Reviews of Toshiba Satellite S55-A5257 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Silver in Brushed

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $789.99
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Good laptop. Sounds is great. Fan can be loud at times as described but nothing you won't here from another laptop. Not a fan of the touchpad. It can be sensitive so change the settings, but also the right and left click are way at the edge of laptop. Great quality image. Runs great. Starts up super quick. Very efficient power saving. Quick sync of anything that you connect. Not saying you couldn't find better, but if you've been looking and you are hurting your head from the back and forth, this purchase is worth it. Good quality, nice look too.

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So I was kind of wary when I chose this laptop. I saw a lot of reviews that said, "Loud fan!" or "gets dirty easily" or "windows 8 is dumb" and things like that. Really, if it weren't for those reviews, this would probably have a 5-star rating. First of all, I don't hear the fan. Second, you can probably just wash your hands before using it. The touchpad: I personally like it. I don't see why people complained about the size. You can actually left-click anywhere on the pad by pushing down. To right-click you have to go into the right-bottom corner. (I also found out about a month later that you can right-click by tapping two fingers! Think of all the time you can save!) I'm not a big fan yet of Windows 8, but I downloaded a 3rd party "Start button," so now it's ok. But that's not a problem with the actual laptop. The sound on this thing is fantastic. It's fast too. The other complaints can pretty much be done away by customizing it a little bit. Final analysis: don't get scared away by user errors or off-topic reviews. This is a good computer.

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I'm using this laptop as an on-stage soft synth host (I'm a keyboard player). The criteria I needed to hit:

1) Powerful CPU to run multiple plug-ins

2) Backlit keyboard so I can see things in the dark

3) A battery in case the power goes out for some reason

4) Enough RAM (8GB), with the potential to go 16GB if I need it for some reason.

5) Enough disk (500GB+) that's fast enough for my purposes. This model has a 750GB drive.

6) A screen with enough pixels

7) USB 2 for connecting adapters, MIDI, etc.

8) Ability to boot from an external drive in case the one onboard stops working for some reason

9) All at a reasonable price point

Nice to have was a DVD drive, which this model has, so I can read CDs/DVDs or burn them.

What I didn't need -

1) Bluetooth

2) 1920x1080 display

3) Ultra light weight

4) Touch screen

5) SSD

6) Discrete graphics card

Basically, lots of horsepower and no luxuries, which this laptop delivers in spades. Note that this is a VERY different requirement than for a gamer, student, etc. I actually prefer bigger pixels with lower resolution so that I can see the software running more easily.

Quad core / hyperthreaded CPU is at the top end and equivalent to high end desktops of a year or so ago. So far the i7-4700MQ has been great.

BTW, another handy feature is the ability to hit F12 to put it in airplane mode DPC latency can cause audio pops and clicks, usually with WiFi drivers in Windows 8. F12 immediately turns off wireless, and DPC Monitor comes up as being suitable for streaming audio.

There were a few of the usual bloatware programs which I removed. I clone my HD periodically so I don't have to worry about incremental backups, etc.

Build quality is sufficient, although not up to the top-end standards, but I'm not planning to bang it around. I'm running Start8 so don't care about the new dashboard, and given onstage use the noise of the fans is irrelevant (and they're not noisy in my opinion). Even when running Prime95 to see how 100% CPU load copes it was in line with any other system I've used.

For the price I paid on Amazon this was a steal, and hopefully should give me at least several years of use.

Honest reviews on Toshiba Satellite S55-A5257 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Silver in Brushed

This is a great laptop for a fair price. $600+ and you get a very fast computer that has a really nice feel to it. 8gb of ram make it run really fast, and you can always upgrade to 16 if you want it to run smoother.

Pros:

-Build quality, looks nice in the brushed aluminum

-Back-lit keyboard

-Very light and thin

-4th generation i7 quad-core processor,8gb ram (expandable)

-Decent battery life (5-7 hours depending on use)

-2 usb 3.0 ports (very fast)

-Good speakers

-Size is just perfect for transporting around be it school, work, etc

-600gb of hard drive space is more than enough space but you can always upgrade that as well

Cons:

-The mouse pad is not so great, takes time getting used to

-Screen is decent

-Keyboard is a dust magnet

-Fan is loud if you're in a room that is absolutey silent, otherwise it's not even noticeable

-Windows 8 can be annoying sometimes, especially for someone who is not computer savvy but it works.

All in all this computer is great, I've had it for over a month and no problems yet. If you get a lemon just make sure to contact Amazon. Their return policy is great. I also suggest buying a soft pouch to carry this in. The computer is very light and thin so an impact might damage it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Toshiba Satellite S55-A5257 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Silver in Brushed

This is a very nice laptop. VERY nice.

My second Toshiba Satellite (first was about 15 years ago or so). Tile keyboard (backlit) is nice and doesn't feel too much like I am pecking on Chicklets. Spankin' fast with the Core i7-4700MQ processor! 1366x768 display is the correct resolution for a 15.6" display [100 DPI]. Win 8 ... I won't go there, and what are you supposed to do, anyway? 8 GB RAM is plenty. Also has both VGA and HDMI outputs.

There is only so much that can be packed into a notebook. I wish that the USB 2 port had been placed on the right and the two USB 3.0 ports would have been on the left... that way, external drives with their larger cables wouldn't interfere with my mouse as much and the mouse receiver, if it were on the right side instead, would be barely noticeable. The front-side SD card reader is mounted where the front face curves to become the base of the case and is a tad tricky to push in/eject if you have clumsy fingers like mine. I need to lift the front up a half inch to make that operation easier. Perhaps I'll just get used to that.

This CPU has built in video of the earlier 4000 series graphics, not the new Iris graphics. Lots of reviews don't give it really high marks. My prior computer was an Intel quad core with a discrete nVidia GT-120 graphics card. I'm no gamer -the only 3D app that I use is Google Earth and this new cpu/gpu renders it 100% absolutely smoothly, so good enough for me.

I am running a second 1920x1200 monitor via VGA port and the video is fine for both.

The Harman/Kardon speakers sound great!

On the bottom there is a access lid for memory, but not for the hard drive. The whole bottom of the case must be removed to swap out the hard drive... that is no big deal once you determine that to get it off (after taking out the screws, of course) you have to gently pry at the hinges until it pops free. I have already upgraded this with a Samsung 840 EVO series 1TB SSD and WOW! Boot time dropped from 32-35 seconds to 5-8 seconds! Applications launch like a rocket! The only way to go!

I can't comment on battery life as I pretty much use this on a desk [internal battery, BTW]. That said, there is a nifty "airport mode" key that shuts off wireless. If you don't have a wireless connection, pressing that convenient button will extend your battery life a little more.

This laptop replaced my Intel Q8200 quad core 8GB/640GB desktop that (sniff, sniff) bit the dust. I wouldn't think of going back to a desktop now as fast as this notebook was before I upgraded the HD and especially now that I have.

Slightly different port placement would have given this very nice laptop 5 stars.

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Customer Ratings:

Not the best work computer. I'd say this computer is better for light-use and perhaps light game play. Not suited for photo editing, design, or development. Overall, its a great casual computer. Best for students and at-home use. I wouldn't recommend this computer for anyone looking for a work heavy system.

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Buy Toshiba Satellite L505D-S6947 16.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey

Customer Ratings:

I just got this laptop because I was moving and had to ship my desktop ahead of time. I paid $600 for this computer and have been very surprised at the performance of it so far. the wireless works great, video looks good too. comes with a free upgrade to windows 7. basically if you are looking for a decent laptop for not a lot of money this works very well.

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I got the toshiba L505-6946 can't see on amazon difference is that it has 2.0 mhz intel chip and no seperate graphics card. very happy with the machine, and having shopped around a lot, nothing near the price with same specs (Aug 09). I bought it partly based on my previous toshiba and this one has been good so far. toshiba generally adds some good software and functionality from the company. no issues at all, so can't comment on customer support. on the down side, laptop is about 6 pds bit heavy but that's what you expect for this price and 16 inch, so depends on what you attach the most importance to. Screen has a really beautiful picture and clarity, which was my main concern. no speed issues even with vista, once i cleared all the muck out of the start-up.

main complaints (which is why i am writing this review, actually):

speaker output really poor, especially if playing music/videos.

microphone quality basically unusable.

so, if i want to use skype or decently watch videos/music, i need to carry good external headset, something i did not want to do. the sound output and mic on my work HP is much much better. this has a camera, but i don't really need it as much as sound. in fairness, maybe not enough to drop a star for, considering the price, but does irritate me enough to only give 4 star, since this was a key part of my buying decision over a compaq that i saw on special...

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First off, you would expect a computer that costs as much as $500 to have a lot of bells and whistles, and if not, at least be able to handle a challenge. Not this laptop though.

This laptop costed $500, and if you compare the stats to anything equivalently priced, this gets blown out of the water. It's disappointing that this laptop only comes with 3GB of RAM, why couldn't they just put in the 4th GB? It's not like this board uses triple channel memory or anything. Not only that, but the pre-loaded Windows 7 is only 32-bit, so even if you were to manually upgrade your memory, guess what? You're gonna have to buy a new Windows 7 to utilize the new memory, too.

