Discount Compaq CQ56-219WM Presario Laptop 15.6" LED display / 2.20GHz

Customer Ratings:

Compaq CQ56-219WM Presario Laptop 15.6" LED display / 2.20GHz Celeron Processor / 2GB DDR2 RAM / 250GB HDD / Lightscribe DVD±R/RW / 802.11 b/g/n Wifi / 6 Cell / Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) I was somewhat hesitant to purchase this laptop, but aside from the negative reviews here, other site's reviewers were much more postive so I took the plunge and have been quite pleased with its performance.

Pros: Very easy setup . . . especially if you go wireless. I disabled the built in mouse pad and went with a wireless mouse, and use a wireless internet connection. The computer automatically picks up the signals and you're ready to go. Took maybe 5 minutes altogether.

Some folks have complained about its speed, but I found that the Norton Anti-virus Program that comes with it was the problem. After completely removing it from the computer and installing Microsoft Security Essentials . . . it became lightning fast, especially on the internet.

Cons: Just one: I couldn't get my printer to work on it, but decided to go wireless with a printer and got a new one.

All in all, this laptop does all that my old XP desktop did, but much faster and without all the wires dangling and protruding from it. No need for a monitor screen with its wires; got the wireless mouse and wireless printer. The only wire that I have inserted is the AC cord to recharge the battery. It's lightweight, portable and fast.

Some people complain that it's no good for games and such because it's too slow. Maybe it is too slow for some games. I wouldn't know because I don't play them. I use it for emailing, surfing the web, writing and research. It doesn't come with a webcam or other bells and whistles. It's a basic laptop for basic computing needs. It comes with Microsoft Office Word and Excel, but not outlook express. You can upgrade to get the additional programs for a price.

I've used computers for years and this is my first laptop. If you're looking for a good, solid, basic, fast laptop without the frills and thrills, you can't go wrong with this one.

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Seems to be a great preformace laptop for simple use. That is what it was purchased for. The size and weight are the normal for most Windows 7 bring a lot of features that windows XP did not have.

Best Deals for Compaq CQ56-219WM Presario Laptop 15.6" LED display / 2.20GHz

I bought this laptop when i was 12 and had it for about a year. It's a wonderful starter laptop. Might not be a good work computer but a good play computer especially if you download GameBooster. It lets me do all I need and more.

Honest reviews on Compaq CQ56-219WM Presario Laptop 15.6" LED display / 2.20GHz

I have used this laptop for 2 years now, and it has been a very slow 2 years indeed.

I can't tell you how slow this computer can be. It is definitely cheap, and has trouble running basic programs like word. It's a computer that freezes up frequently, and don't you dare think you can run three programs at once without having to wait a whole minute just to maximize one of them.

It is definitely not the greatest computer, but it works. As long as you have patience and aren't playing games or doing too much, it is great.

It is definitely great if you are like me and can't fork over $500 for a new laptop and just need something to do basic things on.

It might not be the greatest, but for the price it is worth it. It is a little bulky, and the keyboard is irritating (That PowerDVD button!!!) but you get used to it after a while.

All in all, it's what you pay for.

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Edit: My fan's already gone out at the 3.5 month mark. Bad soldering or circuit board leads.

Edit again: I've had it on a cooler ever since, and now at the 13 month mark the hard drive just crapped out. At least it didn't do that during my stats grad class, but I'm annoyed that it did this a day after I finally got Virtual DJ and the Emu 0204 running flawlessly by doing nothing more than creating a new user account (who knew cluttered/default Windows 7 profiles could so foul up ASIO?). I am hoping it's the motherboard, since the fan also had an issue as stated previously, but I'm not hopeful. Still, I purchased a 2.5" SATA to USB HD enclosure to test the internal hard drive with something else to be sure. If it checks out, I may buy another CQ56 and move it into that one. I'm not optimistic or even looking forward to buying another one of these if that is the case, but I don't want to go through the LONG process of installing all my stuff again. In retrospect, I was not being too hard on this computer.

Yet another edit: It was the HD. Darn. I hardly ever took this thing anywhere and it looks mint. Turns out the backup and clone features never exactly worked properly. Perhaps I should have cloned or copied the onboard HP backup partition? Windows 7 has a clone/ghost feature built in, yet even after creating a properly-sized Fat32 partition (required apparently in the wizard) on an external drive, that still never worked. I hoped it would run in the background after turning it on in Windows in control panel with my 3TB Seagate USB drive, but no. It looks like the CQ56 cannot either boot-from or clone-to an external USB drive, which is a problem considering it has only one HD slot internally.

