Some specific questions on choosing between HP dv6 6121 and its siblings.

[Santa Maria!]

Hi. First off, I'll just say that I found a wealth of info over the past few days reading over the posts on this forum, so thanks to all those who participated in those discussions and providing various points of view.

Please don't be put off by the size of this post! I tried to structure it as best I could!

My budget is around 50k and it seems the best value-for-money + graphics yumminess at this price is the HP dv6 6121tx... or its siblings ie. 6017 & 6140.


My focus:

I need a durable laptop that will last me a good 4+ years as a desktop replacement. All my programming work, browsing and a bit of gaming will be done on it.

Gaming-wise, I'd like to have a go at a few juicy titles now & then. But 3D graphics development is something I will fool around with (hobby D3D11 or OGL4 development). And maybe I'd like something that, after 3 years, will play most games on medium.


Display:

I notice that one difference between the 6121 & 6140 is 1GB vs 2GB on the same GPU. How much of a difference will this make?
Consider that in, say, a year if I become rich and want to get myself a nice 23+ inch monitor, and connect it to my laptop and use the bigger monitor(1900 x something res) as my primary/only display. Will this affect the choice of laptop?
For connecting a big monitor, is a HDMI thingy needed? I think only one of the models has those, right?

The thought of possibly connecting an external monitor is what is keeping me quiet about the laptop's 1333x768 display. And I also read here that for the given display size & res, HP's screens look best.


CPU

The 6121 and its bros have a quad core processor. Is this really an advantage -- or unnecessary? Do 4 cores offer anything significant over 2 cores?


The Overheating Fact/Hysteria:

On a thread about the 6017 (or was it 6140? sorry, information overload), I read that the heating issue was solved in newer models and the way to tell was by looking at the serial number on the outside of the box.
Is there such a trick for the 6121 as well?

And I really hope heating won't cause problems... sigh.. sorry, I know everyone who inquires about these laptops always say this, but I just have to. This is going to be my second EVER computer. (Currently on a P4 w/ 512 RAM, no discrete GPU.... go ahead... vomit! !).

And something about a BIOS upgrade too, I read. Is this pre-installed in current models, or do I have to do this somehow after purchase?



Finally:

So given these important points, what would you advise and what soothing words can you give?


May peace be with you.

 

[Ishu Gupta]

I notice that one difference between the 6121 & 6140 is 1GB vs 2GB on the same GPU. How much of a difference will this make?

None. Except you can brag in front of your noob friends

Consider that in, say, a year if I become rich and want to get myself a nice 23+ inch monitor, and connect it to my laptop and use the bigger monitor(1900 x something res) as my primary/only display. Will this affect the choice of laptop?

You FPS will drop, but this has the best GPU in the budget. So choice of laptop won't/shouldn't change

For connecting a big monitor, is a HDMI thingy needed? I think only one of the models has those, right?

All have it. That thread is wrong. It hasn't been corrected since someone mentioned the mistake.

The thought of possibly connecting an external monitor is what is keeping me quiet about the laptop's 1333x768 display. And I also read here that for the given display size & res, HP's screens look best.

Not the best but decent. Better than Dell. Worse than Sony.

The 6121 and its bros have a quad core processor. Is this really an advantage -- or unnecessary? Do 4 cores offer anything significant over 2 cores?

Future proofing
Better multithreaded performance

On a thread about the 6017 (or was it 6140? sorry, information overload), I read that the heating issue was solved in newer models and the way to tell was by looking at the serial number on the outside of the box.

You are mixing it up.

Serial number is to be looked for the Chipset version. Older chipsets were phased out in Feb. Don't worry.

And I really hope heating won't cause problems... sigh.. sorry, I know everyone who inquires about these laptops always say this, but I just have to. This is going to be my second EVER computer. (Currently on a P4 w/ 512 RAM, no discrete GPU.... go ahead... vomit! !).

I have something similar

And something about a BIOS upgrade too, I read. Is this pre-installed in current models, or do I have to do this somehow after purchase?

Can't say. All you have to do is double click an exe.

 

[saddy]

Hi. First off, I'll just say that I found a wealth of info over the past few days reading over the posts on this forum, so thanks to all those who participated in those discussions and providing various points of view.

