HP Pavilion dv7-2180us Entertainment user reviews (17.3" - Core 2 Quad Q9000 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit - 6 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD)

Pros large hdd, a lot of ram, a lot of dedicated video memory, latest mid range mobile video chip, bluetooth, wireless n, possibly can support 3 monitors, full numeric keypad, ability to turn mousepad off, great audio w/ bass, mobile quad core processor

Cons A higher screen resolution and a 9 cell battery would be nice. I also wouldn't mind some facial recognition security software that utilizes the webcam like what Dell has been offering with their laptops.

Summary I did my research before deciding on this laptop and laptops with similar specifications were around $2000 or more. I was actually going to go with a cheaper model, the dv7-2170us, but then I noticed how cheap this one was and decided to go with it. Wow, am I glad I did. I absolutely love this laptop. The quad core processor makes multitasking (and the whole system overall) run so much smoother. With 6 GB of RAM I don't have to worry about running low on system memory no matter how many programs I open (technically it is possible but I can't see myself doing it unintentionally). The 500 GB HDD means that Vista only inhabits 8% of the hard disk. Gaming isn't an issue at all thanks to the new video chipset with plenty of memory. I don't know if the video chipset will support three monitors but there are enough ports present (two not including the laptop screen itself) to support it. The full numeric keypad and the ability to turn off the mousepad are nice touches. I absolutely love the audio on this laptop. The speakers are loud and clear and the sub woofer adds a nice little touch of bass. The audio is at 50% volume by default so you do have turn it up in the audio settings. Otherwise you won't get very good audio.

This is also a very attractive laptop. There is a mirror polish to the whole laptop. The mousepad is mirror finished chrome and chrome edges the sides of the laptop. "HP" shines with a blue light on the top of the laptop when it's turned on. HP even went as far as to use white lighting on the multimedia panel so it matches the background. The multimedia panel is touch sensitive. The background is black with white pinstripes and a chrome "gears" pattern gracing the outside and inside left corners of the laptop. The construction itself seems decently sturdy but the mirror polishing and chrome accents suggest that this laptop should be treated with care if you want to maintain its good looks. HP includes a soft cloth to clean the laptop with.

One really nice touch is that HP includes a remote with this laptop. I know they do that with all their laptops that have RF receivers, and I applaud them for it. A lot of OEMS will slap RF receivers on their laptops but won't include a remote so most customers never even realize what their laptop is capable of.

The HP "Total Care" software is probably one of the most helpful instances of OEM software that I've seen. It would be nice though if they included easy access to the power settings. There's not too much software installed on the laptop by default. There's the basic stuff you need to utilize the laptop's various features, security software, and games. The way HP seems to have handled the bloatware issue is by swapping software trial installations with shortcuts that lead you to downloading the trial software if you decide you want it. If you don't you can simply delete the shortcut. This is way more convenient and less time consuming than uninstalling one thing after another.

While I listed the screen resolution as a con, it really isn't bad. It's not the best, but it's good enough that most people will find it to be perfectly ok. The 9 cell battery thing is also me nit-picking - the laptop comes with an 8 cell so there's just one cell's difference. I just wonder why HP didn't just go ahead and slap the much more common 9 cell battery on here.

The base Windows Experience score is a 5 due to the RAM having a rating of 5. Everything else is a 5.6, 5.8, or 5.9.

Overall I am very pleased with this laptop and would recommend it to anyone needing a major upgrade and/or a powerful laptop.