Furthermore, the wifi adapter is not automatically recognized and plug-and-play upon a new Windows 7 installation. That means if you're on wifi, you won't be able to ever get on the net until you either go to another computer or connect to a hard line. HP really should have included a backup DVD.

Their forums are also full of people with dead fans and hard drives.

I'm changing it to 1-star and will never buy HP again.

----

Original review:

It's amazing how much you can get now for $300. I won't deny that, but this is, after all, a single core Celeron processor without even hyperthreading. Windows 64 also needs 3GB before it starts to have breathing room to do good, stable work. So I upgraded the ram to 4GB total and it helps, but the lack of at least one more core terribly limits multitasking ability. I feel you ought to spend at least $500 bucks for a laptop at the lowest acceptable "end" still. You get exponentially more computer. With only integrated graphics, one core, and slow hard drives, even with double the ram it's just not capable of what a modern machine should do at minimum. With 4GB it can handle single tasks well if you're patient. Don't expect a snappy, crisp interface, though. The screen is also lacking in contrast range substantially. Are you getting ripped off at this price? Nope. It's durable and, aside from the crummy stiff mouse buttons, does the basics. But jumping up in price gives you more than buying two of these would. I recommend the following minimum:

4GB RAM

Multicore CPU of some type (Intel seems the most compatible)

7200rpm hard drives

Dedicated graphics chip and VRAM; not just because of the horsepower needs, but some software literally malfunctions from integrated graphics

Firewire or Expresscard slot... not just USB connectors

HDMI port

Dell Inspiron 1721 17" Notebook PC. AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Reviews

Customer Ratings:

this puter is now almost 4 years old and only now am i starting to have problems with it. the amd x2 still competes with in the market today, it is a bit bulky to move around all the time, but still portable enough i can throw it in my pack and leave, i read the other reviews and the really don't talk about this puter at all. so i don't understand the low rating but it is great, i game on it webcam and surf the net all day, what else do you need it to do? the problems i'm starting to have is the dvd drive is going out as well as the screen, but take into all the time that dvd has been turning and how long it's been spinning through its life and how old this baby is it is to be expected. same with the screen, in retrospec i should've givin it 5 stars. and fyi this big guy has gone with me through 3combat tours (i'm in the army) and on its 4th now. so it's had a harder life than most laptops.

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I have had this computer for three years. It is my only computer, so between myself and three kids it stays pretty busy. I have had to replace the keyboard, it's pretty easy to knock the keys off if you aren't being careful. I also up graded the memory and replaced the dvd drive. It still runs perfectly, despite having two separate viruses removed from it over the past year. It is heavy, I would NOT recommend this computer if you have to carry your laptop around with you. The large screen and full sized number keyboard are really worth the extra weight and bulk to me though, so I just muscle through it. In all, I would absolutely buy this computer again. Thanks for reading my review :-)

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I ordered a Dell Inspiron laptop 1 1/2 years ago and it worked great until recently. The screen went black and the system would not start. Turned out that the video card had failed.

I contacted Dell customer support to activate my next business day warranty and after more than a week I have gotten nowhere with them. My claim has been "escalated" twice with the same excuses and refusal to fix the problem. They claim they have no video cards in stock and I will have to wait 2-3 weeks for a replacement card, 2-3 weeks for a loaner system, or 2-3 weeks for a replacement system -basically my NEXT DAY warranty is anything but.

I explained that this is a mission critical system and a 2-3 week delay is unacceptable given the high price I paid for the next day warranty. I offered to take another make or model of graphics card and even offered to go buy the card myself if the agreed to pay for it.

They refused to help in any way. So, I am left with a useless laptop for 2-3 weeks until it becomes convenient for them to honor the warranty. I will never buy another Dell product again and recommend that others who are not technically experienced with fixing computers or that need a "mission critical" system that they look elsewhere because Dell cannot be relied upon to fix broken systems in a timely manner.

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron 1721 17" Notebook PC. AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core

I love dell products, but I think the seller failed to mention this item was refurbished. and the seller did not do a good job refurbishing it either, as a few days after I started using the product it broke down on me.

