Any opinions on the HP 6710b

I have an HP 6710b on order through work, and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on that particular model. The specs are as follows:

HP Compaq 6710b Notebook PC - RCTO
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.0 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 cache)
80G 5400RPM FX 6710 Hard Drive
2GB 667DDR2 2DIMMS 6710 Memory Module
15.4 WXGA FF 6710b Display
56K 6710 Modem
Intel 802.11a/b/g/n IK 6710 Card
Integrated Broadcom NetLink Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000 NIC)
No Bluetooth Device
High Definition Audio support w/24-bit DAC; Integrated stereo speakers; Integrated microphone; Touch-sensitive controls for volume up, volume down, and mute; Headphone/line out; Microphone in
Touchpad w/FPR 6710b Keyboard
6 Cell 55Whr 6710 Battery
Vista Home Basic OFC07 Ready 6710b O/S
6710 Hardware Kit
DVD RW DL LS FX 6710 Drive
OSDVD Vista Home Basic 32 Media
Microsoft Office 2007 Basic Package (Includes- Outlook, Excel 2007 and Word 2007)
Care Pack Uplift Warranty to Next Business Day Hardware Support with Off-Site Accidental Damage Protection (Return to Service Provider for Repair) - Extended service agreement - parts and labor - 3 years – NEXT BUSINESS DAY On-site
Batteries are not covered by the 3-Year Warranty. Batteries are only covered by warranty for 1-year from the date of purchase.
Norton AntiVirus 2008 - Complete package - 1 user – 1Year Subscription
HP Deskjet F4180 All-In-One Color Printing, Color Copy and Color Scanning
10FT USB Cable
Image Load includes: Office Basic, Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0, Printer Driver, and DVDRW software and Symantec Anti-Virus


I looked at the 6715 at BestBuy, and, though they keep their laptops locked down, it felt kind of heavy and bulky even for a 15" machine.

How is the performance and battery life? I will be using this machine for programming in Visual Studio, IIS, SQL Server, etc.

 

I think the 6710b is just the Intel version of the 6715b (which is AMD). Same exterior, I think. A decent laptop... nothing too special, but not bad either.

Performance will depend on your specs, which look... about average.

I'm not sure about the battery life, but see if there's a review on this site.

 

I agree that it's a bit bulky. I'm curious, how much more would you have had to add to get one with a T9300 instead of a T7250? If you're gonna be using it with a docking station and then hooked up to an external LCD btw, note that it won't work with DVI-out on the docking station.