 Guess I Got a Good One! |
| Review Date: August 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ChucksGTO, San Antonio, Texas |
| What a great laptop. Read some of the horror stories, just hard to believe. I've been building computers for family and friends since 1988 and for the money, can't beat the performance. Good processor, sufficient HD, more than sufficient memory and for the money, can't beat the graphics and great sound. Yes, just as in everything else, a lemon gets through, but you can't judge them all on a few. I was looking at Acer's Timeline machines and with all of them you sacrifice performance for battery life. Smaller processors use less power. I'll take the 3 to 4 hours and performance anytime. If you get a bad on return if for another, if the same happens, then you have a right to complain. Life is to short to get stress out over trivial matters. |
Perfect Laptop For Me
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| Review Date: August 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: RRB, Manassas, VA |
| I've had this laptop for 3 weeks now and no problems except that I can't get the scroll bar on the track pad to work. I did a clean install of Windows 7 RC 64-Bit and this laptop runs like a champ!! Those with performance issues are probably due to the combination of Vista and all the bloatware HP installs. I've got this laptop humming!! Highly recommend it. Very light and portable with good battery life. HDMI out looked pretty good on a 52" LCD TV. Probably would look perfect on something a little smaller like a 32" 1080P monitor. Great bang for the buck with this one! |
Does everything I need, fast without problems
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| Review Date: February 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: tehg, California |
It seems like I have get a new laptop every two years, I've gone with Acer, Fujitsu ultraportable (and ultra expensive), Compaq, Toshiba, and now HP. Honestly, the HP wasn't my first choice, I wanted smaller and lighter, namely the dell latitude e4300 which is about 2 pounds lighter, 13" and $900 more. The dv3 wasn't light enough for me to justify the extra hundred and fifty dollars I would have had to spend for a 13" HP. When the dell failed to appear at my price range I knew I needed to make a new choice. Having previously had a nearly indestructible Compaq, I settled for this model when I was able to get it for $50 less than the going rate (about 150 off of the initial manufacturer's recommended price)about 5 months ago; so far I haven't been disappointed. Battery life is about 3:45, about what I expected based on reviews and the always inflated advertised life. There's always a 12 cell battery available if I wanted to upgrade. On the other hand I will use it mostly plugged in since I don't see this as a "light" or "portable" laptop, IMO to qualify for that category you can't top 3.5 lbs.
First the good stuff:
Mine doesn't run hot at all (apparently it was a problem with some dv4 models then fixed by HP) This is HUGE as I exclusively use my laptop in my lap; my compaq ran hot, the acer was unbearable, the fujitsu was so so.
I have recently taken to using a lap desk with it, and with a hard surface underneath I rarely hear the fan, even after hours of use.
The biggest plus though, it has more than enough power to do anything I want it to (I am currently running 29 tabs in Firefox, something that alone would have killed my last computer, MS Word, a remote desktop connection). The Adobe CS4 tests seemed solid for this class of laptop which went a long way in selling me on this model. In the end I switched from CS4 to Lightroom so I don't need as much processor power, but it is nice to know that it is more than enough machine to handle my hobby usage.
I don't expect instant boot but it is fast enough for me to turn on and pull up a document without becoming a painful wait for my client on the other end of the phone.
I like the fact that the DVD is removable and an insert is provided for travel/etc to get the weight lower. My Fujitsu had this and it made a huge difference when I used the insert (I took that laptop with me everywhere, every day, so it had to be super light) I have yet to use this feature on the HP but I have yet to travel with it either.
I am not a big video on PC person, but the few netflix streamed movies I've watched have been sharp and pretty with decent sound. The screen and keyboard are both comfortably sized without being huge. I love the HDMI option and the fact that the usb ports are on both the left and the right.
Finally the cons:
I seem to have problems with the touchpad when working in remote desktop, if a review of the dv4-1433 is correct, the pad is sensing the heat from my hands and the cursor ends up jumping around. Oddly I don't have this issue as frequently when not working remotely. The ability to turn the touchpad off adequately compensates for and solves this issue when necessary.
The shiny surface of the brown version of this machine (slightly different model number) can be a major fingerprint magnet. I happened to like the white better and luckily it hides fingerprints somewhat (not as much as a matte surface machine, but way better than the brown one) |
I absolutely love this laptop.
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| Review Date: July 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Rachel, |
| I LOVE this laptop. Its perfect for me. I've only had it a few hours, but I am in love with it. I was sceptical at first because i wanted to get a Macbook Pro, but then I realized that i'm only paying for the name, not the computer itself. A day or two before I ordered my new computer, I went with my friend to pick up some CDs at Office Depot and I saw this laptop. I automatically fell in love. Its sort of hard to explain, you have to see it for yourself :) |
Amazing!
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| Review Date: July 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Campbell, |
Before buying this laptop I had bought one from Gateway and it gave me so many problems that I couldn't stand it. I returned it to the store and my only other option for the same price was this laptop. I absolutely love it! Its 100x sturdier than the Gateway and much better looking with its lightup "HP" symbol and cool design. Also, the performance is just as good.
