HP Compaq Presario V6000

by Blagovest Buyukliev
(Bulgaria)

The Compaq Presario V6000 is basically a stripped-down version of the well-known Pavilion, but just as good looking, if not better. It seems to me that HP puts the Compaq logo only on those of its products targeted at cost-conscious consumers seeking real value for their money while giving up some minor features.

I've had it for over two years now and it has never let me down, considering that I use it everyday (8 hours on average) as a desktop replacement. It has an AMD Athlon X2 CPU at 1.8 GHz, 2 gigs of RAM, and a 160 gigabyte hard-drive. The dual-core CPU makes for a nippy Vista experience but with Aero turned off.

The thing I like most in this laptop is its reliability and head-turning ability. It's not a speedy beast to play the latest games on, but it will nicely serve as a business laptop to get the work done and provide some multimedia entertainment as well.

The glossy finish and the curvy edges just make it stand out from the crowd. Everyone who saw it for the first time was "Wow! Nice looking laptop!". Bad points - the glossy finish is prone to fingerprints. Although they can very easily be wiped with a dry cloth it is annoying to do that so often.

Since this is a multimedia machine, the Altec-Lansing speakers are no compromise and are of a very high quality, producing a deep and crisp sound not found on many laptops.

The touchpad however is a big disappointment - in the designers' attempts to make it look cool they went so far that they covered it in the same glossy finish as the rest of the laptop. The result - it's not comfortable to touch and there is too much grip to freely move your fingers over. The touchpad buttons aren't convenient either as they protrude too deep and don't feel well put.

Consider using a mouse with this laptop. The keyboard is of good quality, there is a small flex like most HP laptops of this time.

I would definitely recommend such a kind of laptop to a person who wants a reliable, good-looking and well-priced laptop to get the work done and occasionally use it for some entertainment. I will surely buy again from HP and especially something well-priced from their Compaq line.