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I bought a very similar computer to the one listed here, and I am very happy with it. The problem with this particular listing is that it is way too expensive for the device you are getting. I got my Vostro for $1000 about 2 months ago, and it is substantially faster than this one (1.8 GHz, 2 GB RAM).

The actual computer itself has been great. It's certainly a little bulkier than I would like it to be, but it's nice having the 15.4 inch wide screen. I also got the 9-cell battery which adds some weight and protrudes from the back of the body slightly. Having 4 USB ports is a particularly desirable feature, and although I have only used the SIM card reader a few times, I can see how that would come in handy as well.

I ended up choosing the Vostro over Dell's Inspiron 1520/1521 -which is essentially the same computer, but is marketed toward home users, whereas the Vostro is labeled as a 'small business computer' -because at the time, the Inspiron was only offered with the Vista operating system. Also, you can customize the small business computers so they don't have all the junk programs their home & office computers come with. Overall, I was able to get more bang for my buck with the Vostro.

My advice is if you are going to buy a Dell, buy it direct and wait for a good promotion to pop up. Try searching the internet for "Dell Coupons," and although Dell doesn't usually offer them, you will often be redirected to a good limited-time offer at their official website.

Buy Sony 15.5" Vaio VPCEB3TFX/T Intel Core i3 Laptop 4GB Notebook 500GB

Customer Ratings:

This is a great laptop for the price. It's fast, the picture is clear and I love the number key pad on the right side. My only complaint was the sound. There isn't much volume and the sound was weak and tinny. That was easily fixed with a $29.00 Gigaware speaker I bought at Radio Shack that sits on top of your open laptop. The sound is incredible for $30 and it plugs in with a USB cord. I would recommend this computer and this speaker.

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Beware! The Intel wireless display feature is not available although it is advertised as such for this model. I purchased the Netgear push2tv adapter and it was a waste. I called Sony Vaio support and they took a long time to tell me that this feature is not available on this model and the software cannot be installed as the hardware is not compatible. So do no waste your time if you are buying this computer for this feature. There are other ways to stream wirelessly to your TV, but Intel wireless display is not one of them for this computer.

Cheap HP Promo 3115M E-300 11.6 4GB/320 Pc Hp Promo 3115M,AMD E-300, 11.6

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a full laptop with a real processor, win 7 home premium, 4 GB RAM. a really good value and runs great. Shipping was prompt and as expected. I would buy from seller again. So much better than the ASUS mini 10" with atom processor and only about 6 ounces heavier. I recommend this laptop to those who need a real laptop that is very light.

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It has good battery life and is very quiet. Sound production is good. Pretty much all I need for work and is a light carry for bicycling to work. Don't buy it directly from HP. They're nuts.

Best Acer Aspire S7-391-6822 Touchscreen (Intel Core i5) Deals

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List Price: $1,299.00
Sale Price: $880.00
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

when I go to "Acer Recovery Management" -----> "restore factory setting", it say:

Insert media

some files are missing. Your Windows installation or recovery media will provide these files.

I didn't backup the system. So I have no recovery media.

I don't know how to do.

my E-mail is myrecoba@163.com. Please help me

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I just say ooh la la...

Its good one...

But somehow in look and feel it looks like 11" ultrabook rather than 13.3"...May be all white...

Getting dirty very fast...And I wanted more powerful like processor and RAM and harddisk....

And after getting it I don't don't touch my ipad and samsung note 10.1

Toshiba Satellite C855-S5118 15.6-Inch Laptop (Satin Black Trax) Review

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List Price: $439.99
Sale Price: $321.97
Today's Bonus: 27% Off

I'm enjoying this computer and so far, after a couple of weeks, I'm having no problems with it. Windows 8 takes some getting used to but it's easier than I expected. When I go into normal programs I use the desk top which is readily available in the start menu. I don't use all of the programs in the start menu by choice. Some of them are great. Others I just have no interest in. The display is beautiful and sharp. As of now I am very happy with this purchase. I would give it a 5 star rating but it's to new.

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I have to say when I got it first and saw the specifications on the processor being 1.10gHz I was upset to see such a small processing speed, but I don't know what Toshiba did but the graphics card, sound card and unique processing quality was somewhat mind-blowing. For someone that is getting a laptop for the first time or wants something small that packs a punch to be used for business but still wanna play a few game (for me it was fifa 13) but still rock out to music, I can say this pc is capable of doing that.

