Shinespark wrote:This is an Arrandale chip, which means pretty poor integrated graphics.

Also, I hate this cheap keyboard HP puts on their lower end models. That being said, it's pretty damn cheap for a 17".

I don't expect great graphics performance laptops... it's not as though I'm gonna need it for heavy-duty, high-end gaming. As long as it can play HD video without skipping, I'm happy.

But I have a long-standing beef with HP laptops for their poor design with respect to heat dissipation. It's more than a 'second-degree burns on my lap' issue -- excessive heat shortens the lifetime of laptops.

whatsamattaU wrote:Since wootalyzer references seem to get lost, $379.99 for the record.

PC Magazine latest laptop survey (readers) for quality: HP not that good, but no worse than before.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384243,00.asp

The cool thing about that survey (and it's mentioned in the article itself) is that 15% of HP laptops needed repairs, while the percentage of Apple laptops needing repairs was... um, also 15%. Interesting statistic there. Meanwhile, readers apparently rated Apple 9.2 for "reliability" and HP, Dell, Gateway, Fujitsu all 7.9 on the same measure. In other words, the survey doesn't appear to be much more than a fanboy contest...

myheadisred wrote:We have a 17" now. All we need it for is to surf/shop internet, download family pictures and do a few office docs here and there. Skype grandma once a month or so. Nothing major. We don't even need the battery-life. We keep it plugged in 99% of the time. Is it still not worth it? Not sure what to do now.

See my post immediately after yours. This notebook is PERFECT for you. It has almost everything you need already, including a webcam. And if you don't need MS Office, you can download the free OpenOffice, which does virtually everything MS Office does and is 99% compatible.

As for the battery, HP has good advice about prolonging its lifespan on its website. I too almost never use the battery. In that case, it's important NOT to have it in the computer constantly, and to discharge/charge regularly. Otherwise, you'll end up with a dead unrechargeaable battery for those times you do need to go cordless. And replacement batteries are not cheap.

There is one exception. if you have a lot of power outages, having the battery in provides insurance in case the power goes out. Otherwise, take the battery out and follow the discharge.charge schedule HP recommends.

I'd say BUY IT.

ksabato wrote:No, it's even slower than your Core 2 Duo. The tech in this came out before the Core 2 Duo and WAY before the i-series.

Not necessarily. The biggest mistake people make when they look at a processor and compare it is just look at its name. Just because it says i5 does not make it more powerful than an i3 for example. A premium i3 and newer generation can be more powerful than a older i5 processor. I always search around and look for benchmark results to compare processors.

I posted earlier linking to benchmark results for this processor, you may notice that it actually has more power than an i3 380UM and an i3 330UM processor.

jyoz22 wrote:Not necessarily. The biggest mistake people make when they look at a processor and compare it is just look at its name. Just because it says i5 does not make it more powerful than an i3 for example. A premium i3 and newer generation can be more powerful than a older i5 processor. I always search around and look for benchmark results to compare processors.

I posted earlier linking to benchmark results for this processor, you may notice that it actually has more power than an i3 380UM and an i3 330UM processor.

Ahh yes thank you for correcting me on that. After doing some looking around, I found that this chip is actually pretty new, and not too bad. You're correct about the "looking at the name" problem. I definitely associate the Pentium Dual Core (like this one) with old technology, while this chip is actually rather new.

kmartind wrote:The cool thing about that survey (and it's mentioned in the article itself) is that 15% of HP laptops needed repairs, while the percentage of Apple laptops needing repairs was... um, also 15%. Interesting statistic there. Meanwhile, readers apparently rated Apple 9.2 for "reliability" and HP, Dell, Gateway, Fujitsu all 7.9 on the same measure. In other words, the survey doesn't appear to be much more than a fanboy contest...

One of my friends is a marketing psychologist and she tells me that the more money you spend on something, the more likely you are to fool yourself into feeling that the purchase was justified. It's a protective mechanism to prevent remorse. SOmetimes, this is done via ignoring negative aspects. That seems to be the mechanism here. Mac buyers clearly spend more than Windows buyers when you compare spec for spec, i.e. you won't be able to find a $379 Macbook with the specs of this HP that wasn't used.

