HP Pavilion DV6426US 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core Duo Processor T2450, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

Thumbs Up:
Fast processor, extreme good looks, rugged construction, HP's history of quality, price.


Thumbs Down:
Vista, 5400rpm HD, 1 gig of memory, annoying fan noise due to processor heat, HP's poor record for service.


The Bottom Line:
If you don't mind Vista, or can replace it with XP, and a fan doesn't bother you, this may well be the best value in a media laptop you'll find.


What I Think:

I've used computers for over 25 years. I've owned many laptops and this is by far the best Windows deck I've owned.

First off it's beautiful. Made well and rugged, lighter than most it's size, gorgeous bright screen, 15.4 WXGA, 160g HD. Built in 1.3 mp webcam and mic, Intel pro-wireless, 6 cell bat, and a boatload more included features. Mine also came with a Lightscribe DVD burner, HP's bootless QuickPlay software for playing the DVDs without having to use Windows.

The Hp dv6426us comes with three expansion ports, a Firewire port, three USB 2 ports, a 5-in-1 digital media reader, etc.

The only real drawback I've found on this laptop compared to all the many others I've owned is that it comes loaded with Windows Vista. This is my first Vista machine and I absolutely hate it. It totally fills the 1 gig memory the machine comes with even when idle. When something triggers the processor, it will go over 100%, no matter what the program. And the Vongo and other junk prepackaged with the machine slows it to a crawl. You'll have to rip all of that out to see the true speed this laptop really has.

Since I've had it, I've only used it for email on the road. But I plan this summer when things slow down to dump Vista and load either XP Pro or Vista Lite (an unauthorized stripped down version of Vista) onto the HP. Besides it getting a little warm on the bottom side due to the heat generated by the Intel Core Duo processor and the fans coming on and off the cool it, this is an unbelievable steal at this price.

I first saw this laptop being used by people in my line of work. This machine was showing up everywhere. So I asked each of these folks if they likes the machine and what were the main drawbacks. They all said they loved the machine and that the cons were few, mostly the warm underside and the fan noise. Some of the machines issued produce a high pitched whine, which if it's too troublesome, you can contact HP and exchange the laptop for a new (not refurbished one like Dell gets away with). At that time, it was selling for around $950.00 to $1,000.00. I just happened to see it on deep discount at Circuit City for $650.00. I grabbed the last one they had and after about nine months, I still love the deck.

It comes with the slower 5400 rpm hard drive and I may swap that out for the much faster 7200 rpm drive. And I'm definitely going to add another gig of memory. Unfortunately, this laptop has a limit of 2 gigs of memory.

It's not for gamers so if you are looking for a portable gaming machine, don't buy this one for that. But if you need an outstanding laptop for dirt cheap, this is the one to look at!


What It's Features Are:

Intel Core Duo T2450 2 GHz Processor

15.4 WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen Display (1024 x 768)

160 GB 5400 rpm Hard Disc Drive

1024 mb DDR2 SDRAM memory (2 Dimm)

Intel PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g 802 11a/b/g integrated Wireless LAN

Lightscribe Super Multi 8x DVD+/-RW Double Layer Supported

6-Cell battery

HP DVD/CD Quick Play

HP Mobile Remote Control

5-in-1 Digital Media Card Slot

ExpressCard/54 PC Expansion Card Slot

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with shared graphics memory

Windows Vista Home Premium OS

1.3mp Integrated Webcam

Integrated microphone

Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones

Expansion Port 3


What I Like:

I love the styling. It's smart and professional looking and has lots of sex appeal too. The machine is built rugged and feels like it will take some abuse. It's easy to use. The buttons are well lit and marked and the keyboard feels good to the fingers, though some say it's a bit springy. Though only an XGA, the screen is bright, clear and easy to read with vibrant colors. The integrated sound is good enough for listening to mp3s and web radio on the road. I've not had the bottom panels off yet so I can't comment on easy of using the expansion ports or changing out memory. The DVD burner is easy to use with the enclosed cheapo burning software. I would recommend you replace it with what you are used to using to burn CDs and DVDs. Once you uninstall all of the garbage out of the machine and cheap unnecessary programs that try to load at boot time, this machine flies with speed. Even though it's not a feather weight (around 6 and a half pounds), it's very totable and can even be used on your lap.


