HP DV6 3044SA

I didn't want to spend too much money for a laptop that I would only be using to do uni work, browsing the web and watching the odd high def movie (I have a desktop for my heavier gaming needs). So the HP Pavilion DV6-3044sa was a great laptop for the price I paid (£600) given the power it has available. The Core i5 and 3GB RAM makes it very responsive, even when I'm carrying out heavy MATLAB simulations. And the battery life is pretty decent, the laptop automatically switches off the dedicated ATi Mobility Radeon HD5470 (512MB) graphics card when operating on the battery, and runs solely on the Intel integrated graphics chipset (This option can be switched off). It has pretty good connectivity with 4 USB ports, one of which can be used as an eSATA port, and there are also a HDMI output to hook the laptop up to the TV. The additional features are also very welcome, like the fingerprint reader, webcam, and the very handy multi-touch mouse pad. The Altec Lansing laptop speakers don't produce much bass (as expected) but sound pretty clear when watching youtube videos or online lectures. Overall a solid, well built laptop weighing in at just under 2.5kg. Something I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a pretty fast but decent priced laptop.

Had this laptop around ten days now and to surmise:

1) Intel Core i5 processor is very quick and copes with anything I throw at it including music & photo editing. Windows 7 is what Vista ought to have been and is a joy to use; runs fine in 64 bit version with 3GB of Ram.

2) LED screen is wonderful albeit not very that tall (24.5cm) due to being a widescreen. My last laptop had same width screen but was much taller as non-widescreen format.

3) Keyboard is very nice except for one big issue: there is a row of 5 quick keys on the left hand end of the keyboard. They launch apps such as web browser, calculator, print-screen, but if you touch type they are a nightmare as instead of pressing CNTRL, shift, caps lock or tab you hit one of these extra keys. It is unbelievably annoying and there is no simple solution ( I have googled it for hours and been endlessly left on hold by HP tech support). Make sure you try typing on one before you buy.

4) Fan noise: seems to always be running and is much louder than my old Acer. Can be a little annoying when watching DVDs etc. HP have had various cooling design problems with other models.

5) Battery life is pretty good as you can switch off the ATI graphics card.

Overall not a bad laptop but not as good as I had expected for £630.