HP: A falling brand

[AndrewH85]

Well I'm officially scared. This is my first purchased-new laptop,oh excuse me, NOTEBOOK, a dv6. Have used compaqs in the past, 2 of them for my wife (1st got dropped) that were several years old at the time, ran like new. The dv6 (dual core) is the coolest running laptop I've ever used. may be because its holding all the heat inside,lol,but externally, it doesnt even get warm to the touch.

Is there anything I should worry about? My last HP product was a printer/scanner. Loved the hardware but was very disappointed in the HP spyware (you call it bloatware, I call it spyware) that came with the device. This machine has a few bugs HP doesnt want to bother addressing, but overall works very nice (after killing more than half of the stock running background services). customer service seems disappointing,like theres a gap in communication..

[Indrek]

It's funny because I had a MacBook Pro with one of those notorious GeForce 8600 GPUs, and never had a problem. The person to whom I eventually sold it is still using it - 4-1/2 years and going strong.

That's not funny, you and the new owner just got lucky. Plenty of MacBook Pros with the 8600 GPU had the same problems.

[excalibur1814]

It's funny because I had a MacBook Pro with one of those notorious GeForce 8600 GPUs, and never had a problem. The person to whom I eventually sold it is still using it - 4-1/2 years and going strong.

Probably due to being throttled to an inch of its life! My neighbours Toshiba has a GeForce card and it's still going after 8 (Number made up) years.

Is there anything I should worry about?

Not at all. All mechanical devices can break down and these days it is pretty much the luck of the draw. Heck, the latest macbook releases suffer from too much thermal compound which increases heat and will eventually lead up to problems. Samsung released the Series 9 with wi-fi issues and the 7 slate with a screen lift problem. ALL OF THEM have issues and apart from mac owners that seemingly have no issues (check the support forums... they do) you'll at least still be covered for a year.

If really worried, you could opt for the Elitebook/Probook range that offer very attractive ADP (Accidental damage protection) warranty cover.

[KLF]

Well I'm officially scared. This is my first purchased-new laptop,oh excuse me, NOTEBOOK, a dv6. Have used compaqs in the past, 2 of them for my wife (1st got dropped) that were several years old at the time, ran like new. The dv6 (dual core) is the coolest running laptop I've ever used. may be because its holding all the heat inside,lol,but externally, it doesnt even get warm to the touch.

Is there anything I should worry about? My last HP product was a printer/scanner. Loved the hardware but was very disappointed in the HP spyware (you call it bloatware, I call it spyware) that came with the device. This machine has a few bugs HP doesnt want to bother addressing, but overall works very nice (after killing more than half of the stock running background services). customer service seems disappointing,like theres a gap in communication..

HP and Compaq have been one and same company for ten years now If you look at the actual products same basic hardware is usually sold under both brands, just the covering plastic looks different. Internals are often pretty much interchangeable.

[TheAtreidesHawk]

The dv5t that my mom got a few years ago is completely coming apart....the keyboard is just a mess. Its freezing all the time.

This is at least 3.5 years old so mayhap thats normal but I'm not sure. Anyways HP def seems to be going thru some pains at the moment.

[Mitlov]

I've heard contradictory anecdotes about HP reliability. The problem is, unlike cars, laptops are replaced so fast that you can't gather reliability data. By the time you're three years down the line and you're starting to get solid reliability data, the model that you've been surveying is two generations out of date and the current model doesn't share a single piece with the model you've been gathering data on. So who knows.

I will say this: in this 2009 reliability survey, HP ranked last. (click here). In this 2011 reliability survey, HP was mid-pack. (click here). Most other brands stayed the same, so I think that this indicates that HP was having trouble a few years ago but has since improved significantly.

But there's more to a brand surviving than reliability. A big, big part of success is building models that people will choose over competitors even if they aren't cheaper than competitors. This allows for sizable profit margins that provide for long-term financial success. And right now, in January 2012, HP is doing a great job of that. With the Folio and Spectre book-ending the ultrabook market (serving both the inexpensive-and-practical buyer and the luxury-and-glitz buyer), the Envy 15 and 17 offering arguably the best multimedia laptop total packages out there right now (even counting the red-orange issue as a strike against them, they're better total packages than what XPS and Vaio has to offer right now), HP is set to sell a lot of laptops with respectable profit margins. I think HP's going to have a good, good year in 2012.

[Illustrator76]

Well I'm officially scared. This is my first purchased-new laptop,oh excuse me, NOTEBOOK, a dv6. Have used compaqs in the past, 2 of them for my wife (1st got dropped) that were several years old at the time, ran like new. The dv6 (dual core) is the coolest running laptop I've ever used. may be because its holding all the heat inside,lol,but externally, it doesnt even get warm to the touch.

Is there anything I should worry about? My last HP product was a printer/scanner. Loved the hardware but was very disappointed in the HP spyware (you call it bloatware, I call it spyware) that came with the device. This machine has a few bugs HP doesnt want to bother addressing, but overall works very nice (after killing more than half of the stock running background services). customer service seems disappointing,like theres a gap in communication..

I am very worried now as well. I went with an HP computer over a Malibal/Sager, because I got more bang for the buck, and because I really didn't need a super high-end graphics card (I'm not a huge computer gamer at all). I have had non-business line Dell laptops in the past and those things are pure garbage. I will never support another Dell consumer line of product again, not to mention that the tech support was probably worse than the computer itself...and that's saying a lot. But, as I was saying, I thought the HP would be a nice laptop in-between the Dell and a Sager/Malibal, but now I am not sure.

I thought the HP Coolsense technology would help a lot with temperature, but is that not the case? My biggest concern now is having a machine that will last and not break down every other day. I will be using my CPU for Photoshop, graphics programs and the occasional RTS game, so I wanted a max of at least 16GB of RAM, a 1080p screen, a middle-class dedicated graphics card and an i7 processor; The HP gave me all that for a good price and an in-home service warranty (something Sagers'/Malibals' don't offer). After reading these forums though, I am wondering if I should have spent the extra $450.00 and got a Malibal/Sager.

My HP laptop is on the way and will be here in a few days, but I am considering not even opening it and just sending it right back to HP for a refund to get a Sager. I really don't know what to do now.

[Sxooter]

I think you get something like 21 days to decide, so why not at least give it a spin.

[Illustrator76]

I think you get something like 21 days to decide, so why not at least give it a spin.

Just because if I open the box up and start messing with the CPU, I may not want to have to put everything back together and ship it back. I am honestly 50/50 right now, most likely if I open it up, I am keeping it. I did get a great deal for everything I am getting, and I really don't want to go through the process of RMAing the laptop and waiting on a refund...not to mention having to pay $450.00 extra for a Malibal/Sager and go another 2-3 weeks without having a CPU.

I hate budgets.

[munchen]

i'm still going on a 2009 hp dv6 with a 4650m and the big issue is that the cd/dvd drive is busted. don't know why since i barely use it, but when i tried to read a cd the other day it didn't work at all. i am considering the dv6t quad edition because of the $415 coupon, and was wondering if the cooling/fan is better, since my laptop gets pretty loud and hot when playing games. like, i can keep some hot chocolate at a nice warm-hot temperature if i leave it next to the vent