I purchased model DV6-1354US with 500gb hard drive and 6 cell battery. I use this laptop for editing photos with Adobe Photoshop CS4, as well as editing audio with Adobe Audition 2.0.I have a five year old HP laptop running XP and it is still going strong. Despite outsourced Indian phone support, I was able to communicate support issues effectively. I am confident in future hardware performance and support from HP.
Transition from XP to Windows 7 was intuitive. The new taskbar is my favorite improvement. Followed by much better graphic interface and widgets. Some of my XP software causes Windows 7 to turn off Aero mode. I feel that windows has caught up with Apple in terms of graphics and workflow.
As far as laptop is concerned, Dave from Portland has a great review comparing the different models available on Amazon. The DV6-1354US is sufficient for me to use Adobe Photoshop and Audition, as well as multitask.
I will never go to a laptop again without a numeric keypad, this was an unexpected plus. I do miss the old HP media controls above the keyboard. They are replaced now by a volume and wireless control. I like that they are no longer buttons but touch sensitive surfaces above the keyboard.
The DV6 is quieter and cooler than my old HP. The power cord is beefier, which was always a problem with my old HP. Although I would prefer a magnetic power cord like Apple offers. Compared to other manufacturers, I would have to say that HP has the best price for great, reliable hardware.
Everything is a wonderful improvement except for the sound. Frequently, friends would ask where the music was coming from when I used my old DV1000. I felt that the sound was very rich for such a small system. I find the DV6 to have a much shallower, smaller sound that finds trouble filling a bedroom. For this reason, I drop the DV6 to four stars.
Also, the DV6 doesn't come with recovery disks. You need 3 DVD+R or -R (not RW) disks to create your own.
Overall, I really enjoy this computer, and probably will continue to enjoy it for another 5 to 7 years until RAM is in petabytes and laptops cook dinners. If I had to do it again I would still choose it over an Acer, Asus, Dell, Mac, or Sony.
The reviews on this style of HP were good. Friends and colleagues at other companies were happy with theirs. I ordered this for my wife. I received it a month ago and am using the multimedia stuff, the lightscribe CD/DVD burner etc. All very simple. Windows 7 seems very solid. The 4 Meg of RAM moves it along quickly. The N wireless card is fast and furious on the N+ Router (Belkin). we are doing Amazon movie on demand and no delays. Keyboard feels good, has built in number pad, nice. However the keys do get lost in w very low lighting. Maybe back-lighting the keys or iridium down the road?
So for the first month anyhow, very happy with it.I have got this HP notebook due to the software I need to use. I usually use Mac and like its stability and smoothness. When I used windows (it was windows Me and XP) years ago, it was not really a good experience... But this time is different. Windows 7 works solid and reliable. The machine is fast enough for its price, and I was surprised how light it weighs. If you carry your computer around, this is nice. You cannot complain about this machine since it deserves credit for its functionality, reliability and the price cost. For average user like me, this is good.
Only annoying thing is you have to make your own recovery disks (3 dvd blank disks you have to prepare). There is no os disk so this is important to do. It does not matter except for waiting a long time to burn those 3 dvd disks...Buyer beware. Yes they do look shiny and nice. Yes the specs look very impressive. Awesome price too. But the build quality is complete garbage. My well cared for 1.5 yr old HP laptop has died because it runs way to hot and eventually the motherboard got fried. This is a known issue in many models. Don't trust any. No support from HP. "Total Care" ya right. Don't take my word for it, do as the other people have posted..Google HP problems and you'll see. Also check out their HP community support page laptops then hardware section and see all the happy customers there too. Don't make the same mistake I did. Buy some other brand.Well, I tend to whisper mean things and curse my computer on a daily basis, but I haven't felt the need to do that with this one. It's quick enough with lots of storage and with a good amount of quality programs already loaded. I like how the computer manages its own health and happiness issues and it regularly reminds me to backup my files. The computer handles the large graphing programs I use with out the long pauses I have experienced previously. My one complaint is the screen shape. It has a short-wide screen. The short is the problem for me; with most programs having large tool bars at the top and or bottom of the screen a short screen creates a smaller workable space, however movies look great on it and the resolution is good even when viewed at angle. I know I could have sprung for the DV7 with the 17.3" screen rather than the cheaper 15.6" but the extra screen size added an addition 4 pounds (ouch)!
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