http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+17.3%22+Pavilion+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pewter/5044404.p?id=1218608972318&skuId=5044404

Best Buy with 58 Reviews and @ $429.99 for new (not Refurb)

I really want to know why the A-series processors have such terrible clock ratings... they make the whole "cpu + real-ish gpu on a chip" thing really disappointing.

Never again HP for me, banned from my family for life, pass it on.

I bought this computer maybe two weeks ago from woot and it is worth every penny!. I originally bought it from best buy, but it was only a 15.6 inch and it was 10 dollars more plus tax! So it ended up being 400 in total. Anyways from woot i only had to pay shipping. So i returned the smaller one and got a bigger size for less! The keyboard on this one is a bit smaller though, but that's only because of the keypad. The only cons about it i can think about is when i rest my hands to type and try to move the mouse the mouse freaks out sometimes. That's it really. the pros are it's much louder than the 15.6" and is Bluetooth accessible. Quick as lightning and great for you people like me who keep open a billion tabs at once I give it a 5 out of 5

@codydiceman:

Ok since you own one of these, that HP Quickweb software, actually useful? Or typical HP crap/bloatware that i am just gonna have to uninstall?

Assuming i leave windows on it anyway...

mikeclark wrote:Never again HP for me, banned from my family for life, pass it on.

^^^^ This ^^^^^

NOT much of a deal- brand new it is $429- u should be ashamed of yourself, WOOT! Where's my DEAL???

really 429 new? I bought this a couple weeks ago from woot... after a total format and reinstall this laptop is clean and quick as heck I was and still am a bit weary about the integrated graphics but it plays games just fine for a laptop of this price. not a bad deal imo but if it's 429 new it's pretty close to go new :P

mikeclark wrote:Never again HP for me, banned from my family for life, pass it on.

Why? I've heard this plenty, but never in a context to suggest there was any weight to the opinion.

mikeclark wrote:Never again HP for me, banned from my family for life, pass it on.

same.

timothy91 wrote:Why? I've heard this plenty, but never in a context to suggest there was any weight to the opinion.

I didn't write it, but I can fill in mine. HP has a problem with not fixing design problems in their laptops. This is the case with 2 that I own. The ZD-8000s have a problem where they won't charge a battery, even a brand new one. My wife's relatively new 18" has an internal design flaw that shorts out the touch bar randomly turning on and off wireless and adjusting volume and sound controls. It's pretty clearly happening to every owner of that line, and you can see the metal on metal contact on peoples who have taken theirs apart, but HP will not admit to a problem.

Im on a 16" HP and it usually works as long as I dont overtax the graphix or the usb ports.

I had an HP Pavilion laptop that made it through about three years of heavy daily use (gaming included) before giving up the ghost, and a desktop that lasted even longer before that, so they're still okay in my experience.

And, just because no one else has done it, ill be That Guy this time:
How well would this laptop do for lighter gaming, like maybe WoW?

I've got a three year old cheapo Acer with integrated graphics that can run it on Miserable. I'm assuming since this actually has a listed graphics card that maybe one could at least bump the settings up to Low?

Cheap plastic casing with iffy keyboard, and acceptable performance. IGP annihilates HD3k at the expense of IPC, though battery life is rather good for a 17" with this graphical power. I can't stand laptops this big, but some are into that whole desktop replacement thing, and 900 lines of res are at least passable.

Oh, use a mouse. These HP trackpads with the odd texturing are...ugh.

alex001 wrote:I really want to know why the A-series processors have such terrible clock ratings... they make the whole "cpu + real-ish gpu on a chip" thing really disappointing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megahertz_myth

DocFunky wrote:
How well would this laptop do for lighter gaming, like maybe WoW?

Fine. I've done D3 on Llano with some slowdown. WoW is pretty variable but can run on near anything.

Would this fit the bill for my girlfriend? I've been waiting for a laptop deal. She mainly just plays Sims 3 on her computer, she uses an old HP laptop (from 08) and its painful to watch her play games on that since its so out of date and everything runs choppy.

Doing a quick google on the Radeon HD 6520G says its a pile of poo for new games but runs old games just fine. (only new game she'd play is a new sims :P)

timothy91 wrote:Why? I've heard this plenty, but never in a context to suggest there was any weight to the opinion.

HP laptops banned for life from my household as well.

Read up on HP laptop GPU failures.
Same issue as above poster noted - design flaw and no admission or real attempts to address the issue.

The worst was the GPU debacle. They had a design flaw that didn't cool the GPU enough and they would either de-solder or fail. HP's solution? Deny, deny, deny. Then send a bios update that just turned the fan on all the time. Why? To keep it running long enough to last past the warranty and then die. Then they sued nVidia claiming bad GPUs were delivered and claimed damages - for all those GPUs they replaced in warranty and all those that were going to fail. HP won. Got cash from nVidia to fix. HP pocketed the money and pushed that bios fix above. Didn't explain why it happened to the Intel and Ati vid chip laptops too.

