HP Pavilion DM3-1140US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver) | 
| Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Category: Personal Computer
List Price: $940.00
Buy New: $849.78
as of 9/7/2010 12:40 CDT details
You Save: $90.22 (10%)
New (2) Used (1) from $499.00
Seller: Techno Intelligence
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 1,078
Color: Aluminium
Media: Personal Computers
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 1.3
CPU Type: Pentium
Processors: 1
System Memory: 4
Memory Type: SODIMM
Hard Drive Size: 320
Display Size: 15.4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.2
Dimensions (in): 12.8 x 9.1 x 1.2
MPN: WA733UA#ABA
Model: WA733UA#ABA
UPC: 884962834008
EAN: 0884962834008
ASIN: B00318CG8M
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days
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| Features:
| • | Intel Pentium Processor SU4100 (1.3 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB) | | • | 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB) | | • | 320GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA) | | • | Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 9.5 Hours of Battery Life | | • | 13.3? Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Widescreen, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 A great "Tweener"! February 10, 2010
Kort Kramer (South Florida, USA)
93 out of 93 found this review helpful
The HP Pavilion dm3 1130us (AMD CPU & ATI GPU model) is a good 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 mainly for office work, web surfing, video streaming, music listening and light gaming.
Most of the specs are readily 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 could 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 point, 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 little 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 old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It's fast, faster than I expected. 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 think 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 fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3" w/ a 1366x768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn't bad. 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 fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I've yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. 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 either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. 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 finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The "mouse-buttons" could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific 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 little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast 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 little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn't a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish 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 could 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 little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. 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 included, 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 great about it:
1. It is about 13" wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that's no big deal but if you plan 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 great, but I still couldn't help being a little disappointed. However, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent output now, though not very loud. It does the job though. 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 good 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 good bit of it. However, some users may like the included software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy customer.
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 finish 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 little flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and could 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 plan to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is good in low light. I've only been using the 1130us for a little over a week so I can't speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so good. 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 could 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 great value, then the dm3 1130us could be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price point other laptops couldn't match, so that is why I'm giving it 5 (4 1/2 actually) stars.
Great, great computer! February 22, 2010
Algebra Teacher (Redondo Beach, CA United States)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
No more MacBook Pro envy for me!!!I love 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 could 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 purchase 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, beautiful to look at, light-weight, and perhaps most important 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 little guy is just as fast as my big and much more expensive desktop replacement,and simply blows my Dell Mini right out of the water. Not even in the same league!
If I could give this more stars, I would...this is a fast, sleek 13-inch (just the right size) computer that is every bit as pretty as the MacBook Pro. I am not a big fan of touchpads; I always use a mouse. That being said, I actually love 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 actually touched.)Having played with this one at the store was really the deal-maker for me. They have the finest customer 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 old MacBook(6 years old)that I had a SquareTrade warranty on. It died one day, I mailed it in, and had my complete purchase 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 love this machine!!
Compact April 3, 2010
D. Chan
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Design: (5/5) - It's mostly made of brushed aluminum, but there are parts that are plastic. The bezel around the screen, the keys, the bottom of the notebook, and obviously the battery has plastic on it. The island keys are a lot better than the keys on my old laptop. It's also quite thin.
You can basically "feel" around the keyboard, so I don't really get as many typos as when I used to type on my old laptop. The touchpad is an issue. It's quite jittery, but it's a non-issue for me. Thankfully HP included a button on top of the touchpad that disables it. I like to use a USB mouse, so the touchpad is usually turned off.
Battery life (4.5/5) - It could be better. I get around 4 hours of battery, but I can't really be sure. HP has messed up on this aspect of laptop. For some reason, you can't check how much of the battery is left. It will tell you that it has "27% of the battery left." However, it doesn't list the actual time left on the battery. This is quite an issue since I want to know how much of the battery is left. I've heard that other people had the same problem, and HP will, hopefully, fix it with an update.
Specs (5/5) - Don't expect this to be a powerful computer. Trust me when I say this. This is a replacement for my old Intel centrino 2 duo with 2.0 GHz. That comp was around 1.5 times faster than this. It's not to say that it's not a good deal. This is an ultrathin notebook, and it has 2 cores. You don't see many of those in this price range, and with the aluminum finish. It also has a good graphics card; an 128 MB Radeon discrete graphics card.
That is quite impressive since most netbooks don't have a discrete graphics card. I've even seen $800+ notebooks with Intel I3 that don't even feature a discrete graphics card. Other than the graphics, it also has the usual stuff; a webcam, Wireless n, and card reader. There are 4 gigs of ram, and you can upgrade it up to 8 gigs.
