Maximum PC

We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it again: HP ain’t exactly famous for its gaming rigs. But to our surprise, the company has raised the bar for itself with the dv9096xx, a 17-inch movie-centric desktop replacement with a lot more graphics action than we’ve come to expect from the sensible-shoes crowd at HP. Unlike the nc6320 we reviewed in our June 2006 issue—along with just about every other HP notebook we’ve ever seen—the dv9096xx comes equipped with a 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 GPU.

Anyone who’s followed the evolution of HP’s desktop replacement systems will find many of the dv9096xx’s other attributes to be familiar. This smartly dressed system sports HP’s signature brand of industrial design, right down to the wavy “imprint” finish on the outside of the case and surrounding the spacious keyboard. Like other dv9000-series notebooks of yore, this model features a big ole Altec Lansing speaker grille (which houses a pair of respectable speakers) for surprisingly rich audio. The bass still leaves plenty to be desired, but we’d gladly watch our favorite flicks on the road with this audio accompaniment.

Eschewing rear-mounted ports altogether, the dv9096xx packs all of its ports into the sides, but for a trio of audio jacks and an IR port on the front edge. While it lacks a PC Card slot, the dv9096xx includes four USB ports (two on the left, two on the right), an ExpressCard 54 slot, a 5:1 media reader, a mini FireWire port, mini HDMI, VGA, and S-video out, in addition to gigabit Ethernet and a modem. It also has HP’s Expansion Port 3 for connecting to a docking station at the office.

The big problem with this laptop is its poor battery performance. It craps out after an hour of play, while the Toshiba Qosmio, which we reviewed in July 2006, kept fragging for another half-hour or so. Still, if you carry your power brick along with you, this system can take on its portable rivals in both performance and price, as it sells for just over two grand—a few hundred bucks cheaper than similarly spec’d gaming notebooks.

Sometimes you just want to kick back and take in a show. And for that, the dv9096xx is well-equipped with its Toshiba read-only HD-DVD drive, 1440x900 Ultra Brightview display, and included ExpressCard remote control. But once again, you’ll face the wrath of the power gods if you forget to pack your AC adapter, because this big boy simply won’t stay awake through the average feature film.

If you’re searching for a savvy blend of price and performance, this desktop replacement from HP certainly fits the bill, so long as you’re not planning to spend too much time gaming or stray too far from a desk (or at least from a power source). To truly compete with similar rigs from Alienware and Voodoo, HP is going to have to step up its game in the battery and GPU departments.

Month Reviewed: December 2006
+ JACKED IN: Mediocre frame rates for gaming on the go.
- JACKED UP: Midrange GPU and an hour’s worth of battery power.
Verdict: 7
URL: www.hp.com

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