This behemoth of a notebook PC is nicknamed the “Dragon”; I guess that’s a sexier name than elephant or hippopotamus. In any case, you’ve probably figured out that the HDX9000 is either very powerful or very big. Well, it’s both. One of the latest additions to HP’s Pavillion range, the HDX9000 is a 20-inch desktop replacement (DTR) notebook aimed at consumers with slightly more upmarket tastes.
You can tell that the Dragon means business when the specs sheet says that it comes equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU. Currently the second fastest mobile processor in Intel’s stable, the T7500 runs at 2.2 GHz and has 4MB cache. T7700 are hard to come by and they cost a whole lot more, so the T7500 is probably the best bet even for higher end machines. The Intel 965 Express Chipset is present here as the Dragon is a Centrino Duo notebook PC. Our review unit had 2GB of DDR2-667MHz RAM installed.
ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT powers the Dragon’s graphics subsystem and that’s a good thing, because this chip packs a real punch when it comes to pushing pixels. Basically, it totally annihilated the competition and performed more like desktop PC! It has 256MB of dedicated VRAM which is woefully inadequate, but takes on the system’s main RAM to supplement that. So, if you don’t stick 4GB of RAM in, you’ll probably find some games a bit sluggish as it juggles textures in and out of your system memory.
For storage, there are two hard disks in the beast’s belly. The twin 160GB drivers are set up as separate drives; the Pavillion HDX9000 uses Intel’s ICH8 Southbridge which lacks RAID capability. So, I’m not too hopeful that both drives can be put into RAID-0 (stripping mode) for added performance. The GSA-T20L DVD-writer supports Lightscribe and will handle all your CD/DVD reading and writing needs. If it came with a HD DVD or Blu-ray drive as standard, that would have made the Dragon an even meaner machine. But since the display isn’t capable of Full HD (1080p) resolution, that might be unnecessary in any case. The unit comes with HP’s QuickPlay function, which allows users to play DVDs without having to boot into Windows. Oh by the way, Microsoft Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition comes standard on the Pavillion HDX9000.
Speaking of displays, the Pavillion HDX9000’s 20-inch whopper-of-a-display is a sight to behold. Its maximum resolution is 1680 by 1050 pixels, just 30 short (vertically) of Full HD. When open, an arm behind the display allows it to be tilted forward for even better viewing. I’m not sure why anyone would want a screen that big so close up, but it sure gives new meaning to the phrase “in your face”. As space definitely isn’t a problem, the Pavillion’s HDX9000 keyboard has a numeric keypad. However, the remote control takes up considerable space on the left. We would have preferred larger keys and more space between the main keyboard and the numeric keypad. The touch sensitive volume and easy access buttons are placed above the keyboard and further enhances the unit’s aesthetics. Unfortunately, with touch sensitive buttons, you can never be sure that the key-press has registered and sometimes end up overloading it.
Ports-wise, the Pavillion HDX9000 has plenty: four USB 2.0, Firewire, eSata, 15-pin D-sub, HDML, modem, Gigabit Ethernet, Infra-red, four audio out (for 7.1 speakers) and two headphones/microphone jacks. There’s also a built-in TV tuner, so naturally there’s a connector for an external antenna as well as S-Video in capability. Intel’s 4965AGN Wi-Fi card provides wireless connectivity and there’s Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR as well.
Putting the Pavillion HDX9000 through our benchmark tests yielded some interesting(read:fast) results.
The T7500 CPU scored 5,462 points which is around where we expected. Memory came in at 4,581 points which is very good. The graphics score of 6,437 blew away everything we’ve seen thus far. Finally, the hard disk score of 3,916 is a disappointment, but hard disk scores (in our opinion) doesn’t really matter that much because an additional second or two (in application load times) isn’t noticeable.
Admittedly, desktop replacement aren’t for everyone. The Pavillion HDX9000 weighs a hefty 7 kilograms and its AC/DC adapter probably weighs another kilo or so. It’s so heavy that if you ever need to fly with it, the airline probably won’t allow it to be carried as hand luggage! But if you want a notebook that can do everything a full-fledged desktop PC can, and one that looks damn good on your desk, the Pavillion HDX9000 is your kind of machine.
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