I have an HP laptop (a dv6000z) and while it is a decent laptop, I've had various problems with is. First off, it gets insanely warm; I've actually burnt myself with it a few times. And the overheating lead to the next two problems. I got the laptop last July, and in January, the wireless stopped working. Then in April, the graphics adapter died. I later learned both were due to overheating. Luckily, HP fixed the problem for free, but I was without the laptop for a few weeks.
I also have a Dell laptop (an Inspiron 1525), and I like it a lot more than the HP. It runs much cooler than the HP; I attribute that to the Core 2 Duo in the Dell, which runs inherently cooler than the Turion 64 X2, which was in my HP. Also, both laptops are 15.4" models, and I find the Dell slightly lighter than the HP.
Cool, didn't know you got a new laptop.
Could you post the full specs, and pictures if possible?
Also, my Dell laptop (Inspiron 1501) has an AMD processor, and it does get very hot like your HP did. It's nearly impossible to use it on my lap unless I have my chill mat underneath it.
But overall it's a good laptop, and I hopefully won't have to encounter the problems you had with your HP.