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I absolutely love this computer! arrived when it was supposed, everything is exactly perfect! Its taking me awhile to get use to it because I was used to an apple laptop. I couldn't have got a better laptop for such a deal! Its working so well with my online college classes.

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Our daughter's 10-yr old computer died so we sent her a Toshiba laptop which was just like the one we have. She is as thrilled with hers as we are with ours !

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I bought this laptop in july 2013. I even gave $28.00 for extended warranty. In Sept.2013 I turned it Off one night & went to bed. The next morning when I turned it on I got a screen asking for a BIOS password. I have never set a password for Bios. I could not get it on. So I called Toshiba support & told them about the Bios password problem. They had me try a few things while I was on the phone with them, but nothing worked. So they said I'd have to send it to their repair depot to be repaired. I had a choice of boxing it myself & sending it & be responsible for damages during shipping Or buy their box for $24.95. To be on the safe side I bought their $25.00 box. Four days after it arrived at their repair depot I got an email saying that repair was on hold because the main board had to be replaced & that it wasn't covered under warranty. I freaked!. I emailed the repair depot & ask them how could a 3 month old laptop main board not be covered under warranty. Four hours later they emailed me back & said I didn't send them a BIOS password & to either send them a BIOS password or $114.00 to repair it or it would be sent back to me unrepaired. Well I spent an hour on the phone with hump teen different people in Toshiba support. They all said that the BIOS password problem was not covered under the warranty even if I never set one. Bottom line..their warranty is useless. I told them to send it back to me unrepaired. LET IT BE KNOWN..TOSHIBA CORP.HAS GOT THE LAST PENNY FROM Don in Alabama. So if your thinking of buying a Toshiba product..you better hope you won't need the warranty. I actually have three Toshiba laptops but I will never buy a Toshiba product again because of this experience.

Open this link http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/toshiba.html

Buy Dell Inspiron 11z-1121 laptop / Intel i3-330um / WiMax 4G

Customer Ratings:

I've had the Dell 1121 for over a week now.

Let me just say it's the best netbook you can get for your money. And I say netbook only because it's lacks an optical drive, but it's really a laptop shrunk the size of a netbook.

The 2nd Gen Core i3 really kicks butt, and it blows the ASUS 1215N-PU27-BK 12.1-Inch Netbook (Black) out of the water for about the same price!

Minecraft runs with only minimal lag (You'll need to upgrade the RAM to 8GB, but it's not a big deal because the netbook has two slots.

It plays Left 4 Dead 2 and Portal 2 with decent FPS after you turn the graphics down some.

Well worth it.

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At this price, you would not believe that you can get all these features. The battery life is excellent. I had an HP that I used to keep for work and I had to constantly search for an outlet everywhere I went.

The notebook is really lightweight, but still has a large, bright LCD. I play a lot videos on the machine and have never experienced any hickups (not streamed media obviously).

The keyboard is not flimsy or distorted. Typing is very much like a full-sized desktop, but the keys could be thicker. The one thing I would recommend is getting a cooling pad if you intend on keeping this little guy on your lap. It could get a warm after a while. The other thing to note is that if you need a DVD/CD drive, you need to look elsewhere, but you will not find a notebook this weight (or just a notebook) with that feature out there for the same price.

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I think this is an underappreciated computer (but not by me!). I think of it like a Macbook Air for Windows. Perfect size & weight 11.6" and 3lbs. Perfect for school or portable business use. HDMI and VGA ports for home use or projectors.

Great LED screen. Resolution is only 1366x768, but what more do you need for this machine? It orginally had 2GB, but I upgraded to 6GB total RAM. I also changed out my hard drive to one with 7200 RPM, so it's a little snappier. There is a youtube video that can help you to learn how to change out your hard drive as it isn't intuitive.

Build quality is solid... but it's not a Latitude with magnesium alloy. It is hard plastic, but I wouldn't recommend dropping it.

I also upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate for the operating system. It also supports most Linux distributions Ubuntu, Mint & Zorin. Windows 8 runs very well on this machine... but I can't stand that interface, so I'm sticking with Windows 7.

Battery life is decent at about 3.5 hours.