Secondly, the exhaust is ridiculous. A laptop is supposed to go on your LAP, right? Well, when setting this laptop on your lap to type, the exhaust output is directly on your leg. Did I mention that the cooling system is horrible? This laptop literally blows out up to 190 degree Fahrenheit air, right on your leg. The laptop not only causes extreme discomfort, but has actually BURNED me on several occasions! The hair on my legs has been burned off multiple times, and leaves my skin red and blotchy from the burn. So much for using this laptop's portability... they could have at least put the exhaust on back

Next, the specs on this laptop say that this computer can easily reach 6 hours battery life without dying...maybe if you're in hibernate mode? Right out of the box my computer would only last for 2 hours maximum, and now that it's older, I'm lucky to get 45 minutes out of it. Not only that, but if you're watching a movie, listening to music, or playing a game, you'll be lucky to see the thing stay alive for more than a half hour... once again, where is the portability?

Another thing...the speakers on this laptop: decent, but sub-par. They have a better bass than you'd expect, but of course, the bass muddies out the treble quite often, making it an unpleasant listen. But, if you have external speakers...once again, portability, where are you?

Video; the screen is high-quality no complaints here. However, the output from the VGA cable can be low-quality, and of course, there is no RGB or HDMI ports anywhere on the thing, so you can forget about high-quality video or sound output.

One last thing; the touchpad is in an awkward position for right-handers. Your wrist must bend at about a 40 degree angle from comfortable position to utilize the touchpad with your right hand. However, left-handers: you might find this keypad convenient.

After ALL of that, I would definitely not recommend this laptop to anyone who wants a high-quality, high-value machine, or anyone who wants to travel. If you find average to poor laptops satisfactory, and don't mind getting burned (literally) then this laptop could be for you!

Honest reviews on Toshiba Satellite L505D-S6947 16.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey

I was looking for new technology, full size key board, big screen, software included at a great price and found it all with my new Toshiba satellite. At least that is what I thought when it arrived, however after using the Laptop I have several issues, sound quality and the fact it is only 32 bit and not 64 bit. I will have to buy external speakers for better sound as well as buy additional memory so for me more money as I can not return because my husband is a recycle freak and discarded the box. Learn from my mistake, ask questions before you buy especially about the operating system. I am on the Toshiba waiting list for the free upgrade to windows 7 however it could take 6 months before the software arrives. What i thought was a great deal turned into a slow road to building the machine I could have bought ready to go. Too bad for me.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Toshiba Satellite L505D-S6947 16.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey

This laptop is the best! And on top of that it's made by the best company! Anytime I want or need anything electronic, I first check to see if Toshiba makes one. If they do, that's the one I buy regardless of any bad reviews. Let me explain, I got my Toshiba laptop new with Windows Vista installed, but it came with Windows 7, I just had to wait till Windows 7 was released. One week after it was released, I recieved my copy in the mail. But what really sold me on this company was about a year and a half ago I get an email telling me I needed to upgrade my BIOS, so I went to Toshiba's website and downloaded it. Now I'm very good at working with and on a computer, so I know I did everything right except for one small detail, I started installing the software without noticing the air intake port was blocked. so half way through, it overheated and shut down. As anyone who knows will tell you if that happens, your motherboard is screwed! So I called Toshiba customer service, and I will never forget her name, I spoke to (as I called her) Ms. Betty. She asked me to email her a copy of the email I got, and she would see if she could do something. I did and the next day I got a call from her. She told me that Toshiba was going to repair it for me and asked my address. I gave it to her and asked her for the address I needed to ship it to. She said "Don't worry about that, it will be on the address label in the box you get to ship it in." So Toshiba ended up shipping me an empty box made for shipping laptop computers along with a shipping label PERPAID to return the computer! I got the box the next day and shipped my computer the same day. About a week later I got it back along with a letter saying they were sorry for any inconvience (sorry I can't spell that), and they hope I will continue to buy their products. And it didn't cost me one red cent!! Well, they don't have to worrry or hope, because Toshiba and Ms. Betty have earned my business for life!!!

Cheap Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C-S02US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

Customer Ratings:

It is a great product and gives quality gaming experience. The GTX 675m isn't the best card around anymore but still it holds great power and it is powerful enough to run all games that were released during 2011 at their max settings, It does seem like the graphics card is starting to get left behind as games such as Far Cry 3, Crysis etc. keep pushing the limits of pc gaming, but I can say that this graphics card will also be able to give you a great experience through those graphically intense games.

But enough about graphics, a laptop offers more than just that and I can say that this laptop delivers. The Dolby Home Theater sound system is great and it gives clear quality sound, great for gaming if you do not like using headphones, the system itself is pretty fast thanks to Intel i7 and the keyboard is one of the most comfortable ones I've ever used.

The screen is excellent, it is large and gives great color and brightness, I can say that it is one of the best screens out there for laptops, it even could be the best, the 1080p display does not disappoint especially the 120Hz support gives us beautiful fluent visuals. 4 USB inputs and all sorts of other ones such as VGA, HDMI etc. give great support for multimedia needs. Like that was't enough it also comes with a Blueray disc reader. The laptop also presents us with different modes with different situations, library, reading, balanced and gaming. All modes have their own different settings and work great.

The only problem I had with this laptop was that it has windows 8. Now, I am aware of the hate against the OS but after you get used to it, it is obvious that under the hood it's very similar to the other windows OS's and it even provides us with more variety since it supports apps. I have a Kobo account for books and it's great that I can use it with my computer to read books along with other apps such as Comixology and Tunein Radio. It can be confusing at first sight but once you get used to it Windows 8 won't be causing you much trouble anymore and you may even start liking it. But there are still some glitches here and there which I'm sure will be taken care of in time. It is a fast OS and with patience to learn, it can be satisfying.

This laptop for it's price gives more to it's buyers than other laptops do. I was actually torn between this and the Alienware M17x and decided to go with this since it had more features for the price. But it is still a fact that the Alienware M17x presents a more capable graphics card, yet like I said, the GTX 675m is still pretty capable, combined with the 16 gigs of RAM and the Core i7 this laptop is ready for gaming. If you know how to Overclock and also use the Razer Game Booster application you'll get even greater results. At the moment I tried out a few games such as Saints Row The 3rd and Crysis 2 and I am pleased with the performance. Saints Row the 3rd can be played at max settings on 1080p like butter and Crysis 2 with Vsync turned off never dips under 40.

If you are looking for the absolute graphics beast laptop, than you should try out an Alienware which will probably breakdown fast on you and won't be presenting other features than just graphics. But if you are looking for a laptop that is strong on all the fields, speed, ram, graphics, sound, memory, picture etc. than I'd say give this one a chance because it deserves attention. Plus if you are not satisfied you can always do a return and than get yourself another laptop. I hope this review has been helpful.

Games I've tried so far:

Crysis 2: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice keeping Vsync turned off.

Assassin's Creed 3: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice Anti-Aliasing on normal.

Saints Row The 3rd: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed.

Just Cause 2: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice keeping Anti-Aliasing around Off to 4X.

Hitman Absolution: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, keep Anti-Aliasing and Vsync turned off.

Rage: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed.

Alan Wake: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice keeping Anti-Aliasing off.

The Amazing Spider-man: Can be Played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice keeping Vsync turned off and Anti-Aliasing on low.

Farcry 3: It is slow on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice playing on High settings with Anti-Aliasing and Vsync turned off or playing using Dx9. Otherwise you can experiment with the settings to see wether you can get 30+ FPS by lowering specific settings.

Max Payne 3: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, keep MSAA turned off.

Serious Sam 3: Can be played well on 1080p with all settings maxed, I advice keeping Vsync turned off.

So far so good, no game gave me issues except for Farcry 3 and I believe that is mostly due to the games' bad optimization for mobile Gpu's. I advice keeping AA and Vsync off as much as you can on 1080p since AA does not make much difference on such resolution and if a game supports it play using 120Hz refresh rate because it's definitely much better than the average 60Hz refresh rate.

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UPDATE: after about three weeks of not too heavy use, the backspace key fell off. Samsung wanted me to mail it to a repair station in Texas. Still within the return period, so I'm sending it back to Amazon to get another one. Despite the problem, willing to try another one of these; otherwise, it's a great piece of kit. Worst part of it, honestly, are the HDDs, but they seem to be easily changeable.

--------------

I've had this laptop for about a day, and so this is by necessity a first impression; I'll update it later once I've had it longer.

The build quality is superb. I'm not sure if there's any metal in this, but it's high-quality plastic with an attractive finish. The images don't really show that the visible surfaces when the lid is open are a shiny brushed gunmetal gray. It looks and feels good. The shiny closed lid is also good-looking, but picks up fingerprints like crazy. Not really a big deal for me.

The keyboard is perhaps the best laptop keyboard I've ever used. The keys are dished and fairly long-travel, and are probably as close to the feel of a separate, desktop keyboard as is possible to get on a laptop. The keyboard layout is reasonably full, though there doesn't appear to be any way to send a BREAK without remapping. This is only really a concern for software developers using the standard keybindings in debuggers.

The screen, as others have said, is beautiful. Samsung's a big maker of laptop displays as well as monitors and flat-screen TVs, and this laptop is a great advertisement for their quality. It's bright, desktop-like, with great color and clarity.

