HP Pavilion dv6-1230us (15.6" - Core 2 Duo T6500 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD)

Overall nice. I got mine for college, and it should be pretty adequate. It comes with one of those slots for the Kensington laptop locks. It's not really a gaming laptop, although the dual thread processor and lots of RAM make it good for multitasking. Seeing how most computers are though, this isn't unique. Very good for watching movies, which is why this is designed for entertainment, haha. The given remote control only works with some HP media player, but that probably won't be an issue for most people.

Other than that, I'm just wondering why this laptop wasn't reviewed by CNET...

Updated on Aug 29, 2009

I just noticed my initial review was kinda vague. Well, for gaming, this laptop has an integrated graphics card, so don't even bother trying to play some of the newer games out there.

The battery that sticks out from the bottom was mainly an issue for me when it came to getting a laptop cooler, buyers might want to watch out for that.

It mostly gets hot underneath, especially when playing games (obviously). The fan that comes with it doesn't seem very powerful though...

I purchased this laptop last year, and I was looking for a laptop that would have excellent battery life and still give me some gaming capabilities. The 12-cell battery was excellent, and this laptop was only around $600 with the rebates. Overall it works well. I use it for internet, Zune software, Microsoft Office and Media Center or watching tv online. It is excellent for those. The HDMI port allows me to connect to my TV and the whole family can watch shows that way. The included HP remote also lets me control Media Center without having to walk up to use the mouse/keyboard.

However, gaming is where this laptop comes up short. The Intel 4500MHD is clearly not a gaming GPU. I knew that when I purchased it, but I still thought it would be ok. It has made my games playable, but it still leaves much to be desired. I can play pre-2006 games pretty well. Star Wars Battlefront II runs fine on this at highest resolution and most settings low. I haven't measured it with fraps yet, but it's probably between 25-30 FPS. MVP Baseball 2005 also runs well with all settings on high. New games will be a problem on this. MLB 2k9 gets averages 20-25 FPS with all settings on low. Lord of the Rings Conquest is even worse at an average of 15 FPS with all settings low. I still enjoy playing and it is playable, however, it does get frustrating at times. Bottom line is that if you are a serious gamer, this laptop is not for you. But, if you are a more casual gamer and don't mind playing games are slower FPS than you would be ok.

Overall this laptop is great for everyday usage and entertainment purposes and also if you're on the go. But, if you're looking for a gaming machine, you need to look elsewhere. If you're tight on budget, the best option would be to get a laptop with an AMD processor. These always come with ATI's Radeon integrated chips, and while they are still integrated, their performance is so much more better and actually acceptable on lower settings.