HP PAVILION ZD7065

IN BRIEF: This is a monster of a machine that manages to deliver excellent build quality with a highly comfortable design

HP has been a little slow in entering the larger-than-life desktop replacement market, but with its Pavilion zd7065 (£1499 inc. VAT) it would seem that the wait has been worthwhile. Built around an impressive 17-inch TFT panel, which has a native resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels, it has enough room for a well-spaced keyboard, as well as the addition of a separate numeric pad. In keeping with all HP laptops, its touchpad can be switched off at the press of a button when not needed, thus avoiding the accidental moving of the pointer.

BIGGER PICTURE

When it comes to power, HP has opted for a 3.06GHz Pentium 4 processor. While this lacks the smaller Prescott die-size found in the Dell Inspiron 9100, it does offer Hyper-Threading technology. For MobileMark 2002 to run properly, this must be disabled in the BIOS. Sadly, the BIOS of the HP does not allow for this, so we were unable to fully test the system. Therefore, we are reliant on the day-to-day usage of the machine. Fortunately, we were more than satisfied with the zd7065, with no signs of drag of delay when running.

Without a MobileMark, we are also unable to gauge a corresponding battery life for this system. However, given that it weighs 4.2kg, the zd7065 has not been designed with mobility in mind. To this end, battery life isn’t an issue, but we did find that when running a looped video, this system was, on average, capable of lasting for 80 minutes between charges.

The HP is also supported by 512MB DDR SDRAM and a Toshiba 80GB hard drive. We would, however, have liked to have seen 1024MB in such a powerful laptop, as this would spread the workload even farther.

HOME BUYER

The type of buyer who will invest in the Pavilion zd7065 is the home-user looking for a multimedia machine, and to this end the HP certainly doesn’t disappoint. The nVidia GeForce FX GO 5600 graphics adapter returned a 3DMark 2001 SE score of 10581, making it on a par with many desktop graphics processors and capable of running the latest games with ease. The use of harman/kardon speakers built into the front of the chassis allows for improved sound quality. While this isn’t up to the standard of standalone speakers, it’s better than we have heard on many multimedia systems.

If there was one problem with the zd7065, it was the amount of heat the desktop processor generated. While the extractor fans are located on the rear of the chassis, which minimises the amount of noise, the rear of the chassis grew particularly warm. The HP’s larger chassis allows for a wider array of connection options to be added to the system. With four USB 2.0 ports and a single FireWire port, the zd7065 has what we consider to be the standard array of ports. However, the inclusion of a DVD+RW and a separate multicard reader add to the usability of the laptop as this means that files can be created and shared, whether on DVD or a memory card. When it comes to connectivity, the use of Ethernet for a fixed connection or 802.11g, in the form of the Broadcom mini-PCI card, make this a flexible machine.

The HP Pavilion zd7065 is a good example of what can be achieved when weight and size are not a prime decision. In comparison to Dell’s Inspiron, some of the HP’s components are no longer state-of-the-art, but as an off-the-shelf purchase it’s a compelling offering.

PRICE: £1275/£1499 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR: INTEL PENTIUM 4 3.06GHZ
MEMORY: 512MB DDR SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: TOSHIBA 80GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE: 17-INCH TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 1440 X 900 PIXELS
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GEFORCE FX GO 5600
DIMENSIONS: 398 X 278 X 47MM
WEIGHT: 4.2KG
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III): 2/1
WIRELESS LAN: 802.11G
ETHERNET: YES
MODEM: YES
USB PORTS: 4
FIREWIRE: 1
STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 YR C&R
WARRANTY UPGRADE: 2 YR £199 (INC. VAT)
CONTACT: 08705 474747 WWW.HP.COM/UK

RATINGS AND TEST RESULTS

BATTERY LIFE: 80 MINS
MOBILEMARK 2002: N/A
3DMARK 2001: 10581

VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
PERFORMANCE: 7
FEATURES: 8
MOBILITY: 3
BUILD QUALITY: 7
OVERALL: 7