HP Pavilion Dm4-1165dx

Feb 06

This would have to be a light 14-inch laptop launched by HP for its Pavilion series. Available only at Best Buy for $779.99, it adopts an aluminum casing which benefits from a laser-etch design with a pattern that flows on the exterior as well as on the palm rest, just like on the more expensive dm4-1173cl. Both models have the same 4.3-pound weight which makes them 0.4 pounds lighter than the Asus U45Jc-A1.

The HP Pavilion dm4-1165dx has been fitted with a 14-inch widescreen display that has a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. It comes with a traditional full-sized island-style keyboard while the touchpad is an all-in-one unit.

HP Pavilion dm4-1165dx (Source: bbspot.com)

Regarding features and ports, HP fitted this model with VGA out, an HDMI port, an eSATA/USB combo port, two USB 2.0 ports, headphone plus microphone jack and a 5-in-1 media card reader. You will also find a fingerprint reader and a dual-layer DVD optical drive. Just like the Asus we’ve mentioned and the IdeaPad Y460 from Lenovo, the dm4-1165dx is equipped with a generous 500GB hard drive but in this model it spins at 7,200 rpm, unlike the other two models where the hard drive is rotating at only 5,400 rpm.

You get the usual amount of bloatware on this hard drive as the manufacturer has installed shortcuts to eBay and HP Games, along with a designated dock that has a link to the Download Store where you have the possibility to purchase a variety of software.

Aside from the usual 802.11n Wi-Fi, the HP Pavilion dm4-1165dx comes with the Intel WiMax and Wireless Display technologies. With the first one you can get a 4G connection in the United States where there are WiMax-designated towers, with a download speed that varies between 2-5MBps. This will allow you a comfortable web surfing experience if you are willing to pay $40 per month. As for the Wireless Display (WiDi) feature, with this one you have the possibility to link the laptop wirelessly to an HDTV but for this to happen you must acquire the $100 Netgear Push2TV receiver.

HP Pavilion dm4-1165dx (Source: pacificgeek.com)

The sound quality of this model is enhanced by the Dolby Advanced Audio technology which makes the speakers suitable for watching a YouTube clip. For movies or games, we would like to recommend buying a set of external speakers or a pair of headphones.

The laptop is powered by a first generation Intel Core i5-450M CPU working at 2.40 GHz with 4GB of DDR3 RAM. This isn’t a laptop suitable for video games as it has only an integrated Intel GMA HD Graphics solution.

As for the standard 6-cell, 55WH battery, it is able to last for a little over 6 hours during a test in MobileMark 2007, which is considerably less than the Asus U45Jc-A1 (9:27).