Nice machine for the casual gamer (HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc8430)

Member Name: edinburgher

Product:	HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc8430
Date:	04/01/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good graphics, reasonable specs

Disadvantages: Issues with screen brightness and battery life

I'm assuming that I bought this at a different point in time from the previous reviewer, as I found this laptop to be particularly good value for money at the time.

When I purchased it it was advertised as a 'student' machine and it came complete with a range of features that I think take it well beyond that bracket and into 'gamer' territory. It came complete with a seperate graphics card, unusual in a machine that cost me less than £700 and has proven more than capable at playing everything I've thrown at it (albeit at slightly reduced settings as this isn't a massively powerful machine).

Pros:

Aesthetically pleasing - fairly standard black trim, everything where it should be
Good processor - handles everything fine
Graphics - above average, good for the casual-intermediate gamer
RAM - ok if you keep the machine tidied up. I'm using Windows XP and agree that it would need more if you decided to use the 'dreaded' Vista :-D
Connectivity - brilliant! Has wireless and bluetooth as standard, a memory card reader and all the ports it needs

Cons:

Screen brightness - no way to force the screen to brighten up when using the battery (laptop dims itself to conserve power)
Battery - poor quality, has held charge for less than two years before I chucked it
Power adaptor - again, poor quality. Mine frayed and had to be replaced during fairly typical daily use.

Summary: Well built laptop where a range of pros seriously outweight the cons

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