Best Deal? - $825 for HP dv6t Quad Edition

[Merlot.SWG]

Hey, I'm looking for a new laptop for around $750. Found this HP dv6t Quad Edition on logicbuy.com for $825 and it looks like a pretty good deal. I like everything about it except for the screen and the fact that my last HP had major overheating problems, to the point that some components became toast.

I found some posts on this deal when searching the forums, but they're more than a month old and talk about specs, rather than comparisons to other laptops. With memorial day rebates still lingering, does anyone know a better deal than this in this price range?

• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) w/Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz
• 1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6770M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE Upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• No Additional Office Software
• No additional security software
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.5 hours of battery life +++
• 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN with Wireless Display Support
• Standard Keyboard with numeric keypad
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

It also has USB 3.0 from what I can tell.

LINK: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...quad_series_62

 

[Piano Man]

I just got this laptop tonight as a gift to my wife. I upgrade a few things on such as:

1080p screen
6770M with 2GB (because of the 1080p)
WiDi and BT
750GB 7200RPM HDD
The slightly better 6 cell battery

With that, it came to 1003 before tax/shipping (I think shipping is free)

First impressions:

1. The 1080p screen is fantastic. Its a matte screen, and while I'll give the edge to the Dell XPS 1080p screens, this isn't that far off, and I'm quite impressed with its brightness to be honest. Definitely pony up the 150 for the 1080p, especially since the default screen is sol low res.

2. Beats Audio. Not quite a gimmick, but it certainly doesn't give you amazingly fantastic sound out of the sound bar. Definitely better than most laptops, although, the Dell XPS's JBL takes the cake.

3. The keyboard seems pretty good. I'm used to Lenovo's myself, but I could see getting used to this. I got pretty chunky fingers, and I'm not noticing any issues. Its got a 10key which is nice. Its not backlit, but I don't watch my hands when I type so I could care less.

4. Touch Pad. Its definitely not a Mac. Its not bad, its just not great. Slightly above average. I miss the Lenovo nubby as well.

5. Speed is great. I haven't hit this too hard in the GPU department, but so far, I'm really liking the speed. Future upgrade for this will be SSD for sure.

6. Noise/Heat - If you are utilizing the 6770 and are running it hard, this will definitely be a laptop that you don't want on your lap and you'll hear the fan, although its just the moving air thats audible, and not any type of buzzing. However, once I disabled the discrete for the onboard GPU (you can set parameters withing the switchable graphics console), this machine actually stays quite cool. Actually, really cool, even on the lap while watching 1080p movies.

7. Aesthetics. Overall not too bad. Its not as slender as the envy or a MBP, but its got some decent lines on it. Not too chunky, especially given its specs.

8. Connectivity. 4 USB. 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0. SD MMC reader, Blu-Ray HDMI, VGA, dual headphone out, mic, Gbit Lan. WiFi, WiDi, BT. Its really quite nice.

Overall, I'm liking it. The touchpad is kinda meh, but screen is gorgeous, great speed for everything from surfing to moderate gaming. The Beats Audio bar does help, although not a lot. Keyboard is decent for a chiclet.

But as you can see as well, the clincher is the price. Its pretty thin, looks good, and has great specs for 1 Grand, and you can go cheaper as well.

I say go for it. I got mine 5 days earlier than they estimated as well.

 

[Merlot.SWG]

Thanks a lot for the review, Piano Man. I was especially worried about the heat, but it seems that you confirmed what others have been saying. Guess there's nothing left but for me to take out my credit card

 

[mnewsham]

2gb VRAM is not needed for 1080p only 2560x1440 and up.

 

[M0RPH]

Have you checked the prices of Dell XPS 15 in the outlet? There's currently a $150 off $799+ coupon.

You should not settle for the low res screen. Whatever you do, get the 1080P screen. Also, I personally can't see buying a high end laptop without a backlit keyboard.

I see an XPS 15 right now in outlet with 1080P, i7-740QM, 2GB Nvidia 435M, Blu-ray, 8GB RAM, and backlit kb for $989... $849 after coupon

 

[Schadenfreude]

Have you checked the prices of Dell XPS 15 in the outlet? There's currently a $150 off $799+ coupon.

You should not settle for the low res screen. Whatever you do, get the 1080P screen. Also, I personally can't see buying a high end laptop without a backlit keyboard.

I see an XPS 15 right now in outlet with 1080P, i7-740QM, 2GB Nvidia 435M, Blu-ray, 8GB RAM, and backlit kb for $989... $849 after coupon

Yeah, I agree. Of course, I am a bit biased as I just traded the older model DV7T (i7-640M) for a Dell XPS L502 (i5-2410M). Outside of performance, I've had better luck build-quality wise from Dell (Vostro 1500 ran beautifully, was a tank; Studio 1458 is built really nice, and I'm very happy with the quality of the XPS so far) than HP (Wife's HP TX2000 was a toaster that barely ran, the keyboard on the DV7T was built on a bed of fluffy spongecake, I swear). They may have improved the lines somewhat but for me - with my track record - I'm going to stick to/recommend Dell/Lenovo/Asus over HP anytime.