Product Description

The HP Pavilion notebooks provide you with the freedom to work, play or connect from anywhere, anytime. These notebooks offer the best value for money from the industry's leader in the production of superb mobile solutions. Don't sacrifice reliability for mobility - get both. Reliable and mobile, the HP Pavilion notebooks deliver the optimal blend of performance and portability. HP Pavilion notebooks bring you the best of both worlds with fast processors and capacious hard drives - everything you need to stay productive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2164 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: dv4170us
• Display size: 15.4

Features

• Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
• Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (1.73GHz)
• 2MB of L2 Cache
• 533MHz FSB
• 1GB of 333MHz DDR Memory (expandable to 2GB)

Amazon Product Description
The Basics HP’s Pavilion dv4170us 15.4" Notebook PC represents a happy amalgam between price, performance and portability. It’s small and comfortable, but not so small that you pay a premium for it. It’s powerful, but nowhere near as powerful as some of today’s priciest upscale models. And it features a host of welcome luxuries, such as wireless network/Internet/email access, a surprisingly large widescreen display, state-of-the-art DVD-burning capabilities, a massive amount of storage space, and more than enough memory for any multitasking situation. Whether you’re a businessperson, personal user or student, and if you value useful, forward-looking features over absolute top-end speed, you’ll find the Pavilion dv4170us is a great fit.

Processor:
At the heart of any computer lies the CPU (or processor), a massive collection of miniature transistors that governs the speed and power of the entire unit. Some of today's notebooks are equipped with high-end CPU's on par with those found in top-of-the-line desktop PCs, while others are quick enough only for basic duties such as word processing, email and the like. The Pavilion dv4170us is equipped with an Intel Pentium M processor, one of three components that comprise Intel's efficient Centrino system (the others being a specialized Intel chipset and integrated wireless support). Centrino-equipped notebooks are generally smaller, easier on the batteries, and more versatile than their non-Centrino counterparts. Rated at a clock speed of 1.73 GHz and paired with a whopping 2 MB of Level 2 cache for extremely fast access to your most utilized information, this is a snappy processor that isn’t on par with a high-end Pentium 4 but will easily handle all common mobile tasks without prematurely draining your battery.

Memory:
Computers typically store information on their hard drive, but they also keep frequently and recently accessed data in Random Access Memory (RAM) for faster retrieval. More RAM means more efficient computing, superior multitasking and less strain on your hard drive. The Pavilion dv4170us incorporates one full gigabyte (GB) of 333 MHz RAM, an impressive allotment that’ll help boost your speed when accessing frequently used applications and during multitasking sessions. Moreover, the unit supports memory upgrades to a whopping two gigabytes—more than you'll ever need.

Video:
CPU's are usually so busy doing basic calculations that they need help translating visual output, particularly 3D graphics, to the viewing screen. This is the duty of the graphics card (or graphics controller). A graphics controller with "dedicated" built-in video memory is preferable to one with "shared" video memory wherein the graphics controller borrows a portion of the all-important main system memory. The Pavilion dv4170us features an innovative style of video controller, the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900—a hybrid of sorts between cards that incorporate built-in memory and less capable integrated controllers. Structured much like the latter, the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 indeed shares main memory, yet utilizes more refined components and commandeers more of the system's memory—up to 128 MB in this case—than the integrated cards found in less capable notebooks. Accordingly, the system won't satisfy hardcore gamers or demanding 3D graphic artists who need ultra-powerful 3D performance, yet its graphic prowess should be enough for most users.

Display:
Featuring a DVD-friendly widescreen format and supporting crystal clear 1280 by 800 resolution, the unit's 15.4-inch viewing screen is great for those who appreciate larger-than-average displays.

Hard Disk:
The Pavilion dv4170us features a 100 GB hard disk. This is an extremely generous amount of storage space for a notebook in this price range and easily enough for a broad range of applications and also a library of space-gobbling music and/or multimedia files.

