HP Pavilion dv6t-6000 review: HP Pavilion dv6t-6000

Big midrange laptops are like standard-size cars: most of the time, they're just not going to be very exciting. The HP Pavilion dv6t-6000 falls right into this category like a square peg into its inevitable hole. This 15.6-incher is a highly configurable model at the heart of HP's mainstream laptop line, much like the Dell Inspiron 15R.

7.7

HP Pavilion dv6t-6000

The Good

Improved design, Beats audio, new USB 3.0 ports, an HD Webcam, a fingerprint sensor, a variety of configurations ranging from budget to high-end, and second-gen Core i-series processors are all part of the <b>HP Pavilion dv6t</b>'s design makeover.

The Bad

Underperforming AMD graphics, too many confusing configuration options, and an overly flexible keyboard make for a less-than-overwhelming overall experience.

The Bottom Line

The HP Pavilion dv6t is a solid improvement on HP's previous 15-inch mainstream consumer laptop with numerous tweaks, bells, and whistles, but the wide variety of options means you'll get wildly different systems based on what you can afford.

The Pavilion dv6t is considered a "high-performance" laptop on HP's Web site, but its configurations throttle more into the mainstream: a processor ranging from second-gen Core i3 up to dual-core Core i7; midrange AMD graphics options; and an optional 1080p display and Blu-ray. The most high-end elements of the dv6t are its trimmings: a built-in fingerprint reader that can launch apps and Web pages; a Beats audio-powered above/below-keyboard speaker array; USB 3.0; and an HD Webcam.

The dv6t starts at a reasonable $599 for a second-gen Core i3 CPU, Intel integrated graphics, and a 500GB hard drive. Our $849 version had a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M CPU, 1GB AMD Radeon 6490M graphics, a 640GB hard drive, and 6GB of RAM.

Though that may sound like a good package to some, this bulky laptop still lacked some high-end media laptop features at our $849 price, and it wasn't excellent for playing games. If you're interested in spending more to add better AMD graphics, 1080p resolution, and Blu-ray, the dv6t can become the dream machine you're looking for, but at a higher price. Some might consider picking up the low-end config along with its more upscale bell-and-whistle trimmings, making the dv6t a more sensible buy.

In our reviewed configuration, it felt neither here nor there, and was certainly a far larger laptop than we'd ever prefer to travel with. Frankly, for $850, we expected a little more. Compared with the last HP dv6 model we reviewed, the new dv6t has certainly changed for the better, sometimes in dramatic ways. Still, the opening-line opinion we held then doesn't change much now: it looks like one of those laptops that should be exceptional, but turns out to be fairly average.