HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
- 2.2GHz Intel Core2 Duo T6600 Processor (2MB LS Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
- 4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm), Max supported 8 GB
- 320GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 17.3 Diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, *Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared) with up to 1.7 GB total available graphics memory
Rating: 
(out of 40 reviews)
List Price: $ 779.99
Price: $ 647.79
HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
- AMD Turion? II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor M620 (2.5 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache)
- 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB)
- 500GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 3.25 Hours of Battery Life
- 17.3? Diagonal HD+ LED HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 Graphics with up to 2302MB
Rating: 
(out of 10 reviews)
List Price: $ 1,100.00
Price: $ 749.99
HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
- AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor L335 (1.6 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
- 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB)
- 320GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 5.5 Hours of Battery Life
- 13.3¿ Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Graphics with 128MB Display Cache Memory with up to 2046MB total graphics memory
Rating: 
(out of 15 reviews)
List Price: $ 849.00
Price: $ 609.99
HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
- 2.1GHz Intel Pentium T4300 Processor (1 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
- 3 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm), Max supported 4 GB
- 320GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 15.6″ Diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Display (1366×768)
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, *Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life
Rating: (out of 28 reviews)
List Price: $ 629.99
Price: $ 549.99
Review by S. Johnstone for HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Rating:
This is a great laptop for the money and I would buy it again.
Pro’s:
Light compared to some other laptops (LED vs. LCD screens usually)
Screen is very bright and easy to read
HDMI allows output to HDTV (also for using Media Center on the HDTV)
4GB RAM
Good battery life (it was running for 3.5+ hours the other day)
10-Key number pad
5-1 card reader (for plopping in an SD card from a digital camera/camcorder)
Con’s:
Fingerprints are highly visible on laptop cover — glossy black
Keyboard layout is cramped with certain keys (arrow keys, delete key)
Speakers do not sound as good as my 3 year old Toshiba laptop
No physical button for volume control — it’s software controlled via keyboard/Windows.
Addt’l comments:
I also have a Lenovo T61p and the HP is lighter, has better battery life, and a softer keyboard (which I prefer-the Lenovo/Thinkpad line is too stiff for me). The Lenovo performs slightly better in every day tasks (faster hard drive & cpu) and a fair bit faster in graphics intensive applications (e.g. games).
Review by Cordog for HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Rating:
How can I express how incredible this machine is? Well let me try. Two weeks earlier I bought the Vista cousin of this machine that had a Pentium and only 1400/900 display (blech!) and it was a bit sluggish. After I saw an Office Depot flyer advertising this beauty for [...] with [...] rebate, I returned the Pentium to Best Buy, who didn’t have this machine. This machine is a tremendous value. Huge hard drive, 4 gigs of ram, WONDERFUL keyboard (all the HPs have the best-engineered keyboards I have seen on any laptops, large and small). And 1600×900 instead of 1400×900 like some of the other models. I agree that the power cable should be on the left side, in fact on the one I returned it was. And yes, the speakers are underwhelming. But this is no “gaming rig”, this is a business desktop replacement, period. Battery life? It says up to 4 hours by I get between 2.5 and 3 hours, and with the powersave mode, just a bit over 3 hours. The lesser cousin didn’t even get 1.5 hours.
Do not pass go, do not collect [...] (although you will collect [...] in rebates), just buy this machine!
Review by Larry Diamond for HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Rating:
I bought this to replace an older 15.6 inch laptop to be my main home computer. I just could not see investing half or more of the cost of this in a netbook. Boy am I glad I did. The 17.3 inch screen is simply incredible.
These are the ways the 17.3 inch screen helps. First the screen itself is really nice. My photos look fantastic and DVDs look superb. Netflix streaming and Hulu are so-so but that is more the limitations of software than of the screen itself. Many websites take advantage of the larger screen as well and it just feels right. It feels like my work desktop screen. Second and possibly of more value is the keyboard. BY FAR the best laptop keyboard I have ever used. It is even better than my stand alone keyboard at work. Finally a true full size, large key, awesome to type with laptop keyboard. And what I thought was a bad design aesthetically, the large blank space beneath the keyboard with just the mouse controls. Guess what? It is perfect for laying your hands down as you type. I know keyboard is not the first thing that comes to mind when buying a computer and it probably shouldn’t be the first thing. BUT it should not be under-rated either.
