41iZJl9WsTL._SL160_ HP DV2310US Pavilion 14-inch Laptop (AMD Turion 64 X2 Processor TL 52, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Built for today’s multimedia-savvy, always on-the-go computer user, the entertainment-centric HP Pavilion dv2310us notebook PC provides quick access to your digital audio and video library wherever you roam. Weighing in at 5.4 pounds, it travels easily and it provides a cool, modern look with a high-gloss durable finish and inlaid design inspired by Zen rock gardens as well as touch-sensitive media controls. Latch-free, the mechanical closure, unique speaker grill pattern, and color-saturated LED indicator lights further enhance this sophisticated design. It offers a widescreen, BrightView 14.1-inch display, which provides improved viewing in direct sunlight. Control settings for audio and video playback from up to 10 feet away with the included HP remote, then store it conveniently in the PC card slot. Enjoy movies or music in seconds with the external DVD or music buttons to launch HP QuickPlay (which bypasses the boot process).

Optimized for mobile performance, it’s powered by the 1.6 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 dual-core processor, which offers 64-bit computing capability and higher throughput for simultaneous computing tasks. Other features include a large 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), multi-format/dual-layer LightScribe DVD drive (which can also burn CDs), Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 video card with up to 288 MB of shared video memory, multi-format memory card reader, and integrated Webcam for easy video conferencing.

It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you’ll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

  • Processor: The 1.6 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 processor offers a dual-core architecture, which delivers additional computing resources to help expand your PC’s capabilities by providing higher throughput and simultaneous computing–increasing your performance by up to 80 percent. You’ll be able to perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering and gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly thanks to the innovative Direct Connect Architecture. And it’s designed to handle simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing with no degradation in performance. You’ll enjoy long battery life thanks to the AMD PowerNow! power management technology, which delivers performance on demand and can extend system battery life up to 65 percent. And the AMD Digital Media XPress technology delivers stellar multimedia performance and playback on digital entertainment such as games, streaming video and audio, DVDs, and music.

    Each processing core has a 512 KB L2 cache (for a 1 MB total), and this processor can deliver up to a 1600 MHz system bus for lightning quick computing reflexes. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system’s performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  • Hard Drive: The 160 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) offers enough to room to hold a digital audio library of over 26,000 songs and still have room left over for movies, games, and a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data–akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
  • Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (2 x 512 MB DDR2) is a good start, but you’ll want to add more RAM to handle today’s demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a 2 GB maximum RAM capacity. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.
  • DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds.

    This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label–anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.

  • Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard and a touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad. It also includes two quick-launch buttons (HP QuickPlay Music and DVD).

Screen, Video & Audio
While this notebook is actually as wide as standard 15-inch displays, the high-definition, widescreen 14.1-inch display (1280 x 800-pixel resolution) has the same form factor as a 12-inch screen–taking up less space on your desk. Video is powered by the integrated Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 graphics/video card, which provides up to 288 MB of video memory shared with the system memory. It features NVidia’s PureVideo technology–which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for video content–and full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 for stunningly realistic cinematic effects for all DirectX-compatible applications.

The Altec Lansing speakers provide exceptional sound, and a pair of stereo earbud headphones with volume controls is included. You’ll be able to privately share enjoyment of multimedia with a friend via the dual headphone jacks. One of the headphone jacks is also compatible with SPDIF digital audio output for home theater surround sound.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that’s fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks.. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. You get a very good offering of connectivity options, which includes both super-fast USB 2.0 and FireWire:

  • 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
  • 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
  • 1 VGA monitor port
  • 1 S-Video port for connecting to a TV
  • 1 ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
  • 2 headphone jacks (1 stereo, 1 with SPDIF digital audio output)
  • 1 microphone jack
  • 1 Expansion Port 3 connector (for use with the HP xb3000 Expansion Base or the HP Notebook QuickDock)
  • 1 IR receiver
  • 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
      It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

      Operating System
      Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

      Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family’s use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

      Preloaded Software
      Includes Microsoft Works 8, Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 Trial, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update), Roxio Creator/MyDVD (with LightScribe technology), Muvee autoProducer (for creating professional-looking home videos and burning to DVD), and HP Total Care Advisor.

      Dimensions & Weight
      This notebook PC measures 13.15 x 9.33 x 1.54 inches and weighs 5.4 pounds.

      Power
      It’s powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 3 hours (depending on usage). You’ll get up to 8 hours of battery life with the optional 12-cell lithium-ion battery.

      What’s in the Box
      This package contains the HP Pavilion dv2310us notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, IR remote control, earphones, and operating instructions. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 30 days from date of purchase.
      Customer Review: Should have been recalled
      this laptop has a known issue related to the AMD chip overheating. They have released an emergency bios update which makes the fan run at all times. HP has also created a program allowing people to get their laptop serviced for 2 years from the original purchase date. Basically, this laptop should have been recalled because so many have failed, and simply making the fan run at all times is a cheap fix by HP.
      Customer Review: You get what you pay for…
      I bought this computer in late May of 2007 to help me in my first year of teaching. It worked just fine until a couple of days after my one-year warranty ran out. Then, everything went to pieces. Similar to other reviewers, my laptop crashes for no reason and gets incredibly hot after just a short amount of time. Additionally, and most problematically, the computer rarely starts up when I want it to. Just this morning, I had to turn the computer on and off nearly 50 times before it finally turned the screen on.
      HP has had problems with this model (especially with the BIOS… if you search HP’s web site, this model is eligible for a free repair), but if you’re like me and off of the warranty, you are out of luck. I called HP and even to get one day’s assistance, it was an absurd amount of money.
      I’d recommend this laptop only if you’re willing to get an extended warranty and are using it more for fun than for important information. It does have a lot of features for the money, but none of those features do you a lot of good when the computer itself won’t start up or stay on! Buy Now

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