HP Pavilion DM3-1140US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
- Intel Pentium Processor SU4100 (1.3 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
- 4GB DDR3 System Reminiscence (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB)
- 320GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
- Real Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 9.5 Hours of Battery Life
- 13.3? Diagonal High-Classification LED HP BrightView Widescreen, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
For those who want full PC performance optimized for mobility, the HP Pavilion dm3 Entertainment series delivers in a surprisingly affordable, minimalist design. and palm rest covers are made of brushed aluminum in Modern Argento gray, while its bottom casing is a magnesium alloy.
Rating: 
(out of 16 reviews)
The HP Pavilion dm3 1130us (AMD CPU & ATI GPU model) is a excellent compromise between the portability of a netbook and the functionality of a full sized laptop. Technically in the “Ultra-portable/Thin & Light” category, I would say it is a netbook on steroids. I was looking for a portable computing solution but didn’t want a small keyboard or a hard-to-read/small screen. It had to have a small form factor, yet have a more powerful processor and graphics than traditional netbooks. I use it primarily for office work, web surfing, video streaming, composition listening and light gaming.
Most of the specs are gamely available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP’s site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I’m a Mac user normally but may possibly not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price top, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a [...] dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a [...] , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a small leery about getting an HP since they don’t have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year ancient Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It’s quick, quicker than I probable. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I’ve played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I reflect you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was quick? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as terrible as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3″ w/ a 1366×768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are excellent. It seems much larger. HD make pleased looks fantastic on it and the viewing angle isn’t terrible. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I’ve only had quick and brilliant connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I’ve yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Journal. Coming from OSX, I have to say I’m growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I’m getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I’ve used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and any the drivers are already there or they download involuntarily. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome end and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The “mouse-buttons” may possibly be a small simpler to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your point needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a [...] but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a small adjustment, but I like the silent, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as quick as with my desktop’s keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5′s primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with small or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without dread. I like that it isn’t a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum end is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I may possibly do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a small warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Silent. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks built-in, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you’ve got yourself one heck of a deal!
What’s not so fantastic about it:
1. It is about 13″ wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that’s no huge deal but if you plot to lug your laptop around a lot, you may want to look at something smaller and lighter. It is only one inch thick so it slides easily into most bags.
2. Speakers. You know going in that they won’t be that fantastic, but I still couldn’t help being a small disappointed. But, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent productivity now, even if not very loud. It does the job even if. Use earphones. I connected it to my speakers with a subwoofer and Pandora radio sounds terrific!
3. Battery life. I get about 4 hours of constant general use life out of it. Another reviewer stated he was able to play the entire Fellowship of the Ring movie before it went into hibernation, but I have not tested that. The excellent news is that 4 hours is still decent, and the power cord isn’t too cumbersome. If you need an all-day, cord-free laptop/netbook, look elsewhere.
4. Some bloatware. Being new to Windows I researched what to do when you first get a computer. One of the most common recommendations is to remove the manufacturer installed software. I got rid of the MS Office trial and Norton. I’ll still playing around with the suite of HP software. I may keep some, but will probably ditch a excellent bit of it. But, some users may like the built-in software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy consumer.
5. No optical drive, but I knew that and won’t need one every day. The Samsung will also be useful for my other computers.
6. No OS restore disk. I know, there is no optical drive and there is a recovery partition, but it still would have been nice.
7. Possible fit and end issues. I just noticed a very slight gap along the top right front edge where the wrist wrest meets the side paneling. Pressing down on it does reveal a small flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and may possibly be cause for concern. It is too early to tell. (see my product photos)
I have not used the Quickweb feature, but Windows 7 boots up (after some re-configuration) in less than a minute so I’m not sure I’d need it. I’ve also not yet used the HDMI out port or webcam. I plot to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is excellent in low light. I’ve only been by the 1130us for a small over a week so I can’t speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so excellent. I’ll post an update if I have anything new to add.
So, is the dm3 1130us the right model for you? If you are not a 3D gamer and want a nice looking, sturdy, portable laptop without most of the limitations of a netbook, then the answer may possibly be “yes”. Of course, technology is changing rapidly and in a few months the next latest and greatest will be out. But if you need something now, and want a lot of oomph at a fantastic value, then the dm3 1130us may possibly be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price top other laptops couldn’t match, so that is why I’m giving it 5 (4 1/2 really) stars.
I got the DM3-1130 (the AMD processor) in early February, after an extensive search to replace my HP Pavilion dv5000. I had considered ASUS and Macbooks, in particular, as I wanted something in the 13-inch range, lightweight and with a excellent track record.
This model has more reminiscence than the slightly more expensive ASUS model of this size, and Macbooks, while perennially getting fantastic reviews, cost hundreds more. I use this for personal use and for some business use (Internet, writing, some photo editing), so a Macbook wasn’t worth it. Sorry, Justin Long.
After my brief time with my new HP, here are the pros and cons, for anyone considering it:
Pros:
I haven’t had any problems with the mousepad- people who have commented negatively on it, I would guess, want the world’s perfect mousepad. It’s functional. And sure, it gets fingerprints on it, but that’s because you use your fingers to use it. What do you expect? And are you trying to impress people with your fingerprint-less mousepad?
