For the last few months I've been pondering a new laptop purchase.  I settled on the HP dv3510nr for a few reasons:

• Supports 8 GB RAM
• Has a 512mb Nvidia 9300m discrete graphics chip
• 13.3" screen, nearly ultra portable
• Back lit keyboard
• eSata and HDMI ports
• Pretty consistent positive reviews (e.g. here and here)
• My $300 in Best Buy gift cards I got from cashing in my Diners Club rewards (the dv3510nr is a Best Buy exclusive)

There were a couple of things I didn't like about it though, the 5400 RPM hard drive and the T7350 2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo processor.  The hard drive would be simple enough to replace, but the processor was another story.  When researching the product, I noticed that HP has a service guide in the manuals section, and although it would require completely gutting the laptop, all of the steps to replace the processor were there.  Knowing I had this as an option, I went ahead and took the plunge and went to my local Best Buy and picked one up. 

First impressions were positive.  The keyboard has a great feel and the size and weight of the machine is perfect.  I immediately plopped in a 7200 RPM drive I had and installed fresh copies of Windows Server 2008 and Vista Ultimate.  Games run about as I expected.  For a newer game I tried out Mass Effect, for which I had to reduce the settings quite a bit but was able to get it playable at a decent resolution.  Portal ran extremely smooth at full resolution and moderate settings.  I also tried out Morrowind for an older game, which performs quite well.  When I switched over to WS 2008, I was disappointed to find that the processor would not support Hyper-V.  That was my tipping point, the processor had to go. 

I debated this heavily, because voiding the warranty and potentially bricking a brand new laptop didn't seem wise, and I wasn't sure if the BIOS would support virtualization.  Ultimately though it sounded like fun!  I had been monitoring CPU and 4 GB dim prices on NewEgg.com leading up to the purchase, and the P8600 processor dropped down to $219, so I went for that one as it seemed to be the best price/performance option.  I was also looking at $199 4 GB sticks from GSkill, though the listing is no longer on NewEgg and I couldn't find them anywhere else.  I instead went with a couple of Crucial sticks for $269 a piece.  Following the service manual was pretty easy for installing the processor.  I had only one hiccup where the LAN jack wouldn't disconnect from the case, though I was able to leave it connected and rotate the system board out of the case and sit them side by side.  The whole process took about two hours, and I'm happy to report that everything works great.  When I booted into the BIOS I was pleasantly surprised to find the option for virtualization support appeared after the new processor was in.  Hyper-V is running great and everything seems much snappier (though I don't have any official benchmarks).

So in the end, I have a P8600 2.4 Ghz, 8 GB RAM, 320 GB 7200 RPM drive <5 lbs. laptop that I paid about $1800 for ($1500 with gift cards).  Not too bad, I think, considering how similar configurations are much larger and cost $2500-$3000.  Time will tell if it was a wise decision, but I got a kick out of getting that intimate with my new machine. I do wish there was a way to mount a hard drive in the optical bay, but I'm having trouble finding a caddy that can do the job.  I may end up getting generic one and seeing if I can somehow take the guts out and mount them on the place holder insert.