Customer Reviews

HP G71-340US 17.3-Inch Black/Silver Laptop - Up to 4 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This is a great laptop for the money and I would buy it again.

Pro's:
Light compared to some other laptops (LED vs. LCD screens usually)
Screen is very bright and easy to read
HDMI allows output to HDTV (also for using Media Center on the HDTV)
4GB RAM
Good battery life (it was running for 3.5+ hours the other day)
10-Key number pad
5-1 card reader (for plopping in an SD card from a digital camera/camcorder)

Con's:
Fingerprints are highly visible on laptop cover -- glossy black
Keyboard layout is cramped with certain keys (arrow keys, delete key)
Speakers do not sound as good as my 3 year old Toshiba laptop
No physical button for volume control -- it's software controlled via keyboard/Windows.

Addt'l comments:
I also have a Lenovo T61p and the HP is lighter, has better battery life, and a softer keyboard (which I prefer-the Lenovo/Thinkpad line is too stiff for me). The Lenovo performs slightly better in every day tasks (faster hard drive & cpu) and a fair bit faster in graphics intensive applications (e.g. games).

I bought this to replace an older 15.6 inch laptop to be my main home computer. I just could not see investing half or more of the cost of this in a netbook. Boy am I glad I did. The 17.3 inch screen is simply incredible.

These are the ways the 17.3 inch screen helps. First the screen itself is really nice. My photos look fantastic and DVDs look superb. Netflix streaming and Hulu are so-so but that is more the limitations of software than of the screen itself. Many websites take advantage of the larger screen as well and it just feels right. It feels like my work desktop screen. Second and possibly of more value is the keyboard. BY FAR the best laptop keyboard I have ever used. It is even better than my stand alone keyboard at work. Finally a true full size, large key, awesome to type with laptop keyboard. And what I thought was a bad design aesthetically, the large blank space beneath the keyboard with just the mouse controls. Guess what? It is perfect for laying your hands down as you type. I know keyboard is not the first thing that comes to mind when buying a computer and it probably shouldn't be the first thing. BUT it should not be under-rated either.

As for the computer itself. I am really digging Windows 7. I bought this on Black Friday and so far no problems whatsoever. 4 GB is nice. The 6600 processors are nice solid performers. There are better in laptops but for me doing multimedia activities and home office activities this computer more than meets my needs. Everything worked great right out of the box. Webcam works great and not too much installed software. The student and home Office trial means if you end up buying it (Amazon usually has the best price around) it is already installed you just need the key. That was kind of nice. The 60 days of Norton gives you some time to try it, be protected, and make a decision on the security software you like so that is also helpful.

But ultimately what should make you choose this over the numerous other configurations HP offers is the screen size. Any slight added bulkiness and weight (around 6.5 odd pounds) is more than made up for me with how much fun it is to have a large laptop screen and a real full-sized comfortable, fantastic keyboard. Let others have their 10 inch products...17.3 for me from now on.

UPDATE as of 7/4/2010 - I have just recently switched over to Mac so anything PC is truly inferior in so many ways. But as Windows laptop, this is a darn good machine for the money.

How can I express how incredible this machine is? Well let me try. Two weeks earlier I bought the Vista cousin of this machine that had a Pentium and only 1400/900 display (blech!) and it was a bit sluggish. After I saw an Office Depot flyer advertising this beauty for [...] with [...] rebate, I returned the Pentium to Best Buy, who didn't have this machine. This machine is a tremendous value. Huge hard drive, 4 gigs of ram, WONDERFUL keyboard (all the HPs have the best-engineered keyboards I have seen on any laptops, large and small). And 1600x900 instead of 1400x900 like some of the other models. I agree that the power cable should be on the left side, in fact on the one I returned it was. And yes, the speakers are underwhelming. But this is no "gaming rig", this is a business desktop replacement, period. Battery life? It says up to 4 hours by I get between 2.5 and 3 hours, and with the powersave mode, just a bit over 3 hours. The lesser cousin didn't even get 1.5 hours.

Do not pass go, do not collect [...] (although you will collect [...] in rebates), just buy this machine!

I'm a Mac guy normally, but my mother is PC all the way. I got this computer for her as a gift, and spent a few hours setting it up for her. Paid $650 for this before tax at Sam's Club. It's worth it. You get what you pay for. Windows 7 is impressive. I suppose W7 is Microsoft's answer to Mac OSX. They have done a great job at making all of Windows more aesthetically pleasing. It is simple and functional, and seems to run smoothly. Of course, my experience with Windows is that you can't really judge how quick it is for at least 6 months, so who knows. The processor and memory on this computer are a great value for what you pay... kudos on that.

