Showing posts with label convertible notebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label convertible notebook. Show all posts
Friday, January 2, 2015
Buy Lifebook Ah562 15.6" Touchscreen with Windows 8, Intel® CoreTM
I bought this laptop for my son. This is the first Windows laptop that we have bought in 2 years and our first foray into Windows 8. My last few laptops have been MacBooks, one of each of the last 3 generations. We decided to try a touch screen laptop as we thoroughly enjoy our tablets. This machine has been more than I had hoped. It's responsive and Windows 8 is extremely easy to use for basic operations that my son will be using it for. Easy set up, synch plug and go. No real hiccups so far. The screen is very nice and I am interested in how it will hold up as it ages. It's a little heavy but that suits his use just fine as he is not yet permitted to lug it out of the house. The keyboard is an almost odd size (coming from a new MacBook, the keys are much closer than the MB) but they keys feel solid. Also it's supposedly water resistant. I hope we really dont need to find out. The audio while not stellar (whiat laptop is?) is every bit as good as a Mac for general use. Who critically listens to anything on a lappy? Startup and restarts are reasonable far out performing the desktop that this machine is replacing (hard core custum built 3 years ago) so my son is happy. There are a ton of ports to use. We were going to use the second screen HDMI outs but the main user doesn't want to. Overall, we are very happy with this machine and it should serve us for the next few years.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Apple iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, 768MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Internal Review
I've had a 12" iBook G4 since 2005 and it's still my favorite notebook for browsing the internet, writing letters, and even reading pdf's. It's very lightweight and I consider the screen the perfect size. It's held up very well. One of the keys has a hairline crack and one of the rubber feet on the bottom fell off but I clean it every month or so and it still looks almost new.
My only criticism is that it gets a little warm so I keep it on top of a clipboard when holding it in my lap. No viruses, no crashes, no worries.
When netbooks started becoming popular a couple of years ago, I had to laugh because I already have a lightweight, handy netbook. In fact, I'm using it right now to write this review. Given a choice between a new Asus or Dell netbook or a used iBook G4 for the same price, I would take the G4 without thinking about it for a second.
The biggest problem I had was the battery. It worked great for about 3 years then died completely. (this can be expected with any rechargeable battery)
Other than that there have been NO MAJOR PROBLEMS EVER. I have not once taken it in for a tune-up, repair, inspection, ect.
The only minor hindrances are as follows:
The keyboard doesn't light up which makes typing in the dark difficult.
For some reason my hard-drive is almost full so everytime I search for something in the search bar, it runs really slow.
It doesn't use an IBM processor so I guess you can say it is a true blood mac, which makes some programs incompatible.
Now the good stuff:
I actually think that if you consider it was made 5 years ago, it is a better computer than what apple makes now. I was way ahead of its time and it still works great! The user face is really easy, it has done everything I have asked it, it just works. I cannot say enough good things about this computer. If you are just an average computer person looking for a nice little laptop, I highly recommend it. The only reason I'm getting a new one is because I like the camera, faster processor, and added memory. Only after 5 years am I just starting to see it become slightly outdated. I actually think that back in the day apple gave you more for less. This computer came with its own word processing program and a lot of added software. The new ones require you to buy every piece of software. And this one has a removable battery which allowed me to charge 2-3 batteries for road trips and just pop them in as I went through them. I think apple's biggest mistake with the new laptops is the nonremovable battery. When it dies, that's it, find an outlet. And eventually when it completely dies (and it will probably only last 3 years) they want you to pay a technician for labor+parts to put a new one in. It's ridiculous! If you can get this computer for a low price. Go for it!
2 Years Later:
It is now 2012, and my dad is STILL using this laptop every day. I must warn you, it has become outdated to a point where it's really not worth buying. Everything is today's world has become tailored towards Intel processors. But the fact that is still doing what it was built to do is amazing! This mac has served us well, and we certainly got our moneys worth. I highly recommend one of apples new macbooks.
All in all, this is my first mac and I love it.
My only criticism is that it gets a little warm so I keep it on top of a clipboard when holding it in my lap. No viruses, no crashes, no worries.
When netbooks started becoming popular a couple of years ago, I had to laugh because I already have a lightweight, handy netbook. In fact, I'm using it right now to write this review. Given a choice between a new Asus or Dell netbook or a used iBook G4 for the same price, I would take the G4 without thinking about it for a second.
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I have had my ibook for almost 5 years now. I bought it Christmas of '05. I am going to tell the problems I have had with it first because that's probably what your most interested in.The biggest problem I had was the battery. It worked great for about 3 years then died completely. (this can be expected with any rechargeable battery)
Other than that there have been NO MAJOR PROBLEMS EVER. I have not once taken it in for a tune-up, repair, inspection, ect.
The only minor hindrances are as follows:
The keyboard doesn't light up which makes typing in the dark difficult.
For some reason my hard-drive is almost full so everytime I search for something in the search bar, it runs really slow.
It doesn't use an IBM processor so I guess you can say it is a true blood mac, which makes some programs incompatible.
Now the good stuff:
I actually think that if you consider it was made 5 years ago, it is a better computer than what apple makes now. I was way ahead of its time and it still works great! The user face is really easy, it has done everything I have asked it, it just works. I cannot say enough good things about this computer. If you are just an average computer person looking for a nice little laptop, I highly recommend it. The only reason I'm getting a new one is because I like the camera, faster processor, and added memory. Only after 5 years am I just starting to see it become slightly outdated. I actually think that back in the day apple gave you more for less. This computer came with its own word processing program and a lot of added software. The new ones require you to buy every piece of software. And this one has a removable battery which allowed me to charge 2-3 batteries for road trips and just pop them in as I went through them. I think apple's biggest mistake with the new laptops is the nonremovable battery. When it dies, that's it, find an outlet. And eventually when it completely dies (and it will probably only last 3 years) they want you to pay a technician for labor+parts to put a new one in. It's ridiculous! If you can get this computer for a low price. Go for it!
2 Years Later:
It is now 2012, and my dad is STILL using this laptop every day. I must warn you, it has become outdated to a point where it's really not worth buying. Everything is today's world has become tailored towards Intel processors. But the fact that is still doing what it was built to do is amazing! This mac has served us well, and we certainly got our moneys worth. I highly recommend one of apples new macbooks.
Best Deals for Apple iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, 768MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Internal
This thing was made 5 years ago and keeps up with my brand new netbook. The battery life is amazing and it runs smooth. The only downside to this computer is the 40gb HD. But with networked and regular external drives, flash memory and such, it not that big of a deal.All in all, this is my first mac and I love it.
Honest reviews on Apple iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, 768MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Internal
Just recieved my G4 Ibook recently and I can honestly say I love it! im a college student and my pc laptops kept freezing and crashing nonstop! and I really wanted a mac but I didnt have the "mac" money or so I thought. This is my first mac and its life saver! for less than $300 dollars you can have a portable mac that does everything a $1000+ new mac does ( minus the camera)... It does get warm but that isnt a real big issue with me...as far as battery life it doesnt seem to be the greatest, in my case it isnt a problem because I intend on having my charger with me. I think people should consider this computer as a start mac.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Apple iBook G4, 1.33 GHz, 768MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Internal
This G4 iBook is old (6+ years I believe), it has a small hard drive by current standards, a small screen (near netbook size), and an operating system some view as out of date BUT, the machine is quick has a full GB of memory, has an internal airport extreme card, and if we are really serious about portable computing needs this machine beat the heck out of netbook, at a lower cost and better performance. Old Apples Just Don't Seem To Go Bad at least not as quickly as some more recent machines.
Cheap Acer Aspire V5-571P-6698 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver)
List Price: $569.99
Sale Price: $546.69
Today's Bonus: 4% Off
I love this laptop. Slim, yet still has a DVD drive (not so common these days). The touch screen makes clunky Windows 8 so much easier to deal with. The touch pad is very responsive, easy to right and left click. Despite being thin it feels sturdy and doesn't flex when you put pressure on it. It can do some serious yoga, the screen tilting back almost 180 degrees. Backlit keys are fancyand for a $500 laptop, it looks really classy. Everyone who sees it goes, "Oooooh".
My love for this laptop doesn't blind me to its faults, howeverit's a budget laptop with a touchscreen, and that's that. I haven't tried to run anything big on it yet, but its speed is not anything spectacular. Should be fine for average web surfing/word processing use but it's nothing flashy. I also don't like the way the keys depress. They feel a bit mushy. I find the speakers a little tinny, though you can get fair volume out of them. They're weirdly located on the bottom of the laptop. The three USB ports are all right next to each other on the front left side.
Still, I would definitely buy this again.
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I bought this computer for school from amazon to replace another Acer computer that I had broken (I dropped it and the screen shattered. I highly recommend the Squaretrade warranty, I got my money back no questions asked). The old Acer was only a year old and had Windows 7. I was hesitant about Windows 8 at first, but after reading reviews and watching demo/tutorial videos I decided that I wanted to try Windows 8. I am so glad I did! If you're going to get a computer with Windows 8, make sure to get one with a touchscreen like this one! No sense in upgrading to a newer OS without getting all the functionality out of it. I have found the OS to be incredibly fun to use.This computer DOES have a DVD drive, I just used it yesterday to install Office 2007. Love the backlit keyboard so I can work at night without a lamp. As others have mentioned there is no indicator light for whether the caps lock and num lock are on/off. This is only a minor annoyance to me. The keyboard is comfortable to type on. I haven't had any trouble with touching the mousepad by mistake while typing, but I also use the laptop on a lapdesk that has a padded wrist pad that elevates my hands a bit and makes typing more comfortable. To be honest I don't really use the mousepad at all, I like using a hand-held mouse better. Doesn't have anything to do with this particular laptop though. The touchscreen is very responsive and I don't notice any fingerprints on it unless the screen is on a completely dark color. Can't say anything about the battery life since I use it plugged in 98% of the time.