3 Downsides I can think of:

1) It gets rather warm on the bottom side. If you do anything with heavy graphics, you will want a cooling pad.

2) There's no built-in bluetooth. While it would probably drain battery life quicker, I think it should've been made a requirement for such a little gem.

3) The screen doesn't open up all the way. I think it only goes back 120 degrees? It makes it more difficult to use on laptop stands.

All in all, if you are looking for a NON-touch screen laptop, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

Since I can't stand the Windows 8 OS, I look forward to finding used 11z's on ebay if/when my machine ever dies on me.

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This is the perfect pc for retirees. I bought a hotspot for the internet. I can sit at my bar and look out my window and email or search the internet. The keyboard and the screen are a good size. I can take it with me wherever i go. I am glad i waited for this model.

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The Dell 11z-1121 is a great little netbook. In my classroom, I have used older Dell netbooks, Lenovo netbooks, and Asus netbooks. This is a great improvement. I had been using an 11 inch Macbook Air as my personal travel PC, but that recently went to my youngest daughter. Needing a replacement and on a tight budget, I looked for a less expensive replacement. The Dell 11z was my choice, and I am not dissapointed.

On the pro side, it has a great screen and keyboard. It is ruggedly built. Memory upgrades are easy. It comes with Windows Premium 7 (while not Mac OSX, it is still a good system). The processor is fast. It has everything I need for teaching a VGA port, three USB ports, and a good sound system.

On the con side, Amazon dropped the ball. The main picture on Amazon's web site is not a Dell 11z. It is a picture of a laptop with a DVD drive, and this is misleading. Amazon, while you strive for perfection, you are not quite there. I will say, though, delivery was good. Keep trying.

Buy Gateway MT6707 15.4" Widescreen Notebook PC

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I purchased this item, and when I received it the battery does not charge. I have other battery's of same type from my last computer of same model. It did not come with a windows disk???

I called the # on the package it came shipped in and the person never called me back.

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Light, yes. But it being widescreen makes it a little "bigger" to carry, although it still fits in a standard backpack. After about a year and a half of this the fan started to weaken and now I can hear it run (it's pretty loud). Overall, not bad, but I wish the fan wasn't dying on me.

Discount Lenovo® G580 Laptop Computer {3rd Gen Intel® CoreTM

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I love Lenovo Laptops. The ones with the "uni-trackpad" are my least favorite but if you use a wifi mouse that's not an issue anyway.

THIS laptop has a separate pad and mouse buttons and everyone I know likes that better. No accidental click, or re-sizing happens that way.

The Core i3 is fast enough for everything most home-users need and even small businesses. I prefer the Core i5 for business use, but the Core i3 is NOT a slow processor it'll get the job done.

I ALWAYS remove the Lenovo Solutions Center and McAfee Antivirus (McCrappy). The Lenovo Solutions Center is just annoying with it's daily announcements and updates, and McCrappy just sucks :) I install AVAST Antivirus Free Edition and it's flat-out amazing.

Once the Lenovo bloat-ware is out, this is a great laptop and a pretty good price too. I recommend it.

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Cheap ASUS ZENBOOK UX31A-DH71 13.3 IPS FHD Ultrabook Intel Core i7-3517U

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List Price: $2,347.99
Sale Price: $1,496.93
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

The ASUS Zenbook UX31A is looking good. My only concern is that the typed description states a 256GB SSD drive but the scanned specs state it only has 128GB SSD drive. Which is it? ASUS ZENBOOK UX31A-DH71 13.3 IPS FHD Ultrabook Intel Core i7-3517U 1.9GHz 4GB DDR3 256GB SSD Intel GMA HD Bluetooth Windows 8 Home Premium 64-bit Silver Aluminum]]

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Discount HP Pavilion DM4-1062NR Notebook Pc

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So I purchased this from the microsoft store and really love it. Its aluminum case is beautiful and solid feeling. Its fast and gets a 6.6 for windows experience processor and a 4.5 for graphics. In fact I wrote a detailed review on my blog but heres some points in a nut shell. There a couple of emissions of the product discription as it does have the fingerprint scanner and webcam. It seems to be the same as the HP Pavilion dm4-1060us 14.1-Inch Laptop but sold thru microsoft hence the microsoft signature. Microsoft signiture means no bloatware so it should be easier to set up.

