HP G62-140US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Bronze)

I bought this laptop after doing quite a bit of research, looking for a replacement for the family computer at a reasonable price point. Considering the value of the computer against the price, I think this is a good deal, though this machine is not ideal for all uses. This computer is good for general use, such as surfing the net, playing the occasional game or working on spreadsheets. It's neither a heavy gaming rig nor a heavy-duty business machine, but it is sufficient for almost any everyday task that can be thrown at it. This is the ideal for which I was looking. In that capacity it does itself proud.

Having previously bought a Hewlett-Packard laptop I had hoped that this machine would have the standard media set, meaning recovery disks and documentation, but this is not the case. HP has elected to require the owner to make their own recovery media, which is a cost-saving measure for HP and a tedious annoyance for end-users. To be fair, it seems that most manufacturers have taken this route, so this should come as no surprise. Making recovery media requires 3 single-layer DVDs, and the creation tool says that either DVD+R or DVD-R platters are acceptable. I did not try dual-layer media.

On first boot, the user is greeted with a welcome/setup application that guides the user through the process of setting up wireless networking, naming the user account and of course registration. I personally think this application is very cartoony in appearance, using the image of hands to walk you through turning pages and transition screens. While it's clear HP is targeting home users with this approach, it seems out of place for more professional use. It's a personal preference, though, and it accomplishes the end goal.

Once booted up into Windows 7 the first time, the barrage of "Register Me" and "Activate this Software" popup windows began and it not only was distracting and annoying but it interfered with my personal setup. In the middle of creating the recovery media, a window popped over top of the recovery application asking if I wanted to make recovery DVDs. I would have preferred that it detect the process in progress, or at most give me a system tray notification instead. Though annoying, this can be dealt with either by activation/registration or performing an uninstall of the offending application(s).

My first order of business was to strip the extra stuff I don't want from the OS. I removed MS Office 2007 trial and I removed all things Norton/Symantec. This was mercifully very easy and quick. Now, that said, for the user that actually wants these applications (and I suspect there's quite a few people who do) having these pre-installed will be very convenient. For me, I have no intention of using any of these as I have software for which I have licenses already, so I removed them.

Some people have difficulties with the touch pad, though I have not. I personally dislike most laptop touchpads and this one is no exception though it works as it should and is flush with the rest of the plastic shell. That said, the touchpad "mouse buttons" are actually one unified rocker button that is stiff and unresponsive.

The keyboard is another matter entirely. Though I have had no issues with the keyboard, I am concerned that the wireless adapter is enabled and disabled through the F12 key, not separated from the rest of the keys on the keyboard. This is asking for trouble for people that do not use a separate keyboard. HP can expect complaints about the wireless getting cut on and off via bad keystrokes.

Another puzzling design decision is that there appears to be no latch for the laptop lid. It simply opens or closes, no more or less. In my case this is not a major issue as the system will sit on a desk and not move; for those on the go this could be a potential issue, especially if the computer is dropped. Keep this in mind.

None of the ports on this unit are on the back; all of them are located on the sides, including the power and the VGA interfaces. At first this bothered me. I can see some wisdom in it now, though, because of the hinge and the ability to move the system flush with the back of the desk which is against the wall. Again, this is beneficial for me. If you are left-handed, though, this could be very problematic as two of the USB ports, the HDMI port and the VGA interface are all on the left and if all of those are plugged in the cords will interfere with external mice. In my case I am connecting an external monitor, mouse and keyboard so the system does not need to be directly in front of the user.

In terms of performance, this is a peppy system. There's 4 GB of RAM, expandable to 8, which gives Windows and applications plenty of breathing room. The processor is 2.13 GHz with 2 cores, sufficient for most software (though not for high-end games). The hard drive is a 7200-RPM drive, a very noticeable upgrade from the 5400-RPM drive in my older HP. The graphics adapter is really the only weakness when it comes to speed, but even so it is still a decent graphics adapter and will work just fine for the majority of users.

I do like the styling with the interesting texture and color of the plastic shell. It is most certainly not necessary but it's a break from the ordinary that makes this laptop a little more interesting. HP did a great job with making the touchpad seamless, too, which will keep crud from gathering in the edges.

Overall, I am satisfied with this system. It meets the needs for which I purchased it, it's stylish and it performs well. It is by no means perfect, but at the price point it's more system than I could otherwise ask for. If you need a good workhorse laptop that is affordable, this is a good candidate. Be aware that there are a few negatives too, such a port placement, when purchasing, though an argument can be made for the negatives being no more than personal preference.

For the most part, this laptop does everything you'd expect it to. Windows 7 has some quirks, but I'm liking it for the most part (coming from Vista is a much easier transition than I'd imagine coming from XP would be). The HDMI connection is a snap to use (Turn on TV, plug in cable, the computer switches all the video settings correctly. Unplug the cable and the computer switches everything back to the built in display automatically). Bloatware was fairly minimal and easy to uninstall. Not coming with backup discs is annoying, but Windows lets you make a set yourself, so at least there's something. The battery lasts me 2-3 hours depending how much video I watch. The 4GB of RAM and 320 GB hard drive make this a good value. It's a laptop and it works.

