Canon Puts Efficiency On PressHP Pavilion g6-1a69us
Manufacturer: HP Part number: LH607UA#ABA
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- HP's unbranded G-series laptops can be reasonable choices for bargain hunters. The latest version gets a design upgrade and keeps the price down, but is stuck with last year's CPU and graphics.
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CNET editors' review
HP Pavilion g6-1a69us price range: $603.19 - $649.72
- Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
- Reviewed on: 04/28/2011
The good: HP's low-end laptop line gets a promotion to the Pavilion brand, and a much better processor, with the new Pavilion G6-1a69us.
The bad: With a last-gen CPU, this laptop is going to feel old way before its time. The battery life is disappointing.
The bottom line: HP's unbranded G-series laptops can be reasonable choices for bargain hunters. The latest version gets a design upgrade and keeps the price down, but is stuck with last year's CPU and graphics.
Though it wasn't much to look at, we've always thought HP's non-Pavilion G-series laptops were decent for bargain hunters at the very low end of the price scale. The HP G62 we looked at last year was usually available for around $500 and included a workable, if entry-level, Intel Pentium T4500 CPU. HP apparently thought it had something of a hidden gem (or at least a cubic zirconia) on its hands, as the revamped 2011 version not only moves up to be an officially Pavilion-branded system, but also includes a much better Intel Core i3 processor.
Of course, all this wouldn't matter if the price got a significant bump as well. Fortunately, HP is selling this configuration on its site for $549 right now, although we've seen other retailers selling it for up to $100 more.
Our main complaint is that the Core i3 included here isn't the latest 2011 version, but instead one from last year. That means battery life isn't going to be as good (in fact it's pretty terrible), and you don't get Intel's improved onboard graphics. You can build a version of Dell's Inspiron 15R with similar specs and that newer Core i3 for $619, if better gaming and better battery life are of prime importance.
| Price as reviewed | $549 |
| Processor | 2.54GHz Intel Core i3-380M |
| Memory | 4GB, 667MHz DDR3 |
| Hard drive | 500GB 5,400rpm |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel HM55 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.7x9.7 inches |
| Height | 1.2-1.4 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.6 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 5.3 pounds/6.1 pounds |
| Category | Midsize |
Slightly less slablike than last year's HP G62, the new Pavilion G6 mixes light-gray and dark-gray plastic on its body, and has a highly glossy lid that still manages to be very fingerprint-resistant. The chassis doesn't feel as cheap as some low-end laptops we've tried, but there's definitely a little flex to the body and some squeaking from the plastic screen hinges.
The keyboard is slightly different than on HP's higher-end Pavilion laptops, with the up and down arrow keys shrunk down and without a row of dedicated media control keys. The flat-topped keys, which are wider at the bottom, clacked loudly while we typed and wiggled a good deal under our fingers. But keeping the price in mind, it was an overall acceptable typing experience.
The touch pad, in contrast, was a very pleasant surprise. Instead of a large clickpad-style surface, as seen on many of HP's other laptops, you instead get a simple rectangle of textured plastic etched right into the wrist rest with a pair of mouse buttons underneath. This usually isn't our preferred setup, but in this case it worked very well. The touch pad's texture had just the right amount of drag, and the buttons were large and sturdy. Our main complaint would be the sluggish gesture controls; even simple two-finger scrolling is a pain.
The 15.6-inch display features a standard 1,366x768-pixel resolution and is LED backlit. Image quality was good head-on, but quickly deteriorates when you move off-axis. The laptop's audio, despite Altec Lansing speakers, was thin but loud, and about what we'd expect from a $500 laptop.
| HP Pavilion G6-1a69us | Average for category [midsize] | |
|---|---|---|
| Video | VGA, HDMI | VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader, eSATA |
| Expansion | None | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband |
| Optical drive | LightScribe DVD burner | DVD burner |
There are no surprises, or extras, in the included ports and connections. You won't find Bluetooth, USB 3.0, or any other extras, but you do get a DVD burner with LightScribe technology built in. That lets you burn images and text into the top surface of specially made optical media. It's been around for years, but we can't remember the last time we burned a DVD, much less wanted to burn a design onto the disc itself.
