HP Pavilion dv6-2005ax Notebook

The dv6-2005ax looks exactly the same as the earlier dv6-1161tx notebook from

HP. It has the same chassis and body, which is completely glossy. The lid has a

wave imprint finish on it with an illuminated HP logo.

The keypad, unlike the dv6 notebook, is not glossy and HP have updated the

keyboard with the matte finish. The 15.6 inch screen gave the designers enough

space to put in a full keyboard as well as a number pad. Above the keyboard is

the volume control touch based slider, the volume mute and Wi-Fi connectivity

touch controls.

The dv6-2005ax is powered by AMD's Turion X2 M500 dual core processor

clocking at 2.2GHz, 4GB RAM, 230GB hard drive. 15.6 inch screen with HD Ready

resolution and ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics which have 1GB DDR3

dedicated graphics memory. On paper, the specs look extremely good.

Our benchmarks did not disappoint and the PC Mark benchmark score of 5533

points means it is a powerhouse. With such a powerful processor, using this

notebook will not be slow or irritating. There will be absolutely no freezes

even if you open multiple browser windows, media player, a PowerPoint

presentation, an antivirus scan in the background, have a download manager

downloading files from the net and still have more than enough grunt to open a

few more applications. The Windows Experience Index score of 5.7 is also a

testament to the notebook's power and performance capability. The Altec Lansing

speakers are good enough to listen to things. But, and this is true with almost

all laptops, there will be no bass or thump. The keyboard is quite comfortable

since there is a lot of real estate around the touchpad to rest your palms while

typing. The keys are slightly depressed from the middle. There is the full

number pad available as well. The touchpad is responsive and precise, but

extremely glossy.

The dv6-2005ax comes loaded with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics

with 1GB DDR3 dedicated memory and sharing another 2GB system memory when

needed. We expect good gaming capabilities. And the 3D Mark benchmark score of

5570 proves just that. The 15.6 inch screen has a resolution of 1366x768, which

makes it fit for even connecting to a flat panel television. The screen display

is fantastic, even though it is a bit reflective.

However, battery is the biggest disappointment. The powerhouse runs out of

juice in about an hour and a half, which makes it no better than a desktop

replacement. HP assumed that someone buying a 15.6 inch notebook will not bother

carrying it around a lot and compromised on battery life.

Overall, the dv6-2005ax notebook, at this price, is an extremely good desktop

replacement. The screen size makes it comfortable to view text and images, while

the full fledged keypad is extremely comfortable to use. The only niggle is with

the battery backup, but wouldn't matter if this remains on your desk most of the

time, plugged in. Go for this machine if you are looking for a comfortable PC

for either home or office.

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