When I did tech support in our lab, I definitely noticed that people who bought Macs were much less willing to discard their outdated equipment than Windows users. The reason was simple. The Mac users often spent twice as much on their equipment and it's much more painful to throw away a $1000 computer than a $500 computer. So many Mac users convinced themselves that their Macs were powerful enough when they clearly didn't conform to the specs our studies required.

As an aside, I think a study also showed that the more expensive a Broadway show was, the more standing ovations it got, regardless of how much critics liked it. WHile I agree that critics are not always right, this seems like another example of consumers needing to feel good about their purchases.

sdc100 wrote:See my post immediately after yours. This notebook is PERFECT for you. It has almost everything you need already, including a webcam. And if you don't need MS Office, you can download the free OpenOffice, which does virtually everything MS Office does and is 99% compatible.

As for the battery, HP has good advice about prolonging its lifespan on its website. I too almost never use the battery. In that case, it's important NOT to have it in the computer constantly, and to discharge/charge regularly. Otherwise, you'll end up with a dead unrechargeaable battery for those times you do need to go cordless. And replacement batteries are not cheap.

There is one exception. if you have a lot of power outages, having the battery in provides insurance in case the power goes out. Otherwise, take the battery out and follow the discharge.charge schedule HP recommends.

I'd say BUY IT.

Thank you. Done.

jyoz22 wrote:
I posted earlier linking to benchmark results for this processor, you may notice that it actually has more power than an i3 380UM and an i3 330UM processor.

Exactly. Intel has named a LOT of different generations of processors "Pentium Dual Core" and even more "Celeron" and "Pentium." This particular "Pentium" P6100 basically _is_ a Core i3-330M, underclocked from 2.13GHz to 2GHz and with Hyperthreading/VT turned off.
http://ark.intel.com/compare/50175,47663

Edit: corrected comparison/link.

myheadisred wrote:Thank you. Done.

The only advice I'd add is this: HP is notorious for "bloatware." That's the term given to unnecessary software the clogs up your hard drive. Many of files are trial versions of games that you'll never play. Google "HP bloatware" and you should find free software to safely delete these files.

want a giant screen to watch youtube, surf and check emails? this is for you! any one else, move along.

So this doesn't come with MS Word? That seems kind of weird.

ryancooke wrote:So this doesn't come with MS Word? That seems kind of weird.

Hmm not really weird, most PC's don't come with full versions of Office pre-installed.

However, most manufacturers now include Microsoft Office Starter Edition which is an ad-supported limited version of Word and Excel. No PowerPoint.

I bought my computer earlier this year in April, it came with Office 2010 Starter and it seems to meet my needs. I use LibreOffice/OpenOffice for everything else.

Not sure if this one has Starter or not.

ksabato wrote:No, it's even slower than your Core 2 Duo. The tech in this came out before the Core 2 Duo and WAY before the i-series.

No. This is a 2010 Chipset.

jyoz22 wrote:Hmm not really weird, most PC's don't come with full versions of Office pre-installed.

However, most manufacturers now include Microsoft Office Starter Edition which is an ad-supported limited version of Word and Excel. No PowerPoint.

I bought my computer earlier this year in April, it came with Office 2010 Starter and it seems to meet my needs. I use LibreOffice/OpenOffice for everything else.

Not sure if this one has Starter or not.

Is OpenOffice pretty nice? Seems not as polished as MS Word but it's free I guess.

jyoz22 wrote:Hmm not really weird, most PC's don't come with full versions of Office pre-installed.

From the full specs:

Productivity and Finance:
Microsoft Office 2010 preloaded (purchase of a Product Key required to activate a full Office 2010 suite) (34)

Windows Live Mail; Windows Live Messenger; Windows Live Photo Gallery; Windows Live Writer; Windows Live Movie Maker; Windows Live Mesh

Don't buy this laptop. I have this laptop for the same price at Black Friday last year. The laptop keeps shutting down all of a sudden and can't turn it back on for several days. I have to send it back to HP for repair tomorrow for the second time.

kmartind wrote:From the full specs:

Productivity and Finance:
Microsoft Office 2010 preloaded (purchase of a Product Key required to activate a full Office 2010 suite) (34)

Windows Live Mail; Windows Live Messenger; Windows Live Photo Gallery; Windows Live Writer; Windows Live Movie Maker; Windows Live Mesh

Hmmm... I see you want to go into technicalities. What I meant was, that while Office may be on your computer you will not actually have it available for use unless you purchase it. Even then it will have to "finish" the installation process.

