As compared to other laptops at roughly the same price point, this computer is a much, much better deal. I couldn't believe it when I saw it.
I bought this the 1st day it went on sale at Amazon was literally about to pull the trigger on another laptop, but this popped up new on a final scan, so I bought it instead.
Main features that make it a great buy for the price are:
A better, faster processor that is also Intel's latest offering (Quad Core Q9000)
Lots of memory (4G)
A bigger hard drive (500G)
A larger screen (18.4")
A Blu-Ray drive (for HD movies)
I wanted a very high performance laptop for under $2,000 and was especially keen to find something with killer processor speed, a graphics card to drive 2 external HD monitors, and a big laptop screen.
I use the machine for general business purposes, but also most importantly for web development work running Drupal and an Apache development server on the machine, along with big programs like Dreamweaver and Photoshop all running pretty much at once. I do not use for gaming, but believe it would be great for that, too. I also don't use so much for video / movies, even though it is heavily designed with that in mind.
I extensively researched machines from Dell, Alienware, Sony, Asus, and other leading vendors (I didn't want a Mac, so didn't compare against that). I'm not a hard core techie, but I wanted the best I could buy, so I also looked at the Intel site and their processor specs, visited the geek blogs to get the latest gossip on processor performance, etc.
So far I couldn't be happier with the machine! It is great. Very, very fast. Laptop screen is large and super high quality. The keyboard is really lovely very smooth, like silk.
A few notes on things I've learned about the machine so far:
It is a big laptop. That's probably obvious from the 18.4" screen, but it is also pretty heavy and the power cord/transformer is bigger and heavier than normal (takes a lot of power to fuel the processor and screen). So while the computer is certainly portable, it sure doesn't fit in your back pocket. If you are a highly mobile worker, this might be a factor.
Baseline graphics card will support dual external monitors and/or an HD TV connection. I am currently running 1 external 1680x1050 plus laptop screen, but will be adding 2nd external soon (the cabling for doing this is a bit confusing, but I think I now have it figured out).
The entire HDX line of laptops is new (introduced Fall '08 from what I understand) and there is not yet a complete line-up of accessories available. For instance, I was thinking to get a docking station to configure my monitors, but only docking station that currently works with the machine is the HP QuickDock or xB4 and these do not have digital video/monitor ports (VGA only) which renders them pretty useless if you have high performance monitors. As well, they do not yet sell 'official' HP memory upgrades for this machine yet (tech support indicates they probably will later this year, so worth checking if that's important to you). In the meantime, you can use off-the-shelf memory from Amazon or wherever. Memory is DDR2 800Mhz 200 pin (which isn't stated anywhere obvious that I saw), but can be switched over to DDR3 if you upgrage to the enhanced graphics card.
After many painful hours on hold and being routed from one tech support rep to another, I learned that there is a dedicated tech support group for the HDX laptops. For some reason, they provide only the main number in the collateral that comes with the machine and no one at that number seems to know about this special group. But eventually somebody figured to route me there and I recommend you go there directly. 866-408-5408.
Overall, I love this machine and highly recommend it to others.
I just purchased this January 1st 2009. All in all a great computer. Really nice display. It feels solid. The camera works great. It has a real nice sound. I would purchase it again. I would also recommend it to a friend.
Here's the case I also purchased from Amazon. Miltigiant 20 Largest Multi Design Nb Case. Copy and paste in the search bar. Miltigiant 20 Largest Multi Design Nb Case
But let's get to the complaints.
I use Filemaker all day. The arrow down key is already starting to wear to a solid black. I would say that at my rate the silver should be gone by the end of the year and I will have a black key where the arrow down should be. All other keys look fine so far. My Thinkpad is 5 years old with 5 years of Filemaker use and still doesn't have any signs of wear on that key or any others.
I don't know how to describe the feel of the keyboard other than saying it feels worn out, cheap, imprecise. Very noisy compared to my old Thinkpad. Clicky. If the keyboard is your most important criteria, I highly recommend you go try one of these out at Best Buy or WalMart before purchasing. That way it won't be a big shock when you get it.