As for the computer itself. I am really digging Windows 7. I bought this on Black Friday and so far no problems whatsoever. 4 GB is nice. The 6600 processors are nice solid performers. There are better in laptops but for me doing multimedia activities and home office activities this computer more than meets my needs. Everything worked great right out of the box. Webcam works great and not too much installed software. The student and home Office trial means if you end up buying it (Amazon usually has the best price around) it is already installed you just need the key. That was kind of nice. The 60 days of Norton gives you some time to try it, be protected, and make a decision on the security software you like so that is also helpful.
But ultimately what should make you choose this over the numerous other configurations HP offers is the screen size. Any slight added bulkiness and weight (around 6.5 odd pounds) is more than made up for me with how much fun it is to have a large laptop screen and a real full-sized comfortable, fantastic keyboard. Let others have their 10 inch products…17.3 for me from now on.
Review by Terry Spears for HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Rating:
It’s better than my G70 but not by much. The 16:9 screen is much shorter than the G70 widescreen,making it harder to read pages online-lots of scrolling. My biggest complaint is the volume. I went into every possible menu to max the vol and nothing helped. The G70 blasts it out of the water on sound. The DVD tray is very flimsy, it wouldn’t burn a DVD-I tried several brands and types. It tried-burned maybe half a disc and wasted 10 discs. I was trying to burn their recommended recovery disc set off this notebook. I gave up and paid the $14 for the DVDs. The tray is moulded close to the bottom and hangs if you don’t keep it near the edge of your desk or raised on that end. The power adpt cord sticks straight out the rear side and would be easy to mangle if you’re not careful moving it. I’m returning it because Win7 won’t work with any of my HP printers and scanners and they state on their website that they aren’t going to write new drivers. These notebooks are identical in quality and appearance. The G71 is ,1 Ghz faster and 1 GB more memory plus .3 larger screen. Not a huge difference by any means. I did exhaust tech support on the hardware issue and he recommended I buy new printers and scanners. NOT I’ll stick with Vista untill they write more drivers, maybe they’ll have one of mine in a few ….. For the money it’s a good machine but you better have Win7 approved hardware. Most of the drivers out now for Win7 are stripped of their features and use only basic functions. I wouldn’t abandon Vista just yet.
Review by Aerosynth929 for HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Rating:
I’m a Mac guy normally, but my mother is PC all the way. I got this computer for her as a gift, and spent a few hours setting it up for her. Paid $650 for this before tax at Sam’s Club. It’s worth it. You get what you pay for. Windows 7 is impressive. I suppose W7 is Microsoft’s answer to Mac OSX. They have done a great job at making all of Windows more aesthetically pleasing. It is simple and functional, and seems to run smoothly. Of course, my experience with Windows is that you can’t really judge how quick it is for at least 6 months, so who knows. The processor and memory on this computer are a great value for what you pay… kudos on that.
My problem with this computer, first of all, is that it doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth… I guess I was thinking that BT was sort-of standard already on notebook computers nowadays. Makes it a little inconvenient for someone like me that prefers to do everything wirelessly. Another issue I have with this notebook is that it is VERY bulky and VERY heavy. I appreciate the large widescreen, and the full numeric keypad, but the moment I opened the box I was deflated by the sheer size of this monstrosity. It is not something that a normal-sized person can comfortably fit on their lap (OMG I could not imagine trying to use this thing on an airplane). It is so large that the first two notebook bags I bought my mother would not accommodate it. The placement of buttons and control keys on the unit itself, for some reason, also seems a little confusing to me… lacking intuitiveness… but that may just be me.