1) It truly is a lightweight, portable model
2) The style is hard to beat, if you like the metal look
3) The keyboard style is different than what I’m used to, but I’ve found the chiclet style very use to type with
4) HP Quickweb is a useful, matter-of-fact feature to get you on the Internet/listening to composition or looking at photos without accessing Windows 7
5) Windows 7 itself rivals Apple’s platform in the litany of user-friendly features and style. I was very impressed.
6) The battery life is about what was advertised- probably in the 4 hour range, if you’re by wireless and looking at photos, etc. People who are only getting two hours probably are surveillance a movie and/or didn’t let the battery fully drain the first time before they exciting it.
7) The four USB ports, the SD slot and the exhaust fan on the side are all nice features.
9) I was installing multiple programs and browsing the Internet all at once and experienced no interruptions or slow down. At least in that test, the RAM and processor are keeping up. I went with the AMD instead of Intel to some extent for cost (much cheaper), but also because I was told by some computer experts AMD force work a small quicker. No regrets yet.
Cons:
1) The left palm area gets hotter than you’d like.
2) I had a problem after registering/setting up my laptop. After installing a few programs I needed to restart. When I got to the log-on screen and entered the password I had selected during startup when I made an account, Windows kept telling me I was inexact, although I was sure (and the password hint verified) that I was right. HP tech service said that sometimes happens when an administrator password is selected during start-up, and had me restore my system. It worked (I just didn’t enter a password during setting up screen), although I had to reinstall stuff I had already installed before, as you’d expect. Lost some time, but not a huge deal. You’d reflect it may possibly have been avoided with a simple “Set up a user password later”, as I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s happened to. That’s more of Windows’ fault than HP’s. At the least, HP tech service was helpful.
3) No optical drive, which you need to make a recovery disk at some top. I’ll have to borrow one. Since most software is downloaded these days, I won’t otherwise need it. It’s something you have to give up if you want an ultraportable model, in most cases.
4) HP offers a $50 rebate for this model, but it’s not valid if you buy it off of Amazon. I knew that ahead of time- still went with Amazon because it was cheaper than factory direct, but that’s a let-down.
No more MacBook Pro envy for me!!!I like computers and have owned many laptops over the years, everything from Mac PowerBooks to Dell Mini’s. I thought for a long time about buying a new MacBook Pro. I loved the size (13 inch model)and the brushed silver look and many of the apps. What I DID not like was the price and the fact that I may possibly not use Office OneNote(as a teacher and a mother, this is one app I truly cannot live without!!) on the Mac without having to hold Windows 7 and Parallels. Did some playing around in computer stores with both the Mac and other computers and fell upon this HP dm3. Loved it from the first touch. It is solidly built, gorgeous to look at, light-weight, and perhaps most vital to me, FAST!! I do not play computer games but do a lot of web surfing, watch streaming video,and use lots of photo and movie apps. This small guy is just as quick as my huge and much more expensive desktop replacement,and austerely blows my Dell Mini right out of the water. Not even in the same league!
If I may possibly give this more stars, I would…this is a quick, sleek 13-inch (just the right size) computer that is every bit as pretty as the MacBook Pro. I am not a huge fan of touchpads; I always use a mouse. That being said, I really like this one!
I would be remiss not to mention that the service at Amazon is absolutely second-to-none. I had originally ordered an Asus 13 inch but changed my mind after reading some comments about the wireless abilities (plus, it kind of freaked me out buying someting that I had never really touched.)Having played with this one at the store was really the deal-maker for me. They have the finest consumer service on this planet, and I would never buy my computers from anywhere else. Also worth mentioning…bought the SquareTrade 3-year warranty that includes spills, etc. I had an ancient MacBook(6 years ancient)that I had a SquareTrade warranty on. It died one day, I mailed it in, and had my complete hold price in my bank account within a week. Very much worth the money! P.S. This is the only review I have ever written although I have been a loyal Amazon fan for years. Guess that shows how much I really do like this machine!!
The look and feel of this laptop is fantastic and I really really want to like it, but the battery life is absolutely horrific. I expect at least 4 hours of solid use out of a thin and light. This thing averages barely 2.5 hours off a full charge with the screen set at the dimmest level. The worst part…the battery takes 4 HOURS to charge. Absolutely absurd. If you don’t mind ALWAYS having your power cord, go ahead and buy this comp.
I recieved this laptop yesterday (2/5/10)and here is my review: When I removed the laptop from the box and held it, I was impressed with the laptop’s construction. The keyboard is huge enough for my hands, and the 13.3 inch screen is large enough for me to see. The laptop is not too heavy–but it is not too light. Unlike a netbook, this laptop has 320gb of hardrive and 4gb of rams, expandable to 8gb (that’s very powerful for this small machine!). It has four usb ports and a hdmi port for hooking it up to a huge screen TV. It also has a webcam camera and an internal microphone. The laptop is loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium for stability and a lot of HP software junk. The laptop has Bluetooth technology to communicate with other Bluetooth devices. The laptop doesn’t have a fixed optical drive, which is cool since most software can be downloaded from the Internet. In closing, if you need a smaller laptop for just basic computing, a netbook will suffice. But, I would STRONGLY recommend you to spend more money on a laptop like the HP Pavilion DM3-1130US model, because sooner or later you will need a smaller laptop like this one for heavy duty computing.