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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

HP Pavilion g6 Notebook Review

This notebook is configured perfectly adequate for students and home users who want to surf the Internet and use the Office software suite. It is not suitable for playing modern 3D games such as Call of Duty, and low-resolution screen would not be optimal in Photoshop or the intense multi-tasking.

Specifications HP Pavilion g6-1A69US :
  • 15.6-inch glossy 720p display (1366x768 resolution)
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  • Intel Core i3-380M dual-core processor (2.53GHz, 3MB cache, 35W TDP)
  • Intel HM55 chipset
  • Integrated Intel HD graphics
  • 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM (2x 2GB; supports up to 8GB - 2x 4GB)
  • 500GB 7200RPM Seagate hard drive (ST9500325AS)
  • 802.11n wireless network adapter (Atheros AR9285)
  • No internal Bluetooth
  • Integrated webcam
  • Built-in tray-load DVD burner (hp DVDRAM GT31L)
  • One-year limited warranty
  • 6-cell Li-ion battery (10.8V, 4200mAh)
  • Weight: 5.5 lbs.
  • Dimensions: 14.72 x 9.65 x 1.20~1.42 inches.
  • MSRP: $499.99
Design and build
HP Pavilion G6 ($ 499) is a generic appearance of black and gray. Almost all visible surfaces of the laptop is made of glossy plastic, which is unfortunate because the dirt so easily and are not as durable as plastic mats over time. Strangely, the screen bezel is plastic mat.

G6 is robust enough for a laptop budget. The chassis is rigid and requires a torsional force. In addition, the palm rest and surrounding areas that does not move or bend when pushed down. Display panel (specifically the cover of the screen) is the only part that needs improvement, it is fragile, and gently ripples also appear on the screen when pushed from behind. I was impressed, however, the display hinges, which are metal and very firmly anchored to the chassis. Show almost no hesitation whatsoever.

Over time the build quality is slightly better than expected for this price range. Those who try to add additional RAM or replace the hard disk will be able to do so easily, single panel at the bottom of the laptop has two components and the wireless card.

Ports and Features
It is a means of choosing the ports with nothing special or unexpected. The G6 does not have USB 3.0, eSATA, DisplayPort, and ExpressCard slot. We would have liked to see USB 3.0 for faster transfers of large files like high-resolution photos and movies in HD, but you can not expect much from a budget laptop.

Screen and speakers
G6 is a 15.6-inch display and a 720p (1366x768) resolution and a glossy finish. This is a typical budget laptop screen. The brightness is good, the contrast is low and the color reproduction is a bit 'cold - some of the colors seem to fade away. Viewing angles are poor, above and below, which is to be expected, because this is a TN type panel. Gloss finish brings out the contrast, but the reflections and it is difficult to clean.

The resolution is the Achilles heel of this screen (and that almost all laptops budget, because, actually), 1366x768 is the bottom of the barrel and the lowest was found in mainstream PCs. Take only 768 pixels of vertical resolution means a restricted working space, need a lot of scrolling for web pages. Using two windows side by side, is impractical. And 'reasonable to expect that a better resolution of the notebook, this affordable, though.

There are two speakers under the palm rest of the Altec Lansing brand. Despite the history of HP to use well and beats the Altec Lansing sound, these are the worst I've heard nothing to the laptop, including netbooks. The sound is muted and the audio clip below.

Keyboard and touchpad
The G6 has a pavilion full-size keyboard, but no separate numeric keypad. The square flat top keys have a carved base to create more space between them. The keyboard feels and sounds cheap, the keys make a slight rattle when pressed. Tactile feedback is of inferior quality, not exactly encourage strikes. Surprisingly, the keyboard has a solid, unblinking.

The matte texture of the keys bright indeed wear over time, I've seen that happen in our review unit of the duration of one week. In general, the keyboard receives a passing grade, but that's it, the more expensive HP Pavilion keyboard is much better.

The touchpad is good for a consumer notebook. The texture of the dimpled surface is too much for my taste, but it is certainly better than having a brilliant whole area in terms of ergonomics. The buttons are quiet and unobtrusive, which is always welcome and how to touchpads, cheap consumer laptops are known for the volume buttons, touchpad clacky.

Performance and Benchmarks
Readers should note that Core i3-380 used in the $ 499-version of the G6 is an old first-generation Core processor and i-series has since been replaced by the second generation of 2310M and 2330M-i3 i3-processors .

The latest processors are faster, but more importantly, better power consumption, which would have been nice. HP is probably a good deal on older processors. Also, I am disappointed the Seagate 7200.4 series drive installed, it is old by the standards of calculation (the performance of the overall system slower) and makes too many clicks.

The heat and noise
One of the fan pushes the hot air out the left side of the frame. The fan is always on. At idle the fan is easily dismissed the noise, the load becomes much harder and develop a little squeak. The fan is noisier than it should, preferably the fan is switched off when not needed. The chassis was cool to the touch for long periods, which is a positive aspect of a fan always on.

Battery life
I measured 4 hours, 45 minutes of battery life of the standard 6-cell battery G6 (Windows 7, the balanced power profile, the screen brightness to 70%, wireless active and refreshing a web page every 60 seconds). This is a very good time for budget laptops, notebooks, and certainly much better than the similar price would have produced a number of years ago.

Conclusion
HP Pavilion G6 is a solid choice for those looking for a budget notebook for basic use, including Web browsing and Microsoft Office. Its highlights good performance, almost five hours of battery life, operating temperatures cool, and decent build quality.

The drawbacks are minor, but notable, number one is my complaint on-the-top use of glossy plastic, which transforms the notebook into a horror and sustainability of compromise. In addition, the keyboard had a better feeling and display could be more robust. Finally, the speakers are poor, even by the standards phones.

Elements of the wish list are higher screen resolution and the latest Intel processors, but simply not the case in this price range. In the face of things, most of my complaints are relatively mild.

HP Pavilion G6 is recommended that the budget users. However, buyers are looking for a better multimedia experience should consider the HP Pavilion dv6 the top of $ 100 if one does not break the bank dv6 is updated almost every area of ​​more than G6.