I've recently been able to test this laptop as my stepdad has received one through his work. It's the first time I have seen an HP/Compaq laptop, but I've used many other brands so I'll be mainly using them as a comparison.
At first glance, the laptop has a very ordinary design, but when you pick it up you quickly appreciate the build quality. It is quite light, and yet very sturdy, and feels like it could happily take a few knocks ( lucky as my stepdad has a short temper!! ). I also really like the keyboard, it feels great to type on and there is no "give" like my own current laptop ( an Acer Ferrari ). The touchpad feels ok but I've never been a big fan of these, so I think I'd stick to my trusty mouse.
One thing I was really impressed with is the screen. Although the resolution isn't great for the 15.4" screen, the brightness was amazing. I was able to use it outside in a field on a bright sunny day wihout hassle. Also while in this field, I was able to confirm that the wireless range is also good, as I had a good connection to our router from about 25 meters away. I was relaxing out in the field for about 2 hours with plenty of battery left. In the end I got fed up of the midges being attracted to the bright screen and went back indoors.
On to the performance. It comes equipped with one of the latest generation of Intel's Core 2 duo processors, and when I tested it, it was burning through whatever business or internet tasks we could throw at it ( not literally ). Our laptop contained only 512mb of Ram, and I really feel you should be expecting at least twice that these days, especially at the prices I've seen quoted on this site. However for my stepdad's purposes this amount will be entirely sufficient ( internet gambling sites dont use THAT much ram! :)
The laptop has an integrated graphics solution ( intel gma 950 ), meaning that the graphics processor uses up some of your system memory. Also, don't expect to be running the latest games on this laptop either. I tried running HalfLife2, and even on the lowest settings it chugged along like a rubbish steam train with square wheels. But of course, gaming isn't this laptops main purpose so it can't really be counted against it. Having said that though, the graphics system on this beast seems to be perfectly happy with the poncy new effects on windows vista, so that's a plus.
Another plus for this laptop is the running noise and temperature. It stays nice and cool without generating any noticable fan noise, especially when compared to my Acer Ferrari laptop (which generates more heat and noise than a real ferrari I reckon).
Overall this laptop is obviously aimed at business users, and they will be well happy with its performance and build quality. However, slightly more demanding users like myself would probably require more grunt and should look at a higher specced alternative. My quest for a replacement for my Acer Ferrari continues....
Apr 25th, 2007
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