Alike the smaller brother, the HP Pavilion dv5-1000 series, also the design of the dv7-1000 series has the new striking Pavilion design. It is dominated by bevelled edges and high-gloss surfaces. So, perfectionists should always have a microfibre cloth ready to hand. The colours used for the dv7 series are only a combination of black, silver, and metallic silver  (chrome look, called 'liquid metallic' by HP).

The stability of this futuristic case is very good. Base unit and display cover are very resistant against force and seem to be stable. Even lifting the case (a show of strength, because the case weighs 3.46 kg) does only lead to marginal creaking.

Another special feature of this design is the central hinge, which is nearly as wide as the whole width of the case. Unfortunately, due to its construction, it limits the number of interfaces on the back side and the opening angle of the lid. Furthermore,  it is not easy to move and the display see-saws relatively heavily after adjusting the opening angle.

The connectivity options are alike the one of the smaller dv5-1000 series very complete (they are identical to the reviewed dv5-1032eg). Highligts are an HDMI port, an eSATA port (with integrated USB jack), a proprietary docking port and two headphones jacks. Identical to the dv5-1032eg, the 1050eg of the dv7 series does neither have a modem port nor a built-in TV card (which is available in some other dv7 models).

The optical drive provided by HP is a Blu-Ray ROM drive, which allows to play Blu-Ray movies. Furthermore, it can also read and write CDs and DVDs.

The price includes 24 month manufacturer warranty (pick-up and bring-back service, material and work) and some software. However, among the pre-installed software there are only two which can be used for a longer time, MS Works (a smaller Office) and the Cyberlink DVD Suite. Norton Internet Security and MS Office Home and Student 2007 can only be used with all features for 60 days and have to be bought afterwards.

The 17 inch WXGA (1440x900) wide screen is called 'Infinity BrightView' by HP. However, the measured maximum brightness (in the middle of the screen) of 157 cd/m² is not very bright. Because of the reflecting surface, the brightness is only sufficient for indoor operation. Furthermore, you should not have a powerful light source in front of the screen, because this would lead to heavy reflections. Due to the low brightness, the contrast ratio of 183:1 is rather moderate (in the middle). At least the maximum brightness is not further limited in battery operation.

Subjectively, the colours appear rather neutral, however, the gray level gradients do not have a really smooth transistion from one grey level to the next.

The HP dv7-1050eg is based on the brand new Intel Centrino 2 technology (Penryn processor with FSB1066 and Intel PM45 chipset). This is combined with an up-to-date middle-class graphics card by nVidia. The performance of the components proved to be as expected in our test. So, the HP dv7-1050eg can be called a powerful general-purpose PC. 4 GB RAM (whereby only 3 GB can be utilized with the installed 32 bit Vista) are also sufficient for demanding picture editing.

System Noise

Our volume measurements were constrained. The test was executed in an air conditioned room which unfortunately had a ambient noise of above 38dB. Because of this, it is not possible to say too much about the minimal system noise.

We were surprised that this notebook is louder than the smaller dv5 model, which has a similar equipment. We measured up to 46 dB under load. But, the dv7 was also clearly louder than the dv5 with lower load. The fan of the dv7 ran always - a fact that is also true for the dv5. But, subjectively, we did not find that the noise is gets unpleasant.

Temperature

Because the fan runs all the time, this notebook stays also relatively cold after a longer high load period. The maximum temperature of the top side is just 33°C, which is just hand-hot. On the underside we measured up to 39°C. Considering this is a desktop replacement notebook this value is very good.

Due to a 73 Wh lithium ions battery, the battery runtime under full load of this HP laptop is one hour and 42 minutes. The runtime should be about 3 hours on standard load.

In standby or hibernation mode, and even if it is turned off, this notebook demands 4-6 Watts. This is in times of Green IT not really exemplary.

The HP Pavilion dv7-1050eg scores points by a modern looking and robust case. There is no reason to complain about the equipment, which includes a Blu-Ray drive and an HDMI out for connecting a TV or an external screen. However, considering this is a multimedia notebook the built-in screen is too dark, and, so also reflects.

The input devices inspire and disappoint at the same time. The keyboard convinces by an excellent layout which also includes a number pad. Typing is also very user-friendly. Unfortunately, the touchpad has only a good look, but, the gliding properties were not considered important.

The performance of the HP dv7-1050eg is due to a fast Core 2 Duo processor and sufficient RAM, and a modern middle-class graphics card sufficient for quite all applications. Only high-end gamers should rather buy a notebook with faster graphics card (e.g., a 9800M GT). But, this also requires more money.

Considering the equipment, the price of 1200.- Euro is alright, especially if you want to use all the available feature (e.g., the Blu-Ray drive).