Earlier this year I bought an HP Pavilion dm4 series. It came pre-loaded with Office 2010 in a secure and inaccessible hard drive partition. This hard-drive partition is under lockdown preventing anyone from accessing it without going through the Microsoft Office 2010 activation program.

To access the "Started Edition" (if available) you must go to the Microsoft Office Activation program and select to simply use "Starter Edition." It will then install the Started Edition on your computer, but not the full office suite.

ryancooke wrote:Is OpenOffice pretty nice? Seems not as polished as MS Word but it's free I guess.

OpenOffice and LibreOffice remind me of the earlier editions of Office (before Office 2007's "ribbon" design). Personally, I hate the ribbon design. It has everything a word processor really needs. However you will have to get some add-ons to get the full potential.

Primarily, a grammar checker and a nice array of templates. OpenOffice and LibreOffice as open-source projects have a nice community and a solid support community.

In my opinion it's a very solid program, specially for the price. Compatible with files from Office 97 - XP, and also Office 07/10 (.docx, pptx, etc.).

jyoz22 wrote:Hmmm... I see you want to go into technicalities.

Not really going into anything, just answering the question about exactly what's preloaded on there.
A key for Office Home and Student 2010 is usually a little over $100, but can be installed on up to 3 PCs, so not too bad if you really need MS Office for school, etc, and have at least a couple PCs.

LOL. 299 at Future Shop.

kmartind wrote:Not really going into anything, just answering the question about exactly what's preloaded on there.
A key for Office Home and Student 2010 is usually a little over $100, but can be installed on up to 3 PCs, so not too bad if you really need MS Office for school, etc, and have at least a couple PCs.

Gotcha. Also for those looking for bargains, I did notice that a few deals showed up on deals.woot for Office 07. I could have sworn I saw one for $40-something bucks for a 3 user license of Office 07, however this was the actual physical copy and had to wait for shipping and all -- still not a bad deal.

evertraveler wrote:The laptop keeps shutting down all of a sudden and can't turn it back on for several days.

Not sure about the several days part, but over the years I've seen a huge number of laptops overheat due to dust and pet hair clogging the inside of the heat sink (not easily visible from the outside). It pays to carefully blow it out with canned air or carefully vacuum every month or two before a tight-knit "carpet" of dust bunnies builds up in there, which is virtually impossible to remove without completely disassembling the laptop. That's especially true for pet owners.
I also find people sometimes set laptops on beds with quilts, or on pillows, which is a great way to block airflow, hold in heat, and slowly cook the thing. Often the problems start with failure to charge the battery (it won't charge if it's too hot) and progress to unexpected shutdowns or lockups, and eventually premature failure of the GPU, hard drive, or other components. Just using a flat, hard surface, or better yet, a chill pad, can improve the situation greatly.

jyoz22 wrote:OpenOffice and LibreOffice remind me of the earlier editions of Office (before Office 2007's "ribbon" design).
...
In my opinion it's a very solid program, specially for the price. Compatible with files from Office 97 - XP, and also Office 07/10 (.docx, pptx, etc.).

One key point about LibreOffice or OpenOffice. They work great for your own use, or occasionally sending or receiving an MS Office document here and there, but if you really need to regularly exchange or collaborate on documents/spreadsheets/presentations with other people who use only MS Office you will very quickly lose patience and likely experience premature hair loss and stomach ulcers. The compatibility is mostly there, but it's simply not quite good enough for the above purpose, either for school or for work. The features are also a bit of a mixed bag, but on average seem more comparable to Office 97 or Office XP than Office 2007 or 2010.
That having been said, with a price of "free" you get a whole LOT more than you pay for, and it's easy enough to download and see how well it meets your needs.

