Showing posts with label laptops under 300. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laptops under 300. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Cheap Dell Latitude c600 850 MHZ/256 Ram/20GB HDD/WIFI/XP
This is my very first laptop i have ever purchased. I am very happy with it. Its in great condition minor scratches but its to be of expected being used. I plan on personalizing it anyway with laptop skins anyway. The screen is nice and bright everything runs and looks great. Havent gotten the internet yet but I couldnt have asked for a better first time computer. Also the packaging was great!! I would buy from this seller again and again. THANKS!!!Received this dell computer within 5 days (maybe less) Computer was very reasonably priced and upon receipt was very pleased with the condition on the computer.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Reviews of MSI C Series CX61 0NF-258US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Brown)
I chose this laptop over a few others for it's value and for the potential of what it can do with a few extra additions to the computer.
DESIGN
The design of the computer is excellent. It has a smooth metal brownish-grey finish, full size keyboard with numpad, and a nice responsive trackpad that is easy to use. The keyboard is chiclet style, and is easy to type on and responsive. One downside is that the keyboard is not backlit, but at the price this should be expected.
SPECS
It's important to note that the processor specs listed on Amazon at the time of this review are incorrect. As listed on MSI's website (and what came with my laptop), the processor is a Intel i7-3630QM, not an Apple A4 (do PC's even come with Apple processors?). The 3630QM is a quad-core processor at 2.4ghz, with a max turbo of 3.4ghz. The laptop also has a max RAM capacity of 16GB (only comes with 6GB, however), and has SATA3. These were both important factors for me for future upgrades to the laptop.
The resolution is 1366x768, so you do give up some screen space, but again at this price that is to be expected as well.
FUNCTION
The laptop comes with surprisingly little bloat, with a few MSI utilities and Winzip, of all things. I found the computer to be quite responsive, even with the 5400rpm drive. Gaming is nice with the 645M Nvidia card. I play a lot of SWTOR and Guild Wars 2, both of which worked well.
One thing to note on this laptop is that MSI puts a tamper sticker right over one of the screw holes on the backplate of the laptop, so that putting in upgrades will essentially void your warranty (the sticker states that warranty is void if sticker is tampered with). It's a risk you will take if you plan on upgrading right away.
The machine doesn't come with recovery disks, but it does have an MSI utility to burn recovery disks on the desktop.
The screen quality is good, not great. I wouldn't put it up there as the best, but it is quite clear with good color representation. Viewing angles are not great, as the color washes out quickly as you get at more of an angle. This has been my experience with most laptops.
All in all I feel this is a great value for the money. It features several mid to higher end pieces that will allow you to have an above average laptop to do some gaming on, especially with more RAM and an SSD upgrade. As is, it still can handle current games (but surely not as well as a high end laptop or desktop).
DESIGN
The design of the computer is excellent. It has a smooth metal brownish-grey finish, full size keyboard with numpad, and a nice responsive trackpad that is easy to use. The keyboard is chiclet style, and is easy to type on and responsive. One downside is that the keyboard is not backlit, but at the price this should be expected.
SPECS
It's important to note that the processor specs listed on Amazon at the time of this review are incorrect. As listed on MSI's website (and what came with my laptop), the processor is a Intel i7-3630QM, not an Apple A4 (do PC's even come with Apple processors?). The 3630QM is a quad-core processor at 2.4ghz, with a max turbo of 3.4ghz. The laptop also has a max RAM capacity of 16GB (only comes with 6GB, however), and has SATA3. These were both important factors for me for future upgrades to the laptop.
The resolution is 1366x768, so you do give up some screen space, but again at this price that is to be expected as well.
FUNCTION
The laptop comes with surprisingly little bloat, with a few MSI utilities and Winzip, of all things. I found the computer to be quite responsive, even with the 5400rpm drive. Gaming is nice with the 645M Nvidia card. I play a lot of SWTOR and Guild Wars 2, both of which worked well.
One thing to note on this laptop is that MSI puts a tamper sticker right over one of the screw holes on the backplate of the laptop, so that putting in upgrades will essentially void your warranty (the sticker states that warranty is void if sticker is tampered with). It's a risk you will take if you plan on upgrading right away.
The machine doesn't come with recovery disks, but it does have an MSI utility to burn recovery disks on the desktop.
The screen quality is good, not great. I wouldn't put it up there as the best, but it is quite clear with good color representation. Viewing angles are not great, as the color washes out quickly as you get at more of an angle. This has been my experience with most laptops.
All in all I feel this is a great value for the money. It features several mid to higher end pieces that will allow you to have an above average laptop to do some gaming on, especially with more RAM and an SSD upgrade. As is, it still can handle current games (but surely not as well as a high end laptop or desktop).
Friday, November 7, 2014
Reviews of HP CC478A
Nice HP Laptop. Beautifull color and design. Fast processor. Good storage capacity. And fast wifi connection and web surfing. Good when burning DVDS, Does the job. Love This HP. Good for office use, Students. Pretty loud speakers.Use it for designing. Really powerful computer. Definetly Recomend it to anybody. Happy, Very happy.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Best HP- Envy Ultrabook 14" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 500 GB Hard Drive Deals
It came very quick and was everything promised but the same day i got it I started having problems with it, even will have to take it to best buy soon...
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I love the ultrabook, carry everything plus the laptop everyday, so I would like something light and compact . The size is perfect. Without optical drive , it saves a lot of space . And I just need to get an external drive for it $30 . Di not have to carry a huge backpack with heavy laptop all the time. Fast , run great . Screen is wonderful, bright. , beautiful outside and inside. Love window 8. Just one week to get used to it, and much superior than win7
Saturday, October 18, 2014
MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GE60 0ND-257US;9S7-16GA11-257 15.6-Inch Review
I purchased this product about three months ago, and so far I am very happy with it.
Case:
The laptop is thinner than most gaming laptops you will see, and made out of a nice durable plastic. The lid and palmrest are smooth and silky to the touch, but they attract fingerprints like crazy. I get some compliments on the lid, which has red and black designs on it. The screen has zero flex and seems very sturdy. The keyboard is nice to type on, I love the Steelseries brand, own a Steelseries mousepad. The keyboard is of the chiclet variety and has nice key travel. Doesn't take too long to get used to at all. All the keys are full-size except for the right shift key, which is a bit small. I personally never use that shift key, and would much rather take a small shift key over the tiny arrow keys on some laptop keyboards. Overall the design is great, nice and sturdy construction. 9/10 (for shift key)
Screen:
The screen is by far the nicest thing about this laptop. The screen has a 1920x1080 resolution, making it full HD, as opposed to 90% of the laptops at this price which will have a 1366x768 display. A note about HD: Everything is smaller and more crisp. I love the crispness on this screen, but if you don't like how small the type is you can switch to 1366x768 in settings. The screen is also anti-glare, which is a blessing. You will never see distracting lights reflect on your screen, or your own reflection. The brightness can go very high. Setting this laptop next to my friend's Toshiba Satellite is like setting a 3DS next to a Gameboy. If you didn't understand that comparison, just know that you'd be hard-pressed to find a better screen. 10/10
Performance:
The processor is a 3rd generation quad-core Intel i7. You can't get much better and I would accept nothing else. multitasking is a breeze. On this computer I will have a web browser (Chrome), Skype, League of Legends, iTunes, and Word all open 24/7, and it's not unusual for me to run two games at the same time. I highly doubt I've ever used more than 75% of my power. You will NEVER have responsiveness issues with everyday tasks. Info on the processor:
8 gigabytes of memory is more than enough for anything you are going to do. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
The graphics card is a 2GB GTX660M, which is a high-performance card although not the best around. Link for stats:
Note: This laptop I have running all day, and trust me if you don't have the fan blocked it will never overheat. This baby has 5 (FIVE!) built-in fans, and they're damn quiet.
I would rate a 8/10 in performance. This is perfect for my needs, as I just want to run any new game at medium-high settings. This laptop will do that easily. You will spend literally double this price to get 10/10 instead of a solid 8.
Hard Drive:
7200 RPM is above average, but normal hard drives are becoming obsolete. People are buying expensive solid-state drives (SSD) instead. They run at something like 10 times the speed but they are far too pricey for me. Solution? Go out and buy a 128 gb SSD and an optical bay caddy, take out your CD reader, and install it there. Put your operating system on the SSD, and now you have 750 gigs to store everything, and Windows will be far faster.
7/10 (10/10 with my SSD)
Wrapping up, this laptop is perfect for hardcore multitasking or gaming on medium-high settings. The screen is what really sets it apart and makes it a great value. Hope this helps you decide. Leave any questions in comments.
Links:
Article on installing a SSD in your optical bay:
Help on finding the right caddy:
Pros:
Lightweight.
Great Screen looks beautiful
NO errors with anything, seems solid
Very fast for going on the internet, streaming video
Cons:
If you plug a microphone into it, you get a very loud static noise
Not as powerful for gaming as I'd hoped
No light up keyboard (not for me but many people would feel this way)
Gets pretty hot at times
little battery life
The laptop looks pretty good out of the box with its glossy finish but you do have to clean it often as it will accumulate fingerprints and dirt over a short time. The Steel Series keyboard does not a have great feel for typing but it is suitable for gaming as the keys have very short travel distance and are light to hold down. The actuation force is low enough not to cause fatigue over extended FPS gaming and the rebound is fast enough for double taps in RTS gaming.
The display has a matte finish as advertised so don't expect superb contrast as in Samsung LED TVs but I like it as I can comfortably use it in daylight. Be aware that this laptop uses NVidia Optimus technology so for purposes of power saving the system alternates between the GTX660m GPU and the integrated Intel HD4000 graphics adapter depending on the application. Here is the problem: even if you are rendering a frame using the 660m GPU, the integrated chip is ALWAYS ON and it will copy the rendered image from the NVidia frame buffer to its own buffer where it will finally be sent to the display. Because of this design, the HDMI output is physically connected to the integrated Intel HD4000 chip and not the NVidia GPU. Therefore even though the NVidia GTX660m supports stereoscopic 3D gaming you will not be able to play in 3D when you are connected to a 3D capable display thru HDMI because the HD4000 does not support it. You will not be able to install NVidia's 3D Vision and HDMI audio drivers.
I did have some issues running the system out of the box. StarCraft 2 was crashing constantly. Turns out the Killer Network E2200 adapter driver was not compatible with Win 8 so I had to update that. The NVidia GTX660m GPU was running at 835MHz whereas it should have been running at 950MHz with GPU Boost (turbo function). I was also unable to overclock the GPU with MSI Afterburner. This issue was solved by flashing the latest BIOS.
Overall I am pretty happy with the machine's performance. With the exception of the GPU it generally performs better than my custom 3 year old Win 7 desktop with Intel i7-950 CPU (stock clock settings), Asus Rampage III Formula motherboard and NVidia GTX 460 GPU which is impressive for a mobile system.
Gaming performance with the GTX660m is acceptable. Don't expect to play Crysis 3 unless you don't mind low frame rates. Some games I can manage to play at a steady 60fps with vertical sync turned on are :
StarCraft 2 (DX9) High settings no AA except for a few demanding maps where I switch shaders from high to medium.
Colin McRae Dirt 2 (DX11) Medium settings 2xAA generally.
Company of Heroes (DX9 or DX10) High/Ultra settings. If I switch to Ultra (DX10) shaders frame rate drops below 60fps.
Call of Duty 4 World at War (DX9) 60fps on max settings but barely.
Graphically more demanding games such as EA's Battlefield series will require you to play between low and medium settings.
The reason I gave an average rating for this product is the laptop's somewhat poor cooling performance. If you have read through specs you will know that there is a turbo fan you can activate at the press of a button whenever you start gaming. This fan works, it does cool the system between 5-6 degrees but it is very loud. You will not hear it with headphones on but other people sharing the room will be disturbed.
The problem is the laptop's thin design makes it very difficult to get efficient airflow inside. I wish MSI had opted for a less attractive but more performance oriented design as that is what most gamers care about. I think ASUS's twin fans in their gaming laptops provide better thermals (at a little higher cost).
Do not stress test your system with FurMark or Prime95 as temperatures will easily peak to throttling levels. For more real life applications I monitored temperatures while running a StarCraft 2 replay as this game is graphically demanding for a mobile GPU and can even bring desktop CPUs on its knees during big battles. Averaging around 80% GPU usage on stock clock settings the GPU peaked at 80 C and the CPU at 83 C.
I then overclocked the GPU to 1085MHz (core +135MHz, memory +450MHz). I increased in-game graphics settings so I would still average GPU usage around %80 leaving me enough headroom for big battles, explosions etc. Running the same replay the GPU peaked at 84 C and CPU at 86 C. While I did not overclock the CPU, you can observe that CPU temperatures increased running exactly the same set of computations. This indicates the GPUs heat is dissipating towards the CPU.
Needless to say I was not very happy with these thermal values as I have read about many overclocked 660m GPUs peaking in the low 70s with other laptops manufacturers. I therefore purchased a notebook cooler and I managed to get temperatures barely below 80C again. This actually defeated my purpose of buying a "gaming" laptop as I thought cooling performance would not be excessively compromised on these. Even my Zalman NC-3000 cooler was only able to reduce temperatures by 4C because there aren't enough apertures below the machine to facilitate airflow.
Now I know I shouldn't evaluate cooling performance based on overclock settings as notebooks are not a suitable environment for overclocking but I would have expected better temperatures from standard clock settings as well. The GPU and CPU will both certainly be able to handle 80C but other PCB components may warp over the long run. I therefore deduct 1.5 stars for high temperatures and 0.5 stars for having to flash BIOS just to get the GPU working properly and award this product with a 3 star rating.
My one con with this laptop is the build quality seems flimsy. The case around the screen feels weak, although I haven't had any problems with it so far. A good case should probably protect it plenty.
The other build quality problem is I believe the keyboard uses ABS plastic. Now the feel of the keyboard is awesome when you first get it. It works great and feels nice to type on. (Typing this review on it now) The problem with ABS plastic on keyboards however is with long term use the oils on your hands actually wear away the plastic and create that shiny effect you may be familiar with. This is mostly an aesthetic thing as I don't think it compromises the structural integrity of the keyboard. I would recommend a keyboard cover, but I have been unable to find one that both fits and has positive reviews. (If you're using this as a desktop replacement laptop you could always buy a nicer quality keyboard for use at home)
Overall if you're looking for a high speed good price laptop this is an excellent choice.
Case:
The laptop is thinner than most gaming laptops you will see, and made out of a nice durable plastic. The lid and palmrest are smooth and silky to the touch, but they attract fingerprints like crazy. I get some compliments on the lid, which has red and black designs on it. The screen has zero flex and seems very sturdy. The keyboard is nice to type on, I love the Steelseries brand, own a Steelseries mousepad. The keyboard is of the chiclet variety and has nice key travel. Doesn't take too long to get used to at all. All the keys are full-size except for the right shift key, which is a bit small. I personally never use that shift key, and would much rather take a small shift key over the tiny arrow keys on some laptop keyboards. Overall the design is great, nice and sturdy construction. 9/10 (for shift key)
Screen:
The screen is by far the nicest thing about this laptop. The screen has a 1920x1080 resolution, making it full HD, as opposed to 90% of the laptops at this price which will have a 1366x768 display. A note about HD: Everything is smaller and more crisp. I love the crispness on this screen, but if you don't like how small the type is you can switch to 1366x768 in settings. The screen is also anti-glare, which is a blessing. You will never see distracting lights reflect on your screen, or your own reflection. The brightness can go very high. Setting this laptop next to my friend's Toshiba Satellite is like setting a 3DS next to a Gameboy. If you didn't understand that comparison, just know that you'd be hard-pressed to find a better screen. 10/10
Performance:
The processor is a 3rd generation quad-core Intel i7. You can't get much better and I would accept nothing else. multitasking is a breeze. On this computer I will have a web browser (Chrome), Skype, League of Legends, iTunes, and Word all open 24/7, and it's not unusual for me to run two games at the same time. I highly doubt I've ever used more than 75% of my power. You will NEVER have responsiveness issues with everyday tasks. Info on the processor:
8 gigabytes of memory is more than enough for anything you are going to do. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
The graphics card is a 2GB GTX660M, which is a high-performance card although not the best around. Link for stats:
Note: This laptop I have running all day, and trust me if you don't have the fan blocked it will never overheat. This baby has 5 (FIVE!) built-in fans, and they're damn quiet.
I would rate a 8/10 in performance. This is perfect for my needs, as I just want to run any new game at medium-high settings. This laptop will do that easily. You will spend literally double this price to get 10/10 instead of a solid 8.
Hard Drive:
7200 RPM is above average, but normal hard drives are becoming obsolete. People are buying expensive solid-state drives (SSD) instead. They run at something like 10 times the speed but they are far too pricey for me. Solution? Go out and buy a 128 gb SSD and an optical bay caddy, take out your CD reader, and install it there. Put your operating system on the SSD, and now you have 750 gigs to store everything, and Windows will be far faster.
7/10 (10/10 with my SSD)
Wrapping up, this laptop is perfect for hardcore multitasking or gaming on medium-high settings. The screen is what really sets it apart and makes it a great value. Hope this helps you decide. Leave any questions in comments.
Links:
Article on installing a SSD in your optical bay:
Help on finding the right caddy:
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
The MSi GE60, with the i7 3630QM cpu and a Geforce 660M gpu, delivers solid gameplay on all games I've played. Solid 30+ fps on Guild Wars 2, and that is with a bad patch from the developer which has known issues with nvidia hardware. Everything else like Battlefield 3 on ultra, 45-60fps. I am very happy with this laptop, it is my first big laptop purchase over $1000 and meant to be a gaming machine when I am away from my desktop. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck on a gaming laptop, this is it.Best Deals for MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GE60 0ND-257US;9S7-16GA11-257 15.6-Inch
It runs games pretty well, no lag, and pretty good quality. Just make sure you have it plugged inPros:
Lightweight.
Great Screen looks beautiful
NO errors with anything, seems solid
Very fast for going on the internet, streaming video
Cons:
If you plug a microphone into it, you get a very loud static noise
Not as powerful for gaming as I'd hoped
No light up keyboard (not for me but many people would feel this way)
Gets pretty hot at times
little battery life
Honest reviews on MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GE60 0ND-257US;9S7-16GA11-257 15.6-Inch
I have been using the European version of the MSI GE-60 OND (identical specs to US version) for over 2 months now so I want to share a few thoughts.The laptop looks pretty good out of the box with its glossy finish but you do have to clean it often as it will accumulate fingerprints and dirt over a short time. The Steel Series keyboard does not a have great feel for typing but it is suitable for gaming as the keys have very short travel distance and are light to hold down. The actuation force is low enough not to cause fatigue over extended FPS gaming and the rebound is fast enough for double taps in RTS gaming.