PROS
-durability
-style
-speed
-price
-hardware
-audio quality(high definition)
-ports (HDMI, eSATA, VGA, USB)
-comes with a remote
-battery life (over 2 hours of heavy use)
CONS
-runs hot
-seems to be a little buggy (video card driver crashes every once in a while but recovers itself after a few seconds. Reinstalling driver didn't fix the problem)
-there is no program that comes with the computer or from HP that allows the webcam settings to be changed (resolution, quality, etc)
Overall I LOVE this laptop though and I'm glad that I bought it regardless of its flaws. The value is amazing!
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Good value - basic laptop
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| Review Date: August 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gabo, Sedona, AZ |
| My sister needed a basic laptop to run Powerpoint and use web based apps like gmail, google docs, etc. And take it on the road while making presentations to customers. A netbook was tempting but she needed the DVD unit so we chose this one instead. It is slow, but that was fixed by turning off many unnecessary Windows Vista services that just consume too much CPU power. After tweaking Vista (it took about 2 hours, you can google the term "Tweak Windows Vista" and get to a great site with the proper info) we manage to run it very fast. We also did a clean install of Windows XP and it works even better. At that point we got what we wanted: a Netbook with god battery life and a DVD unit all for less that $499 after rebates. For $499 a good value. For $700 it is a bit overpriced as at that price point the basic Macbook at $999 is a better option hardware wise. |
Excellent Value
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| Review Date: September 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: degani, TN |
I purchased this laptop about a month ago to be used primarily at home, but needed something that was highly portable for trips, as well as something I could use for remote work logins. Since it is a Vista unit, we've not yet gotten all of the RDP/VPN kinks worked out, but it's just a matter or time.
THE GOOD:
The size and weight of the unit is perfect for portability, and while the color (white) is not my all-time favorite, it is not an unappealing color scheme. The built-in mic and camera work flawlessly with any of the messenger-type applications I've tried. Goodbye, plug-in webcams! The image, too, is better than I thought it would be. I was also concerned that the battery would jut out in the back, as many of the newer laptops do--this one does not. I actually use it as a lap top PC--it rests on my lap as I type--so I did not want a battery configuration that would prove to be uncomfortable. Plus, it came with *almost* all of the features I was looking for--a wealth of USB ports, webcam and mic, DVD player (with lightscribe). Slingbox software also comes preinstalled on this unit, though you will have to purchase a slingbox if you want to use that functionality. It also runs DVDs well. If desired, you can use it with the included remote control (I have not).
THE BAD:
The biggest drawback to this unit is its battery life. I charged the battery up fully before disconnecting the power supply initially, and have run it down fully before recharging each time, and even on "power saver" mode, the battery life does not reach 3 hours, though it is rated for 5+. That is pretty disappointing, but I recognize that using the Internet with multiple applications open simultaneously does drain the battery faster. The other thing I had hoped to find on the unit was a full version of MS Office 2007. It, like many, comes with a trial version--though there are units out there now with full versions of this product at comparable price points.
THE UGLY:
Aside from the issues of Vista compatibility (particularly with the RDP/VPN issue above and the "run as administrator" idiocy), there's not much about this laptop that falls in this category. Plus, since this unit came with a free upgrade to Windows 7, it is hoped that that sordid Vista tale will have a happy ending.
CONCLUSION:
This is a compact, full-featured laptop that is very well priced. |
Not bad for the $$$
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| Review Date: August 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Alexander J. Fong, Sunnyvale, CA |
| A pretty good computer for the price. It has good specs and a nice finish. The batter life is not quite up to snuff, getting a maximum of only about 3 hrs. 45 minutes. However, it's overall a pretty versatile computer and it definitely reigns supreme in the realm of cost efficiency. |
Bad Omen!
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| Review Date: August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lola, Fort Wayne, IN United States |
Well, how to start....
The specs on this quaint little laptop are pretty nice for the price. I've never owned an HP and I was debating between the DV4-1430US and the Toshiba Satellite A505-6973. Both had similar specs, the Toshiba with a bigger hard drive. But I'm a sucker for the 14" laptops for their mobility. I must say that I didn't actually purchase the HP from Amazon. I got it from another retailer because of a lower sale price. So, out of the box, this is an attractive little unit. Light weight yet sturdy. Basic functions are quick. I'd heard that HPs ran a bit hot and that this model was not an exception. But I didn't find it to run quite as hot as my previous laptop that is only a year old (gave it to my nephew - that's why I bought this one). Anyway, for the basics: internet, writing papers, doing some programming - it was fine.
Here's where the review goes downhill and the reason for only 2 stars.
Never got a chance to really test the "entertainment value" of the DV4-1430US. My keyboard stopped working. Wouldn't respond to anything. Luckily, I was within the time frame to return it to the store and did so immediately. Exchanged it for another - same model. By the second day of having the new one, definitely noticed that the hard drive was running very loud. I'm an IT Systems technician for a large company and while some people may not really notice the loud hard drive, I recognized it right away as something that would wreak havoc very soon. Because I have another week to return it to the store, I've hung onto it to get a chance to "window" shop for another because I'm definitely not returning it for the same model. Well, guess what....? Blue Screen of Death tonight. So, I'm pretty much guessing that's my queue to figuring out whether an HP is right for me. Too bad. They have some nice looking laptops.
Will probably go with the Toshiba. Amazon still has it for a nice price and I'm a big Toshiba fan. Guess I should learn to stick with what I know works. |
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