Technology is changing fast in the world of computers and with the latest AMD APU based systems and Intel Sandy Bridge processors we have to take a step back and reconsider how we measure the value of the computer. Gone are the days when one could look at the Processor speed and choose a computer on that alone. So it is with these in mind I review HP’s DV6-6135DX laptop which retails for around $699.99.
Everyone always wants to know the specifications and for good reason. The combination of parts gives us a good indicator of performance. This modest 15.6in laptops comes with the AMD A8-3500 series APU. Yes this a quad-core with a base clock speed of 1.5GHz and can increase via Turbo Speed to 2.4Ghz. We also get 6GB of ram and a 640GB hard drive. The optical drive is a sweet little Blu-Ray player and DVD Burner. And to sweeten that even further we get Beats Audio with Quad-Speakers. Now this also features switchable graphics with the HD 6620G built into the APU and the dedicated HD 6750M to give you that extra edge. Also included are a few standard options such as Wireless N, Gigabit Ethernet, Multi card reader slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, and a fingerprint reader. On the newer side of tech life we get 2 USB 3.0 ports, HP TrueVision HD Webcam with microphone. Also to not that we have 1 Microphone in and two Headphone out ports. All weighing at a cozy 6.01 lbs.
It’s definitely heavier than my HP DM4, but it should be with a larger screen. However between the two this has the brighter more vivid screen. The keyboard is Chiclet and quite comfortable to type on. It’s full size with a number pad to the right. The touchpad supports multi gesture and is big enough for anyone to be comfortable. It is also outlined with a thin LED light. Nice appearance and compliments the Black Brushed aluminum design. Yes this thing looks sharp!
As I mentioned I review this based on real world results. Which means I had to take a few weeks to break it in, install my software and remove the unnecessary software that comes preinstalled. Which by the way is not all bad, you just have to choose what you will use or not and adjust your startup programs accordingly. For me Wild Tangent has always bugged me and I never play those games, thus I uninstalled all the HP Games. The first thing I did was uninstall Norton 60 days trial and install Eset Smart Security 5. There is no sense in having a solid laptop without the best security! Next I install Office 2010 which is preinstalled and just required my Product Key. It’s a great time saver that is found on almost al new PCs. Next I made sure Flash and Adobe Reader were up to date along with all the drivers and HP’s Support Assistant. Next a few things to help with my Multimedia Enjoyment. I installed Digiarty’s WinX Blu-Ray Decrypter, Gimp, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, iTunes, and VLC. This are the main things I need for a laptop that I see primarily to use as a Multimedia machine and compliments the Blu-Ray player software that is already installed.
So how about that performance? Well I noticed right away that by boot time into Windows was much faster than my HP DM4, which has a Dual-Core Core i7. Granted the DM4 is older and has more production software on it. Still that is impressive. Next I like to have movies available without having to swap discs. Not needing a disc also saves battery from spinning said disc. So I tossed in my Blu-Ray copy of Law Abiding Citizen and using WinX Blu-Ray decrypter was able to have a playable digital copy in 50 minutes while on battery, plugged it should save a few minutes. But this is a laptop and is meant to be used on battery. I also for good measure played the Disc in Cyberlink PowerDVD and let’s just say it was a great looking picture and the sound is sweet, sweet, sweet full sound! Now I will point out that the Blu-ray drive was quite noisy while spinning up, but once it got going it was almost dead silent.
Microsoft Word launches in under 3 seconds and I have no delay while typing. That’s an A+ right there. Copying that 28.5GB video file I created was done in just over 10 minutes. And a complete scan with Eset Smart Security took about the same. All this while on battery. And running this tasks while typing has left me with just 45% battery life, and I should point out that I have my power settings set to high performance. This also shows that it can handle multitasking with ease.
The bottom line is this is a beautiful laptop with a powerful APU from AMD that handles multimedia very well. It’s great for Music, Movies, and pictures and can handle everyday tasks. It’s performance in modest for content creation, but still has enough power to get the job done. If your looking for a solid built laptop to handle your entertainment needs, this is it. Battery life is fair and if needed you can save power by keeping the HP Recommended power setting. But I get enough juice on High Performance, with close to 3 hours of demanding workload. Yes, this is a very well rounded laptop and worth the $699 price tag.
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