HP PAVILION dm1z

The HP Pavilion dm1z is one of the most exciting of netbooks, an 11-inch netbook that's built around AMD's Fusion APU (processor and discrete graphics on the same die). What's different about this crop of AMD processors versus all the previous ones is that you actually have the great battery life to go along with all that speed. The dm1z lasted over 7 hours in  battery tests beating its Intel Atom counterparts in every speed test. For this, the dm1z nabs the Editors' Choice in the netbook category, earning a spot on our list as one of the best laptops.

Design
While most PC manufactures apply decorative touches to the lid only, the dm1z applies its plastic imprinting technology on both the top and bottom of the laptop. The plastic resin has certain characteristics of metal, like its texture and solid construction, but doesn't feel as cheap as glossy plastic. The dm1z is less than an inch thick and weighs 3.5 pounds.

The dm1z also features HP's CoolSense technology, which involves better part placement and design methodology. It uses a combination of plastic, glass, and soft-touch paint on the outside, while metal is used strategically on the inside to reduce heat conductivity. The air vents are placed toward the back, where the air is blown away from the laptop rather than toward it, which is what happens when vents are placed on the bottom. The main component generating heat, AMD's APU, resides below the keyboard rather than where your palm rests. Not that these parts are hot to begin with, but the dm1z was indeed a cool-running netbook.

Features

The dm1z boasts an 11.6-inch widescreen with a 1,366-by-768 resolution, The dm1z ships with a full size, chiclet-style keyboard, as opposed to the 93% one found in previous generations. I came away pleased with the typing experience, and the infamous "clickpad," which is usually HP's weakest link, wasn't a huge distraction but could still use some refinement.

The dm1z has the same features that can be found in netbooks like the Dell M101z and Asus 1215N. Its HDMI port is notable, it has 3 USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and a multimedia card reader. A fast 320GB, 7,200rpm hard drive comes standard with this configuration, although you have the option of getting a drive as big as 750GB as an added $140 option on HP's site. Later on, the dm1z will also have an embedded 3G option, with Verizon and AT&T as its carriers.

Performance
The dm1z uses the AMD's E-350 APU. it comes standard with 3GB of RAM, expandable to 8GB, which is more than any amount the Intel Atom processor can support.

AMD is calling its Radeon HD 6310 a discrete graphics chipset, even though it resides on the same die as the processor. Although this chipset will run circles around Atom's integrated graphics, I wouldn't recommend the dm1z for any kind of intense gaming. This is a netbook after all, although certain video editing packages and future Web browsers, like Internet Explorer 9, can take advantage of a discrete graphics chip.

The dm1z blew it, coming to the battery life (AMD processor), it lasted over 7 hours in battery tests beating its Intel Atom counterparts in every speed test

AMD is now officially a contender in the netbook and cheap ultraportable space, and the HP Pavilion dm1z is the proof. Processor and graphics performance were never an issue with AMD processors; it was battery life that held it back from stardom. Is AMD a bit tardy to the netbook game, now that tablets have taken a huge bite of that market? Not necessarily. There's still a big demand for cheap ultraportable computing, and the dm1z, with its AMD Fusion APU, offers the best of both worlds: faster-than-Atom speeds and great battery life.

Specifications

Type:                        General Purpose, Ultraportable, Value, Netbook

Processor Name:        AMD E-350

Operating System:      Microsoft Windows 7 Premium Edition

Processor Speed:       1.6 GHz, RAM 3 GB

Weight /Screen Size: 3.4 lb/11.6 inches, Widescreen

Native Resolution:      1366 x 768

Graphics Card:         AMD Radeon HD 6310M

Graphics Memory:      384

Storage Capacity:       320 GB

Rotation Speed:          7200 rpm

Networking Options:   802.11n

Primary Optical Drive: External

Wireless Display Capability (WiDi):No

WiMax:                      No

Battery Type:             55 Whr (Watt hours)

Tech Support 1 year parts and labor:   

CLICK HERE to visit PCMAG for further review