HP Pavilion dv6t

Manufacturers: Hewlett-Packard

Class: Pavilion

Model: DV6-3190ee

Specs Overview:

• Operating System: Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6 Ghz with Turbo boost upto 2.8 Ghz
• RAM: 6 GB DDR3
• Hard Drive: 640 GB @ 5400 RPM
• Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 5650 Graphics card (1 GB)
• Battery: 6 cell Lithium-Ion
• Display: 15.6” Diagonal HD Display
• DVD-ROM: Blu-ray DVD R/W with Double layer Support and Light Scribe
• Webcam: HP TrueVision Webcam with MIC (VGA)
• Wireless: Wireless Network Card 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth: HP Bluetooth
• Finger Print Reader: Yes
• Card Reader: 5 in 1

High performance:

This is some thing I shouldn’t even be writing because of it being so obvious. This system is the single most powerful system that you can find in the market. A high end graphics card with an i7 processor and 6 Gigs of RAM is the most any one can ask for.

Just a look at the specs tells you why the price is so insanely high for a laptop available in the local market.

Load to carry:

The foremost negative point of the system is that it is not too mobile. 15.6” screen along with all the other specs make the system heavy.

HP has further more contributed to the problem by using some heavy metallic structure in most pavilions’ designs. It weighs around 2.6Kgs which is a little too much to carry if you have additional bag or briefcase to carry.

Win 7 Issues:

Although not strictly related to this laptop, Win 7 is having issues running on Pavilions. Most of the people that have bought pavilions would know that the battery acts weird in Win 7. Most of users will start to get ‘Replace the battery error’ within 3 to 4 months of purchase.

I tried searching on the internet and there were all sorts of speculations. Some believe HP is placing low quality batteries in the laptops while others believe that Win 7 has some software glitch that is damaging batteries.

I own two pavilions, 1 of which has started giving me this error after just 3 months of usage. Both market giants are trying to avoid the blame and not taking responsibility for the problem.

Battery Life:

When you stack a system with all type of high tech stuff you can get your hands on, its battery should also be able to be powerful enough to keep it all running when there is no power source available.

HP, unfortunately, didn’t think about this. Now when there is no light, the ATI graphics card usually ‘turns off’ to conserve energy. So if you are using some application that uses a lot of video memory, you either have to plug in or finish your work within 30 to 40 minutes.

If you turn on the graphics card without a source, there is good chance that the battery would drain within 40 to 50 minutes. HP should have used a 9 cell battery to support the power needs.

Keypad Problems:

Although comfortable, the key pad has some issues. The buttons on the pad are somewhat loose and if you use them very frequently, they would become extremely loose. Although they don’t come out but still appear like they are broken. If you are deciding to play games, do remember to get a good mouse.

HP Pavilion dv6t

Manufacturers: Hewlett-Packard (HP)

Class: HP Pavilion

Model: HP dv6t

Specs Overview:

• Operating System: Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-460M Dual Core Processor 2.53 GHz
• Graphics card: Intel HD Graphics – For Dual Core Processors
• RAM: 6 GB DDR3
• Hard Drive: 750 GB, 5200 RPM
• Battery: 6 cell, 5.25 hours max
• Display: 15.6” LED
• DVD-ROM: Super Multi 8x DVD R/RW with double layer support
• Webcam: HP Integrated Webcam
• Wireless: Intel Wireless-N card

The Looks:

The system over all has an impressive design. It’s neat and tidy without having a very flashy surface. However many users have reported the keyboard to be a little uneven and bloated in the middle.

Users who have Dell or other laptops would most probably have to get used to HP touch pads in some time because they appear to be more rigid and having some friction. Another serious issue is that many users said that the bottom of their laptop was not closed with screws properly so they had to redo it themselves. This is really irresponsible of HP but I think HP fans did not mind the flaw very much.

“Runs like the Wind”:

The system is rated to be fast enough. The i5 processor along with 6GB RAM would actually run about everything. Another positive feature is that its processor comes with a turbo boost of up to 2.8Ghz. This makes it fast when you have loaded it fully with multi-tasking.

Compared to others in this price range, this machine is pretty fast.

No Recovery Discs:

The bad news is that HP will not give you any discs at all related to system support or system drivers. Even the windows 7 recovery disc that was provided earlier with the systems is now not being given out. The only solution is that you purchase DVDs after and make the recovery discs yourself. Another fact that many users might not know is that usually HP laptops will allow you to make recovery discs of its software only one time. So when you have made them, keep them safe. If you loose them, they cant be made again.

“Gaming Freaks”:

Gaming freaks should know that this laptop is fine for “standard” gaming. I mean you can play games like Half Life 2 and Mafia 2 without any glitches. Intel card would obviously be missing some effects in the game play but it would still let you enjoy to a good extent. Gaming is also good because of the 6GB RAM which would support almost any game you want to play.

Similarly designing apps would also run perfect for the users. However there is a limitation in terms of resolution. You can not view resolutions higher than 1366×768.

Wireless and Blue Tooth:

A feature that has accompanied HP laptops for quite some time now is the combined Wireless and Blue tooth function. You can switch on both at a time but not one. It means if you don’t have a supply nearby and you battery is running low and you need to use the blue tooth, the wifi would also get operational with it and waste the precious energy. However this problem only affects energy deficient countries like ours.

Optional Features:

In the last review I wrote some confusion were created regarding the optional and base configuration features so in this one I would write down separately the additional features that you can get after paying the extra amount.

• Touch screen: 
• 1GB ATI Graphics Card: 
• Blu Ray DVD writer:  
• Blue Tooth: 
• Back lit Key Board with Finger Print reader: 
• HP wireless mouse: 
• HP Mobile Noise cancelling Headphones: 
• HP DeskJet 3000 Printer: 

There are many other additional feature besides these too like upgrading processor and RAM. Another thing is that all these additional features might not be available in Pakistan, but as I said before, it is always good to import a laptop rather than buy it here.

Official Rating: ...........

Underline:

It is excellent for office work, entertainment and gaming but if you need higher resolutions for graphics designing, this is not the system for you!