The graphics chipset is capable of running World of Warcraft on 'Ultra' graphics settings at 60fps+, even in 40-per-side battlegrounds and 25-man raids. That's about as demanding as I get with graphics, and it's wholly up to the task. There are more expensive laptops with the more powerful NVIDIA GeForce GFX 675MX or 680M chipsets out there, but none of them are this affordable, and most of them make worse compromises in terms of weight, size, heat and looks.

Don't mistake, this is a big laptop. However, its styling hides its bulk quite effectively, and the wedge shape means it's comfortable to type on. It's also substantially smaller and lighter than the Alienware 17" offerings, let alone the 18" behemoth.

I thought before getting it that the rotary mode switch on the side was a gimmick, but it's actually quite useful. The settings for each mode are very customizable, and the modes are well-chosen to match common laptop usages. Certainly a lot easier than digging in Control Panel to switch between power modes!

When not in Game mode, this laptop is also admirably subtle. It doesn't scream 'Gamer Laptop!' unless you want it to, unlike most alternatives. You could take this into a sober business meeting and not draw too much attention.

If I had to carry this around every day, it'd probably be too heavy, but my personal laptop usage is as a movable desktop replacement, and this fits the bill. It can be easily packed up and moved, but it needs a substantial backpack and you certainly feel the weight.

For my needs, this is the perfect machine. The only real criticism I could lay on it is that it would be majorly improved by having SSD options, but I suspect the next revision of the hardware will. It does have a small caching SSD onboard, however.

Strongly recommended for the demanding user seeking a desktop replacement with no compromises on computing power and wanting something a bit more subtle than an Alienware.

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Just received my Samsung Series 7 Gamer today which arrived on time with satisfactory packaging. Laptop looks very nice from an aesthetic standpoint and boots/ runs faster than my desktop does. The dial feature on the side to change between modes feels a little unnecessary but fun so no point in taking off points for that. WASD keys lighting up red from the normal blue of the keys in gaming mode is a nice feature as I've sometimes had difficulty locating my home keys at night ! Also purchased a cooling pad for my laptop, running World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and League of Legends on maximum settings without difficulty, staying cool easily. Whereas my desktop would get start skipping on max settings in WoW: MoP the Samsung Series 7 Gamer seems not to have any trouble, only minor skip when changing zones etc. where there is a mass overhaul of environment but lasts no longer than a moment. Top of case tends to attract fingerprints rather quickly, just pulling it out of the packaging I already had several fingerprints from where I gripped it ! But then again, fingerprints scuff everything so no complaints there. A nice price-tag but I wanted to treat myself to a nice laptop for gaming (which I spend a lot of time doing) and it does not disappoint! Also, I did a lot of research prior to my purchase and to get similar builds I could not find a lower price !

Honest reviews on Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C-S02US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

It's about a year now since I've used this laptop and guess what. It's still amazing as ever.

I get to play all the awesome games like heart of the swarm, bioshock, call of duty, dead island riptide etc, and they all run smooth, and laptop is very silent and never gets hot.

But by the way, the reason why I'm updating this review is because mostly people talk about the specs, but I wanted to talk more about how comforting physically it is to use this laptop. The laptop has a keyboard that almost feels like typical desktop keyboard with an actual satisfying feeling of press and guys with big hands like me can use it. Most thin form factor laptops use pebble style like macbook. There's no problem using such keyboards, but this samsung gamer laptop has one super comfortable keyboard. Hours of usage and your wrists arent tired compared to flat style laptops. I just hope Samsung comes up with a new gaming laptop and I would definitely up for that one as well.

---------------------------

So I've used the laptop since last August, and here's my opinion so far.

1. Hardware

pros

-fantastic screen clarity and brightness, size

-keyboard not cut down to fit laptop, but feels just like typical desktop keyboards (very comfortable)

-Dual cooler. it sometimes got slightly warm, but you'd never feel hot. great cooling system. but it does get hot when you play in a warm, hot environment. just play far away from the heater (obviously).

-speaker is fairly great and decent with light bass. it's at a decent level that unless you got a nice subwoofer speaker from bose, laptop's own speaker would suffice your usage.

cons

-heavy. even though I knew it was going to be heavy and big, I thought I could carry it around for work to other states. turns out it's better not to attempt that. can be considered as thick and heavy. power bar is the size of a brick.

-there's lighted up turbo icon above the keyboard. it has no use but doesn't really look cool either. different design or something cooler on next version.

final thoughts on hardware

-very sturdy and greatly designed laptop that can be used for a long period of time without discomfort that only downside is its thickness and size, but pros cover cons.

2. Features

-they got those four modes using dials. you will never use it. at least I didn't. always put them on game mode because I play games, but didn't really feel much difference and feels fussy switching whenever you're word typing and then play crysis, etc etc.

3. Power

-After 6 months of heavy, very heavy usage, everything still boots up instant, and loading is fast. I can still easily run Farcry3 on high and that applies to basically any games. there are no limits to this machine in current era. whatever you want to play will be playable on midhigh to very high.

Conclusion

-After several months, the laptop still greatly satisfies me, and always feels very comfortable to use.

who is this for: heavy gamers, or IT employees requiring processing power. or if you want something really cool at a decent and cheaper price from Amazon

who should stay way: people who want to travel with it often.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C-S02US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

I was kinda hesitant about buying a laptop to replace my 4 year old media/gaming pc. I wanted something that I could connect to my tv in the living room for my main source of entertainment since I play a reasonable amount of games and use Hulu for shows. Also I wanted something that I could take with me and have the same great experience on the road. As of right now I have my gaming mouse and keyboard connected to the device. When setting up Windows, the keyboard on the laptop felt really well positioned and very east to type on. The screen on this looks amazing and a lot of my friends that see it can vouch for that. Being that its a Samsung screen i'm not surprised on how great it looks. What I'm more shocked about is that Samsung makes a great laptop. Ive owned a few Samsung devices in the past such as tvs, phones, and tablets and loved them all. When it came to computing I always stayed with my "goto" brands HP or Asus. Its only been about a week of owning this and I've thrown Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Guild Wars 2, Torchlight 2, and Deus Ex Human Revolution at it and it seems to run everything on high really well with a high frame rate. I was kind of amazed on how good Guild Wars 2 ran because for some reason that game benchmarks a bit low on other systems. I was getting a reasonable 50-60 fps in major hubs so no complaints there. All in all I know for $1500 I could have built a pretty monster PC but I wanted the mobility and I believe I made the right choice. If your looking for a great laptop this is hands down the best price I've seen and I'm glad that Samsung is stepping up to the plate in gaming mobility.

Discount Lenovo ThinkPad T60 2623 15-Inch Laptop

Customer Ratings:

The Thinkpad T series is IBM/Lenovo's standard business laptop, and as a college student, I have found it to be perfect. I have the T60 model with the specs listed above: T2500 (2GHz Core Duo), 1 GB Ram, 100 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive, Bluetooth, Wireless Internet, Fingerprint Reader, Windows XP SP2, 128 MB ATI Radeon x1400. The laptop is very well constructed and sturdy. The keyboard is excellent, and very responsive. The screen is slightly dim, but I usually use it at an even dimmer setting anyways to conserve battery life. I also have a dock and a 21" widescreen monitor. Recently, when my computer became infected, I merely used the backup sector (which takes away 20GB from your hard drive) to reload everything it was a lot easier than manually reformatting, installing Windows, installing the thinkpad drivers, etc. The drivers are also very good, with the exception of the Thinkpad Access Connections, which I uninstalled immediately. The embedded security chip works well, if you need to use that. I prefer to key in a password rather than use a fingerprint reader. The fingerprint reader will not work if there is moisture of your fingertip. It also needs to be recalibrated (i.e. reprogram your fingerprint) every know and then. Since getting a dock though, I've chosen to forego the fingerprint reader completely.

I purchased this thinkpad with the accidental damage protection warranty, which means I can do nearly anything to the thinkpad I want, and it will be replaced. Why would I though it's a great computer.

Battery life is pretty good the 6 cell battery is rated at 3.5 hrs and will give you a decent 2.5. You can always upgrade to a 9 cell battery and/or take out the DVD-burner and stick in an extra battery there.

Opening up the T60 is also easy, and allowable under the warranty to some extent for example, adding RAM or replacing the keyboard (replacement keyboards are shipped overnight!)

I also like the matte-ish finish off the laptop cover as well as the screen. All in all, a wonderful laptop, and with a student discount, very affordable. The newer Thinkpads have Core 2 Duo processors (marginal performance increase over the Core Duo in this laptop), and are Vista Ready. You can always upgrade. Highly recommended laptop.

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I've used Thinkpads as far back as the 600E. I travel a lot for work and preferred Thinkpads because of their rock solid performance. Now that I've recently upgraded from a T41 to a T60, I think Thinkpads have gone down in quality. Not sure if it has anything to do with IBM selling the business unit to Lenovo (Chinese company).

Anyhow, this T60 feels a lot more "plasticky" than the T41. It just seems cheap and flimsy. I also have a lot of problems docking and undocking this machine. With the T41, I can undock the machine, run to a conference room, open the laptop and not miss a beat. The T60 has problems adjusting screen resolutions, recognizing my mouse on the dock, and crashes with the blue screen of death. I feel pretty frustrated right now...

