HP Pavilion dv6000t

Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Weight: 6 lbs
Processor Options: Core Duo, Core Solo, Core 2 Duo
Graphics Options: Integrated, nVidia Go 7400 (Dedicated)
Great for your everyday needs, this notebook PC is packed with everything you'd get in a desktop, plus the convenience of wireless mobility. Configure your notebook with a dedicated graphics card and load multiple web pages and streaming video without slowing your hard drive. Add the HP Imprint Finish for style and durability, plus the optional integrated webcam to stay in touch on the go.

A month ago, the HP Pavilion dv6000 series laptop made a soft entrance into the dual-core laptop market by going with AMD's dual-core processor, but that left people wondering where the Intel versions were. With Intel's processor launch this week, the Pavilion dv6000t will get the Intel Core 2 Duo (code-named "Merom") upgrade, skipping the previous Core Duo processors (code-named "Yonah"). You can think of the dv6000t as the larger version of the HP Pavilion dv2000z, except that the new model carries a much faster processor and a larger, 15.4-inch screen. It's aimed at media fanatics with a thirst for speed but who don't plan on taking the speed demon on the road—the dv6000t offers only meager battery life.

The dv6000t is part of HP's chassis redesign and is draped with imprints that are unique to the company's Pavilion and Compaq lines. The subtle, wavy lines are inspired by Japanese rock gardens, and the piano-black finish captures your attention (as well as fingerprints and smudges). The 120GB hard drive is essential for storing video and MP3 downloads. You can burn them directly to DVD using the dual-layer DVD drive. The unit has three USB ports, the same number as on the smaller dv2000z.

With a 2.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400, the dv6000t's performance is on a par with its Core 2 Duo counterparts—the Gateway M465-E (Core 2 Duo) and the WinBook T231, but it comes with only 512MB of RAM, half that found in the 1GB Gateway and WinBook systems. As with those two machines, you'll see performance gains of 5 to 8 percent over comparable Intel Core Duo models such as the Dell XPS M1210 and the ASUS W2Jb. The biggest differences (over 20 percent) can be found on running tasks such as video and audio encoding.

The dv6000t carries discrete graphics from the nVidia GeForce Go 7400. Though this is not the best chip for gaming, you will be able to run certain 3D games using lower resolutions. Best of all, this machine meets the requirements for Windows Vista, Microsoft's newest operating system. Battery life is mediocre, if not disappointing, at a mere 2 hours 27 minutes on MobileMark 2005 tests. The results are understandable, given the laptop's 43-Wh battery. (HP plans to offer extended-battery options in the near future.) On a more positive note, the system controls heat emissions very well. The temperature at the base of the system, which I measured with an infrared thermometer, came in at a relatively cool 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. In contrast, the high-end Alienware Area-51 m5550 (which had a 2.33-GHz mobile Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU) reached 114 degrees, and the WinBook T231 ran at up to 120 degrees.

The Hewlett Packard Pavillion dv6000 laptop computer is an affordable entertainment computer which is portable, lightweight, easy to use, and perfect at home, college, or at work. Photo fun with the Pavillion is its specialty along with typing documents, internet surfing, and DVD's and music. All in all this computer is one fine machine and if you are looking for a new laptop computer the dv6000 might be the computer to suit your needs.