HP Pavilion HDX9320EA
The basics
Half desktop, half laptop, this monster multimedia machine weighs in at a whopping 7kg. But where there's weight, there's a 20.1-inch screen on a double-hinged bracket. The near 1680x1050 resolution screen just misses out on being full HD, but you still get and excellent Media Centre experience courtesy of dedicated controls and even a detachable remote.
The good
We tried to count the number of ports on it, but lost track every time. HDMI, VGA, eSATA, USB, 5-in-1 card reader: this is more compatible than a horse and carriage. This laptop is positively designed for your living room, with Dolby Home Theatre covering the audio side of things, a 500GB hard disk to store all your vids, a top touch-sensitive media bar with sliding controls above the function keys and a remote control for lounging loafers. To top it all off, it even runs Vista adequately.
The bad
The HDX is a laptop in name only. The widescreen beast weighs more than four kilograms, so unless you want to have legs that fit into jodhpurs perfectly, this should be a desktop replacement, only to be moved occasionally. And trust as when we say you won’t cope without a mouse on this one: we've used more responsive trackpads on 1980s portable PCs.
The bottom line
Despite packing more power (and weight) than a WWE wrestler on the 'roids, the HDX isn't a gaming rig - it's a mighty media machine. Just be sure to pick up a wireless mouse to go with it.
User comments (9)
Leave a comment
This comment has been removed.
mattdemaniac15 August 2009
To be perfectly honest this machine in my opinion is awful because of the extreme size and weight - also no full hd screen if you've put this on here surely a hdx16 or hdx18 should be put on here (the newer versions!) I find it hard to believe anybody would bother buying this! personally I have a hp pavillion media laptop dv6300 series laptop and it's awful and never wish I'd bought it - hp still havn't changed! awful plasticky design no innovative new designs and they havn't got blu-ray players in there standard range which is my opinion nowadays - also doesn't have centrino 2 technology! this machine is a waste of time and money - if your going to buy a laptop try the sony aw series laptop or the macbook pro 17 they have much better build qualities better performance a massive weight reduction and the battery life is very good on the apple and isn't too bad on the sony vaio aw which in my opinion is a multimedia powerhouse of the moment! I've yet to see a large laptop eg 17 plus other than a macbook that goes for longer than an hour and a half!
Report as inappropriateMilo16 September 2009
I bought the Dell XPS 1730 over a year ago, and its more that this laptop. It can manage 1080p +, Blue ray, SLi graphics (+ physx proc), twin drives (RAID 0, or 1)
Report as inappropriateMichael03 February 2010
I have to agree this unit is not the best example of HP's range. I purchased the HP HDX16 (1280EA) and apart from a slightly disappointing battery life, the unit offers a fantastic spec. The full HD 16" screen coupled with the power of a P8600 cpu, NVidia graphics chip with 1Gb dedicated ram and wealth of connection options, not to mention it's rather chic styling, leaves me smiling each and every time I use it. Oh and it has a Blu Ray drive as well - nice !!! Should be on this site (or the larger HDX18).
Report as inappropriatedonkey11802 March 2010
i wantn it oh yeah i one the gadget show compertion and i dont have the prizes
Report as inappropriateFive FWD29 April 2010
Hi Donkey118, Could you e-mail customerservices@five.tv with the following information: Your full name, the number you used to enter the competition, which competition you are referring to, the date you entered and your full postal address. Thank you, FIVE FWD
Report as inappropriateBazza18 December 2010
The tel no for the competition last week and this is unobtainable... 0904 16 16 555 Why?
Report as inappropriateThis comment has been removed.
This comment has been removed.
Join Channel 5
Creating an account is free, will only take a few moments and will allow you to enjoy the full benefits of 5FWD and Channel 5:
Leave a comment