HP N5190 Notebook
Jun 24 '01 (Updated Dec 24 '01)
The Bottom Line A PERFECT laptop for the college student, or home user. IT people will appreciate the onboard 10/100bT, modem, 2 Cardbus slots, and beautiful screen. Kudos to HP!
UPDATE: 12/24/2001
Now that I've had this notebook for over 6 months, I can give a more in-depth analysis of the reliability and functionality.
Everything is holding up as I expected it to. I upgraded to Windows XP Home and couldn't be happier. Personally, I think that w/ the extra 128MB stick and XP, she's flyin'.
Battery life might be on someone's mind. I've now had it for some time and can say the battery life is pretty good. If you're just typing away on your next novel, or school term paper, you can go for a good 2:45 to 3hrs strong w/out a problem; however, if you're surfing the internet or watching a DVD, bring the AC adapter. I've watched 3 full DVD movies on my laptop and it will usually give the LOW BATTERY warning about 3/4 through the movie. If you play w/ the battery settings, you can stretch this out much higher.
I Suggest...
5min for HD sleep.
Never turn off screen
Never go into Standby.
--
I purchased this laptop in June 2001 from CompUSA.
I am most impressed by the big 15" screen. It is absolutely beautiful and crystal clear. The TFT is probably one of the biggest selling points about this laptop.
Powerful P3 700 Mhz processor and a generous 128MB of RAM make it a bargain. I upgraded to 256 (added another 128 stick) and it just flies through boot-up.
The hard drive is modest (only 10GB), so a backup system wouldn't be a bad idea.
Only problems I have had with this laptop are WinME related. WinME comes pre-installed on the Pavilion, and does have some quirks with Hibernate. Otherwise, this laptop kicks butt, and takes no prisoners, when compared to other peoples' laptops at your local coffee shop.
There is a little sound resonating from under the keyboard when a certain pitch is played. This is because ME lacks Bass/Treble settings to adjust this. Get WinAMP, and adjust your EQ with that. It plays MP3s beautifully through the Polk Audio speakers, and loud too!
Purchase this laptop, and you will be the envy of everyone at school or work. IT people will immediately appreciate the on-board 10/100BaseT and modem, as well as dual cardbus slots and legacy ports (Serial, Parallel, VGA, IR, and Video Out (RCA)) Dual USB ports make is ideal for people with portable USB devices (mice/keyboards/cameras).
I was equally impressed with the hefty DiagTools HP included with it. There is an updated version, free for download on their web site. It does a very through job of checking and re-checking every device. I thought the Trouble Ticket feature was a nice touch for home users to send information to HP Support.
I have only called their support department once, and they were very helpful. I only asked what the max amount of memory (after an exhaustive search on their web site) this could handle, it is 512MB. Their e-mail support is pretty responsive, and only took 1 day to respond.
The Technical Support # is long distance for a reason, to keep "morons who can't find the Start button", or the "Where is my Printer?" people from calling. If you do call (use 10-10-220, 20 min for $1), there is no hold, and response is immediate; otherwise, just use the web form, and they'll get back to you almost immediately.
I inquired about their warranty service, and was impressed to hear they do UPS/FedEx pickup at your home/work. They pay all the shipping, and do priority service on your laptop. Most manufacturers require YOU to pay the shipping to them, then they pay the shipping back. I thought this was more than fair, and hopefully I will never have to use it.
I purchased CompUSA's ext. warranty to cover the screen against damage, and the battery. I always recommend the extended warranties to laptop customers. The screen alone is almost $1,000 bucks, and the battery is $160.
I work in the IT field, and purchased HP because it is HP. The only higher you can go for a PC laptop is IBM. The Think Pads are awesome. In the IT field, most professionals either use IBM or HP machines, while home/amateur users use Compaqs and Dells.
I've been happy with it ever since I purchased it. It is an awesome machine, and anyone who purchases it will feel the same.
BR,
John
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jpatakas2k
|
|
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.