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I was not sure about the product but as soon as I received it I was impressed. Lenovo ThinkPad works great just like advertised. It surfs the internet great and fast.

Honest reviews on Lenovo ThinkPad T60 2623 15-Inch Laptop

I was a little hesitant at first buying a "used" or "refurbished" laptop. After receiving this unit I must admit it was better than anticipated. The laptop was in very good condition. Over the next two weeks I put it through the wringer testing every feature possible including battery life. I would have posted 5 stars if backup/recovery disc(s)would have been part of the package.

Shipping was quick and laptop was adequately packed.

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I am in search of a laptop for college :) and I heard great reviews on Lenovo, so I purchased one. Turns out, its one of those old computers, that isn't for the modern student, no offence but its great for mom and dad :) but for a gamer/student, yeah not the best product ^^. The company, computerpawn, is fairly decent, although a little disappointed I had to pay for my own shipping, as I returned it.

Buy Sony VAIO Pro SVP11213CXB 11.6-Inch Core i5 Touchscreen Ultrabook

Customer Ratings:

The form-factor is great, the screen is very impressive and the overall experience is good. There are quite a few 'buts' however... While, perhaps ironically, the fan noise is fine at high speeds, at slow speeds it's just annoying. In a quiet environment you can hear a constant 'rattle' or 'whir' that changes frequency depending on the fan speed. Initially I thought I had a defective model, but I've heard from others that they noticed the same thing. This is hard to forgive as its main competitor the MacBook Air is dead silent at low fan speeds. This was the biggest disappointment by far for me, and it's a constant reminder I perhaps should've gone for the Air instead.

The other issues are currently being fixed with driver updates, but with the standard set of software / drivers I had the following experience:

It would not always go to sleep when closing the lid

When it wakes up from sleep the WiFi doesn't work anymore, and it blue-screens Windows 8 when you fiddle with it

The touch-pad is flaky at times and does not respond to taps

It would take up to 20 seconds before it would restart or shut-down. The start-up time is amazing at almost instant, but I've gotten annoyed with having to wait for it to shutdown or restart.

Even though I've set it to not adjust the brightness automatically, it would continue to continuously adjust brightness

I've re-installed Windows 8 and cherry-picked drivers / software and it seems to do much better now. The latest versions of drivers fix a lot of issues, and some of the bugs are to be expected with a brand new machine, so it's definitely not a major fault.

Because the hardware is so new, Linux is somewhat of a challenge to install (you need a 3.10+ kernel, custom patches from Intel to get the 7260 WiFi chip going and a kernel hack to get the CPU frequency scaling to work correctly,) but the experience is excellent in Linux. I'd say it was better than Windows 8 out of the box.

If it weren't for the fan noise, I'd recommend this little machine in a heartbeat. As it stands, it's a great attempt from Sony, but it falls short for me on a few things (noise and stability).

Update (7/29/2013):

I've been using it for a few weeks now and have taken it with me on travel abroad. In noisier environments (airports, offices, etc) you really never notice the fan noise, it doesn't get very hot and it actually works really well on a plane. While people next to me had to assume yoga positions to still see their screen when the person in front of them reclined their seat, I could comfortably fit it still on the tray-table. Additionally, it feels faster than the Thinkpad T410 from work and I can use it as a software development laptop.

I still stand by my complaints however. In a silent environment the fan noise is annoying, even at the lowest speed and I've caught myself lowering the resolution at times to reduce some eye-strain as the text is tiny at the standard screen resolution. So if you're considering this because of the higher resolution... also consider the downside. And finally, the WiFi still seems to have issues as it drops once in a while.

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Let me start by saying that this Ultrabook was exactly what I expected when I opened the boxed, but shortly after using it the disappointment started to sit in. I bought this item in search of a fast mobile device that I could use on the go without sacrificing performance. Well for starters the Wifi connection kept disconnecting when I would switch between apps. I contacted Sony and they assisted with updating the Wifi Driver and claim that it was an known issue from Intel not Sony. The next issue that made me return this item was after I did a recommended upgrade, the mouse track pad stopped working. I haven't contacted Sony about this issue, I have chosen to return the item since I've had it for less than 2 weeks and who knows what other issues will pop up. I really wanted to like this product but will wait until Sony have worked out their kinks.

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Let me try and address some of the negative comments:

1. WiFiAdmittedly there are some intermittent wifi issues... but I'm talking maybe once a day...not every 5 minutes. With heavy use maybe twice. And all I have to do is disconnect and reconnect and I'm good to go for hours. More importantly, Sony is aware and they have been delivering new wifi driver updates about once a week. The last one may even have fixed the issue. Have not had enough time to tell for sure.

2. Fan noiseNo idea what people are talking about...have not noticed anything unusual.

3. Customer serviceamazing! First night I brought it home I had some difficulty with the software updates. They had to be run manually. Called Sony around 10 at night and they stayed with me throughout the process and got everything up to speed. You will find that there are a number of updates available when you bring this baby home. Have called a couple more times and always get great service.

Now for the amazing parts. Light as a feather! I can't believe how much I love the weight of this thing. I just carry it all over the apartment...my ipad never gets opened anymore.

The battery!! The internal battery lasts a good 6-7 hours of normal use. I brought it to a Drupal conference and it lasted from 9AM until about 3:30PM. Still had 17% left but I plugged in at that point. And I was in intensive training sessions with the laptop working the whole time except for lunch. BUT even better...I bought the extended battery...once you get the hang of it very easy to attach and detach... battery life is about 15 hours!!!! I went three days without plugging in!

Those two features alone are just about orgasmic:)

Windows 8I tend to love new apps , so I'm enjoying it. Google Tips and Tricks for Windows 8 and you will find a load of fun shortcuts and features.

So... I was warned...don't buy a Sony... but I am so glad I did. I absolutely love this laptop.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2013: As much as I love the weight, the battery life and I do love windows 8... Sony is not a good company to get involved with. I never got rid of the wifi issues and then this happened!!

I tried updating to windows 8.1. I followed all the instructions and then did the update. It seemed okay but wifi was worse. I called support. They told me there were all these other drivers I needed to add before I could update and I would need to do a full factory reset. I balked. Called the Sony store. They said dont worry...bring it in we can fix it. By this time I was getting all kinds of buggy behavior.

Went to the store... the guy was totally matter of fact and din't really give a hoot. Did a malaware scan. Found a little potential issue...no big deal. Told me he would have to do a factory reset etc and that it would cost $200!!! Still under warranty but this was "software" even though it was the damn operating system. I said never mind. But please order me the free dongle that improves wifi. He said okay. Put in the order.

Came back with the paperwork, I signed it. AND then he said...oh btw... we have to keep your computer until the dongle gets delivered. Then you can come retrieve your computer. I said no way... screw you ...took my computer and went home.

The computer works ...the few issues have disappeared for the moment. If they come back I'll do the reinstall myself. But I will never buy another Sony!!!!

Update 10/27: Okay...I am over my snit. Removing one star for aggravation. But I finally got the dongle and I get no more wifi issues. The windows 8.1 upgrade worked out fine. I simply ran into a couple of really bad support people. But I have also had some great support. If you suspect the person you are talking to doesn't get it...call back and get someone else. And whatever you do... don't listen if they tell you that you have to reset to factory defaults.

It's a remarkable machine... light as a feather... super long battery life ... and now that I have the external wifi adapter (tiny...like a wireless mouse plug)... my wifi works great. But you may have to push a bit to get things up to speed. Make sure to do all the updates before upgrading to windows 8.1.

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I question the validity of earlier poor comments regarding wifi. This laptop hooked right up to my wireless network, even before I installed the updated driver and runs very well. It runs quiet and is nice and cool, with no fan noise. The battery also appears to hold up well and does not need frequent charging unless the laptop is run for over 6 hours.

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I bought this computer as a travel companion for long trips, as I was tired of lugging around my 17inch brick of a laptop. This computer is so light in my bag that I often have to double check that I actually am carrying it! This is by far the most portable computer I have ever owned.

In terms of computing power, it has been more than sufficient for browsing, document writing, and even some light gaming (the HD4400 is impressive for an integrated mobile chip, even at 1080p). The screen is amazing, the pixel and color definition are stunning, and the HDMI output makes this a great portable entertainment machine. The touch interface adds some fluidity to Windows 8, and is responsive and convenient.

Any issues I encountered were fixed by using Sony's driver update utility. The fan noise is present as stated in other reviews, but unless you are computing in a silent room it is not noticeable. Sony's included utilities for recovery and assistance are excellent.

Storage and memory are fixed, so before you take the plunge, make sure the 256/8GB option isn't for you. The SD card slot allows for quick expansion, but that is not as stable as an option as an overall larger drive.

Pros:

-Lightweight

-Impressive screen

-HDMI output

-Enough power for everyday computing

Cons:

-Storage Limitations

Discount Compaq Presario CQ60-410US 15.6-Inch Laptop

Customer Ratings:

I've been on the lookout for an inexpensive notebook for my niece and I took a good look at the Compaq CQ60. While this one didn't turn out to be the right choice for me it would be a good fit for someone looking for a low cost notebook for web browsing or light use around the home but doesn't like the small screens and keyboards found on netbooks. Because the build quality suffers somewhat to keep the material cost down this is not a good choice for anyone who would be taking it outside the home a lot (students, business travelers) where it's more likely to be dropped, bumped, or scratched. It's also not a good choice for anyone who might need to multi-task (say burn a CD while web browsing).

