Hewlett Packard is one of the most prominent manufacturers of notebook computers today, and any trip to Best Buy will make that abundantly clear. Well, as of this writing, one of the notebook PCs they have on sale right now at Best Buy is the HP Pavilion DV6000. I picked one up a couple months ago for $800. I was in Best Buy a couple weeks ago and it was on sale for $749. So, this is certainly an affordable notebook PC. So, how does it perform in everyday use? Let’s check it out.
First, The Specs
In my eyes, the DV6000 is proof that PCs are affordable as hell today. These specs compare quite favorably to my desktop, all in a sub $800 notebook.
- AMD Turion 64, dual core processor
- 2 GB DDR2 memory
- 15.4″ WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200
- 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
- 1.3 Megapixel Webcam with mic built into screen
- Altec Lansing speakers built in
- 3 USB ports, ExpressCard/54 Slot, Video Out, Integrated Consumer IR, 1 RJ-11, 1 RJ-45
- Windows Vista Home Premium
Now, when you look at this unit on HP’s website, you will see there are different spec configurations for this model. The above happens to be what I have in the unit I am typing this review on.
Use in the Real World
Now, I am not and never have been a big benchmark guy. If you are into computer reviews that load you up with benchmark specs, go to another site. What I am interested in is real world use. I bought this notebook to get work done, not win any contests. So, how does it perform in that regard?
One of the things that sold me on this laptop was the screen. The screen is gorgeous. It is wonderfully bright and clear, and provides a respectable 1280×800 resolution in a widescreen format. Yes, there certainly are notebooks with higher resolution. It really comes down to preference. While other units may give you higher resolution, some may find it hard to read on small screens. For me, I thought 1280×800 was a good resolution to use for a 15.4″ screen. My only complaint with the screen is that the glare is really bad when trying to use the unit outside. It gets so bad that it’s more like looking in a mirror than into a computer screen. Inside, however, the screen is beautiful.
The fact that this unit uses AMD rather than Intel means that it generates more heat. Intel processors just seem to run cooler in notebook computers. All benchmarks aside (because I don’t care), the performance of this notebook is quite good. It actually opens many apps much faster than my desktop PC, which is using an Intel Pentium Core Duo. So, I have no complaints about speed, however, yes, it does generate some heat.
The built-in Altec Lansing speakers will certainly not compare to the larger speakers you would plug in externally, but they do generate a nice sound for the size. For multimedia use, the speakers will get the job done.
The DV6000 comes with a thin, little remote control for use in controlling HP’s multimedia player. HP is using a proprietary multimedia player for playing DVDs called QuickPlay. It ties in with the remote control as well as the QuickPlay buttons on top of the notebook. The player is decent, but many times I found myself simply wanting to use Windows Media Player rather than the QuickPlay popping up full screen. Also, the fact that it is tied into the QuickPlay buttons can be a little annoying at times. Several times I have rested my fingers on the top of the notebook and accidently pressed the DVD button and launched Quickplay. No matter what I’m doing, that interrupts the workflow badly.
For digital photography, I find the built-in card reader really convenient. Since my Canon camera uses SD cards, I can just pull the card out and plug it directly into the notebook to pull images onto the computer. This means I don’t have to track down the USB cable that came with the camera. Nice and easy.
But, It Uses Vista
Like almost every PC on the market today, this unit comes with Windows Vista. Now, on my desktop, I can rattle off a bunch of annoyances with Windows Vista. Many of us that follow technology all the time have many complaints about Vista, and I still stand by the fact that Vista was NOT ready for market upon it’s release. But, judging by the DV6000, Vista does seem to run better on completely proprietary machines. I do have occasional annoyances with Vista on the DV6000.. For example, sometimes it will lose it’s screen resolution settings when coming out of sleep mode. This is an issue with Vista and will be fixed. Other than that, though, Vista runs significantly better on this notebook machine than it does on my desktop. No complaints, really.
Like all pre-built computers, it comes with some pre-installed software. It comes with a 60-day trial installation of Office 2007. Since I don’t care to fork out several hundred dollars just for a ribbon interface, I opted to install OpenOffice, which gets me 95% there for free. The DV6000 comes with some other pre-installed crap, much of it I ended up removing from the computer.