This computer, despite its problems, did impress me overall. It’s a cut above the expectations I had for a $650 PC laptop. I am looking to purchase an actual Windows PC to use in addition to my two Macs… I would consider HP based on my experience with this notebook, but I would not consider THIS MODEL. I travel several months out of the year… and honestly this thing is just too bulky and heavy to comfortably carry through airports. I would suggest to seriously consider the size and weight of this computer before purchasing it, and weigh the cons of those things against your intentions for this computer… if you travel a lot with your notebook, I doubt this model will make you happy camper. But if you want a portable home computer, or something to keep in your dorm… something that won’t be moving around a lot… this might be a good option.
Impressive, very impressive… but not enough to turn this old Mac guru into a PC-All-The-Way guy.
Review by A. Chiccarello for HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
Rating:
Anyone unhappy with this unit is nuts or spoiled as hell. Can’t really find a complaint. Fast. Been using for over a month now problem free. Took it out of the box, turned it on, set it up, and started working, and remember saying out loud “I can’t beleive I own this”. Most computer hardware wise for the money I could find. Solid. Only thing that disappointed was that the HP Media Bundle has issues but the Windows programs are reliable. I like to install my own media software anyway so I still give this machine 5 stars.
Review by S. Taylor for HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
Rating:
I have used the HP Pavilion DV7 for the 17 months now. It was purchased by my company as I would never have considered purchasing such a “cheap” laptop. I only preface with this bit of nerd snobbery so you can know this review is written by someone who hasn’t touched a notebook under $2K for over a decade and has rather high PC performance standards:
In short, this is an AMAZING steal for the price. The technical specs are superior to what you’ll find in the more “elite” market and the performance of this PC is really impressive. In fact, I’m leaving my company and am only on Amazon writing this review as I prepare to purchase another of these models for my personal use…
PROS:
I originally thought I’d only use it for work (aka spreadsheets, etc) but started using it for video watching, gaming, movie burning, etc because it was working so smoothly. I’m a very hard PC user. I don’t like to close applications and am always multi-tasking as in: several Microsoft Excel spreadsheets; a few Word documents; at least one Project file; iTunes playing in the background; Outlook running and checking mail every 15 seconds; Google Chrome open with 7 tabs; and Mozilla Firefox open with 7 more tabs. This PC has performed expertly for a year and never even paused despite my harsh use. As in, no crashes, no hesitation to respond to a click despite aforementioned heavy (ab)use and because it’s worth repeating–no crashes.
CONS:
The only thing I have to report, is after 17 months of solid use, I’ve worn the “E” off (key/hardware works fine) and the “R” is on her way out too!
Although I had no issue with mine, I feel compelled to report that of the 4 PCS my company purchased, one did end up with a fried motherboard. To be fair, that particular employee was prone to visiting…websites of ill-repute…and could have caught himself a virus (ironic) that turned the fans off.
Review by Shawn P. Reeves for HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
Rating:
I know that for the price your paying for this computer it isen’t that bad. It only has one fluck that I have experenced and that is that the dislay drive stops responding and immediantly recovers after the screen gos black for a few seconds. It has something to do with the kernel drive 184.66 and I can’t fix it because hp and nvidia haven’t come up with a solution too the problem yet and yes I did a system recovery several times also uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. Other than that I really can’t complain other then that little problem with the display drive. I really dont like the fact that they took out the 500GB (7200RPM) hard drive and replaced it with a 640GB (5400RPM). Overall I give this computer a 4 out of 5.
Review by Mike for HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
Rating:
This is a great machine for anyone looking for an entertainment machine,or desktop replacement. The price was great and windows 7 is pretty easy to deal with. A backlit keyboard would be nice though, but not that big of a deal.
Review by michael k. for HP Pavilion DV7-3160US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
Rating:
the touch pad on mine sucks so bad it’s almost unusable! i can’t beleive no one else is complaining about it. try scrolling down a page and it go’s nuts.try and stop it before the bottom and your going all the way to the top! reading anything with this is the most frustrating thing u will ever do.
this is my forth laptop and by far the worst yet. yes i tried adjusting every setting and it still sucks……….