With a 2.53GHz Intel Core i3-380M processor, this is a big step up from last year's HP G62 model, which had a bottom-of-the-barrel Pentium dual-core CPU. Note, however, that this chip is from last year's Intel Core-i line, and is not one of the newer second-generation Core i3 CPUs. You can tell the difference by checking the model number: a first-gen Core i3 will have a three-digit model number, whereas a second-gen chip will have a four-digit model number.
Less than $100 more should get you a similar laptop with a second-gen Core i3, and the main advantages would likely be better battery life and better graphics processing. Actual application performance in most cases would be very similar, and this 2010 CPU is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, such as Web surfing, watching online videos, or basic Photoshop use.
 Juice box |
|
| HP Pavilion G6-1a69us | Average watts per hour |
| Off (60%) | 0.53 |
| Sleep (10%) | 0.79 |
| Idle (25%) | 8.75 |
| Load (05%) | 42.2 |
| Raw kWh number | 41.12 |
| Annual energy cost | $4.67 |
Where the new HP Pavilion G6 and last year's HP G62 really come together, unfortunately, is in battery life. Both systems wildly underperformed in this area, and the Pavilion G62 ran for only 1 hour and 56 minutes on our video playback battery drain test. That's not only unacceptable for a 15-inch laptop, but it's even about 20 minutes less than last year's model. If you plan on taking the G6 around with you more than every once in a while, this could definitely be a deal breaker.
The standard one-year parts and labor warranty offers mail-in service. Adding three years of in-home service costs an additional $229, and other warranty options are available. Toll-free telephone support is available 24-7 during your warranty period, and the HP support Web site includes real-time chat with a technical support representative.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
HP Pavilion G6-1a69us
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) SP1; 2.53GHz Intel Core i3 380M; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 667MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) / 1,696MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Seagate 5,400rpm
Asus U31Jg-A1
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.53GHz Intel Core i3 380M; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 415M + 64MB (Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Seagate 5,400rpm
Acer Aspire 5742G-7200
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 M460; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 420M; 500GB Western Digital 5,400rpm
Toshiba Satellite A665-S5176
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 667MHz; 64MB(Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Samsung SF510
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 M370; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
User reviews
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Great spec for the money, ideal for light use only
by fallendarkest on February 11, 2012
Pros: Good size hard drive, ram can be updgraded to 8gb for less than £15. even pentium chip is responsive and laptop looks great.
Cons: Extremely poor build quality. Left mouse button felt cheap from day one. A few days of LIGHT use later button sunk down from the facia of the laptop. 2 weeks button made a snapping noise and wiggles around in its slot and squeaks loudly when pressed
Summary: AVOID THIS LAPTOP ON THE BASIS OF EXTREMELY POOR BUILD QUALITY. I would not be suprised HP has to issue a recall or repair thousands of these machines. Great spec ...
Summary: AVOID THIS LAPTOP ON THE BASIS OF EXTREMELY POOR BUILD QUALITY. I would not be suprised HP has to issue a recall or repair thousands of these machines. Great spec for the money but scrimped on the one component they could not afford to. THE MOST USED COMPONENT of all. I have a family member with a different model of G6 laptop and his button broke the same as mine. Also another reviewer on here had the same issue. BUY ANOTHER LAPTOP, I actually loved every other feature of the laptop and it runs well to AND LOOKS GREAT! But this will not last even with light use.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Gets the job done, but definately has some flaws.
by DR0PFiRE on January 24, 2012
Pros: - Happy with speed (i5)
- mine has a radeon graphics card, good clean crisp graphics
- webcam is a plus
- good speakers
- central scroll pad is nicely located
- love windows 7Cons: - occasional random epic freezeups - bluescreen crashed about 4 times in the 6 months over had it since day 3. other mem. overload feezeups too.
- too much screen glare in bright conditions
- left clicker buggered up right away, and is getting worseSummary: i was in a forgeign country, and in a pickle needed a computer, this was the best i could find, its notthe cream of the crop, but itll get the ...
