HP Pavilion dv3510nr

This $1,099 laptop is packed with bells and whistles but remains highly portable with its sub five pound weight and 13.3 inch display. Really, we have but two small caveats. One, Don't mistake the GeForce 9300M GS for full entry into the wonderful world of 3D gaming. This budget card will run many games just fine, but it has its limits.

And two, Don't overlook HP Pavilion dv4-1125nr, which is a stripped down but slightly larger version of this Pavilion. It will do many of the things the Pavilion dv3510nr does and will save you $300. While the Asus X83VM-X1 delivers better performance for $50 less, the Pavilion dv3510nr is the better all around laptop with its superior design, better battery life, and longer list of features.

Specification

• Price $1,099
• Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350
• Memory 4,096MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
• Hard drive 320GB, 5,400rpm
• Chipset Intel GM45 Express
• Graphics 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS
• Operating System Windows Vista Premium 64-bit
• Dimensions (width x height) 12.6 x 8.9 inches
• Thickness 1.2 to 1.4 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 13.3 inches
• System weight / Weight with AC adapter 4.9 - 5.9 pounds
• Category Thin and light
  

Despite it being a founding member of Best Buy's Blue Label program, the HP Pavilion dv3510nr features the standard Pavilion chassis. In contrast, the Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402, the other Blue Label laptop, looks nothing like any other Satellite. The Pavilion dv3510nr is the first 13 inch Pavilion, however. And thankfully, it doesn't compromise the keyboard it's the same full size unit as the one found on 14 inch Pavilion dv4 models and a hair wider than the 14 inch Asus X83VB-X1 and X83VM-X1 laptops.

And like both golden hued Asus models, the Pavilion dv3510nr is decked out in an earth tone. HP calls it bronze, but it looks like more of a taupe. The lid and keyboard deck are taupe colored, with HP's Imprint finish, which is basically a design of overlapping diamond like shapes. A strip of chrome runs along the edges of the keyboard deck, which matches the chrome strip that houses the touch sensitive media control keys above the keyboard and the touch pad and mouse buttons below it.

As with any earth tone, the color of the laptop in understated and neutral, but it provides a unique look for this laptop without being garish. The keyboard feels very roomy and runs nearly edge to edge, making use of every inch of this 13 inch thin and light laptop, and hitting the Function key and the space bar turn on the keyboard's backlights, which is unique among Pavilion laptops.

(The Toshiba Satellite E105 also has a backlit keyboard.) The touchpad features the familiar glossy coating of all recent Pavilions, which creates too much drag when trying to glide your finger across it. I'd be willing to trade aesthetics here for a matte finish that offered a better feel. The mouse buttons are soft, quiet, and responsive, however, and above the touch pad is a small, convenient on or off switch. In the lower right corner is a fingerprint reader that you can use to log in to Windows and enter password protected sites.