The display has a matte finish as advertised so don't expect superb contrast as in Samsung LED TVs but I like it as I can comfortably use it in daylight. Be aware that this laptop uses NVidia Optimus technology so for purposes of power saving the system alternates between the GTX660m GPU and the integrated Intel HD4000 graphics adapter depending on the application. Here is the problem: even if you are rendering a frame using the 660m GPU, the integrated chip is ALWAYS ON and it will copy the rendered image from the NVidia frame buffer to its own buffer where it will finally be sent to the display. Because of this design, the HDMI output is physically connected to the integrated Intel HD4000 chip and not the NVidia GPU. Therefore even though the NVidia GTX660m supports stereoscopic 3D gaming you will not be able to play in 3D when you are connected to a 3D capable display thru HDMI because the HD4000 does not support it. You will not be able to install NVidia's 3D Vision and HDMI audio drivers.
I did have some issues running the system out of the box. StarCraft 2 was crashing constantly. Turns out the Killer Network E2200 adapter driver was not compatible with Win 8 so I had to update that. The NVidia GTX660m GPU was running at 835MHz whereas it should have been running at 950MHz with GPU Boost (turbo function). I was also unable to overclock the GPU with MSI Afterburner. This issue was solved by flashing the latest BIOS.
Overall I am pretty happy with the machine's performance. With the exception of the GPU it generally performs better than my custom 3 year old Win 7 desktop with Intel i7-950 CPU (stock clock settings), Asus Rampage III Formula motherboard and NVidia GTX 460 GPU which is impressive for a mobile system.
Gaming performance with the GTX660m is acceptable. Don't expect to play Crysis 3 unless you don't mind low frame rates. Some games I can manage to play at a steady 60fps with vertical sync turned on are :
StarCraft 2 (DX9) High settings no AA except for a few demanding maps where I switch shaders from high to medium.
Colin McRae Dirt 2 (DX11) Medium settings 2xAA generally.
Company of Heroes (DX9 or DX10) High/Ultra settings. If I switch to Ultra (DX10) shaders frame rate drops below 60fps.
Call of Duty 4 World at War (DX9) 60fps on max settings but barely.
Graphically more demanding games such as EA's Battlefield series will require you to play between low and medium settings.
The reason I gave an average rating for this product is the laptop's somewhat poor cooling performance. If you have read through specs you will know that there is a turbo fan you can activate at the press of a button whenever you start gaming. This fan works, it does cool the system between 5-6 degrees but it is very loud. You will not hear it with headphones on but other people sharing the room will be disturbed.
The problem is the laptop's thin design makes it very difficult to get efficient airflow inside. I wish MSI had opted for a less attractive but more performance oriented design as that is what most gamers care about. I think ASUS's twin fans in their gaming laptops provide better thermals (at a little higher cost).
Do not stress test your system with FurMark or Prime95 as temperatures will easily peak to throttling levels. For more real life applications I monitored temperatures while running a StarCraft 2 replay as this game is graphically demanding for a mobile GPU and can even bring desktop CPUs on its knees during big battles. Averaging around 80% GPU usage on stock clock settings the GPU peaked at 80 C and the CPU at 83 C.
I then overclocked the GPU to 1085MHz (core +135MHz, memory +450MHz). I increased in-game graphics settings so I would still average GPU usage around %80 leaving me enough headroom for big battles, explosions etc. Running the same replay the GPU peaked at 84 C and CPU at 86 C. While I did not overclock the CPU, you can observe that CPU temperatures increased running exactly the same set of computations. This indicates the GPUs heat is dissipating towards the CPU.
Needless to say I was not very happy with these thermal values as I have read about many overclocked 660m GPUs peaking in the low 70s with other laptops manufacturers. I therefore purchased a notebook cooler and I managed to get temperatures barely below 80C again. This actually defeated my purpose of buying a "gaming" laptop as I thought cooling performance would not be excessively compromised on these. Even my Zalman NC-3000 cooler was only able to reduce temperatures by 4C because there aren't enough apertures below the machine to facilitate airflow.
Now I know I shouldn't evaluate cooling performance based on overclock settings as notebooks are not a suitable environment for overclocking but I would have expected better temperatures from standard clock settings as well. The GPU and CPU will both certainly be able to handle 80C but other PCB components may warp over the long run. I therefore deduct 1.5 stars for high temperatures and 0.5 stars for having to flash BIOS just to get the GPU working properly and award this product with a 3 star rating.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for MSI Computer Corp. Notebook GE60 0ND-257US;9S7-16GA11-257 15.6-Inch
I've had this laptop for over a year now and I've had to send it to MSI for repair twice. I must say however, MSI has had extremely wonderful customer service and has been extremely quick to reply and quick to fix any problems. The first was simply a bad stick of RAM the second was the headphone jack broke on the inside somehow. Overall this laptop has a lot of power for gaming, and as people have mentioned the screen is fantastic. A full 1920x1080 at only 15.6" is insanely awesome.My one con with this laptop is the build quality seems flimsy. The case around the screen feels weak, although I haven't had any problems with it so far. A good case should probably protect it plenty.
The other build quality problem is I believe the keyboard uses ABS plastic. Now the feel of the keyboard is awesome when you first get it. It works great and feels nice to type on. (Typing this review on it now) The problem with ABS plastic on keyboards however is with long term use the oils on your hands actually wear away the plastic and create that shiny effect you may be familiar with. This is mostly an aesthetic thing as I don't think it compromises the structural integrity of the keyboard. I would recommend a keyboard cover, but I have been unable to find one that both fits and has positive reviews. (If you're using this as a desktop replacement laptop you could always buy a nicer quality keyboard for use at home)
Overall if you're looking for a high speed good price laptop this is an excellent choice.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Buy Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch)
I'm a student. I need something to carry around that I won't worry about losing, breaking, or someone stealing. I won't bring my Apple laptop to school due to theft increases lately. On that note, I wanted something for web browsing, typing papers in the library egg chairs and had a keyboard/trackpad combo. I found it.
This is not for a poweruser. Don't fool yourselves, people. It's a tablet on steroids. Get that through your head when you purchase and use it. If you have any other expectations like some of the reviewers, well, you're honestly not the target audience. It's meant to be light and cost affordable. Sure, the screen isn't high resolution and it lacks expandable RAM and HD space. That's NOT what this computer is.
I've had the computer for a few days now and I love it. It's not super fast by any means; however, it gets the job done in regards to web browsing, finding papers for literature reviews and listening to rdio or Pandora. That's what I need this for. And most likely the average consumer. Face it, most college students buy $1000 Macbooks to look cool. For what? To facebook, stream music, and browse the web. Most people who do photo editing buy the 15" models with maxed out specs (like me). I don't want to bring that to campus. That's too much money to be slinging in my bag to just browse the web.
So, let me be clear. This laptop is excellent. The build quality is amazing for the price. Build quality is great of which I was surprised. The keyboard reminds me of the Macbook and the track-pad keeps up with my fast paced motions quite well. It's light and I can have four to five tabs open running different processes at ease. It does like to stutter when I do multiple things with a video running though. Expected for a tablet processor though. It keeps cool and charged for a days use. The front camera is great for chatting.
I will admit, this little computer will replace your daily use computer you lug around currently. I used the Chrome Remote Desktop today on campus and was amazed at the speed and ease. I was using my Macbook at home on campus without any hiccups like I experience with Logmein or those other clients. Accessing the 100GB of free storage was as simple as clicking a link. My music, documents and life are on the cloud. I can access them with ease. Printing is no problem for me, either.
This little beast will surprise you. Although, please, don't expect the world from this laptop. It's $250, folks.
P.S. I typed this from the Chromebook. No problems handling my typing speed. And ask questions if you need them answered.
UPDATE 11/24:
I've been using this for a good while now and I haven't had any regrets. The computer does what I need, when I want and I only miss running Netflix at school. That's ok though, I have other avenues for watching movies. They do plan on updating and that's a problem with Netflix, not Google. Printing is simple as it seems to be a very common question. To clicks on your computer and you're done. They have been updating the OS and the Chromebook is acting a little better now. Overall, I'm still loving it. Just remember, it's NOT for everyone.
UPDATE 02/06/13:
I love this computer. It is all I use around campus and for class lectures. I barely use Microsoft Office for my notes or spreadsheets in class. Google Drive and their office version is just awesome. If you do a lot of team-based activities, please, just use Google Drive. Keep your documents available to you at all times and collaboration is simple. It has made my life much easier. Just thought I'd let you all know.
UPDATE 04/11/13:
Netflix now works!
UPDATE 07/10/13:
Now that the school season is upon us, I thought I would go ahead and write an update of my handy-dandy little Chromebook. Let's just say, it's still alive and working. Drops, falls, and tosses across the couch and slides across the table this little tabcom is doing well. Software wise, Google has been working at it and getting all the bugs out of the system to provide an even more fluid experience. I love having the ability to use Google Print from ANYWHERE I am and have it waiting for me when I need it. Everything syncs up across platforms and this has really come in hand during projects. Just try the Google Docs as a team compared to Word with Review and you won't go back when doing initial collaboration. Battery is still holding up to 8-10 hours (I know, right)that's with smart use of the brightness. I honestly don't know what else to say. It works and is the perfect complement for my Macbook that is collecting dust at home. The Macbook is used via my Google Remote Connection and it's just wonderful. No lag or anything like I've had with LogMeIn and the other one. And like always, ask questions if you have them. And I almost forgot to add that Spotify works in the browser just as well as the PC version. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming does work contrary to the other review posted saying the opposite. Cheers!
FINAL UPDATE:
The Chromebook is an excellent computer for those looking for something light. It won't do everything a full laptop will do and there are privacy concerns of the all-mighty Google. The question to ask yourself though is if you are really secure online? You can get a better laptop as some commentators have stated and that is very true. You can get a nice, heavy computer to carry around and worry about. This Chromebook offers you peace of mind that you can throw it around and not worry about it being stolen (as long as you have a good password on your Google account). It works for me and I'm sure it works for the MAJORITY of others. I've had it for nearly a year and it is only getting faster, not slower. I hope you will take the time to see if it works for you. If not, we live in a world full of other gadgets and tools to fit our lives. I will be removing myself from the comments as there has been a strong output of support from other owners. Live long and prosper!
My background: I'm a gadget geek but I'm not super devoted to any platform. I do love Google's web products but never used their hardware. My laptop is a 13" MacBook Pro and my desktop is a Mac Mini that runs both OS X and Windows 7 (I spend more time on Win 7 these days). I have an iPad (3rd gen) and Motorola Droid Razr Maxx along with a docking station. My wife has a Win 7 ultrabook, Kindle Fire HD and Razr Maxx, all of which I purchased for her.
I'm an editor for a web-based publication so my usage is primarily writing and some light (very light) image editing. I've done most of my writing on Google Docs for a long time because it automatically saves and I hate writing directly into the CMS. We also use Google Apps Business for e-mail, calendaring and doc sharing so that rocks.
The last thing I need is another computer but Chromebook called to me. A couple of reasons:
The docking solution wasn't great. The keyboard was crap, my phone got unusually hot and interacting with the CMS was hit and miss with the phone OS. It was good for e-mails.
An iPad with a keyboard is garbage. I've tried it and hit the same issues. It is just clumsy for my primary work. I still travel with an iPad because it is light and its battery is a rockstar and can do in a pinch.
The laptop is fine but it is a beast to carry. I just got back from a week-long jaunt to three conferences and I think my shoulder is broken from my shoulder bag.
I love my phone and tethering has been a lifesaver. No complaints.
Okay, enough background. Now to the actual review.
Unboxing wasn't particularly impressive but I don't really care. Standard laptop box with the laptop, an AC adapter and Chrome sticker. I plugged it in and it was at about 75%. Now about an hour later, it is nearly charged.
When I pulled it out of the box, it almost felt like a laptop that didn't have a battery in it (remember that?). Anyway, it feels solid closed up. I don't have any problem throwing this in my engineer's bag and feeling like it will get screwed up. The AC adapter is your standard black box with two cords.
I opened up the lid and it started immediately. It asked me to connect to my wifi connection and then proceeded to download the latest update of the operating system (version 23 according to the info in Chrome). After a quick reboot, I put in my Google credentials and it loaded everything I use in my Chrome browser normally, including my apps and bookmarks.
Opened up, the build quality showed a few weaknesses but nothing major. There's a little give on the keyboard and palm rest. I didn't feel any problems holding the laptop from its corner. It feels very solid overall. The thing to remember, of course, is that I came from a unibody MacBook Pro so take that for what it is worth.
The keyboard blew my expectations away. I figured it would be fairly cramped and that my typing speed would suffer. I figured the action wouldn't be very good either. But, coming from a MacBook Pro chiclet keyboard to this was a cinch. I feel very little difference in typing speed or accuracy. This was really a big deal for me. I tried the HP Mini a few years ago and it was awful. A few millimeter difference is it.
The trackpad is very good though not as top notch of a comparison as the keyboard. It is very Mac-like in using it. The two finger swipe gestures, right-clicking, dragging, etc... it all operated like I expected. I'm a tapper, not a clicker so that may have something to do with it. It doesn't seem like it is quite as accurate or response as the MacBook Pro but still very good.
The screen isn't great but it isn't a dealbreaker. For text, it performs adequately but not spectacularly. For video, it is quite adequate, maybe above average but again, not fantastic. The screen brightness isn't what it could be, I feel like it is a tick or two off what should be standard brightness. But, I am also used to glossy screens and even with the brightness, the matte screen seems to do okay. I work right next to south-facing windows and even though we have no sun here in Seattle, it gets fairly bright and it seems good in these conditions. The viewing angles aren't going to impress anyone but it works for me.
The speakers seem to be pretty good and loud enough. They are optimal for use on a desk rather than a lap though as the sound gets muffled a bit by clothing. I put on Pandora One and the sound through my nice $100 studio headphones sounds pretty good with the top volume topping out just right. Using my Apple headphone/mic combo, it worked well in a hangout. One thing is that the headphone jack seems very tight.
I hit my first snag when I tried to do HDMI out. It didn't seem to work. Then I read a bit more and got it to work with the Ctrl+Full Screen and that seemed to do it. Depending on your monitor, your results may vary. It actually looked great on my LCD TV (including sound) but the resolution needs to be adjusted. It didn't look good (ironically) on my Samsung 21 inch monitor. There might be some settings I'm missing on either side but it's not a huge deal. Testing the video on the 1920x1080 HDTV, it worked great other than the overscanning.
The camera is something that Monet would appreciate. You'll get the gist of it but this is no HD cam. It is good for basic pictures and compares unfavorably to the front-facing camera on my Droid Razr Maxx.
After an hour of use off the charger, the heat situation is non-existent. This thing is creepily quiet and cool to the touch except for a few warmer spots. I will end up watching a movie to see how it reacts but that would be a nice change. Even my iPad gets warmer.
I had no opportunity to try out the bluetooth or the SD card reader. I will be getting a 32 GB SD card. I did try out a USB drive and it seems to be working just fine.
Getting into the software and how it drives on the ARM processor, I was pretty impressed. I opened about 18 tabs (which is well beyond my max, typically) and I had Pandora running in the background the entire time and didn't get a stutter. At times, the load was sluggish but again, I am switching between this and a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and a dual-core i5. But I really expected this to be flawless when using the web. As long as you don't go crazy with tabs or the apps you are driving in them, you should be good.
Watching videos, outside of the screen quality, was really quite smooth. From someone who bought the original Kindle Fire and saw it stumble with streaming video for just $50 less, I was super-impressed. I don't know if power-users will love it but it works with my slightly-lowered expectations.
That being said, this is a web enabled device and there are a few (very few) apps that I use regularly.
My stand-alone apps that I use regularly is chat (Google and AIM) and Tweetdeck. Both Tweetdeck and imo seem to work pretty good in a browser. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
I also know that Skype doesn't work great right now. I am using it through imo but, at least as far as I can tell, I can't make dial-out calls like the Skype app allows on all of my other devices. This, including no support for a USB headset, would make it tough to make this a full-time replacement. I live on Skype as a dial-out provider (Google dial-out will not allow me to use certain conference call providers plus Skype is great for connecting with people worldwide with ease). I'm hoping a promised webapp version is coming soon. On the plus side, Skype works great on my cell and iPad.
I turned off the wifi connection and it worked liked it should. You need to turn on offline mode in Gmail and Google Drive in order for it to work but after that, it worked like it always has. Games that I had loaded for offline mode worked. Offline, this is a pretty limited machine but not unduly so.
Chrome remote desktop worked particularly well. Granted, I was using it on the same network but there was no lag on the software side of using it. I was, again, thoroughly impressed with the graphics. Though, one thing would be to allow me to select which screen I view when I am using a dual-display.
I'm looking forward to Netflix capability but that's not ultra-critical right now for me. Amazon Instant works well for me, as does Hulu.
I'm taking only this when I go on an extended trip this weekend so I can update more on real battery life and any other real-world experiences of using it later.
Overall, this is what I expected and I am pretty happy with the purchase, especially as one of my first sight-unseen types of purchase. For my uses as a primary road writing device for blog posts and e-mails, this is a solid, solid play. And for $250, it's pretty unbelievable. All of this typed into the new Chromebook as well at my normal rate.
== UPDATE 10/28/2012 ==
Just took this thing on a weekend away without bringing my laptop. This is a big deal as even if I took my iPad, I would normally take my laptop as well. A couple of additional thoughts from 72 hours as my primary computer.
I did end up getting a SD Card (a 32 GB one from Amazon) and putting it in the SD card slot. Unfortunately, it sticks out from the side pretty well (about a centimeter looking straight down on it). I loaded it with a few movies and some music so I would have some tunes and movies for offline. The player works fine but is very basic. Other than wishing the SD card would seat all the way in, it is a good setup for leisurely watching movies solo.
I also did some extended work while my wife was driving. I typed two articles and I can't emphasize enough how good of quality this keyboard is. Even working it off of my lap, it performed beyond its price point.
I typed those articles offline and using Google Docs offline worked as expected. When I reconnected, my documents synced up no problem. This worked exactly like it had on my MacBook Pro whenever I took it on a flight without wifi so no surprises there.
Under normal use, the battery is probably going to be right there in the 6.5 hour range. Google could have pushed this spec. Working offline with the screen brightness at 50%, I was able to squeeze a little over 2 hours into 25% of battery life.
Speaking of brightness, the ambient light sensor works pretty well. Maybe a little too good in the car as it would dim slightly as we went under overpasses on the freeway.
