Hewlett Packard DV6-1238NR (YA843UA) PC Notebook

My constant complaint about laptops for years was the lack of a numeric keypad.  Of course, one could buy a USB accessory, but if the laptop is truly sitting on the lap, the keypad would flop around and flip upside down.

Then I was at my local BJ's warehouse and passed by the computer department and discovered two models from HP both of which had numeric keypads built in.  And, with a  $100 instant rebate, $599 for the laptop that is described below is a true bargain.

From an aesthetic point of view, HP took the black gloss finish and placed a lighted  HP logo "a la Macintosh".  In order to save on space, the numeric keys are a bit more narrow than a full-size desktop PC.  However, I didn't find this a problem.

This laptop is chock-full of features.  At just under 6.5 pounds it has the following features:

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·         AMD Turion X2 ZM-82 2.2 GHz processor

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·         4GB DDR2 SDRAM

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·         320 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

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·         16" display

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·         AMD 780G Chipset

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·         2048KB Cache memory

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·         Dual Layer DVD±RW/DVD-RAM (Lightscribe)

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·         ATI Radeon HD3200 Video

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·          3xUSB 2.0, RJ-11(modem),RJ45(NIC)

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·         HDMI, 1x eSATA/USB (Combo Port)

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·         Integrated 10/100 Ethernet

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·          Integrated Wireless  LAN (802.11 a/g/n)

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·         Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

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·         1 Year Limited Warranty (Hardware)

I added a 3-year extended warranty from BJ's for $39 (I always recommend extended warranties on laptops because they are notoriously expensive to repair)

Upon opening the box, and powering up, setup was a breeze.  It took me less than about 20 minutes to complete all of the steps to customize my preferences and register with HP.  As with the new generation of HP machines, lots of convenience features have been added to make it easier for the user to keep up to date with the latest drivers, bug fixes, and pre-installed software updates.

Personal Impressions:
The display is crisp and bright and even with a 15-inch display, text is easy to read.  Color saturation with graphics is true-to-life in my opinion.

The keyboard has a great feel to it.  I'm a 100WPM typist and had no problems with this keyboard.  As I stated before, the numeric keypad keys are slightly narrower than those found on a full-size standard desktop machine, but I found it easy to get used to the size in no time.

The Dual Core processor coupled with 4GB of DDR RAM makes for a lightning fast PC.  I do have to admit that I uninstalled the Norton Internet Security software and optimized with Auslogics Boost Speed.  I prefer Kaspersky antivirus because it has a small footprint and doesn't hog resources like Norton and McAffee (IMHO).

The wireless had no problem finding my AT&T 2-Wire portal and logging in with a stable signal strength throughout the house and yard.

Sound from the Altec Lansing speakers is great considering the size, but don't expect high end stereo as with any laptop.  The sound card, however, has a wide variety of enhancement features to optimize the speakers to their optimum performance.

I can't really accurately rate battery life because there are always too many variables for each user which include brightness settings, if wireless is constantly on, drive access, and which applications are being used which can hog processor and/or memory resources.

If I had to make any constructive criticism, I would have preferred a faster hard drive as 5400 RPM can be painfully slow with certain video editing software.  But, as I said, it is a minor complaint and I'm sure that the speed of the drive was used to drive down production costs.

All in all, this laptop gives a lot of bang for the buck especially for those users who really need to have a numeric keypad built-in. I have had 3 HP/Compaq laptops over the past 6 years and have been nothing but pleased with the quality and value.  Bravo, HP!  You did it again.