The unusual stuff is that it includes two "highend" features. Well, I would consider them to be high end. It includes a HDMI output port, and bluetooth. You usually have to pay extra for those on the aforementioned $800+ notebooks. There is no DVD drive, but I never use one. It might be a deal breaker for other people.
Overall 4.5/5 - This isn't the right laptop for everyone. The trackpad is horrible, and there is no DVD drive. It's right for me since I never use the disc drive, and I usually use a USB mouse. If you want a stylish ultraportable notebook with some extra power, then get it. You won't be able to quickly encode and edit videos and play the latest games, but you do get a computer that provides you fairly good specs when you compare it to the competition. If you're on the fence with this, then don't hesitate. Take the plung, and enjoy the computer. I know that I'm enjoying it.
Perfect Blend - Mobile and Capable April 5, 2010
L. Ginyard
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I purchased my DM3 w/ AMD Processor a few weeks ago. I was in the market for a MacBook Pro but when it came to time to submit my order in the Apple Checkout area, I decided to do some more research. I couldn't fathom paying nearly twice as much as the DM3 for a 13" MacBook Pro.
I appreciate the lightness of the DM3 at 4.2lbs. You're easily able to move from room to room with it in one hand or carry it around in a notebook sleeve. Additionally, the mostly aluminum build and chick-let style keyboard are nearly ergonomically and aesthetically perfect. I call it my little HP Envy.
My DM3 came with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HD, and a separate, sleek External HP-Branded DVD Media Drive. I love the Bluetooth functionality and the HDMI port. It makes it easy to connect to my cell or LCD TV. (I've connected it with BlackBerrys, Palm Pres, Android phones, and an iPhone with no issues. It also connects with other PCs with no problem.)
Despite what some reviewers may say, I haven't experienced any lag even with resource intensive programs like iTunes and Norton Security Suite running in the background. I've routinely had YouTube running, with Microsoft Word, iTunes and Norton Security Suite running a virus scan in the background and not experienced an appreciable lag in performance.
I highly recommend this computer if you're looking for something portable, stylish, and functional. It is all of these things and more. Shop around and enjoy it.
LOVE this little machine April 24, 2010
ILGal
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
EDIT: It's been a few months now. I'm still enjoying this little lappy, but the battery life has settled into about 3 hours when doing basic surfing and Office tasks. On the plus side, it's very easy to hook up to my 50" HDTV and stream Netflix. Bought an inexpensive Bluetooth mouse and had no trouble pairing it to this laptop. I was able to peel off most of the undesirable stickers and leave a clean surface for my palm.
Does run a little warmer than I initially thought, but so far hasn't proved to be troublesome.
Wish the battery life would have stayed longer - otherwise, I'm still enjoying this purchase.
ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW.
I had a little Acer 10.1" netbook for about 6 months. Loved the portability and long battery life, but the small screen and keyboard were killing me, so I sold it. After doing a lot of research, I settled on this as a replacement. This little beauty is SWEET. The keyboard is springy and responsive, it looks SO classy with the brushed silver exterior, photos look amazing on its screen, and it's still small and light enough to drop in a backpack. I considered buying an external DVD, but instead, I just shared the DVD tray on my desktop computer and loaded necessary software (Office 2007 Pro and Photoshop Elements 7) that way. Saved a few $$ by not buying that EDVD.
I was a little concerned about the uber-shiny and slippery touch pad, but I've had no trouble with it. I took the advice of someone who posted a review and used the little button above the touch pad to disable it before putting the computer to sleep and I haven't experienced any of the unexpected freezing some other reviews highlight. As others have said, it's a fingerprint magnet, but, hey...it's a touch pad.
The left side of the palm rest is a little warmer than the right, but it's not uncomfortable.
The web-cam powers right up and the images it produces are great. The built-in mic works fine for sitting a comfy distance away.
I charged it up, unplugged it, cranked up the screen brightness, and proceeded to uninstall HP bloatware, install Windows Security Essentials, Office, and PSE 7, watched some CBS videos, watched an hour-long TV show streamed from my desktop PC that I'd recorded via Win Media Center, and still it took over 5 hours to get the battery down to 10%. It took about 3.5 hours to charge it fully again (seemed a little long, but I wasn't in any hurry) and I'm in the process of draining it for the second time. It ran internet videos very smoothly and just had a couple of hiccups on the video coming over my wireless from my desktop. I built a fairly complex, multi-layer image in Photoshop Elements and it was smooth and fast.
It's only been a day, but I think I'm going to be VERY glad I made the switch to this machine. I have a couple of HDMI cables on order and can't wait to try connecting it my HDTV and stream Netflix.
My only negative is the sticker-fest all over the palm rests. They look like they'd peel off easily, but I tried removing one andit was stuck down so tightly I was afraid I'd be left with just a sticky mess behind, so I left the stickers there.
Happy day! Hope this review pushed you over the edge.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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