But mine had touch pad click problems. I initially tried to change mouse settings but it still failed then I called microsoft tech support (its a microsoft signiture) and he told me I was changeing windows mouse settings not driver. When I went to to mouse driver settings they were grayed out but I was able to hit restore default and that corrected problems and got mouse settings ungrayed.

Another low point is that I actualy only get about 4 1/2 hours of battery life for browsing without pluging in so 6 1/2 is very optimistic.

As for bloatware freeI had to download the simple pass finger print scanner software from hp to use the fingerprint scanner and install the hp web cam software. You would think that microsoft would have already installed these programs. The antivirus thats installed is Microsoft security essentials which I like better then norton and they include office starter 2010 a scaled down version of word and excel. They also have a trial version of office 2010. they also have click to install software form hp if you like the hp stuff. But overall its pretty free of bloatware just wish that Microsoft would know what HP stuff is needed and what is not.

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Discount Toshiba Satellite U945-S4140 14-Inch Ultrabook (Ice Blue

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List Price: $749.99
Sale Price: $699.99
Today's Bonus: 7% Off

This Laptop is excellent in terms of performance and ability, but what I don't like is that it doesn't meet the 5 hour minimum battery life requirement to be considered a Ultrabook. This is largely due to the fact that it has a 4 cell battery. It gets closer to a 2.5 hour during normal usage. The Intel i5-3317U is a good processor. Heck I even got this rig to run Skyrim, and the frame rate was actually pretty good. If you're looking for a primary laptop then this is a good decision although there are still laptops in this price range that I prefer more...cough cough...Lenovo is awesome. Toshiba needs to make some improvements into the battery life, but in terms of responsiveness we got this device to boot in 11 seconds, from completely powered off to powered on state so that is pretty impressive considering this still runs a Hybrid Hard Drive. I do like that it has 2 USB 3.0s which are fantastic for flash drives and external hard drive. I've even appreciated that they can charge my tablet, Nexus 7, and phone, Galaxy S III, while the device is powered off, due to USB 3.0 and not because of any special Toshiba technology.

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I use my laptop for nearly all my work and browsing time. I can spend hours processing video, recording, writing, reading, etc. I consider myself a heavy user.

After a fried motherboard on another machine, I bought this windows 8 model.

My trepidation was hearing all the reviews about the need for a touch screen with windows 8, and this model doesn't have it. After two weeks of heavy use, I've figured out how to work with windows 8 to do what I need as if I was in windows 7. The new start screen is a layer that is useless for me, so I've reverted to the familiar desktop.

The F1-F12 keys came with a configuration that is different than all my other laptops the special functions were the default as in F4 switched the displays to an unconnected monitor (that's annoying). The F2 key was rigged to switch between active windows (CTRL Tab), rather than to edit a cell in a worksheet. All the keyboard short cuts I've been working with for years were not default. I had to tool around to figure out how to undo that unhelpful setting.

Here is the annoyance.

The mouse pad is way too sensitive to react to the heat of my hands, causing the cursor to jump around on the screen to where ever the pointer is when I'm typing. I can't tell you how many times this causes errors, formatting changes mid screen, loss of focus and how many times I've hit "buttons" when I'm not done writing. The other day, this happened so much I almost through the machine out the window.

UPDATE: JUNE 13, 2013. . . This problem is unfixable via the touch pad settings. It seems the sensitivity fields extend even an 1/2 inch off beyond the track pad. I have made the zone as small as possible, require the heaviest touch and still, the mouse jumps around. I am forced to by a Usb mouse and disable the track pad.

Annoyance 2:

The mic jack on the laptop has a ground loop buzz, only when the machine is plugged into a powersource. If I want to record an audio, or talk with someone VOIP via the headphone jack, the laptop must be unplugged, obviously limiting.

The same is true with a usb headeset I own it has a buzz when recording, only when the power supply is on.

I have a Dynex usb external mic on a stand. It works correctly whether the laptop is plugged in or not.

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I purchased a Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook to carry with me when traveling or away from my desktop system. I have a technical background and believed this model of Toshiba Satellite offered a good mixture of performance and value.

The Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 arrived in about 3 days after placing my order. It came double-boxed and seemed to be in reasonable condition. All the seals were in tact. After opening it I found that the bottom cover providing access to the hard drive and memory was not snapped on correctly. This was easy to fix but disappointing. I would assume it left the factory this way.

