HP Pavilion g6-1d80nr 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dark Gray)

*Note: This is an updated review. Updated on, 3/7/2013

Ok, before purchasing this product, I searched and searched everywhere for other laptops. I’m not too technical when it comes to computers. To me, a computer is a computer. However, as a college student, I do want something that runs fast and smooth yet inexpensive. So my super old laptop broke, when I mean old, I mean Windows XP old. I went on the hunt for a new laptop. I know there are better ones out there, but I do recommend this laptop if you’re looking for something that is not expensive and runs VERY smooth and fast!

If you’re on a budget, this laptop will work for you. It’s not expensive and it has a lot of amazing cool features that will satisfy all your entertainment needs. Videos on Hulu and/or Netflix work well. I haven’t had a problem yet. Games also run smoothly. If you’re a Sim player, then this laptop will run it smoothly, and without a problem.

Webcam is pretty cool, too. Although it’s not HD quality or anything, it still takes view-able pictures and videos. Works well with Skype and other third party communication applications. The sound is okay, not too fancy like I expected, but it’s good quality.

Not only do I use this laptop for entertainment, it’s indeed very useful for school. As a college student, we depend on our computers to function, this laptop has not let me down yet.

In the end, I do recommend. Funny thing, my sister bought one after I did and she loves it too.

*Update, August 2012:

The computer is still fine, working properly, no problems whatsoever! I use it all the times for school, since the Fall is now beginning! Even if you’re not in school, it is still good for your entertainment needs, and all your other necessities!

*Update, March 2013

It’s the Spring term, and the computer has not let me down yet. Everything works fine. I have two writing classes, which all deal with research, and it’s really easy to do with this computer. It’s still fast and reliable. The only problem that I’m seeing is that it’s overheating. It just overheats quickly. I think this is because of me playing too much Sims 3 during my freetime (which I have none, oh my, haha). So, what I suggest you do is purchase a laptop cooling fan. That’s what I did, and the computer is not overheating anymore, thank God! If you do purchase a fan, please make sure it’s the right one for your laptop. In terms of size, etc.

I still recommend this laptop to anyone. Although Windows 8 is out, I think you should hold on getting Windows 8.

-Andrew

I debated tablet, netbook, and new laptop. Netbook and tablet wasnt going to fit the bill because I need something with a drive. After much deliberation I went with the G6. Turns out I made a good choice. The picture clarity is fantastic. Its one of the fastest laptops I have owned.With windows 7, how could you go wrong. I have owned other HP laptops in the past and I think this one here is the better of the ones Ive used. The wireless works well on my network. So far so good, I will post something out if things go wrong but to be honest I do not forsee that.

This laptop is a great buy for the price. It is exactly what I expected, and I really like the size of it after having a 17 in’ for the last 2 years. Performance wise, avoid running multiple application at the same time ( and I mean running more than 5 apps at the same time). Tested it to see how much it could handle, and it didn’t hold up very well. If your looking for something that looks nice, works great, then you can’t go wrong for $389.

I purchased an HP netbook around July of 2010 and really adored it for quite a while. In December of 2011, I had oral surgery and didn’t feel like sitting at my desktop for a couple of weeks because my neck and upper body ached (I have no idea why b/c I was out cold). Anyway, while working from my easy chair and watching the Golden Girls, I gradually began to realize that my netbook was basically useless when I had to research articles (I freelance) and/or log into my college’s online system for completing/submitting assignments. The netbook was actually restricing the performance of my high-speed internet.

So, I shopped around and saw this laptop in a store then came home to research it online, analyze the specs in comparison to other models, etc. I felt that this laptop was the best value (as of early 2012) when compared to other laptops with similar features. It definitely has all the power I need for running office programs, blogging, playing Zynga games (I confess), etc. My netbook would have died if I looked cross-eyed at anything beyond my Facebook wall. I also loved that this has all of the F buttons and “Home,” “End,” “Page Up,” and “Page Down.” Navigating without a mouse is awkward enough without losing my favorite keyboard shortcuts because the buttons were gone.

For anyone needing a work/school/casual entertainment computer, this unit will suffice. However, you will need a pair of headphones to truly enjoy a movie since even the improved speakers leave a bit to be desired. This probably wouldn’t be powerful enough if you are into high-end gaming or a high-end media consumer.