Optical Drive:
An optical drive is essential in today's computing environment. A "CD-ROM" drive allows you to install CD-based applications and play music CDs. A "CD-RW" drive adds CD "burning", so you can also backup your important files to long-lasting discs and create personalized music CDs. With a DVD-ROM drive you can watch DVD movies. And with a DVD-RW drive, you can "write" home movies to durable discs and archive files to DVD (DVDs boast more than seven times the storage capacity of a CD). Most drives support several of these operations. This system boasts a versatile Double Layer DVD±R/RW and CD-RW Combo Drive that not only handles all of the above but also supports new double layer DVDs (twice the capacity of standard DVDs).

Audio:
The Pavilion dv4170us offers microphone-in and headphone-out jacks and two Altec Lansing-designed integrated speakers.

Keyboard and Controls:
You'll control your notebook via a 101 key-compatible keyboard, a Touch Pad with an on/off button and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad, several one-touch hotkeys, and convenient HP QuickPlay CD and DVD buttons.

Connectivity and Expansion:
The Pavilion dv4170us is very well connected. The unit features a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access, a 10/100BASE-T Ethernet port for high-speed wired network and Internet, and high-speed 802.11b/g wireless technology for cord-free communication. Other key amenities include four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play devices such as external drives and digital cameras, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port (commonly used for quick data uploads from digital camcorders), a 6-in-1 card reader for reading and transferring files to and from popular memory cards, and a handy remote control. Bluetooth connectivity (for wireless communication with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals) is not offered.

Operating System and Software:
HP will pre-install a copy of Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition operating system and an assortment of applications that includes Microsoft's Money financial suite, Microsoft's Works productivity pack, and HP's own Image Zone photo and video software.

Dimensions and Weight:
Many of today's most powerful notebooks are also the largest, weighing ten or twelve lbs or more and too cumbersome for extensive, continuous traveling. These are often referred to as "desktop replacements". On the other extreme are "thin and lights" or "ultra-portables", super-miniaturized units that typically aren't as powerful as their larger brethren but weigh as little as two or three lbs. and will often fit comfortably inside a large purse. At 8 lbs and 14.11 by 10.15 by 1.32 inches, the Pavilion dv4170us is a bit smaller than today's average.

Power:
The system sports a 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery.

Customer Reviews

This notebook carried me through more than a few business trips...
I bought this notebook as a replacement for my old eMachines notebook, in order to work on business projects, help me with email, and do presentations. Turns out this was many degrees better than my old eMachines notebook, and was probably one of the best purchases I could have made.

From the great outward appearance to the large 15.4" screen, this notebook really shined in nearly all arenas from display size to performance. The screen size really helps when I've got 15 or more applications open (and need the awesome screen real estate to move those windows around), and the amount of RAM and HDD space provide more than enough power to chew through spreadsheets and presentations.

In running Windows XP, I had to use a variety of programs from Outlook to MSN Messenger and Skype in order to connect to other company employees and get my job done. In all of the time I had the notebook (I've had this notebook for nearly 2 years now), it has never given me a bluescreen and hasn't had any trouble running any of the software I've put on it.

Network connectivity is really good as well: both wired and wireless network connections operate flawlessly, and are extremely easy to set up. HP is also really good about legacy support, so you'll be able to find drivers for this notebook on the HP website without any problems.

Power (battery life) is probably the biggest factor in buying a notebook, especially one with a large screen. I've gotten about 2.5 hours maximum on a full charge, with the display turned low and other power-saving features enabled over time. Not bad for normal operation, and more than enough to carry me through meetings or to put together last-minute touches on a presentation while I'm on a plane.

For an overall notebook workhorse for business or development use, the HP dv4170us gets my recommendation without hesitation.

I really like my laptop!!
This laptop is very user friendly, and has a lot of unique capabilities. The screen is thin, and wide for a fantastic crisp looking screen display; however, the price is the biggest downfall of this product. In fact I got my laptop for free!! Just paste this site in your address bar, and have fun with it! [...]