Review: A Trio of HP Laptops : HP Pavilion dv6 (continued)
2. HP Pavilion dv6 (continued)
Display
Following the trend with recent models in HP’s Pavilion line, the surface of the LCD panel in the dv6-1225ef is glossy. That means that reflections, dust, and fingerprints are inevitable. The panel uses TN technology, as on the majority of portable computers. Unfortunately, that means that the viewing angles are narrow. Colors quickly darken viewed from below and lighten viewed from above. The black level is mediocre, with 0.48 Nits for a luminance of 100.9 Nits. That works out to a rather weak contrast ratio of 210:1. The default colors aren’t true, with a clear shift towards blue. The average color difference (Delta E) we measured was 8.4.
Performance
Vista Index: 4.7. Details: Processor 4.9 - RAM 5.9 - Graphics 4.7 - Game Graphics 4.9 – Main hard disk 5.6.
“Disappointing” is the word that comes to mind when you look at the test results for the AMD Turion X2 RM-75 processor. It barely logged better performance than the Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 used in the Asus UX50V. This is yet another argument that shows how processor frequency isn’t everything – the RM-75 is clocked at 2.2 GHz, compared to only 1.4 GHz for the SU9400!
The results were almost exactly half as good as those of our reference computer, the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi3650. While that still might be good enough for use with office applications, Web browsing, and watching films, you’ll need patience if you want to get into video and photo editing. Results like these might have been understandable if this processor had been designed to save energy. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case, given this notebook’s rather poor battery life (see end of test).
Video decoding is handled by the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 dedicated graphics card, with hardware acceleration. That means you can play HD movies (like Blu-ray) with no problem. The processor can also take over the task, at the price of high CPU usage rates. You’d do better to use the graphics card and activate hardware acceleration with compatible software.
Games
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 is a low-midrange model. So you’ll want to avoid resource-hungry games like recent FPS titles (Crysis, games based on Unreal Engine 3), or else set all the details to the minimum. Games like Race Driver: GRID, of course, can run with the detail levels set to medium. Slightly older game titles also play well, as do those that use 3D engines that are a little less demanding on resources, like the Source engine used in Half-Life 2.
Audio
The audio system is adequate, delivering sound that doesn’t saturate too quickly. As is often the case with portables, there’s a lack of bass and limited spatialization.
The inclusion of two headphone jacks is a plus. It lets you listen to music or watch a film with a friend without disturbing those around you (while traveling, for example). The outputs are fairly clean and both have a quite adequate volume level.
Mobility, Battery life
At only 1 hr. 37 min. while playing video (with the display set to 100 Nits, headphones plugged in, and Wi-Fi disabled) despite a 6-cell battery, this notebook’s energy consumption is clearly excessive. That’s probably the fault of the AMD Turion X2 RM-75 processor, which can’t match the energy efficiency of an ultra-low-consumption Intel processor such as the SU9400.
And we’re a far cry from the performance of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro, which had twice the battery life, at 3 hrs. 19 min. playing video.
At 2.94 Kg (6.5 lbs.), this is a fairly heavy notebook. The use of a 16:9 display format makes for a fairly wide computer. But it’s still less bulky than a 17-inch notebook.
PROS
- Design and finish
- Complete connectivity
- Number pad
- Graphics card can handle HD
CONS
- Disappointing performance
- Poor battery life
- Poor-quality, glossy LCD panel
- Glossy plastics: dust- and fingerprint-prone
- Noisy
With its appealing visual design and very complete feature set on paper, the HP Pavilion dv6-1225ef look promising. Unfortunately, its disappointing performance, very poor battery life, and glossy, poor-quality display panel take away points.
>>HP
no
Wow
Wow
What I meant to say, before the site automatically posted my message when I merely logged in:
HP dv2 - $650 15" MacBook Pro - $1580 - $2100 on the site I looked on. I bet HP could have included a better battery for a THOUSAND BUCKS, including a faster processor, better graphics, etc.
I don't get why this site always uses inappropriate references. I'm not saying HP is the best thing since sliced bread. They're the Ford / GM of PC makers. Would you compare a Ford to a BMW?
What I meant to say, before the site automatically posted my message when I merely logged in:HP dv2 - $650 15" MacBook Pro - $1580 - $2100 on the site I looked on. I bet HP could have included a better battery for a THOUSAND BUCKS, including a faster processor, better graphics, etc.I don't get why this site always uses inappropriate references. I'm not saying HP is the best thing since sliced bread. They're the Ford / GM of PC makers. Would you compare a Ford to a BMW?
I guess I would compare a ford to a bmw if I was interested in what parts create the difference between the low end and the high end. They aren't in the same class--that's a given--but the vast difference in performance is still something to remind yourself of, as a tech enthusiast. That said, this article should've also made comparison to machines it its same class, so good point.
amd turion x2 rm75 @ 2.2ghz on my hp pavilion dv6 1211ax scores 5.0 wei on vista which beats the intel core2duo t7250 @ 2.0ghz on my sony vaio lappy which only managed a wei score of 4.9 on vista and equals score of 5.0 with intel c2d t6500 @ 2.1ghz