HP Pavilion dv6-1360us 15.6-inch Thin And Light Laptop PC Review

HP's Pavilion dv6-1360us is billed as an entertainment laptop and it certainly has a fair number of features that can be used towards this end. The large, high performance hard drive provides plenty of space for digital media along with a solid performing 3D graphics processor that handles HD video streams without issue. The system is more of an all-around design that can do most things well but doesn't necessarily excel at any one task. For its roughly $900 price tag, it is a good solid system looking to do internet, video and PC gaming.

Pros

* Larger High Performance Hard Drive
* Solid 3D Graphics Processor
* Full Size Keyboard With Numeric Keypad

Cons

* Older Core 2 Duo Processor
* Could Use A Few More Features To Be More Entertainment Focused

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 Dual Core Mobile Processor
* 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
* 500GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner With LightScribe
* 15.6" WXGA (1366x768) LED Backlit Display With 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
* ATI Mobility Radoen HD 4650 Dedicated Graphics With 1GB Memory
* v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless
* Four USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire, HDMI, VGA, ExpressCard/54, 5-in-1 Card Reader
* 14.9" x 10.2" x 1.6" @ 6.3 lbs.
* Windows 7 Home Premium, Works, Norton Internet Security, Cyberlink DVD Suite, HP Media Smart

Guide Review - HP Pavilion dv6-1360us 15.6-inch Thin And Light Laptop PC

Nov 11 2009 - With HP calling the Pavilion dv6-1360us an entertainment notebook, one would assume that the system is more of the mobile media platform. In some ways this is very accurate but the system is probably more suited to being a well-equipped general purpose laptop that can be found for under $1000.

While the system may have a number of key features to it, the Pavilion dv6-1360us suffers a bit in terms of performance. Rather than using a newer 8000 or 9000 series Intel Core 2 Duo processor, it comes equipped with a P7450 model. It does provide it with good general performance but trails behind a few offerings from other companies. The 4GB of DDR3 memory do help it out with multitasking and memory intensive applications.

What the Pavilion dv6-1360us does do extremely well is the storage. The 500GB hard drive isn't that far off from what other similarly priced 15-inch laptops offer but the drive spins at a faster 7200rpm rate. This gives it a better level of performance for task such as digital video that require high data transfer rates. It would have been nice to see HP equip the laptop with a Blu-ray compatible drive to give it more of an entertainment edge but the dual layer DVD burner is sufficient for most.

Graphics performance on the Pavilion dv6-1360us are very strong thanks to the included ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics with a full gigabyte of video memory. This provides the system with more than enough power to run high definition video streams or even play the latest games smoothly on the 15.6-inch display. The systems display does have the typical 1366x768 resolution which is a bit disappointing given that the graphics processor can go higher than this and it doesn't fully support 1080p video streams. At least there is a HDMI output to hook up to a HDTV for watching such video.

Battery life for the Pavilion dv6-1360us is about average for what one can expect in a 15-inch laptop of this size and features. DVD playback will yield roughly two and a half to three hours of running time. Normal usage will yield between three and three and a half hours.

The wide display does give the Pavilion dv6-1360us the width to include a full keyboard layout including a numeric keypad. Those interested in gaming on the system will be happy to know that the left control button is in the proper location for many game control layouts. It also offers an isolated set of arrow keys. Those looking to use the system for watching video will like the included media remote control that tucks away into the ExpressCard slot for easy transport.

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