Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
------------------------------------------------------------
HP Pavilion 17.3" Quad Core i7 Entertainment Notebook w/ 6GB RAM & Blu-Ray
$899.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: New

Product List:
- 1 HP DV7-3180US Intel Quad Core i7 720QM, 17.3" HD+LED, 640GB, 6GB, Blu-Ray, Nvidia GT 230M, Win7 HP64

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Sorry, but I've had one too many Huge Problems and can't recommend these machines.

Product Website

Very nice price for those types of specs. A shame the gfx card is so shoddy compared to the rest of it, though...

okay okay... Now THIS is a laptop.

This deal speaks for itself.

Thumbs up Woot !!!

Here's a product manual

edit: My laptop only has a 17" screen. I'm getting screen envy....

Ho hum. It's big and heavy; you probably wouldn't want to take it through an airport. But you could move it from room to room, or just leave it in one place and let it be more compact than any desktop, with a bigger screen than any netbook.

It's pretty sturdy, too: I have a client with a 3-year-old version of this, and it still runs fine.

Gets a fairly good review over at PC Mag

Sams Club has same for $749.99 (sorry for bad info, it was a sale item for labor day,
$749.99 for Labor day weekend)

I recently had my first experience with HP customer support. I had been given a pair of HP wireless mice and neither worked. I called in, did the troubleshooting and during the call probably spent half an hour on silent holds for an unknown reason. Overall the call took an hour and fifteen minutes.

They decided to replace one to make sure it wasn't the computer and then replace the second after I had tested the first. When I called in again I got the pleasure of spending over an hour again while I did the exact same troubleshooting/silent holding.

Obviously this may not be the case with their laptops but I will no longer purchase any HP products based on this experience.

Since when does "Sun Java" (now Oracle Java?) count as "Productivity and Finance Software"?
Same goes for "Microsoft Silverlight"...

But will it do Flash !?
or is that considered anti-Productivity software?
Brian

Wow! A 'newbie'.... not a 'furbie'

Thanks woot!

Here are some links -- take that NightGhost...

$1,699 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-DV7-3180US-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B0030XTISE

$1,099 on Newegg (out of stock):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157112

$1,272.92 at Wal-Mart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-17.3-640-GB-HP-DV7-3180US/13377106

CNET Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-pavilion-dv7-3180us/4505-3121_7-33939120.html

The problem with a laptop this size is you can't find a carrying case for it that does not cost 25% of the price you paid for the computer. Size doesn't matter.

RUN...don't walk from this woot. Cores x4 @ 1.6 ghz boostable to 2.8? And its i7? Not for $900. Invest in an Alienware laptop if you are gonna spend that kind of cash. NOT on this HP. Sorry guys but this one is a steal. Right outta your pocket!!!

Ever since you guys sold out to Amazon, I haven't seen those terrific low priced deals that made me love you for all these years. Where are those wacky items I can't live without for those unbelievable prices I can't find anywhere else?

Here is a nice review roundup of 2010 reviews for various computer manufacturer customer support. HP doesn't get that great of a rating, but *shrug*.

CaptainWes wrote:Sorry, but I've had one too many Huge Problems and can't recommend these machines.

Couldn't agree more. If they upped the 1 year to a 3 year warranty, I still would never buy one of these.

Terry47 wrote:RUN...don't walk from this woot. Cores x4 @ 1.6 ghz boostable to 2.8? And its i7? Not for $900. Invest in an Alienware laptop if you are gonna spend that kind of cash. NOT on this HP. Sorry guys but this one is a steal. Right outta your pocket!!!

Highly disagree on the Alienware bit. I have had three (yes, 3) replacements for a top of the line m17x that all have had various hardware problems stemming from their motherboards and graphics cards. The one I'm on right now barely functions, but I'm sick and tired of calling Dell every 2 weeks to get them to send me another new one because of the problems its having.

Lenovo, on the other hand, I can't say enough good things about. 2+ years on a little laptop from them, and the only thing its needed is a keyboard replaced since I use it 16-18 hours/day.

Lots of very ANGRY reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-DV7-3180US-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/product-reviews/B0030XTISE/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#RFVBJHF3HVS7Z

I was so close to clicking, as this is about 2/3 the lowest price around.

Using this laptop right now. It's a decent laptop if the users can live with all the junks that HP installed. The laptop, for some no good reasons, can get very hot at times and causes the fan to work overtime.

I bought a new OS disc and tried a fresh re-install. It didn't work because the drivers at HP's own web site don't work or aren't compatible. After doing another install using the HP discs, all the junks came back. Won't buy another HP.

jeffiekins wrote:It's big and heavy;

That's what she said... :-|

blueflamingo wrote:Size doesn't matter.

I think she lied to you to protect your feelings... :-|

417sanders wrote:Sams Club has same for $749.99

I'm not seeing this. These are the only two DV7 machines I see and one is 899.99 and one is 999.99.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1490044&navAction=push

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1480028&navAction=push

aoviss wrote:Lots of very ANGRY reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-DV7-3180US-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/product-reviews/B0030XTISE/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#RFVBJHF3HVS7Z

I was so close to clicking, as this is about 2/3 the lowest price around.