I've spent the last few days setting up my Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook with the software and features I use most often. It is reasonably fast for the price. Had I been willing to invest a little more, I would've expected discreet graphics and an SSD. Based on the price I paid I'm satisfied with the performance of Windows 8, as well as that of the programs I use most often.

So at this point I'm cautiously optimistic. Nevertheless, I did find another issue with the build quality. When I removed the battery to figure out how it detached, I noticed the plastic casing around the hinges of the screen were not snapped together correctly. I tried to fix this the same as I had the bottom cover but realized it had been damaged during the assembly process. At this point this does not interfere with the usage of the Toshiba Satellite U9450-S4140 Ultrabook, but it is a cosmetic problem. I can't help but assume these are put together so hastily that there are build issues. I simply hope this doesn't mean my ultrabook will fall apart the more I use it. If you can find similar specs at a reasonable price from a manufacturer other than Toshiba, you might be better off considering it.

Honest reviews on Toshiba Satellite U945-S4140 14-Inch Ultrabook (Ice Blue

I bought this computer to replace a 6 year old hp laptop that was on it's last leg, and I have been very pleased with the purchase so far (I've owned it for a little over a month). It took a little getting used to Windows 8, but at first I installed the Start8 software that gave me the same "start" button as the earlier versions of windows and that helped a little, but I ended up uninstalling it as I got more used to how the windows 8 operates. As for aspects of the computer -I could use a little more "click" on my keys, but that's a personal preference. I was also disappointed that I couldn't make the touch pad less sensitive while I was typing. I had that problem with my hp, and while this one is not nearly as sensitive as that, I still seemed to end up moving the cursor around and accidentally deleting stuff I typed because of my hands hitting the touch pad. That may also be just the way my hands are positioned, etc.

Regarding the computer's speed: This baby is FAST! I had three different windows open with at least 7 tabs open on each one (for the internet) and it still functioned as if there was only one window and one website being loaded. I've really appreciated the speed and smoothness, given what I just came from.

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Great ultrabook format...my petite wife can drag this around with ease, and hardware wise, it is powerful. Windows 8, however, they just seemed to change things to change them, and made things that ARE relatively easy to use in Windows 7, obscure and difficult to find in 8...not sure HOW this is an advancement in user interface, just seems to be "different to be different".

Best ASUS UL80Vt- A2 14-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Silver) Deals

Customer Ratings:

I needed to get a laptop to take with me before going on an out-of-state summer internship. I did not want a "desktop replacement" type laptop since I already have a very powerful gaming desktop here at home.

After much searching and deliberation, I decided to get the Asus UL80VT. My reasons were:

1) Asus reliability and reputation: I've always had good luck with Asus motherboards for the PCs Ive build for friends and several family members; plus Asus laptops are consistantly more reliable than other brands ([Amazon deleted the link I had here, go to your search engine of choice and look for "Asus laptop reliability" and see what I'm talking about])

2) Battery Life: claimed to be 11.5 hours. Real-world resutls are about 7-9 hours unplugged. This time is for light surfing and word processing, and allowing the Asus "Battery Saver" power profile to dim the screen, etc. You'll get much less times using discrete graphics, bright screen, DVD drive, etc.

3) Powerful, battery-sipping Intel Core2Duo U7300 1.3 GHz processor: this low-voltage processor is plenty powerful enough for everyday tasks, light gaming, watching HD online videos, etc. Asus is even kind enough to include a feature which automatically overclocks the processor when on AC power and your games demand extra "oomph"!

4) Came with Windows 7 pre-installed: Windows 7 is simply the best operating system Microsoft has ever made, period.

5) Size/weight perfect for me: I carry this laptop to class every day in a Case Logic ENS-14 14.1-Inch Neoprene Laptop Sleeve (Black) in my backpack. At 4.8 lbs (plus 0.8 lbs for the AC adapter = 5.6 lbs total), this is about the same weight as one of my textbooks, and infinitely more useful!

6)Chiclet keyboard: I love the spaced-out keys, great for typing, easy to adapt to from a full-size keyboard. (No full-size number pad, but that's to be expected in laptops this size. Get a 15.6" screen laptop if you need that)

7) Fit/Finish good for the price: I love the aluminum top of this laptop, much less smudgy than the black one. The screen bezel is still black on the inside, which does show fingerprints, but that area doesn't get touched very often.

