I have posted before about my love of AMD processors. I have used them for years, even before AMD contacted me for their AMD Mom Ambassador program. From the processors to the Xbox to the new AMD Fusion technology, everything that I have touched powered by AMD gets my seal of approval.
I have been using this little baby for about 2 solid months. My other netbook got tossed aside. It is quite jealous now, and for good reason. The HP DM1z is small at 11.6 inches, but don’t let that fool you. It is very powerful. The AMD Fusion powered netbook includes that same processor found in my MSI All-in-One, the AMD Fusion E350. This chip is 1.6GHz which might not sound too fast, but it is pretty darn good.
What I love most about this laptop is that when I am using it I do not feel like I am using a netbook at all. It is fast enough to run a lot of what I have to do such as Photoshop, and even some light video editing. I take it everywhere now and I leave my large laptop at home.
Despite the size, this laptop does not really deserve the name “netbook”. Netbooks have a reputation of being slow, with not a lot of power or memory. This one goes against the grain.
My Highlights:
- 320gb Hard Drive – This is a great size for a netbook. My previous one had a 250gb drive. With the way that I install stuff, take pictures, and load videos, I need a lot of space. And this netbook lives up to it. For the true geeks like me, if you customize on HPs site you can actually get up to a 750gb hard drive. SWEEET!
- Very nice 720p HD screen – I have watched movies on it with no lag. The graphic quality is awesome.
- AWESOME battery life – I often get well over 6 hours out of my netbook when set to Power Saving mode. This is awesome! My larger HP laptop at home only gets me about an hour if I move to the couch without a cord.
- 4GB of RAM – This is enough RAM for multitasking without lag. And, it is upgradeable to 8gb! That is amazing for netbook.
- Awesome Webcam – The webcam on this netbook is very good quality. It certainly rivals some of the higher end webcams.
- Sleek Design – I usually skin my netbooks, or put stickers on them. I do something to make them my own. So far, I have not touched this one. I love the look at the sleek black design. It is a bonus that it does not really show fingerprints.
Other Specs:
- A dual-core AMD Fusion processor E350 for fast Web surfing and smooth HD video
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
- AMD Radeon HD 6310 discrete-class graphics and support for DX11
- CoolSense technology, which adjusts the temperature when the PC is not on a stationary surface
- An 11.6″ diagonal high-definition§§ (720p) display
- A full-size island-style keyboard
- An optional external CD/DVD drive for installing software or Blu-ray drive for watching HD movies
- Support for 1080p HD content playback
- Dolby advanced audio and Altec Lansing speakers for premium sound
- A 6-cell battery that keeps you running for up to 9.5 hours2
- 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
- 3 USB, VGA, RJ-45, HDMI
Cons:
There are not too many cons to this machine at all. But here are a couple:
- When closed, the keyboard leaves marks on the edges of the screen. I have seen this happen on other laptops too.
- When typing on the keyboard and using the touchpad the mouse cursor jumps around. I fix this by using an external mouse and setting the Synaptic Touchpad settings to disable the touchpad when an external mouse is plugged in.
- No Ethernet port – No, you should not need one these days. But, I did while on a conference where the wireless was iffy and kept cutting in and out. There was an active Ethernet jack in my hotel room, but I could not use. But, this is in no way a deal breaker. UPDATE: See the first comment below. The Ethernet port is hiding under a cover. 🙂
If you are looking for a powerful, portable laptop for travel the HP Pavilion DM1z is the way to go. The size does not compromise on the power. And AMD Fusion technology keeps the power low for cool computing and a long battery life. I have a larger 17″ HP laptop which gets so hot that I cannot us it on my lap at all. And I know someone else with one that overheated and died. I was very happy to see that this one does not follow the same fate.
The HP DM1z starts at only $399. The model reviewed here is about $450.
Disclosure: I received the HP DM1z as part of my relationship with AMD as an AMD Mom. All opinions are my own.
This is the best ultra portable notebook from the HP. The AMD fusion processor is duel core and kill the intel atom processor with best price tag. HP dmz1 is get 10 on 10 in every ultra portable notebook category.
There is actually an Ethernet port on that machine, on its right side near the hinge of the screen. You just need to open an L-shaped cap which hide the port quite well.
Hi there. Did you read the whole 2 sentences? It actually says that as an UPDATE right next to the original bullet point. 🙂
haha you’re right I only read the first few words of each bullet. 🙂
Great review, though there should be an ethernet port on the far-right side behind a cover beyond the VGA port.
Oh wow!! I guess if you don’t look hard enough you don’t see it huh?? Thanks! I will edit this.