The other thing I wanted to do is try out the some games. I played Angry Birds because I could compare it across all devices and the Chromebook is definitely lagging in performance. It was just a step behind and could be a bit choppy. I also tried the most popular game Entanglement and it seemed to perform well though it is simple. I also did a fantasy basketball draft on Yahoo sports and it was also a step behind.
I'll also mention that the first time I loaded up Entanglement was the first time the Chromebook crashed on me. I don't imagine it will happen that often but the nice thing is that it recovered everything I had up in about 20 seconds. Also, it is the first time I noticed heat of any kind coming from the laptop at all. Not unusually hot but it will warm up some when going graphics and CPU intensive.
In any case, I stand by my 4 star review. Even with some minor performance issues and a few smaller issues with quality, this is still an excellent purchase. An improved screen and battery life would make it easier to look past the sometimes-lagging performance. I won't be getting rid of my MacBook Pro but I am looking forward to taking this thing on the road and getting a good chunk of the functionality without the weight.
== UPDATE 11/20/2012 ==
After about a month more with regular usage, a couple more notes.
After awhile, the Chromebook does warm up but not significantly. Again, I'm comparing this to other laptops. And really, you shouldn't be using a laptop on your lap anyway but some situations require it.
Closing the screen instantly puts it to sleep but I definitely have found that you can't keep just putting this thing to sleep time after time and not expect any lag. Eventually, something I loaded would make the Chromebook freeze and I'd have to restart. I've learned to simply shut this computer down rather than close the lid and let it sleep. With near instant boot time, it's not a big deal but that's definitely a change.
The keyboard on this thing is still a rockstar. Using it in poorly lit situations make me long for a bit of backlighting but I am really a touch typer at this point so it only slows me down when I am realigning my hands.
No degradation in performance. I've watched probably 6-7 ripped movies on this thing with no problems and no internet connection. Looking forward to taking this to my in-laws for Thanksgiving instead of my MacBook Pro.
== UPDATE 03/09/2013 ==
I haven't updated in awhile so I thought I would. I still use the Chromebook on a regular basis and thanks to the regular updates to the system, this version of the Chromebook now has swap enabled (at least in the beta channel). For those unfamiliar, previously when the Chromebook would run out of physical RAM, it would just start dumping inactive tabs (so it would require a refresh). It would, at times, get a bit laggy with too many tabs open.
With swap enabled, once you hit the top of your RAM usage, it starts using the hard drive as RAM. This means limited to no inactive tabs being dumped (I haven't seen one yet) and overall, faster usage under heavy workloads (10+ tabs).
In short, this computer has actually gotten faster and better since my last update.
A couple of issues still exist. Netflix still doesn't work. I've contacted Netflix and they say they are working on it. They've been saying the same for months though. Every other streaming service works (including Amazon Prime, Hulu and Comcast's streaming). If Netflix is a must and you don't have an alternative device (I use an iPad mini for it if I really need it), I wouldn't bet on this coming through anymore.
I would like to see more gestures using the trackpad as well, The two finger scrolling is nice but the three finger nav (especially for back) helps a lot. I can use the keyboard back button too, yes. But switching between using a Mac and the Chromebook makes it especially unnatural. More gestures!
There is a little bit of wear on the palm rests and some dings but nothing major as of yet. This thing still is great for writing (which is my primary use for it). It is so great and lightweight so it is easy to throw in a small bag for a day trip.
Overall, still very happy and it is even better with the speed and stability improvements with swap enabled.
== UPDATE 03/11/2013 ==
Just a quick update since I just updated but Netflix now works. I've tried it and it has been confirmed by many other users. Again, this has been a big ding against both Netflix and Google for not figuring this out but now it is working.
I've owned the Cr-48 for a while, which was a kind of test unit Google sent out to people to beta test the operating system. That came out a long time ago and none of the commercial units have felt good enough to me to justify buying, up until now. They were always a little too expensive, despite the obvious advantages.
This will be a long review. For those wanting a short summary, I'll include one at the end.
The software
For those unclear, Chrome OS (which the Chromebook runs) is fundamentally different to a Windows, Mac or Linux-based laptop, desktop or netbook. This is because it runs the web. No native applications exist specifically for this machine. There are apps (sometimes referred to as Chrome apps) but they also work in the Chrome browser.
Because this computer runs what many call 'just a browser' it has several advantages, as well as disadvantages when compared to a Windows machine. I've chosen Windows for most comparisons here as more people typically use Windows than a Mac or Linux machine.
Security
You cannot install Windows applications (or other native software) on Chrome OS. This means that the computer can operate more securely than a Windows machine simply because the computer knows what should be installed. If something is there that shouldn't be there, the computer will erase all local data and install a version of the software that's stored in a secure area. Once you're connected to the internet, you'll be updated to the most recent version of the operating system. As your settings, bookmarks and Chrome applications are stored by Google, they are also restored after the machine is reset and you log in. Typically the operating system is updated every 6 weeks, meaning bugs get fixed pretty quickly (important bug fixes will arrive more quickly) and new features are released quickly, too.
Getting things done
This is where the big problem is for some people; you can't install Microsoft Office, Adobe's Photoshop or other software packages. You're limited to software that's delivered through a website. Most people are perfectly comfortable with using things like Facebook, Twitter and email this way. The web offers some pretty powerful tools, though. For instance, pretty sophisticated image editing software exists on-line, as do audio and video editing tools. Using the massive resources of the internet (typically referred to as 'the cloud') means that video editing and other resource-intensive tasks can be made dramatically quicker than doing it locally. Make no mistake though, if you do need something like Photoshop it's just not possible, unless you use software specifically designed to deliver 'normal' software through the web. Companies like Citrix offer products that can do that, but given the additional cost, it's usually only big businesses that use them.
If you don't need extremely-specialised software though, there's a lot available. Google, Zoho and Microsoft all offer tools that will let you create, open and export documents in popular formats, such as Microsoft Office. There are advantages to this approach, too. Google Docs (as an example) allows individuals to use their on-line document, spreadsheet and presentation software free of charge and, even better, you can collaborate with up to 50 people on the same document, practically in real-time. This sort of thing just isn't typically possible with traditional software. Where it is, it's likely to be clunkier than a web-based tool as a website just lets you login and work.
Calendars, Angry Birds, finance tools (Sage and QuickBooks are available through the browser) are all also available in this way. It's worth checking out if the things you'll want to do are available in this way before ordering a Chromebook.
There are also many off-line capable applications. That is, things that will work without an internet connection. These include Google Documents (editing and viewing) Google Docs spreadsheets (viewing) and things like Google Calendar. Keep in mind though that this is primarily a device for accessing the internet. Without a connection, this device is extremely-limited. Applications delivered through a browser will get more and more capable over time, though.
Other drawbacks
As I've said, not everything is available through a browser. Critical things that people take for granted either aren't available or are very different on a Chromebook.
It's not possible to watch AVI or MKV video files (at the time this was written) for example, without converting them. That's a big pain for some. Printing is different too, as you can't just plugin a printer on Chrome OS and have it work. For those that are curious, Google has a service called Cloud Print, which involves hooking up your printer to the internet. This approach does have an advantage in that you're able to print to your printer from anywhere with an internet connection, either from a mobile device or any installation of Chrome. For those without a printer that can connect to the internet independently of a regular computer, you can enable a normal printer by installing Chrome on a Windows machine and running it that way.
Storage
A key thing about Chromebooks is that they come with a 16GB hard drive. This is considered very low by modern standards as a typical Windows machine will come with a minimum of 500GB and often far more.
Google Drive is Google's solution for this. Essentially, Google Drive is on-line storage. It stores files from Google Docs and will store pretty much any type of file, too. A key thing is that it integrates with the file system, meaning you can save files directly to your account (Drive can be used on Windows and other computers, as well as Android and iOS devices) and access them from whichever device you're using.
By default, Drive comes with 5GB of storage. This isn't a huge amount, but for free on-line storage it's pretty typical. Many other services actually offer much less. However, if you buy a Chromebook you get 100GB free for two years, which is very useful given that it can be used across many devices. If after two years you're using more than whatever the normal free allowance is at that point (things do change) and you've not qualified for some other promotion, you'll no longer be able to add new files. Your existing data will be accessible, meaning files will not be deleted.
Another great thing about Drive is that files can be shared with others. Google Docs files are not counted towards your storage.
Again, it's worth noting that other great on-line storage solutions exist, such as Dropbox and Box. The difference of course is that they're not tightly-integrated with the Chromebook.
Hardware (general)
This new Chromebook is running on an ARM chip, the type of processor you'd typically find in a mobile phone or tablet. That may sound slow given the demands of a typical Windows machine, but it's very quick. It boots in around 7 seconds (it feels more like 5 as the logo is on the screen almost as soon as you open the lid) and you can be on-line with your normal tabs open in under 30 seconds with ease. The keyboard is extremely responsive and many professional reviewers have remarked that it's the best that's ever been on a Chromebook, which includes the much more expensive Samsung Series 5 550 machine. The trackpad, too, is very good indeed.
The machine is extremely responsive due to it needing very few resources to operate. If you attempt to run 20+ tabs, yes, it will slow down a whole lot. But if, like most typical users, you use this for email, Facebook and the like, you should have no performance issues. Depending on your usage, the stated 6.5 hours of battery life are very close. In fact I'd suggest that you'd get more, depending on screen brightness etc.
Other hardware
On this particular unit you'll find one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI out (for putting what's on your screen on a bigger screen, like a computer monitor or TV) and an SD card reader. External USB hard drives work fine in my experience and many phones are treated properly as mass storage too. However certain devices such as external optical (CD/DVD) drives will not work at all. As a commenter noted, I originally forgot to point out that this machine has no moving parts because of the type of hard drive used. This means the machine is extremely quiet and doesn't get hot.
Miscellaneous
It should be noted that since Chromebooks are essentially stateless (that is, they have little personal data stored on them) they can be wiped at any time without a problem and you can start over. This also means that they can easily be shared and Chrome devices (a desktop version, called a Chromebox also exists) have something called Guest Mode, which allows a friend to browse the web without accessing your settings or bookmarks and when they're done, their browsing history is automatically deleted. For those with whom you share your Chrome device regularly, you can add them to the list of permanent users.
Summary
Essentially, if you use the web most of the time (this is what most computer users do) or want a second machine that can be used without any technical knowledge for that purpose by others in your household, this is an ideal device. If, however, you like to play a lot of 'real' video games or access specialised software, chances are that this device isn't for you. That said, this device is cheap enough that you can buy one for the couch or to use while you watch television. Due to the price of this machine, it's most likely to be compared to a low-end Windows machine (which are typically very slow) or a tablet, such as a Nexus 7.
If you want easy web access and don't care at all about typing, I'd suggest a tablet. A good quality tablet can (at the time of this review) be had for $199, including a high definition screen. But if typing and web access matters to you, I'd seriously consider this device.
I would have rated this device 5 stars except I quickly found that video playback from all the major sites is not supported on this version of Chrome OS (running on Linux). Netflix, Amazon Streaming and Xfinity DO NOT WORK. Every site has a nice message to tell you that there is either a problem with the Flash plugin on Linux or playback is just not supported. I am sure Google has every intention of fixing this, but they have been deceptive in their advertising where they show these sites being used on the new Chromebook. Also interesting that this issue was not mentioned by the professional tech reviewers.
No information comes with the machine and the tutorial at the beginning is sparse. No info on how to change themes even though there are many nice ones on the Chrome Store.
The plastic case scratches VERY easily and the back of the laptop is already scratched just from sitting on my lap.
Overall a great concept and machine. I hope that the popularity of the device will convince the developers to fix the video issues or alot of kids are going to be really angry this Christmas. Seriously, why put an HDMI port on a machine if none of the major sites support playback??????????????????
The Chromebook.
The 249 dollar price point has really made this thing really popular. I was one of the CR-48 (prototype versions of the Chrome OS) testers, and recently I had a chance to play around with both this Samsung version and the 199 dollar Acer C7 version. Since most of the reviews have already covered pretty much everything about this Chromebook, I'm going to do more of a comparison review for those wondering which Chromebook they should buy. Both these laptops run the same Chrome OS but there are some significant changes in their hardware which I'll get into.
I know this is a long review so feel free to go to the end for a summary, or just check out the parts that you care most about. I've separated it into characteristics that most people will consider when they look at a laptop.
DESIGN: Samsung wins this one: It's thinner by .3 inches, lighter by around half a pound. Yes, they're both made of plastic, but Samsung's Chromebook has better quality plastic, if that makes sense. It's more unified looking & just feels more pleasant to hold. Many have compared this one's design to a Macbook Air while comparing the Acer one to a typical Windows Netbook. If design is a heavy factor in your decision process, then definitely get the Samsung one.
BATTERY LIFE: Winner Samsung: It has almost double the battery life of the Acer laptop. (6.5 hrs vs 3.5 hrs)
CUSTOMIZABILITY: Acer wins here: It's true, the Acer C7 is really like a netbook, which means it is easy to take apart and add your own stuff. If you're a tech geek and enjoy modifying your notebook, this one is for you. You can add more RAM, take out the battery, and swap out the hard drive for a SSD. Compare this to this Samsung version, where everything is pretty much sealed. You have to be happy with what you're given.
PERFORMANCE: Acer wins here: Now I know this is strange--how could a cheaper notebook have a higher performance? Well if we compare both these Chromebooks through sheer performance power, the Intel Celeron processor in the Acer laptop actually outperforms the ARM based Samsung Exynos 5 processor in the Samsung Chromebook. This is because the Intel Celeron processor is actually a computer processor while the Samsung Exynos 5 is actually a processor designed for tablets. And even though the Exynos 5 is a processor found in high end tablets today (such as the Nexus 10), it's still not up to par with an actual computer processor. Another advantage the Acer has over the Samsung Chromebook is that since it's using an Intel chip, it can run things like Netflix (which, from the last time I checked, the Samsung Chromebook wasn't able to do). This is because the Netflix app on chrome hasn't been adapted to run on the ARM processor yet. This is after all, the first Chromebook to incorporate an ARM based processor.
That being said, there are a couple of advantages with the Samsung Exynos 5. First, a tablet processor generates a LOT less heat than a computer processor (it's why tablets & all those mobile devices don't need a fan). Therefore, the Samsung Chromebook is completely silent when running. Also, the Exynos 5 uses less power than the Celeron, and it's one of the reasons why the Samsung Chromebook has such a nice battery life. Now, keep in mind that it's only a SLIGHT difference in terms of performance between these two processors. Most of us probably wouldn't notice much of a difference, but the Samsung Chromebook might stutter a tiny bit when rendering pages, etc.
WEBCAM: Acer wins this one: The Acer C7 actually has a 1.3MP `HD' webcam compared to the VGA quality (.3MP) webcam of the Samsung Chromebook. If you do a lot of video chats you'll probably look a little better with a 1.3MP webcam. I can't call either of these cameras great though. One's just slightly better than the other.
BOOT TIMES: Samsung wins this one: The SSD inside the Samsung Chromebook is just faster than the hard drive based Acer C7. Keep in mind that boot time (the time it takes to start your computer) is different from performance (the time it takes for the computer to process an action). If you're willing to do some work & spend around 50 dollars to buy a SSD to install on the Acer C7, you'll be able to match (and you might even beat) the boot time of the Samsung Chromebook. We're talking about a few seconds, so personally I don't consider this a big deal.
KEYBOARD & TOUCH PAD: Samsung wins here: Like the overall design, the keyboard and touchpad of the Samsung is just better quality and more responsive, though I can type on both just fine. The Acer C7 has function keys though, if that matters for you.
SCREEN: I can't really pick a winner for this one, because this really depends on what type of screen you prefer. The Samsung screen has a matte polish (easier to see while outside/easier on the eyes) while the Acer Chromebook is glossier (slightly brighter). They're both 1366x768 resolution. This is more of a personal preference.
PRICE: Acer wins this one, just because it's cheaper by 50 dollars. As mentioned previously, the Acer C7 is 199 while the Samsung Chromebook is 249. As of this time of writing, the Samsung Chromebook is still sold out, while the Acer C7 is available on the Google Play store (It's more expensive on Amazon).
PORTS: Acer wins here because it has two ports that the Samsung one doesn't have, and that's VGA and Ethernet. Samsung has a USB 3.0 which the Acer lacks, but I doubt many people are going to be doing a lot of heavy data transfer to an cloud based computer, so I'm not sure why that was included.
==SUMMARY==
To conclude, if you prefer elegant design, long battery life, portability, and fast boot times, the Samsung Chromebook is the one for you. If you prefer customizability, slightly better performance, and you're able to live with a kind-of-ugly looking computer and a 3.5 hour battery life, then go for the Acer C7. Neither of these Chromebooks are perfect, but they serve their purpose well enough, especially when considering the price. This is going to be a really hard choice for some (it certainly was for me!), but fortunately, both these computers are priced so low that you can't really make a wrong choice: it's a choice between two good options, kind of like choosing between Kit-Kats and Twix (everyone loves both right?!).
The fact that this is such a hard choice is a testament to Google's hard work and how appealing the Chromebook line has become.
-PSI didn't actually review the OS because I think the other reviewers have done a solid job with that. If you do have any questions regarding the Chrome OS, I'll happily answer it. I do want to emphasize one thing that many reviewers have said, and that is to know the limitations of this OS before buying it. If you buy this 250 dollar Chromebook expecting a full-fledged laptop, you'll be sorely disappointed.
==UPDATE 7/14/13==
So it's been a while since I got this Chromebook, and since then, Google has updated it multiple times, fixing random bugs, security patches, etc. So I felt the need to update this review a bit. It actually feels a bit faster compared to when I first got it due to these patches, and the Chromebook is still working fine despite some accidental drops. Also, Netflix now works on this Chromebook! Google advertises the Chromebook as something that gets better over time, and in a way, it's actually true due to how often they patch it/improve it(~every 6 weeks). Anyways, I don't regret buying this Chromebook, but I still hold true to my 4-star review because I do think that the hardware can be improved.
==UPDATE 10/27/13==
The next generation of Chromebooks have been released! They're faster, more efficient, and overall better looking, and are in the same sub-#300 price range. Please give those other models a look if you're interested in a Chromebook. In particular, I'd recommend the Acer C720, but the HP 11 and the HP 14 are also solid options.
This is not for a poweruser. Don't fool yourselves, people. It's a tablet on steroids. Get that through your head when you purchase and use it. If you have any other expectations like some of the reviewers, well, you're honestly not the target audience. It's meant to be light and cost affordable. Sure, the screen isn't high resolution and it lacks expandable RAM and HD space. That's NOT what this computer is.