Note to HP
I am pretty happy with the DV6000, but I need to mention a few annoyances for the benefit of HP. When I was at Gnomedex recently, HP was there and we had a lengthy discussion about notebook design. HP does indeed listen to feedback, so here is mine on the DV6000.
- The QuickPlay buttons at the top are too easy to hit by accident, as I mentioned above. Some obvious way to control or disable those buttons would be nice.
- We need some kind of anti-glare surface to the screen. It’s practically unusable in sunlight. I realize that the surface it does have plays a role in the crystal clear colors I see indoors, but something has to be done to make this thing more usable in sunlight.
- AMD is good for economics, but it generates a lot more heat.
Conclusions
The HP Pavilion DV6000 is a really nice, solid notebook computer and you really can’t go wrong with this unit. The price tag makes it very affordable. The unit sports a nice, sleek design and good all-around performance. It also offers a solid balance of features which really makes this entertainment notebook usable as a desktop replacement. In fact, I enjoy it so much I find myself spending more time working on the DV6000 now than I do my main desktop computer.
So, despite a few annoyances, you really can’t go wrong with the DV6000 if you are looking for a solid, balanced work notebook without spending too much money.
Update 11/21/2007
While I have not had the wireless problems many have been complaining about in the comments, I have had another problem – the battery (maybe). The battery seems to not accept a charge anymore, and Windows says “plugged in, not charging” when I hover over the battery icon in the taskbar. So, HP is currently sending me a new battery and we’ll see if that fixes it. I guess this is the kind of thing you deal with when you buy cheap notebook computers.
David Risley is the founder of PCMech.com. He is the brains, the thinker, the writer, the nerd.
If anyone pulled out their laptop motherboard and know the exact part number that you need, I can find you a better price then hp and $395. As long as you are replacing the board with the 100% identical part number, you will have no problems and I haven’t bought a board more then $175 and that’s for the higher end ones with built in video memory. Best Regards.
Have you guys ever thought about
3. Recalibrate the Smart Battery
1. Check that the system is on AC power (see 1. above).
2. Switch off the system.
3. Leave the system overnight (eight hours) to charge.
4. Switch on the system and check that the system is still on AC power (see above).
5. In Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, and change the Power Scheme to Always On. Then change the ‘Running on Batteries’ settings to all say ‘Never’ and click on ‘OK’.
6. Click on the Power Meter tab, and check that the battery is at 100%.
7. Now remove the AC adaptor plug and switch off the AC adaptor power at the mains supply.
8. Time how long the system remains powered. You can use a utility to log the time to the hard disk at regular intervals (see Other Useful Articles below).
9. After the system has switched itself off (usually by a self-controlled ‘Shutdown’), connect the AC adaptor again and switch on the power to recharge the battery.
10.
Leave for eight hours to fully recharge.
If step 8 above took several hours, then the battery required calibration, and this procedure should have fixed the problem.
If step 8 still only lasted for a short time (eg 30 minutes), you may have a faulty or old battery, so go to the next test below.
4. Try another battery
If you have another system of the same type that seems to have good battery life, swap over the batteries. If the ‘good’ system now has a short battery life and the ‘bad’ system now has a much longer battery life, this indicates that the battery has a problem.
However, if the short battery life problem seems to stay with the original system, this indicates that the system may have an incorrect configuration.
Please note: As Lithium Ion batteries have a finite life, they usually have a limited warranty (eg a notebook with a one year warranty may have a six month battery warranty). Please check the warranty terms and conditions of your system.
Johnny Battery, could you repost items 1-2? I’ll I can see are items 3. and 4. I just bought a replacement battery for my HP Pavilion DV6000. It shows that it’s 91% charged, but when I uplug the AC adaptor, my computer shuts off. It may not be configured right? Thanks
I’ve had this HP Pavilion DV6000 notebook for almost 18 months and I have had to replace the power supply cable that connects to the notebook because it becomes weak and basically breaks off from the connector and the capable. Has anyone else had this problem?
YES, I have had this same issue. Currently on FOURTH power supply.
I am on my fourth power supply also. I have found that it gets very hot at the tip. The bad thing is that HP will not just sell the adapter (because that is the peice going bad) you have to buy the whole block. If I am running mine hot, I try to make sure my power cable is straight and has no bends in it.