So for those reasons - first hand experience - I let them know what I think of that by spending my money elsewhere. And *especially* not ever getting an HP refurb laptop.

Desktops are a whole nuther matter. I've had great luck with them and the price can be a good value. Minus the bloatware, but that can be minimized/removed. And easier to replace/upgrade parts than a Dell.

For a non-HP alternative, wally world has a 17" Asus that is in this price range *new* and is a solid performer. I use vlc and the hdmi out to a big screen tv when traveling and it is big enough to watch OTA tv with a usb dongle tuner. 400 bones.
Sorry woot. But it's cool. We're still friends. Hoping that dual monitor come up again.

codydiceman wrote:The only cons about it i can think about is when i rest my hands to type and try to move the mouse the mouse freaks out sometimes. That's it really.

You know, there's an option to turn off "tap to click" on your trackpad...

Even with this option, your pointer may still move while you're typing, but it won't actually change the position of your cursor.

kuma99 wrote:^^^^ This ^^^^^

Yep.
Never gonna buy an HP again.

Not to mention that this is an HP that has already been sent back in to be fixed and costs about as much as a new, pre-broke, one.

codydiceman wrote:The only cons about it i can think about is when i rest my hands to type and try to move the mouse the mouse freaks out sometimes. That's it really.

Well, that's enough for me to not purchase.

A keyboard and mousepad that has a life of its own? You can have all the speed and memory in the world, but if this basic functionality doesn't work flawlessly, than its more of a headache than its worth.

I had a Gateway, which I'm now looking to replace, which had an i5 processor, HD 17" screen, blue ray, great memory, etc...but the keyboard and mousepad would "freak out" as well. I'd be typing on the web and in word, and if I rested my hand too hard it would leave the page, click links, close windows, all on its own...all the speed and specs it had were a waste because of this issue.

So now my demands are two: speed, and a great, solid, flawlessly functioning keyboard!!

How worried should I be that this is a refurb? I once bought a "used" laptop and it was a very poor choice on my part. It was in horrible condition! I'm sure that's why I'm hesitant.

Should I be concerned about a refurbished laptop?

Is it easy to put OSX on this thing?

lindseysch wrote:Is it easy to put OSX on this thing?

It's not nearly as easy or stable to install OS X with an AMD processor.

Obviously HP has problems, how many refurbished HPs have we seen on Woot!?

santis00 wrote:Obviously HP has problems, how many refurbished HPs have we seen on Woot!?

My HP is old. As in, before the sellouts and major issues, and we're about to be in the market for something else. Sadly, seeing so many refurbs on here just solidifies the fact that the problems are many and solutions few.

chrisautrey wrote:I didn't write it, but I can fill in mine. HP has a problem with not fixing design problems in their laptops. This is the case with 2 that I own. The ZD-8000s have a problem where they won't charge a battery, even a brand new one. My wife's relatively new 18" has an internal design flaw that shorts out the touch bar randomly turning on and off wireless and adjusting volume and sound controls. It's pretty clearly happening to every owner of that line, and you can see the metal on metal contact on peoples who have taken theirs apart, but HP will not admit to a problem.

Same. HP's offshore assembly and QA, to put it politely, stinks.

I worked at HP, and even they would not outfit their own employees with their own brand laptops (we used Dells). Using employee discount I helped my college student get a high end laptop for cadcam work only to find out 3 times over that it had to be sent back to support to fix faulty craftmanship - mostly soldering issues.

That said, I LOVE my HP desktop. But no more HP Laptops here either.

note2001 wrote:Same. HP's offshore assembly and QA, to put it politely, stinks.

I worked at HP, and even they would not outfit their own employees with their own brand laptops (we used Dells). Using employee discount I helped my college student get a high end laptop for cadcam work only to find out 3 times over that it had to be sent back to support to fix faulty craftmanship - mostly soldering issues.

That said, I LOVE my HP desktop. But no more Laptops here either.

Let the brain-picking begin then. So you would not purchase another HP laptop but would purchase a desktop?

timothy91 wrote:Why? I've heard this plenty, but never in a context to suggest there was any weight to the opinion.

I'll reply for him. Some people get burned so badly on a particular transaction they can't stand to even hear the name of the vendor afterward, let alone give it repeat business. Even though saying "never ever ever again" is irrational (therefore little weight should be given to this kind of opinion) it is also understandable and most people have experience with a vendor they despise (at least for now).

With a large somewhat respected vendor like HP I would take a different tack. For example: "Until I decide differently, I declare HP to be my laptop vendor of last choice." Leaving the door open like this gives you the freedom to do whatever you want in the future and maintains your integrity if, for some reason, you are forced to buy again from HP. And let's face it, it could happen.

clangaiscioch wrote:Let the brain-picking begin then. So you would not purchase another HP laptop but would purchase a desktop?

