HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch
HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop. Use the integrated numeric keypad to work faster in spreadsheets. Watch slide shows and DVDs on a 15.6″ diagonal widescreen display. Plus, show off your sense of style with the metallic HP Imprint finish.
SPECIFICATIONS:
dv6-1260se notebook
Processor:
2.30GHz AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra ZM-85 Dual-Core Mobile Processor Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1 Display:
15.6″ Diagonal High-Definition HP LED BrightView Display Hard Drive:
500 GB Memory (RAM):
4 GB Graphics Card:
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4650 (M96) with up to 2815MB total available graphics memory with 1024MB dedicated Wireless:
Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN & Bluetooth® wireless technology Battery:
12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h):
6.47lbs; 14.9″ x 10.15″ x 1.33″/1.61″
Helpful consumer’s review
My wife and I purchased a slightly different version of this laptop for her mother and I have been very impressed with the features and build quality (there are several DV6 models but they are all built on the same chasis). It is well constructed with a metallic toned black or white plastic exterior (this model is white, we have the black). Take a good look at the shell art since it is something that may not appeal to everyone. My mother-in-law definitely appreciated having something a little more individual than the usual dull grey exterior. Despite the glossy exterior we haven’t noticed much in the way of finger prints or any scratches despite the helping hands of our kids who love to “help” grandma with her computer.
The specs for this model are set well above what the average home owner needs today which (in my mind) future proofs it nicely. If you are on a tight budget you can get what you need for less (look at the HP Pavilion G60 line). If you have a little bit more to spend and you want some headroom to handle your computing needs for the next few years this is a great choice.
CPU – The dual core Turion is a solid notebook processor. It can handle two threads which means you can have the virus scanner running while you surf the web with no noticeable slowdown. No it’s not the most aggressive notebook CPU out there but it’s a solid mid-tier processor that runs cool and has a great power envelope. Outside of gaming CPUs are not the performance bottleneck in notebooks so most users should aim for a mid-tier CPU and spend their budget on things that will get them more tangible enjoyment (like a nice display and good graphics).
RAM – of RAM is combined with a 64bit OS to which should provided more than enough memory for pretty much any application you can think of outside of extremely high end gaming.
HDD – 500GB plenty is far more space than you need now but again, I like the future proofing. Some people may not like that it is 5400 RPM (vs. 7200 RPM) but the performance difference for home users is nearly zero and the reliability of 5400 RPM drives makes me prefer them in notebooks which are hard on hard disks (because they move around while in use notebook HDDs suffer far more failures than desktop drives)
Graphics – The integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 is vastly superior to the usual low-end graphics that plague notebooks. You can actually do a little gaming on this notebook which is a truly rare thing.
Display – HP has a reputation for high-end displays and this one delivers. Tuned slightly for indoor use the HP Brightview display is good enough for outdoor use though not as much as a more matte display. Indoors it is brilliant with surprisingly strong blacks (too many notebook displays are all brightness with no depth). I like that the 16″ wide screen provides a decent amount of vertical space without overdoing it. The difference between this and a 14″-15″ is surprising.
Sound – Surprisingly good sound for a notebook. The speakers are well positioned and deliver a good range. I’ve heard better but it was on a $3K notebook.
Battery – For years the retail notebook market has been plagued with cheap six cell and even four cell batteries that could barely deliver 90 minutes of real computing use. To see HP bundle a 12 cell Li-Ion battery in with this notebook is hopefully a sign the industry is recognizing that noteboo users want good battery life. With a 12 cell battery you can realistically plan to go all day without plugging in. This does add slightly to the weight but few users will notice (about 1/10 of a pound).
I don’t have any serious “cons” for this computer. The “Touch Media Controls” for things like the volume (as opposed to buttons you push) are a little odd at first but we got used to them quickly and hey, they look cool when they light up.
To wrap it all up: you can always buy more features for more money but if you are looking for a laptop with some higher-end features and upscale build quality this is an excellent choice. HP spent money in the right places and has created a high-end laptop at a mid-tier price