Setup was easy. Be prepared for a TON of updates the first few days though. The second time I restarted it I had over 100 updates to install. It was a time consuming process the first day or two. I've been having a lot of fun personalizing everything though. Apps are addicting, so watch out!
I shopped on amazon for DAYS and did a bunch of research and read every review. I am 100% satisfied with my decision. For the money, this is a great computer. Glad I bought the Squaretrade 3 year accident plan. Great peace of mind for an extra $122. Any student should be stoked to have this computer, I know I am!
Best Deals for Acer Aspire V5-571P-6698 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver)
I've been using this laptop for a month and there are several features that I like--one that I don't. I like the keyboard layout with a number pad to the right (great since I do part-time bookkeeping with this) and the backlit keyboard helps me to see what I'm doing with just a soft light on in the room. I'm getting used to Windows 8 quickly and it works great with the touch screen. The screen is wide and the computer is very light and thin for it's size.The problem that I had is that the touchpad is large, flush with the computer casing and located to the right of the keys. My left hand has to rest on it to type so I was always accidentally opening apps or doing something weird with the mouse. I finally figured out that it's easy to turn the touchpad off. I like to use a mouse, so this isn't a problem for me. It's easy to turn the touchpad on and off with the "Fn" key + "F7" and you can turn it right back on again if you would like to. That's the only reason I gave this computer a 4 stars instead of 5. (I went to a store and looked at other brands of laptops and the touchpads all look pretty much the same as this one. Not sure why they have decided to make it so large and flush with the computer case.)
Overall, I highly recommend this computer. Great price at $499.
Honest reviews on Acer Aspire V5-571P-6698 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver)
Pros: Fast, light, quiet, and a good picture.Cons: I hate Windows 8, battery doesn't last as long as I'd like, there are no left/right buttons on the mouse pad, touch screen doesn't always pick up touches accurately.
I picked up this laptop during one of the specials that were offered and so far I've been pleased with it. I had an HP laptop that was on its last legs after 5 years of moderate use. Hopefully this one will be able to last me 5 years as well. Windows 8 is a pain, and this thing also comes with a bunch of bloatware. I deleted what I could but I'd have to really dig into it in order to weed out the rest. Microsoft seems to be trying to follow the footsteps of Apple while looking over to Google for additional inspiration. Unfortunately they're just moving farther from their bread and butter office software. Anyway, that's enough of my rant on them.
For your basic or entry needs of computing, this laptop seems to be near the top of the pack in its price range. I did my research and so far so good.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Acer Aspire V5-571P-6698 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver)
I am actually using this laptop right now while typing this! haha wow!Anyways, it's a very nice laptop! I wanted to get a MacBook Pro but I heard Mac's don't really acquire Java & most of the students have a struggle on that. THIS ONE ROCKS! reminds me alot of Macbook pro! I fell inlove with this laptop! I was all inlove for months now! Still inlove until now! Very fast! No worries at all! Trust me, you're not gonna regret getting this laptop. okay? don't believe other people here saying it's a bad laptop cause to be honest, this laptop rocks!
The only thing I don't like is the speakers! It's at the bottom & it's slow unless you put it up high then it gets better. No problems anyways cause I always use speakers so no problem. My friends wanted the same exact laptop!
This laptop is worth the price! I actually got mine from BestBuy not here but I just want to comment & tell you all that this laptop is worth the price! Mine was even expensive than this price! haha!
I LOVE IT! I am really really picky when it comes to laptops but this one is the one that I really love out of all.
but lastly, this laptop is not for gaming though. You cannot play Sims or anything like heavy games but it's okay for me cause I'm not into games anyway! I got xbox! who cares? haha! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS! GET THIS! :)
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Reviews of HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
The HP Pavilion dm3 1130us (AMD CPU & ATI GPU model) is a good compromise between the portability of a netbook and the functionality of a full sized laptop. Technically in the "Ultra-portable/Thin & Light" category, I would say it is a netbook on steroids. I was looking for a portable computing solution but didn't want a small keyboard or a hard-to-read/small screen. It had to have a small form factor, yet have a more powerful processor and graphics than traditional netbooks. I use it mainly for office work, web surfing, video streaming, music listening and light gaming.
Most of the specs are readily available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP's site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I'm a Mac user normally but could not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price point, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a little leery about getting an HP since they don't have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It's fast, faster than I expected. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I've played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I think you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3" w/ a 1366x768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn't bad. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I've only had fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I've yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. Coming from OSX, I have to say I'm growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I'm getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I've used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The "mouse-buttons" could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast as with my desktop's keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5's primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn't a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I could do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks included, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you've got yourself one heck of a deal!
What's not so great about it:
1. It is about 13" wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that's no big deal but if you plan to lug your laptop around a lot, you may want to look at something smaller and lighter. It is only one inch thick so it slides easily into most bags.
2. Speakers. You know going in that they won't be that great, but I still couldn't help being a little disappointed. However, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent output now, though not very loud. It does the job though. Use earphones. I connected it to my speakers with a subwoofer and Pandora radio sounds terrific!
3. Battery life. I get about 4 hours of constant general use life out of it. Another reviewer stated he was able to play the entire Fellowship of the Ring movie before it went into hibernation, but I have not tested that. The good news is that 4 hours is still decent, and the power cord isn't too cumbersome. If you need an all-day, cord-free laptop/netbook, look elsewhere.
4. Some bloatware. Being new to Windows I researched what to do when you first get a computer. One of the most common recommendations is to remove the manufacturer installed software. I got rid of the MS Office trial and Norton. I'll still playing around with the suite of HP software. I may keep some, but will probably ditch a good bit of it. However, some users may like the included software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy customer.
5. No optical drive, but I knew that and won't need one every day. The Samsung will also be useful for my other computers.
6. No OS restore disk. I know, there is no optical drive and there is a recovery partition, but it still would have been nice.
7. Possible fit and finish issues. I just noticed a very slight gap along the top right front edge where the wrist wrest meets the side paneling. Pressing down on it does reveal a little flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and could be cause for concern. It is too early to tell. (see my product photos)
I have not used the Quickweb feature, but Windows 7 boots up (after some re-configuration) in less than a minute so I'm not sure I'd need it. I've also not yet used the HDMI out port or webcam. I plan to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is good in low light. I've only been using the 1130us for a little over a week so I can't speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so good. I'll post an update if I have anything new to add.
So, is the dm3 1130us the right model for you? If you are not a 3D gamer and want a nice looking, sturdy, portable laptop without most of the limitations of a netbook, then the answer could be "yes". Of course, technology is changing rapidly and in a few months the next latest and greatest will be out. But if you need something now, and want a lot of oomph at a great value, then the dm3 1130us could be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price point other laptops couldn't match, so that is why I'm giving it 5 (4 1/2 actually) stars.
UPDATE-March 30, 2011: It is over a year later and I'm still loving this little machine. No major issues. Yes, the left palm rest can get a bit warm, but I've never had it become uncomfortably so. It still does everything I need it to with little fuss.
UPDATE-June 09, 2011: The DM3-1130US is still going strong. My wife has taken over this computer when it's at home. During they day it gets put through it's paces playing Pandora with other web-related activities. Word processing too. At night she often likes to bring it to bed to watch videos on YouTube and catch up on email. She sometimes is frustrated with the trackpad, but that's about it.
If I could give this more stars, I would...this is a fast, sleek 13-inch (just the right size) computer that is every bit as pretty as the MacBook Pro. I am not a big fan of touchpads; I always use a mouse. That being said, I actually love this one!
I would be remiss not to mention that the service at Amazon is absolutely second-to-none. I had originally ordered an Asus 13 inch but changed my mind after reading some comments about the wireless abilities (plus, it kind of freaked me out buying someting that I had never actually touched.)Having played with this one at the store was really the deal-maker for me. They have the finest customer service on this planet, and I would never buy my computers from anywhere else. Also worth mentioning...bought the SquareTrade 3-year warranty that includes spills, etc. I had an old MacBook(6 years old)that I had a SquareTrade warranty on. It died one day, I mailed it in, and had my complete purchase price in my bank account within a week. Very much worth the money! P.S. This is the only review I have ever written although I have been a loyal Amazon fan for years. Guess that shows how much I really do love this machine!!
This model has more memory than the slightly more expensive ASUS model of this size, and Macbooks, while perennially getting great reviews, cost hundreds more. I use this for personal use and for some business use (Internet, writing, some photo editing), so a Macbook wasn't worth it. Sorry, Justin Long.
After my brief time with my new HP, here are the pros and cons, for anyone considering it:
Pros:
1) It truly is a lightweight, portable model
2) The style is hard to beat, if you like the metal look
3) The keyboard style is different than what I'm used to, but I've found the chiclet style very use to type with
4) HP Quickweb is a useful, practical feature to get you on the Internet/listening to music or looking at photos without accessing Windows 7
5) Windows 7 itself rivals Apple's platform in the litany of user-friendly features and style. I was very impressed.