Please don't be put off by the size of this post! I tried to structure it as best I could!

My budget is around 50k and it seems the best value-for-money + graphics yumminess at this price is the HP dv6 6121tx... or its siblings ie. 6017 & 6140.

6017 is out of production so u wont find it anywhere and 6140 has weak graphics chip which is most important part in gaming laptop .6121 has all the spec of high end laptop .

My focus:

I need a durable laptop that will last me a good 4+ years as a desktop replacement. All my programming work, browsing and a bit of gaming will be done on it.

Gaming-wise, I'd like to have a go at a few juicy titles now & then. But 3D graphics development is something I will fool around with (hobby D3D11 or OGL4 development). And maybe I'd like something that, after 3 years, will play most games on medium.

taking in account of technology in these time and date every thing changes within fraction of a second .Technology which is latest today become outdated after couple of weeks or even after a day.so taking that in to account i would say this machine may give u a better time for next 2 or 3 years until u feel u need more powerful one. Until then this laptop will serve u a better desktop replacement.

Display:

I notice that one difference between the 6121 & 6140 is 1GB vs 2GB on the same GPU. How much of a difference will this make?
Consider that in, say, a year if I become rich and want to get myself a nice 23+ inch monitor, and connect it to my laptop and use the bigger monitor(1900 x something res) as my primary/only display. Will this affect the choice of laptop?
For connecting a big monitor, is a HDMI thingy needed? I think only one of the models has those, right?

The thought of possibly connecting an external monitor is what is keeping me quiet about the laptop's 1333x768 display. And I also read here that for the given display size & res, HP's screens look best.

1GB or 2GB vram is only need when u want to run games or program which depend heavily on Video Ram rather than system memory .HP only kept this to make this laptop somewat future proof.
BTW regarding display, u have both HDMI and analog display connectivity on this machine.U get a 1900x display u can connet it with u laptop and work on that right.Only thing will be game and other 3D apps r gona suffer if u keep ur graphics setting high enough.

CPU

The 6121 and its bros have a quad core processor. Is this really an advantage -- or unnecessary? Do 4 cores offer anything significant over 2 cores?

one word for it ---Multitasking ...and makes ur laptop very much responsive in every scenario

The Overheating Fact/Hysteria:

On a thread about the 6017 (or was it 6140? sorry, information overload), I read that the heating issue was solved in newer models and the way to tell was by looking at the serial number on the outside of the box.
Is there such a trick for the 6121 as well?

And I really hope heating won't cause problems... sigh.. sorry, I know everyone who inquires about these laptops always say this, but I just have to. This is going to be my second EVER computer. (Currently on a P4 w/ 512 RAM, no discrete GPU.... go ahead... vomit! !)
And something about a BIOS upgrade too, I read. Is this pre-installed in current models, or do I have to do this somehow after purchase

U have disable turbo boost on ur CPU and buy a cooling pad if u do hrs and hrs of hrs gaming on laptop.
dont worry i also dont have uber cool desktop that y i bought this machine

Finally:

So given these important points, what would you advise and what soothing words can you give?


May peace be with you.

Glad to help... thats way this fourm was made for.

 

[Santa Maria!]

Thanks for the quick reply, guys.

None. Except you can brag in front of your noob friends

Looks like you're right. I did some more Google-fu & read a bit of this:
Radeon 6770 1GB vs 2GB

All have it. That thread is wrong. It hasn't been corrected since someone mentioned the mistake.

The thread is wrong or the HP site? The site doesn't mention it either:
Specs page

6017 is out of production so u wont find it anywhere and 6140 has weak graphics chip which is most important part in gaming laptop .6121 has all the spec of high end laptop .

Thanks for the out-of-prod info. Didn't know .
And by "6140 has a weaker GPU", you only mean the VRAM, I assume.

 

[Ishu Gupta]

6140 has weak graphics chip which is most important part in gaming laptop .6121 has all the spec of high end laptop .

So wrong.

1GB or 2GB vram is only need when u want to run games or program which depend heavily on Video Ram rather than system memory .HP only kept this to make this laptop somewat future proof.

Wrong again. 6770 is not fast enough to use more than 1GB of VRAM.

one word for it ---Multitasking ...and makes ur laptop very much responsive in every scenario

SSD will help you more if responsiveness is what you want.