When I get a chance I'll post a picture of the key that is wearing.
Right above the power button there is a vibration at the speaker that sounds like the speaker is distorting. It is not. All you have to do is press slightly on the mesh and it will go away. I would attempt to fix this, but I have external speakers, so I won't be bothered often.
Right where my hand rests on the front, I get a squeek from the seams in the plastic. Not a big deal for me. It could be bothersome to some. You go to put your hand down and "squeek". You lift it back up and "squeek".
I wish there were some sort of rubber plugs to fill all the open "peripheral" holes to keep them clean over the next few years.
This is a 64 bit edition of Vista. AutoCad 2004 doesn't work on it and AutoCad could care less. AutoCad says I need to upgrade. This is not HPs fault or Microsoft. I just thought somebody might want to know before it's too late.
Some of my Adobe programs have issues with Vista 64 which Adobe has no plans of addressing.
What's funny is that I have a picture viewing program that I purchased in 1996 that runs just fine.
This is vented from the bottom. If you would like to put this on your lap or on the bed when traveling etc., you will need some sort of "table". I have a 1/16" aluminum panel, slightly larger than the computer, always underneath unless I'm on a solid surface. The panel also helps stiffen the case when transporting.
06-09-09 update
You also must use the cloth protector that goes between the keyboard and the screen. Keyboard parts will rub on the screen and cause marks.....like I now have. I don't know if the cloth would actually help or just make things worse.
What is really sad is that here is a new product from HP and nobody has bothered to contact me about these issues. If it were my product line, I'm sure I would read the reviews on the largest online retailer in the world and attempt contacting some. I guess it's just a sign of the times. Nobody really cares after you've spent the money. And I'm not asking for anything.
That's it for now.
Buy HP Pavilion HDX18-1180US 18.4-Inch Laptop Now
I bought this laptop a few weeks ago to use for my small business in various areas of my home and for travel. The laptop saves energy compared to using my desktop (also Energy Star compliant). It's also a great desktop replacement because of the expandability, powerful processor, screen size and keyboard layout. I looked at comparable units from Toshiba, Dell and ASUS, but they cost a lot more and/or didn't include the faster processor. I think you get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.
For those who want to be able to view TV on the laptop, HP sells a USB TV tuner for around $98, so no need to worry about the lack of a built-in TV tuner. The media drive includes Blu-ray, which is nice.
PROS: The extended keyboard with separate numeric keys is a nice feature. You can even turn off power to the touchpad if you use a USB mouse. I also like the fingerprint reader. You don't have to use it, but it saves time typing in passwords when logging in to Windows or sites online. The HDMI port is great for connecting to larger monitors or TVs. HDMI outputs sound as well, which is awesome!
CONS: I'd prefer XP over Vista. Some of my specialized 32-bit programs don't run as well on the 64-bit OS, but most are fine. I wish the screen weren't glossy because it's hard to use outdoors with the reflection.
UPDATE: I've had the laptop for a few months now and still love it. The keyboard is great for touch-typists. The only glitches I've noticed have been related to the sound device and fingerprint reader. I think the problems were OS-related, because they seem to be resolved now. For a short time the fingerprint reader wasn't being recognized even though it worked initially. Then the OS had problems detecting when to use the HDMI sound output, even though that also worked correctly initially. I had to help it detect which device I wanted it to use for sound output, and now it's working fine again.
I'd definitely buy this laptop again and have already recommended it to friends. A great backpack for it is the Alienware Orion backpack. It fits perfectly and isn't bulky at all, although it's a bit more expensive than some other options.
December 2010 update: This laptop is still going strong. No hardware problems as described by others so far. Some of the keys are starting to turn black from daily use. The screen hasn't been affected at all by the keyboard. Maybe it's because I never place anything on the laptop when it's closed. At any rate, it's been very reliable. The upgrade from Vista to Win 7 made it even better.