6) The battery life is about what was advertisedprobably in the 4 hour range, if you're using wireless and looking at photos, etc. People who are only getting two hours probably are watching a movie and/or didn't let the battery fully drain the first time before they charged it.
7) The four USB ports, the SD slot and the exhaust fan on the side are all nice features.
8) I haven't had any problems with the mousepadpeople who have commented negatively on it, I would guess, want the world's perfect mousepad. It's functional. And sure, it gets fingerprints on it, but that's because you use your fingers to use it. What do you expect? And are you trying to impress people with your fingerprint-less mousepad?
9) I was installing multiple programs and browsing the Internet all at once and experienced no interruptions or slow down. At least in that test, the RAM and processor are keeping up. I went with the AMD instead of Intel partly for cost (much cheaper), but also because I was told by some computer experts AMD might work a little faster. No regrets yet.
Cons:
1) The left palm area gets hotter than you'd like.
2) I had a problem after registering/setting up my laptop. After installing a few programs I needed to restart. When I got to the log-on screen and entered the password I had selected during startup when I created an account, Windows kept telling me I was incorrect, although I was sure (and the password hint verified) that I was right. HP tech service said that sometimes happens when an administrator password is selected during start-up, and had me restore my system. It worked (I just didn't enter a password during setting up screen), although I had to reinstall stuff I had already installed before, as you'd expect. Lost some time, but not a huge deal. You'd think it could have been avoided with a simple "Set up a user password later", as I'm sure I'm not the only person that's happened to. That's more of Windows' fault than HP's. At the least, HP tech service was helpful.
3) No optical drive, which you need to make a recovery disk at some point. I'll have to borrow one. Since most software is downloaded these days, I won't otherwise need it. It's something you have to give up if you want an ultraportable model, in most cases.
4) HP offers a $50 rebate for this model, but it's not valid if you buy it off of Amazon. I knew that ahead of timestill went with Amazon because it was cheaper than factory direct, but that's a bummer.
I was looking at netbooks, but found them too small. This is a perfect size for the coffee table, and looks very slick with the brushed aluminum. I has a really nice screen, and a great keyboard, with the play/pause/volume buttons you need for music playback on the top row. The HDMI out and 4 USB ports are a plus too.
Cons:
I haven't had any problems with with plastic trim coming apart, as one reviewer did. The only design flaw that I see is the rubber pieces that prevent the screen bezel from touching the keyboard bezel when the lid is closed are a little too small or shallow, so the screen bezel does get some very slight scratches. I think this can be minimized by not putting anything too heavy on top of the computer when closed, and not squeezing it too tight when carrying it. But that's a minor problem. Also, the computer does get a little warm (esp. under the left palm, probably where the CPU is), perhaps too warm for extended use on one's lap, but it's super quiet -a trade-off I can live with.
Bottom Line:
This is a great little laptop for the money. I highly recommend it.
Most of the specs are readily available on Amazon, but you can get a more in-depth overview by going to HP's site and looking up the dm3z line in their Ultra-Portable category. The 1130 is essentially a later production run of the 1030, which is still available on Amazon as of this writing.
Back to what I was looking for;
Basically, I wanted a MacBook but only had about five hundred bucks to spend. I'm a Mac user normally but could not see paying so much for a laptop. I searched high & low and weighed several other options. In this laptop segment and at this price point, it is all about compromise and what you want as an end user. In this end, the 1130us was the best fit for me. I was able to find it on sale for under five hundred on the OfficeMax site and then found a dollar rebate. I used that saving to buy a , and so far that is working perfectly too. I was a little leery about getting an HP since they don't have the best reliability reputation, but I would expect more problem reports from a company that sells so many computers. My mother-in-law has a 3 year old Pavilion that still runs like new.
What I like about it:
1. It's fast, faster than I expected. Initial set-up was a snap. The 1.6GHz AMD Athon Neo X2 dual-core processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics see to that. Perhaps not the best combo for intense Photoshop sessions or cutting edge 3D gaming, but I have several apps and browser windows open at once with no system slowdowns. Online video from various sources streams just fine and I've played a number of games (including Star Wars Battlefront) with no issues. The AMD cpu and ATI gpu combo uses more wattage than the Intel option, but I think you would sacrifice computing power for battery life if you went the Pentium or Core Duo route.
1b. 7200 RPM 320GB Hard Drive. Did I say it was fast? And spacious.
2. The screen. It is glossy, but not as bad as some and it is nice and bright. 13.3" w/ a 1366x768 widescreen resolution means things are a bit smaller than on a standard desktop monitor, but everything is nice and crisp and the colors are good. It seems much bigger. HD content looks great on it and the viewing angle isn't bad. I had a stuck pixel, but it went away. The lid opens about 135 degrees back so you can easily work with it on your lap. It has a nice firm hinge so there are no worries of it falling one way or the other.
3. Wi-Fi draft N. I've only had fast and excellent connectivity so far. Having bluetooth is nice too, but I've yet to use it.
4. Windows 7, not a cobbled Started Edition. Coming from OSX, I have to say I'm growing more and more impressed with the latest Windows OS. It seems to have more intricacies than with OSX, but I'm getting used to it and have to say the user interface is top notch. Before this, I've used XP and am so glad that Microsoft has finally refined their product. Connect a device for the first time and either the drivers are already there or they download automatically. Nice. Lots of eye candy too.
5. Touch pad. Some reviewers pan it, but I find it works well for me after a slight learning curve. Sure, it is the only fingerprint magnet on an otherwise lovely case, but I like the feel of the shiny chrome finish and find the multi-finger gestures useful. The "mouse-buttons" could be a little easier to depress, but that is a small quibble, just tap the pad. It is also very customizable to your specific needs. The 1030us touch pad had some wake-from-sleep issues, but that was fixed in the latest BIOS. I also use a but have no problems adjusting to the touch pad if I leave mouse at the office.
6. 4 USB, 5-in1 card reader, 1 VGA, and 1 HDMI port. Connectivity ahoy!
7. Full sized keyboard. It took a little adjustment, but I like the quiet, island style keys. When in the proper position, I can type just as fast as with my desktop's keyboard. I measured it, and it is slightly LARGER than my G5's primary keyboard area!
8. The case. This is one sturdy feeling case with little or no flex that I can detect. You can hold it by a corner without fear. I love that it isn't a finger print magnet like so many others out there. The brushed aluminum finish is very attractive and gives it a high-end appearance.
9. It came with 4GB DDR2 ram, expandable to 8GB. With the 64bit OS, I could do this, but see no need to at the present time.
10. Cool. Even after all day use the air blowing out of the rear side exhaust vent is only slightly warm. The front wrist rests can get a little warm, but never uncomfortable (at least to me).
11. Quiet. If a completely silent room you can hear the faint breath of the fan, but otherwise it and the spinning hard drive are unnoticeable.
12. Well packaged. There are no disks included, but the manual and documentation are pretty clear.
13. Price. Find this on sale and you've got yourself one heck of a deal!
What's not so great about it:
1. It is about 13" wide and weights about nearly 5 pounds with the battery inserted. For me that's no big deal but if you plan to lug your laptop around a lot, you may want to look at something smaller and lighter. It is only one inch thick so it slides easily into most bags.
2. Speakers. You know going in that they won't be that great, but I still couldn't help being a little disappointed. However, I tweaked the sound settings and get decent output now, though not very loud. It does the job though. Use earphones. I connected it to my speakers with a subwoofer and Pandora radio sounds terrific!
3. Battery life. I get about 4 hours of constant general use life out of it. Another reviewer stated he was able to play the entire Fellowship of the Ring movie before it went into hibernation, but I have not tested that. The good news is that 4 hours is still decent, and the power cord isn't too cumbersome. If you need an all-day, cord-free laptop/netbook, look elsewhere.
4. Some bloatware. Being new to Windows I researched what to do when you first get a computer. One of the most common recommendations is to remove the manufacturer installed software. I got rid of the MS Office trial and Norton. I'll still playing around with the suite of HP software. I may keep some, but will probably ditch a good bit of it. However, some users may like the included software. Even with it, the 1130us is a speedy customer.
5. No optical drive, but I knew that and won't need one every day. The Samsung will also be useful for my other computers.
6. No OS restore disk. I know, there is no optical drive and there is a recovery partition, but it still would have been nice.
7. Possible fit and finish issues. I just noticed a very slight gap along the top right front edge where the wrist wrest meets the side paneling. Pressing down on it does reveal a little flex. Not enough to return it, but it is worth keeping an eye on and could be cause for concern. It is too early to tell. (see my product photos)
I have not used the Quickweb feature, but Windows 7 boots up (after some re-configuration) in less than a minute so I'm not sure I'd need it. I've also not yet used the HDMI out port or webcam. I plan to test both soon and have heard that the webcam is good in low light. I've only been using the 1130us for a little over a week so I can't speak to its long-term reliability, but so far so good. I'll post an update if I have anything new to add.
So, is the dm3 1130us the right model for you? If you are not a 3D gamer and want a nice looking, sturdy, portable laptop without most of the limitations of a netbook, then the answer could be "yes". Of course, technology is changing rapidly and in a few months the next latest and greatest will be out. But if you need something now, and want a lot of oomph at a great value, then the dm3 1130us could be your best bet. It exceeds my expectations at a price point other laptops couldn't match, so that is why I'm giving it 5 (4 1/2 actually) stars.