The only quirk I have experienced with it is the brightness adjustment buttons losing their ability to actually adjust the brightness. I had to look around online to find the way to fix this issue. It was fairly simple to correct, but still an odd situation that (based on my reading) seems to be common with some models of HP and Compaq laptops.

I don’t think I will be replacing this unit at any time in the immediate future since it has all of the power I need at the present time and likely will for many years.

I have owned many HP Pavilion desktops over the years, and loved them all. They all lasted for many years, and never had any problems at all. I’m not sure if the Pavilion is a separate division of HP or not, but it’s a name I know and trust. I have had several HP printers also that print beautifully without problems, so when it was time for a new laptop, I chose another HP.

This is a sleek, good looking, lightweight workhorse of a computer. It comes loaded with Office, which I wanted. The keyboard is perfect, and the screen is matte and doesn’t seem to collect dirt and fingerprints easily. The fingerpad mouse works effortlessly as well. I like this so much, I stopped using my desktop computer completely and now have only this on my desk.

This stays remarkably cool on the bottom, unlike some other laptops I’ve used. And the price is good for a remarkably nice laptop, carrying the Pavilion brand no less. The case is glossy but it also fingerprint resistant. It’s a classy chassis and not cheap feeling. The keys feel solid and are very quiet.

The touch pad is excellent. It is a simple textured plastic pad built into the wrist rest with two mouse buttons underneath. The pad is the right texture, and the buttons are solid feeling.

The display is LED backlit, with great quality image. This also has nice Altec Lansing speakers, which sound very good for a laptop. Not great, but better than most.

I’m no expert on chipsets and processors. I can only tell you tha this one doesn’t slow down when I have Dreamweaver open along with Office, at the same time. I keep those two programs, along with a few other windows, open at the same time. I can’t tell that this is such an inexpensive laptop, since all these programs respond perfectly even though I am probably using the maximum ram.

The built-in CD/DVD burner was a must have for me. So many laptops skip this, but I use a lot of CD’s since I subscribe to Netflix, and was tired of hooking my external CD drive to my last small laptop.

I can’t think of any negatives on this laptop. I have found that anything with the HP Pavilion name on it works flawlessly, and this one is no different. This is my fifth Pavilion.

The HP Pavilion g6-1d80nr 15.6″ Uni-body is made of plastic. This type of plastic shows to be very strong, not what you would expect with plastic construction. The top lid has large hinges that snap it close, the lid has no latch, so far it does the job. The keys are nicely laid out, the only thing here is that the letters and markings are hard to see in low light. Next thing, the mouse pad has some problems. The mouse is hard to scroll, and hard to control. The mouse will hang up and jump around. The software that is supplied is not that good, some of it needs to be uninstall. There are some good things about this unit, that is for a 15.6″ laptop it is very light weigh. With 4gb of ram and a 500gb hard drive, it has good speed. The video screen is lacking in pixels, but it gives a very nice bright picture. The audio speakers are very weak, not much going on there, for good audio you need to add head phones, are mini speakers. For the price, this is a good basic laptop. I think that an upgrade to Windows 8, and adding some good software, will make this a great laptop. I am giving it 4 stars.

i got lucky! just bought this two days ago using my cell after my 6yo iBook went to laptop heaven. a lot has changed in six years LOL. loving it. my iBook was pre-intel too so this is a lot of fun. everything loads.. and fast too. just like the two other reviews this is a winner.. buy it. (and i got it for $379 JUST TWO DAYS AGO!!!)

I love it. Runs quiet. It is pretty fast. The sound is no problem at all. It isn’t really that low starting out. Just right to me. The cam and mic works good on Oovoo web cam chat program. It was easy to set up and easy to get use to the mouse system. The keyboard types great. I got this laptop for 389.99 so it was a great deal. Still likely a great deal because you’ll get a good laptop. If you don’t like using the mouse pad you can hook up an usb mouse easily.

After having purchased 3 or 4 Sony laptops I decided to try an HP and thus far couldn’t be more pleased. It was priced very reasonable, it is very fast, it accepted all my existing software and it connects to my wireless router much faster than my Sony. I say keep it up HP!!!