HP Pavilion DV6770SE 15.4" Entertainment Laptop

HP Pavilion DV6770SE 15.4" Entertainment Laptop (AMD Turion 64 X 2 Dual Core TL-62 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)
For those who want advanced digital entertainment capability coupled with leading-edge mobile performance and communication features in a distinctive design, the HP Pavilion dv6700 series Special Edition Notebook PC delivers! It features a subtle HP-exclusive Radiance pattern that is a mixture of ripples on a sea of radial lines. And AMD mobile dual-core technology enables use of multiple demanding applications, such as photo editing, DVD burning and playing a game, at the same time. Chat face to face or take pictures and video clips using the HP Webcam and Microphone. Listen without disturbing others with the included stereo earbud headphones. And control content from up to 10 feet away with the HP Mobile Remote Control that can be stored in the ExpressCard slot for convenience. This 6.06lbs light notebook exists at the intersection of computing and entertainment with its 15.4" High-Definition BrightView widescreen display, innovative entertainment features and fresh design. 15.4 diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800) BrightView Widescreen display NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS with up to 1535MB graphics memory with 256MB dedicated Built-in Webcam and microphone SuperMulti 8x DVD+-R/RW Drive with Double Layer 802.11B/G Wireless 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter - MMC, SD, MS, MS Pro, xD 1 ExpressCard Slot (34/54 Slot) 3 USB 2.0, 2 Headphone out; 1 Microphone-in, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 TV-Out (S-Video), 1 IEEE-1394, 1 RJ-11, 1 RJ-45 Approximate Unit Dimensions - 14.05 (W) x 10.12 (D) x 1.56 (H) Approximate Unit Weight - 6.06lbs
HP Laptop

Good value for money
This particular laptop model is a good value for your money (March 2008 when I purchased it). I spent some time shopping around for a laptop to replace my desktop at a reasonable price, and this model was the winner. It has a faster AMD dual core processor than comparable models (TL-62 at 2.1 GHz). Similar priced laptops most likely give you the AMD model below (the slower TL-60). If you prefer Intel processors, you'll pay a premium as most laptops at this price range give you an Intel Duo Core T5450 which runs at a slower 1.7 GHz. If you want a 2.0 GHz processor, you have to upgrade to the T7250 or T8100 processor which costs $150+ more.

This laptop gives you a generous 3 GB of RAM which is a big plus. 250 GB hard drive is the standard size for less-than-$1000 laptops. For me, the biggest feature is the 256 MB nVidia GeForce 8400M GS discrete graphics card. The discrete graphics card allows you to run video games much more smoothly than an integrated graphics card found on cheaper laptops. 256 MB is very good for a laptop at this price. I play Battlefield 2142 and it runs smoothly on the laptop. I'm sure it will struggle with the newest, more graphics-intensive games that will be released later in 2008, but then you'll need to buy a very expensive gaming laptop or just go with a desktop... I definitely didn't want to spend $2,000+ on a laptop.

As for the negatives, they are minor:
1) QuickPlay is a complete joke. I thought you could play a DVD movie without loading up Windows. Nope... If you press the QuickPlay button, the laptop still loads Windows but takes you directly to the QuickPlay interface. Not much benefit in this...

Here's a blurb from Wikipedia if you search on "QuickPlay":

"As of 2008, QuickPlay versions 3.0 and newer included in notebooks shipping with Windows Vista, do not provide users with instant access to the software, as the "Direct" function no longer exists due to unresolved compatibilty issues. Users must first boot into Windows and access their user accounts before the software can run. It is currently unknown if or when HP plans to release newer versions of Quickplay, with a direct boot function."

2) The specs on the laptop battery that's included with the package shows battery life at 2 hours. Not very long. It probably can't last through a whole movie. If you plan to work a lot without power (e.g. Working during a airplane flight), buy an extra higher-capacity battery.
3) You get no CD/DVD in the box. As you'll read in the instructions, you'll need to burn a few DVD/CD's to create recovery discs the first time you boot up the laptop.

There are faster and more graphics-intensive laptops. But if you're looking to replace a desktop computer with a laptop without spending a lot (under $1,000), I recommend this laptop model.

Tags : HP Laptop , Laptop , HP Notebook , Notebook