The only annoying software related dislike is the defualt of locking the Fn commands as I use the F1, F2, etc keys a lot. This requires messing with BIOS to turn off, but would be useful for an average user who doesn't understand what F-keys do.

I'm really annoyed with the input devices, though. The keyboard is mostly standard, but there's a couple of small things that annoy. The quick launch buttons on the left are useless and get in the way (I always hit "calculator" instead of Ctrl). Esc is shifted over the quick launch buttons, so I keep hitting F1 instead of Esc and F2 instead of F1, etc. There's nothing to differenciate the arrow keys from the other keys, so it's hard to use them without looking. Typing on the keyboard is nice, though.

The trackpad is really annoying. It's difficult to use without looking. If you have two fingers on the pad, it doesn't respond at all (if there's multitouch, I haven't figured out how to turn it on). It's fairly easy to accidentally touch while typing. When I close the lid and open it, it doesn't respond the first time I touch it (which leads to me closing windows and tabs accidentally trying to get the pad to respond). I've eventually learned to work with the trackpad, but that involved changing how I type and use the computer by holding my wrists up, which I really shouldn't have to do.

For the price I paid ($120 less than Amazon currently offers), I can live with the problems. Otherwise, they'd annoying enough for me to look at another manufacturer.

EDIT: Less than a year after buying the laptop, the battery is dead. It barely holds a charge (about 20-30 minutes) and dies unexpectedly (while reading over 20% left on the meter). I never kept the computer plugged in with a full battery charge (charge the battery, unplug, use down to 15-20%, charge again) and used it about 8 hours per day (off at night and while I'm at work). The death of the battery was very sudden: it seemed fine for the first 8-9 months of use, started turning off unexpectedly for a couple of weeks, and then completely failed to hold a charge.

Buy HP G62-140US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Bronze) Now

I am a college student and, like most college students, I'm pretty broke. Not only am I just a broke college student I am photographer and photoshop lover! I am going into photogrpahy and the computer that I had was over seven years old and bearly running. I needed and I mean needed a good laptop that had all the memory capablity that I needed to run PhotoShop and whatever other photo editing programs I needed.

You could say that my needs for the right computer and my wallet size didn't really see eye to eye. Most of the computers I looked at(that I could afford) were always laking someing. It could be the screen size or the ram or some other little quirk that wouldn't fit my needs. So I was stressing!!

When I ordered this laptop I was so nervus because if it didn't work the way I needed it to then I would have been in a very sad state of mind! Not to mention this is one of my first orders off of Amazon!! (I was a nervus wreck waiting for my order to come in and trying to upload and install photoshop while holding my breathe and crossing my fingers that it would install perfectly haha).

When my laptop arravied it was perfect! I uploaded Adobe Creatve Suite 3 and the Topaz Labs bundle to it and it works like a charm! Oh, and I can work in PhotoShop AND listen to Pandora or ITunes at the SAME time!!! It's amazing! Even with all of the programs I have installed it is so so so fast!

If you are a college student and a photographer or photoshopper and are stressing about finding the right computer then this one is the one for you! You don't have to be a college student or a photographer to love it, but trust me you will love it!!!

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DO not purchase this laptop. I bought one and in two months the screen stopped working. Additionally, I heard that this has happened to a few other people that have purchased HP Laptops. Worst part about it is that HP would not help me b/c they said it is out of the "21" day warranty. What kind of company only covers their product for the first 21 days. At least offer a 90 coverage. This has been a very disappointing experience for me. I highly urge anyone considering purchasing this product to rethink their decision.

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I have owned HPs in the past and thought this would be a safe bet. However, after bringing it home from a screaming deal at best buy, I realized that I'd been had.

The keyboard is terrible, the buttons don't press right, and it feels like they are not in the right places, and my fingers keep getting hung up on their edges since the press is so deep.

The track pad is worse, I've had to reinstall the trackpad driver to make it work again, and ever since, the palm detector is always limiting the track pad movement even if my palm is nowhere near the trackpad. It only moves a couple of pixels per swipe, it truly is the worst trackpad I have ever dealt with.

It overheats too easily, watching a video in bed causes the fan to go into overdrive and something on windows causes the problem to get worse as time goes on. Occasionally, I have to set it up next to a fan.

Unfortunately, I didn't use it much during the money back period, and I'm not sure what I can say if I send it back other than "I hate it. It makes me hate my life" and that doesn't seem very RMA-able.

I've bought cheapie computers in the past, and they've been great. This one is new and more expensive than I've typically bought, and I'd rather throw it away than have anyone else suffer this garbage.