/update.After calling HP and letting the tech. guy update the Bios… it works great!!! Now I like this laptop two stars more and would tell others to buy this one, thanks HP.
Review by Kort Kramer for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Rating:
The HP Pavilion dm3 1130us (AMD CPU & ATI GPU model) is a good compromise between the portability of a netbook and the functionality of a full sized laptop. Technically in the “Ultra-portable/Thin & Light” category, I would say it is a netbook on steroids. I was looking for a portable computing solution but didn’t want a small keyboard or a hard-to-read/small screen. It had to have a small form factor, yet have a more powerful processor and graphics than traditional netbooks. I use it mainly for office work, web surfing, video streaming, music listening and light gaming.
Most of the specs are readily available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP’s site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I’m a Mac user normally but could not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price point, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a [...] dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a [...] , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a little leery about getting an HP since they don’t have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It’s fast, faster than I expected. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I’ve played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I think you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3″ w/ a 1366×768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn’t bad. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I’ve only had fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I’ve yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. Coming from OSX, I have to say I’m growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I’m getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I’ve used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The “mouse-buttons” could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a [...] but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast as with my desktop’s keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5’s primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn’t a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I could do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks included, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you’ve got yourself one heck of a deal!
What’s not so great about it:
1. It is about 13″ wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that’s no big deal but if you plan to lug your laptop around a lot, you may want to look at something smaller and lighter. It is only one inch thick so it slides easily into most bags.
2. Speakers. You know going in that they won’t be that great, but I still couldn’t help being a little disappointed. However, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent output now, though not very loud. It does the job though. Use earphones. I connected it to my speakers with a subwoofer and Pandora radio sounds terrific!
3. Battery life. I get about 4 hours of constant general use life out of it. Another reviewer stated he was able to play the entire Fellowship of the Ring movie before it went into hibernation, but I have not tested that. The good news is that 4 hours is still decent, and the power cord isn’t too cumbersome. If you need an all-day, cord-free laptop/netbook, look elsewhere.
4. Some bloatware. Being new to Windows I researched what to do when you first get a computer. One of the most common recommendations is to remove the manufacturer installed software. I got rid of the MS Office trial and Norton. I’ll still playing around with the suite of HP software. I may keep some, but will probably ditch a good bit of it. However, some users may like the included software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy customer.
5. No optical drive, but I knew that and won’t need one every day. The Samsung will also be useful for my other computers.
6. No OS restore disk. I know, there is no optical drive and there is a recovery partition, but it still would have been nice.
7. Possible fit and finish issues. I just noticed a very slight gap along the top right front edge where the wrist wrest meets the side paneling. Pressing down on it does reveal a little flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and could be cause for concern. It is too early to tell. (see my product photos)
I have not used the Quickweb feature, but Windows 7 boots up (after some re-configuration) in less than a minute so I’m not sure I’d need it. I’ve also not yet used the HDMI out port or webcam. I plan to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is good in low light. I’ve only been using the 1130us for a little over a week so I can’t speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so good. I’ll post an update if I have anything new to add.
So, is the dm3 1130us the right model for you? If you are not a 3D gamer and want a nice looking, sturdy, portable laptop without most of the limitations of a netbook, then the answer could be “yes”. Of course, technology is changing rapidly and in a few months the next latest and greatest will be out. But if you need something now, and want a lot of oomph at a great value, then the dm3 1130us could be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price point other laptops couldn’t match, so that is why I’m giving it 5 (4 1/2 actually) stars.
Review by Andrew Shaw for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Rating:
I got the DM3-1130 (the AMD processor) in early February, after an extensive search to replace my HP Pavilion dv5000. I had considered ASUS and Macbooks, in particular, as I wanted something in the 13-inch range, lightweight and with a good track record.
This model has more memory than the slightly more expensive ASUS model of this size, and Macbooks, while perennially getting great reviews, cost hundreds more. I use this for personal use and for some business use (Internet, writing, some photo editing), so a Macbook wasn’t worth it. Sorry, Justin Long.
