Confuzzled after reading through forums

I got a great deal for a HP dv6t pavillion customizable laptop this week, so i went ahead and bought it for college. It came with a core i5- 2410 2.3 GHz processor, 4gb memory, and 1GB gddr5 radeon 6490 graphics. This is going to be more than enough power, as all i plan on doing is school work, and maybe getting skyrim when it comes out (i dont care how low i put the settings im playing that game!)

But after reading though the multiple posts here(took a good chunk of time ) , my faith and eagerness for the new pc is wavering. Im expecting a pc, thats somewhat portable and powerful. I want it to be running intel graphics most of the time, but have amd graphics when i decide to get skyrim. And for the most part be quiet cool and durable. And mainly reliable

Is this what im going to get, or am i just fooling myself.

Thank You all for taking the time to help me

 

Just have to ask yourself one question...do you feel lucky..well do ya....oops need to watching Clint Eastwood movies. Just have to ask the question does Skyrim use OpenGL? If it does it will only use the Intel HD graphics at this point until AMD/HP get off their duffs and fix it so the 6770M switches on with OpenGL. The ONLY issue is the graphics switching when OpenGL is running. The dv6t/7t give you a lot of hardware for the $$.

 

Odds are Skyrim won't be using OpenGL. I don't see why they would. I'm planning on getting Skyrim to play on a laptop same config as yours (except free extra 2gb ram, and 1gb radeon HD 6770) and I'm not worried. Plus, Skyrim isn't coming out for another couple months, so hopefully the issue will be resolved by then.

 

Hi guys thanks for the input on skyrim.

But how about the laptop in general. Do you consider the dv6t as reliable for a college student. Does it have frequent problems?

Im hoping I can keep this laptop for 5-6 years, like i kept my dell.

Thank You

 

5-6 years in my mind is a huge amount of time in the tech world. Before that timeframe is up maybe youll think that the dv6 is slow as hell and not fit for the programs you run in 5 years time. As the dv6 is a high performance laptop (outputs a fair amount of heat gaming or otherwise) maybe the parts wont last that long. But I'm just speculating here.

Also if youre moving your laptop around campus all the time it may be subject to knocks and bumps so who knows.

I'm sure youll graduate, get a good job, and can afford a different laptop when this one dies on you

I wouldnt worry to much about predicting the longevity of it...none of us can. We've all only had the laptop a month but so far its seems like the build quality is ok.

 

yea i was being a bit optimistic with the years. But i just want it to mainly not fall apart on me as i go through college.

Also im hearing alot of different things with portability. Cnet said its a pretty bulky 15 incher, while some others are saying it had decent portability. I ordered mines with an oversized battery (helps elevate the keyboard for me).

So will i be able to carry this thing around without too much sweat?

Thank You guys once again, this place is really helpful

 

skyrim isn't using OpenGL. only games that use openGL are budget indie games, old games, and people stuck in the 90s like id software.

 

I dont have the extended battery but I think mine with the normal battery is very portable. Not like a netbook portable but you knew that already. The extended battery is going to make it heavier though and I guess the ergonomics of the laptop wont be so sleek. Will look/fit a little awkward in you bag maybe?

 

ahhh ok, Well i suppose Ill see about that more when i get it.

Also I couldn't help but notice this whole issue with switchable graphics. And I have a few questions on that.

1. Is my laptop going to have dynamic switching capabilities? If so is it any good?

2. For applications that dont work with this such as open gl, and some other applications, does this mean they only use the intel integrated graphics?

So for those programs its not really an issue where the program wont work, its just that they can only use the integrated graphics. Is my understanding on this right?

3. Can i update my drivers for the laptop safely.

 

It's 1.4 inches thick and 5.7lbs. It's definitely portable. Hell, I used to lug my gen 1 XPS to class and that was 3 inches thick and 10 pounds.

 

1. Yes, and yes, as long as the application you're running supports Direct3d.

2. Yes.

3. Yes.

 

Okay thank you thats nice to know. Im sure dynamic switching wont be a problem for me.

Also my last question is on the heat. If im just doing word processing, youtube watching, will the laptop stay quiet and cool?

Also is the coolsense really that special, as hp claims it is?

 

Also should I keep norton antivirus? Im using avast on my current system, but I heard many good things about the new Norton. I havent tried it in a long time, but im willing to give it another shot since the subscription time seems pretty cool.

 

Any antivirus is good as long as you are responsible for the sites that you visit. Haven't encountered any major virus for the last 6 years, maybe minor ones but even if there is, I didn't notice any performance issues.

 

The only thing I don't like about the AV trials is they tend to hound you about purchasing subscriptions and crap like that. It gets really old.

 

Get rid of Mcaffee norton antivirus or any other crap that HP put on your machine.

Literally none of it is any good