Recently I purchased a different version of this HP DV6 laptop for my mother-in-law and I looked at this model during that process (all HP DV6 laptop models share a common chassis and only vary on a few components). The first thing about the DV6 line that impressed me was the build quality. It is well constructed with a metallic toned black plastic exterior. Take a good look at the shell art since it is something that may not appeal to everyone but my mother-in-law definitely appreciated having something a little more individual than the usual dull grey exterior. Despite the glossy exterior we haven’t noticed much in the way of finger prints or any scratches despite the helping hands of our kids who love to “help” grandma with her computer.

The specs for this model are aimed at someone focused on web browsing and office type applications who wants superb battery life:

CPU – The Core 2 duo is the best performing notebook CPU on the market and the T6500 included with this computer is a mid-range Core2 Duo (2.1 GHZ w/2MB cache). It can handle two threads which means you can have the virus scanner running while you surf the web with no noticeable slowdown. It’s not the highest performing CPU out there today but it’s far above what you need for non-gaming tasks and it has a enough performance head-room to keep your computer from becoming outdated anytime soon.

RAM – The 4GB of RAM is combined with a 64bit OS to which should provided more than enough memory for pretty much any application you can think of outside of extremely high end gaming.

HDD – 320GB plenty is far more space than you need now but again, I like the future proofing. Some people may not like that it is 5400 RPM vs. 7200 RPM but the performance difference for home users is nearly zero and the reliability of 5400 RPM drives makes me prefer them in notebooks which are hard on hard disks (because they move around while in use notebook HDDs suffer far more failures than desktop drives)

Graphics – While I am a fan of Intel CPUs their graphics performance has lagged the competition. The good news is that the integrated Intel 4500MHD graphics controller in this model is a step up from previous Intel offerings and all most home users will need. I still wouldn’t recommend you try and run graphics hungry 3-D games on it but it’s fine for playing videos, surfing the web, doing light gaming, and running office applications.

Display – I like this 15.6″ display though I got my mother-in-law the 16″ version of the DV6. While a little smaller than what I settled on it is far superior to the 14-15″ screens you usually see in this price range.

Sound – Surprisingly good sound for a notebook. The speakers are well positioned and deliver a good range. I’ve heard better but it was on a $3K notebook.

Battery – For years the retail notebook market has been plagued with cheap six cell and even four cell batteries that could barely deliver 90 minutes of real computing use. To see HP bundle a 12 cell Li-Ion battery in with this notebook is hopefully a sign the industry is recognizing that notebook users want good battery life. With a 12 cell battery you can realistically plan to go all day without plugging in. This does add slightly to the weight but few users will notice. You will be hard pressed to find another laptop in this price range with a batter this good. Most will have a 6 cell.

I don’t have any serious “cons” for this computer. The “Touch Media Controls” for things like the volume (as opposed to buttons you push) are a little odd at first but we got used to them quickly and hey, they look cool when they light up.

To wrap it all up: a good computer for home users who don’t plan on running high-end games and who looking for something with above average build quality and really good battery life.

Features

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6500, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• 4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm) (8 GB Maximum)
• 320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with LightScribe and Double Layer Support
• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1
• 15.6 inch Diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Display (1366×768)

SPECIFICATIONS:

Processor:
2.10GHz Intel^® Core^™2 Duo Processor T6500

Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista^® Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1

Display:
15.6″ Diagonal High-Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display

Hard Drive:
320 GB

Memory (RAM):
4 GB

Graphics Card:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared) with up to 1759MB total available graphics memory

Wireless:
Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN

Battery:
12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery

Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h):
6.34lbs; 14.9″ x 10.15″ x 1.33″/1.61″

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