Reviews for HP (Hewlett-Packard) Pavilion 12.1" Notebook - Turion 64 X2 TL-56 1.8GHz

1280 x 800 WXGA Display - 1 GB RAM - 160 GB HDD - DVD-Writer - nVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 - Webcam - Windows Vista Home Premium - MPN: GA651UA

  • 4
  By member: gigantopithecus - Dec 19, 2007

Great value ultraportable

Strengths: Cost, performance, features

Weakness: Battery life

I've been using this laptop a bit less than a week and my initial impression is that it is a solid system given the cost. Its build quality seems average, not as good as the magnesium alloy cased Dell Latitude series, but definitely a cut above the bottom barrel Acers, Gateways, & Compaqs I've used.

Its performance is acceptable out of the box; the AMD Turion X2 @ 1.8ghz is roughly equivalent to a 1.5ish ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, but with slightly higher power draw. The installed 1gb of memory is adequate for running Vista, but given how cheap DDR2 sticks are, you should be able to upgrade this to 2gb of system ram for under $50, and it will be $50 well spent. The hard drive is a 5400rpm SATA drive, which can be replaced with a 7200rpm laptop drive extremely easily, though that's a bit more expensive of an upgrade than the ram so you might not want to do it (plus you have to reinstall Windows).

The webcam works fine, the fingerprint reader to me is extraneous but to others might be valuable. More ports than most value notebooks & a dvd burner that supports DL & Lightscribe are nice touches. The included HP media remote is another nice (if minor) bonus.

My only gripe is that the battery life is subpar. A 9 cell can be purchased, & gives much better longevity (>2 hours with wifi on), but comes at the cost of about 1/4 pound more weight.

All in all, you won't find a less expensive ultraportable, & this is a pretty solid machine as it is. Spend a few $$$ on upgrades & between its specs & build quality, it'll probably last you years.

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  • 5
  By member: gbo294gpr - Mar 9, 2008

Great powerful computer for the price

Strengths: Light weight, small in size..

Weakness: Not touch screen

This computer is a great value for the price. It is light weight and is pretty loaded for the price.. The only option I would have liked was the touch screen capability..

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  • 4
  By member: perrypopeye - Feb 6, 2008

Great ultraportable notebook

Strengths: Ease of use, easy to carry around

Weakness: Not enough ram, short battery life

This is a great ultraportable notebook computer, but I would definitely recommend some upgrades as mentioned by other reviewers: Increase the RAM from 1gb to 2gb, change the horrible 4cell battery to a 9cell battery for "worry free" battery life, & change the 5400rpm hard drive to a 7200rpm hard drive. Could have been built a bit more durable. Not for gaming, but a great basic laptop for internet use and word processing.

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  • 4
  By member: studentadvocate - Jul 9, 2008

Cool Portable Notebook Computer

Strengths: Swivel screen, compact, easy to use

Weakness: needs more ram

This is a great portable computer for basic internet and word processing. I love the swivel screen. I got his computer on clearance at a national office supply store for about $300 less than the regular retail price. Battery life on this computer is too short. I have had previous Toshiba notebook computers and have always liked them.

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  • 4
  By member: shwang6 - May 4, 2008

HP Ta1205us

Strengths: Small size, fingerprint reader

Weakness: battery life

I got it from officemax clearance for only $600. The laptop is small and light so it is good for travel. The battery life is decent but it is short for me since I carry it in my travel. The AMD processor seems generate lots of heat from bottom, which may partialy affects battery life.

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  • 4
  By member: dad5258 - Jan 26, 2008

tx1205us

Strengths: Small size, light weight

Weakness: No touch screen and battery life, memory is only 1GB

I got it from officemax clearance. The laptop is basically good and easy to carry around. The 1gb memory for vista premium is not enough. After upgraded to 2GB, it is day and night. The finger print reader is fancy but I do not use it. The battery is only 4cell, which makes it cannot even finish a long DVD movie on the plane. 6cell is strongly recommended. Webcam is coll for online chat. The effeciency of AMD's processor seems not as high as intel's processor. I can feel hot under tha laptop.

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  • 0.8
  TopTenREVIEWS.com - Jul 16, 2008

hewlett packard hp pavilion tx1205us 12." widescreen notebook pc pc notebook

Hewlett Packard Hp Pavilion Tx1205us 12." Widescreen Notebook Pc Pc Notebook receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 0.64 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #1,042 laptop computer of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of...

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