Home > Consumer Reviews > HP Pavilion zd7020us Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+RW/CD-RW Drive)

Well, I am now on to my ninth Laptop computer and I finally feel like the future is now! Just about everything the average person could want from a Desktop computer is packaged into this Notebook. The performance is excellent and the full sized keyboard with separate numeric keys adds to the joy of using this system. The brilliant display is impressive to say the least and now being able to have two almost full sized documents displayed side by side I am able to complete tasks much faster. I have been looking at various models of the Toshiba wide screen before and although their models are also very impressive, little features they overlooked are included on the HP; Numeric Keypad and Scroll bar on touch pad with button to turn pad on/off are features I find very useful.

I have found that the keys require a little more pressure to register than my last IBM and the touch pad is sometimes sensitive/jerky but I guess I am still adapting to the new system. For an out of box non customized unit this model is totally loaded. Since it is new and I am still testing/learning all features I will reserve the fifth star for a later review.

This computer is definitely top of the line hardware! It's processer is super fast it burns really fast and it is just to cool to describe! It has a really easy to use operating system and it downloads programs really fast!

I guess the 'Zd Model' is the quality computer to get. I notice that 'Zd Models' carry the '64MB of Dedicated (allocated) Video Memory',the 'Hardware' needed to play those 'high-end' 3-D games. As always,stay away from that 'shared (integrated) video memory',its a piece of junk. Doesn't matter what brand of computer you buy HP,Sony,Toshiba,Compaq,Apple,Mac,Dell,Gateway,and etc,if it has 'shared' its a piece of junk. You'll notice a big performance difference with 'shared',problems with DVD,high-end gaming,demanding software,and etc..... P4 2.6 Processor w/400MHz FSB,512MB RAM Memory,'G-Force'(64MB of Dedicated Video Memory),8X DVD ROM Drive,'Windows XP Home',always ideal for high-end gaming and very demanding high-end software. A little more in price,but you get quality in return.....

Without doubt this is the worst computer I have ever purchased, both in terms of design and reliability.

It requires a huge amount of power, which results in terrible battery life (about an hour on a full chadrge) and major cooling problems. Both because of the heat and the fact that the fan vents are placed on the bottom of the machine you cannot use it on a lap. Even when it is placed on a table, the vents are still partially obstructed, and this causes my unit to overheat and sometimes crash. The only way it can be used is with the corners propped up to give it a clearance underneath.

So far I have had to return the unit for service three times, and a fourth service order is in place. The first time was a loose wire on the speakers, causing crackle. It came out of the box with that. The second time was a hard disk failure, which lost all my data since the last backup. The third time was a failure of the power connector where the power supply plugs in. When this one was repaired, HP also reformatted my hard disk, losing all my data again. Of course, I was unable to take a backup before I sent it in because I could not charge the battery or plug in the power supply.

Now the power connector has gone again. At least I noticed it happening in time to take a backup this time....

Arghhhh. I'm never buying HP again.

bought this computer after buying my RS-310 about a year and a half ago. This computer is EXTREMELY fast and has many extra goodies like the capture card. This computer is very good and is recommended to new owners or people who just need a new computer! It is also very useful for Gaming purposes.