I've had the computer for a few days now and I love it. It's not super fast by any means; however, it gets the job done in regards to web browsing, finding papers for literature reviews and listening to rdio or Pandora. That's what I need this for. And most likely the average consumer. Face it, most college students buy $1000 Macbooks to look cool. For what? To facebook, stream music, and browse the web. Most people who do photo editing buy the 15" models with maxed out specs (like me). I don't want to bring that to campus. That's too much money to be slinging in my bag to just browse the web.
So, let me be clear. This laptop is excellent. The build quality is amazing for the price. Build quality is great of which I was surprised. The keyboard reminds me of the Macbook and the track-pad keeps up with my fast paced motions quite well. It's light and I can have four to five tabs open running different processes at ease. It does like to stutter when I do multiple things with a video running though. Expected for a tablet processor though. It keeps cool and charged for a days use. The front camera is great for chatting.
I will admit, this little computer will replace your daily use computer you lug around currently. I used the Chrome Remote Desktop today on campus and was amazed at the speed and ease. I was using my Macbook at home on campus without any hiccups like I experience with Logmein or those other clients. Accessing the 100GB of free storage was as simple as clicking a link. My music, documents and life are on the cloud. I can access them with ease. Printing is no problem for me, either.
This little beast will surprise you. Although, please, don't expect the world from this laptop. It's $250, folks.
P.S. I typed this from the Chromebook. No problems handling my typing speed. And ask questions if you need them answered.
UPDATE 11/24:
I've been using this for a good while now and I haven't had any regrets. The computer does what I need, when I want and I only miss running Netflix at school. That's ok though, I have other avenues for watching movies. They do plan on updating and that's a problem with Netflix, not Google. Printing is simple as it seems to be a very common question. To clicks on your computer and you're done. They have been updating the OS and the Chromebook is acting a little better now. Overall, I'm still loving it. Just remember, it's NOT for everyone.
UPDATE 02/06/13:
I love this computer. It is all I use around campus and for class lectures. I barely use Microsoft Office for my notes or spreadsheets in class. Google Drive and their office version is just awesome. If you do a lot of team-based activities, please, just use Google Drive. Keep your documents available to you at all times and collaboration is simple. It has made my life much easier. Just thought I'd let you all know.
UPDATE 04/11/13:
Netflix now works!
UPDATE 07/10/13:
Now that the school season is upon us, I thought I would go ahead and write an update of my handy-dandy little Chromebook. Let's just say, it's still alive and working. Drops, falls, and tosses across the couch and slides across the table this little tabcom is doing well. Software wise, Google has been working at it and getting all the bugs out of the system to provide an even more fluid experience. I love having the ability to use Google Print from ANYWHERE I am and have it waiting for me when I need it. Everything syncs up across platforms and this has really come in hand during projects. Just try the Google Docs as a team compared to Word with Review and you won't go back when doing initial collaboration. Battery is still holding up to 8-10 hours (I know, right)that's with smart use of the brightness. I honestly don't know what else to say. It works and is the perfect complement for my Macbook that is collecting dust at home. The Macbook is used via my Google Remote Connection and it's just wonderful. No lag or anything like I've had with LogMeIn and the other one. And like always, ask questions if you have them. And I almost forgot to add that Spotify works in the browser just as well as the PC version. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming does work contrary to the other review posted saying the opposite. Cheers!
FINAL UPDATE:
The Chromebook is an excellent computer for those looking for something light. It won't do everything a full laptop will do and there are privacy concerns of the all-mighty Google. The question to ask yourself though is if you are really secure online? You can get a better laptop as some commentators have stated and that is very true. You can get a nice, heavy computer to carry around and worry about. This Chromebook offers you peace of mind that you can throw it around and not worry about it being stolen (as long as you have a good password on your Google account). It works for me and I'm sure it works for the MAJORITY of others. I've had it for nearly a year and it is only getting faster, not slower. I hope you will take the time to see if it works for you. If not, we live in a world full of other gadgets and tools to fit our lives. I will be removing myself from the comments as there has been a strong output of support from other owners. Live long and prosper!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
***Updates To My Review At The End***My background: I'm a gadget geek but I'm not super devoted to any platform. I do love Google's web products but never used their hardware. My laptop is a 13" MacBook Pro and my desktop is a Mac Mini that runs both OS X and Windows 7 (I spend more time on Win 7 these days). I have an iPad (3rd gen) and Motorola Droid Razr Maxx along with a docking station. My wife has a Win 7 ultrabook, Kindle Fire HD and Razr Maxx, all of which I purchased for her.
I'm an editor for a web-based publication so my usage is primarily writing and some light (very light) image editing. I've done most of my writing on Google Docs for a long time because it automatically saves and I hate writing directly into the CMS. We also use Google Apps Business for e-mail, calendaring and doc sharing so that rocks.
The last thing I need is another computer but Chromebook called to me. A couple of reasons:
The docking solution wasn't great. The keyboard was crap, my phone got unusually hot and interacting with the CMS was hit and miss with the phone OS. It was good for e-mails.
An iPad with a keyboard is garbage. I've tried it and hit the same issues. It is just clumsy for my primary work. I still travel with an iPad because it is light and its battery is a rockstar and can do in a pinch.
The laptop is fine but it is a beast to carry. I just got back from a week-long jaunt to three conferences and I think my shoulder is broken from my shoulder bag.
I love my phone and tethering has been a lifesaver. No complaints.
Okay, enough background. Now to the actual review.
Unboxing wasn't particularly impressive but I don't really care. Standard laptop box with the laptop, an AC adapter and Chrome sticker. I plugged it in and it was at about 75%. Now about an hour later, it is nearly charged.
When I pulled it out of the box, it almost felt like a laptop that didn't have a battery in it (remember that?). Anyway, it feels solid closed up. I don't have any problem throwing this in my engineer's bag and feeling like it will get screwed up. The AC adapter is your standard black box with two cords.
I opened up the lid and it started immediately. It asked me to connect to my wifi connection and then proceeded to download the latest update of the operating system (version 23 according to the info in Chrome). After a quick reboot, I put in my Google credentials and it loaded everything I use in my Chrome browser normally, including my apps and bookmarks.
Opened up, the build quality showed a few weaknesses but nothing major. There's a little give on the keyboard and palm rest. I didn't feel any problems holding the laptop from its corner. It feels very solid overall. The thing to remember, of course, is that I came from a unibody MacBook Pro so take that for what it is worth.
The keyboard blew my expectations away. I figured it would be fairly cramped and that my typing speed would suffer. I figured the action wouldn't be very good either. But, coming from a MacBook Pro chiclet keyboard to this was a cinch. I feel very little difference in typing speed or accuracy. This was really a big deal for me. I tried the HP Mini a few years ago and it was awful. A few millimeter difference is it.
The trackpad is very good though not as top notch of a comparison as the keyboard. It is very Mac-like in using it. The two finger swipe gestures, right-clicking, dragging, etc... it all operated like I expected. I'm a tapper, not a clicker so that may have something to do with it. It doesn't seem like it is quite as accurate or response as the MacBook Pro but still very good.
The screen isn't great but it isn't a dealbreaker. For text, it performs adequately but not spectacularly. For video, it is quite adequate, maybe above average but again, not fantastic. The screen brightness isn't what it could be, I feel like it is a tick or two off what should be standard brightness. But, I am also used to glossy screens and even with the brightness, the matte screen seems to do okay. I work right next to south-facing windows and even though we have no sun here in Seattle, it gets fairly bright and it seems good in these conditions. The viewing angles aren't going to impress anyone but it works for me.
The speakers seem to be pretty good and loud enough. They are optimal for use on a desk rather than a lap though as the sound gets muffled a bit by clothing. I put on Pandora One and the sound through my nice $100 studio headphones sounds pretty good with the top volume topping out just right. Using my Apple headphone/mic combo, it worked well in a hangout. One thing is that the headphone jack seems very tight.
I hit my first snag when I tried to do HDMI out. It didn't seem to work. Then I read a bit more and got it to work with the Ctrl+Full Screen and that seemed to do it. Depending on your monitor, your results may vary. It actually looked great on my LCD TV (including sound) but the resolution needs to be adjusted. It didn't look good (ironically) on my Samsung 21 inch monitor. There might be some settings I'm missing on either side but it's not a huge deal. Testing the video on the 1920x1080 HDTV, it worked great other than the overscanning.
The camera is something that Monet would appreciate. You'll get the gist of it but this is no HD cam. It is good for basic pictures and compares unfavorably to the front-facing camera on my Droid Razr Maxx.
After an hour of use off the charger, the heat situation is non-existent. This thing is creepily quiet and cool to the touch except for a few warmer spots. I will end up watching a movie to see how it reacts but that would be a nice change. Even my iPad gets warmer.
I had no opportunity to try out the bluetooth or the SD card reader. I will be getting a 32 GB SD card. I did try out a USB drive and it seems to be working just fine.
Getting into the software and how it drives on the ARM processor, I was pretty impressed. I opened about 18 tabs (which is well beyond my max, typically) and I had Pandora running in the background the entire time and didn't get a stutter. At times, the load was sluggish but again, I am switching between this and a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and a dual-core i5. But I really expected this to be flawless when using the web. As long as you don't go crazy with tabs or the apps you are driving in them, you should be good.
Watching videos, outside of the screen quality, was really quite smooth. From someone who bought the original Kindle Fire and saw it stumble with streaming video for just $50 less, I was super-impressed. I don't know if power-users will love it but it works with my slightly-lowered expectations.
That being said, this is a web enabled device and there are a few (very few) apps that I use regularly.
My stand-alone apps that I use regularly is chat (Google and AIM) and Tweetdeck. Both Tweetdeck and imo seem to work pretty good in a browser. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
I also know that Skype doesn't work great right now. I am using it through imo but, at least as far as I can tell, I can't make dial-out calls like the Skype app allows on all of my other devices. This, including no support for a USB headset, would make it tough to make this a full-time replacement. I live on Skype as a dial-out provider (Google dial-out will not allow me to use certain conference call providers plus Skype is great for connecting with people worldwide with ease). I'm hoping a promised webapp version is coming soon. On the plus side, Skype works great on my cell and iPad.
I turned off the wifi connection and it worked liked it should. You need to turn on offline mode in Gmail and Google Drive in order for it to work but after that, it worked like it always has. Games that I had loaded for offline mode worked. Offline, this is a pretty limited machine but not unduly so.
Chrome remote desktop worked particularly well. Granted, I was using it on the same network but there was no lag on the software side of using it. I was, again, thoroughly impressed with the graphics. Though, one thing would be to allow me to select which screen I view when I am using a dual-display.
I'm looking forward to Netflix capability but that's not ultra-critical right now for me. Amazon Instant works well for me, as does Hulu.
I'm taking only this when I go on an extended trip this weekend so I can update more on real battery life and any other real-world experiences of using it later.
Overall, this is what I expected and I am pretty happy with the purchase, especially as one of my first sight-unseen types of purchase. For my uses as a primary road writing device for blog posts and e-mails, this is a solid, solid play. And for $250, it's pretty unbelievable. All of this typed into the new Chromebook as well at my normal rate.
== UPDATE 10/28/2012 ==
Just took this thing on a weekend away without bringing my laptop. This is a big deal as even if I took my iPad, I would normally take my laptop as well. A couple of additional thoughts from 72 hours as my primary computer.
I did end up getting a SD Card (a 32 GB one from Amazon) and putting it in the SD card slot. Unfortunately, it sticks out from the side pretty well (about a centimeter looking straight down on it). I loaded it with a few movies and some music so I would have some tunes and movies for offline. The player works fine but is very basic. Other than wishing the SD card would seat all the way in, it is a good setup for leisurely watching movies solo.
I also did some extended work while my wife was driving. I typed two articles and I can't emphasize enough how good of quality this keyboard is. Even working it off of my lap, it performed beyond its price point.
I typed those articles offline and using Google Docs offline worked as expected. When I reconnected, my documents synced up no problem. This worked exactly like it had on my MacBook Pro whenever I took it on a flight without wifi so no surprises there.
Under normal use, the battery is probably going to be right there in the 6.5 hour range. Google could have pushed this spec. Working offline with the screen brightness at 50%, I was able to squeeze a little over 2 hours into 25% of battery life.
Speaking of brightness, the ambient light sensor works pretty well. Maybe a little too good in the car as it would dim slightly as we went under overpasses on the freeway.
The other thing I wanted to do is try out the some games. I played Angry Birds because I could compare it across all devices and the Chromebook is definitely lagging in performance. It was just a step behind and could be a bit choppy. I also tried the most popular game Entanglement and it seemed to perform well though it is simple. I also did a fantasy basketball draft on Yahoo sports and it was also a step behind.
I'll also mention that the first time I loaded up Entanglement was the first time the Chromebook crashed on me. I don't imagine it will happen that often but the nice thing is that it recovered everything I had up in about 20 seconds. Also, it is the first time I noticed heat of any kind coming from the laptop at all. Not unusually hot but it will warm up some when going graphics and CPU intensive.
In any case, I stand by my 4 star review. Even with some minor performance issues and a few smaller issues with quality, this is still an excellent purchase. An improved screen and battery life would make it easier to look past the sometimes-lagging performance. I won't be getting rid of my MacBook Pro but I am looking forward to taking this thing on the road and getting a good chunk of the functionality without the weight.
== UPDATE 11/20/2012 ==
After about a month more with regular usage, a couple more notes.
After awhile, the Chromebook does warm up but not significantly. Again, I'm comparing this to other laptops. And really, you shouldn't be using a laptop on your lap anyway but some situations require it.
Closing the screen instantly puts it to sleep but I definitely have found that you can't keep just putting this thing to sleep time after time and not expect any lag. Eventually, something I loaded would make the Chromebook freeze and I'd have to restart. I've learned to simply shut this computer down rather than close the lid and let it sleep. With near instant boot time, it's not a big deal but that's definitely a change.
The keyboard on this thing is still a rockstar. Using it in poorly lit situations make me long for a bit of backlighting but I am really a touch typer at this point so it only slows me down when I am realigning my hands.
No degradation in performance. I've watched probably 6-7 ripped movies on this thing with no problems and no internet connection. Looking forward to taking this to my in-laws for Thanksgiving instead of my MacBook Pro.
== UPDATE 03/09/2013 ==
I haven't updated in awhile so I thought I would. I still use the Chromebook on a regular basis and thanks to the regular updates to the system, this version of the Chromebook now has swap enabled (at least in the beta channel). For those unfamiliar, previously when the Chromebook would run out of physical RAM, it would just start dumping inactive tabs (so it would require a refresh). It would, at times, get a bit laggy with too many tabs open.
With swap enabled, once you hit the top of your RAM usage, it starts using the hard drive as RAM. This means limited to no inactive tabs being dumped (I haven't seen one yet) and overall, faster usage under heavy workloads (10+ tabs).
In short, this computer has actually gotten faster and better since my last update.
A couple of issues still exist. Netflix still doesn't work. I've contacted Netflix and they say they are working on it. They've been saying the same for months though. Every other streaming service works (including Amazon Prime, Hulu and Comcast's streaming). If Netflix is a must and you don't have an alternative device (I use an iPad mini for it if I really need it), I wouldn't bet on this coming through anymore.
I would like to see more gestures using the trackpad as well, The two finger scrolling is nice but the three finger nav (especially for back) helps a lot. I can use the keyboard back button too, yes. But switching between using a Mac and the Chromebook makes it especially unnatural. More gestures!
There is a little bit of wear on the palm rests and some dings but nothing major as of yet. This thing still is great for writing (which is my primary use for it). It is so great and lightweight so it is easy to throw in a small bag for a day trip.
Overall, still very happy and it is even better with the speed and stability improvements with swap enabled.
== UPDATE 03/11/2013 ==
Just a quick update since I just updated but Netflix now works. I've tried it and it has been confirmed by many other users. Again, this has been a big ding against both Netflix and Google for not figuring this out but now it is working.
Best Deals for Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch)
I'm based in the UK and bought my unit there. However, physically this model is nearly identical to ours (to my knowledge only the keyboard layout and socket you need for charging it differs) and I've been using Chrome OS and previous Chrome hardware for a while, so I thought I'd give my take on this device.I've owned the Cr-48 for a while, which was a kind of test unit Google sent out to people to beta test the operating system. That came out a long time ago and none of the commercial units have felt good enough to me to justify buying, up until now. They were always a little too expensive, despite the obvious advantages.
This will be a long review. For those wanting a short summary, I'll include one at the end.
The software
For those unclear, Chrome OS (which the Chromebook runs) is fundamentally different to a Windows, Mac or Linux-based laptop, desktop or netbook. This is because it runs the web. No native applications exist specifically for this machine. There are apps (sometimes referred to as Chrome apps) but they also work in the Chrome browser.
Because this computer runs what many call 'just a browser' it has several advantages, as well as disadvantages when compared to a Windows machine. I've chosen Windows for most comparisons here as more people typically use Windows than a Mac or Linux machine.
Security
You cannot install Windows applications (or other native software) on Chrome OS. This means that the computer can operate more securely than a Windows machine simply because the computer knows what should be installed. If something is there that shouldn't be there, the computer will erase all local data and install a version of the software that's stored in a secure area. Once you're connected to the internet, you'll be updated to the most recent version of the operating system. As your settings, bookmarks and Chrome applications are stored by Google, they are also restored after the machine is reset and you log in. Typically the operating system is updated every 6 weeks, meaning bugs get fixed pretty quickly (important bug fixes will arrive more quickly) and new features are released quickly, too.
Getting things done
This is where the big problem is for some people; you can't install Microsoft Office, Adobe's Photoshop or other software packages. You're limited to software that's delivered through a website. Most people are perfectly comfortable with using things like Facebook, Twitter and email this way. The web offers some pretty powerful tools, though. For instance, pretty sophisticated image editing software exists on-line, as do audio and video editing tools. Using the massive resources of the internet (typically referred to as 'the cloud') means that video editing and other resource-intensive tasks can be made dramatically quicker than doing it locally. Make no mistake though, if you do need something like Photoshop it's just not possible, unless you use software specifically designed to deliver 'normal' software through the web. Companies like Citrix offer products that can do that, but given the additional cost, it's usually only big businesses that use them.
If you don't need extremely-specialised software though, there's a lot available. Google, Zoho and Microsoft all offer tools that will let you create, open and export documents in popular formats, such as Microsoft Office. There are advantages to this approach, too. Google Docs (as an example) allows individuals to use their on-line document, spreadsheet and presentation software free of charge and, even better, you can collaborate with up to 50 people on the same document, practically in real-time. This sort of thing just isn't typically possible with traditional software. Where it is, it's likely to be clunkier than a web-based tool as a website just lets you login and work.