 

[Santa Maria!]

God dammit, I made a reply like an hour ago, but it's still not visible. Maybe I accidentally closed tab before post?

(Edit: Never mind. My mistake. Post was still being checked by mod. I reposted in this post, but mod modified & organized everything nicely. THANKS INVISIBLE MOD MAN! )


And guys, about my statements about connecting an external monitor, it's only a far off possibility. Does HP offer a version with 1080p display? Maybe a similar model with not too much price & specs difference?
If not, how have your experiences been with a 1366x768 display on a 15.6 inch screen been?

 

[Krow]

Moderators need to approve new users' posts. Please be patient while one of us reads and approves your posts. Thanks.

 

[Ishu Gupta]

And guys, about my statements about connecting an external monitor, it's only a far off possibility. Does HP offer a version with 1080p display? Maybe a similar model with not too much price & specs difference?
If not, how have your experiences been with a 1366x768 display on a 15.6 inch screen been?

1080p version is much lower in specs.

And this new approval thing is very annoying. Spam is better than this.

 

[Santa Maria!]

Alright. Thanks for all the help, Ishu & co.

So I guess I've decided on the 6140... unless it's out of production or something (flipkart doesn't list it). If so, 6121 it is.

Maybe I should also invest in a gun or something... just in case I have a bad experience with HP, and need to pay a visit to the after-sales service guys.

 

[arsenalfan001]

I have the HP 6140 laptop. HDMI out is available on this. Strange the same is not mentioned in HP's official page. As a result there was confusion.

As Ishu said, 6770m is not fast enough to utilise even 1GB VRAM, forget about 2GB.

About the display, it is bad. Same as all other 720p displays available in the market. Viewing angles are narrow, colors are horrible. Do not expect anything more from these cheap 720p panels. All are same.
For movies and gaming, I connect it to my fullHD TV.

Oh and 6140 has the same 6770m with same clock speeds as on HP 6121. So, if someone has said HP 6140 has a "WEAK" graphics card, that is wrong. Only difference is between the size of Video RAM, that afaik, is nothing but marketing gimmick.


off-topic:

Ishu, have you cancelled your plan of getting a new lappy? Last time you said you will get one in September, 2011 or 2012 I forgot

 

[Ishu Gupta]

Ishu, have you cancelled your plan of getting a new lappy? Last time you said you will get one in September, 2011 or 2012 I forgot

Getting a desktop.

Alright. Thanks for all the help, Ishu & co.

So I guess I've decided on the 6140... unless it's out of production or something

Its a Chroma Exclusive.

 

[Santa Maria!]

Thanks, arsenalfan for the clarifications.

Oh and one last thing @Ishu. Your user-name section states that you're from Noida. Any good places to get the HP dv6-6140 around here in your experience?

 

[Ishu Gupta]

Lots of chroma stores in Delhi. Nearest to my house is in Anand Vihar

 

[Santa Maria!]

Gracias Señor

 

[samudragupta]

wow you guys are amazing...after reading so many threads i was still confused between hp and dell xps... im still a bit.... you guys are very helpful....

 

[swapyworld]

I have the HP 6140 laptop. HDMI out is available on this.

hey dude...can you tell me how much did it cost you??
and what are the accessories you are getting....any option of buying without OS?

anyone from mumbai bought this laptop?

whats up with these random questions.....i am done with my engineering please dont torture me moree....

 

[arsenalfan001]

Swarpy,

First thing, this model is exclusive to Croma. It is not available at any other store.

When I purchased, I had four options,
a. Get the laptop + Killer goodies (deo and sunglasses) at 51K,
b. laptop + hp printer at 51K,
c. laptop + mouse,cleaning kit etc at 51K
or get only the laptop at 50K.
I got the laptop + printer at 51K.

No option to buy it without OS. win 7 home basic 64 bit is preinstalled.

 

[swapyworld]

thanks for the reply friend !!

btw its swapy nt swarpy.....my name is swapnil
lets see if i can squeeze out 6121tx then from retail ones....btw guys anyone did clean install of the new OS?

how to proceed with it? i mean there is this bios update patch and driver update too....plus all the HDD is not available i suppose...!!

any instructions or steps to follow in a sequence ?