What I Don't Like:

VISTA! Sorry but this is a terrible OS. Windows really shot itself in the foot with this. I've not talked to one person since this came out who likes it, even a little. Sure the graphics are cute, but you don't buy a computer for animated Mac style graphics. The new built in high security system is a joke. What it is is merely a series of questions when you click a button. It's like this:


Operator: Clicked a button to do something

Windows Security: Are you sure you wanted to do that?

Operator: Yes, click

Windows Security: Are you REALLY sure you wanted to do that?

Operator: YES! Click

Windows Security: Windows Security thinks this is an unauthorized attempt to access this computer. Access denied

Operator: BUT I'M THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THIS COMPUTER!!!


And this happens for every single thing you try to do in Vista. So you end up turning the High Security system off. Which right there tells you how secure it is. When I got this laptop and started immediately having trouble with Vista, I went online and found numerous blogs and articles saying the same thing. And there are no fixes for just being a big, poorly written, bloated operating system. What these IT experts did was either use Vista Lite, a stripped down version of Vista, or wipe the whole hard drive clean and "upgrade" to Windows XP Pro, which is what I use on my desktop and really love. That's probably what I will do when I get the chance.

Also, the HP Quick Play buttons are very easy to accidently activate and then it's a pain to get out of that program quickly.

And look out for the wireless activation button on the front. Grab the computer wrong and it turns off and you'll forget to check that as the problem.

This computer comes with the Intel Core Duo processor. This is not the same as the Core 2 Duo, which runs a lot cooler than the Core Duo. So what that means is more internal heat which will eventually affect the components and may shorten their lifespan. But the main affect is a very warm bottom on the computer which can get uncomfortable if you sit it for long periods of time on your legs or lap. It won't burn you but it does get warm. The second result is fans. There are several, including a pretty soft one that stays on all the time. When you start running multiple programs, especially graphic intensive ones, or have multiple windows open, the fans come on and at their extreme, they really scream. If there is anything I would label a design flaw with this machine, it would be this heat issue and the fan noise. But for me, it's a minor annoyance for what I use this laptop for.


My Conclusions:

All in all, I love this laptop computer. It's exactly what I was looking for with a cross of the high end media features and the zip of a gaming machine, plus the simplicity of a standard use notebook. If you consider buying this computer, before you load it up with software and programs, give yourself a break-in period to see if you will be happy with Vista. Most folks aren't but most also are not up to the task of replacing their operating system from scratch, and then reloading all the software and programs back into the machine, and then trouble shooting the new installation looking for drivers for the hardware that may not be supported automatically by XP. An option is to have the store where you buy it do that swap out for you. Know this, that they will charge you to reload your computer, AND you will have to pay for the other OS. Most non-professionals just tough out Vista and all of it's problems. If you keep it, you'll definitely need to replace the memory with two new sticks of 1gig high speed RAM. That's around another $200.00 to do that since the 1gig that comes with the machine is really two sticks of 500megs so you won't be able to use it. You could then always sell the 1gig on eBay.

Good luck!

In August, before going off to college, as many other college students have done in the past and continue to do, I went on a search to find a laptop for school. Although my school endorses Macs and Dells, I decided on an HP. My family has owned many HP's in the past and from what I had read it sounded like a great laptop. Unfortunately, it was only great on paper. It freezes and I have had to erase the hard drive multiple times. And, the big problem, the battery that it comes with only lasts an hour. It is not a bad battery though, when HP was contacted, they confirmed that the battery that comes with the laptop is only supposed to last an hour. There is a battery that will last from 2.5 to 3 hours that you can purchase for $150, but 2.5 to 3 hours is a maximum estimate and that battery hangs below the computer, as they claim, giving your computer a nice slant. Who would market this type of a computer to college students? Would you really send your own kid off to college to attend lectures with a laptop battery that lasts a maximum of one hour?! I don't care if a businessman, college student, or any type of student for that matter is using it. Selling a laptop with a battery life of one hour and not having that in the literature is not excusable. HP should be ashamed. They should also be ashamed by their incompetent call center workers who, when they don't disconnect your calls and speak English clearly and know what they are talking about, talk down to you. One woman forgot to log my call and another said that she would call me back in an hour- it took her over 48 hours. I eventually had to resort to having my parents handle this issue which has yet to be satisfactorily resolved. At one point my mother had been on hold for 45 minutes. Now they are sending me the 2.5 to 3 hour battery free, and they suggested I keep that battery that lasts an hour so I can carry it around with me as I have 2 lectures in a row and need the battery to last a minimum of 3 hours, which we all know it won't. How sad is that, even they know the battery won't last that long. Unfortunately, in the end it is the college student who is at a disadvantage, as her parents have already shelled out nine hundred dollars on this HP laptop and then went out and got an HP desktop for the family. Yet, had they known that this laptop had such poor battery life, they would have 1) never purchased it to begin with and 2) kept this one and not purchased the desktop and gotten me a different laptop instead. Needless to say, this will be the last HP product I EVER buy.