Calendars, Angry Birds, finance tools (Sage and QuickBooks are available through the browser) are all also available in this way. It's worth checking out if the things you'll want to do are available in this way before ordering a Chromebook.
There are also many off-line capable applications. That is, things that will work without an internet connection. These include Google Documents (editing and viewing) Google Docs spreadsheets (viewing) and things like Google Calendar. Keep in mind though that this is primarily a device for accessing the internet. Without a connection, this device is extremely-limited. Applications delivered through a browser will get more and more capable over time, though.
Other drawbacks
As I've said, not everything is available through a browser. Critical things that people take for granted either aren't available or are very different on a Chromebook.
It's not possible to watch AVI or MKV video files (at the time this was written) for example, without converting them. That's a big pain for some. Printing is different too, as you can't just plugin a printer on Chrome OS and have it work. For those that are curious, Google has a service called Cloud Print, which involves hooking up your printer to the internet. This approach does have an advantage in that you're able to print to your printer from anywhere with an internet connection, either from a mobile device or any installation of Chrome. For those without a printer that can connect to the internet independently of a regular computer, you can enable a normal printer by installing Chrome on a Windows machine and running it that way.
Storage
A key thing about Chromebooks is that they come with a 16GB hard drive. This is considered very low by modern standards as a typical Windows machine will come with a minimum of 500GB and often far more.
Google Drive is Google's solution for this. Essentially, Google Drive is on-line storage. It stores files from Google Docs and will store pretty much any type of file, too. A key thing is that it integrates with the file system, meaning you can save files directly to your account (Drive can be used on Windows and other computers, as well as Android and iOS devices) and access them from whichever device you're using.
By default, Drive comes with 5GB of storage. This isn't a huge amount, but for free on-line storage it's pretty typical. Many other services actually offer much less. However, if you buy a Chromebook you get 100GB free for two years, which is very useful given that it can be used across many devices. If after two years you're using more than whatever the normal free allowance is at that point (things do change) and you've not qualified for some other promotion, you'll no longer be able to add new files. Your existing data will be accessible, meaning files will not be deleted.
Another great thing about Drive is that files can be shared with others. Google Docs files are not counted towards your storage.
Again, it's worth noting that other great on-line storage solutions exist, such as Dropbox and Box. The difference of course is that they're not tightly-integrated with the Chromebook.
Hardware (general)
This new Chromebook is running on an ARM chip, the type of processor you'd typically find in a mobile phone or tablet. That may sound slow given the demands of a typical Windows machine, but it's very quick. It boots in around 7 seconds (it feels more like 5 as the logo is on the screen almost as soon as you open the lid) and you can be on-line with your normal tabs open in under 30 seconds with ease. The keyboard is extremely responsive and many professional reviewers have remarked that it's the best that's ever been on a Chromebook, which includes the much more expensive Samsung Series 5 550 machine. The trackpad, too, is very good indeed.
The machine is extremely responsive due to it needing very few resources to operate. If you attempt to run 20+ tabs, yes, it will slow down a whole lot. But if, like most typical users, you use this for email, Facebook and the like, you should have no performance issues. Depending on your usage, the stated 6.5 hours of battery life are very close. In fact I'd suggest that you'd get more, depending on screen brightness etc.
Other hardware
On this particular unit you'll find one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI out (for putting what's on your screen on a bigger screen, like a computer monitor or TV) and an SD card reader. External USB hard drives work fine in my experience and many phones are treated properly as mass storage too. However certain devices such as external optical (CD/DVD) drives will not work at all. As a commenter noted, I originally forgot to point out that this machine has no moving parts because of the type of hard drive used. This means the machine is extremely quiet and doesn't get hot.
Miscellaneous
It should be noted that since Chromebooks are essentially stateless (that is, they have little personal data stored on them) they can be wiped at any time without a problem and you can start over. This also means that they can easily be shared and Chrome devices (a desktop version, called a Chromebox also exists) have something called Guest Mode, which allows a friend to browse the web without accessing your settings or bookmarks and when they're done, their browsing history is automatically deleted. For those with whom you share your Chrome device regularly, you can add them to the list of permanent users.
Summary
Essentially, if you use the web most of the time (this is what most computer users do) or want a second machine that can be used without any technical knowledge for that purpose by others in your household, this is an ideal device. If, however, you like to play a lot of 'real' video games or access specialised software, chances are that this device isn't for you. That said, this device is cheap enough that you can buy one for the couch or to use while you watch television. Due to the price of this machine, it's most likely to be compared to a low-end Windows machine (which are typically very slow) or a tablet, such as a Nexus 7.
If you want easy web access and don't care at all about typing, I'd suggest a tablet. A good quality tablet can (at the time of this review) be had for $199, including a high definition screen. But if typing and web access matters to you, I'd seriously consider this device.
Honest reviews on Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch)
Got my new Chromebook yesterday and was really excited to have an alternative device that I could type on. 99% of my computer time is while connected and the offline apps will be more than sufficient for this backup computer. Setup went very smooth. The screen looks like something from a laptop 5-8 years ago. Others have mentioned the viewing angle, but you also have to constantly adjust the screen tilt. I imagine alot of the cost savings were related to the screen. I immediately noticed that I have one dead pixel near the center of the screen. I have not decided if I will return for this issue.I would have rated this device 5 stars except I quickly found that video playback from all the major sites is not supported on this version of Chrome OS (running on Linux). Netflix, Amazon Streaming and Xfinity DO NOT WORK. Every site has a nice message to tell you that there is either a problem with the Flash plugin on Linux or playback is just not supported. I am sure Google has every intention of fixing this, but they have been deceptive in their advertising where they show these sites being used on the new Chromebook. Also interesting that this issue was not mentioned by the professional tech reviewers.
No information comes with the machine and the tutorial at the beginning is sparse. No info on how to change themes even though there are many nice ones on the Chrome Store.
The plastic case scratches VERY easily and the back of the laptop is already scratched just from sitting on my lap.
Overall a great concept and machine. I hope that the popularity of the device will convince the developers to fix the video issues or alot of kids are going to be really angry this Christmas. Seriously, why put an HDMI port on a machine if none of the major sites support playback??????????????????
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Samsung Chromebook (3G, 11.6-Inch)
==UPDATED 10/27/13== (Please see update at end of review!)The Chromebook.
The 249 dollar price point has really made this thing really popular. I was one of the CR-48 (prototype versions of the Chrome OS) testers, and recently I had a chance to play around with both this Samsung version and the 199 dollar Acer C7 version. Since most of the reviews have already covered pretty much everything about this Chromebook, I'm going to do more of a comparison review for those wondering which Chromebook they should buy. Both these laptops run the same Chrome OS but there are some significant changes in their hardware which I'll get into.
I know this is a long review so feel free to go to the end for a summary, or just check out the parts that you care most about. I've separated it into characteristics that most people will consider when they look at a laptop.
DESIGN: Samsung wins this one: It's thinner by .3 inches, lighter by around half a pound. Yes, they're both made of plastic, but Samsung's Chromebook has better quality plastic, if that makes sense. It's more unified looking & just feels more pleasant to hold. Many have compared this one's design to a Macbook Air while comparing the Acer one to a typical Windows Netbook. If design is a heavy factor in your decision process, then definitely get the Samsung one.
BATTERY LIFE: Winner Samsung: It has almost double the battery life of the Acer laptop. (6.5 hrs vs 3.5 hrs)
CUSTOMIZABILITY: Acer wins here: It's true, the Acer C7 is really like a netbook, which means it is easy to take apart and add your own stuff. If you're a tech geek and enjoy modifying your notebook, this one is for you. You can add more RAM, take out the battery, and swap out the hard drive for a SSD. Compare this to this Samsung version, where everything is pretty much sealed. You have to be happy with what you're given.
PERFORMANCE: Acer wins here: Now I know this is strange--how could a cheaper notebook have a higher performance? Well if we compare both these Chromebooks through sheer performance power, the Intel Celeron processor in the Acer laptop actually outperforms the ARM based Samsung Exynos 5 processor in the Samsung Chromebook. This is because the Intel Celeron processor is actually a computer processor while the Samsung Exynos 5 is actually a processor designed for tablets. And even though the Exynos 5 is a processor found in high end tablets today (such as the Nexus 10), it's still not up to par with an actual computer processor. Another advantage the Acer has over the Samsung Chromebook is that since it's using an Intel chip, it can run things like Netflix (which, from the last time I checked, the Samsung Chromebook wasn't able to do). This is because the Netflix app on chrome hasn't been adapted to run on the ARM processor yet. This is after all, the first Chromebook to incorporate an ARM based processor.
That being said, there are a couple of advantages with the Samsung Exynos 5. First, a tablet processor generates a LOT less heat than a computer processor (it's why tablets & all those mobile devices don't need a fan). Therefore, the Samsung Chromebook is completely silent when running. Also, the Exynos 5 uses less power than the Celeron, and it's one of the reasons why the Samsung Chromebook has such a nice battery life. Now, keep in mind that it's only a SLIGHT difference in terms of performance between these two processors. Most of us probably wouldn't notice much of a difference, but the Samsung Chromebook might stutter a tiny bit when rendering pages, etc.
WEBCAM: Acer wins this one: The Acer C7 actually has a 1.3MP `HD' webcam compared to the VGA quality (.3MP) webcam of the Samsung Chromebook. If you do a lot of video chats you'll probably look a little better with a 1.3MP webcam. I can't call either of these cameras great though. One's just slightly better than the other.
BOOT TIMES: Samsung wins this one: The SSD inside the Samsung Chromebook is just faster than the hard drive based Acer C7. Keep in mind that boot time (the time it takes to start your computer) is different from performance (the time it takes for the computer to process an action). If you're willing to do some work & spend around 50 dollars to buy a SSD to install on the Acer C7, you'll be able to match (and you might even beat) the boot time of the Samsung Chromebook. We're talking about a few seconds, so personally I don't consider this a big deal.
KEYBOARD & TOUCH PAD: Samsung wins here: Like the overall design, the keyboard and touchpad of the Samsung is just better quality and more responsive, though I can type on both just fine. The Acer C7 has function keys though, if that matters for you.
SCREEN: I can't really pick a winner for this one, because this really depends on what type of screen you prefer. The Samsung screen has a matte polish (easier to see while outside/easier on the eyes) while the Acer Chromebook is glossier (slightly brighter). They're both 1366x768 resolution. This is more of a personal preference.
PRICE: Acer wins this one, just because it's cheaper by 50 dollars. As mentioned previously, the Acer C7 is 199 while the Samsung Chromebook is 249. As of this time of writing, the Samsung Chromebook is still sold out, while the Acer C7 is available on the Google Play store (It's more expensive on Amazon).
PORTS: Acer wins here because it has two ports that the Samsung one doesn't have, and that's VGA and Ethernet. Samsung has a USB 3.0 which the Acer lacks, but I doubt many people are going to be doing a lot of heavy data transfer to an cloud based computer, so I'm not sure why that was included.
==SUMMARY==
To conclude, if you prefer elegant design, long battery life, portability, and fast boot times, the Samsung Chromebook is the one for you. If you prefer customizability, slightly better performance, and you're able to live with a kind-of-ugly looking computer and a 3.5 hour battery life, then go for the Acer C7. Neither of these Chromebooks are perfect, but they serve their purpose well enough, especially when considering the price. This is going to be a really hard choice for some (it certainly was for me!), but fortunately, both these computers are priced so low that you can't really make a wrong choice: it's a choice between two good options, kind of like choosing between Kit-Kats and Twix (everyone loves both right?!).
The fact that this is such a hard choice is a testament to Google's hard work and how appealing the Chromebook line has become.
-PSI didn't actually review the OS because I think the other reviewers have done a solid job with that. If you do have any questions regarding the Chrome OS, I'll happily answer it. I do want to emphasize one thing that many reviewers have said, and that is to know the limitations of this OS before buying it. If you buy this 250 dollar Chromebook expecting a full-fledged laptop, you'll be sorely disappointed.
==UPDATE 7/14/13==
So it's been a while since I got this Chromebook, and since then, Google has updated it multiple times, fixing random bugs, security patches, etc. So I felt the need to update this review a bit. It actually feels a bit faster compared to when I first got it due to these patches, and the Chromebook is still working fine despite some accidental drops. Also, Netflix now works on this Chromebook! Google advertises the Chromebook as something that gets better over time, and in a way, it's actually true due to how often they patch it/improve it(~every 6 weeks). Anyways, I don't regret buying this Chromebook, but I still hold true to my 4-star review because I do think that the hardware can be improved.
==UPDATE 10/27/13==
The next generation of Chromebooks have been released! They're faster, more efficient, and overall better looking, and are in the same sub-#300 price range. Please give those other models a look if you're interested in a Chromebook. In particular, I'd recommend the Acer C720, but the HP 11 and the HP 14 are also solid options.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Buy Acer 15.6" Blu-Ray Aspire AS5551-4200 4GB 320GB Laptop
This computer is fantastic. It is light, fast, reliable and plays unbelievable quality Blu-Ray discs. I have come to really love Acer as far as I'm concerned it rates better than Sony (I just sold my Sony Vaio because I was so disappointed in it's performance and the customer service has really gone down since the old days when Sony was the one to beat. Now I have this Acer and it is GREAT!!! I can't say enough about it, and to make it even better, the customer service is also GREAT! Webcam is clear and the sound is up there as well, and the battery seems to last a very long time on a charge. I travel a lot and that is very important to me. You won't be sorry with any Acer, but I can personally vouch for this model. I hope this helps you make your decision.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Buy Toshiba® Satellite C855D-S5359 Notebook Computer {AMD Dual Core
It is pretty big. The laptop is a good purchase for the price. The screen is a nice size. I give it like it.
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I bought this laptop for my mom. It's her first one. Easy to use. Big enough for her to see the screen and keyboard. Works great and has all she needs. It was very cheap as well. Totally recommend this product.Best Deals for Toshiba® Satellite C855D-S5359 Notebook Computer {AMD Dual Core
THE ONY ISSUES THAT I HAVE IS THAT THE INTERNET EXPLORE KEEPS CRASHING ALONG WITH ADOBE FLASH PLAYER. ALL IN ALL EVERYTHING APPEARS OK.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Sony VAIO E Series SVE14132CXP 14-Inch Laptop (Pink) Review
List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: $569.99
Today's Bonus: 2% Off
I was very happy when I received this laptop. After doing research and looking at my budget, I thought this would be the best fit for me. I am mainly using it for web browsing and photo editing. So far, it does everything I need it to.
If you're looking at a higher end windows product, I would go with a Sony Vaio E series. I'm particularly an Apple fan, but a Macbook pro was not in my budget. So I went with the next best thing! I'm still getting used to Windows 8, but it's very easy to use once you get the hang of how everything works.
So if you're looking for a higher quality computer for photo editing, school work or just browsing the internet I would highly recommend this laptop. It gets the job done and doesn't hurt your wallet.
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This is my first Sony VAIO purchase and I have to say it's really good! It's design is beautiful as well as the Sea-foam color I believe that's what it's called. It has a beautifully back-lit keyboard makes it very easy to see at night obviously but in the day too it looks really nice. It's very lightweight and thanks to it's 5400RPM HDD it does not get hot at all which is a relief because this is a problem I have run into with other laptops.It comes with an Intel i3 processor which is great for everyday tasks and having several programs open. I use Cisco Packet Tracer while listening to music on YouTube or Pandora and having my browser, Mozilla open with multiple tabs open and it handles it very well.
I plan on slapping another 2 gigs to this PC to run better because I need it but for everyday use and stuff it should be fine.
This PC comes with Windows 8! As stated on the product specs. Okay Windows 8 is pretty good, yes it has a new interface but not so different honestly. When the PC boots you will be prompted with MS new Metro UI (User Interface). It 's very nice actually the apps are pretty cool and it just shows where OS(operating system(s)) are going. Many people have approached Windows 8 with a negative attitude because of the interface but if you look back when the transition went from WinXP to Windows Vista soon after Windows 7 people reacted the same but then got used to it and so I believe that's how Windows 8 is going to be.
*I do advise you to invest 5 dollars in a program called Start8* This program brings back the Start button that we are so used to seeing in Windows 7 and it functions just like Windows 7 and it makes the transition a little less painful with all the extra clicking that Windows 8 forces us to make.
Graphics are good too it's nothing spectacular but hey it's good enough. This PC can edit HD & 3D videos it's sort of like Windows Movie Maker, and it comes with Sound Forge where you can create your own music which is pretty cool don't think I will use it but somebody else probably will.
In the package where the instruction manual comes will be a promotional credit where Sony gives you 3 credits for you to use on Google Play where you can watch 3 movies of your choice with the selection given unlimited times. I don't think you can download it which is unfortunate but still it's 3 movies.
I know this is a long review and not the best but I do hope it has helped anyone interested in getting this PC.
Overall, it's a great PC. This is not suited for somebody needing to have Photoshop open with some Adobe Illustrator and 10 tabs on your browser open. But more for someone with little-moderate use and also this is price range I was looking for as well.
Feel free to leave a comment or a question and I will try to answer it to the best of my ability!
Regards,
Andrew Ramirez
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Worked just fine for two months and then the computer died. Every support person I dealt with from Sony was based in India. Each one of them wants to walk through a 15 minute trouble shooting routine of removing the battery, remove memory, etc. Non of the trouble shooting solved the issue. After two weeks they sent a repair person to fix the laptop. He replaced the mother board and the machine was alive again. Two and a half months later the computer died again. I called Sony to return the machine for a refund or a new laptop and they refused. They are planing to send a repair person out again. Does not sound very cost effective to me. At this point I would buy any brand of laptop over a Sony. I understand that sometimes you just get a lemon, the answer is replace the lemon or issue a refund. You really don't want to spend over 15 hours with Sony support!Honest reviews on Sony VAIO E Series SVE14132CXP 14-Inch Laptop (Pink)
I had this computer for 4 months and the hard drive crashed one day with no warning. Sony has done little to help and it has to be sent out to be fixed. I have NEVER had such a upsetting issue with a computer so quickly! I will never buy a sony computer again. It was such a waste of over $700.00. Grr. Save your money and buy a Macbook!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sony VAIO E Series SVE14132CXP 14-Inch Laptop (Pink)
I bought this laptop with just three things in mind: good portability, long battery life, and solid build quality. And to my delight, the laptop fulfilled all three. However, I wasn't completely satisfied with the product and, therefore, unable to give 5 stars. Why? Not even a week after I turned the laptop on for the first time, the hard drive starting making abnormal clicking sounds from time to time. Hard drives aren't silent, I know that, but the noises produced from the laptop's hard drive were definitely far from normal. Almost everything else about the laptop is stellar though good enough, in fact, to warrant 4/5 stars.GOOD PORTABILITY
The laptop should be portable, given its compact 14" screen size. It's pretty thin, but also fairly wide for its class. The laptop almost fills my 15" laptop sleeve in fact. Weight-wise, it's right where it needs to be at just a little under 5 lbs. I like the slightly indented sides of the laptop which allow you to pick it up easily without having to really 'dig underneath' with your fingers.