Let's take a quick look at the specs:

CPU The 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 is based off the same basic core as the Core2 Duo, except there is just one core and some features are not enabled (such as "SpeedStep" which is a power saving feature that slows your clock speed down when you unplug). The Celeron sits just below the "Pentium" line in terms of performance in most but not all instances. The dual-core Pentium typically has two slower cores so anytime you multi-task your real world experience is better (i.e. your web browser doesn't slow down when the anti-virus scan kicks in), however if you are just doing one thing (like playing a game) the higher clock speed of the 2.2GHz Celeron 900 will help. Because it doesn't have SpeedStep it will drain your battery faster when not plugged in. Home users who will have it plugged in most of the time probably won't care about this. I should note it is much more powerful than the "Atom" processor found in smaller netbooks (easily twice the performance) but much more power hungry.

Display This 15.6" display has the same resolution as more expensive notebooks (1366x768) but it's not quite as bright. Unless you need to use it outdoors the difference isn't a big deal. It's a good display for this price.

RAM 2GB is enough for light home use. Don't expect to do heavy gaming but light gaming will be fine.

HDD 160GB seems small now days but most home users use less 50GB. As long as you are not a heavy gamer or expect to edit a lot of video this is plenty.

Graphics The Intel 4500M graphics CPU is the newest from Intel and is a big improvement over their previous graphics parts. This is the same graphics chip you will find in most $1000 notebooks. Once again it's not for the heavy gamer but it perfect for most home users and better than most entry level notebooks.

Wireless This supports the most common standards "B" and "G" but doesn't support the newest "N". You can still connect to "N" wireless networks but you will run at the slower "G" speed. Most users won't notice the difference.

Battery The six cell Lithium Ion is a decent battery for this price (and the same battery you find in more expensive notebooks). You will get about 2 hours of battery life 3 if you turn off the wireless. This is much better than the 4 cell that is still offered in some entry level notebooks.

Build quality As mentioned earlier in order to hit a low price point the material quality is lower than more expensive notebooks. The hinges on these low cost notebooks are notorious failure points. Don't pick this up by the screen or your notebook will break within a year or two. However Compaqs overall are well designed and are generally better entry level computers than Gateways or Dells.

So if you are planning on using this mostly around the house and expect you will be plugged in most of the time this laptop will do everything you need and won't break the bank. As long as you aren't too rough with it you shouldn't have any problems. If your twin thirteen year old boys are going to use it, you might be in trouble. If you need to multitask (or just hate it when your computer slows down for a virus scan) look for a dual core CPU notebook.

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I found this laptop on sale at Office Depot on 15 August 2009 with a base price of $ minus $ instant rebate minus $ by mail. Final price of $ is a pretty good deal for this machine. This is my first Compaq/HP laptop, so I can't speak to longevity but after a week so far, so good. A couple of observations:

* Like most laptops (at least on the budget end) there is a fair amount of bloatware that should be removed for best performance and to free disk space.

* This is my first laptop that features a numeric keypad, very convenient!

* I haven't used the LiteScribe drive, but was surprised to find it on this value priced machine.

Performance is as expected with 2gb of RAM and a 2.2 ghz processor. Very adequate for web, MS Office and typical functions. Runs EVE Online satisfactorily.

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I purchased this laptop for my parents who use it for online bill pay, surfing the web, Facebook and the like. We got a great price here at Amazon.com and couldn't be happier with the laptop. I purchased based on cost and was a little nervous based on the mixed reviews, but the laptop has exceeded my expectations. I especially like the extended keyboard with full numeric key pad -a nice feature that I have not seen on any other laptop.

This is not a top-of-the line tricked out computer, but if you're looking for an internet surfing/bill pay device you should be very pleased.

Honest reviews on Compaq Presario CQ60-410US 15.6-Inch Laptop

I bought this laptop because it was cheap($350) and I figured the quality would be decent because it was an HP/Compaq. My poor rating is based on several factors 1. The initial quality of the laptop, and 2. Dealing with HP's tech support. Within the 1st 6 months of owning this pc, I began having problems with my power adaptor. The cable wasn't fitting snugly into the side port, so the battery wasn't charging. I called HP and they gave me instructions on sending the laptop to their repair facility. They informed me that the process would take more than a week, so I wasn't too happy about that, but it had to be done. I sent off the laptop, they "fixed" it and sent it back.

Upon powering up my laptop, I quickly realized that they did not fix the problem. I still had the same issue, and they must have either not fixed it and sent it back, or did not test their repair. So, I called again, went through the same process and sent it back. On the 2nd attempt, the issue was "fixed", but I am still having intermittent problems. HP had my laptop for almost 3 weeks, and I am still not happy with their results. I use this computer for work and can no longer afford to keep sending it off and waiting for 7-10 for them to try and fix the issue.

I called a friend who works for HP and she told me that the "Compaq" label is used on cheap computers that are usually sold to Asian markets. The only thing I was happy with regarding this laptop is the price, but in retrospect, I would have rather paid a little more and bought a different brand. I will never buy anything from HP again!

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As everyone else says, it was a good price, I bought this laptop from Office Depot online, they only give you 14 days to return it, and after 18 days of light use..BAM!! the hard drive went!!! I called HP and they were a great help, very good, fast and friendly service , the next day I received a new hard drive in the mail and a set of new recovery cd's. They sent me instructions on how to install it myself and it was very easy. The wireless conection is very fast. I am happy with it (considering...)

Reviews of Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,399.99
Sale Price: $999.00
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

The Samsung Series 9 2nd Gen (SS9) is a beautifully crafted piece of machinery. This system is presented gorgeously straight right out of the box in its packaging and presentation. So far, I have no regrets on my purchase although it is quite a pricey system. Considering many people are familiar with the Macbook Air 13.3" (MBA), I will frequently compare the SS9 for the rest of the review to it. Also, I did not purchase this system through Amazon but through a local Comp USA who was selling the system at $1299.00.

Display

The display is 400 nits of brightness with a matte finish. It can easily be used in any environment whether it be dark in a room or outside on a patio in near direct sunlight. The MBA has a reflective screen with an anti-glare finish that still offers glare. The SS9 also comes with a higher resolution screen at 1600 X 900 compared to the MBA's 1440 X 900. Honestly, higher resolution isn't always better because it becomes more difficult to read text at higher resolutions. The display colors appear natural, bright and vivid. This is the nicest screen I've ever seen on any system. I do prefer this screen over any and that of the MBA.

Sound

The sound is loud and crisp with a little bass to it. The MBA has a little more bass, but doesn't go as loud. The sound is great for watching any streaming media and ok for listening to music. It's a way better experience with audio watching movies on the SS9 than the MBA. The sound is seems more directional.

Keyboard

The keys are shallow, square and flat. They're not overally shallow like the Toshiba Portege, but I would say it has an acquired feel to it. Typing is smooth, quick, responsive and natural. Typing on this machine is different than the MBA. The MBA has more curvature and give to the keys. The back-lighting to the back-lit keyboard is the first of its kind. It projects an aqua-marine green color. I'm not a fan of it, but it gets the job done for those late nights. Also, the color prevents interfering with night vision. Although neat and interesting, I still prefer the white back-lit keyboard of the MBA over the SS9.

Trac-pad

This system must have the most responsive and best trac-pad to date on any windows based system. My favorite feature is the two finger tap because I do not like to physically click the trac-pad out of personal preference. It is right on par with the MBA and responds nearly without flaw. I prefer using the trac-pad over a mouse on this system; most other laptops its the other way around. The trac-pad is glass covered with a black finish.

Connectivity

Wireless (Wifi) works great. I don't have anything to really put into perspective with this system other than my wife's Toshiba laptop. My wife has three bars of signal on the opposite end of our home away from the router while this system still maintains a full signal. This is a huge improvement over the original SS9. Ports, you can check the specs. They're nothing spectacular and I prefer the MBA's multi-display port over the SS9 proprietary VGA dongle port that isn't included with this system. This system does include a micro-HDMI port that I prefer to use with external monitors over the propriety SS9 VGA dongle. The proprietary ethernet dongle is included with this system so you do not need to use a USB based ethernet dongle to take up a USB port. There is an SD card reader under the chassis on the right side of the computer under a discrete flap.

Performance

I have yet to hear the two fans kick on with this system (Yes, this system has two separately controlled fans). I have actually been able to look at the fans running independently at the bottom of the chassis, but I have yet to see both on at one time if they even come on at all. This system is also the most quiet and cool laptop/computer I have ever used. I'm shocked at how cool it runs. The only way for you to fully understand this is to see/experience for yourself. The fans hardly ever come on when running full screen video after an extended period of time. I would be concerned about a defect if it weren't for the fact that I have seen both fans run before and the system puts off little to no heat which baffles my mind in such a slim form factor; this is one of the most unique things about this system. The responsiveness of this system is lighting quick for basic computing tasks, boot up and start up from standby. I believe the MBA comes with the 1.7Ghz ULV processor while the SS9 comes with the 1.6Ghz ULV processor. Either processor is preference and one is not much more powerful than the other; I prefer lower Ghz for longer battery life and cooler performance. I prefer the 1.6Ghz for heat dissipation and I didn't purchase the SS9 for heavy computing like compiling video. I purchased it for school to type up papers and putting together presentations, writing/responding to email and a little media consumption. The MBA is nothing in comparison for noise or heat. The MBA puts off significant heat and fan-noise under loads, while it does run fairly quite under regular to light use. Again to emphasize the point, you really need to experience the ability of this system (SS9) to run cool and quite under most any computing task. Also, when running video on the SS9 it remains cool and quite while the MBA gets pretty noisy and hot to the touch when the fan spins up.