I picked up this computer for $899 on sale and had it since october of '07, and it's been a great machine. HP lists this an an "entertainment" notebook, and I can say that it does that and more.
I upgraded from a sony Vaio PCG-K25 series, known to be high quality and reliability, and this HP machine hasn't dissapointed me. Before I bought this one though I was skeptical after hearing rumors about reliability and hardware problems, but I can say these are unfounded. I've never had a problem with it, aside from getting used to Vista.
I do college online, and do a lot of multitasking, and the AMD Turion (dual-core 2.0 GHz) processor is great, lots of speed, quick file recovery and no lag switching between windows even with four or more open at once. I compared this processor's performance to the Intel Core 2 Duo's in the same class (the T7200 and T7500) and found similar if not better performance with comparable RAM (2000MB DDRII 667 MHz) and graphics cards. The only difference between the Intel and AMD machines was price, the AMD machine was $300 cheaper!
Battery life with the 12-cell battery is about 4-1/2 hours with the WiFi off, and 3 or so with it on, overall great battery life.
I do a lot of music editing, and the Altec-Lansing speakers on this machine are better than most laptops, lots better than on the Sony. The screen is great also, awesome resolution, no dead pixels, and plenty of brightness, one of the better (if not best) screens on a notebook computer I've seen.
I don't do any gaming, so the NVIDIA 6150 card is fine It doesn't have the same performance of the GS8400's or X1600's, but perfectly fine for any kind of video editing and producting or PC games out there.
Overall, if you are looking for a good quality, high-performance notebook for the money, this is one to consider. The screen is awesome, the speakers are acceptable, and there's no shortage of ports and connectivity. As for the reports of HP's questionable customer service and reliability, I've never had a problem with my HP products and I've owned computers, printers, and all-in-ones for the last 6 years.

I'm really happy with this laptop- it works great, and has everything I need for basic daily use. Beautiful wide screen, with a bright background. Windows Vista takes some getting used to, but has great features (and I absolutely love Office 2007).

Back to the computer- Overall, this laptop is great though. I LOVE the media button, where you can play DVDs, take pictures with the camera built into the top of the laptop, play music, etc. Also, my laptop came with this super-cool little media remote, that makes the QuickPlay function work. The remote is a really really tiny version of a TV remote, and lets you play your DVDs and use all the functions from far away. Definitely a cool little gadget that got me sold on this laptop! Speakers are great too. Oh, and all the outlets for USBs, internet, media cards etc are really well-placed and functional. Speaking of media cards, there's this one slot that can take any size media cards. So if you want pictures from your friend's digital camera, and they have a different media card than you, they all still fit in the same slot. Pretty cool! I also haven't gotten to try out the LightScribe function yet on the DVD burner, but it sounds really exciting. Another cool function: if you don't want to use the mousepad and would rather use a mouse, you can press a little button right above the mousepad that "locks" it, so that while you're typing, you don't accidentally move the mouse. Oh, and the laptop is really fast too- always a plus.

Also, I have three minor issues, but they still don't change my rating:

1. The QuickPlay media and DVD buttons are easy to accidentally press when you're using the keyboard. They require such a light touch, that it's really easy to do that, and then it interrupts what you're doing because you have to wait for the QuickPlay program to start up. The buttons also have a kind of annoying high-pitched beep sound.

2. The wireless internet on/off switch is on the front of the laptop, so sometimes when you're moving your laptop, the switch can easily get turned off and interrupt your internet usage. But it's really not a big deal.

3. The other thing is that the little pads on the bottom of the laptop that cushion it when sitting on a desk can come off easily. This one is really my fault though, since I often leave my laptop on my bed, and it gets very hot, and thus the glue melts on the rubber pads and makes it easy for them to come off. Just something to keep in mind!

I highly recommend this laptop to everyone! It's been great so far, and hopefully it stays that way!

I bought this computer with high hopes. So far, it's been nothing but a disappointment. I've had nothing but trouble with the wireless card, as well as the ethernet card. After 2 months of frustration, I've finally shipped the unit back to HP for repairs. I am giving the thing to my nephew. I am getting another Sony.