HP Pavilion G6-Test:

While it wasn't much to look at, we've always felt that HP's non-Pavilion G-series laptops are decent for bargain hunters at the lower end of the price spectrum

HP G62

We looked at last year, usually retails for around $500, and featured a viable Intel Pentium T4500 CPU, albeit an entry-level model. HP apparently thought there was something of a hidden gem (or at least a cubic zirconia) in there hands, as the revamped 2011 version not only rises to an officially Pavilion-branded system, but also packs a much better Intel Core i3 processor.

Of course, none of this would matter if the price were raised significantly as well. Fortunately, HP currently sells this configuration on its website for $549, although we've seen other retailers sell it for up to $100 more .

Our main complaint is that the Core i3 included here isn't the

latest version of 2011

, but one from last year. That means the battery life won't be as good (in fact, it's pretty terrible), and you won't get Intel's upgraded onboard graphics. A version of the Dell Inspiron 15R with similar specs and the newer Core i3s can be built for $619 if better gaming and better battery life are your priorities.

price as rated

$549

processor

2.54GHz Intel Core i3-380M

Storage

4GB, 667MHz DDR3

hard disk

500 GB 5,400 rpm

chipset

Mobile Intel HM55

graphic

IntelGMA

operating system

Windows 7 Home Premium

(64-bit)

Dimensions (WD)

14.7 x 9.7 inches

Height

1.2-1.4 inches

screen size (diagonal)

15.6 inches

System weight / weight with power supply

5.3 pounds / 6.1 pounds

category

Medium-sized

Slightly less slab-like than last year's HP G62, the new Pavilion G6 mixes light gray and dark gray plastic on its chassis and features a high-gloss lid that's still very fingerprint-resistant. The chassis doesn't feel as cheap as some of the lower-end -Laptops we've tried, but the case is definitely a bit pliable and the screen's plastic hinges squeak a bit.

The keyboard differs slightly from HP's higher-end Pavilion laptops, with the up and down arrow keys being smaller and no row of dedicated media control keys. The keys, which are wider at the bottom, were flattened loudly when typed and wobbled vigorously under the fingers. But under Considering the price, it was an overall acceptable typing experience.

The touchpad, on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise. Instead of a large, clickpad-style surface like seen on many other HP laptops, you instead get a simple rectangle of textured plastic that slides right into the palm rest with a pair of mouse buttons underneath etched. This isn't usually our preferred setup, but in this case it worked very well. The touchpad's texture had just the right amount of resistance, and the buttons were large and sturdy. Our biggest gripe would be the sluggish gesture controls; even simple scrolling with two fingers is tedious.

The 15.6-inch display offers a standard resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and is LED-backlit. Picture quality was good frontally, but quickly degrades when you move off-axis. The laptop's sound was great, despite the Altec Lansing Speakers thin but loud and about what we'd expect from a $500 laptop.

HP Pavilion G6-1a69us

Average for category [medium]

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

extension

none

ExpressCard/54

Networking

Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi

Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband

optical drive

LightScribe DVD burner

DVD burner

There are no surprises or extras with 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. It lets you burn images and text onto the top of custom-made optical media. It's been around for years, but we can't remember the last time we burned a DVD, let alone 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 Pentium dual-core CPU on the bottom. Note, however, that this chip is from last year's Intel Core i lineup and is not one of the newer second generation Core i3 CPUs. You can tell the difference by looking at the model number: a first generation Core i3 has a three-digit model number, while a second generation chip generation has a four-digit model number.

For less than $100 more you should get a similar laptop with a second generation Core i3, and the main benefits would probably be better battery life and better graphics processing. Actual application performance would be very similar in most cases, and this CPU from 2010 is perfectly fine for everyday tasks like surfing the web, 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

Encumbrance (05%)

42.2

Raw kWh number

41.12

Annual energy costs

$4.67