Battery

The battery gets anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5 hours as advertised. Also, the system comes with a thousand cycle battery in case you are the type of individual concerned about the life of the battery or needing to change it out. The MBA uses the same type of long-life battery.

Build

The build is rock solid and gorgeous. This system attracts little to no fingerprints with its matte blue-metal finish. There is also an eye-catching silver edge on this system and around the edge of the trac-pad. The SS9 is only .5"s in depth and super light. The charging port is nothing spectacular; I prefer the MBA magnetic charging adapter tip over the SS9's, while the charging adapter/block is very nice; nicer than the MBA. The charging block has the windows 7 OS license on it like the Asus Zenbook with a slim and square profile and rectangular cool-blue power light. This is the nicest charging block I've seen with any system and I have experienced every ultrabook to date to exclude the Lenovo U300 and X1.

Overall this system performs flawlessly with beauty; I'm very pleased. The most important and unique features I feel this system has to offer is its ability to run super-cool, an amazing screen and a beautiful and light high quality chassis. I will be looking forward to having this system around for the next year, two or even three...

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I love the Samsung Series 9 2012. I upgrade about one laptop a year (out of boredom, not necessity), and this has been one of my favorites. I had the previous 2011 model too. The 2012 is built solid and sexy. It is incredible thin, a smaller footprint then the Macbook Air even. What I love the most is probably the PLS screen... it is matted, great colors and viewing angels, high resolution, and has a tiny bezel you probably won't find a better screen then this. Images and videos come alive. The latest Samsung SSD inside is incredibly fast. The touchpad works very well for me, one of the best on a PC. The keyboard is a bit shallow, but after some time, I have gotten used to it. Ultraportable laptops aren't for everyone, but if you are looking for one, I would recommend this.

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I won't go into the detail that some of the other posters have gone into, but will make this one short. This is the best Windows ultraportable available. It may be the best light notebook period (only Macbook air is close), but I won't ignite a flame war by declaring a winner. If you are into the Apple ecosystem, then get the Air, but if not this second generation Samsung is what you've been waiting for.

The pros: ultrafast boot, good battery life, high resolution and high quality screen, backlit keyboard

The cons: trackpad can be a bit glitchy at times, battery life may be less than advertised, small and nonupgradeable hard drive

The trackpad issue seems to improve with each iteration of the driver (although you have to redownload 100+ MB to upgrade it). The battery is still good enough that I can get light use for a week without plugging it in. Otherwise, the hard drive can be a bit tight, but just put your media on an external drive, USB stick, or SD card and you'll be fine.

If you've been ogling the Macbook Air for a while but wanted a windows pc for whatever reason, get this computer.

Honest reviews on Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver)

This is the coolest fastest lightest machine out there. I see mac users being jealous of this gorgeous design. But what is the best for me is the speed with which it starts up. No more ten minute boot times! it is like an ipadright back there on the internet when you wake it from its slumberbut so much more functional for work. The touchpad scroll feature is also nice once you learn to use it. And it is easy to blow stuff up with the elan multitouchwhich is good because the default font is pretty tinythough quite sharp. The external bluetooth mouse works great. The sound is okaythough not brilliantbut fine for listening to while working.

All in all, well worth the $1400. So,so much better than my Thinkpad!

I have now had this machine four months and I am still delighted with it. The wireless mouse I bought separately solves all trackpad problems (I kind of hate trackpads anyway; that's the main reason I bought Thinkpads for the last decade), the wireless reception has always been faultless, and it still boots quickly. My only reservation is that the battery life is nowhere near advertisedI would say four hours. And you can't add accessory batteries or swap them out. SO not great for overseas travel unless there is juice available, which alas my budget seats do not provide. I do not need the extra hard disk storage others complain about, but if I did, I would just get an external drive.

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I was really excited about this computer but after having it for a few days I realize that it is not worth the premium price and here is why?

Pros:

1. Better build quality than last years model.

2. Better display, but still not as bright as the ASUS Zenbooks. good viewing angles.

3. Very light for a 13" system.

4. Quick charging.

Cons:

1. Terrible keyboard, very loud and plasticky keys. Not great for a touch typist and keys don't always register a press.

2. Poor video performance. It has the Intel HD 3000 graphics but still stutters when playing video compared to other computers I have with he same specs.

3. Due to matte screen, text looks fuzzier than with a glossy or semi-gloss display. Even with he 1600x900 resolution. My ASUS UX31 has a much crisper display.

4. Poorly designed SD card slot. You can't fully insert an SD card to leave in he computer s extra storage because it sticks out halfway. If you tried to leave it in it would break off. What were they thinking?

5. Very cheap, plasticky power button.

6. Poor trackpad. Not very precise, even after a driver update. Click areas are very loud. Pinch to zoom is slow.

7. Finger print magnet on this color. The silver is much better but his darker color is not.

8. Poor battery life. You will never get close to the 7 hours that Samsung claims. The best I could get was about 4:30 on % 30 screen brightness and power save mode running WiFi. This battery life is worse than most of the competitor products.

9. Very cheap charging port and power adapter. The tiny pot adapter does not fit tightly in he port and will easily bend or break off if bumped even slightly.

10. Small storage capacity with no option to increase the storage through SD. If you buy one of these please wait until they have a 256GB version, but the cost will be over $1600 for that version.

11. Only an i5 processor option and no 8GB RAM option like the 5 inch version.

12. Oddball, hard to find VGA dongle port.

As you can see there are many more cons than pros. If this system was selling for $999 I would recommend it even with these cons. At $1399 it I way over priced. If it had a 256GB SSD, an i7 processor and over 6 hour battery life it would be worth the price. It is better than the first model, but does not beat out the MacBook Air or the ASUS Zenbooks.

UPDATE: 4/7/2012-After using for a few more days I am starting to like this more and more. There are a lot of Cons for me, but I am willing to put up with them because this display is awesome! The viewing angles are second to none and the size and weight are just right. The battery life is not great for a 13", but this recharges so fast (about 80% in 30 minutes) that I can plug it in for a quick charge and be ready for more work. These Samsung systems have the quickest recharging of any loptop I have owned. The trackpad is getting better. It is not the best in this class, but is probably in the top three. The sound is good and the video issues I was having have worked themselves out. Watching Netflix or HBOGO on this is amazing with the 1600x900 display. The keyboard is similar to the MacBook Air, only not quite as firm. I am a touch typist and can't reach my usual WPM, but with this thin of a system it will be hard to find the perfect keyboard. There is a Function key lock so that you can adjust settings from the top row keys without hitting Fn. It does still show fingerprints but they wipe off pretty easy with a microfiber cloth.

The bottom line is after trying all of the Windows Ultrabooks I have decided to keep this one. Is it perfect? Far from it, but I believe it is probably the top system right now as a whole. It will be more complete with a 256GB SSD and Core i7 option. I would now recommend this system to anyone over what is available right now.

Discount Samsung RF510-S02 15.6-Inch HD LED Laptop (Graphite Radiant Burst)

Customer Ratings:

So far I am very impressed by this laptop. For the price, the included hardware, specifically the processor, RAM, and video card are quite impressive--these are the things that made my decision to purchase this laptop. I am not going to list either pro or con for the battery, this machine is a powerhouse, so of course it's going to suck a lot of power. If you want a business travel machine or ultra-portable this isn't for you. This laptop is intended for someone who needs desktop power that has the *option* of being mobile when necessary. This fits fine with my lifestyle. I should mention that I am coming to this laptop as an owner of 3 Apple laptops. I made the switch because the hardware on this *far* exceeds the Apple version of the same price point. Or even that of double this price point. My purchase of this item was at $849.99. This is $100-200 less than any other online retailer at the time I purchased, so a great deal with Amazon.

I'm going to review a few points not well-covered in the product description or other reviews:

Pros:

-There is a feature to turn off the LED backlight (function+F5). This reminds me a bit of the Pixel Qi display panels, but more rudimentary since it isn't an eInk technology, just simple LCD panel. However, if outdoors in bright sunlight, the screen is very easy to see and battery savings are significant. Otherwise, you will want to keep the backlight on, unless you put a bright lamp directly behind you.

-Already mentioned, but the feel of the keyboard is the best I've found in a laptop. Amazing. Very slightly rubberized keys with a soft but not completely weightless action. This is excellent for a fast typist, but isn't so ultra-sensitive that it causes accidental letter repeats.

-The touchpad is great. The ELAN Smart-Pad driver has a lot of extra options. My previous laptop is a macbook and I am accustomed to gesture touchpads (swiping, 2-finger scrolling vertically and horizontally and more). I needed to configure a few options, but in the end am able to mimic all touchpad options I utilized on my macbook. This is very valuable.