GREAT BATTERY LIFE
Where this laptop really shines is its battery life performance. Just browsing around on the web, I was able to achieve almost 6 hours from a full charge without charging the laptop during use. The 5300 mah battery definitely helps. I left the screen brightness at its default setting which was pretty dim, but definitely ample enough to view comfortably. I like the fact that the screen automatically adjusts its brightness level to accommodate for the surrounding light environment.
DECENT BUILD QUALITY
Sony's never been shoddy when it comes to its products' appearances, and this laptop is no different. Though made entirely out of plastic, the plastic doesn't feel cheap. The laptop doesn't flex too much, but there is a little bit of a 'cratering' from the edge of the keyboard inwards. The backlit keys light up brightly as well. The touchpad is very large and responsive to multiple gestures. However, I wasn't a fan of the loud-clicking buttons below the touchpad. The buttons were not only loud but stiff too, requiring quite a bit of pressure to depress. And, again, the hard drive noise issue I experienced really was a drag on the quality too, but I hardly doubt it is a widespread issue for me to call the quality of the laptop poor.
Hopefully, if you buy this laptop, you won't experience the issues I had with it. If not for the issues I experienced, the laptop would've definitely been a keeper. Sony's made a really good laptop for the price!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Review of Sony VAIO SE1 Series VPCSE13FX/S 15.5-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver)
I've had this laptop for about a week now and I couldn't be happier with it.
Pros:
1. Gorgeous 15.5" LCD screen. It's got great resolution, brilliant colors, and it's very bright. The 15.5" screen may not be huge, but there is so much workspace because the resolution is so impressive. Great viewing angles as well.
2. Light but sturdy chasis. The chasis may be metal (which gives it a very modern look), but it's still so light you can pick up the laptop with one hand with relative ease.
3. Great battery life. As with most manufacturers Sony exaggerated a bit when they said you get 6 hrs on this machine, but it does come close. If you're on 50% screen brightness and you're only doing browsing the web you will get about 5 hours.
4. Great performance. The laptop comes with a 2nd generation i5 2.4GHz processor, which is significantly faster than the i3. Everything about the laptop is quick, including the boot-up, which takes well under a minute.
5. Doesn't pick up fingerprints. The finish on this laptop is matte, which means it resists fingerprints really well. The only truly glossy part of this laptop is the VAIO logo on the front.
6. Speed/stamina option. Sony includes a button that allows you to switch between using the Radeon graphics card (speed) and the less powerful, integrated Intel graphics (stamina). I thought this was pretty pointless at first but if you're not working with graphics intensive stuff and you're trying to conserve battery life, switching to the Intel graphics actually adds up to an 1 hour.
7. Relatively quiet. For people who are concerned about the fan noise, don't be. It's really not that noticeable, even when I'm gaming. Oddly enough, my roommate has the 13.3" version of this laptop and the fan on that is extremely loud at times.
Cons:
1. The touchpad takes a little time to get used to.
2. The speakers are pretty weak and barely have any bass.
3. The headphone jack is towards the back, which is annoying if your headphone cord isn't that long.
4. It's pretty easy for stuff like dust to get under the keys. Unfortunately it's a lot harder to clean...
Bottom line: The price might a setback but if you are looking for a laptop that balances performance, battery life, reliability, and aesthetics, this laptop is definitely worth it.
Keep in mind also, that at the time of me writing this, Amazon is offering a free $50 gift card and free sheet battery (which attaches to the bottom of the laptop, doubles the battery life, and retails for $130). $930 $50 $130 = $750.
For those of you who are searching for a new laptop and don't really know what you want yet: the other laptop I had considered was the Toshiba Portege. It's similar to this laptop in many ways but it is cheaper by $100 or so. There are a few minor drawbacks, like a weaker graphics card (Intel integrated graphics), no backlit keys, and a non-HD screen. Depending on what you want that may be a better option.
See that shiny "VAIO" logo on the back of the display? Yeah, it's a plastic inlay. Why should you care? Because the aluminum around the back of the display is ABSURDLY thin and completely without structural support, meaning that nice little plastic Vaio logo presses into the LCD guts whenever your laptop experiences pressure of any kind (eg, in a backpack or messenger bag). I noticed pressure marks on the display outlining the exact shape of the plastic logo within a MONTH of purchasing this thing, and try as I might to mitigate the effect, it just kept getting worse. If you plan to use this laptop for travel, you need to be exceptionally careful. I worked in IT for years, so I know laptops can be fragile, but this is absurd. Sony should have just painted the Vaio logo on, because this is one of the worst design decisions on a laptop that I can think of. It's just flat-out moronic it's a laptop you basically can't travel with without ruining.
You'll hate it all that much more because the display is just so gorgeous. Really, the colors are vibrant, it gets nice and bright, and the 1080p resolution makes it ideal for photo editing, movie-watching, and multitasking. It really is awesome.
As far as build quality goes, I'm disappointed with the amount of flex in the chassis, but you have to realize you're getting a 15.5" laptop that is really, really light here without having to get some horrible ULV i3 processor. It's all aluminum, so it dissipates heat pretty well, too (much better than plastic-bodied laptops).
The keyboard is OK. I like the chiclet keys, but the action isn't quite as precise as what I was used to on a Macbook. The spacebar also creaks occasionally, so that's upsetting. Then again, I have used laptops with far worse keyboards than this, so I'd definitely say it's passable. Also, the backlit keys are awesome. For the nerds out there: the positioning of the CTRL key is not at all ideal, but I'm slowly getting used to it (it's tiny!).
The bloatware isn't too bad, but Sony doesn't provide you a restore CD should you decide to put on a fresh copy of Windows, so BYO media if you're planning on doing a clean OS install.
Battery life is... well, it's a Windows laptop that isn't an Ultrabook. In "Stamina" mode, it gets around 4-5 hours of continuous use. If you buy this guy in a retail store, you may be able to get a Sony extended sheet battery for free, and that'll get you to around 8-9 hours of total battery life. Definitely glad I got it, so maybe find this thing in a retail location and price match to Amazon or whoever's cheapest.
The speakers are terrible. Just really, really bad. The headphone jack also puts out really terrible sound but maybe the amp on mine is defective or something. This is not a device you'll want to use for sound editing, let's say that much.
The Wi-Fi is a pain sometimes, it uses an Intel chipset that is notoriously temperamental about which networks it will play nice with, but if you go tweaking around in the settings (especially changing it to a higher transmit power) you should be able to get it working on most setups. I've not found one that it simply doesn't work on.
USB 3.0 is a nice feature, not that I've ever used it. The SD card slot is great, as well reads quick and is placed in a good location.
The power adapter seems unlikely to break in the event you trip over the cord, because it sits in there pretty loosely, but I'm not about to test that theory.
The screen on this model is much better than any laptop I viewed in the stores.
True 1080p. Brilliant colors and excellent viewing angles from either horizontal or vertical.
I like the keyboard layout. It feels more like a desktop keyboard with the dedicated number pad.
There have been many complaints about the loud fan when doing heavy graphics or gaming, but Sony just released a new BIOS that remedies this.
You can still hear the fan spin up, but not as loud as other laptops. Also, it is very thin, and there is not much room in the chassis...you WANT the fan to do its job to prevent overheating. If the sound of the fan is too distracting, you should opt for a larger laptop with a thicker case.
Overall I think it's in the top 5 in the price range.
Battery life could be better, but it is only a 4 cell. With the sheet battery I can get around 7-8 hours while surfing, email, etc with a brighter setting on the screen in Stamina mode.
The overriding pro here is the incredible screen/display -a combination of the high resolution as well as the perfectly tuned contrast, make this supremely comfortable to stare at for hours. It's even qualitatively better than other high-end Sony Vaio laptops (at a BestBuy, I was originally impressed by the 16.4" high-end/high-resolution Vaio F, but later went to another local retailer and saw that this 15.5" blew that other Vaio away). On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate the average laptop screen as a 3 (you know, that "digital" glowing look, sometimes with the cross-lattices), some HP laptops as a 6 or 7, the Vaio F as a 7, most Samsung laptop screens as a 7-8, IPS screens (at least the ones I've seen) as an 8, and this Vaio S as a 10. My eyes hurt easily when doing work (no matter how much I fiddle with Cleartype, contrast and gamma settings), and this has been a revelation.
Other positives: an excellent backlit keyboard, good keys and trackpad; included Bluetooth; very light weight for a 15.5"; a clean, good-looking minimalist look (reminiscent of the black slab in 2001: A Space Odyssey); and acceptable battery life even with just the base battery. As a bonus, Amazon is also throwing in the sheet battery -which I think is a good idea (i.e., you choose the tradeoff between more battery life and more weight/thickness). The Speed/Stamina physical switch also turns out to be useful -much more convenient than fiddling with settings -and it really works, not just a gimmick. The i5 processor and discrete Radeon 6470M graphics work great. I'm not a "gamer" but tried a recent game (Skyrim) just for kicks and this handled the 1080p (highest resolution) setting with aplomb.
The rumored fan noise was also a concern of mine (I returned an MSI notebook this year mainly because of the excessively loud fan). I needn't have worried. The fan is always running (it is never 100% silent) but during everyday tasks, the fan is very quiet and not overbearing at all -you have to listen for it and it sounds like a smooth airstream (and NOT like a "wind tunnel" effect nor a pitchy whine, both of which I despise). When running demanding programs/processes,the fan will increase in intensity but again, I don't find it bothersome.
There are two negatives: one is the utterly middling sound/speaker quality. It gets the job done in a pinch, but most cell phone speakers sound better, to give you a basis of comparison. It is weak and there is no midrange, bass, or even high-end (I'm not sure what's left). I'm okay with this because these days, there are excellent ultra-tiny/portable speaker options (I use the Satechi IPOP which can be charged via USB) that punch way above their grade (not to mention the option of headphones). However, if one is categorically against having to bring an extra speaker along, then this will be a problem. Secondly, the hard drive is slow and especially can't compare to an SSD. That said, it's fine for what it is, it's quiet (no clicking noises!), and can be replaced with an SSD in the future if I ever wanted.
I don't dock off any stars (i.e. each star is "worth" 20% of the rating) for these two issues because 1) in the case of the hard drive, it can be upgraded to an SSD in the future if desired, and 2) they're not deal-breakers for me; the overall experience remains high. Hence 5 stars.
1) Sleek, stylish and very light. The internal batteries will last you 3+ hours with surfing/browsing and Word Processor. If you use the Sheet battery, you'll get maybe 7+ hours.
2) Not a lot of bloatware. I did a fresh install all the same.
****THE BAD****
Speakers are *very* poor quality. Sounds lack bass and any definition. You might as well listen to music via cups and strings. They are that bad.
Pros:
1. Gorgeous 15.5" LCD screen. It's got great resolution, brilliant colors, and it's very bright. The 15.5" screen may not be huge, but there is so much workspace because the resolution is so impressive. Great viewing angles as well.
2. Light but sturdy chasis. The chasis may be metal (which gives it a very modern look), but it's still so light you can pick up the laptop with one hand with relative ease.
3. Great battery life. As with most manufacturers Sony exaggerated a bit when they said you get 6 hrs on this machine, but it does come close. If you're on 50% screen brightness and you're only doing browsing the web you will get about 5 hours.
4. Great performance. The laptop comes with a 2nd generation i5 2.4GHz processor, which is significantly faster than the i3. Everything about the laptop is quick, including the boot-up, which takes well under a minute.
5. Doesn't pick up fingerprints. The finish on this laptop is matte, which means it resists fingerprints really well. The only truly glossy part of this laptop is the VAIO logo on the front.
6. Speed/stamina option. Sony includes a button that allows you to switch between using the Radeon graphics card (speed) and the less powerful, integrated Intel graphics (stamina). I thought this was pretty pointless at first but if you're not working with graphics intensive stuff and you're trying to conserve battery life, switching to the Intel graphics actually adds up to an 1 hour.
7. Relatively quiet. For people who are concerned about the fan noise, don't be. It's really not that noticeable, even when I'm gaming. Oddly enough, my roommate has the 13.3" version of this laptop and the fan on that is extremely loud at times.
Cons:
1. The touchpad takes a little time to get used to.
2. The speakers are pretty weak and barely have any bass.
3. The headphone jack is towards the back, which is annoying if your headphone cord isn't that long.
4. It's pretty easy for stuff like dust to get under the keys. Unfortunately it's a lot harder to clean...
Bottom line: The price might a setback but if you are looking for a laptop that balances performance, battery life, reliability, and aesthetics, this laptop is definitely worth it.
Keep in mind also, that at the time of me writing this, Amazon is offering a free $50 gift card and free sheet battery (which attaches to the bottom of the laptop, doubles the battery life, and retails for $130). $930 $50 $130 = $750.
For those of you who are searching for a new laptop and don't really know what you want yet: the other laptop I had considered was the Toshiba Portege. It's similar to this laptop in many ways but it is cheaper by $100 or so. There are a few minor drawbacks, like a weaker graphics card (Intel integrated graphics), no backlit keys, and a non-HD screen. Depending on what you want that may be a better option.
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The Sony Vaio VPCSE13FX is a decent laptop with a brilliant display and one really, really bad design defect. Let's just get that part out of the way.See that shiny "VAIO" logo on the back of the display? Yeah, it's a plastic inlay. Why should you care? Because the aluminum around the back of the display is ABSURDLY thin and completely without structural support, meaning that nice little plastic Vaio logo presses into the LCD guts whenever your laptop experiences pressure of any kind (eg, in a backpack or messenger bag). I noticed pressure marks on the display outlining the exact shape of the plastic logo within a MONTH of purchasing this thing, and try as I might to mitigate the effect, it just kept getting worse. If you plan to use this laptop for travel, you need to be exceptionally careful. I worked in IT for years, so I know laptops can be fragile, but this is absurd. Sony should have just painted the Vaio logo on, because this is one of the worst design decisions on a laptop that I can think of. It's just flat-out moronic it's a laptop you basically can't travel with without ruining.
You'll hate it all that much more because the display is just so gorgeous. Really, the colors are vibrant, it gets nice and bright, and the 1080p resolution makes it ideal for photo editing, movie-watching, and multitasking. It really is awesome.
As far as build quality goes, I'm disappointed with the amount of flex in the chassis, but you have to realize you're getting a 15.5" laptop that is really, really light here without having to get some horrible ULV i3 processor. It's all aluminum, so it dissipates heat pretty well, too (much better than plastic-bodied laptops).
The keyboard is OK. I like the chiclet keys, but the action isn't quite as precise as what I was used to on a Macbook. The spacebar also creaks occasionally, so that's upsetting. Then again, I have used laptops with far worse keyboards than this, so I'd definitely say it's passable. Also, the backlit keys are awesome. For the nerds out there: the positioning of the CTRL key is not at all ideal, but I'm slowly getting used to it (it's tiny!).
The bloatware isn't too bad, but Sony doesn't provide you a restore CD should you decide to put on a fresh copy of Windows, so BYO media if you're planning on doing a clean OS install.
Battery life is... well, it's a Windows laptop that isn't an Ultrabook. In "Stamina" mode, it gets around 4-5 hours of continuous use. If you buy this guy in a retail store, you may be able to get a Sony extended sheet battery for free, and that'll get you to around 8-9 hours of total battery life. Definitely glad I got it, so maybe find this thing in a retail location and price match to Amazon or whoever's cheapest.
The speakers are terrible. Just really, really bad. The headphone jack also puts out really terrible sound but maybe the amp on mine is defective or something. This is not a device you'll want to use for sound editing, let's say that much.
The Wi-Fi is a pain sometimes, it uses an Intel chipset that is notoriously temperamental about which networks it will play nice with, but if you go tweaking around in the settings (especially changing it to a higher transmit power) you should be able to get it working on most setups. I've not found one that it simply doesn't work on.
USB 3.0 is a nice feature, not that I've ever used it. The SD card slot is great, as well reads quick and is placed in a good location.
The power adapter seems unlikely to break in the event you trip over the cord, because it sits in there pretty loosely, but I'm not about to test that theory.
Best Deals for Sony VAIO SE1 Series VPCSE13FX/S 15.5-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver)
Very happy with this purchase. It's bigger than I originally wanted....was searching for 13.3 inch laptop. However, most 13.3 in screens I've seen in person have a VERY poor viewing angle....move the screen slightly up or down and the screen either fades or the color washes out. This may not bother some, but is very annoying to me when viewing photos or watching videos.The screen on this model is much better than any laptop I viewed in the stores.
True 1080p. Brilliant colors and excellent viewing angles from either horizontal or vertical.
I like the keyboard layout. It feels more like a desktop keyboard with the dedicated number pad.
There have been many complaints about the loud fan when doing heavy graphics or gaming, but Sony just released a new BIOS that remedies this.
You can still hear the fan spin up, but not as loud as other laptops. Also, it is very thin, and there is not much room in the chassis...you WANT the fan to do its job to prevent overheating. If the sound of the fan is too distracting, you should opt for a larger laptop with a thicker case.
Overall I think it's in the top 5 in the price range.
Battery life could be better, but it is only a 4 cell. With the sheet battery I can get around 7-8 hours while surfing, email, etc with a brighter setting on the screen in Stamina mode.
Honest reviews on Sony VAIO SE1 Series VPCSE13FX/S 15.5-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver)
I have had this for two weeks now and feel I finally have found a keeper. (I am picky with laptops -have bought and returned two other laptops this year before settling on this one as my fullsize option.)The overriding pro here is the incredible screen/display -a combination of the high resolution as well as the perfectly tuned contrast, make this supremely comfortable to stare at for hours. It's even qualitatively better than other high-end Sony Vaio laptops (at a BestBuy, I was originally impressed by the 16.4" high-end/high-resolution Vaio F, but later went to another local retailer and saw that this 15.5" blew that other Vaio away). On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate the average laptop screen as a 3 (you know, that "digital" glowing look, sometimes with the cross-lattices), some HP laptops as a 6 or 7, the Vaio F as a 7, most Samsung laptop screens as a 7-8, IPS screens (at least the ones I've seen) as an 8, and this Vaio S as a 10. My eyes hurt easily when doing work (no matter how much I fiddle with Cleartype, contrast and gamma settings), and this has been a revelation.
