CONCLUSIONS:

With all the choices available, customers are nowadays spoilt for choice when it comes to budget laptops. But when it comes to good performance at that price point, there are not really much to choose from. As the cheapest laptop in the HP Compaq current V3600 AMD range, the V3416AU provides plenty of bang for your buck, and with HP currently the NO. 1  laptop manufacturer in the world, you can expect a high level of quality from HP.

 
PROS:

·                     Good performance for its price.

·                     Exceptional overall build quality.

·                     Inexpensive.

·                     Runs very cool under load (in comparison to the V3415AU anyway).

·                     Comfortable keyboard.

·                     Great display.

·                     Cool design (although some of you might be sick of glossy black by now).

·                     Great integrated graphics (again, for the price).

·                     Compact dimensions and acceptable weight.

·                     Built in microphone.

·                     Spacious Hard Disk (120GB).

·                     Exceptional built in speakers.

CONS:

·                     Loose DVD-Burner tray.

·                     Glossy surfaces a fingerprint magnet.

·                     ONLY 512MB RAM.

·                     That annoying click problem above the wireless toggle.

·                     No built in webcam.

·                     Touchpad not comfortable. At all.

·                     No PCMCIA slot, only ExpressCard.

·                     No DVI/HDMI output.

·                     No provided OS (well, it does come cheap after all).

·                     Difficulty in finding drivers for XP or Vista if not provided by seller.

The last point is actually of particular interest. I was lucky to be provided with a driver DVD by the seller I got it at, as the V3614AU DOES NOT come with any driver CDs. As some shops do not provide you with the driver CD/DVD, try to get it from Low Yat’s ALL IT HYPERMART (or any store that tells you that they will provide you with the CD. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT!), as they usually provide you with a driver CD that cuts your problems in half. Trying to find all the drivers from the net is a pain, trust me.

Not that installing them are any easier, as there are some obscure steps to be followed (driver A MUST be installed before driver B or everything will not work).

If you’re not the IT inclined type, maybe you should consider getting the V3615AU, which is more expensive at RM2299, but comes with everything already installed.

<< Final Page: Photo Gallery >>