Summary: i was in a forgeign country, and in a pickle needed a computer, this was the best i could find, its notthe cream of the crop, but itll get the job done. if you can, i'd reccomend putting out some extra cash and getting something better.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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put your money in the piggy bank instead of buying this
by jonaskisawesomexpdpp on December 3, 2011
Pros: i don't have much good too say about this computer, it just isnt good... maybe the webcam? no, thats rubbish too :/
Cons: some may claim that this is a good computer for the price, but would you buy a used condom just because you got it really f**ing cheap?
Summary: all in all this computer may be good for its price... but seriously, trow in a little more cash, and get a much better pc.
Summary: all in all this computer may be good for its price... but seriously, trow in a little more cash, and get a much better pc.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Didn't expect so much for this price!
by mno_1324 on November 15, 2011
Pros: Totally beyond what I expected for this price
Cons: No USB 3.0 ?!
Summary: I'm loving it.. I wrote a review on my blog complete with photos: http://******/Y1lsv
http://goo[dot]gl/Y1lsv
Updated on Nov 15, 2011Summary: I'm loving it.. I wrote a review on my blog complete with photos: http://******/Y1lsv
http://goo[dot]gl/Y1lsv
Updated on Nov 15, 20111 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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great spec for few $$$... but why is it sold so cheap
by rickj0 on April 9, 2012
Pros: I bought this as was better spec than anything else at its hugely discounted price. has some cool features like switchable dual graphic processor (high performance vs battery life) and seems pretty cool compared to my last 8 year old dell d610!
Cons: looks clunky and left mouse button is hard to press. prone to bluescreen with stop 3E error when it goes to sleep mode caused by btfilter.sys driver. still happens after updating it using HP tools . I don't use bluetooth so disabled -seems to fix.
Summary: good spec for cheap $$$ but quality / reliablity issues
Summary: good spec for cheap $$$ but quality / reliablity issues
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awesome i got the amd phenom ii
by hphmoose on October 27, 2011
Pros: very fast great graphics i play many games such as bf1 bf2 republic commando and force unleashed ii
Cons: everything is awesome except the battery life
Summary: it is great for its value
Summary: it is great for its value
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Very good and useful
by chocolatecharme on September 6, 2011
Pros: Helps to save battery when not charging, good sound quality, good video quality
Cons: Looses battery quickly when some settings are set "too high", the "up and down" arrow keys are small
Summary: I like it so far, (just got it last week". It meets all of my expectations and it comes with a free 60 Norton Anti Virus free trial. I just ...
Summary: I like it so far, (just got it last week". It meets all of my expectations and it comes with a free 60 Norton Anti Virus free trial. I just don't like Internet Explorer, so I changed my default search engine to Firefox :)
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A pretty damn good laptop.
by danielkang380 on August 31, 2011
Pros: Price; I got it for just 399.99. Keyboard is good, easy setup for the pre-loaded Windows Seven operating system. THe manula was simply "Unpack it, Put in the battery, Plug it in, Turn it on, Follow the instructions".
Cons: Sound. I've heard better, get some speakers too. The mousepad left-right clicks are practically from the stone ages, get a mouse too.
Summary: A pretty good laptop, especially for its price. This one actually works!
Summary: A pretty good laptop, especially for its price. This one actually works!
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Adequate for the price.
by Angelo_Frank on August 25, 2011
Pros: Speedy and easy to get started right out of the box.
Cons: One of the worst left and right click buttons I've ever seen. Very noisy and it takes great effort to push the left click down. Get a wireless mouse instead and save your hand.
Summary: Except for the terrible click buttons the HP g6 provides good value for the price. The different colors avilable is a good selling point.
Summary: Except for the terrible click buttons the HP g6 provides good value for the price. The different colors avilable is a good selling point.
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Don't Waste Your Money
by armichigan on August 23, 2011
Pros: I have not found any real pros in the short time I have owened the PC. Nothing special that another PC would not do.
Cons: Computer overheats and shuts down on its own and there is enough info. out there that this is a common problem.
Summary: The computer will overheat and shut down any time you try to watch a video or use it for any long period of time (2 straight hours). If you don'...