Seems like nearly every review is either 'WOW BEST THING EVAR' or 'THIS THING IS TERRIBLE.' Hehe...

417sanders wrote:Sams Club has same for $749.99

Not quite killer. This has the i7.

omnipotentq wrote:Highly disagree on the Alienware bit. I have had three (yes, 3) replacements for a top of the line m17x that all have had various hardware problems stemming from their motherboards and graphics cards. The one I'm on right now barely functions, but I'm sick and tired of calling Dell every 2 weeks to get them to send me another new one because of the problems its having.

Lenovo, on the other hand, I can't say enough good things about. 2+ years on a little laptop from them, and the only thing its needed is a keyboard replaced since I use it 16-18 hours/day.

Agreed that Dell buying up Alieware did tarnish the name. Still for my money its Alienware.

Core i7: Ohhhhhh
Blue Ray: Ahhhhh
HP: Awww....

villainousfox wrote:Core i7: Ohhhhhh
Blue Ray: Ahhhhh
HP: Awww....

My feelings exactly.

WARNING!!! Both NVIDIA & HP have pending lawsuits for defective NVIDIA graphics chips over heating and failing after 2-3 years. The screen goes black & will also cause the laptop to shut down. I have one now that worked perfectly for 2 years until a month ago then went belly up. There are fixes but many times they don't work or the damage to the motherboard and sometimes processor is beyond repair. Both the CPU & NVIDIA chip share a single heat-sync. Check online for HP Black Screen or NVIDIA Black Screen. This is a major concern with any pc which has a NVIDIA chip. HP isn't bad as long as you stay away from models with NVIDIA! Note: Neither HP or NVIDIA have extended a recall on this problem so once the warranty expires so does the PC! I'll go with a Toshiba next time!

That's the one I have! It is a terrific machine. I have 4 extra monitors attached using Evga 16 plus+ Usb adapters and it runs smoothly as it can be.

If you need a case for it I strongly recommend the Swissgear backpack

Terry47 wrote:Agreed that Dell buyng up Alieware did tanish the name. Still for my money its Alienware.

My alienware experience (I started with a Dell XPS M1730 which I loved, but which broke down and then started the neverending Alienware replacement line) has totally turned me off of "best of the best laptops" like I used to be. The next big laptop I get will be one of the massive 17", 16GB RAM machines that Lenovo puts out, then I'll just build a desktop gaming machine. The Alienware line is top of the line, but if it's a choice between a piece of junk that BSODs whenever it's touched (faulty drop sensor) or a desktop computer that actually functions, I'll go with the desktop, even though my heart is truly with gaming laptops. Right now I'm just waiting till the next hardware update comes along for the m17x before I call Dell again and get another replacement. Maybe by that time they'll have figured out how to build a $5k+ laptop that actually works.

On the other hand, this laptop looks otterific ;D

417sanders wrote:Sams Club has same for $749.99

Link?

Didn't find any reviews for this exact model, but reviews for DV7 models in general seem to be pretty positive on Buzzillions.
http://www.buzzillions.com/x/s?N=4294811422&D=x&cat=&extra=all-product&Ntt=HP+DV7+Laptop

trekmiss wrote:Link?

I think this is it (aside from the processor and other minor details).

I found a hidden deal, since i read the descriptions :D

omnipotentq wrote:I think this is it (aside from the processor and other minor details).

So i3 to i7 is minor? Yes like 300-400 dollars minor. These laptops you link cannot be compared to.

natureshots wrote:The laptop, for some no good reasons, can get very hot at times and causes the fan to work overtime.

THIS.

Been using a HP Pavilion DV6275 for a few years now and it gets EXTREMELY hot, particularly just to the left of the trackpad where your wrist rests making it incredibly uncomfortable to use. I believe it has to do with the endless thrashing of the hard drive here and the cheapo materials used in the case.

In fact, it often shuts down by itself as a result of overheating and this is with a laptop cooler underneath that I keep regularly cleaned (along with the laptop vents).

I've owned an HP entertainment laptop in this series, and I wouldn't buy one again.

The paint on the body of the laptop, as well as on the buttons on the trackpad, is not part of the plastic, and it easily comes off with time and it ends up looking terrible.

Furthermore, the trackpad has a shiny coating on it that makes it harder to use and which gets covered in fingerprints.

The screen is not well built (partially because the body plastic is thin) and the resulting screen flex makes the screen far more susceptible to being crushed (and, of course, HP will not replace the screen if this is the case; they claim it is accidental damage). As a result of the flimsy screen, the finger oils that stay on the keys because of the shiny coating used carry over to the screen, leaving a keyboard-shaped grease pattern on the screen each time you open it.

Lastly, the laptop is very large, heavy, and thick, but this is par for the course with a desktop replacement. At least the 8-cell battery should give you decent battery life, since that processor as well as that huge screen are power drainers. The application for Blu-ray disk playback that is included with the laptop is incompatible with many newer disks; I had trouble with Terminator 2 and Inglourious Basterds particularly. I'd recommend ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre for a better program for that purpose.

Compared feature-for-feature and spec-for-spec with other Core i7 notebooks, it's not a bad price, but given my past experience with both HP build quality overall and with laptops in this product line, I can't recommend it.

what's that design near the mouse and the exterior? bubbles???