HP Pavilion DV6605US 15.4-inch Entertainment Laptop (AMD Athlon 64 Processor TK-55, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

I bought this product 4 my daughter over a year ago. It looked good & worked great 4 about 3 months. She called me from college (out of state) 2 tell me it was acting strangely. (It was taking a long time 2 boot up, show a black screen, then shutdown & restart.) My daughter brought the unit home during the Thanskgiving break.

I had the unit shipped 2 HP service. They informed me that the issue was related 2 the heat sink. They replaced the heat sink & returned it 2 my daughter.

The same problems manifested itself a few months later. I returned the unit 2 HP 4 service. Again, the problem was heat sink related. I requested a new unit & was denied. Expecting more problems 2 come, I purchased a Sony Vaio laptop 4 my daughter. I kept the HP 2 see what would happen.

The unit lasted longer in my care, but the same problems reoccurred again. At this point, the unit was no longer under warrantee. So, I replaced it with a Macbook.

We loved this unit when it was working. Clearly, there was some defect in this particular unit that HP should have addressed. I have used a number of HP computers over the years & have never encountered this type of issue. More 2 the point, I expected more from HP service given that the same problem kept reoccurring.

It will be a while before I purchase another HP computer.

That's a laptop that was buy by a buddy with my account, a really hard work laptop, he use it everyday at work, at home, leave it all night downloading. A high quality product.

I hate writing bad reviews 4 products that i own. Unfortunately i would like 2 share my experience with this laptop. At first few months it was ok, but after 5 months of hardly using, one time it just stop working & it wont charge. So i sent it 2 local HP tech & they told me that it a motherboard problem & they need 2 change it. This time it was still under warranty so i didn't need 2 pay any bucks. but after 4 months which the warranty of the HP expired again it stopped working & same problem was diagnose & now i have 2 pay 4 $500 just 2 fix & replace the motherboard again. I have 4 different laptop & 2 of them are HP, but this model isn't that good enough 2 last.

I purchased this laptop on April 9, 2008 after reviewing the specs with a close personal friend. This laptop is awesome. I love the 250 Hard Drive & the 4 GB RAM. Vista Ultimate is a definite plus. This is the second laptop I have purchased from HP, however, the first time I have purchased electronics from Amazon, & the entire experience of buying on line from amazon was an excellent choice. This laptop is loaded & is very fast. The graphics on the screen is brilliant. I'm completely satisfied with this purchase.

La compre en diciembre a 714$ por amazon lo mejor en compras por internet fuera de USA, La maquina es en especificaciones tal como se describe en la pag. En mi opinion es muy buena maquina precio/valor, hice una imagen inicial del D/D en un DVD-DL por seguridad, ya que es muy engorroso o casi imposible instalarle otro S.O, Saludos desde Mcbo. Venezuela

Designed 4 fast access 2 your entire entertainment library, the HP Pavilion dv6605us notebook PC is a great choice 4 both families & business travelers on the go. The 15.4-inch high-definition BrightView display looks good even in direct sunlight, & you'll enjoy movies or music in seconds with the external DVD or music buttons 2 launch HP QuickPlay (which bypasses the boot process). Control playback settings from up 2 10 feet away with the included HP remote, then store it conveniently in the Express card slot. Easily manage your digital photo library & share with friends & family using the included HP Photosmart Premier software. This stylish laptop also features a high-gloss, durable HP Imprint finish with an inlaid wave design.

It's powered by the 64-bit 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-55 processor, which allows you 2 easily run multiple programs without slowing down your productivity. This notebook also features a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), built-in 54g Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g), 8x multi-format/dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive (which also burns CDs), ExpressCard slot, & NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150 video/graphics card with up 2 287 MB of shared video memory.

It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition 2 easily playing your DVD movies & managing your digital audio library, you'll be able 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, & offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: The 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-55 processor offers a dual-core architecture, which delivers additional computing resources 2 help expand your PC's capabilities by providing higher throughput & simultaneous computing--increasing your performance by up 2 80 percent. You'll be able 2 perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering & gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly thanks 2 the innovative Direct Connect Architecture. And it's designed 2 handle simultaneous 32- & 64-bit computing with no degradation in performance. You'll enjoy long battery life thanks 2 the AMD PowerNow! power management technology, which delivers performance on demand & can extend system battery life up 2 65 percent. And the AMD Digital Media XPress technology delivers stellar multimedia performance & playback on digital entertainment such as games, streaming video & audio, DVDs, & music.

  Each processing core has a 256 KB L2 cache (for a 512 KB total), & this processor can deliver up 2 a 1600 MHz system bus 4 lightning quick computing reflexes. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; & a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU & RAM, & a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

• Hard Drive: The 160 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) offers enough 2 room 2 hold a digital audio library of over 26,000 songs & still have room left over 4 movies, games, & a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin 2 FireWire & USB 2.0.

• Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (2 x 512 MB DDR2) is a good start, but you'll want 2 add more RAM 2 handle today's demanding multimedia & productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots & has a 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity & clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ & DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up 2 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, & 40x CD-ROM speeds.

  This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text & images on 2 CDs & DVDs . Your software, PC & discs work together 4 a no-hassle way 2 burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert & burn your label--anything from a simple title 2 a full-disc work of art.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard & a touchpad with on/off button & dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad. It also includes two quick-launch buttons (HP QuickPlay Music & DVD).

Screen, Video & Audio
You'll enjoy razor-sharp graphics & widescreen movies with the 15.4-inch WXGA high-definition screen, which displays an 18 percent larger picture than standard 15-inch screens & offers up 2 an 18 percent improvement in contrast ratio. It has a widescreen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels--perfect 4 watching DVD movies the way they were meant 2 be seen. Video is powered by the integrated NVidia GeForce Go 7150 graphics/video card, which provides up 2 287 MB of video memory shared with the system memory. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, & precise image scaling 4 video content--and full support 4 Microsoft DirectX 9.0 4 stunningly realistic cinematic effects 4 all DirectX-compatible applications.

The Altec Lansing speakers provide exceptional sound, & a pair of stereo earbud headphones with volume controls is included. You'll be able 2 privately share enjoyment of multimedia with a friend via the dual headphone jacks.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (though no standard PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, & lighter expansion cards 4 even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, & security features. You get a good offering of connectivity options:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports 4 connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras 2 MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port 4 connecting digital video camcorders & other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video port 4 connecting 2 a TV
• 1 ExpressCard 54/34
• 2 headphone jacks & 1 microphone jack
• 1 notebook expansion port 3 (for use with the HP xb3000 Expansion Base or the HP Notebook QuickDock)
• 1 consumer IR (infrared)
• 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) & an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection 2 networks & DSL/cable modems).

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system 4 users with advanced computer needs, & it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center 4 watching DVD movies & accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) & 2 access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium & an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you 2 access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever 2 share files between other PCs in your household & 2 manage your laptop computer settings 2 more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools & technologies 2 help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting 2 a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you 2 manage & monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, & other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student & Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer Basic Edition, Roxio Creator 9 Basic, PC Recovery, HP PhotoSmart Essentials, & Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 14.05 x 10.12 x 1.69 inches (WxHxD) & weighs 6.14 pounds.

Power
This notebook is powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which offers up 2 2 hours of battery life (dependent upon computing conditions).

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion dv6605us notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, IR remote control, earphones, & operating instructions. It is backed by a limited warranty 4 parts & labor 4 one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance 4 one year. Software is also covered 4 30 days from date of purchase.