The good: Refined Pavilion design; "frameless" display bezel enhances screen's appearance; high-end Centrino 2 components result in great multimedia performance; touch pad on/off button; light-touch media controls; dual headphone jacks; HDMI and eSATA ports.

The bad: Glossy finish easily picks up fingerprints; metallic touch pad provides too much drag; no full-HD panel option; frame rates adequate for casual gaming only.

The bottom line: We recommend the eye-catching, media-friendly HP Pavilion dv7 desktop replacement for students who want a laptop that doubles as an entertainment center.

Read full review of the HP Pavilion dv7 »

By Michelle Thatcher, CNET.com
Aug 25, 2008

The HP Pavilion dv7 is both familiar and brand new at the same time. On the one hand, the desktop-replacement laptop is like any other Pavilion: A black, imprint-finish lid, a solid selection of features for media enjoyment, and a reasonable price tag. On the other hand, the dv7's attractive black-and-silver case, "frameless" display bezel, and chart-topping multimedia performance (thanks to new Centrino 2 components) embody the continued refinement of HP's consumer laptop line. In fact, we have only a few minor quibbles with the Pavilion dv7: For all its media features, the fixed configuration omits a Blu-ray drive (though it's available as an option), and its midrange Nvidia GPU will no doubt disappoint serious gamers. For students whose media consumption habits favor 2D pursuits rather than 3D, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better-looking, better-outfitted 17-inch laptop.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

We were fans of the previous-generation Pavilion design, and we like the new Pavilion look even more. Externally, the glossy black lid on the Pavilion dv7 looks very similar to the Pavilion dv9000 series, though the dv7's imprint finish features a subtle grid of dots. The newer Pavilion also adds a silver HP logo, in the lower right corner of the lid, which glows white when the laptop is running. But the real "wow" moment comes when you open the Pavilion dv7: The keyboard, deck, and touch pad are all silver, while the display features HP's new "frameless" bezel that's flush with the screen. The overall effect is just a touch more refined than previous-generation Pavilions, although the excess of glossy surfaces means the laptop is particularly prone to fingerprints.



We're also fans of the Pavilion dv7's display, which features a sharp 1,680 x 1,050 native resolution and a glossy finish that, while slightly reflective, gives photos and movies pop. The screen produced rich colors while watching movies, and there's plenty of screen real estate for traditional computer work as well. Unfortunately, there is no option for a 1,920 x 1,200-pixel screen for true HD viewing.

As mentioned above, the laptop incorporates HP's new "frameless" display (which the company calls BrightView Infinity); though there is still a black bezel, the flush surface provides a better frame for the screen and greatly enhances the overall aesthetic appeal. Like all Pavilion laptops, the dv7 includes a row of white LED light-touch buttons above the keyboard that launch the media player, provide volume and playback controls, and turn the wireless radio on and off.

Features

Like almost all desktop replacements, the Pavilion dv7's keyboard is full sized and includes a 10-key numeric keypad. Our initial concerns that the metallic-finish keys would make for uncomfortable typing turned out to be unfounded. More accurate was our first impression of the wide-format touch pad, which features a chrome-like finish that, as we suspected, provides a bit more drag than we'd prefer. We do love that HP continues to include an easily accessible touch pad on/off button, which is handy when you want to use an external mouse.



The Pavilion dv7 incorporates all the familiar Pavilion features: Altec Lansing stereo speakers, dual headphone jacks, a DVD burner with LightScribe, and an expansion port to connect to an HP docking station. The high-end desktop also adds an HDMI port for high-definition video and an eSATA port that's good for hooking up external SATA hard drives. What's missing on this fixed configuration? Integrated Bluetooth and a Blu-ray drive, both of which are available as options when you configure the Pavilion dv7 at HP's site.

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