where you will find a Backlit HP logo that turn bright white when powered on. At the least the lighted logo is much more attractive than a cheap stick-on badge logo. In comparison to the other DV4 model we are also offering, the Espresso Black finish is more which is just right because the DV4-2049WM has top-of-the-line components!

We started the article with a question - Is this laptop deserving of the Premium category? Certainly YES! The DV4-2049 features capabilities a notch above your basic laptop including capability for multi-tasking, basic photo-editing and mainstream/casual gaming. On top of the capability, the Ultra Processor is impressive, the 500GB 7200RPM harddrive is superb and of course the Espresso black imprint differentiates this laptop from Taiwan wannabe brands.

Our Buying Tips:
1. Select Three(3) Laptop that fits the requirement and the budget
2. Visit the store
3. Sit Down and compare the laptops side-by-side. Nothing like actual comparison.
4. View if the Display meets expectations... check dead pixels also
5. Check if Audio is Acceptable.
6. Check Battery Life
7. Inquire about the Warranty Policy
8. Take a Deep Breath and decide.

"Paying for what you can Experience and Buying from a Shop is for Your Peace of Mind... Units available for immediate purchase".