UPDATE-March 30, 2011: It is over a year later and I'm still loving this little machine. No major issues. Yes, the left palm rest can get a bit warm, but I've never had it become uncomfortably so. It still does everything I need it to with little fuss.
UPDATE-June 09, 2011: The DM3-1130US is still going strong. My wife has taken over this computer when it's at home. During they day it gets put through it's paces playing Pandora with other web-related activities. Word processing too. At night she often likes to bring it to bed to watch videos on YouTube and catch up on email. She sometimes is frustrated with the trackpad, but that's about it.
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No more MacBook Pro envy for me!!!I love computers and have owned many laptops over the years, everything from Mac PowerBooks to Dell Mini's. I thought for a long time about buying a new MacBook Pro. I loved the size (13 inch model)and the brushed silver look and many of the apps. What I DID not like was the price and the fact that I could not use Office OneNote(as a teacher and a mother, this is one app I truly cannot live without!!) on the Mac without having to purchase Windows 7 and Parallels. Did some playing around in computer stores with both the Mac and other computers and fell upon this HP dm3. Loved it from the first touch. It is solidly built, beautiful to look at, light-weight, and perhaps most important to me, FAST!! I do not play computer games but do a lot of web surfing, watch streaming video,and use lots of photo and movie apps. This little guy is just as fast as my big and much more expensive desktop replacement,and simply blows my Dell Mini right out of the water. Not even in the same league!If I could give this more stars, I would...this is a fast, sleek 13-inch (just the right size) computer that is every bit as pretty as the MacBook Pro. I am not a big fan of touchpads; I always use a mouse. That being said, I actually love this one!
I would be remiss not to mention that the service at Amazon is absolutely second-to-none. I had originally ordered an Asus 13 inch but changed my mind after reading some comments about the wireless abilities (plus, it kind of freaked me out buying someting that I had never actually touched.)Having played with this one at the store was really the deal-maker for me. They have the finest customer service on this planet, and I would never buy my computers from anywhere else. Also worth mentioning...bought the SquareTrade 3-year warranty that includes spills, etc. I had an old MacBook(6 years old)that I had a SquareTrade warranty on. It died one day, I mailed it in, and had my complete purchase price in my bank account within a week. Very much worth the money! P.S. This is the only review I have ever written although I have been a loyal Amazon fan for years. Guess that shows how much I really do love this machine!!
Best Deals for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
I got the DM3-1130 (the AMD processor) in early February, after an extensive search to replace my HP Pavilion dv5000. I had considered ASUS and Macbooks, in particular, as I wanted something in the 13-inch range, lightweight and with a good track record.This model has more memory than the slightly more expensive ASUS model of this size, and Macbooks, while perennially getting great reviews, cost hundreds more. I use this for personal use and for some business use (Internet, writing, some photo editing), so a Macbook wasn't worth it. Sorry, Justin Long.
After my brief time with my new HP, here are the pros and cons, for anyone considering it:
Pros:
1) It truly is a lightweight, portable model
2) The style is hard to beat, if you like the metal look
3) The keyboard style is different than what I'm used to, but I've found the chiclet style very use to type with
4) HP Quickweb is a useful, practical feature to get you on the Internet/listening to music or looking at photos without accessing Windows 7
5) Windows 7 itself rivals Apple's platform in the litany of user-friendly features and style. I was very impressed.
6) The battery life is about what was advertisedprobably in the 4 hour range, if you're using wireless and looking at photos, etc. People who are only getting two hours probably are watching a movie and/or didn't let the battery fully drain the first time before they charged it.
7) The four USB ports, the SD slot and the exhaust fan on the side are all nice features.
8) I haven't had any problems with the mousepadpeople who have commented negatively on it, I would guess, want the world's perfect mousepad. It's functional. And sure, it gets fingerprints on it, but that's because you use your fingers to use it. What do you expect? And are you trying to impress people with your fingerprint-less mousepad?
9) I was installing multiple programs and browsing the Internet all at once and experienced no interruptions or slow down. At least in that test, the RAM and processor are keeping up. I went with the AMD instead of Intel partly for cost (much cheaper), but also because I was told by some computer experts AMD might work a little faster. No regrets yet.
Cons:
1) The left palm area gets hotter than you'd like.
2) I had a problem after registering/setting up my laptop. After installing a few programs I needed to restart. When I got to the log-on screen and entered the password I had selected during startup when I created an account, Windows kept telling me I was incorrect, although I was sure (and the password hint verified) that I was right. HP tech service said that sometimes happens when an administrator password is selected during start-up, and had me restore my system. It worked (I just didn't enter a password during setting up screen), although I had to reinstall stuff I had already installed before, as you'd expect. Lost some time, but not a huge deal. You'd think it could have been avoided with a simple "Set up a user password later", as I'm sure I'm not the only person that's happened to. That's more of Windows' fault than HP's. At the least, HP tech service was helpful.
3) No optical drive, which you need to make a recovery disk at some point. I'll have to borrow one. Since most software is downloaded these days, I won't otherwise need it. It's something you have to give up if you want an ultraportable model, in most cases.
4) HP offers a $50 rebate for this model, but it's not valid if you buy it off of Amazon. I knew that ahead of timestill went with Amazon because it was cheaper than factory direct, but that's a bummer.
Honest reviews on HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Pros:I was looking at netbooks, but found them too small. This is a perfect size for the coffee table, and looks very slick with the brushed aluminum. I has a really nice screen, and a great keyboard, with the play/pause/volume buttons you need for music playback on the top row. The HDMI out and 4 USB ports are a plus too.
Cons:
I haven't had any problems with with plastic trim coming apart, as one reviewer did. The only design flaw that I see is the rubber pieces that prevent the screen bezel from touching the keyboard bezel when the lid is closed are a little too small or shallow, so the screen bezel does get some very slight scratches. I think this can be minimized by not putting anything too heavy on top of the computer when closed, and not squeezing it too tight when carrying it. But that's a minor problem. Also, the computer does get a little warm (esp. under the left palm, probably where the CPU is), perhaps too warm for extended use on one's lap, but it's super quiet -a trade-off I can live with.
Bottom Line:
This is a great little laptop for the money. I highly recommend it.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP Pavilion DM3-1130US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)
I recieved this laptop yesterday (2/5/10)and here is my review: When I removed the laptop from the box and held it, I was impressed with the laptop's construction. The keyboard is big enough for my hands, and the 13.3 inch screen is large enough for me to see. The laptop is not too heavy--but it is not too light. Unlike a netbook, this laptop has 320gb of hardrive and 4gb of rams, expandable to 8gb (that's very powerful for this little machine!). It has four usb ports and a hdmi port for hooking it up to a big screen TV. It also has a webcam camera and an internal microphone. The laptop is loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium for stability and a lot of HP software junk. The laptop has Bluetooth technology to communicate with other Bluetooth devices. The laptop doesn't have a fixed optical drive, which is cool since most software can be downloaded from the Internet. In closing, if you need a smaller laptop for just basic computing, a netbook will suffice. However, I would STRONGLY recommend you to spend more money on a laptop like the HP Pavilion DM3-1130US model, because sooner or later you will need a smaller laptop like this one for heavy duty computing.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Samsung Series 9 NP900X4D-A04US 15 LED Notebook Intel Core i7-3517U Reviews
I have samsung series 9 second gen 13" with intel core i5, 4gb ram and 128ssd and I found it very good.
But with this new laptop it is bigger, it 15" with intel core i7, 8gb ram and 254 ssd, so it is even much better.
The only thing that I do not really like is win 8. I still prefer to use win 7.
I'd welcome Samsung comment on this.
But with this new laptop it is bigger, it 15" with intel core i7, 8gb ram and 254 ssd, so it is even much better.
The only thing that I do not really like is win 8. I still prefer to use win 7.
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Got this laptop with the win7 several months ago. Didn't yet get a chance to do a lot of work on it as it's a backup to my desktop. But lately it's been heating up like crazy. Had to put it in the refrigerator. Must say I'm surprised, as my husband has one of the earlier models of the Samsung Series 9 for over a year as his main computer and it doesn't heat up like this. Not even close.I'd welcome Samsung comment on this.
Buy Toshiba Satellite L755-S5242 15.6-Inch LED Laptop (Grey)
This is a pretty solid laptop. I switched from an 08 macbook pro to this laptop so I was initially planning on being underwhelmed. The only reason I decided to switch to a PC was my macbook was running out of warranty (which I used heavily). I was able to sell it for the price of this PC with a 3 year warranty. Obviously the construction of this laptop isn't as impressive as the macbook (plastic versus aluminum). However the function and responsiveness of the operating system is similar and impressive. This is my first windows 7 experience, and I have been impressed so far. For the price of this laptop I don't think you can go wrong.
My favorite things about this toshiba besides the improved ram and storage over my macbook are:
1. Track pad lock feature, this is really handy if you use your word processor a lot.
2. 10 key keypad on this laptop is a nice feature that I didn't have on my macbook
3. The side vent cooling feature is really nice, this laptop stays cool all the time.
4. Battery seems to be pretty good(although my macbook's battery was also really impressive and could run for hours unplugged even after years of use).
The only con is the amount of crap that comes preloaded on these PC's, but I am sure that is not unique to this laptop. That is something apple figured out a long time ago. It is really overwhelming trying to figure out which programs are important and which are not. Especially when you haven't used a PC in years.
1. This laptop is not heavy at all. The weight is really well proportioned.
2. Intel integrated HD graphics are a joke. Don't expect to play any games at any decent quality resolutions or settings.
