HP nx6120 / nc6120 Review (pics, specs)

by Aman Wadhwa, India

HP NX6120 / NC6120 Review

HP has finally released the perfect notebook for students and business users with itsnotebook model NX6120/NC6120. This notebook is a 15" screen mobile notebook thatis also available in a 14.1" screen size. It has rightly been placed in the mobility section on HP's website. This is a powerful notebook equipped with a 6-cell battery that that weighs in at only6lbs -- not bad for a 15" screen notebook. Since I needed a laptop for school purposes, I went for this computer with an ideal configuration for such. I should note that the nx6120isnot available in the US or Canada but rather available in Australia, Singapore, India and some other Asia Pacific Regions. The nc6120 is the comparably equivalent notebook that HP sells in North America.

The following is the configuration of the HP nx6120 I have:

• Intel Pentium M Processor 740 740(1.73GHZ, 533MHZ FSB,2MB L2 CACHE)
• 512MB DDR RAM
• 60GB(5400RPM) Hard Drive
• DVD/CD-RW Drive
• 15" Screen
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with up to128MB Shared System Memory
• Windows XP Pro
• W/LAN with Bluetooth

HP nx6120/nc6120

Where Purchased

I am a citizen of India and the prices of computers here are almost double than what you pay in the U.S. A computer like the nx6120here would cost almost $2200, whereas in America it would cost around $1100. I ordered this notebook from Singapore and got it for approximately $1100(US). I think this is a fabulous deal on this computer as it has everything I need asa student and couldalso serve wellfor a businessman looking for a good laptop but not too basic.

Build and Design

The NX6120/NC6120 is a sleek and also sturdy laptop. It is enhanced by the HP Mobile Data Protection Systemwhich helps protect the hard drive from shock and vibration, minimizing the chance of data getting damaged or lost. It also has a spill resistant keyboard, which is always useful to have! The entire notebook is protected by a scratch resistant In-Mold Lamination which helps keep your notebook looking new for longer.

When moving the screen back and forth you have to apply a little extra pressure indicating that it has a good build quality and is not liable to wobble. The 6-1 Media Card reader fits in just perfectlyat the front of the notebook, a great location for this slot in my opinion.

The Screen

This computer came with a 15" XGA screen (1024 x 768 resolution and 16m colors).My only complaint regarding the screen is thatit is not bright enough when in battery mode. While on AC Power the screen is nice and bright, but upon switching to battery power it becomes slightly dimmer and you can't increase the brightness. You get used to this easily and it is just a minor annoyance though.

Speakers

The speakers are located at the front of the notebook on each side of the memory card reader.The sound is able to reach a fairly good volume and is crisp. The disadvantage of these speakers is that they lack any real bass sound. If you can deal without the bass they are otherwise great speakers and there's no need to buy external headphones.

Processor and Performance

This notebook came with an Intel Pentium M Processor 740(1.73ghz). It is fast in its performance and takes only 50-seconds to boot up. It comes with the latest Intel 915 Chipset which boosts processor performance by 10%over the earlier 855 chipset. Even with this amazing combination of 512 MB RAM, 1.73 GHZclock speedand the Intel 915 chipset the battery lasts for a good 4 hrs. This computer is also enhanced by Intel SpeedStep Technology.Heat build-up isn't too much of a problem except for wherea cd is inserted. When this is the case it tends to heat up to some extent (but not too hot). Otherwise the computer runs smoothly and I have to strain my ears to hear the fan at all.

Keyboard and Touchpad

This notebookhaving a 15" screenmeans that it comesequipped with a full sized keyboard (without a numpad). The placement of the keys is perfect. Though it lacks quick launch buttons like CONNECT,CHAT,SHOPPING it still does have a volume control, mute, wlan, presentation mode and HP info button. The keys re made of plastic and the lettering is done by a thin plastic paper. This is a great advantage as there is no fading of the lettering which does happen on other notebooks and desktops. The keyboard is very comfortable otherwise. The touchpad is also perfect with a vertical scrollbar on its side.