My HP desktop has served me well but everyone I know, including myself, that has owned an HP laptop has experienced it crashing beyond repair....beware of HP laptops. They're cheap for a reason.

If this had even 1 USB 3.0 port I'd be in, maybe for 2- but I can't justify buying a new laptop without USB 3 these days. It makes file transfers to external drives dramatically faster, And yes I know about USB 3 PC Cards, but not the same.

That is NOT a full-sized keyboard in the photos. That's the same kind of squished keyboard you find on 15-inch and smaller models. Are the pictures wrong, or is the description wrong?

This HP laptop is garbage.

I initially bought this at a local Fry's Electronic store a couple weeks ago because my old laptop was straining to do the most simple graphics tasks and I needed something in a pinch (and on a budget). So, I got this laptop for $399. I took it home and was unimpressed with the design and the overall feel of it. The keypad area felt cheap and didn't have much differentiation from the rest of the chassis. The single dual function mouse-click button is extremely clunky and I found myself having to press the button harder than I normally would in order for it to register a click. Plus, the thing is ungodly large, clunky, and heavy for a 17" laptop. There is NO sexy factor involved with this unit. Even the color (beige) made it feel even cheaper.

I understood that it was never intended to play graphics intensive games, but after not being able to comfortable ergonomically while using it to edit video (and also feeling like I made a horrible decision of choice in laptop), I took it back the next day and told the customer service that I benchmarked it and it came under it's listed specs in order to receive a full store credit instead of simply swapping for a same model or charging me a 15% restocking fee.

After looking at the various laptops (Acer, Compaq, Toshiba, HP, Lenovo), and wanting to keep my purchase close to $400, I found they had a new 15.4" Sony Vaio for $379 and I quickly jumped on it and never looked back!

Bottom line is...DO NOT BUY THIS LAPTOP! You will have the worst user experience! HP opted to go cheap on this model (cheap feeling LED screen, cheap keyboard, cheap keypad, and ultra heavy!) For $20 less, I got a Sony Vaio VPCEH-11FX with a great LED monitor, has a great ergonomic feel overall, the keyboard rivals mid-range laptops, is built solid, lighter, longer battery life, and runs quiet and cool while still giving me very good power for graphics editing.

ksabato wrote:Ahh yes thank you for correcting me on that. After doing some looking around, I found that this chip is actually pretty new, and not too bad. You're correct about the "looking at the name" problem. I definitely associate the Pentium Dual Core (like this one) with old technology, while this chip is actually rather new.

Thats why it's so cheap... Welcome to WOOT

Fumanshoo wrote:This HP laptop is garbage.

I initially bought this at a local Fry's Electronic store a couple weeks ago because my old laptop was straining to do the most simple graphics tasks and I needed something in a pinch (and on a budget). So, I got this laptop for $399. I took it home and was unimpressed with the design and the overall feel of it. The keypad area felt cheap and didn't have much differentiation from the rest of the chassis. The single dual function mouse-click button is extremely clunky and I found myself having to press the button harder than I normally would in order for it to register a click. Plus, the thing is ungodly large, clunky, and heavy for a 17" laptop. There is NO sexy factor involved with this unit. Even the color (beige) made it feel even cheaper.

I understood that it was never intended to play graphics intensive games, but after not being able to comfortable ergonomically while using it to edit video (and also feeling like I made a horrible decision of choice in laptop), I took it back the next day and told the customer service that I benchmarked it and it came under it's listed specs in order to receive a full store credit instead of simply swapping for a same model or charging me a 15% restocking fee.

After looking at the various laptops (Acer, Compaq, Toshiba, HP, Lenovo), and wanting to keep my purchase close to $400, I found they had a new 15.4" Sony Vaio for $379 and I quickly jumped on it and never looked back!