3. The Realtek wifi adapter is about the lowest quality you can find. It would disconnect all the time, never connect at anywhere above 72mbps. If you get this laptop, spend the extra $25 on an Intel Centrino 6200 mini pci card.
4. Ram is cheap. Immediately upgrade this to 8gb of ram. As of this writing, you can pick up 8Gb for $35.
5. The touchpad multi-touch is really annoying. How annoying? I've magnified/de-magnified my screen at least 4 times while writing this.
6. The numberpad throws me off. I'm not used to it on a laptop.
7. The 500gb hard drive is OK. I'd prefer a 7200rpm model, but I can deal.
8. No bluetooth. It's a
My favorite things about this toshiba besides the improved ram and storage over my macbook are:
1. Track pad lock feature, this is really handy if you use your word processor a lot.
2. 10 key keypad on this laptop is a nice feature that I didn't have on my macbook
3. The side vent cooling feature is really nice, this laptop stays cool all the time.
4. Battery seems to be pretty good(although my macbook's battery was also really impressive and could run for hours unplugged even after years of use).
The only con is the amount of crap that comes preloaded on these PC's, but I am sure that is not unique to this laptop. That is something apple figured out a long time ago. It is really overwhelming trying to figure out which programs are important and which are not. Especially when you haven't used a PC in years.
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My 4 year old Toshiba laptop was getting a bit long in the tooth so I decided to get an updated one. Due to budget restraints, I couldn't get the P-series Toshiba with the upgraded graphics, so I settled on the L-series. I've had this laptop for a month and found a few interesting points that might help some of you out there.1. This laptop is not heavy at all. The weight is really well proportioned.
2. Intel integrated HD graphics are a joke. Don't expect to play any games at any decent quality resolutions or settings.
3. The Realtek wifi adapter is about the lowest quality you can find. It would disconnect all the time, never connect at anywhere above 72mbps. If you get this laptop, spend the extra $25 on an Intel Centrino 6200 mini pci card.
4. Ram is cheap. Immediately upgrade this to 8gb of ram. As of this writing, you can pick up 8Gb for $35.
5. The touchpad multi-touch is really annoying. How annoying? I've magnified/de-magnified my screen at least 4 times while writing this.
6. The numberpad throws me off. I'm not used to it on a laptop.
7. The 500gb hard drive is OK. I'd prefer a 7200rpm model, but I can deal.
8. No bluetooth. It's a
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Best Acer AS8943G-9319 18.4-Inch Laptop (Aluminum) Deals
This review is not short. But I would have loved to have a review like this when I was deciding to buy this laptop.
First of all, way to go Amazon getting me the package in two days flat even using the super saver shipping. Acer has the laptop box that is inside a sturdier cardboard box, this is then wrapped by amazon in packing material and placed in an even larger box. Talk about building up suspense when you are opening the thing.
I'd been worried about some of the other reviews that I had read on the AS8943G series. I'd like to set the record straight on a few scores.
You will read quite a few reviews stating there are widespread connectivity issues with the wifi, and when you attempt to reset the connection, the computer locks up entirely. An early fix for that was to spend $30 on a new wifi card and it worked like a charm. This impacted the models with the broadcomm and Atheros cards. It was a driver issue. I would be willing to bet not a single unit actually shipped with a bad card, Acer just didn't have the driver issues sorted out before selling their laptop. (shame shame)
-Wireless
Mine shipped with the most current drivers and Bios found on the Acer website, and I haven't had a single dropped connection with 52 hours of up-time so far. Not only that, but I am getting excellent speeds. It feels like I've upgraded my internet service (I was using a wireless G card before)
-Monitor
Some have complained about the viewing angles on the monitor. I honestly think they are nuts. For a screen this size it is just fine. The screen is good for viewing by two people sitting on the couch. If you are looking down at a sharp angle, it is no good to watch, but if you are doing that, you obviously use your laptop in a way entirely different from what I do. Right out of the box, you get pretty good color reproduction, but it is a bit better if you take the time to calibrate it. The screen is perfect for watching movies in 1080P and very crisp and clear. no issues with brightness. It is a very good panel.
-Sound
The sound quality is just 'okay'. By that, I mean that it blows away any previous laptop speakers I've used, but I had pretty high expectations since it has a 5.1 sound system. You don't need to invest in any extra speakers to use with this. Even with low quality sources, you can make out dialogue. And though you don't get anything approaching true surround sound, the speaker setup is very competent at separating the highs and the lows, and it has made it a lot easier to make out what people are saying in a movie in scenes with a lot of background noise or music.
-Build Quality
This is the sturdiest non-mac laptop I have seen recently. Probably about three pounds of the 10 pound (yes 10 pounds!) weight of this laptop is the aluminum casing, deck, and keyboard. It is a joy to work on compared to some of the laptops I have had to mess around with. the memory slots and hard drive and wireless card are all easy to get to. It has one main panel that you remove to get to all three, and then a separate panel if you want to put in a second hard drive. And that brings me to the first of two gripes I have. The plastic cover for the second hard drive bay is not intended to be used with a hard drive in the bay (!!?!) I was aware of that prior to buying the laptop. So, if you intend to add a second hard drive, you have two options. Order the bay cover needed and wait for it, or mod the existing door to make it fit a hard drive. That can be done in about five minutes with careful use of a dremel tool. But I just have to scratch my head a little that they even bothered to make a hard drive bay cover that won't accommodate a hard drive.
Touchpad
The pad is very responsive, and the multi-touch works without fuss. It IS a fingerprint magnet. I assume the surface they used was dictated by the need for it to be transparent for the media browser. The media browser underlay is very cool, I still haven't gotten over turning it on from time to time just to look at it. I do wish they could have found a way to make it not take so may fingerprints since, you know, you touch it. All the time.
Keyboard
I like the aluminum keys and they have a very pleasant touch. The chicklet layout has made touch typing a good bit easier. The delete key is tiny. But that is fairly common now days. I do wish it was backlit, but I'm not sure I would sacrifice the extra heatsink effect you get from the all aluminum construction, and it will probably win on durability.
Heat Management
I expected this thing to be like a space heater with the i7 and the Radeon 5850 in there, but for the most part, it has run cool and run quiet. Running 3D Mark 2011 on it, there was slightly increased fan activity, but all surfaces stayed cool to slightly warm to the touch. The only thing I would describe as hot was the air coming out of the exhaust port. That is kind of the point though. The fan has never been loud enough yet for me to notice it, unless (like now) I am specifically listening for it.
As soon as I got this I slapped a second 500 Gig hard drive in and swapped in 12 gigs of faster ram, so I can't say exactly what the base model benchmarks like, other than it booted up and loaded windows in a reasonable time and was responsive to my limited needs. The windows experience index comes in at 5.8 using the lowest score, which is the hard drive, and i think the others were 6+ range with one 7+. If you are looking to upgrade on this, I'd highly recommend swapping out the ram with something faster than the DDR 1066 that is in there. and get a faster hard drive. Those are the major bottlenecks. You might even look at swapping the current system disk for an SSD, and then using that one for storage. Though I will point out, there is no install disk shipped with this laptop.
Bottom line, this is an excellent laptop for the price (which apparently dropped by like $30 the day after I ordered it :) ) If I was giving it a 1-100 score, it would be about a 90. Losing points for that stupid hard drive bay cover and lack of USB 3 and no express card slot to add it later. This is a perfect laptop to buy and upgrade to something really excessive, and it is also a great laptop out of the box. Hopefully I don't drop this one and break it. You may have wondered why I had 12 gigs of ram and a 500 GB hard drive just laying around.... yeah.
Buy it. Though I would recommend you check out the whole 8943g line to see if there is one that has a configuration you prefer for the price.
Pro's:
-Core i7
-ATI 5850 2GB Video Card!!! (Runs Starcraft 2 great!)
-4GB Ram (2,2,0,0) There are 4 slots for ram! I can upgrade to 8 GB with two more 2GB sticks of RAM.
-Fingerprint reader.
-Beautiful screen. I was curious why they boasted 220 nit screen, until I saw it at full brightness... it's amazing.
-Aluminum casing
-The hinges on the screen... this may sound like an odd one but when you have a big screen like that and flimsy hinges that thing will sway up and down with just a little bump of the table. This one however has very solid hinges that keep your screen sturdy and in place.
Cons:
-No backlit keyboard... not too terrible but when you are using it for games at night it really can come in handy.
So far it runs very cool. Haven't had the need to consider a proper laptop cooler yet. All I use is an Everki Chill Pill (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X7QPMA/ref=oss_product) to elevate and allow better air flow. Air coming out the exhaust vent is warm, but certainly not what I would consider hot.
Best feature of this laptop, and what convinced me to purchase a laptop at all, let alone one so large, is the keyboard. It is as close to a full sized keyboard as you are likely to find on a laptop. The keys have a very nice feel to them, and the fact that they are raised is in my opinion a huge plus. The delete key is small and oddly placed, but I consider that a very reasonable price to pay for all the other advantages this keyboard provides. It is just like typing on a desktop keyboard, and since I purchased this as a supplement to my desktop while I am in school, I figured it made sense if it can keep me from having to retrain my fingers every time I switch between them.
