![]() ![]() ![]() The real big guns in the new HDX come from Nvidia's new GeForce 8800 video card. Still, the 2.5GHz T9300 is near the top of the laptop CPU heap, and gave us no slowdown or stuttering, even with multiple media players, Web pages, and office documents running at the same time-as we'd expect from any modern dual-core system. In fact, the previous HP HDX model we looked at had a 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800, which easily beats out the newer Penryn CPUs (there's a Core 2 Extreme Penryn CPU as well, the 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000, but we haven't seen one in person yet). While the new Penryn mobile processor, the Core 2 Duo T9300, boasts a more efficient 45-nanometer manufacturing process, even Intel says not to expect a big performance boost scores outside of applications with SSE4 support such as Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and DivX Pro 6.8. For your $1,999, you get an Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU, a lower resolution 1,680x1,050 display, 2GB of RAM, two 120GB hard drives, and a basic DVD burner. While that base configuration is very different, the system looks the same on the outside, and the specs aren't terrible if you love the design but don't need all that computing horsepower. While our tricked-out review unit cost more than $3,000, the HDX actually starts at only $1,999. Especially if you're interested in getting the optional Blu-ray or HD DVD optical drives (OK, most like just the Blu-ray), having true 1080p HD playback ability is vital. With a native resolution of 1,920x1,200, the new HDX easily trumps the original's 1,650x1,050 resolution. The clear highlight of the system is its 20.1-inch wide-screen display. You can use it right there, or pop it out to control Windows Media Center and other media apps from the couch. A basic Webcam, fingerprint reader, and TV tuner round out the built-in features.Ī remote control, not quite full size, but larger than the credit-card-size ones found in some laptops, sits in a special cutout to the left of the keyboard. We've got a soft spot for these capacitive controls, and they've even trickled down to budget systems, such as Dell's Inspiron 1525. Above the keyboard sits a row of touch-sensitive buttons, including quick-launch buttons for HP's QuickPlay media software, a toggle for the Wi-Fi antenna, and volume and EQ controls. The full-size keyboard with separate number pad is as roomy as anything you'd connect to a desktop, and it still leaves plenty of space on the keyboard tray to allow for comfortable typing, although the keys are shallower than a desktop keyboard's. Because the hinge is attached to the middle of the lid, you can angle the display a bit, but not as much as on, say, an old iMac, which had its screen on a free-moving arm. Instead, it puts the screen at the end of a heavy-duty arm, hinged at both the rear of the laptop and the back of the screen. A system this big needs more than the standard laptop hinge. ![]()
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