My problem with this computer, first of all, is that it doesn't have built-in Bluetooth... I guess I was thinking that BT was sort-of standard already on notebook computers nowadays. Makes it a little inconvenient for someone like me that prefers to do everything wirelessly. Another issue I have with this notebook is that it is VERY bulky and VERY heavy. I appreciate the large widescreen, and the full numeric keypad, but the moment I opened the box I was deflated by the sheer size of this monstrosity. It is not something that a normal-sized person can comfortably fit on their lap (OMG I could not imagine trying to use this thing on an airplane). It is so large that the first two notebook bags I bought my mother would not accommodate it. The placement of buttons and control keys on the unit itself, for some reason, also seems a little confusing to me... lacking intuitiveness... but that may just be me.

This computer, despite its problems, did impress me overall. It's a cut above the expectations I had for a $650 PC laptop. I am looking to purchase an actual Windows PC to use in addition to my two Macs... I would consider HP based on my experience with this notebook, but I would not consider THIS MODEL. I travel several months out of the year... and honestly this thing is just too bulky and heavy to comfortably carry through airports. I would suggest to seriously consider the size and weight of this computer before purchasing it, and weigh the cons of those things against your intentions for this computer... if you travel a lot with your notebook, I doubt this model will make you happy camper. But if you want a portable home computer, or something to keep in your dorm... something that won't be moving around a lot... this might be a good option.

Impressive, very impressive... but not enough to turn this old Mac guru into a PC-All-The-Way guy. :)

It's better than my G70 but not by much. The 16:9 screen is much shorter than the G70 widescreen,making it harder to read pages online-lots of scrolling. My biggest complaint is the volume. I went into every possible menu to max the vol and nothing helped. The G70 blasts it out of the water on sound. The DVD tray is very flimsy, it wouldn't burn a DVD-I tried several brands and types. It tried-burned maybe half a disc and wasted 10 discs. I was trying to burn their recommended recovery disc set off this notebook. I gave up and paid the $14 for the DVDs. The tray is moulded close to the bottom and hangs if you don't keep it near the edge of your desk or raised on that end. The power adpt cord sticks straight out the rear side and would be easy to mangle if you're not careful moving it. I'm returning it because Win7 won't work with any of my HP printers and scanners and they state on their website that they aren't going to write new drivers. These notebooks are identical in quality and appearance. The G71 is ,1 Ghz faster and 1 GB more memory plus .3 larger screen. Not a huge difference by any means. I did exhaust tech support on the hardware issue and he recommended I buy new printers and scanners. NOT I'll stick with Vista untill they write more drivers, maybe they'll have one of mine in a few ..... For the money it's a good machine but you better have Win7 approved hardware. Most of the drivers out now for Win7 are stripped of their features and use only basic functions. I wouldn't abandon Vista just yet.

I bought this laptop from a famous auction web site as a Christmas gift to myself. For seven years, I owned a 1450 Solo Gateway Laptop. From day one I never really liked the PC. The fan was loud and the only hardware you could upgrade were the hard drive and memory. So, I was really nervous about buying a new PC.

This HP is soooooooo much better than the Gateway I previously owned. The screen is much nicer, sleeker, prettier, brighter and the wide screen affect is AWESOME. With the new Windows 7 it doesn't take long for the PC to load up and shut down. I love the number keypad to the right. It's a benefit that keeps me from mistakenly hitting the "Function keys". There's a button to cut off/on the touch pad. This feature is wonderful because when typing, your wrist may get tired and you may mistakenly hit the touchpad and mess up what you typed.

Lately, I've heard [or read] that the speakers were not really that strong. Well, this IS a laptop, so if you're expecting "theatre sound" then, buy a home theatre system. Secondly, I had the volume turned up as high as it could be and I heard my CD from my PC all the way in the kitchen from my bedroom. The fan and the entire PC is quiet. You barely notice that the fan is even on. There's NO noise when turning on the PC. I mainly use this PC at home, so I can't comment on the life of the battery, because it's really not of a major importance.

The 17.3'' wide screen, mic AND webcam, Lightscribe technology for DVD/CD burning........etc for less than $700.00 is a REALLY great deal!!!!! I'm VERY happy with it so far. To be truthful, I've had it for only a week, but based on the looks of things I'm hoping to be really happy with this PC a very long time.

There are two gripes that I DO have with this PC: 1. The USB ports are on both sides of the PC rather than the back. This causes cords to be tangled up and take up space on my desk. The second gripe I have is this PC didn't come with any CD software that was pre-loaded on the PC. It also didn't come with any restore discs. You will be given an option to make your own, or purchase them.