Other positives: an excellent backlit keyboard, good keys and trackpad; included Bluetooth; very light weight for a 15.5"; a clean, good-looking minimalist look (reminiscent of the black slab in 2001: A Space Odyssey); and acceptable battery life even with just the base battery. As a bonus, Amazon is also throwing in the sheet battery -which I think is a good idea (i.e., you choose the tradeoff between more battery life and more weight/thickness). The Speed/Stamina physical switch also turns out to be useful -much more convenient than fiddling with settings -and it really works, not just a gimmick. The i5 processor and discrete Radeon 6470M graphics work great. I'm not a "gamer" but tried a recent game (Skyrim) just for kicks and this handled the 1080p (highest resolution) setting with aplomb.
The rumored fan noise was also a concern of mine (I returned an MSI notebook this year mainly because of the excessively loud fan). I needn't have worried. The fan is always running (it is never 100% silent) but during everyday tasks, the fan is very quiet and not overbearing at all -you have to listen for it and it sounds like a smooth airstream (and NOT like a "wind tunnel" effect nor a pitchy whine, both of which I despise). When running demanding programs/processes,the fan will increase in intensity but again, I don't find it bothersome.
There are two negatives: one is the utterly middling sound/speaker quality. It gets the job done in a pinch, but most cell phone speakers sound better, to give you a basis of comparison. It is weak and there is no midrange, bass, or even high-end (I'm not sure what's left). I'm okay with this because these days, there are excellent ultra-tiny/portable speaker options (I use the Satechi IPOP which can be charged via USB) that punch way above their grade (not to mention the option of headphones). However, if one is categorically against having to bring an extra speaker along, then this will be a problem. Secondly, the hard drive is slow and especially can't compare to an SSD. That said, it's fine for what it is, it's quiet (no clicking noises!), and can be replaced with an SSD in the future if I ever wanted.
I don't dock off any stars (i.e. each star is "worth" 20% of the rating) for these two issues because 1) in the case of the hard drive, it can be upgraded to an SSD in the future if desired, and 2) they're not deal-breakers for me; the overall experience remains high. Hence 5 stars.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sony VAIO SE1 Series VPCSE13FX/S 15.5-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver)
****THE GOOD****1) Sleek, stylish and very light. The internal batteries will last you 3+ hours with surfing/browsing and Word Processor. If you use the Sheet battery, you'll get maybe 7+ hours.
2) Not a lot of bloatware. I did a fresh install all the same.
****THE BAD****
Speakers are *very* poor quality. Sounds lack bass and any definition. You might as well listen to music via cups and strings. They are that bad.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Buy Toshiba Qosmio X775-Q7272 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop (Fusion X2 Finish
This laptop, with the one of the best intel mobile processors available, one of the best graphic chips available and its fast, huge storage, is the ultimate gaming and entertainment solution. What makes it better than other gaming laptops is, firstly, its relatively reasonable price. It's probably the best machine $1400 can buy. Secondly, its design is a major advantage. It's not as monstrous or exaggerated as some other gaming laptops are, but it is just impressive and nice-looking.
It's really easy to use once you receive the product, it took 5 minutes of mine to boot and set the computer. It also comes with a good set of software, like Google Chrome or an activated 30-days Norton Internet Security. Furthermore, Toshiba's own set of software is also very useful. The PC health monitor shows you values like Fan Speed, CPU temperature,Battery Health, power consumption and HDD status.The eco utility gives you a power consumption graph and your "green score", your energy efficiency.
Apart from these, the gaming performance of the laptop seems very satisfying. I only had a chance to play Battlefield Bad Company 2 with it, but it was impressive. I set all the settings to the highest value possible and I had 32x antialiasing and 16x vsync, I played on 1600x900 resolution. The game was really fluent in both single and multiplayer modes and the display was really good.
One of the most important elements of such entertainment and gaming laptops is the audio and I must say the sound system of this laptop is quite satisfying. Toshiba's long-time partner harman/kardon is a very good sound hardware producer and their laptop speakers are as good as laptop speakers can be. Even though the subwoofer cannot handle high-volume deep-basses really good, still, it is more than enough for gaming and quite pleasing for music. I'm a Pink Floyd fan and even the most complex songs of the band sound really good until VERY high volume levels.
The keyboard is one of the things I liked the most about the laptop. I'm an apple keyboard fan and I find those keyboards really comfortable and easy to use, but the keyboard of this computer is much better than them. The backlit keys are usable under all conditions and they press so nicely. I wrote a 1400 words long essay with it, during a 3 hours long marathon and it was really comfortable to use this keyboard.
The mousepad is also very responsive and useful with its multitouch feature. The click keys are a bit noisy, but I prefer tapping and the noise they cause is not a big problem to me.
The first of my concerns is about the Blu-Ray drive. I just bought a copy of Black Swan and when I inserted the disc, Toshiba Media Player showed up, but it wouldn't play the disc. So, I opened "Computer" and right clicked the disc, to play with the Corel software. The computer became really slow, windows changed its color scheme to basic and the computer stopped responding for a few minutes. I had to try shutting down through the task manager but then it suddenly started responding again. I ejected and re-inserted the disc and this time,opened it directly with the Corel software. It played flawlessly and without problems. I guess the problem was caused because Corel was running for the first time and I don't think there are any hardware problems with the computer.
The second of my concerns, before buying the computer, was about mobility. I of course didn't expect this to be as portable as a normal 15.6 inches multimedia laptop, but I was afraid it would be too heavy and large. It wasn't. Of course it is heavy, of course it is large, but it's also quite portable. I used it several times on my lap and it was very comfortable. It never got hot and didn't feel so heavy.
When using on a table, size became an advantage as the bigger display, combined with the good graphics card created a great visual experience. Also the fact that the laptop is thicker on its battery, giving it a ramp-like form when it's on a table. This is sometimes classified as a design flaw but I think it's an advantage. It makes the keys face you making writing much more comfortable and it also makes the speakers face you, augmenting the sound. One more advantage of this is that it helps cooling the laptop. This is very important because one of the potential problems of high performance gaming is that the computer may become really hot. This computer doesn't.
After all, I can say that I really love this computer. It excels in nearly all categories. It satisfies me with all its features and makes me glad I have bought this one. I have known Toshiba computers for their durability and stability, and I am sure this future-proof computer, with its components like the Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0' won't fail me or my gaming experience for the next few years.
Even if you are not a gamer but only some one looking for a multimedia computer or a computer to use for graphics design, consider this one.
If you're sure that you're fine with a relatively heavy and big computer, and if you have 1400 bucks that you can spend, I recommend this product to you without hesitating.
First and foremost I have dealt with Toshiba laptops before and though I would often say that brand doesn't matter (though some disagree) one thing I cannot argue against is that the Qosmio series of laptops have always been good (despite some of their older models being horrendously ugly).
The first thing to notice was the audio. It sports Harman/Kardon speakers. "What does that mean?" you might ask, well it means that it has speakers that are known for high quality. The great thing about the speakers is that they're loud, more than audible in a noisy room. This is great, I was excited about this. Since I first started dealing (at one point I was selling at an electronics store) with Toshiba laptops I always swore by the audio quality of their internal speakers. The audio is more than satisfying even for someone like me. Side note: I did not pay much mind to this until I was actually taking a good look at the laptop but it does have a built in sub woofer on the bottom. I did notice that it did have a good bass kick to it. Nothing a full sized sub woofer can pump out, but it is certainly a plus because it breaks off that nasty "tinny" sound you would get from normal small laptop speakers.
The second thing to notice (this should probably be first) is the case itself. The design is actually pretty sleek. It is a red and dark gray, (almost black) glossy, textured finish. The top of it clearly says "Qosmio" in shining red letters, the top also having a textured pattern giving it a nice feel that also extends to the inside where it helps to keep finger prints from showing up all over the place. The keyboard is pretty basic, I wouldn't say that it is special but exactly what I expected. The thing to pay attention to is that it is backlit with red LEDs. This actually looks fantastic and it has settings to toggle it on, off, and on with each keystroke for 1 second after (meaning it shuts down 1 second after you tap a key).
I did watch a blu-ray movie with the pre-installed Corel software and was pleased with the results. The screen is crystal clear, bright, however it has to be viewed from a proper viewing angle otherwise you get that photo-negative effect where black becomes white, so on and so forth. This is where the audio came in big time, it was perfectly audible and I was able to comfortable enjoy the movie without messing with the volume at all.
Now then, to get more technical, after all this is a gaming laptop.
I did a benchmark on Lost Planet 2 and I hammered this laptop hard. I cranked up all of the settings (32x Anti-Aliasing, full Direct x11 effects) and averaged 20FPS (it did dip pretty low when things got hairy, though). All in all, that is an amazing result for a laptop at this price. However, in order to play it comfortably with decent frame rates (as the DX11 effects and high anti-aliasing did not seem to impact the performance that much) I would recommend keeping them both off as it averaged over 30FPS making it playable.
I wanted to run more benchmarks but I do not have any Dx11 games other than Lost Planet 2. I did however (when plugged into an external monitor/TV at 1920x1080) with all settings maxed, Physx on normal, and Anti Aliasing at 2x, experience good frame rates in Batman: Arkham Asylum (I ran around 45-47FPS, this was NOT in the benchmark test though, I was just playing the game)
The immediate problem with this is: The laptop got really hot and I do mean REALLY hot. When I first considered this laptop I was deeply concerned about the levels of heat it would disperse (by disperse, I mean burn into my groin area) during normal operation. The good news is that during normal operation the laptop (and power brick) actually stayed very cool. On the flip side is that it did indeed get really hot during any gaming. I would recommend a lap desk/fan/cooler/doohickey for gaming, just for comfort, really.
Other notes: the laptop does transfer audio via HDMI if you plug it into a television supporting HDMI. It is heavy, and large, but that is to be expected, it's 17.3 inches. The battery life is pretty on the weak side, but as mentioned, it is a gaming laptop. For anyone who intends to not have access to AC power I would recommend picking up a 12-cell battery, if available.
Bottom line: It isn't perfect, but it did not disappoint one bit. It has a plethora of great features and is not violently riddled with clunky bloatware that you would get from some other laptop manufacturers. It does have some, just not as ridiculous. There is a touch strip at the top for volume, etc, be wary of this as it is very sensitive. Not necessarily a bad thing as I would like to know that it works whenever I'm going to touch it.
Oh, and, I scored a great deal for a free Xbox 360 with this purchase. Sweet.
However based on the specs and other reviews I decided to pick this baby up.
I cant say I'm disappointed at all.
Build Quality -
The entire computer is built out of plastic, however it doesnt feel cheap or flimsy, its a good quality of plastic and feels really solid.
The paint and texture have a nice feel and dont attract finger prints which is good.
The screen assembly is pretty solid, the hinges are sturdy and appear they will last a good while if taken care of.
The Fusion X2 finish is nice, most gaming laptops come with very obnoxious designs and bright and annoying colors and lights everywhere.
The Qosmio however has a nice sleek and elegant paint job, the red accents are shiny and chrome-like but not too shiny. it just feels like a more grown-up laptop compared to the previous gen Qosmios.
Keyboard-
I really really like the keyboard, there is barely any flex at all, even if you push hard, it feels nice and sturdy. The keys are very nice, tactile, and quiet they feel great while typing.
The backlighting is fantastic, evenly lit across every key, with just the right amount of brightness. More keyboards need to be like this one.
My only concern was that that space bar is shorter in length that most standard keyboards, so I found myself pressing the right alt key sometimes when trying to press the spacebar. It's just a matter of getting used to it.
Also, having the full numeric keypad on the keyboard is really nice as well. I thought I wouldn't use it initially but I actually use it quite a bit.
A note to buyers about the keyboard the backlighting settings have to be changed in the BIOS, which is kind of annoying but at least they're there.
It can be set to be always on, off, or on a timer which you can set. I set mine to turn the back lighting off after 30 seconds of inactivity.
Screen-
The screen is not terrible, but it definitely could be better. The colors dont pop out like most HD screen do, and the overall picture quality comes across as bland. You can fiddle around with the intel graphics settings to get it looking a little better though.
Also when you look closely at the screen, especially in areas where there are solid bright colors (red, white, green, ect) you can see the tiny lines in the LCD panel which can be off putting at times.
The viewing angle is kind of bad too, while looking dead on, the top left/right corners get dark. Then if you angle it to eliminate that, the bottom get washed out. It only looks perfect if you view from a distance and head on which is fine for watching movies but not much else.
1600x900 res is OKAY, but it really should have been a 1080p screen to go along with the other specs of this laptop. I would have gladly payed another 100$ or so for that option.
Hardware-
This thing is a powerhouse, a GTX560 card with an i7 CPU cannot be beat. It has run every game I've thrown at it so far on nearly maximum settings.
Tons of hard drive space, it has a total of 1TB of space, with two drives. However I am confused as to why they did not include a RAID controller with this setup. Most other gaming computers that come with two drives come in RAID 0, however this did not, and I do not see any BIOS settings to enable it, so I'm assuming that it just doesn't have the ability to do RAID.
Having a blu-ray drive is awesome too, now I can bring my movies anywhere instead of just watching them on my PS3.
Touchpad-
The included touchpad is a synaptics device, and it shares the texture with the rest of the palm rest, which at times can be easy to lose your finger on the edges because it feels the same again just another thing to get used to, its not really that bad.
It's decently sized, supports multitouch scrolling and gestures, and works well enough.
The left and right click buttons feel cheap and the clicking noise they make really loud for some reason.
There is an illuminated LED strip at the top of the pad which makes it easy to find in the dark.
Sound-
The Harman/Kardon speakers are pretty good, the subwoofer actually works pretty well, you can really hear and feel the bass coming out of it.
The overall volume of the laptop doesnt get super loud (dont plan on it being able to entertain a party with music) and it desperately needs an equalizer there doesnt seem to be any kind of extra sound software included.
Overall though, its really good for a laptop, you can watch movies and play games and you dont have to turn it up much passed 1/3.
Battery Life-
Like the other reviews said, it's bad. No getting around it.
Just in the time I've taking to write this review it's gone down 40%. There's no way you can watch a full movie or try to play a game without it being plugged in, which is a shame. However you can get a good hour or so of just basic stuff like web browsing if you need to.
Considering how powerful this laptop is its not surprising. Just dont plan on using it without an outlet nearby.
Fan and Heat-
While doing basic things (browsing, chatting, videos) it stays perfectly cool and quiet.
Under heavy gaming load, it still stays fairly cool. Only the area right around the vent on the left side gets hot, the keyboard, palm rest, and touchpad never get uncomfortable.
The fan is surprisingly quiet considering how effectively it cools the system, I'm impressed.
Other thoughts-
Being a 17" laptop, this thing is pretty big, however it still remains fairly portable. I wrote this whole review sitting in bed without it plugged into anything and Its been comfortable. For true portability I would stick with a 15.6" laptop, but 17" isnt bad at all.
I wish it had a slot-loading drive instead of a tray CD drive.
If it had a better screen, RAID 0, and better battery life, it would get 5/5 stars.
There are 3 issues with this computer: two minor, one major.
The minor issue #1 is that the texture surface, while lovely, isn't truly smudge/fingerproof.
Minor issue #2: When I do pick the computer up to carry around, it's so heavy and large that I hold it in such a way that I am constantly opening up the DVD-drive on the right side. It's not a slot-loading drive, and I find myself mashing the drive eject button.
Neither one of these are a big deal. Fingerprints are easy to wipe off, and I just have to try and hold the computer differently.
The major issue is regarding driver support for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics card. This is not solely a Toshiba problem, I have had similar issues with Sony, and I'm sure most all laptop manufacturers. The graphics card on this laptop is relatively new, but the drivers currently installed on this laptop are old. They're from 7 versions ago. For those of us who have put down the extra money to have a laptop that can handle games, and with this laptop marketed as a gaming laptop, we would expect good performance. I think you can understand frustration when your computer has the necessary hardware, but is stunted by old drivers that do not make the best use of its capabilities. You can go to NVIDIA's website to try and update the drivers with the brand-spanking-new releases, but they usually will not work. You must get your drivers directly from Toshiba Support as they tweak the NVIDIA drivers to work specifically on Toshiba machines. In the end, it seems kinda silly for them to create a system where they have to do that. It makes extra work for Toshiba, and they obviously drag their feet at it.
There are ways around it -you can go on Google, read through the various complaints from Toshiba owners on support forums at Toshiba or NVIDIA. People will complain that the drivers are old, they've contacted Toshiba (etc) and are brushed off, etc. There are alternative ways to update your drivers by downloading modded INF driver files, which work with mixed success. Sometimes certain features will stop working with these homespun drivers. So play around with this at your own risk. Since this graphics card is quite new, I haven't seen many robust "aftermarket" drivers for this GPU yet. I can still play WoW quite well, but I noticed after a most recent patch that my gaming performance has taken a bit of a hit. This would likely be rectified with updated drivers, but so far Toshiba hasn't done anything, and from what other users say on the Toshiba forums based on their experiences as previous Toshiba laptop owners, it may not ever happen.
SO -with that in mind, be aware that you might have to wait a few months behind many others to get your drivers updated, or they may not be updated by Toshiba at all, and it will likely require you to do something requiring modified files and not getting the driver support from Toshiba, as you would expect.
Otherwise, I like this computer. For the price, I am quite pleased. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It would get a perfect 5 if not for Toshiba's lack of graphic driver support.
With the given price of $1400+ retail and $1299 in Amazon, a laptop with high-technology like this should have been installed with 4 slots of RAM instead of a measley 2 slots-some say you could do 2x8 GB, however ( researched the pricetag and it's not going to be cheap. Also, why did Toshiba not make it Full HD and instead of installing 720p, it should have been 1080i/p-for a 17.3 inch desktop replacement, in this age most 17.3 inch laptops are given 1080p, so this should have as well. The Biggest complaint I have is the Power Adapter-it has the type of slot that could easily get worn-down and given time, plugging the cord would eventually wiggle and loosen if you are not careful with it; Some people also complained about the massiveness of the 8-Cell Lithium Battery Pack but with any massive laptops such as this requires such power.
I was seriously considering getting the ASUS G74SX, but with this price, you can't really go wrong-if you are a true hardcore/devout PC gamer, then you would choose the G74SX as it has everything this laptop has and way more but a little more expensive-G74SX has a 3 GB GDDR5 GTX 560M Graphics Card which is twice as much as the Qosmio and the RAM is expandible to 16GB max. The only reason I bought this laptop over ASUS is because from what I heard, ASUS is notorious for mediocre Customer Service outsourced to India and foreign countries to deal with the populace. So if you have to RMA an ASUS product, it would take a very, very long time to wait for repairs-sometimes even receive a half-efficient replacement or repair in turn.