This is of course a very large laptop, and finding a backpack into which it will fit is a real issue. I settled on the Swissgear Pegasus, which is probably the only Swissgear pack into which it will fit, and even then there are issues. If I put it in the laptop sleeve, it becomes nearly impossible to zip closed, and then the material is stretched to the point that I am afraid the zipper or the stitching will split. Even outside the sleeve, it is tight if you have it sitting on the first layer of padding. I have been pulling the end of that padding out of the way, and the pack then closes easily. This does of course kind of defeat the purpose of buying a pack specifically designed to carry a laptop. But because it is so well made and serves all of my other needs for it, I am hoping that with time the material will loosen up some and make the fit better. Toshiba does sell two bags specifically for 18.4 inch laptops, I just didn't feel they would meet my needs as well as this one.
Another issue is the Blu-ray player. It works fine, once you have the correct software to play Blu-ray discs. Apparently there is no support for WMP to do so, and the Video player ACER provides as part of it's bloatware won't play them. A potentially minor issue, but still somewhat of an annoyance.
Overall, I am very pleased with this laptop. The fact that it has room for a 2nd HDD and the RAM is expandable to 16GB is a huge plus. By far, this laptop will give you the most for your money, especially at the current price of $1,199.99. You really can't beat it. This brings me to one last issue, which once again is mostly just an annoyance. Every review I have seen which references a 2nd HDD, states that the 2nd HDD bay cover that comes with the laptop will not close completely with a 2nd drive installed. Unfortunately, this item is apparently not available from anyone in the US, including ACER. The same goes for the HDD bracket that you will need to buy, as ACER does not install one. There are several venues for purchasing them. The cheapest is Notebook Solutions. () They are shipping from outside the US, Canada I believe, so shipping costs are higher. One other is ipc-computer. () This is a German company, so shipping is higher still. The thing to be aware of is that there is conflicting info out there as to what the correct part number is. It is either Acer 42.PWC07.009, or Acer 42.PWC07.001. I believe it is the first. Neither site uses either number if you simply go to the site and start searching. Hopefully they have the parts labeled correctly. Both sites do provide space for comments. ipc in fact requires that you put the Manufacture's name, laptop model and model number there, or they will not ship the item. So if you are like me, you can include a note specifying why you want the part. Hopefully that will ensure you get what you thought you were paying for.
Also they have no idea what will be the max bus speed for the memory(default 1066). I want to upgrade to a higher speed. Also NO blutooth. What a shame. I asked them for a internal blutooth module but they don't support it. So the only way to go is USB blutooth dongle. The touch pad it's a fingerprint sucker. I don't think the keyboard is made from aluminum, just silver plastic. I hope in time will not become black in the most used areas.
Other than that the laptop it is awesome. Sounds it is impressive 5+1 speakers, amazing resolution and speed. Just want to let know other people about this issues if they plan installing second hdd. So one star minus.
First of all, way to go Amazon getting me the package in two days flat even using the super saver shipping. Acer has the laptop box that is inside a sturdier cardboard box, this is then wrapped by amazon in packing material and placed in an even larger box. Talk about building up suspense when you are opening the thing.
I'd been worried about some of the other reviews that I had read on the AS8943G series. I'd like to set the record straight on a few scores.
You will read quite a few reviews stating there are widespread connectivity issues with the wifi, and when you attempt to reset the connection, the computer locks up entirely. An early fix for that was to spend $30 on a new wifi card and it worked like a charm. This impacted the models with the broadcomm and Atheros cards. It was a driver issue. I would be willing to bet not a single unit actually shipped with a bad card, Acer just didn't have the driver issues sorted out before selling their laptop. (shame shame)
-Wireless
Mine shipped with the most current drivers and Bios found on the Acer website, and I haven't had a single dropped connection with 52 hours of up-time so far. Not only that, but I am getting excellent speeds. It feels like I've upgraded my internet service (I was using a wireless G card before)
-Monitor
Some have complained about the viewing angles on the monitor. I honestly think they are nuts. For a screen this size it is just fine. The screen is good for viewing by two people sitting on the couch. If you are looking down at a sharp angle, it is no good to watch, but if you are doing that, you obviously use your laptop in a way entirely different from what I do. Right out of the box, you get pretty good color reproduction, but it is a bit better if you take the time to calibrate it. The screen is perfect for watching movies in 1080P and very crisp and clear. no issues with brightness. It is a very good panel.
-Sound
The sound quality is just 'okay'. By that, I mean that it blows away any previous laptop speakers I've used, but I had pretty high expectations since it has a 5.1 sound system. You don't need to invest in any extra speakers to use with this. Even with low quality sources, you can make out dialogue. And though you don't get anything approaching true surround sound, the speaker setup is very competent at separating the highs and the lows, and it has made it a lot easier to make out what people are saying in a movie in scenes with a lot of background noise or music.
-Build Quality
This is the sturdiest non-mac laptop I have seen recently. Probably about three pounds of the 10 pound (yes 10 pounds!) weight of this laptop is the aluminum casing, deck, and keyboard. It is a joy to work on compared to some of the laptops I have had to mess around with. the memory slots and hard drive and wireless card are all easy to get to. It has one main panel that you remove to get to all three, and then a separate panel if you want to put in a second hard drive. And that brings me to the first of two gripes I have. The plastic cover for the second hard drive bay is not intended to be used with a hard drive in the bay (!!?!) I was aware of that prior to buying the laptop. So, if you intend to add a second hard drive, you have two options. Order the bay cover needed and wait for it, or mod the existing door to make it fit a hard drive. That can be done in about five minutes with careful use of a dremel tool. But I just have to scratch my head a little that they even bothered to make a hard drive bay cover that won't accommodate a hard drive.
Touchpad
The pad is very responsive, and the multi-touch works without fuss. It IS a fingerprint magnet. I assume the surface they used was dictated by the need for it to be transparent for the media browser. The media browser underlay is very cool, I still haven't gotten over turning it on from time to time just to look at it. I do wish they could have found a way to make it not take so may fingerprints since, you know, you touch it. All the time.
Keyboard
I like the aluminum keys and they have a very pleasant touch. The chicklet layout has made touch typing a good bit easier. The delete key is tiny. But that is fairly common now days. I do wish it was backlit, but I'm not sure I would sacrifice the extra heatsink effect you get from the all aluminum construction, and it will probably win on durability.
Heat Management
I expected this thing to be like a space heater with the i7 and the Radeon 5850 in there, but for the most part, it has run cool and run quiet. Running 3D Mark 2011 on it, there was slightly increased fan activity, but all surfaces stayed cool to slightly warm to the touch. The only thing I would describe as hot was the air coming out of the exhaust port. That is kind of the point though. The fan has never been loud enough yet for me to notice it, unless (like now) I am specifically listening for it.
As soon as I got this I slapped a second 500 Gig hard drive in and swapped in 12 gigs of faster ram, so I can't say exactly what the base model benchmarks like, other than it booted up and loaded windows in a reasonable time and was responsive to my limited needs. The windows experience index comes in at 5.8 using the lowest score, which is the hard drive, and i think the others were 6+ range with one 7+. If you are looking to upgrade on this, I'd highly recommend swapping out the ram with something faster than the DDR 1066 that is in there. and get a faster hard drive. Those are the major bottlenecks. You might even look at swapping the current system disk for an SSD, and then using that one for storage. Though I will point out, there is no install disk shipped with this laptop.
Bottom line, this is an excellent laptop for the price (which apparently dropped by like $30 the day after I ordered it :) ) If I was giving it a 1-100 score, it would be about a 90. Losing points for that stupid hard drive bay cover and lack of USB 3 and no express card slot to add it later. This is a perfect laptop to buy and upgrade to something really excessive, and it is also a great laptop out of the box. Hopefully I don't drop this one and break it. You may have wondered why I had 12 gigs of ram and a 500 GB hard drive just laying around.... yeah.
Buy it. Though I would recommend you check out the whole 8943g line to see if there is one that has a configuration you prefer for the price.
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Ok, fist of all I would just like to praise amazon's customer support. About a month ago I had ordered a Toshiba Qosmio x505 laptop. After three weeks the fan for the video card failed and I could no longer use the laptop. By mistake I called Toshiba instead of Amazon and they had me send it in. About a week later I got a call and was told that they didn't have the part and it needed to be ordered. Of course they also told me that the part would not be in until January 7th, 2011.... Two months later!!! I called amazon and told them what happened. They let me send my toshiba back to them and exchange for something different. So I chose to spend a tiny bit more and get this one. The two laptops are almost identical in specs execpt for the video card and the style/finish of the laptop. I really like this one due to the brushed aluminum casing. If it's one thing I cannot stand, it's fingerprints all over my laptop. I have yet to see any problems with the wifi, like some other people have had. The capacitive screen/touchpad is pretty cool... not sure how much use it will get, but it's not why I bought the laptop.Pro's:
-Core i7
-ATI 5850 2GB Video Card!!! (Runs Starcraft 2 great!)
-4GB Ram (2,2,0,0) There are 4 slots for ram! I can upgrade to 8 GB with two more 2GB sticks of RAM.
-Fingerprint reader.
-Beautiful screen. I was curious why they boasted 220 nit screen, until I saw it at full brightness... it's amazing.
-Aluminum casing
-The hinges on the screen... this may sound like an odd one but when you have a big screen like that and flimsy hinges that thing will sway up and down with just a little bump of the table. This one however has very solid hinges that keep your screen sturdy and in place.
Cons:
-No backlit keyboard... not too terrible but when you are using it for games at night it really can come in handy.
