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Full user review
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12 out of 12 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"A perfect entertainment PC, period"
Pros: LCD Screen, numeric keypad, remote control, price
Cons: Comes with Vista only. I wish it were offered with XP instead. I dont consider weight as a cons. When you are buying 17'' laptop, it is bound to be heavy :-)
Summary: I received it 5 days ago and have been toying with it since then. I'll try to provide my honest opinion on several issues that one might face while making a purchase.
1. I'd hard time deciding but finally I chose WSXGA (1680 x 1050) screen instead of WXGA (1400 x 900) and I made the right decision because on 17'' screen, it looks amazing. Prior to the purchase, I read that WSXGA makes fonts/icons very small. I wear glasses (-2 both eyes) but am fine with it. The fonts/icons are NOT small and easily visible. So go for WSXGA without giving it a second thought.
2. My processor is Intel Core 2 DUO (1.8 GHz). This is enough for me as I am not a gamer. I use laptop for surfing, watching movies and work with applications such as MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Adobe. No need to spend extra bucks for higher processor speed if you are going to stick with basic applications as I do. Its not worth it.
3. I've 1 GB RAM. Again its enough if you are not a gamer.
4. Its definitely portable (not as portable as smaller laptops of course) if you have a suitable carrying case. I recommend Targus CVR217 and Lowepro Tropolis 1700 as I own them to carry it and they are perfect for carrying this laptop.
5. Protection plan: I purchased 4 yrs service plan with accidental damage protection. It cost me $475 (including tax) The reason being, I wanted to secure my investment for next few years. I would highly recommend that you purchase it at least for next 2 yrs. I purchased accidental damage protection as it is a big and heavy machine and you may drop it if you are not extra careful. It cost me $125 (included in above $475) for 4 yrs. So I guess it makes sense to pay some $30/yr to protect it from accidental spills, drops etc. The best part is that the most expensive component of your laptop, the LCD screen is covered by it.
6. Numeric keypad is a great thing for those who deal with numbers a lot (I do). I don't think any other 17'' machine offers numeric keypad. Thats one reason I didn't purchase DELL E1705. They have wasted lot of space by leaving more than an inch on both sides of the keyboard. DELL should definitely think about adding numeric keypad on its 17'' laptops.
7. The integrated webcam is pretty cool if you chat a lot.
8. Now few cons. The headphone jacks are in front. I wish they were on sides but it is not really a problem. The touchpad is smooth but has a bit of drag and your finger kinda sticks to it because its just too smooth. Again not really a problem as I use an external mouse most of the time.
9. I got Windows Vista which is not bad in my opinion but many softwares (third party) that used to work perfectly in XP, don't work with Vista. I wish HP provided us with a bit of choice here.
Overall its a great laptop for those who want to purchase 17''. The machine looks slim and sleek for 17''. A big advantage over DELL E1705 which really looks big to me. Its not as small as MacBook Pro but then its $1800 cheaper.
I would update this review in case there is any significant change in my opinions. But I hope there is none
- 1 reply to this review
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Has anyone tried loading XP on this computer instead of the supplied Vista? Can't get excited about Vista as it seems too raw and incompatible at this point.