-The palmrest is a metal material, which surprised me. It looks as though it should wear well, I've had laptops where the friction from use and oils from hands discolored or rubbed away paint/tint in the plastic.

-There are 4 USB ports (two 2.0 (left side) and two 3.0 (right side). This is great, because I have a few USB devices that are wider than typical and prevent use of the adjacent USB port. With two ports on either side, I can keep a bulky device on one side and still use the other two, or use two bulky ones at the same time.

-I've been using the CPU monitoring widget for Win7. So far it seems that the laptop only kicks in use of additional processor cores when absolutely necessary, battery life seems to be a bit better than I expected. With casual browsing and IM going I get about 2.3-2.5 hours on one charge. This is with settings for longer battery life enabled.

Cons:

-Fast Start is quoted as a 3 second or less duration in waking from 'sleep.' So far this is more in the 4-8 second range for me. Not a dealbreaker, but slightly annoying that it is advertised as "within 3 seconds."

-The webcam is (I believe) 0.5 MP. It has poor detail and is honestly just crummy. Just what I'd expect with that. Not a feature I plan on using, but it's surprising that this piece of hardware is so far behind the curve of the rest, especially given that these cameras are relatively inexpensive, especially for a 1 or 2 MP. I knew the low MP going into the purchase so had no expectations of quality. It doesn't affect my rating but I figure it worth mentioning for someone who needs higher quality. Honestly, it's still such a great machine, if that's a big deal, I'd get a clip-on external cam for when you need one.

-One minor issue with keyboard layout. There's a 10-key layout on the right side of the keyboard, the zero key is the same width as the other numbers, directly below the 2 key which is not ergonomically sound for use by your thumb when doing significant number entry. This nearly defeats the inclusion of the 10-key section. I rarely do much of this type of work, but for someone who intends to utilize this, you may wish to consider another system or remap the right arrow key to function as a zero.

As you can see, the cons are fairly minor when considering the system and pros. I've only had the laptop for a week so will update this review if I notice anything different. Feel free to comment if you have any specific questions about this review or laptop.

For more reviews and at about $120 or so cheaper, check out the Samsung RF510-S01 15.6-Inch HD LED Laptop (Graphite Radiant Burst). The only difference is a slightly slower processor (Intel Core i5, you'd only notice a difference if doing very system-intensive work like video editing, 3D gameplay) and smaller hard drive (500 GB). If you just intend on using the laptop for web browsing and office applications, save yourself the cash.

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I'll just list out the pros and cons, to make this review short and to the point.

Pros:

* Quad-core i7 Intel processor (8 total threads)

* 4GB of RAM (Upgradable to 8GB RAM, using DDR3 PC3-8500 204-pin SODIMM)

* Two USB 3.0 ports

* HDMI port

* Bluetooth 3.0 (I was able to do BT file-transfer from my cell)

* NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics with 1GB of memory

* Samsung's True2Sound (Impressive, but sound is not that loud)

* 802.11n, for faster wireless network

* Jumbo frames support on LAN

* No heat issue

* UPDATE: I haven't even paid attention to the Apps.

* I love that Samsung included some recovery apps, for drivers &/or OS (Samsung Recovery Solution 5)

* I also admired that very little bloatware is installed, so far I only uninstalled Norton

Cons:

* No Blu-ray reader

* No eSATA port

* Resolution is not 1080p, it is 720p (1366 x 768)

* 5400RPM SATA Hard drive

* Was told by Samsung that you cannot install SSD HD. I don't think this is accurate(?)

* Samsung's Web site and support is lacking

* Battery life

* No keyboard backlight

* Not a big deal: Windows 7 Home Premium

I'm gonna install my own version of W7 Enterprise, also using Samsung Recovery Solution to restore drivers/apps. I'll update this post, once I get that completed.

Windows listed this laptop as 5.9 (Windows Experience Index).

Processor: 7.0

Memory: 5.9

Graphics: 6.4

Gaming: 6.4

Hard Drive: 5.9

Based on the above index, the upgrade path is RAM and HD. I will upgrade RAM later on and replace HD with SSD. I opened the back of the laptop and I estimate the dimension of the HD to be: WxDxH 69.85 x 100.00 x 7.40 mm.

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Will try to hit a few points that aren't covered much in other reviews.

UPDATE: For those of you who hate touchpads as much as I do, you can go into the control panel and either change the sensitivity OR (as I did) set it to turn off if there is a mouse attached. NO more problem with the touchpad (I have had problems with every touchpad I have every used). No mouse attached, the touchpad turns back on.

Purchased this on Dec. 19, 2010. For a few hours only, the price was $800 Fantastic price for a i7 15" screen laptop! Always had Toshiba Tecra's before this. Like any new computer, every brand has their own little quirks to get used to. My box stated 'Black' and NOT 'Charcoal Fusion". I have had no problem with fingerprints.

I went to Best Buy before purchasing just to see the laptop and try the keyboard. They have Samsung machines in stock.

I love the way the keyboard feels, but still having trouble adapting to the location and size of the delete key. No big deal. The machine is extremely quiet and cool. I had to purchase an external cooler for my Toshiba.

Extremely easy setup. At first I was a bit disappointed in no dial for volume control but then I found the three buttons (top right next to power button) for mute, up and down volume. The one thing I don't like is that the door to the card reader (front on laptop) comes completely off. I have read that other laptops are the same way.

Love the FOUR USB ports two 3.0 on the right and two 2.0 on the left. Even the Samsung web site only mentions the 3.0 ones.

Comes with bluetooth. No Blueray. Blueray drives for laptops seem to add several hundred dollars to the price. I figure by the time I really want one, I will either be ready for a new laptop or I can get an external one to go with the 3.0 USB ports.

I am a grandmother with progressive lens in my eyeglasses. I almost wish I had gone to a smaller screen. With progressives, the field of vision is a bit limited and I find myself having to turn my head a bit to see edge to edge. This is something I will take up with my optometrist. I decided against a smaller screen only because of the narrower field from top to bottom. My next chore is to try and get rid of another toolbar or two! These new laptops are certainly NOT like the old squarish ones.

It comes with Microsoft Office preinstalled (you need the code for this). BUT, it ALSO comes with a FREE USABLE version Microsoft Office Starter no macro's and a few ads. It has Word, Excel, Clip Manager,Photo Manager, Upload Center and Office Starter To Go (this enables one to utilize a thumb drive to use Office Starter on any Windows machine). Being able to use Word and Excel is enough that many people will not have to purchase Office.

I fried my last laptop (with water) just before I was going to back it up (had even purchased a new external drive to do so), so I appreciate the software on this machine for backing up data and making a CD to restore the programs and the ease of its use. Not sure if that is a Windows 7 thing or a Samsung extra.

Since I tend to use my laptop plugged in, the battery life doesn't bother me much. If you want a great battery life, get a smaller screen. I have a universal external battery that I use to power my CPAP machine for power outages or traveling. I can use that with this laptop if need be.

The only spec on this machine that I have not been able to find, is durability. How is it on repairs? Decided to take a chance and go for it. I did purchase it with a credit card that doubles the length of the warranty from 1 year to 2.

I am coming from an early Windows XP Professional machine. The only problems I have had at all are in adapting to the new operating system.

UPDATE -April 2011 Machine still going strong. It has flown across country many times and used every day. No problems!

Honest reviews on Samsung RF510-S02 15.6-Inch HD LED Laptop (Graphite Radiant Burst)

Loved the specs on this unit so I decided to make the purchase. Upon arrival, great looking, non-smudge body.

Brilliant display, wow! Fast start up, easy to use keypad that has number pad as well, unusual in a non-17" laptop.

Sound is very good for a laptop, but for music, you'd still need external speakers.

The drawback.....full battery charge last about an hour and a half with max resolution and brightness and full power use.

To get longer life, you have to adjust settings. Other than that, I'm liking it so far.

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I upgraded to this product from an Acer Aspire 6930G with dual core 2.53ghz processor, 4gig DDR2 RAM and GeForce 9600M.

First impressions: very beautiful, very functional, very easy to get up and running, and in general an excellent product. Documentation was ridiculously slim: no manual, some tree-hugger certification and a "don't be an idiot with your computer" warning kit to not shake your laptop, drop it or short your battery with a car key. No recovery disk, but that's pretty standard these days. A downloadable manual is available at the website.

Sound is crisp and adequate, but Acer's bass boost could easily blow it out of the water in richness of tone and music. Display is bright and easily adjustable, and colors are fluid; I am not experiencing what other users were with excessive dimming at sharp viewing angles--my wife and I can easily watch side by side, even in separate chairs, outdoors. Colors are not quite on par with Acer's 6930G. The graphics processing is pretty amazing, on par with desktops of only a few years ago. With factory-installed hardware and drivers I was able to achieve 7562 on 3DMark06, well above the average for this price range.

PROS:

*Core i7 720 quad core CPU with hyperthreading is worthy of praise! The first twitch I was able to get out of this processor was: unzipping a 2gb file while simultaneously operating 2 broadband downloads and installing a program, running Full Tilt Poker and about a gig worth of windows open in Firefox. The mouse cursor stuttered briefly, and that's all, and it may have been a hard disk bottleneck.

