After nearly two years of sticking with the same design, HP is making several moves to spice up its Pavilion line. The HP Pavilion dv5t ($1,525 list) is part of a large group of HP consumer laptops (all the Pavilion ones, as well as the Compaq Presario laptops) to receive an interior chrome treatment. If in these new models the convergence between a laptop and a home-theater experience isn't otherwise apparent, its new "frameless" widescreen and built-in TV tuner should drive that point home. And now that Intel has finally launched its newest Centrino 2 platform, the dv5t is one of the first to get a complete performance tune-up.

This wasn't an extreme makeover, by any means. The dv5t is still slightly overweight at 6.3 pounds, while the differences between it and the previous Pavilions are barely discernible from the exterior. The LED-backlit HP logo was about the only adjustment made to the lid, and it's similar to the approach the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Penryn) took with its logo. The glossy-black finish, laminated over a decorative pattern—a process called in-mold decoration—resembles that of the system's predecessor, the HP Pavilion dv9500t. I would've enjoyed a scenery change. Competitors—namely the ASUS M50Sa-A1 and the Toshiba A305-S6845—are already incorporating similar techniques in their designs.

This is not the first time I've seen a Pavilion all chromed up. The HP tx2000z, a convertible tablet, was the first to use a bright metallic trim over the keyboard, palm-rest area, and touchpad. The new look does a better job of concealing fingerprints and smudges than a black polish, although against a fluorescent light the reflected glare can be a distraction. The surface of the keyboard feels smoother because of the chrome, but not slippery, so the typing experience is very pleasant. The mouse buttons are slightly more resistant than in the previous Pavilion model, so faint clicking noises are detectable but not annoying.

The "frameless" part of the 15.4-inch widescreen is a glossy treatment extending past the viewing area and into the black edges, creating a unified look. HP introduced this idea in the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, while Lenovo perfected it in the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510, complete with a drop-down hinge. As always, HP offers several options for screen resolution. In this configuration, the 1,680-by-1,050-pixel screen really made videos and photos pop. The touch-sensitive keys—a volume bar, a mute button, and DVD playback controls—are backed by LEDs and add to the cinematic appeal. The Altec Lansing speakers sounded very good, although HP should consider matching the five-speaker system (with subwoofer) on the Lenovo Y510.

For all the laptops that took out their built-in TV tuners, like the Toshiba Qosmio G45, I'm happy to see HP headed in the opposite direction. Instead of the lame ExpressCard TV tuners that HP used to offer, all the newest Pavilions, including the dv5t, will have an option for an integrated ATSC (HD) tuner. You'll have to attach a separate coaxial dongle and antenna, but these had no problems receiving over-the-air, high-definition channels at my Manhattan location.

The feature set is probably among the best in the industry. As with other Pavilions, the dv5t comes with four USB ports—one of which is an eSATA/USB combo port. eSATA is an alternative interface for connecting an external device such as a hard drive, and it's four times as fast as USB 2.0! Although this particular dv5t configuration doesn't come with a Blu-ray burner, one can be added for $400. An option for a high-definition drive explains why an HDMI-out port, which lets you stream digital content to a larger display, is a standard feature. The rest of the goodies—the 1.3-megapixel webcam, a FireWire port, and 5-in-1 card reader—are what you'd expect from a Pavilion laptop.

As part of the new Centrino 2 platform, code-named Montevina, the dv5t runs one of the newest Penryn processors. The 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 has support for the new 1,066-MHz front-side bus (FSB) and can also be found on the Sony VAIO VGN-FW198UH. The dv5t's SYSmark Overall score lagged behind the VAIO's by 4 percent. The Sony has 4GB of memory, compared with the dv5t's 2GB, which could account for the slight difference. But in general, the dv5t's SYSmark scores surpassed those of the Dell Studio 15 and the Apple 15-inch (Penryn), both of which had earlier Penryn models.

Other tests, like video encoding and CineBench R10, proved that the new Centrino 2 platform isn't invincible. The Apple 15-inch (Penryn), with a higher-clocked processor, turned in better scores than the dv5t on both those tests, while the MacBook Pro's Photoshop CS3 scores were only a second behind those of the two Centrino 2 laptops. The dv5t comes with a 55-Wh (six-cell) battery, which drained in 3 hours 12 minutes, according to the MobileMark 2007 test. Like its predecessors, it will have a 12-cell option, though these batteries will not be backward-compatible.

Revamping an entire line is a big deal if you're HP. The HP Pavilion dv5t doesn't get the kind of makeover you'd expect from the number one PC retailer, but reworking certain aspects of the design was necessary to get current HP owners to upgrade. You can also find a new frameless widescreen and a built-in HDTV tuner—features that should have home-theater enthusiasts clamoring to check out the dv5t. The dv5t's big distinction, though, is that it's one of the first laptops to receive Intel's latest Centrino 2 platform. Even so, the improvements are modest. There are slight performance gains, but you'll find that excellent battery life will come by way of a 12-cell battery, not from the platform itself.

Benchmark Test Results
Check out the HP Pavilion dv5t's test scores.

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