After my brief time with my new HP, here are the pros and cons, for anyone considering it:
Pros:
I haven’t had any problems with the mousepad- people who have commented negatively on it, I would guess, want the world’s perfect mousepad. It’s functional. And sure, it gets fingerprints on it, but that’s because you use your fingers to use it. What do you expect? And are you trying to impress people with your fingerprint-less mousepad?
1) It truly is a lightweight, portable model
2) The style is hard to beat, if you like the metal look
3) The keyboard style is different than what I’m used to, but I’ve found the chiclet style very use to type with
4) HP Quickweb is a useful, practical feature to get you on the Internet/listening to music or looking at photos without accessing Windows 7
5) Windows 7 itself rivals Apple’s platform in the litany of user-friendly features and style. I was very impressed.
6) The battery life is about what was advertised- probably in the 4 hour range, if you’re using wireless and looking at photos, etc. People who are only getting two hours probably are watching a movie and/or didn’t let the battery fully drain the first time before they charged it.
7) The four USB ports, the SD slot and the exhaust fan on the side are all nice features.
9) I was installing multiple programs and browsing the Internet all at once and experienced no interruptions or slow down. At least in that test, the RAM and processor are keeping up. I went with the AMD instead of Intel partly for cost (much cheaper), but also because I was told by some computer experts AMD might work a little faster. No regrets yet.
Cons:
1) The left palm area gets hotter than you’d like.
2) I had a problem after registering/setting up my laptop. After installing a few programs I needed to restart. When I got to the log-on screen and entered the password I had selected during startup when I created an account, Windows kept telling me I was incorrect, although I was sure (and the password hint verified) that I was right. HP tech service said that sometimes happens when an administrator password is selected during start-up, and had me restore my system. It worked (I just didn’t enter a password during setting up screen), although I had to reinstall stuff I had already installed before, as you’d expect. Lost some time, but not a huge deal. You’d think it could have been avoided with a simple “Set up a user password later”, as I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s happened to. That’s more of Windows’ fault than HP’s. At the least, HP tech service was helpful.
3) No optical drive, which you need to make a recovery disk at some point. I’ll have to borrow one. Since most software is downloaded these days, I won’t otherwise need it. It’s something you have to give up if you want an ultraportable model, in most cases.
4) HP offers a $50 rebate for this model, but it’s not valid if you buy it off of Amazon. I knew that ahead of time- still went with Amazon because it was cheaper than factory direct, but that’s a bummer.
Review by Algebra Teacher for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Rating:
No more MacBook Pro envy for me!!!I love computers and have owned many laptops over the years, everything from Mac PowerBooks to Dell Mini’s. I thought for a long time about buying a new MacBook Pro. I loved the size (13 inch model)and the brushed silver look and many of the apps. What I DID not like was the price and the fact that I could not use Office OneNote(as a teacher and a mother, this is one app I truly cannot live without!!) on the Mac without having to purchase Windows 7 and Parallels. Did some playing around in computer stores with both the Mac and other computers and fell upon this HP dm3. Loved it from the first touch. It is solidly built, beautiful to look at, light-weight, and perhaps most important to me, FAST!! I do not play computer games but do a lot of web surfing, watch streaming video,and use lots of photo and movie apps. This little guy is just as fast as my big and much more expensive desktop replacement,and simply blows my Dell Mini right out of the water. Not even in the same league!
If I could give this more stars, I would…this is a fast, sleek 13-inch (just the right size) computer that is every bit as pretty as the MacBook Pro. I am not a big fan of touchpads; I always use a mouse. That being said, I actually love this one!
I would be remiss not to mention that the service at Amazon is absolutely second-to-none. I had originally ordered an Asus 13 inch but changed my mind after reading some comments about the wireless abilities (plus, it kind of freaked me out buying someting that I had never actually touched.)Having played with this one at the store was really the deal-maker for me. They have the finest customer service on this planet, and I would never buy my computers from anywhere else. Also worth mentioning…bought the SquareTrade 3-year warranty that includes spills, etc. I had an old MacBook(6 years old)that I had a SquareTrade warranty on. It died one day, I mailed it in, and had my complete purchase price in my bank account within a week. Very much worth the money! P.S. This is the only review I have ever written although I have been a loyal Amazon fan for years. Guess that shows how much I really do love this machine!!
