List Price: $649.99
Sale Price: $419.30
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This Dell model is easy to boot up and very fast. Doesn't have a lot of games loaded but offers many Free apps to download. No Microsoft office loaded so I downloaded Apache Open Office FREE from Amazon.
It's a bit noisy when it's charging but it I'll swap that for a slow computer any day!
Kept waiting for a good deal on a Dell with Windows 7 but couldn't wait forever. Amazon had this Dell $150 off so it was time to order. Windows 8 isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The tutorial helps make sense of the screens and icons. Once you figure out that the dial on a wireless mouse scrolls the screen horizontally it's easy to navigate!
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I purchased mine from Costco, not from Amazon, but would like to share what I know about this unit. This laptop, at its configuration, is a good price.The most significant good things about it are:
(1) it runs pretty well, and does not generate too much heat. The bottom of the unit is only lukewarm after 24 hours of use (one reason being the hard drive is running at only 5400 RPM, not at 7200);
(2) it has wired, wireless, and a blue-tooth connections, and an SD memory card reader (good for trasnferring images from cameras);
(3) upgrade of memory is very easy, as both memory slots are easily accessible at the bottom (side by side with the laptop hard drive).
The bad thing is:
You cannot install Windows 7 side by side with Windows 8, or even over it, even after you shrink the size of the C: drive to create a new partition. The hard drive has two hidden partitions before the C: drive (So C: drive is actually the 3rd partition). These hidden partitions are storage area for system restore files, and are valuable if you have to restore or recover the system. But their presence makes attempts to install Windows 7 impossible, until I manually removed all partitions and recreated C: on the first partition. (Then I was able to install Windows 7, and am running Windows 7 64 bit without any issues.)
I am not saying that Windows 8 is bad. I just wish to use Windows 7 for now.
Now, another good thing is with Dell tech support:
First, you can find all necessary drivers for Windows 7 (and Windows 8, of course) on their website: support.dell.com;
Second, Dell support is usually very good and very quick. As my system came initially with "Rapid Response Depot", I gave them a call Tuesday (6-25-2013) afternoon at 3, telling them (yes, at India) that I had lost Windows 8 and the backup drives in the process of installing Windows 7. In half an hour, they got the dispatch arrangement ready, and overnight I received the replacement package (to restore Windows 8) via FedEx. Next, I'll try to see if I can install Windows 8 on a different partition, and run dual-boot (W7 and W8) on this laptop. Usually you can install a newer OS (W8) side by side with an existing, older OS (W7) and get a dual boot. Will update when that task is done. So, for now, I am happy with both the unit, and Dell support.
Update 1 (after receiving the 1st replacement package from Dell): It was an 8GB system recovery USB key. On running it, it successfully restored my hard drive to the factory setting: with hidden EFI drive (this time only one drive) and with the rest of the hard drive as C:. It gave me back the Windows 8 system that I had lost, but it erased, without warning, the Windows 7 partition that I had painstakingly installed. So, it did the job of system recovery (to factory setting), but sent me back to square one. I called again today (7-1-2013), explaining what I need is the stand-alone Windows 8 media, by which I can specify where I want to install Windows 8 (on a different partition, so I can have dual boot). Will update again when the 2nd replacement media arrives. Calling and getting to a live Dell tech support (yes, they are in India. I got confirmation two times) took about 5 minutes. Getting the new dispatch order done took another half an hour.
Update 2 (after receiving replacement Windows 8 installation DVD): The replacement package came via FedEx standard overnight, to my pleasant surprise. Installation of Windows 8 onto a separate partition was easy. Update of drivers took some time, but was easy too. I now have dual-boot. On booting up, the screen gives me the option of either booting into Windows 8, or booting into Windows 7. I booted into each OS several times, and both OS are running well, without any issues. End of the story, a happy one.
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The only good thing I can say about this system is it has a nice keyboard.Turned it on for the first time and it sounded like a jet taking off the fan(s) were so loud.
The fans were constantly running & the keyboard was getting quite warm.
Day 2 it gave up the ghost. Network card fried. No ethernet, no WiFi. I suspect that the unit over heated and fried the network card.
Amazon sent two UPS pickups, both with different tracking numbers. It did get picked up by the first guy who got there. The second guy kept trying for 3 days to do his pickup. Amazon did credit my credit card with in a couple of days to their credit.
I've had a Dell laptop before that is still going strong after 7 years. This one was just poor design with the internals from the word go.
I now have a similar system made by Toshiba with AMD dual core CPUs instead of the Intel Quad core CPU the Dell unit had. The Toshiba was $75 cheaper at Walmart. The system is just as fast, the fan hardly runs at all and it is whisper quiet.
I would definitely not recommend a Dell product, this comes from some one who is retired after 30 years in the IT field doing just about everything.
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