So in the end, I chose this because I did not want to spend too much on a laptop and this is great for Multi-Media Professional or for home use, great graphical capabilities, fast CPU, and not a lot of bloatware.
If you are military-don't buy computers from the BX/PX/NEX-their computers are overpriced and does not have the features that online/retail store offer. I bought a Toshiba Satellite A505 for $890 from the BX and when I went back stateside to Best Buy, I saw the ASUS ROG G51 15 inch about the same price-the difference are features and better parts for the retail offbase.
It's really easy to use once you receive the product, it took 5 minutes of mine to boot and set the computer. It also comes with a good set of software, like Google Chrome or an activated 30-days Norton Internet Security. Furthermore, Toshiba's own set of software is also very useful. The PC health monitor shows you values like Fan Speed, CPU temperature,Battery Health, power consumption and HDD status.The eco utility gives you a power consumption graph and your "green score", your energy efficiency.
Apart from these, the gaming performance of the laptop seems very satisfying. I only had a chance to play Battlefield Bad Company 2 with it, but it was impressive. I set all the settings to the highest value possible and I had 32x antialiasing and 16x vsync, I played on 1600x900 resolution. The game was really fluent in both single and multiplayer modes and the display was really good.
One of the most important elements of such entertainment and gaming laptops is the audio and I must say the sound system of this laptop is quite satisfying. Toshiba's long-time partner harman/kardon is a very good sound hardware producer and their laptop speakers are as good as laptop speakers can be. Even though the subwoofer cannot handle high-volume deep-basses really good, still, it is more than enough for gaming and quite pleasing for music. I'm a Pink Floyd fan and even the most complex songs of the band sound really good until VERY high volume levels.
The keyboard is one of the things I liked the most about the laptop. I'm an apple keyboard fan and I find those keyboards really comfortable and easy to use, but the keyboard of this computer is much better than them. The backlit keys are usable under all conditions and they press so nicely. I wrote a 1400 words long essay with it, during a 3 hours long marathon and it was really comfortable to use this keyboard.
The mousepad is also very responsive and useful with its multitouch feature. The click keys are a bit noisy, but I prefer tapping and the noise they cause is not a big problem to me.
The first of my concerns is about the Blu-Ray drive. I just bought a copy of Black Swan and when I inserted the disc, Toshiba Media Player showed up, but it wouldn't play the disc. So, I opened "Computer" and right clicked the disc, to play with the Corel software. The computer became really slow, windows changed its color scheme to basic and the computer stopped responding for a few minutes. I had to try shutting down through the task manager but then it suddenly started responding again. I ejected and re-inserted the disc and this time,opened it directly with the Corel software. It played flawlessly and without problems. I guess the problem was caused because Corel was running for the first time and I don't think there are any hardware problems with the computer.
The second of my concerns, before buying the computer, was about mobility. I of course didn't expect this to be as portable as a normal 15.6 inches multimedia laptop, but I was afraid it would be too heavy and large. It wasn't. Of course it is heavy, of course it is large, but it's also quite portable. I used it several times on my lap and it was very comfortable. It never got hot and didn't feel so heavy.
When using on a table, size became an advantage as the bigger display, combined with the good graphics card created a great visual experience. Also the fact that the laptop is thicker on its battery, giving it a ramp-like form when it's on a table. This is sometimes classified as a design flaw but I think it's an advantage. It makes the keys face you making writing much more comfortable and it also makes the speakers face you, augmenting the sound. One more advantage of this is that it helps cooling the laptop. This is very important because one of the potential problems of high performance gaming is that the computer may become really hot. This computer doesn't.
After all, I can say that I really love this computer. It excels in nearly all categories. It satisfies me with all its features and makes me glad I have bought this one. I have known Toshiba computers for their durability and stability, and I am sure this future-proof computer, with its components like the Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0' won't fail me or my gaming experience for the next few years.
Even if you are not a gamer but only some one looking for a multimedia computer or a computer to use for graphics design, consider this one.
If you're sure that you're fine with a relatively heavy and big computer, and if you have 1400 bucks that you can spend, I recommend this product to you without hesitating.
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The funny thing about this laptop is that it was the first one I picked. I wanted an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of frills (such as a blu-ray drive) good video card, processor, large hard drive space so on and so forth. I estimated my price range based around this and I kept searching for that slightly better deal after searching I could not find another laptop that I would have liked better without sacrificing one or more features that had this laptop already sold at first glance.First and foremost I have dealt with Toshiba laptops before and though I would often say that brand doesn't matter (though some disagree) one thing I cannot argue against is that the Qosmio series of laptops have always been good (despite some of their older models being horrendously ugly).
The first thing to notice was the audio. It sports Harman/Kardon speakers. "What does that mean?" you might ask, well it means that it has speakers that are known for high quality. The great thing about the speakers is that they're loud, more than audible in a noisy room. This is great, I was excited about this. Since I first started dealing (at one point I was selling at an electronics store) with Toshiba laptops I always swore by the audio quality of their internal speakers. The audio is more than satisfying even for someone like me. Side note: I did not pay much mind to this until I was actually taking a good look at the laptop but it does have a built in sub woofer on the bottom. I did notice that it did have a good bass kick to it. Nothing a full sized sub woofer can pump out, but it is certainly a plus because it breaks off that nasty "tinny" sound you would get from normal small laptop speakers.
The second thing to notice (this should probably be first) is the case itself. The design is actually pretty sleek. It is a red and dark gray, (almost black) glossy, textured finish. The top of it clearly says "Qosmio" in shining red letters, the top also having a textured pattern giving it a nice feel that also extends to the inside where it helps to keep finger prints from showing up all over the place. The keyboard is pretty basic, I wouldn't say that it is special but exactly what I expected. The thing to pay attention to is that it is backlit with red LEDs. This actually looks fantastic and it has settings to toggle it on, off, and on with each keystroke for 1 second after (meaning it shuts down 1 second after you tap a key).
I did watch a blu-ray movie with the pre-installed Corel software and was pleased with the results. The screen is crystal clear, bright, however it has to be viewed from a proper viewing angle otherwise you get that photo-negative effect where black becomes white, so on and so forth. This is where the audio came in big time, it was perfectly audible and I was able to comfortable enjoy the movie without messing with the volume at all.
Now then, to get more technical, after all this is a gaming laptop.
I did a benchmark on Lost Planet 2 and I hammered this laptop hard. I cranked up all of the settings (32x Anti-Aliasing, full Direct x11 effects) and averaged 20FPS (it did dip pretty low when things got hairy, though). All in all, that is an amazing result for a laptop at this price. However, in order to play it comfortably with decent frame rates (as the DX11 effects and high anti-aliasing did not seem to impact the performance that much) I would recommend keeping them both off as it averaged over 30FPS making it playable.
I wanted to run more benchmarks but I do not have any Dx11 games other than Lost Planet 2. I did however (when plugged into an external monitor/TV at 1920x1080) with all settings maxed, Physx on normal, and Anti Aliasing at 2x, experience good frame rates in Batman: Arkham Asylum (I ran around 45-47FPS, this was NOT in the benchmark test though, I was just playing the game)
The immediate problem with this is: The laptop got really hot and I do mean REALLY hot. When I first considered this laptop I was deeply concerned about the levels of heat it would disperse (by disperse, I mean burn into my groin area) during normal operation. The good news is that during normal operation the laptop (and power brick) actually stayed very cool. On the flip side is that it did indeed get really hot during any gaming. I would recommend a lap desk/fan/cooler/doohickey for gaming, just for comfort, really.
Other notes: the laptop does transfer audio via HDMI if you plug it into a television supporting HDMI. It is heavy, and large, but that is to be expected, it's 17.3 inches. The battery life is pretty on the weak side, but as mentioned, it is a gaming laptop. For anyone who intends to not have access to AC power I would recommend picking up a 12-cell battery, if available.
Bottom line: It isn't perfect, but it did not disappoint one bit. It has a plethora of great features and is not violently riddled with clunky bloatware that you would get from some other laptop manufacturers. It does have some, just not as ridiculous. There is a touch strip at the top for volume, etc, be wary of this as it is very sensitive. Not necessarily a bad thing as I would like to know that it works whenever I'm going to touch it.
Oh, and, I scored a great deal for a free Xbox 360 with this purchase. Sweet.
Best Deals for Toshiba Qosmio X775-Q7272 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop (Fusion X2 Finish
I was weary about buying a Toshiba because my father has a satellite that is junker (although its AMD based, go figure).However based on the specs and other reviews I decided to pick this baby up.
I cant say I'm disappointed at all.
Build Quality -
The entire computer is built out of plastic, however it doesnt feel cheap or flimsy, its a good quality of plastic and feels really solid.
The paint and texture have a nice feel and dont attract finger prints which is good.
The screen assembly is pretty solid, the hinges are sturdy and appear they will last a good while if taken care of.
The Fusion X2 finish is nice, most gaming laptops come with very obnoxious designs and bright and annoying colors and lights everywhere.
The Qosmio however has a nice sleek and elegant paint job, the red accents are shiny and chrome-like but not too shiny. it just feels like a more grown-up laptop compared to the previous gen Qosmios.
Keyboard-
I really really like the keyboard, there is barely any flex at all, even if you push hard, it feels nice and sturdy. The keys are very nice, tactile, and quiet they feel great while typing.
The backlighting is fantastic, evenly lit across every key, with just the right amount of brightness. More keyboards need to be like this one.
My only concern was that that space bar is shorter in length that most standard keyboards, so I found myself pressing the right alt key sometimes when trying to press the spacebar. It's just a matter of getting used to it.
Also, having the full numeric keypad on the keyboard is really nice as well. I thought I wouldn't use it initially but I actually use it quite a bit.
A note to buyers about the keyboard the backlighting settings have to be changed in the BIOS, which is kind of annoying but at least they're there.
It can be set to be always on, off, or on a timer which you can set. I set mine to turn the back lighting off after 30 seconds of inactivity.
Screen-
The screen is not terrible, but it definitely could be better. The colors dont pop out like most HD screen do, and the overall picture quality comes across as bland. You can fiddle around with the intel graphics settings to get it looking a little better though.
Also when you look closely at the screen, especially in areas where there are solid bright colors (red, white, green, ect) you can see the tiny lines in the LCD panel which can be off putting at times.
The viewing angle is kind of bad too, while looking dead on, the top left/right corners get dark. Then if you angle it to eliminate that, the bottom get washed out. It only looks perfect if you view from a distance and head on which is fine for watching movies but not much else.
1600x900 res is OKAY, but it really should have been a 1080p screen to go along with the other specs of this laptop. I would have gladly payed another 100$ or so for that option.
Hardware-
This thing is a powerhouse, a GTX560 card with an i7 CPU cannot be beat. It has run every game I've thrown at it so far on nearly maximum settings.
Tons of hard drive space, it has a total of 1TB of space, with two drives. However I am confused as to why they did not include a RAID controller with this setup. Most other gaming computers that come with two drives come in RAID 0, however this did not, and I do not see any BIOS settings to enable it, so I'm assuming that it just doesn't have the ability to do RAID.
Having a blu-ray drive is awesome too, now I can bring my movies anywhere instead of just watching them on my PS3.
Touchpad-
The included touchpad is a synaptics device, and it shares the texture with the rest of the palm rest, which at times can be easy to lose your finger on the edges because it feels the same again just another thing to get used to, its not really that bad.
It's decently sized, supports multitouch scrolling and gestures, and works well enough.
The left and right click buttons feel cheap and the clicking noise they make really loud for some reason.
There is an illuminated LED strip at the top of the pad which makes it easy to find in the dark.
Sound-
The Harman/Kardon speakers are pretty good, the subwoofer actually works pretty well, you can really hear and feel the bass coming out of it.
The overall volume of the laptop doesnt get super loud (dont plan on it being able to entertain a party with music) and it desperately needs an equalizer there doesnt seem to be any kind of extra sound software included.
Overall though, its really good for a laptop, you can watch movies and play games and you dont have to turn it up much passed 1/3.
Battery Life-
Like the other reviews said, it's bad. No getting around it.
Just in the time I've taking to write this review it's gone down 40%. There's no way you can watch a full movie or try to play a game without it being plugged in, which is a shame. However you can get a good hour or so of just basic stuff like web browsing if you need to.
Considering how powerful this laptop is its not surprising. Just dont plan on using it without an outlet nearby.
Fan and Heat-
While doing basic things (browsing, chatting, videos) it stays perfectly cool and quiet.
Under heavy gaming load, it still stays fairly cool. Only the area right around the vent on the left side gets hot, the keyboard, palm rest, and touchpad never get uncomfortable.
The fan is surprisingly quiet considering how effectively it cools the system, I'm impressed.
Other thoughts-
Being a 17" laptop, this thing is pretty big, however it still remains fairly portable. I wrote this whole review sitting in bed without it plugged into anything and Its been comfortable. For true portability I would stick with a 15.6" laptop, but 17" isnt bad at all.
I wish it had a slot-loading drive instead of a tray CD drive.
If it had a better screen, RAID 0, and better battery life, it would get 5/5 stars.
Honest reviews on Toshiba Qosmio X775-Q7272 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop (Fusion X2 Finish
I really don't have a long blow-by-blow of the greatness of this computer. The computer is huge and heavy. It will also drain battery power quite quickly. If you're looking for a super-portable, slim machine with long battery life, this isn't the computer for you. And if you're not really a devout enthusiast of gaming or multimedia (which tend toward bulky machines), this computer probably isn't the best choice for you. All I can say is that the price was REALLY nice. Between sales and free shipping, and a 3 year accidental damage warranty, I had it in 2 days for $1,600 total. I play World of Warcraft, and it plays beautifully on ultra settings with no lag, even in cities. I'm also a scientist, and I am more than able to run my softwares, statistical analysis stuff, AND play WoW at the same time without performance issues. Not like I usually do that.There are 3 issues with this computer: two minor, one major.
The minor issue #1 is that the texture surface, while lovely, isn't truly smudge/fingerproof.
Minor issue #2: When I do pick the computer up to carry around, it's so heavy and large that I hold it in such a way that I am constantly opening up the DVD-drive on the right side. It's not a slot-loading drive, and I find myself mashing the drive eject button.
Neither one of these are a big deal. Fingerprints are easy to wipe off, and I just have to try and hold the computer differently.
The major issue is regarding driver support for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics card. This is not solely a Toshiba problem, I have had similar issues with Sony, and I'm sure most all laptop manufacturers. The graphics card on this laptop is relatively new, but the drivers currently installed on this laptop are old. They're from 7 versions ago. For those of us who have put down the extra money to have a laptop that can handle games, and with this laptop marketed as a gaming laptop, we would expect good performance. I think you can understand frustration when your computer has the necessary hardware, but is stunted by old drivers that do not make the best use of its capabilities. You can go to NVIDIA's website to try and update the drivers with the brand-spanking-new releases, but they usually will not work. You must get your drivers directly from Toshiba Support as they tweak the NVIDIA drivers to work specifically on Toshiba machines. In the end, it seems kinda silly for them to create a system where they have to do that. It makes extra work for Toshiba, and they obviously drag their feet at it.
There are ways around it -you can go on Google, read through the various complaints from Toshiba owners on support forums at Toshiba or NVIDIA. People will complain that the drivers are old, they've contacted Toshiba (etc) and are brushed off, etc. There are alternative ways to update your drivers by downloading modded INF driver files, which work with mixed success. Sometimes certain features will stop working with these homespun drivers. So play around with this at your own risk. Since this graphics card is quite new, I haven't seen many robust "aftermarket" drivers for this GPU yet. I can still play WoW quite well, but I noticed after a most recent patch that my gaming performance has taken a bit of a hit. This would likely be rectified with updated drivers, but so far Toshiba hasn't done anything, and from what other users say on the Toshiba forums based on their experiences as previous Toshiba laptop owners, it may not ever happen.
SO -with that in mind, be aware that you might have to wait a few months behind many others to get your drivers updated, or they may not be updated by Toshiba at all, and it will likely require you to do something requiring modified files and not getting the driver support from Toshiba, as you would expect.
Otherwise, I like this computer. For the price, I am quite pleased. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It would get a perfect 5 if not for Toshiba's lack of graphic driver support.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Toshiba Qosmio X775-Q7272 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop (Fusion X2 Finish
For starters, this laptop series has great potential: Two 500 GB HD running at 7200 RPMs, 17.3 Inch Screen, USB 3.0, Blu Ray/DVD Player, great design/looks, backlit keyboard, 2nd Generation Intel i7 Quadcore 2630QM 2.0GHz, Bluetooth compatible, great speakers, Wireless N Card, elevated design in the rear side for efficient cooling, and let us not forget-the amazing 1.5 GB GDDR5 GTX 560M with Optimus Technology.With the given price of $1400+ retail and $1299 in Amazon, a laptop with high-technology like this should have been installed with 4 slots of RAM instead of a measley 2 slots-some say you could do 2x8 GB, however ( researched the pricetag and it's not going to be cheap. Also, why did Toshiba not make it Full HD and instead of installing 720p, it should have been 1080i/p-for a 17.3 inch desktop replacement, in this age most 17.3 inch laptops are given 1080p, so this should have as well. The Biggest complaint I have is the Power Adapter-it has the type of slot that could easily get worn-down and given time, plugging the cord would eventually wiggle and loosen if you are not careful with it; Some people also complained about the massiveness of the 8-Cell Lithium Battery Pack but with any massive laptops such as this requires such power.
I was seriously considering getting the ASUS G74SX, but with this price, you can't really go wrong-if you are a true hardcore/devout PC gamer, then you would choose the G74SX as it has everything this laptop has and way more but a little more expensive-G74SX has a 3 GB GDDR5 GTX 560M Graphics Card which is twice as much as the Qosmio and the RAM is expandible to 16GB max. The only reason I bought this laptop over ASUS is because from what I heard, ASUS is notorious for mediocre Customer Service outsourced to India and foreign countries to deal with the populace. So if you have to RMA an ASUS product, it would take a very, very long time to wait for repairs-sometimes even receive a half-efficient replacement or repair in turn.
So in the end, I chose this because I did not want to spend too much on a laptop and this is great for Multi-Media Professional or for home use, great graphical capabilities, fast CPU, and not a lot of bloatware.
If you are military-don't buy computers from the BX/PX/NEX-their computers are overpriced and does not have the features that online/retail store offer. I bought a Toshiba Satellite A505 for $890 from the BX and when I went back stateside to Best Buy, I saw the ASUS ROG G51 15 inch about the same price-the difference are features and better parts for the retail offbase.
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