The second gripe is bothersome to me, because down the line one WILL need to reload their PC for many different reasons and should ALWAYS have a back up. But so far so GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I believe that HP makes the best notebook computers in the world today. This is a beautifully designed and equipped notebook computer that will not disappoint. I like the keyboard layout a lot, and the matte black keys feel solid and secure when you type--better than the glossy black keys that some cheaper computers use. I am a fast touch-typist, and I am very particular about computer keyboards. This HP keyboard is one of the best if not the best notebook keyboards that I have used.

The screen on this notebook computer is gorgeous. A bright, lively landscape screen that is very pleasant to look at. I plugged in my second monitor, and Windows 7 made it very easy to configure it as an extension of my desktop.

The 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo CPU on this machine combined with Windows 7 Home 64 bit and 4GB DRAM really performs nicely. All of my programs, including some pretty CPU-intensive legal software that I run, work very snappily with this setup. My digital photography programs also work very well, with rapid manipulation of large digital images quite feasible on this notebook.

The pre-installed Windows 7/64 bit is a very good operating system. My printers and peripherals all installed themselves effortlessly upon connection--we are now truly in the age of plug-and-play. Microsoft really learned its lesson from the Vista issues-even my old legacy printer automatically prompted me to download the proper driver, and it installed effortlessly. The computer itself started configuring itself immediately upon start-up--it prompted for the network code, and immediately installed itself on the network. The user will be up and running withing minutes.

I have only found a few dings for this computer. Firstly, the sound through the built-in speakers is not very loud. Plan on external powered speakers for all but the most incidental use of the sound system. The built-in mouse pad is positioned such that it is pretty easy to bump the mouse when you are typing. All notebooks seem to have this problem. Fortunately there is a hardware on-off switch above the pad (rather than requiring a Windows setting; this goes far to mitigate the issue). This is really a minor issue because I usually use an outboard notebook mouse anyway. Since this computer comes equipped with WiFi, it is easy to pick up a nice wireless mouse, which I plan to do.

This computer has an HDMI port which is a hugely nice thing to have; this makes it possible to play movies directly from the computer to one's HDMI-equipped TV set.

A hardware volume control would have been nice, but it is really not necessary since Windows places a software volume control in the lower-right corner of the screen. Bluetooth support would have been nice; I equipped mine with a small mini-bluetooth adaptor which installed instantly and it works fine.

Overall, this computer was my choice after a great deal of comparison shopping, and it has not disappointed. Highly recommended.

Very lightweight for such a large screen, lighter than the `15-inch Gateway it is replacing. Very fast, good screen. Haven't tested full extent of battery life but its definitely more than 3 hours. Only two things I don't like. The keyboard is full size, with numbers on right, which means its a little off center. The raised ridges on the "F" and "J" key are very slight, barely noticeable, so it is hard to find them without looking. Not sure why HP made them so small on this model, because I looked at other HP laptops and th4ey were much easier to feel. Its a problem now but I assume I will get used to it over time. However, I definitely like having the number pad on the right side. The only real negative is the volume on the internal speakers. They are VERY low (I've seen similar complaints in other reviews, so I am confident it is not just my machine). I haven't tried headphones. Otherwise, it is a great laptop.

Another one with cracked screen!! I have owned this laptop for six months. It has been used as a desk top replacement and has never left my house. I do not have children at home that may have accidentally knocked it off my deck. But, it was fine when I closed it for the night and when opened the next morning the screen had an internal crack. After spending hours trying to connect with & chat with online tech support, they have me do a "BIOS test" just to find out that the test was totally useless, I had to spend another hour trying to get back on with tech support. Next I was told that a box would be sent to me to send the laptop back to HP for service. After waiting three weeks (still no box) I phoned tech support and was told that they showed no records of my service request. After starting the process over again the phone tech he said if it was an internal crack that it would not be covered by warranty. He stated that "I take calls all-day long with the problem of screen crack and they will not be covered by warranty".

I believe that this laptop has a design fault. I feel the width of the screen and lack of lid strength allows twisting of the screen during opening and closing, thus causing the LCD screen to crack from normal usage. There should be a recall or at least a warranty fix.

HP you are better than this.

I bought this laptop with Windows 7 release deals at 550$ with same configuration. I use it primarily for watching movies, graphics editing , programming , documentation etc.

Pros
+ Loving the big screen experience (increases productivity especially with Win7)
+ Full size keyboard (with a separate number pad )
+ Decent battery life
+ Sleek and clean design
+ Great processing and disk speed
+ HDMI port
+ Quiet

Cons
- Needs a particularly large backpack (I bought Targus TXL617 Notebook Backpack, which is great for this)
- Arrow keys are bit cramped (there are another set of arrow keys on the number pad)