Bad
I bought this at Fry's for an equivalent price.
I'm now on my 3rd laptop after getting replaced for hardware failures. 1st laptop the video died on the laptop monitor. It was replaced after 2 days. The 2nd the fan failed after 3 days. I'm now on my 3rd laptop, hopefully its the charm.
Good
Ergonomics could be better. The battery is extends below the body, creating a lift to the laptop. This is fine when on a table or desk, but rests just above my knee when on my lap. I'm surprised there is only one fan outlet, its blows out the back left and is also faces down, a blanket or thick rug can easily block the vent.
All ports are located on the left and right. I do wish there was at least 1 usb and the power in the back.
The HP logo also lights up when powered on, like Apple's. I'm not sure if there is a way to turn it off. I like to keep it running overnight and the light can be distracting.
Best
The laptop itself is fast as can be. The Windows performance index is only slowed by the speed hard drive, which is rare with a laptop, it's usually the video that slows down a system.
The software that comes installed is actually useful. Not much bloatware (except norton, sprint, ebay). The wildtangent games are fun and most are free. There are utilities to change how often the fan runs, and apps for bluetooth and wifi. HP Pavilion dv7-4295us Entertainment Notebook PC - Silver
It is hard to not sound negative about HP after my experience.
But Really? This is the best you can do HP?
$1200 laptop by the time it gets to your door ...OH after 4 weeks of waiting for it to be "Built" because you added "Upgrades"
By the time this junk gets to you, wouldn't it be great if it actually "Worked"?
But it did not and then began the endless loop of people that ask you to do static discharge tests and other time wasting garbage.
I spent 52 hours in one week with tech support!
Do you have time for that?
HP Should give me the laptop for free as pay for the hours I put in with them on this.
The Wireless in most of the HP mobile devices has issues and in these units it is fatal in my case it functioned for the first 15 minutes out of the box.
It may be that they are utilizing inferior wireless adaptors, I have read this on some of the blogs but I am not an expert, I just know mine would not work after many, many, hours of tech support calls and chats. The laptop simply didn't even "See" the adaptor. It was like it wasn't even in there?
At one point, I was actually asked by HP Tech support to take the machine apart and "Re seat" the adaptor (Read unscrew the cover take the card out by unscrewing it and then put it back together) I did it too! Did not help.
The restore to original factory setting...did that 4 times! No help.
These guys at HP do not have a clue but if you search on YouTube before you buy you will see there are pages and pages of folks that have similar "Issues" with HP products. They are not what they promise, you do not get what you pay for and while they look "Pretty" to some, the return is short lived before the gremlins appear.
Do not get caught in the HP "Trap" take your hard earn dollars elsewhere so you don't waste all the time I did.
Just trying to help others avoid the nightmarish experience I just went through and possibly save you valuable time and money.
This laptop is very sleek and fast. For the price you can't beat it as it has everything except a faster hard drive. Seems as if the hardware for laptops is ready to take a big leap because looking at Dell, they are now offering 3GB video cards - bluray writer; although when configuring it the ship date was in mid June, weight 1 lb more, and was at least $600 more. This computer feels and looks well made and should be future proof for a few years.
I purchased a Pavilion dv7-4295us two days ago. I am going to have to return it. I went through 3 hours on the phone with a technician. The problem is the mousepad. It jumps around when not touched, selects items without touching as you are scrolling around, moves the opposite direction as you move the cursor at times, pauses as you are scrolling in a random fashion, and is unfortunately the ultamite downfall of this computer. The specs are great on this model. I was fairly happy for all the bells and whistles for the price I paid. If I could get the mouse working I would keep it. Now I am going to have to potentially pay a restocking fee where I bought it from, lose all the time I put into loading it, and lose time, gas and money returning it to the store. I have to have a laptop ready immediately before I head up to remote regions in Alaska.
Got one for $1,024.99 delivered - J&R Music/Computer with price matching.
The J&R people were great... spent plenty of time... answered ALL questions, but...
The laptop arrived with a bad pixel. HP customer service told me that "they will spread" i.e. one will become three will become 4 will become 7, etc. HP says this is a BAD DISPLAY and urged me to exchange it with the supplier. I did. Laptop #2 display is okay.
HP not only wanted me to return it to J&R, but wanted me to get its replacement from them!!! I must have got a sales girl working in Customer Service for the day. If you buy thru HP, you can get it customized, you'll get a 2 year warranty instead of 1, but you will pay more, pay sales tax and have to wait. No thanks. I got #2 from J&R.
GOOD:
1. Best bang for the buck. You won't find all this stuff in one box for a better price.
2. 2nd Drive Bay, but I don't know if I'll need a chassis frame for it, like you do with ASUS. Also, the HP lady said something about "drive tattooing" - What is that? Supposedly, only certain HDs can be "matched" and used with this laptop.
3. First class I-7 CPU and 8GB of ram is sweet.
4. Finger print reader WORKS!!!! I have one on my older HP and it doesn't.
5. Blu-Ray reader, Lightscribe, NICE!!! Might have liked a Blu-Ray writer, but the media is too expensive now anyway.
BAD:
1. Glossy display screen. So glossy you could shave in it!
2. 1TB 5400 rpm HD. Why cheapen it here HP? Biggest they offer in a 7200 is a 640GB.
3. No USB 3. You can get it from HP, but not the ones built for sales in other stores. I bought an ExpressCard USB 3 adapter. Careful! Some devices require more current to run. The card I got will run any device up to like 190ma without an external plug in AC adapter. If you plug it in, it can handle up to 900ma. Fine, but there goes your portability. Also, the ExpressCard add in sticks out the side about an inch and this monster is already big!!!
4. Only available in silver from stores. HP also sells a reddish-brown one. The silver one looks like it's aluminum, but it's not and it might scratch up easily.
5. Battery is huge and sticks down from bottom so much that it angles the laptop towards you.
6. Keyboard sucks. Reminds me of the first variation of the old Radio Shack Color Computer. HP will build you one with a custom, even backlit version, but now as the price climbs, go buy an ASUS.
7. Touchpad is lame. I'm going to use a wireless mouse so I don't care.
8. I was shocked how big this is.
9. The 1600x900 screen is nice, but it could have been better like some others out there.
Would I buy it again? Yes! If it holds up. Other reviews here have me a little worried. I'm crossing everything I have two of. Maybe I should have dug a little deeper and bought the ASUS. I found some great, used ASUSs on EBAY for about this same price, but buying a used, as-is laptop is scary especially when the ad says ALL SALES ARE FINAL. You get what you pay for! - 1tb - Laptops - Blu-ray - 1080p'
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