Yes, on my third! I am having problems with the battery not wanting to charge.
Yeah, I’m definitely still using the original power supply and I bought this like two or three years ago…
Yes, I have had this problem. This was actually the beginning of my problems with this computer. After my power supply cable broke, I had to get a new power supply because the part that broke it the bit that is not detachable from the ac adapter. In any case, I have tried at least 3 different chargers, all claiming to be compatible with the dv6000 and the first one didn’t work at all. The second worked for a week then fried… and this third one keeps blinking as it charges the battery. So basically I have to leave the laptop charging for days just to get it to 100%. I am currently looking for a new power supply as we speak.
yes mine broke on the first day :/
Yes, I have had this problem. This was actually the beginning of my problems with this computer. After my power supply cable broke, I had to get a new power supply because the part that broke is the bit that is not detachable from the ac adapter. In any case, I have tried at least 3 different chargers, all claiming to be compatible with the dv6000 and the first one didn’t work at all. The second worked for a week then fried… and this third one keeps blinking as it charges the battery. So basically I have to leave the laptop charging for days just to get it to 100%. I am currently looking for a new power supply as we speak.
THE CARD READER CORRUPTS FILES ON SD CARD HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM
This computer junk, run few proccesses and it overheated and shutsdown for 5-10 mins.
Thumbs down on this product and i would take back but warrenty has expired.
I qwn a HP pavilion dv 6119
Blank screen, can’t start it at all anymore. I bought it december 2006. Then there was this critical update information from HP. I had occasional start problems, but with multiple power button pushing I could access. Then I update with fareastern help over the phone. No offense but comunications were challenging. One gets to repair a problem that HP caused in the first place and then you have to repeat everything 3times and … just frustrating.
The laptop was sent in but the problem keeps coming up and finally now I can’t access the laptop at all. Power button on then some sounds – power lights off – then power lights on for a short time and power off completely again. This all with blank screens.
I called HP. Again politely being told HP offers new laptops or I can pay for sending in and repair. Unacceptable. I don’t think I ever buy HP again.
Does anybody have any ideas what to do at this point. Should I simply throw this product in the trash.
I own a HP pavilion dv6000 and it is again being repaired. All started a month ago when computer shut itself off and WOULD NOT come back on. My Computer Guy replaced the motherboard….after having to hunt one down that fit my computer. It finally shipped from Hong Kong. I got it back and then after just a short time of working on it (like an hour) the colors went all wacky and the screen looked like a color copy that had been printed when the color ink was low. It blinked like that a couple times and then stayed like that and then steadily got worse. Sooo my Computer Guy has it back today to, hopefully fix it. He researched and found that this computer is one of the worst. Ugh! I’ve had it about 2 1/2 years.
I bought this laptop when it first came out, I usually prefer Toshiba laptops unfotunally they didn’t have 64 bit operating system toshibas at that time. The bad part of buying a brand new computer is gettign vista, it makes any laptop perform badly, and thats the case with this one, it freezes often, and it runs slow. Can any one tell me if this laptop has bluetooth ? I made the mistake of not checking if it did, and now I need to use it. Thanks !
How is this laptop on over heating? Would you say it over heats easily? I have one and I am scared to even set it on my bed without having something under it to give it air.
I agree the service from HP is lousy and they always spring for money. Dont forget to mention the Firewire capability when describing the DV6000. That guy who said he can get laptop mobo for good prices, hit me up. I love my DV6000
Yes i dont have these problems that everybody’s talking about.i think dv6000is great.
My DV 6000 is having a problem that when I turn it on, the screen is real dark and cannot really make out what is open. I lost the manual in a move, so not sure if it an adjustment that is needed or if there is something seriously wrong. Can anyone give some advice?
Thanks…………..
Buy an LCD inverter from eBay for about $10 new. Buy from an US seller. It’s easy to install.
I read these reviews and am rather glad my dv6700 never had any of these problems. Only problems I ever had was the screen shattered when my cat jumped on it, but it was rather easy to fix. No other problems. I have had mine for around a year and a half.