Read Best Reviews of HP Pavilion HDX18-1180US 18.4-Inch Laptop Here
About Me: Graduate engineering student, so I spend most of my life working on design codes/viewing movies/listening to music/playing computer games/IMing with friends on this machine
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The clear and sharp 16:9 display combined with the Dolby surround sound audio w/ the integrated sub-woofer and the little hp remote makes this laptop an ultimate media center platform.
The 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, 4 GB ram and 512 mb Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT dedicated graphics make this laptop perfect for the gamer and the programmer.
The 16" screen appears a little odd at first but works out to be perfect for viewing 2-page documents or 2 application windows side-by-side. Coupled with the number pad on the keypad, the laptop is quite suited to office productivity.
The hard-drive shock protection provides significant peace of mind considering its upto 500GB of your life's work. The finger-print scanner has also exceed my expectations in terms of utility with very easy & convenient linking with any webpage account log-in information.
Appears to have every port known to man (most of which I never use) but the useful ones are placed in practical places to avoid a jungle of overlapping cables.
The HP Total Care and HP Media Smart software packages seem to a significant improvement from their predecessors.
Its gorgeous (non essential, but always a plus!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cons:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The screen is a little too glossy, which makes outdoor use hard and long term use a little tasking on the eyes.
The fancy underlit volume and bass/treble touch controls on the laptop look good but dont function very seamlessly.
The lack of a latch on the screen is cause for some anxiety
Comes with a thin protective sleeve which is extremely slippery making it more of a hazard than offering any kind of actual protection
As a "premium" laptop, it should have come with a spill-proof keyboard
Not HP's fault, but it comes with Windows Vista Home Premium which has its pros and cons. I'd still prefer Windows XP and am waiting for MS Windows 7.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I love it! Bravo HP!
Want HP Pavilion HDX18-1180US 18.4-Inch Laptop Discount?
I love this laptop. The num pad is a welcome addition! I play WOW on it frequently and it has enough power and RAM to handle that with no issues so if you want to use it for gaming, game on! I am not a big Vista fan but this is the best perfomance I have gotten from a computer running Vista thus far. I figured I would be wiping it out and replacing it with XP but it's working so well I've decided to leave it with the Vista 64-bit that comes preloaded. I did go in and delete the "bloatware" that comes pre-installed after I made a complete backup before I even used the system. The finger print reader is PERFECT! It makes signing into the computer and anywhere I want and/or need to have a password to access. The graphics and sound are impressive for a laptop as well. Overall, it's the perfect laptop in size, performance, and price!!! I would not hesitate to buy another HP.
The reasons I didn't give it 5 stars are: It's a power hog, it would have been so much better had HP made the stock battery the extended battery as they did with my last laptop. The laptop runs hot after it's been on an extended amount of time so I do recommend purchasing a chill pad with USB fan to keep it from overheating. Mine overheated so bad after being on for several hours of gaming (12+ hours) that the system crashed stating it couldn't find the hard drive, turned it off for a little while and it worked like a champ again. Lastly, the screen does not work well in bright light so if you're looking to use it outside a lot, you're going to have trouble reading the screen but you could always add a filter to correct this.
As always Asus does it again. This is so amazing. I would recommend this company to buy it from and as the product is always the best and the warranty can not be matched or beat. It doubles, its a laptop, no wait, its a tablet, no wait, its both. It is a must for business oriented or trainers or for just using it daily use. It covers everyone. Did I mention. I love Asus. It is very fast. Easily connect via Wi-Fi or with the included Ethernet connector. Running windows 8. Two partitions which are extremely hard to even fill up one. Included also is the mini hdmi to hdmi. The included touch pen doubles as a two button mouse. Two year warranty is excellent. The first year anything accidental is covered(liquid, shock, fire or drops). The second year is the normal parts and labor being covered. There is so many things that are truly amazing with this product that I would run out of room if I continue I will run out of space. All I can say is buy it. You will not regret it.
