HP Pavilion DV7-6101sa review

In everyday use, the AMD Llano processor inside the DV7 provides ample performance. The dual core A4-3310MX runs at 2.1GHz, increasing to 2.5GHz in boost mode. It’s not a powerful processor though – even paired with 6GB of RAM, it struggled with the intensive tasks of our multimedia benchmarks. An overall score of 24 puts it firmly behind similar laptops equipped with Intel’s Core i3 chips. The laptop runs Windows well and is fine when web browsing and word processing, but more intensive tasks such as video editing will be a struggle.

Graphics performance was acceptable for a budget laptop, although we were expecting more from the combined power in Crossfire mode of the processor’s integrated graphics and the laptop’s dedicated AMD graphics chip. It achieved an almost smooth 25.5fps in Dirt3 at 720p, so you’ll have to lose anti-aliasing and sacrifice detail settings on newer games to get a smooth frame rate. The laptop disables its dedicated graphics and uses the processor’s onboard graphics when 3D gaming power isn’t needed, which helps battery life – the DV7 managed almost six hours in our light-use test, so you’ll be able to use it on the move.

We’ve been impressed by many of HP’s laptops this year, and the DV7-6101sa is no exception. It’s the first laptop we’ve seen with a low-end AMD Llano processor, and although performance wasn’t mind-blowing, you still get a good balance of desktop and 3D power. If you need desktop performance rather than graphics power, an Intel-powered laptop might be a better choice, but for £540 the DV7-6101sa is still great value.