I purchased Hp pavilian notebook in may, 7/2008 from an authorised
dealer in jaipur. Model no of my laptop is
dv6705AU. From past few months I
have been facing problem in this machine. I consulted the problem at
hp service center Lucknow. This is an issue of Nvidia faulty GPU and
they asked me to change the motherboard that would cost me around Rs
12000/-. Then I complained at your custmor care center and they just
alloted me the complain number. The problem is that
changing the motherboard too, is not a permanent solution. I am a
student, First I purchased your product for rupees 45000/- then just
after one year and three months, now I have to replace the motherboard
and that too is not a permanent solution. Again, after one year I have
to face the same issue and same charges. I will not invest 12000/- per
year as a ‘laptop rental’. If the company is selling me a faulty
product then it is the responsibility of the company itself.
Stay away from HP products. This company sells under-developed products for cheaper but the customers have to pay a lot more for repairs. Check out http://www.hplies.com and join thousands of people angry with HP laptops. Also, it is much cheaper to try to fix your motherboard (search ebay listings for “HP motherboard repair”). Most of these places will not charge you (around $100) until they fix it. My DV9000t Intel / Nvidia was not fixable and I was offered a working motherboard for $180 with warranty. HP will charge at least $400. Another advice is after you replace/fix the laptop, either sell it and get different brand (NOT HP!!!) or try to always run it cool, allowing extra room for the air intake on the bottom. One more thing – get rid of Vista. This is a monster that burns up your laptop! Go back to XP or get Windows 7 as soon as it is available. Good luck! p.s. This will be my last HP product for the rest of my life and I will never recommend it to anyone.
I bought a dv6 last week mainly because of the impressive price for the amount of processing power, memory and battery life and pretty decent reviews. I would say that this laptop is pretty much perfect, it runs smoothly, never freezes, and does everything I ask for.
One problem is that I was told the dv6 would have an “up to 6 hour battery life,” so I was presuming maybe a 3-4 hour battery life whilst running one or two programs. The battery on my laptop on “power saver” mode, at only 5% performance lasts a maximium of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Any solutions?
I’ve done everything in my knowledge to make the battery last, but nothing seems to extend the time.
Thanks
I solved my short batterylife problem
by purchasing a 8800mah battery on
Ebay for $47. I now get 5 hours of operation
on battery power.
I’ve had the hp pavilion dv6000 for two years and it works great. No problems very useful. Actually I yank it around everywhere I leave it on my bed, sofa everywhere never overheated. I love it!!!
I have a HP Pavilion dv6000 (dv6589us). It always crashes when I leave it on overnight or after an extended period of inactivity. By “crashes” I mean gets hung up and won’t allow me to access my open programs and I am forced to do a hard shutdown by holding down the power button. I am running Windows Vista Ultimate and have 4GB of RAM. Any thoughts???
Well gang,
I am crying the same blues, have a DV6416CA will not complete startup, just loops through the cycle with all the lights on and the HDD and CD clicking away then CLUNK…..again the loop. By the way no video at all times just a black screen. The computer is 2 years old I suspect the MOBO but could be HDD as well. I will try the Ebay suggestion before trashing it. The notebook is sleek and beautiful but that is about it………….what a waste of money, time and patience. Had a lot of respect for HP Products (Printers and Servers) and now that has changed. GO BACK TO THE ENGINEERING COMPANY YOU WERE!!!!!!
I have problem starting the machine. The screen is black and i hear Beep.. beep.. beep. It sounds like the hardisk is working, but the screen is black…..
Norway – recently encountered the same problem. You have a fix yet?
I purchased Hp pavilion dv6000 notebook in may, 10/2007 from Qatar – Lulu Hyper Market. Model no of my laptop is
dv6460en. The problem with the laptoo is that the power gets ON, but their in no display coming and according to the local engineers refering the comment by HP Service engineer, the BIOS has gone and the cost will be around Rs. 22000/-, currently I am in India – Kerala and the information received from Ernakulam – Kerala. Pls inform me what is the solution for my laptop?
I am not ready to spend the above said amount, now currently in market we can purchase a Laptop with a cost of the aforesaid amount. And I am also not very happy with the window vista product, it runs very slowly.
Hope to get an reply?
I have a hp pavilion dv 6000. Its nice lovely to work with but only problem I m getting is its a bit slow ,The RAM is 1GB ,Can anyone give me a solution,
I NEED ONE Hp pavilion dv6000 COMPUTER, HOW MUCH WILL I PAY TO GET ONE