HP Pavilion g4 Low price Good Performance

A major factor contributing to the G4's low price is its use of AMD's affordable new 1.9GHz A4-3300M processor. You also get 4GB of DDR3 memory, 512MB of which goes to the integrated Radeon HD 6480G graphics; a 5400-rpm, 320GB Hitachi hard drive; and a DVD burner. The unit weighs 4.5 pounds, meaning that it's easy enough to carry though perhaps not truly svelte. Battery life is an acceptable 4 hours, 13 minutes at the laptop's default power settings.


The G4 earned a score of only 77 on PCWorld's WorldBench 6 test suite, but subjectively the unit feels quite sprightly. If you don't mind reducing your display to a resolution of 800 by 600 pixels, the system can deliver playable gaming frame rates in the low 30s. Video--even high-bit-rate 1080p--played smoothly, and sound came through the speakers loud and clear. The audio lacked bass of course, but only laptops equipped with integrated subwoofers can deliver that. The display is bright and clear, but the viewing angle is only moderately wide.


For the money, you might expect to encounter compromised input ergonomics, but I found that the Chiclet-style keyboard felt quite crisp, despite being short-stroke. Though the keys are not sculpted, small braille-like ticks on the F and J keys help you properly place your hands while keeping your eyes trained on the screen.