Best Deals for Acer AS8943G-9319 18.4-Inch Laptop (Aluminum)
Looks great, works great. Craftsmanship is very good. True, the fingerprint issue is an annoyance, but that is easily taken care of. The touch pad is very sensitive. Several times I've run my palm across it when typing and closed or changed what I was working on. As I much prefer to use a mouse anyway, I just lock it and that problem is solved.So far it runs very cool. Haven't had the need to consider a proper laptop cooler yet. All I use is an Everki Chill Pill (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X7QPMA/ref=oss_product) to elevate and allow better air flow. Air coming out the exhaust vent is warm, but certainly not what I would consider hot.
Best feature of this laptop, and what convinced me to purchase a laptop at all, let alone one so large, is the keyboard. It is as close to a full sized keyboard as you are likely to find on a laptop. The keys have a very nice feel to them, and the fact that they are raised is in my opinion a huge plus. The delete key is small and oddly placed, but I consider that a very reasonable price to pay for all the other advantages this keyboard provides. It is just like typing on a desktop keyboard, and since I purchased this as a supplement to my desktop while I am in school, I figured it made sense if it can keep me from having to retrain my fingers every time I switch between them.
This is of course a very large laptop, and finding a backpack into which it will fit is a real issue. I settled on the Swissgear Pegasus, which is probably the only Swissgear pack into which it will fit, and even then there are issues. If I put it in the laptop sleeve, it becomes nearly impossible to zip closed, and then the material is stretched to the point that I am afraid the zipper or the stitching will split. Even outside the sleeve, it is tight if you have it sitting on the first layer of padding. I have been pulling the end of that padding out of the way, and the pack then closes easily. This does of course kind of defeat the purpose of buying a pack specifically designed to carry a laptop. But because it is so well made and serves all of my other needs for it, I am hoping that with time the material will loosen up some and make the fit better. Toshiba does sell two bags specifically for 18.4 inch laptops, I just didn't feel they would meet my needs as well as this one.
Another issue is the Blu-ray player. It works fine, once you have the correct software to play Blu-ray discs. Apparently there is no support for WMP to do so, and the Video player ACER provides as part of it's bloatware won't play them. A potentially minor issue, but still somewhat of an annoyance.
Overall, I am very pleased with this laptop. The fact that it has room for a 2nd HDD and the RAM is expandable to 16GB is a huge plus. By far, this laptop will give you the most for your money, especially at the current price of $1,199.99. You really can't beat it. This brings me to one last issue, which once again is mostly just an annoyance. Every review I have seen which references a 2nd HDD, states that the 2nd HDD bay cover that comes with the laptop will not close completely with a 2nd drive installed. Unfortunately, this item is apparently not available from anyone in the US, including ACER. The same goes for the HDD bracket that you will need to buy, as ACER does not install one. There are several venues for purchasing them. The cheapest is Notebook Solutions. () They are shipping from outside the US, Canada I believe, so shipping costs are higher. One other is ipc-computer. () This is a German company, so shipping is higher still. The thing to be aware of is that there is conflicting info out there as to what the correct part number is. It is either Acer 42.PWC07.009, or Acer 42.PWC07.001. I believe it is the first. Neither site uses either number if you simply go to the site and start searching. Hopefully they have the parts labeled correctly. Both sites do provide space for comments. ipc in fact requires that you put the Manufacture's name, laptop model and model number there, or they will not ship the item. So if you are like me, you can include a note specifying why you want the part. Hopefully that will ensure you get what you thought you were paying for.
Honest reviews on Acer AS8943G-9319 18.4-Inch Laptop (Aluminum)
I contact tech support but no luck. The cover won't close for the second hdd. And they don't support this issue! I use the one that came with it(500Gb), but the cover won't close properly. The first one was replaced by a 64Gb SSD HDD. I have no idea why they advertise it that this laptop supports 2 hdds. I am running in with two right now, but the cover for the second one looks half open.Also they have no idea what will be the max bus speed for the memory(default 1066). I want to upgrade to a higher speed. Also NO blutooth. What a shame. I asked them for a internal blutooth module but they don't support it. So the only way to go is USB blutooth dongle. The touch pad it's a fingerprint sucker. I don't think the keyboard is made from aluminum, just silver plastic. I hope in time will not become black in the most used areas.
Other than that the laptop it is awesome. Sounds it is impressive 5+1 speakers, amazing resolution and speed. Just want to let know other people about this issues if they plan installing second hdd. So one star minus.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Acer AS8943G-9319 18.4-Inch Laptop (Aluminum)
I had a Dell Studio 1737 that went bad. I sold it on eBay and used the money to help pay for this Acer Aspire 8943g-9319. This laptop has met all of my expectations. There's only one thing that threw me off, and that was the fact that it does not come with an integrated Bluetooth card. This is a very minor issue as a Bluetooth USB dongle can be purchased for less than shipped. In fact I found a deal and bought a mini Bluetooth USB dongle for about . I started out using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse from my prior laptop. They always seem to have problems with lag. It can't be used outside of windows. Which means if you have to boot into safe mode, BIOS, CD, etc., you have to use the keyboard on the laptop. To make a long story short, I purchased a Logitech MK710 keyboard/mouse combo. It works great (I can use it from the moment I turn on the computer) and the dongle is tiny. I play a few games, mostly Starcraft 2 and it works great thanks to the discrete 2g ATI video card. It's one of the few laptops that can handle 2 hard drives and 16GB RAM. It looks stylish and I especially like the brushed aluminum appearance. The keyboard works perfectly, no complaints. The screen is fantastic, bright, excellent color reproduction, and no dead pixels. The sound system is typical of any laptop in the sense that it does not come close to a home theater system. But, I must say that it does a great job at reproducing 5.1 surround sound as it has 6 speakers (left, center, right, surround left, surround right, and bass). If you play a dolby sample video or one of those THX splash videos, you can really hear the sound as it moves from speaker to speaker. Granted, you have to be right in front of the laptop to experience this. On the other hand, the bass, like i said, is typical of any other laptop which means it's adequate. There were some reviews that I read that stated the wireless card kept dropping its network connection. Not the case in this laptop. One last thing is the finger print reader, I love it! I can log into 90% of the Websites that I frequent and all I have to do is swipe my finger to gain access. Well done Acer!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Discount Acer Aspire V3-551-84506G50BDCakk 15.6 LED Notebook - AMD A-Series
List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: $399.99
Today's Bonus: 31% Off
I like most things about this computer. It's much better than my old PC (a Gateway NV53-something). It handles all of my tasks and games flawlessly (keep in mind I got this machine two days ago). I like the layout of the keyboard and the feel of they keys, but the problem I've really had was with the touchpad. Sometimes when I'm scrolling or dragging the pointer across the screen, it'll randomly select a block of text. This isn't really a huge issue I guess, since I've disabled it while typing, but still one that needs to be addressed. The position of the USB ports on the right side near the front of the computer is also annoying since I use a mouse and am right handed. There is also a port on the left side, but I'd rather make use of the USB 3.0 port (left) for things like data transfer than a mouse.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Dell Latitude D620 Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz Laptop Notebook 1GB RAM 80GB Review
fast computer because of the core 2 duo and 2 gigs of ram ,the only problem is the 80 gigs of memory ( its just not enough)
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The laptop has been great but the charger is falling apart. I have to find a new charger because I think the one that I have will last much longer. Other than that I think someone should purchase this Dell laptop.Best Deals for Dell Latitude D620 Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz Laptop Notebook 1GB RAM 80GB
I'm not really happy with the computer I bougth at Genie Technologies. I bougth the sameone at another store and the one I choose in the other place is better.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Buy DELL LATITUDE D600 1.6GHZ 1024MB 40GB CDRW/DVD WIFI XP PRO LAPTOP
I have bought dozens of laptops and this company provides some of the best computers out there. They are just as fast, if not faster than the new ones out there because the company loads these up with the newest RAM, and the latest processors. I would NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER (can't say it enough)buy another new laptop. By the time they are 3 years old, they have to be refurbished anyway.
After two long weeks I get the other computer delivered to me..finally I have a computer that work...so that is what I was thinking...plug it in thinking the power cord work..and my computer went dead...the power cord did not work!! so now I have a computer with no working power cord! I contacted the seller again..and he made me out to be a liar saying it was a new cord (which it was not)and I had to be joking.. he claims he would send me another one out..well that has been since August this is now Oct..and no power cord still to this day the power cord has never arrived..I can't afford to spend even one more penny to send this thing back so its seats in my closet...I have since purchase a new computer which I should have done in the first place.
DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS SELLER OR YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU DID. Buy new...oh beat this...one more for the road...the "G" key is broken...and its an old computer in maybe ok shape at best..what a waste of time and money...buy new.
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I ordered a Dell Latitude D600 from this seller...and what a mistake that was...when the computer arrived it was broken! it just came apart..at first the seller was trying to blame me what a joke..I just received the computer..I had to return the computer using my own money which was not cheap for them to find out that it was not assembled right. It took them another twice weeks to send me back another computer all this time I have not computer to work with after I have paid for one.After two long weeks I get the other computer delivered to me..finally I have a computer that work...so that is what I was thinking...plug it in thinking the power cord work..and my computer went dead...the power cord did not work!! so now I have a computer with no working power cord! I contacted the seller again..and he made me out to be a liar saying it was a new cord (which it was not)and I had to be joking.. he claims he would send me another one out..well that has been since August this is now Oct..and no power cord still to this day the power cord has never arrived..I can't afford to spend even one more penny to send this thing back so its seats in my closet...I have since purchase a new computer which I should have done in the first place.
DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS SELLER OR YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU DID. Buy new...oh beat this...one more for the road...the "G" key is broken...and its an old computer in maybe ok shape at best..what a waste of time and money...buy new.
Best Deals for DELL LATITUDE D600 1.6GHZ 1024MB 40GB CDRW/DVD WIFI XP PRO LAPTOP
This is the first laptop that I purchased from Amazon and am very disappointed. First of all, the battery does not hold the charge, and secondly the vendor said that there is nothing he can do as he claimed that it was tested and found that the battery held it's charge for more than five minutes. I can't return it because it did not come with any warranty and the vendor did not offer other solutions. I am not comfortable buying another laptop from Amazon or recommending others to do.Honest reviews on DELL LATITUDE D600 1.6GHZ 1024MB 40GB CDRW/DVD WIFI XP PRO LAPTOP
There are only two issues I had at all with this product. The first is that it lists incorrect RAMI got 512mb not 1024mb, so it can be a bit slower than what I prefer. Also the battery with it needs replacement, but that is normal for a less than new machine. Other than those two points, so far its a pretty darn good machine and an AWESOME deal :) This is my first laptop and I will likely just put a bit more money into it to bring it up to par.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for DELL LATITUDE D600 1.6GHZ 1024MB 40GB CDRW/DVD WIFI XP PRO LAPTOP
Item functions well as a Dell should. WIFI has good range and speed. Has not frozen up yet. Accepts new MS windows updates with no glitches. All around a superb product for its age and specs. Arrived well without scratches or dents. Good sound system.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Cheap HP ENVY TouchSmart15 15-j050us 15.6-Inch Laptop
My last laptop was an HP Envy, and I needed a new one, that had Beats Audio, touchscreen, Windows 8. This has been one of the best purchases on Amazon. Good price, Sat shipping., exactly as if I went to the store. SAME specs. The only other option I would have liked as a "bonus", would be a backlit keyboard. But I LOVE the fingerprint reader!
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I have had it for only a month and tragically slipped in water in my over flowing laundry room with this laptop tucked under my arm. The corner of it hit when I fell, I was sure the screen was going to be shattered. It put a small gash in the corner of the screens border. Seriously the worst place it could have hit and the screen is untouched. After crying and being all upset how I could have injured my brand new laptop, I realized I got out lucky and need to tell people this thing is durable. BTW my laundry room is tile.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Review of Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 Series 09143NU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Well for one its nice to see that as i sit here and type this review on the computer itself, Lenovo have ditched the old looking IBM thinkpad method and made the modern mac book look stylish and great. This computer is great, oddly enough i got it at office depot, the regular price was 679$ and they are running a special on it now for 499$, yep you heard right. This will only last till 1/15/11 though, get it. I purchased a Toshiba(which i like) but it had the cruddy old AMD turion(which i hate) processor and was slow as a 80 year old woman climbing out of the bath tub. I didnt even realize they had the Toshiba(let alone this) until i actually saw it on the website. So after being disappointed with the Toshiba and its lack luster performance, i saw this on there as well. So i ran back and said hey you don't even have this out yet, so for the price i want it instead, no problem. Also the Toshiba was 549$ with tax! So see it pays to shop around.
I opened this up not knowing what to expect since i couldnt tell much from the picture on the web. Well i was so pleased to see if was the Macbook/Sony silver metallic look with the separated chicklet type keyboard. Also you can't get a better deal for an I3, and this is the 380m running at 2.53ghz. It rates at 6.8 for windows calculations. Thats nearly as much as my gaming desktop with the Core 2 quad running at 2.67ghz which rates at 7.2. Can't beat that. So i'm still in the early stages but i can say already i'm very fond of this, and this keyboard is amazing, especially since i type overly fast. The speakers are loud and crisp, software for burning is good, web cam look great, also i like the way you can set up for it to recognize you through just your image or a message. Pretty cool. This thing is fast as lighting also which is the big seller for me. So time will tell if ole Lenovo(which bought IBM years ago) will stand the test of time. Lets hope its bark is just as bad as its bite and it holds on for many years. Wish me luck, and go pick one up for yourself!
Now the bad: coming from a mac, I expected the screen brightness and volume controls to be easier to use (they are function keys on my old computers), but you have to use the Fn key and the arrow keys. The screen's aspect ratio is nice for watching movies or hulu, but frustrating to word process or web surf until you get used to scrolling often (again, used to my 15.6" powerbook's ratio). By far the worst piece of hardware is the trackpad: it is abrasive and will randomly select text. The buttons are recessed and difficult to use compared to, say, a Toshiba (or macbook), I suggest buying a trackball or mouse.
Also, contrary to an earlier review, there are 3 USB ports (one is integrated in the eSATA port).
Easy to remove the little amount of adware (not nearly as much as HP)
Overall, solid laptop
A few random things I enjoy:
HDMI out is fun
Screen is bright
Light to lift
I opened this up not knowing what to expect since i couldnt tell much from the picture on the web. Well i was so pleased to see if was the Macbook/Sony silver metallic look with the separated chicklet type keyboard. Also you can't get a better deal for an I3, and this is the 380m running at 2.53ghz. It rates at 6.8 for windows calculations. Thats nearly as much as my gaming desktop with the Core 2 quad running at 2.67ghz which rates at 7.2. Can't beat that. So i'm still in the early stages but i can say already i'm very fond of this, and this keyboard is amazing, especially since i type overly fast. The speakers are loud and crisp, software for burning is good, web cam look great, also i like the way you can set up for it to recognize you through just your image or a message. Pretty cool. This thing is fast as lighting also which is the big seller for me. So time will tell if ole Lenovo(which bought IBM years ago) will stand the test of time. Lets hope its bark is just as bad as its bite and it holds on for many years. Wish me luck, and go pick one up for yourself!
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First off, the construction quality is great: the rigidity of the handrest and keyboard areas is comparable to a macbook. Additionally, the keyboard is delicious. The keys are much smaller than the ones I'm used to from my iMac, and are much more comfortable, so I've found I can type faster and for longer periods of time, once you get used to them. The touch-sensitive shortcuts above the keyboard are useful if you are watching movies and want to change the screen settings, want to change speed/battery life settings, or are working around sleeping people and want to keep the fan speed down. The function key shortcuts are also useful if you want to shut off the backlight or connect to a TV or projector. The graphics are decent, playing counterstrike was no issue, and modeling in sketchup and blender was smooth, but that is the extent of my use for it.Now the bad: coming from a mac, I expected the screen brightness and volume controls to be easier to use (they are function keys on my old computers), but you have to use the Fn key and the arrow keys. The screen's aspect ratio is nice for watching movies or hulu, but frustrating to word process or web surf until you get used to scrolling often (again, used to my 15.6" powerbook's ratio). By far the worst piece of hardware is the trackpad: it is abrasive and will randomly select text. The buttons are recessed and difficult to use compared to, say, a Toshiba (or macbook), I suggest buying a trackball or mouse.
Also, contrary to an earlier review, there are 3 USB ports (one is integrated in the eSATA port).
Best Deals for Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 Series 09143NU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Be Sure of the specs. This one does not have the ATI graphics as mentioned. It comes with Integrated graphics only. Laptop is fast but the screen is not very sharp. Webcam is only 0.3MP so can not expect much from it. Speakers are average or may be a notch below. If you are looking for an all purpose machine, you may have better options available for the price. Overall, this laptop is passable at best.Honest reviews on Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 Series 09143NU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Tightly builtEasy to remove the little amount of adware (not nearly as much as HP)
Overall, solid laptop
A few random things I enjoy:
HDMI out is fun
Screen is bright
Light to lift
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 Series 09143NU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
All I can say is WOW! I got this laptop while it was on sale from tigerdirect for $469.99. All I can say is I was expecting some sort of budget laptop for that price, but I ended up with something that feels like a Mac and runs Linux and Windows at crazy speeds. The keyboard is great once you are used to it, the touchpad is a little small and the buttons have a little give to them but those are the only bad traits I can think of. I usually use a wireless mouse, so even that has no effect on me. I usually use the laptop as a desk station to work on 3d imaging, email correspondence, occasional gaming and that sort of thing, Blender runs really well. CoD: MW1 runs great on the lower graphics settings (I was getting 25+ fps even without a dedicated graphics card)I have it hooked up to a 22 inch monitor, and it is running 1680x1024 graphics on that without showing a spike in either RAM or CPU usage. All I can say is I love it. I would suggest it as a perfect buy for anyone looking for a high quality laptop that will preform most tasks well.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Probook 4530S 15.6" I3-2310M Reviews
List Price: $649.00
Sale Price: $431.49
Today's Bonus: 34% Off
The title and technical specifications says core i3 processor, but the image of the computer says core i5.
The link from computer shopper that brought me to the product page indicated it was for a core i5.
If you are looking for a core i5, I'd avoid this one.This is a great laptop. I gave this as a gift to my brother in law and he only has good thing to say about it, in fact he's considering to buy one for his wife. Would definitely recommend.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Discount HP 15.6" AMD A6 320GB HDD 4GB DDR3 Sleekbook PC
Well what can I say this computer is amazing its light it looks great and it's not too expensive the cons are windows 8 the touchpad isn't that great i mean it's usable but if your going to be clicking it a lot like in games or some thing it would be better to get a separate mouse. Also it gets finger prints really easy but the pros are tht it's cheap really thin also I bought the version with the a8 and I was getting 75+ FPS so in the end this pc is AMAZING
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