HP Pavilion dv7-6051ea review

This version of the dv7 is powered by an Intel processor. The dual-core i5-2410M isn’t the fastest we’ve seen at this price, but it still packs a punch in Windows thanks to its 2.3GHz clock speed. This jumps up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost, helping it reach 54 overall in our multimedia benchmarks. An ample 6GB of RAM will help with multitasking, but thankfully this performance doesn’t have a huge impact on battery life. We saw four and three quarter hours in our light-use test. However, at 2.9kg, you’ll certainly notice it in your bag when on the move.

It might handle multimedia well, but the dv7 is also capable of some light gaming. The AMD Radeon 6490M isn’t the fastest, but it still managed 25.3fps in our Dirt 3 test. If you turn off anti-aliasing, you should find that most games will play reasonably well. Naturally, the card can also decode HD video, either on the laptop in 720p or in 1080p on an external display using the HDMI output. Other connectivity is more than acceptable, with two USB3 ports, two more standard USB, a multi-format card reader and analogue audio outputs.

The latest dv7 is a return to form for HP, mainly thanks to the fact that the awful touchpads that plagued previous models have been ditched. This version’s Intel processor is certainly faster than the AMD equivalent, but you pay for the price; it’s over £300 more than the AMD-powered model the HP dv7-6000sa. You also get a slightly better graphics card and longer battery life, but the MSI GE620 is faster still and has a better warranty. Unless you prefer a bigger, higher resolution screen, the MSI is the better choice for most people.