Summary: The computer will overheat and shut down any time you try to watch a video or use it for any long period of time (2 straight hours). If you don't notice it in the first 21 days you have no shot at getting a full refund. When you call the HP help center they want to send you a box and send your PC away for 3 weeks. If you want it done in under 7 days you have to pay extra money for this even though you paid good money to get a properly working pc. Fan constantly runs. By a Samsung instead.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HP
- Part number: LH607UA#ABA
- Description: HP Pavilion g6 series is the great value laptop to meet your mobility and performance needs.
General
- System Type Notebook
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Notebook type Budget ,
Midsize Processor / Chipset
- Processor Intel Core i3 i3-380M / 2.53 GHz
- Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
- Cache L3 cache - 3 MB
- 64-bit Computing Yes
Memory
- RAM 4 GB ( 2 x 2 GB )
- Max RAM Supported 8 GB
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM
- Form Factor SO DIMM 204-pin
- Slots Qty 2
- Empty Slots 0
Storage
- Hard Drive 500 GB HDD / 5400 rpm
- Interface Serial ATA-300
- Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM
- Disc Labeling Technology LightScribe Technology
Display
- Type 15.6 in
- LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight
- Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( HD )
- Widescreen Yes
- Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
- Features HD BrightView
Audio & Video
- Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics
- Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
- Total Available Graphics Memory 1696 MB
- Camera Yes
- Sound Microphone
- Compliant Standards SRS Premium Sound
- Audio Features Altec Lansing speakers
Input
- Type Keyboard,
Touchpad Communications
- Wireless 802.11n
- Network Interface 10/100 Ethernet
Battery
- Technology 6-cell Lithium ion
- Capacity 47 Wh
- Run Time 5.25 hour(s)
AC Adapter
- Output 65 Watt
Connections & Expansion
- Interfaces 3 x USB 2.0,
HDMI,
VGA,
LAN,
Headphone output,
Microphone input - Memory Card Reader Card reader ( SD Memory Card ),
( MultiMediaCard ) Software
- Software Included Bing Toolbar,
HP Games Powered by WildTangent,
HP Recovery Manager,
CyberLink PowerDVD 9,
HP Power Manager,
Snapfish PictureMover,
CyberLink Power2Go,
Adobe Flash Player,
Ebay,
CyberLink Youcam,
HP Cloud Drive,
Windows Live Mesh,
Windows Live Movie Maker,
HP Support Assistant,
Skype,
Microsoft Silverlight,
Windows Live Messenger,
Adobe Shockwave Player,
Norton Internet Security 2011 (60 days subscription),
Windows Live Mail,
Windows Live Writer,
HP Movie Store powered by RoxioNow,
HP Music Store by Rhapsody,
Blio e-Reader,
Adobe Reader,
HP Setup Manager,
Windows Live Photo Gallery,
HP Wireless Assistant - Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC.
Miscellaneous
- Color Charcoal gray
- Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately),
Power-on password Dimensions & Weight
- Width 14.7 in
- Depth 9.6 in
- Height 1.4 in
- Weight 5.5 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year,
Technical support - 1 year Sustainability
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
- EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Silver
- Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 5.9
Accessories
- HP Compaq Disk-on-Key USB Flash Drive (32MB) (30404584)
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 4 GB (34637987)9.69
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 64 GB (34581520)64.99
- HP Bluetooth Laser Mouse mouse (34991452)
- HP USB Optical Mouse mouse (34799214)
- Belkin Compact Mouse M100 mouse (35145329)7.99
- HP Ultra Mini USB Numeric Keypad - keypad (31470034)17.14 - 24.99
- Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 router (35098697)164.99 - 199.99
- Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router (34200558)114.79 - 135.00
- Belkin N150 Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859948)28.99 - 34.99
- Belkin N300 Wireless N Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (35263578)39.99 - 48.99
- Belkin N600 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router - wireless router - 802.11 a/b/g/n - desktop (35190484)66.57 - 104.73
- Belkin N900 Dual-Band Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11n - desktop (35262637)194.99 - 292.17
- Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti HighPower Giga WZR-HP-G450H - wireless router - none - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859675)82.11 - 95.99
- Cisco 881 Fast Ethernet Security Router supporting EVDO/1xRTT - router - cellular modem - 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0) - desktop (35026157)
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HP products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:HP
- Address:
3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
