Opinions on HP Pavilion dv3510nr (Best Buy Blue Label), good for photography?

I got a dSLR recently and want to be more serious about post-processing my photos. My 9-year-old Dell desktop is straining hard with basic manipulation of large/fine JPEGs, so in a sense my hardware has been the rate-limiting step in my progression into RAW format.

I know a 13" laptop isn't the best monitor of digital post-processing, but I really like the idea of having a light laptop to take with me on vacations and photoshoots. I plan on mainly using Adobe Lightroom (maybe Photoshop as well), which will likely be my most taxing program (I don't do serious gaming).

I've searched all over, considered Macbook vs PC, different brands/screen sizes. While playing with laptops at Best Buy I came upon the HP dv3510nr and liked what I saw in terms of price and function. It's 4.9 lbs, which is the same size/weight as the 13" aluminum Macbook. I haven't seen anyone talk about this one in the forums, but wonder what you guys think.

Specs:
Price $999.99
Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350
Memory 4,096MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
Hard drive 320GB, 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel GM45 Express
Graphics 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS
Operating System Windows Vista Premium 64-bit
Dimensions (width x height) 12.6 x 8.9 inches
Thickness 1.2 to 1.4 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 13.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 4.9 / 5.9 pounds

Battery life rated at 4hr 15min, but according to Cnet review probably around ~3+ hours. It's exclusive to Best Buy only:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9027714&type=product&id=1218010176167

Your opinions will be greatly appreciated.

 

NikonUser3 -I've had my DV3510NR for about 3 month now. I run Adobe photoshop and the Canon EOS software for my 30D and haven't had any problems. So far the load time for RAW files are pretty quick. The size of this laptop makes it super portable - which is great since you're probably hauling around quite a bit of photo equipment already. You make a good point about the size of the monitor, but for the price of this computer you could buy an external monitor AND the laptop and still come out spending less money than purchasing a Mac alone. Macs are suppose to be the best for photo editing, but it all comes down to your budget.

 

Don't buy it from best buy - buy it from HP direct - you will get a much better price - especially if you can wait a couple weeks for one of their 15-30% off coupons that are posted on this board every few weeks. Of course, if you buy it online, you can't have it tomorrow

 

jnickell: Unfortunately, the dv3510nr in sold exclusively at Best Buy under their Blue Label program. You can buy the dv3z from HP direct, but this has AMD processor. You can't buy dv3 series HP with an Intel processor direct from HP.

 

that laptop from best buy is really nice. i used to work there, and i think it was probably the best macbook alternative (backlit keyboard, huge warranty. comes with all the stuff you need. and it's really small.)

 

It is a very nice unit, and I've been considering it as I'm looking to buy. Despite the nice features though, $1000 is a bit steep especially in this market. I've been looking at the dv3z as an alternative, but I'm a bit leery of the AMD processor as I've heard there are heat issues.