BK - My experiences with HP are hit or miss - having HP repair certification I've seen the crap they try to pass off as working on their business units. That said, if there's one with good reviews I'm not going to say no to it.
My experience with HP/Compaq have been up and down, Had a laptop with a broke screen, Sent it off to be repaired and they sent it back with the wrong cover without the eye for the webcam.