Correct. Was there another question in there?

Ah - I should qualify my statement and say "Until HP resolves their laptop assembly and QA problems I will not consider purchasing another HP laptop".
How's that?

note2001 wrote:Correct. Was there another question in there?

Ah - I should qualify my statement and say "Until HP resolves their laptop assembly and QA I will not consider purchasing another HP laptop".
How's that?

Oh, just validating my own opinion on that. Makes more sense hearing likewise from someone else. I've had no problems with the desktop but went through four laptops - the fan problems and overheating, despite multiple attempts at correcting the problems. Literally burned out on the laptops until vast improvements (and acknowledgement) are made.

So it's a refurb and around what $60 off? If the CPU was a bit stronger I would bite but will have to pass.

NuclearShadow wrote:So it's a refurb and around what $60 off? If the CPU was a bit stronger I would bite but will have to pass.

Yeah crappy refurbs should be 50% off instead of like 5%, who in their right mind will risk their money on something that already broke once?

Does anyone know if this will play Minecraft?
My son needs a laptop, and Minecraft is one of the non-negotiables.

Thanks

Bought one of these back in November and absolutely love it. I do not do anything fancy on a computer except use it for e-mail, photos and very basic interweb usage, but this computer has been great for just that!

Battery life is nothing too impressive, but the computer is great! Got mine refurbished as well

Much like everyone else, I know of 5 people just off the top of my head who bought laptops that failed from the over heating issues of the old hp laptops that they were selling from around 07-08. I've seen a few of the even older ones that won't charge batteries. HP made a very weak attempt at notifying customers and owning up to any of these issues. and all of these people ended up with a completely useless computer that won't even turn on. after only a year or 2 of owner ship. I think myself and many woot, especially tech.woot users are advanced with computers, and are often asked by friends and family members what to buy and what to avoid. HP is on my avoid list for anyone who asks, and I hope they know this.

I have a laptop that i bought about 4 years ago from just after they fixed the over heating issues that is just starting to give me problems, a few of which would be nice if they would support. Such as usb ports not being recognized and dvd drives not being recognized, it all seems to be mother board related, no surprise there. It has had a few other issues, but those i do not mind because it is normal wear, like a broken power plug.

HP is not perfect by any means, but the fact that they hold the highest market share of PC's sold, would hold true that they have the most that are defective- even if failure rates were similar between all brands. Cheaper PC's will tend to fail at a higher rate compared to more expensive PC's- because the components (most commonly motherboards/fans/enclosures) are cheaper. But remember that you lease technology, you don't really buy it. All PC's (especially laptops), phones, tablets, etc are designed with planned obsolescence in mind. So basically 2-3 years out of something is all the manufacturers really intend, because they want to turn over the market and provide continuous demand. After working on many laptops over the years, I find that the software garbage that the manufacturers put on their stuff is their biggest issue for problems. If they would simply load the OS and stop there, there would be many less issues with these computers. Unfortunately much of the crapware that they put on your computer helps subsidize the cost of the machine (that's why you can't build these for what they sell them at). Maybe at some point manufacturers might realize that the money spent in tech support regarding software issues caused by crapware exceeds the subsidies that are given to them by software manufacturers to put the crapware on. Sorry - I'm on a rant. In short, this is a decent desktop replacement multimedia Laptop, that will do some gaming (but is not a gaming laptop), will satisfy the requirements of about 98% of the users out there for various applications most of the time at a fair price.

wetsandwich wrote:Yeah crappy refurbs should be 50% off instead of like 5%, who in their right mind will risk their money on something that already broke once?

Not all refurbs are because they're broken, just so you know. Refurbs also occur when a machine is returned for whatever reason (like buyer's remorse). I don't know the personal stories behind these laptops but in general, I've had great experiences with refurbished items.

I am another who has proclaimed themselves or anyone they know from purchasing an HP Laptop.

All you have to do is research the huge issues HP had with their laptops in the last decade...especially when it comes to heat and NVIDIA graphics chips.

I purchased a brand new fully customized HP TX1000 Series Touchscreen Laptop from HP in 2007 and it failed within 2 years...along with everyone else who owned the same model or from that generation with NVIDIA Chips.

They NEVER admitted to a design flaw despite tons and tons and tons of complaints by consumers and would charge people 200-300$ for a new motherboard....which would fail again shortly because of said design flaw.

A Class Action lawsuit finally got owners of those laptops at least something (a netbook....whoop de damn do).

I have owned many many laptops from Apple, Dell, IBM, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, and Samsung....and ALL of them are still functional except for that lone HP model.

timothy91 wrote:Why? I've heard this plenty, but never in a context to suggest there was any weight to the opinion.