HP Pavilion g6 Review

Build and Design
The HP Pavilion g6 ($499) has a generic-looking exterior of black and gray. Nearly all visible surfaces of the notebook are made of glossy plastic, which is unfortunate since it smudges up easily and is not as durable as matte plastic over time. Strangely enough the screen bezel is matte plastic.

The g6 is rather sturdy for a budget notebook. The chassis is stiff and takes effort to twist. Additionally, the palm rest and surrounding areas don't flex or bend when pushed down upon. The display panel (and more specifically the screen lid) is the only part that needs improvement; it is flimsy and twists easily; ripples also show up on the screen when pushed in on from behind. I was impressed however by the display hinges, which are metal and very securely anchored to the chassis. The display hardly wobbles at all.

In the end the build quality is slightly better than expected for this price range. Those seeking to add additional RAM or replace the hard drive will be able to do so with ease; a single panel on the bottom of the notebook holds both components and the wireless card.

Ports and Features
There is an average selection of ports with nothing special or unexpected. The g6 lacks USB 3.0, eSATA, DisplayPort, and an ExpressCard slot. We would have liked to see USB 3.0 for quicker transfers of large files like high-res photos and HD movies, but you can only expect so much from a budget laptop. All picture descriptions shown below are listed from left to right.

Front: Speakers	Back: Battery pack
Left: VGA, cooling exhaust vent, Ethernet, HDMI out, 2x USB 2.0, microphone and headphone jacks, media card reader, status lights	Right: DVD burner, USB 2.0, AC power, Kensington lock slot