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"Can't beat it!" on by mwlahana
Pros: Very fast, sturdy, good battery life, and decent speakers.
Cons: None that I have found yet.
Summary: First off, this is a great computer and I have no complaints whatsoever. After upgrading the ram to 1 gig, getting the better screen (which is great by the way) adding the media reader and core processor I have no reason to complain. Everything works better than I would've expected. I didn't bother upgrading the battery because the regular 6 cell is long enough for me (going for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours). I'm also big on music and the speakers are quite good (not tinny sounding). Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great computer at a great price. However, I do advise spending the extra money and upgrading where you can (ram, hard drive, screen, processor, etc.)
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"Can't Beat It for the price." on by tycost
Pros: Can be configured well for less than $800, 15.4 inch widescreen, quiet keyboard, soft touchpad, QUIET MACHINE, can't beat AMD processors, light, strong built in wireless
Cons: Short battery life with standard battery, only 2-3 usb ports, screen is very dull when not running on AC power,
Summary: I configured this laptop for a total of $750.00 including a 120GB hard drive and upgraded processor on HP.com. It is a nice and compact machine that runs quietly and features a whist keyboard. There were only a couple problems that I encountered with this machine. One was that with the standard battery you only get about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours of battery life. If you do any video editing, play lots of games, or graphic design you NEED to upgrade to a battery with longer life or make sure that you always have access to a power outlet. Next issue. Only 2-3 usb ports. I like to have a printer hooked up as well as using a wireless mouse most of the time. This causes a problem because my machine only has 2 usb ports. Same deal when I am charging my ipod and have the printer hooked up. So you may want to invest in a device called a USB Hub which allows multiple usb cords to be plugged into one port. The last issue that I have had with this computer is that the screen is extremely dull when it is not plugged into an AC outlet. In order to fix this problem holding down the fn key and pressing the f8 key multiple times will brighten your screen. Keep doing this until you are satisfied with the brightness level. HP also has some nice perks such as throwing in free printers, bags, or sometimes even software. Overall I definately recommend this machine.
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"Outstanding device after upgrades" on by jonmac
Pros: Battery life, appearance, XP Pro
Cons: Requires upgrades out of the box, loud optical drive
Summary: I bought a V6137US (1.73GHz Centrino Core Duo) at a big-box retailer because my old laptop died and I had to have a replacement that day. It came with a gig of RAM (2x512) and the 6-cell battery. I immediately purchased 2 gigs of RAM (2x1) and the 12-cell battery. By adding a DLink Bluetooth adapter for my Logitech mouse, I was finally comfortable with the performance of the unit.
One thing I required was XP Pro for integration in Active Directory. Not having to upgrade the OS was a big help. Wireless networking works flawlessly. The touchpad and keyboard are also top notch. The 12-cell battery brings about 7 hours of work between recharges.
As a working machine it performs great, but the volume is extremely weak from the low end speakers. HP's Quick Launch feature (al la Media Center) is a nice touch allowing you to play CDs or DVDs without having to boot up the operting system. That's a nice feature when traveling and using the laptop as your entertainment center!
All in all, this is a great system after putting an additional $400 worth of upgrades into it. We'll have to see what happens when Vista (Business Edition) is added next month.
Another plus is that HP always has lots of parts and upgrades for their systems, and this is no exception. -
"Look at other options - customer support is horrible" on by rasmith29
Pros: Nice design, ports and power are in good locations, quickplay is a bonus
Cons: Horrible customer support, defective product has not been replaced or repaired in a reasonable amount of time
Summary: I purchased my laptop about a month ago, and almost immediately noticed a buzzing noise from the hard drive. It was loud enough that it is annoying to sit in front of the computer for more then a couple of minutes, which makes it a waste of money. I have been on the phone with a variety of technical support people, and it was finally determined that they would send me a new hard drive (which I would have to replace myself and send back my hard drive within 3 days, otherwise I would be charged). 2 weeks after I was promised the hard drive would arrive, I am still waiting for it. I have since been "escalated" through their customer support system, and am now not able to reach anyone on the phone. If your computer never breaks, then you may be ok with the product. However, if there is anything wrong with your machine, technical support will not be able to help you, and you will spend lots and lots of time trying to get it fixed. A waste of money and time in my opinion, especially since part of the cost is supposed to be the "Award Winning" HP support. I will be returning my laptop, and will look at either a Dell or Gateway to replace it.
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"good computer" on by AntonGolovin
Pros: as configured, excellent speed, screen, etc.
Cons: minor things...
Summary: Basically, for $1300, including tax and shipping, it is difficult to get anything else with 2 gigs RAM, 2 ghz Core 2 Duo processor and 80 gig 5400 RPM hard drive... In this respect, Compaq Presario v6000t is an excellent computer. However, there are two things missing in it which make it 8 instead of 10.
1) there is no option for 7200 RPM hard drive. as a software developer i would like to buy it factory-installed. i bought it separately from an online vendor and installed it ok, but it does get pretty hot and needs a thermal paste this way.
2) the touchpad buttons. they have to be pressed too deep to work. after a while of heavy use it gets tiresome on the hand.
the beeping volume controls can be disabled via the BIOS settings, it is not difficult to do.
the video option is a built-in chip which can do either 64 or 128 megs of memory. perhaps for video encoding a dedicated card is better, but for the needs of most people this should be enough.
i did get the high-capacity 6-cell battery. the 12-cell battery was described as too cumbersome. i also uninstalled the Vista Home and installed XP Pro SP2. SP2 is necessary for this machine to be able to make the audio and the modem work for XP. HP has all the drivers for XP, i recommend contacting their online technical rep.
Overall, save for one option that would be nice to have and one usability issue (i am really not being picky, but using the buttons for long time can be a bit hard on the hand, as opposed to, say, Thinkpad's buttons, which are perfect), this is a great computer. If Compaq fixes the buttons and offers the 7200 RPM hard-drive option, it will be a 10.Updated
I would like to caution you that this computer whines. I change the rating for my machine from 8 to 4. Using Vista the whine is very pronounced. Using XP Pro it is better - if you are willing to install this operating system. This computer also cannot work with a 7200 RPM hard drive as it heats up to 50+ degrees centigrade.
Even now as I am typing with XP Pro installed and the original 5400 RPM, the computer is giving a weak but perceptible high-pitched sound that many people would find difficult to tolerate.
In short, if I had to buy something again, I would buy a different machine, even if it were more expensive!Updated
The whine I wrote about at the previous post is almost at the edge of hearing. It is likely resource-related, i.e., this computer cannot handle strong graphical user interfaces. I noticed it whines when playing Flash animations...
In any case, if i could afford a Thinkpad, which I have one from work, I would get a Thinkpad.
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