Like all the laptops in the HP Pavilion line, the dv6000's sleek design and shiny finish hold their own next to systems from style-conscious manufacturers such as Apple and Sony. Aside from its good looks, the dv6000 also provides a solid set of entertainment features and high-end components for a fair price. Those components didn't result in record-breaking performance, and its battery life was below average. For these reasons we recommend the Pavilion dv6000 for home users who want a laptop with basic entertainment features and who don't plan to spend a lot of time away from the power outlet.
Design
The HP Pavilion dv6000 measures 358mm by 41mm by 257mm -- about the same size as the Dell Inspiron E1505 and the PC Club Enpower ENP680. At 2.8kg, however, the Pavilion dv6000 is the lightest of the three -- its AC adaptor brings the total travel weight to a still portable 3.3kg.
We like the HP Pavilion dv6000's 15.4-inch widescreen display -- its native resolution of 1,280x800 provides ample space to work or play. The screen's glossy finish makes colours pop and look brighter, though we noticed a distracting glare when working next to a window on a sunny day. There is an option to bypass the glossy coating if you intend to use the dv6000 in bright environments. Above the display sits a 1.3-megapixel webcam that's useful for videoconferencing -- two built-in microphones on the display bezel eliminate the need for an external microphone.
Like all Pavilion laptops, the dv6000 includes a row of light-touch buttons above the keyboard that launch the media player and provide volume and playback controls. We like the sleek look of the keys, but we hate the beeping that indicates you've pressed a button -- the sound can be disabled, but doing so is rather complicated. The Altec Lansing stereo speakers, located above those controls, deliver decent-quality sound, but unfortunately the sound becomes muffled if you close the laptop lid.
The Pavilion dv6000's keyboard is ample and comfortable to type on for long periods, and both touchpad and mouse buttons are entirely usable. We love the Pavilion dv6000's touchpad on/off button, which keeps you from accidentally misplacing the cursor while typing and makes it easy to use an external mouse.
Features
The HP Pavilion dv6000 offers an average mix of ports for a laptop of its size. There are four-pin FireWire, VGA, S-Video and three USB 2.0 ports, as well as a microphone jack and -- for those who like to share movies and music with friends -- two headphone jacks, one of which supports S/PDIF output. Card slots on the dv6000 read the latest ExpressCards, plus Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard and xD formats. Networking options include Ethernet, modem and 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi -- Bluetooth is available as an option. The laptop's double-layer DVD burner includes LightScribe, which lets you burn your own labels onto compatible discs.
Our Pavilion dv6000 ran on Windows XP Professional -- given its many media features, we're surprised the system is not available with Windows XP Media Center. HP bundles a decent amount of software, such as the Microsoft Works 8 productivity suite, Microsoft Money 2006, basic photo-editing software and applications for disc viewing and burning, with the system.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters
User reviews25
Add your review
Cosmin Moroca 30 October 2012
Good: Decent Gaming PC
Bad: Low GB&MB plus it overheats rarely
Comment: If you want a gaming PC then this laptop is your ok choice it's five years old but I can even run Age Of Conan I even got the recomended requirements but I'm thinking to buy an acer but I don't know if I should though this laptop has its internal mouse left click broken and my google chrome has been taking hours to load the home page so I spend my time on explorer but my chrome is okay now
sfabunan 24 August 2012
Good: speakers, the display, overall appearance, fast, durable, many ports
Bad: HEAVY, and it started to fall apart after 4.5 years
Comment: I love this laptop actually. As a movie addict, I spent hundreds of hours watching movies on this laptop and it has never failed me. The speakers are very loud which gives me the full movie experience and the images are crisp. The design of this laptop is also very sleek so despite it being 5 years old, I can say that it still looks like it's in a better shape than most of the laptops my friends have.
It also runs pretty fast and I can watch movies while typing or browsing the internet and I can usually have 10 tabs open at once. It got me through my entire year of college without breaking.
As for the bad, it's quite heavy. It's not something that you carry around to school every single day, but ultimately, I cannot trade the beautiful big screen for a lighter weight as it is very worth it.
The webcam also produces clear images on the other side and the mic works pretty well. After 5 years though, some things begin to break as expected.
At 4 years, the battery life gave out and it cannot handle running by itself for more than 3 minutes. It hasn't overheated though, but the heat after a while will burn you if you put it on your lap.
The CD slot is also having trouble reading my CDs and just yesterday, my keys gave in so I am typing this on a separate keyboard.
However, the software still works amazingly. I would definitely consider buying another laptop like this, but maybe a bit smaller than this 15.4" diagonal display.
candylaced 7 April 2012
Good: It's a good size. The screen is large and the laptop feels nice and solid. Plus it's pretty fast.
Bad: Had a problem with overheating once. The motherboard gave out. The battery's dead.
Comment: I got this laptop as a birthday present about five years ago now. At first, it worked like a dream. But then it started overheating. I couldn't rest it flat on a hard surface. I'd always have to balance it half on the table and keep the other half in the air. Otherwise it'd heat up and switch off. However, that probably was easily fixed when I had the fan cleared out. Turns out, there was a lot of dust in it while was the cause of the problem. I had it cleaned about three years ago now and funnily enough, I've not had the same problem.
And also, around about the same time my motherboard packed up. I had to take it to get it repaired ( I took it to a local place 'cause I couldn't afford to wait ages by sending it back to HP ). The local guy fixed it for me in four days. It was costly though.
Since then, I've not had major trouble. My battery's totally dead. Which means, I can't use it without having it constantly plugged into a socket. Which is not really an issue for me.
To be honest, I'm quite happy with this laptop. It's five years old and still going strong. It's a well built, solid affair and still worked even after I dropped it twice!
I'm actually quite surprised by all the negative reviews!
I would definitely consider buying another HP. However, this time I'd opt fora smaller screen because carrying my 15.4 around starts to kill my shoulder after a while!
See all 25 user reviews