*Very sturdy, well-built computer with upgraded island-style keyboard (best I have ever experienced on a laptop) and 10-key pad (this was a MUST since this is a dual business/pleasure machine.)

*Tech support, when I used them (twice so far), were outstanding and prompt.

*Track pad is extraordinary, but if your hands are a little sweaty it tends to stutter slightly.

*Cooling is a HUGE upgrade from my Acer: I ran Supreme Commander on my lap for hours at highest settings, a very demanding game for a laptop, and experienced only moderate warmth on the left side of the computer. The top stayed cool to the touch. My Acer would have had me sweating within 20 minutes.

*Very light and slim for the power; significantly smaller and lighter than the Acer, which was like hauling around a lead-filled cinder block.

*low bloat-ware: just a Norton trial that is easy to uninstall.

CONS:

*Keyboard layout is a little annoying. I think the "pause" key is used more often than "insert", yet "pause/brk" is only accessible through the function key. I'm probably going to remap it. 10key typing is easy to use albeit a bit small, but the "zero" key is poorly-designed and takes some getting used to.

*prosaic sound system: use external speakers if you're an audiophile like me.

*poor documentation: had to use tech support to find out the DDR memory frequency.

Verdict:

*This computer ought to be over $1000. Everything worked excellent out of the box (tech support was for more advanced questions) and it is snappy, zippy and its graphics capability can crush any game older than 3 years, and even brand-new can run fluently at medium graphics options. Starcraft II runs at ultra at 30-45FPS+. Construction is sturdy, with an all-metal top and reasonably heavy-duty hinges. You need 2 hands to open this computer. Let me save you some trouble in upgrading the memory: it's DDR3 SODIMM 1333 (also respectable for its class.) THIS COMPUTER GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND, AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL BUT THE MOST HARD-CORE OF GAMERS AND VIDEO CODERS.

HP EliteBook 8530p Notebook Intel Centrino 2 vPro Core 2 Duo T9600 Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I bought this laptop used for audio production because the hardware I utilize is expresscard. Also let it be known that I am not some average crackpot home studio enthusiast. I also work directly with one of the named DAW manufacturers. This laptop has it all and isn't even remotely new. This core2duo on win7 running protools 10 / cubase / nuendo gets near the same dsp performance as a quad core i7 macbook. I will run the same sessions side by side and I can keep up no problem with an os x quad core i7. I also plan to run this laptop with a magma chassis HD rig.

as for the seller, they were responsive inquiries and got the laptop here quickly. It was in great condition considering its age.

Swapped out the drive for two 256gb SSDs and a 750gb black drive. Running 128 channels of audio and this laptop used cost less than $240.00. Ridiculously happy.

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Update 9/19/2013:

Even though it is a 2009 model, this laptop is still a capable performer. It has more than enough muscle for officeor school-work. For several years I owned it, the laptop has never let me down and has been a dependable workhorse. I think it is a great bargain if you can find one in good condition.

However, it shows its age in more demanding applications and is noticeably slower than newer HP/Dell business laptops equipped with Intel Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge processors and much more potent video cards. Also, being about 4-years-old, the battery has less capacity than it used to. So, be prepared that you might need a new battery soon.

If you decide to buy this laptop, I would recommend upgrading the harddrive to a SSD (like Intel 335 or Samsung 840 Pro).

Original Review 5/08/2011:

I bought this laptop 2 years ago to use for my Graduate School and as my main home/entertainment/gaming computer. It came with the following specs:

* Intel P8600 2.4GHz Processor,

* 4 GB of Ram,

* 320 GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive,

* ATI Radeon HD 3650 Graphics,

* Widescreen 1280x800 anti-glare display,

* LightScribe DVD+/-RW

The body of the laptop is made of aluminum and hard plastic with a very rigid magnesium alloy inner frame. This thing is built like a tank and looks like it can stop a bullet. It is absolutely unbendable and practically unscratchable. At the same time it is not too heavy a little over 6 lb. It also looks very cool very like a Macbook Pro. There are no reflective or glossy parts anywhere, so it is easy to keep the laptop clean.

I installed Windows 7 Pro x64, MS Office Pro 2010, Firefox 4, Adobe CS5, Becker CPA Review Software, Avast Antivirus, and several other productivity programs. The system is very stable I have never had any problem.

I usually keep a dozen Firefox tabs and Office documents open, Windows Media Player playing music, and also work with Adobe or Becker. No sweat. The application performance is very good thanks to the fast processor and speedy 7k HDD. Adobe Suit of course is a resource hog but still works reasonably fast on this computer.

I also installed Crysis, Left 4 Dead, SC2, Bishock, and several other games. All the games (except Crysis) run smoothly on medium settings at the native screen resolution. Crysis is playable on low settings only. Older games like Warcraft 3 run on the highest settings. The laptop does not get too hot and the fan is quiet.

The battery easily lasts 4 hrs when browsing Internet and working with the Office and/or Becker with Wi-Fi on and the screen on medium brightness. So, I think that performance of ATI Radeon HD 3650 is a good compromise between the power and mobility.

The screen is perfect for office/school work and gaming. It is bright, non-reflective and has good contrast. The resolution of 1280x800 is also very suitable for these tasks. The higher resolution would make text appear too small and would not let newer games to be playable in the native resolution. However, as an avid photographer, I would like to have more resolution to work with my pictures.

There is a high resolution (2mp) Web camera and a very good built-in microphone. So, Skype is pleasure to use. The built-in speakers are good and clear, though I usually use external speakers or headphones.

The illuminated keyboard (there is a very cool built-in light) is very comfortable and quiet one of the best I have ever used. I like the touchpad too it is very responsive with the soft and quiet buttons. There is an amazingly accurate pointstick IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad style with its own dedicated buttons. There are several touch-sensitive media buttons above the keyboard: Info, WiFi Toggle, Presentation Mode, Sound Volume and Mute. Very sleek. The fingerprint reader adds security.

There are lots of connectivity options here:

* Docking port on the bottom extremely convenient, I use it every day to connect the laptop to a docking station.

* A/B/G/N Wireless LAN which works flawlessly with my campus network,

* 10/100/1000 NIC port use it to connect to a DSL modem at home

* Bluetooth 2.0 EDR often use it to connect the computer to my cell phone,

* 56k modem used once when I took the laptop to Ukraine,

* 4x USB 2.0 ports,

* Very fast ESATA port use it for back-ups with my external HDD,

* 1394 Firewire port never used it,

* 1x Headphone out + 1x Microphone in

* HDMI port connect it to my big HDTV

* VGA out used it several times to connect the laptop to a projector during presentations

* SD/MS/Pro-MMC Card Reader use it a lot to transfer pictures from my DSLR

* Express card slot + Smart Card slot never used them

All the ports are located very conveniently with the Power Socket and the VGA on the back, 2 USB and Network on the far left edge, and the rest in the middle of the sides. So, the cables that are most likely to be connected (and the thickest ones) are on the back and do not get in the way. But I use the docking port on the bottom (unique to business laptops) to connect all wires to the dock (and move them all back at the same time) and then connect/disconnect the laptop with a single push on a button. Priceless!

Long story short I am very satisfied.

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This unit came without a hard drive or charger; fortunately I had a charger from another HP product. This is an excellent lap top for the price, however. It was $165.00 and originally sold for close to $2K. Well worth putting in a larger hard drive and I also doubled the RAM so the system moves even faster.

Honest reviews on HP EliteBook 8530p Notebook Intel Centrino 2 vPro Core 2 Duo T9600

Works great & no problems! Easy to use & operate! Bought for my 60 year old mom and she loves it!

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These laptops have what looks like good hardware with a Core 2 Duo processor, ATI graphics, and 2GB of RAM. That said, I work in a library system that ordered 20 of them for use at the branches about 5-6 years ago and ALL OF THEM are now getting memory errors. It's rare enough for RAM to go bad, but for it to go bad on 20 computers that are all the same model, using the same RAM, can NOT be a coincidence. Clearly HP cheaped out on memory and must have just slapped an HP sticker on generic RAM before shoving it into these laptops.

The following info will be more beneficial to IT professionals like myself.

For those who are curious, I ran memtest on all the machines when staff at various branches were complaining about blue screens and freezing. 18 of the 20 machines failed to even make 2 passes in Memtest.

Aside from that, the BIOS are terrible. I think they were trying to cater to people who wanted BIOS that were mouse compatible, but they really screwed up on this. Boot devices are difficult to manage. Even if you enable every boot device imaginable, when you start the computer, and go to the boot menu, you will only have two options: Internal Hard drive and "upgrade bay" which is what they put for ANY other boot device including CDs, flash drives, etc. If you are booting from an external hard drive or flash drive, you will NOT have the option to select which device to boot from if you have more than one attached. That means, if you are booting from a flash drive, and also have an external hard drive attached, you have to hope that when you choose something other than the internal hard drive, that the computer randomly chooses the correct device.

These laptops have horrible compatibility issues with Ghost 11 and 15 and likely other versions as well. If you believe you will EVER have to use Norton Ghost to backup or reimage your laptop, do NOT buy this model.

I would also recommend people avoid HP/Compaq laptops in general, as they are known to have poor reliability. Do your research and purchase from a more reliable manufacturer.