Bottom line is...DO NOT BUY THIS LAPTOP! You will have the worst user experience! HP opted to go cheap on this model (cheap feeling LED screen, cheap keyboard, cheap keypad, and ultra heavy!) For $20 less, I got a Sony Vaio VPCEH-11FX with a great LED monitor, has a great ergonomic feel overall, the keyboard rivals mid-range laptops, is built solid, lighter, longer battery life, and runs quiet and cool while still giving me very good power for graphics editing.

This laptop has worked fine for me...

ryancooke wrote:So this doesn't come with MS Word? That seems kind of weird.

No. The bundle it comes with is only a trial. They are still making you pay for the office suite separately.

bop13 wrote:This laptop has worked fine for me...

The two reasons why this laptop is being sold as Refurbished EVERYWHERE (both online and in retail stores) is because (1) battery life/failures. (2) straight up customer returns because of being displeased.

It's clunky, heavy, and cheaply built. True, it's a bargain/budget laptop, but HP could have at least tried to make it look nicer, made it in black or even brushed aluminum finish, or give it a better user interface both functionally and ergonomically.

I bought this off woot 6 months ago or so and it has lived up to every expectation I had for it. You need to ask yourself what you want this computer to do for you. This is what it will do: surf fast, play just about any online browser based game, stream music, shop online and watch DVDs all on a very big screen. What you will not be doing with this: Play Modern Warfare 3 or do any 3D CAD work.
One tweak everyone needs to do on this laptop: the default settings for the speakers sounds like you are listening through a coke can. Dig into the sounds settings and setup the "surround" sound setting to find one that gives a little bass. It is still not great but not bad for a laptop.

plenewken wrote:You can buy a NEW Pavilion G4 with dual core AMD (more recent chip), 2.0Mhz, 4GB and better/faster graphics for $379.00 at Best Buy with 18 months same as cash if your total is $400. Add a 4GB memory upgrade and you're good. I bought one 2 weeks ago and this thing rocks..........

care to share a link?

evertraveler wrote:Don't buy this laptop. I have this laptop for the same price at Black Friday last year. The laptop keeps shutting down all of a sudden and can't turn it back on for several days. I have to send it back to HP for repair tomorrow for the second time.

Sounds like a static discharge problem. My HP Pavilion will do this every few weeks (my kids love to slide it back and forth across the carpet).

This resets it every time:

1) Unplug power cord
2) Remove battery
3) Hold down power button for 60 seconds (don't cheat and try just 10 seconds)
4) Replace battery
5) Power on

Is this good for a 16yr old kid? web surfing and occasional homework in Word?
Or are there better deals for a less clunky model?

terminatorgir wrote:care to share a link?

seriously. I keep wavering between buy and don't buy and then this joker throws a monkey wrench in the mix and doesn't even include a link. THANKS BUDDY!

I compared this processor versus the processor in my 3 year old G60 HP laptop and it's an increase of around 300 points so that's good. Plus it can have 8 gig of ram versus 4 max in my old one.

It SEEMS like it will fit my needs, but.....

I got this last time Woot offered it and have no complaints. Mine was a refurb and you'd never know it. Track pad gets a little wonky every so often but a reboot fixes it. My kid plays Plants vs Zombies, we Facebook and email, some word processing/spreadsheets, nothing fancy. If you just need a laptop for around the house, get it. It's nice to be able to throw in a DVD for the kids, too.

The gentleman saying this unit is cheap has no idea what he is talking about. It is a beautiful case. It has a great feel to it. The screen resolution is amazing and very hard to find on any machine. I added a blu-ray player and it plays great through the HDMI. The processor is plenty fast.

THE BIG PROBLEM IS NO WEBCAM. WHY WOULD ANY COMPANY MAKE A MACHINE WITHOUT A WEBCAM NOW? THAT IS WHY IT IS ON WOOT. THEY CAN'T SELL IT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE A WEBCAM! AND THEY GET TONS OF RETURNS ON THEM BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IT.

found it on bestbuy. A little more expensive but a much better processor according to that benchmark list.

Pavillion

Bought one of these a while back. It wouldn't boot without first removing the battery. Sent it back to HP twice, they never fixed the problem. Finally (after 2+ months) HP agreed to by it back (for 90% of what I paid), but I was glad to see it go. Bought an Acer instead which has been great.