Review by A. Clark for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Rating:
I recieved this laptop yesterday (2/5/10)and here is my review: When I removed the laptop from the box and held it, I was impressed with the laptop’s construction. The keyboard is big enough for my hands, and the 13.3 inch screen is large enough for me to see. The laptop is not too heavy–but it is not too light. Unlike a netbook, this laptop has 320gb of hardrive and 4gb of rams, expandable to 8gb (that’s very powerful for this little machine!). It has four usb ports and a hdmi port for hooking it up to a big screen TV. It also has a webcam camera and an internal microphone. The laptop is loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium for stability and a lot of HP software junk. The laptop has Bluetooth technology to communicate with other Bluetooth devices. The laptop doesn’t have a fixed optical drive, which is cool since most software can be downloaded from the Internet. In closing, if you need a smaller laptop for just basic computing, a netbook will suffice. However, I would STRONGLY recommend you to spend more money on a laptop like the HP Pavilion DM3-1130US model, because sooner or later you will need a smaller laptop like this one for heavy duty computing.
Review by Jeffrey Hyman for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
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The look and feel of this laptop is great and I really really want to like it, but the battery life is absolutely horrific. I expect at least 4 hours of solid use out of a thin and light. This thing averages barely 2.5 hours off a full charge with the screen set at the dimmest level. The worst part…the battery takes 4 HOURS to charge. Absolutely absurd. If you don’t mind ALWAYS having your power cord, go ahead and buy this comp.
Review by M. Miller for HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
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I purchased the HP G60-237NR notebook PC in February for less than 550.00. This laptop has all the features and ports I needed. I have had good customer service from HP when I had questions. I have Vista and we bought this same laptop for my Mom last month at Amazon with the new Windows7. I would recommend this laptop for the average user. I use it for email, shopping the web, MS application software, Skype, LinkedIn, DVD play, and watching Hulu tv over the web. The volume was not loud enough to watch a DVD movie while on vacation in our RV so I bought small external speakers to plug in at a cost of less than $30.00.
Review by D. Sauer for HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
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I’m quite happy with the laptop as-shipped. The packing was good, and the laptop arrived in good condition. It comes with a little pad of paper, some other misc junk, and a cloth for polishing the case. The shiny case, by the way, is one of two drawbacks. It looks pretty with most surfaces being shiny, but the glossy black cover constantly has fingerprints (and palm prints) on it. A positive to the shiny surface is that it’s relatively easy to peel off all of the NASCAR-level of sponsor labels. The other drawback to this laptop is that it doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth. Seriously. It has a Wireless N interface – which I’m pretty sure wasn’t even an approved standard when this was made – but no Bluetooth? Oh well. I had a Kensington Bluetooth adapter which is one of those little ones that you leave in a USB port, and it works well (under both Linux and Windows 7).
That leads me to the good things. Ubuntu 9.10 installed on this machine with no problems. The volume keys and hardware graphics acceleration work fine, and multiple monitors (using the internal LCD and an external display) work out of the box. The button to disable the trackpad and the wireless disable button both work under Ubuntu (as do the corresponding LEDs). The indicator LEDs for things like caps lock, num lock, the trackpad, and the wireless all blend into the laptop nicely. Wired and wireless (B and G, at least) both work properly. NTFS resizing also worked fine. The machine is fairly fast with both operating systems, though the 5400 RPM drive does hamper application start-up time. Graphics performance is very good for business applications; I don’t play games on a general purpose computer, though, so my standards may be lower than people who would spend more on a video card than I did on this whole laptop. I like the track pad pretty well, and the laptop feels reasonably sturdy. I haven’t tried the built-in HDMI output or media card readers under either OS yet. I’m assuming they’ll both work; I’ll post a follow-up if one fails. For the record, I would be willing to trade HDMI for Bluetooth as well.