HP nx6120/nc6120 keyboard and touchpad view

Input and Output Ports

There are a number of portson this notebook. It has 4USB ports located on the left and right sides(2x2) and 1 firewire port. There is an S-Video port as well so it can always be connected to your TV or projector -- a great advantage for a business user. There is a 6-1 Media Card reader at the front of the notebook supporting SD-MS/PRO-MMC-SM-XD. Though this computer does not have an internal microphone it does have ports for a mic and headphones. There is 1 VGA port and PCMIA Card slots.The harddrive is protected by HP Mobile Data Protection System.RJ-11 and RJ-45 ports are also present.A FAST INFRARED PORT(FIR) is located in front of the notebook.There is also a parallel and serial port for an external printer.For your security a Kensington lock slot has been placed.

HP nx6120 right side view

HP nx6120 left side view

HP nx6120 back view

HP nx6120 front view

This a nice thin and light notebook with the following dimensions: 30.3mm(front) x 328.6mm x 267mm;weight starting at only 2.64kg.

Benchmarks

Notebook	Time to Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits
HPnx6120(1.73GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 50s
Sony VAIO FS680 (1.86 GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 53s
IBM ThinkPad T43 (1.86 GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 45s
Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (1.73 GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 48s
Dell Inspiron 6000D (1.6 GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 52s
Dell Inspiron 600M (1.6 GHzDothan Pentium M)	2m 10s
Sony VAIO S360(1.7 GHzDothan Pentium M)	1m 57s
Gateway 7510GX (AMD Mobile Athlon 64 3700+ Processor,2.4 GHz)	1m 31s
Sony VAIO S380 (1.86 GHz Alviso Pentium M)	1m 42s

From the detailed study above we can see that the HP NX6120 processor performanceis on par with other notebooks in its class.

Wireless

The NX 6120/NC6120 comes equipped with the Intel Broadcom 802.11b/g wireless card. It also comes with integrated Bluetooth. I am extremely happy with the wireless connectivity in this computer. The HP notebooks come with a software programknown as HP Wireless Assistant which helps make it easy to configure a wireless connection and also provide securityprotection from hackers. The dual antennas and in-display antenna design helps you work much more efficiently with a more reliable connection to your network. Now we can experience less interruption with this intelligent antenna system that switches to the antenna with better reception!

Battery

This comes with a 6-cell battery. The approximatecharge lifeof the battery is around 4 hours. The computer also has an optional 8-cell secondary battery which adds on at least 5-hrs more to your battery life. I am not too happy with the battery as it is only a 6-cell. If the primary battery was a 8/9-cell it would have been a bit better having 5-6hrs of battery life.

Software

HP has offered a wide range of software on this notebook.The operating is Windows XP Professional. The following are the software applications offered by HP

• Operating System Updates-Microsoft Windows Media Player 10;MS .NET Framework1.1; MS DirectX 9;SunJava VM
• Applications and Utilities-HP Monile Printing Driver For MS;HP Wireless Assistant-selest models;Adobe Acrobat;HP Client Manager Software(web download)
• Security and Recovery-HP local recovery;Norton Anitivirus
• Data Burning-Sonic Record Now-select models;Sonic DLA 4-select models
• DVD Playback-Intervideo WinDVD 5-select models
• Digital Video-Intervideo WinDVD Creator 2-select models

Conclusion

Pros

• Excellent processor with high speeds
• Good build with protection of Data
• Intelligent Wireless Antennas.
• Bluetooth
• Comfortable keyboard and touchpad with scrollbar
• 6-1media Card Reader.
• Not too heavy.
• PCMIASlots available.
• Decent Graphics
• Decent Battery Life

Cons

• Primary Battery could be upgraded to a 9-cell
• Better Graphics card will be helpful
• Fixed Optical drive.Therefore cant upgrade
• No internal Microphone.

Note from the author:

If you have any questions feel free to email Aman at:[email protected]

North American Pricing and Availability