Anybody have any experience w HP Pavilion DV8120CA laptop?

What are pros & cons? Any problems with this laptop?
Price is $1500CAN:

The HP Pavilion DV8120CA laptop features enhanced mobile performance with the AMD Turion ML-37 2.0Ghz processor, 8 cell li-ion battery and dual hard drives. It is also equipped with a big screen entertainment with the 17" WXGA brightview screen and dedicated ATI graphics. More Info

WebID: 10070826
Mfr. Part Number: EP454UA#ABL
Processor Type AMD Turion 64 ML-37 With PowerNow
Screen Size 17.0"
RAM (Preloaded / Maximum) 512MB DDR Exp. To 2GB
Hard Drive 160GB (5400RPM)
Optical Drives Lightscribe 8X DVD+/-R/RW, CD-RW Combo
Graphics 128MB ATI Radeon Xpress 200M IGP
Average Battery Life Up To 5 Hours
Product Weight 3.67 kg
Audio Type Altec Lansing
Battery Type 8 Cell Lithium-Ion
Cache 1MB L2
Fax/Modem 56K V.90
I/O Ports See The Features Section
Included In Box See The Features Section
Network Card See The Features Section
Other Software MS Works, MS Money, MS Encarta Plus
PC Card Slots 1 x Express Card/54 Slot, 1 x Type I/II
Pointing Device Touchpad With Vertical Scroll Pad
Preloaded Operating System Windows XP Home Edition With SP2
Processor Speed 2.0GHz
Product Dimensions 39.67(W) x 3.75(H) x 28.19(D) cm
Removable Storage 6-In-1 Integrated Digital Media Reader
Screen Type 17.0" WXGA HD Brightview Widescreen
Speakers Altec Lansing
System Bus Up To 1600MHz
Warranty 1 Year Limited Parts & Labour



More Information


FEATURES:

Lightscribe 8X DVD+/- R/RW & CD-RW Combo Drive With Double Layer Support

54g 802.11b/g WLAN With 125HSM/SpeedBooster Support, Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 Connector)

I/O Ports: 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x Headphone Out With SPDF Digital Audio, 1 x Microphone-In, 1 x VGA (15-Pin), 1 x TV-OUT (S-Video), 1 x RJ-11 (Modem), 1 x RJ-45 (LAN), 1 x Expansion Port 2, 1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire (4 Pin), 1 Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)

Weighs only 3.67 kg and measures just 3.75 cm thin for easy portability.

Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (SP2) operating system preinstalled; software package includes MS Works, MS Money, MS Encarta Plus

Included In Box: HP Mobile Remote Control, Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 Pair), 8 Cell Lithium-Ion Battery, AC Adapter, Manual

 

I saw it in a shop today. No flexing screen, no flexing keyboard, build solid. Did not notice any extensive heating. It looks solid and durable

 

I just bought this the other day from Future Shop where I received 7% off the list price. I had originally wanted to get the DV5000z but I didn't like the setups offered here in Canada. That being said, I don't regret my decision one bit.

The 17 inch Brightview widescreen is big, beautiful and clear. The full keyboard is fantastic to type on and the numberpad is a nice touch. The processor is fast and the speakers sound great for what they are.

The one reason I didn't mind moving up to a 17 inch from a 15.4 inch was because I was looking for a desktop replacement that would be easy to take with me whenever I moved from one place to another. Keep that in mind because this is not the laptop to buy if you are looking to carry your computer around on a daily basis. It's large, bulky and heavy and you'll probably end up with a back problem if you try it. Haha.

That being said, the build is sturdy and the touchpad works great. I've tried a few family member laptops and I didn't like their touchpads very much. The scrolling function never seemed to work well. That's not the case with this laptop, though.

The one thing I wish it did come with was more RAM but that's something that you can easily upgrade yourself, so.

All in all, I'm pleased with my decision. If I could have gotten the DV5000z set up the way I wanted to, I would have gone for that but I have no regrets with purchasing the DV8120. It's all a matter of personal opinion, though. I would recommend going out and trying one out at Future Shop or Best Buy before making a final decision.

Good luck!

 

This laptop belongs to the DV8000z series. Check out this site's review. It's almost the same as your configuration. http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2681

 

thanks for valuable input!!

I just noticed that this laptop does not have Gigabit NIC. Do you experience any problem in speed because of that?
Also, can bluetooth be added to it?