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.
Update Feb. 8, 2010
Comments for this article have now been closed. This was done because people were using as a means of getting HP support. This article is not an official HP support channel for problems that may occur with the DV6000 product. If you would like to contact HP for support, please visit HP Customer Care at support.hp.com, thank you.
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I’m another dissatisfied customer with the DV6000. After about 2 years the motherboard has gone out. I can still turn it on, but it takes about 30 minutes of trial and error before the system will actually start( and then it will run fine). I have a co-worker with the same computer, and her computer crapped out after about a year.
Before this I had a great HP desktop that is still working great, but HP laptops seem to have widespread problems( Also like many others my wifi went out).
I just placed an order for a Sony Vaio, I’m hoping for a little better quality.
From what I have read, Sony Vaio users have just as many–if not more–complaints.
Hell, just picking one up can damage the hard drive. As was the case with my girlfriend’s computer. It happened relatively soon after we bought it. The plastic base where you rest your wrists when typing is so flimsy that it does nothing to protect the internals from the pressure of picking it up. So if you REALLY need to move your Vaio, you best invest in a nice pair of oven mitts and/or some sort of harness/pulley system.
I lost my Driver of dv6000 can anybody give me this driver via mail
Had one for over 12 months and haven’t had a problem. Only slight agitation is poor battery performance.
I brought my dv6000 in 2007, Just before th1 year warranty ran out my wireless dropped out. At the time HP fixed it free of charge, However 6 months later my wireless again dropped out along with my battery not able to hold charge for more than 5 mins. I soon realised that my charger wasn’t charging properly which resulted in killing my battery (the plug sometimes powers the unit depending on the position the laptop is on). Now when i boot up my HP takes a few start up to get the screen to work. I suspect my motherboard is on the way out, but what ever the actual problem HP will not fix it because it’s out of warranty.
Bottom line is this, if one problem exist, more than likely another is just around the corner,
check out hpliesDOTcom
nuff said…
Buy hp laptop then you are buying permanent trouble. worked for 2.5years and then permanent problem with mother board which costs you like buying a new lap top today.Is this the HP brand?is this the HP product?
I bought one DV6000 for my son 2.5 years ago for over $1,300 and it works fine since last month. First I had to change the battery, and then he had problems with the screen. Last week the PC turned on but without the screen. The technician told me that the screen, the transformer, the cable and the output connector from the mother board to those parts were damaged. He said that I have to spend around $350 to repair the PC, including the replacement of the mother board. I don’t know if is worth it.
Should have been a clue , when the battery wouldn’t take a charge right out of the box. Had it for 2 years and the motherboard fried. Very slow starting up,,,,,,could go on and on. Going to get a Dell . F-U Dv 6000 and HP.
Does any one know about the extended free warranty coverage for Pavilion DV6915NR laptop. The hard drive went bad after year. Now under replacement. PC getting often hot ( bottom side). Fan always running high speed. Is there any solution or precaution to maintain good this model.
I was very happy with my laptop, but two months after the warranty expired the motherboard went. After this was fixed at my own cost the backlighting of the screen went and the backlight and screen have to be replaced together at a cost close to that of a new laptop with similar specs.
I now have a laptop that needs an external monitor and a power source to work!
YOU SAID IT COMES WITH A THIN LITTLE REMOTE CONTROL THAT WORKS WITH THE QUICKPLAY BUTTONS ON THE TOP OF THE NOTEBOOK…
IS IT STORED ONTO THE SIDE OR BACK OF THE NOTEBOOK OR DOES IT COME SEPERATELY? BECAUSE I BOUGHT MINE 2ND HAND AND I WASNT GIVEN A REMOTE CONTROL
i just bought mine off a guy on craigslist and the thing is absolutely fine. fast and everything! there is just probably alot of bad lemons out there thats all. the only thing i complain about is that the battery life is about 45- 60 minutes tops and the version of vista is the 32 bit.. great for multimedia and multitasking.
Hey there!
I think all of the problems that were mentioned here was because of your butter-fingered hands. Oh come on! It will not degenerate quickly if you did not have anything wrong to make it unuseful. I had this laptop for over 2 years and still it works. You must learn to take care of your device.
yeah agree with this laptop
i need the recovery cd software
mines is asking for it and its to expensice to purchase it for this laptop that going to keep crashing anyone knows where or how or from who i can download the window vista recovery/reboot software for this hp pavilion dv600 pst asap .
Try upgrading to Windows 7. Vista sucks anyway.
hey i am using this laptop sine 3 yrs. but now my Microsoft office is not working and showing error of Microsoft outlook so please suggest me the right way to correct or solve it……
i disagree with saying that the battery problem is caused by a cheap laptop. I’ve had the same laptop since it came out and had no issues.. Problems are with the user not the computer.
I had this pc and it was horrible. You couldn’t type on the keyboard because the cursor would jump all over the place. Battery life was bad because of the inefficient AMD turion processor. I sent it back to HP three times and eventually asked for a different model. To their credit they did switch it for a dv4 that they allowed me to customize and it has been a good laptop with no issues.
Franc, I had mine for 3 years before the problems started and they all hit at once and are all the same problems everyone else is having…the wireless…the crappy battery life…the crappy keyboard…i say as i continue to have to replace my cursor as i type this….
I agree this laptop is a bust. I did baby it for a while, but as soon as I went back to school after winter break the wireless was on the fritz. I have tried many things and thought I had it working, but 4 days later id went out again. I am thinking about trying to upgrade to windows 7 and getting a usb wireless adapter, but I should not have to do this despite the fact that the warranty is now up.
I had this computer for 3 years and it just now started having a problem with the battery…however im pretty sure my laptops charging problem is related to the charger itself. I just broke the membrane on the screen and had to buy a new one ..BUT…my laptop over all was wonderful and had no problems what so ever. I know that the wireless internet is recalled on this model so those of you who are having problems connecting are able to get it fixed for free.
I got challenge with my battery and I need to replace it with another double cell battery so can you kindly send your hp offices adrs in Nigeria (Lagos and Ibadan ) to my mail cos of fraudlers in Nigeria within 24 hrs, thks
Hi! i want upgrade the ram what model of sticks i need? and how many gb support?
my hp laptop model no 6000 one problels
I’ve had my HP computer for 2 years and I’ve had nothing but trouble. The battery went bad on it before a year was up and needed replacing. The hard drive randomly stopped working for me and I had to have it replace along with getting a reboot disk. That happened twice. It would over heat a lot until I got a heating pad. Sometimes my wires get mixed up so when I press mute, quickplay opens. My Disk Drive is constantly not available, such as I put in a disk, nothing happens, go to computer and it’s not even registered I have a disk drive. And one of my USB ports doesn’t work but is completely intact. I could keep going but you see the point.
every body help me
Hey, all you techies, of which I am not at all. This is the laptop I have and must tell you I don’t know a thing about them. So since I bought it from a private party used, does it come with a user manual? For instance, I believe, perhaps in error, there’s a webcam on this thing. Yes or no, and where? It seems to me that all these computer companies assume someone who buys a computer apparently has knowledge. Well, I don’t! I need an instruction manual! But I’d say there’s not one, I know when I got a HP all in one printer not too long, the only thing is online, not a paper book you can hold and read. This is what I need. The printer I had before actually came with a book.