HP HDX16 a good buy?

Hi guys,

I'm probably migrating to a HP after waiting for ages to get a Dell SXPS16, however since I couldn't get the spec I wanted where I live, I needed a suitable replacement. After reading some reviews the HP HDX16 sounds like a pretty sweet machine. Just a few concerns.

1. Speaking from experience (3 friends who've owned HP), HP is not very reliable. All of them broke down within a year of purchase. Mostly some hard disk failure. How are people's experiences with the HP HDX16.

2. How good is the screen. I'm not sure if anyone has seen the SXPS16 RGBLED screen but it looks stunning. In reviews heard that the screen is pretty good on the HDX16. What do you guys think?

3. What about heat issues? SXPS16 heats up quite a lot so was wondering about the HP HDX16. Does it run hot on idle? What about gaming.

4. What's the overall build quality of the keyboard, touchpad, speakers etc.?

5. Finally, is this a good machine if I game lightly (mainly older games and few newer strategy games)?

Value user experience over critic reviews. Let me know, thanks.

 

1. I haven't had my computer more than 4 months, so I can't speak for that.

2. Personally, I think whatever the 16's screen is is a bit small for a 16 inch screen, but the 1920x1080 upgrade would make it sharper than my 18. The colors out the box are a bit dull unless you up the colors a bit in the Nvidia control panel, but you might not notice this until you see the actual color difference.

3. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v676/gf1991/DeskScreens/KanakoTemps.png - after 2 hours of gaming on a flat surface, the only annoying thing I noticed was that the left side palmrest gets annoying after a while because it does get a bit warm, but it isn't too bad. The 16 might run warmer if you have the same config as I do, but the main reason it even heats up is the graphics card.

4. Keyboard is pretty nice (Backlit keyboard is a nice upgrade, but is a bit expensive if you have HP install it when you order). The touchpad is quite nice to use, but does get somewhat sticky with wet fingers. Sound's better than most laptop's you'll ever hear just because of the mini (1 inch) subwoofer; I don't even use headphones most of the time because of this. I'm assuming depending on who assembles yours, you might or might not get some pieces loose or that can still be snapped into place.

5. As long as you're not expecting super-high-end performance on it, its decent with just about anything I'm guessing. I call the entire thing a "Do everything Desktop Replacement" because its performance isn't terrible in any one area, but doesn't excel in any others either (besides screen size for price, if you want to count that). The all glossy finish will 75% probably annoy you after a while from having to clean it so often, but it does look nice if you can keep it clean. The 16's a good bit lighter than the 18, so it isn't as unruly to carry around as the 18 is. If you want somewhat decent battery life, pick up the 12 cell on checkout, I'm not sure how long the 6 cell on the 16 lasts, but It can't be too much more than 2 or 3 hours, depending on your power settings; I barley get more than 2 hours and 30 minutes using all of the power saving modes I can, and having Aero off with the backlight at 40%.

Really, just take that, and apply it to a slightly smaller notebook; the 18 and 16 only differ in physical size, both have the same exact ports (save for the Audio I/O, which is on the front for the 16, but on the right hand side on the 18, which might annoy you.

...probably kind of late for a review, oh well.

 

Thanks for the info. Hmmmm will definitely need to look into getting a bigger battery. Sounds like a decent enough laptop. Any thoughts of any other HP laptops suitable for gaming with a great screen (greater than 15.4") and good aesthetics?

 

I guess anything under "High Performance" on HP's site works, moreso the new quads that are up.