The only other thing of note is the keyboard layout. There is an “end” key shared with the number 1 on the number pad, and another end above the number pad (sharing the scroll lock / sys req button). I’m fond of the “shift+end” (and shift+home) keyboard shortcuts to select everything from the cursor to the end (or beginning) of the line. However, pressing “shift” and the closer “end” key actually makes the keyboard type a 1. That’s minor, but it does annoy me.
Speaking of minor annoyances – no Windows install media is shipped (I’ll bet a CD costs less than the paper notepad and microfiber cloth HP chose to bundle). You can create a set of install disks if you want using an included tool, though (only single-sided supported by the tool, even though there’s a dual-layer burner here); make sure you do that before you wipe Windows off of the machine to install Linux.
If nothing else, it’s easier to sell your license if you have media to go with it. 
Overall, if I could get another one of these at the same price I bought this one for (a Black Friday deal, with a couple of other discounts including the current rebate deal) I would not hesitate to do so. Yeah, I spent most of this review griping about little things, but the main good things are already patently obvious. The CPU and memory included are very good, the drive capacity is good (despite being slower than a 7200 RPM drive), the screen quality is excellent, and the sound is good for a laptop. Windows 7 doesn’t suck as much as Windows has in the past, and the Linux support on this device is very good.
Update: I finally got around to testing the HDMI (translation: I finally got a TV with HDMI support), and both video and audio work fine out of the box under Ubuntu 9.10; plug the cable in, start up the display preferences, and you have another monitor you can either extend or clone your desktop over to – then go to the sound preferences and change the default output device from the on-board sound to the hdmi output if you want sound over HDMI. Multiple monitors work fine with the RGB cable on the back as well. However, I haven’t attempted HDMI and RGB external connections simultaneously; I suspect that such an arrangement won’t work as expected.
Review by Cynthia Anapolsky for HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
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Bought this laptop on Black Friday. Works great, easy setup. Battery life is good-to-great. 15.5″ is a good screen size — almost considered 17.5″ until saw it and realized it’s a huge monster that would never work on an airplane. Hard drive is sufficient size. Really like the HDMI port to watch DVDs or Internet video on our flatscreen TV. Seems to be one of the best laptops on the market today. Wish the ctrl and fcn keys were switched and there was a clearer indicator that the NUM Lock and CAPS Lock are on/off.
Review by A. N. Bajwa for HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
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Not sure if its a great product. I got it for my wife, she is fine with it. I feel its a bit heavy.
Twice we faced a strange problem, the computer will just not turn on. I removed the battery and then reinserted it. It started working. Not sure if its a manufacturing defect or some user fault.
Review by S. Barrett for HP G60-530US 15.6-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 3.75 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)
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I purchased this Windows 7-64 bit notebook to replace a crashed desktop. It’s nice enough that there’s a sleek design with its black case and aluminum touchpad and trim, but there’s a lot more “under the hood” of this budget-priced model. 4GB of installed DDR2 @SDRAM with 1MB of installed memory cache, a 320 GB hard drive and a 2.1 Ghz speed on its T4300 processor. The 1366 x 768 BrightView is crisp and clear with a 15.6 display size. The G60 weighs less than seven pounds yet has enough bells and whistles to perform like a desktop. In fact, I am using it as one with a purchased flat screen monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse.
Ports/Connectors:
3 USB 2.0
RJ-11 modem
RJ-45 LAN
HDMI
HDDB15 VGA
headphone
microphone
Additionally, there’s a webcam and a 5-in-one media reader (alas, not large enough for a compact flash card, but an external card reader solved the problem).
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition is pre-installed and took a little getting used to after my XP machines, but I think it ultimately will make home networking a much easier install as the system is quite intuitive.
This is my second HP computer and I am impressed with its performance. I especially like the software compatibility feature that allows me to run older programs in XP mode.
Gripes? Very few. The 5400 rpm drive speed seems a little slow after a 7200 desktop speed and I would not recommend it for serious games, however, for the beginner to average user, it’s a good solid machine.
Recommended.