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- 2.2GHz Intel Core2 Duo T6600 Processor (2MB LS Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
- 4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm), Max supported 8 GB
- 320GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 17.3 Diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, *Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD (shared) with up to 1.7 GB total available graphics memory
Product Description
For those who want to connect and manage everyday computing tasks with an elegantly minimalist desktop-replacement notebook, the HP G71 series delivers at a great value. Powered by Intel processor and graphics technologies, the G71 includes essential features to enhance your PC experience and life.Watch full-screen HD TV and movies with the 17.3-Inch diagonal display’s 16:9 aspect ratio. Enjoy your photos and videos on HD TVs with the HDMI port (cable sold separ… More >>
HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop – Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life
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How can I express how incredible this machine is? Well let me try. Two weeks earlier I bought the Vista cousin of this machine that had a Pentium and only 1400/900 display (blech!) and it was a bit sluggish. After I saw an Office Depot flyer advertising this beauty for [...] with [...] rebate, I returned the Pentium to Best Buy, who didn’t have this machine. This machine is a tremendous value. Huge hard drive, 4 gigs of ram, WONDERFUL keyboard (all the HPs have the best-engineered keyboards I have seen on any laptops, large and small). And 1600×900 instead of 1400×900 like some of the other models. I agree that the power cable should be on the left side, in fact on the one I returned it was. And yes, the speakers are underwhelming. But this is no “gaming rig”, this is a business desktop replacement, period. Battery life? It says up to 4 hours by I get between 2.5 and 3 hours, and with the powersave mode, just a bit over 3 hours. The lesser cousin didn’t even get 1.5 hours.
Do not pass go, do not collect [...] (although you will collect [...] in rebates), just buy this machine!
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a great laptop for the money and I would buy it again.
Pro’s:
Light compared to some other laptops (LED vs. LCD screens usually)
Screen is very bright and easy to read
HDMI allows output to HDTV (also for using Media Center on the HDTV)
4GB RAM
Good battery life (it was running for 3.5+ hours the other day)
10-Key number pad
5-1 card reader (for plopping in an SD card from a digital camera/camcorder)
Con’s:
Fingerprints are highly visible on laptop cover — glossy black
Keyboard layout is cramped with certain keys (arrow keys, delete key)
Speakers do not sound as good as my 3 year old Toshiba laptop
No physical button for volume control — it’s software controlled via keyboard/Windows.
Addt’l comments:
I also have a Lenovo T61p and the HP is lighter, has better battery life, and a softer keyboard (which I prefer-the Lenovo/Thinkpad line is too stiff for me). The Lenovo performs slightly better in every day tasks (faster hard drive & cpu) and a fair bit faster in graphics intensive applications (e.g. games).
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this to replace an older 15.6 inch laptop to be my main home computer. I just could not see investing half or more of the cost of this in a netbook. Boy am I glad I did. The 17.3 inch screen is simply incredible.
These are the ways the 17.3 inch screen helps. First the screen itself is really nice. My photos look fantastic and DVDs look superb. Netflix streaming and Hulu are so-so but that is more the limitations of software than of the screen itself. Many websites take advantage of the larger screen as well and it just feels right. It feels like my work desktop screen. Second and possibly of more value is the keyboard. BY FAR the best laptop keyboard I have ever used. It is even better than my stand alone keyboard at work. Finally a true full size, large key, awesome to type with laptop keyboard. And what I thought was a bad design aesthetically, the large blank space beneath the keyboard with just the mouse controls. Guess what? It is perfect for laying your hands down as you type. I know keyboard is not the first thing that comes to mind when buying a computer and it probably shouldn’t be the first thing. BUT it should not be under-rated either.
As for the computer itself. I am really digging Windows 7. I bought this on Black Friday and so far no problems whatsoever. 4 GB is nice. The 6600 processors are nice solid performers. There are better in laptops but for me doing multimedia activities and home office activities this computer more than meets my needs. Everything worked great right out of the box. Webcam works great and not too much installed software. The student and home Office trial means if you end up buying it (Amazon usually has the best price around) it is already installed you just need the key. That was kind of nice. The 60 days of Norton gives you some time to try it, be protected, and make a decision on the security software you like so that is also helpful.
But ultimately what should make you choose this over the numerous other configurations HP offers is the screen size. Any slight added bulkiness and weight (around 6.5 odd pounds) is more than made up for me with how much fun it is to have a large laptop screen and a real full-sized comfortable, fantastic keyboard. Let others have their 10 inch products…17.3 for me from now on.
Rating: 5 / 5
It’s better than my G70 but not by much. The 16:9 screen is much shorter than the G70 widescreen,making it harder to read pages online-lots of scrolling. My biggest complaint is the volume. I went into every possible menu to max the vol and nothing helped. The G70 blasts it out of the water on sound. The DVD tray is very flimsy, it wouldn’t burn a DVD-I tried several brands and types. It tried-burned maybe half a disc and wasted 10 discs. I was trying to burn their recommended recovery disc set off this notebook. I gave up and paid the $14 for the DVDs. The tray is moulded close to the bottom and hangs if you don’t keep it near the edge of your desk or raised on that end. The power adpt cord sticks straight out the rear side and would be easy to mangle if you’re not careful moving it. I’m returning it because Win7 won’t work with any of my HP printers and scanners and they state on their website that they aren’t going to write new drivers. These notebooks are identical in quality and appearance. The G71 is ,1 Ghz faster and 1 GB more memory plus .3 larger screen. Not a huge difference by any means. I did exhaust tech support on the hardware issue and he recommended I buy new printers and scanners. NOT I’ll stick with Vista untill they write more drivers, maybe they’ll have one of mine in a few ….. For the money it’s a good machine but you better have Win7 approved hardware. Most of the drivers out now for Win7 are stripped of their features and use only basic functions. I wouldn’t abandon Vista just yet.
Rating: 3 / 5
Very lightweight for such a large screen, lighter than the `15-inch Gateway it is replacing. Very fast, good screen. Haven’t tested full extent of battery life but its definitely more than 3 hours. Only two things I don’t like. The keyboard is full size, with numbers on right, which means its a little off center. The raised ridges on the “F” and “J” key are very slight, barely noticeable, so it is hard to find them without looking. Not sure why HP made them so small on this model, because I looked at other HP laptops and th4ey were much easier to feel. Its a problem now but I assume I will get used to it over time. However, I definitely like having the number pad on the right side. The only real negative is the volume on the internal speakers. They are VERY low (I’ve seen similar complaints in other reviews, so I am confident it is not just my machine). I haven’t tried headphones. Otherwise, it is a great laptop.
Rating: 5 / 5