Refurbished Laptop Comparison: ASUS U56E/HP dv6-6135dx

[abc617]

So I'm in the market to get a new laptop and I just wanted to get a comparision check on these two laptops.

I'm currently a college student, so most of my purposes for the computer will be general web browsing, videos, decent battery life and maybe some light gaming (L4D2 is the most graphics intense game I have at the moment). I will also do some programming and Matlab/CAD programs (for you engineering people).

So with my budget of $500, these are what I've narrowed it down to:

ASUS U56E-BBL5 Refurbished
-i5-2410m 2.3Ghz
-6GB DDR3 RAM
-640GB HDD
-intel Graphics HD 3000 (I think)
-8-Cell Li-ion
http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1336765

HP Pavilion dv6-6135dx Refurbished
-AMD A8-3500M 2.4Ghz
-6GB DDR3 RAM
-640GB HDD
-Blu-Ray Drive
-6-Cell Li-ion
http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1306296&CatId=4936

My biggest concern in the long run is just to keep the laptop for a long time. I don't want something dying out within 3 years since I am a student and a bit under budget.

 

[mcnumpty23]

asus would be my choice

never bought another hp since the dv series fiasco

 

[abc617]

Just curious: what dv-series fiasco? That motherboard recall?

 

[mcnumpty23]

it was where the graphics chip was overheating and breaking down the solder points

hp support was terrible and i think it ended in a class action lawsuit

 

[raygher]

As the owner of one of the refurb dv6-6135dx units, I couldn't be happier. It runs games like a champ and will let you do some pretty extreme overclock while still undervolting. If you're willing to fiddle with it a little, this thing is an awesome buy. My only problem, for now, has been in trying to install Linux - all the install media I've fed it seems to be unable to actually display anything after grub.

Even with my CPU OC'd to 2.5GHz and the GPU at 770MHz (shaders) and 970MHz (vRAM), it still runs ~65C without a cooling pad, so I doubt that the GPU meltdown fiasco should be an issue, here.

 

[maxwellmelon]

Ive owned a dv6-6135dx for more then two years(it was new) ive overclocked it and still have had no issues. im typing on it right now . oh and I have original battery and still have 2-4hours battery life depending if im gaming or web surfing