7) Has an optical drive: I looked into 13.3" laptops, but they typically don't have DVD drives, which is a nice feature to have for watching movies on a plane trip, installing software, etc.

Drawbacks:

1) Glossy screen is very shiny, I have a custom screen protector for this I bought online at which cuts down on most of the glare too.

2) Right wrist rest sqeaks/clicks a little when you put your wrist on it. This is not very loud and I don't anticipate being a problem. I knew this was an issue with this model beforehand. Don't be surprised if it happens to you, although yours could be louder/squeak more, etc.

Other thoughts:

* Some people have complained about the track pad buttons being under one solid piece of plastic. This doesn't really bother me at all. It is not difficult to press the left or right side. The left 1/3 is the left click, the right 1/3 is the right click. Only the middle 1/3 of the plastic is unresponsive as it is solid underneath. I should note that I am using the Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging], so to be honest, I am not using the trackpad very often.

*People have also complained about the stickers present on the inside of the laptop. These peel off easily and leave no residue, in my experience. Those are mostly put there so people who don't know any better can know what's inside their laptop.

*Finally, people have complained about the bloatware/junk software present installed on this computer. True, these programs are very annoying. But one could understand why a manufacturer would agree to install these trial programs and come-ons: higher profits. If you're so inclined, take 5 minutes to uninstall the stuff you don't want, this is not a difficult process.

* People ask what kind of computer this is all the time! Classmates/coworkers/friends who haven't seen Asus laptops (too many Dells and HP's out there!) will ask where you got this laptop :)

* I have installed Microsoft Security Essentials as my anti-virus program, and have had 0 issues so far. I highly recommend it. (Free download)

Summary: Overall I would say the build quality of this Asus is about an 8.5/10. I still rate this as 5 stars though because the minor build quality issues are not enough to detract from the overall value of this fast, efficient, and powerful laptop.

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Had this laptop for a week now and I am thoroughly impressed. I've installed a couple ASUS motherboards on desktops and was always really happy with their performance. This is the first ASUS laptop I've owned/used, and so far it has lived up to the standards I come to expect from them.

I love the 14" screen size/overall laptop size, fast CPU/RAM speed, switchable graphics (very cool, helps conserve quite a bit of battery when unplugged, but still has some muscle to game when needed.) Battery life is amazing for this computer's size and power, I'm getting 8-9 hours with average surfing. Also, I am so far liking Windows 7, after trying Vista and absolutely hating it, it seems like they got it right this time.

Cons seriously take these with a grain of salt, I didn't rate the laptop 5 stars for nothing. The touchpad takes a little getting used to, it's a bit sticky at first but once you get some skin oil on there it works fine. I have had no trouble with the multitouch features others have complained about, in fact it's a pretty cool feature of this touchpad. The mouse button on the touch pad does suck, it's a one-piece, rocker button and it squeaks when I press it (BTW other than that squeak issue on the touchpad, it seems that ASUS has really improved their build quality from previous reviews, I have noticed no other poor build quality-related issues with this laptop.) The LCD screen quality is definitely lacking, the reflections can get bad when you've got a backlight behind you and the poor black contrast makes it look a bit washed out when compared to other LCDs. Finally, the speakers are pretty terrible, but hey, they work which is an infinite improvement from my old laptop...

Overall, excellent laptop. If you are looking for the perfect mix of power and portability, you've found it.

Best Deals for ASUS UL80Vt- A2 14-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Silver)

I based my purchase off all the good reviews I read about the system. Now, I've had it for 8 months, and have had problems for at least 6 months. Many of the ASUS start-up files crash at system start up. Creating a recovery CD will cause a crash too. Also, system restore attempts often fail. I wish I'd read about all this 8 months ago.

The best part about this laptop is that there is dual operating system built-in where there's a Windows based system button and a Linux based button, so when the windows system crashed (daily) I could still check my email in the reliable Linux system. There was a period of time when I just didn't power down at all to avoid the startup issues.

Another good thing is if you call customer service you won't wait 30 minutes to talk to a person. They're good about that. Now, whether they actually fix your problem is an issue that remains to be seen in my case.

The touchpad and keyboard design has been a big problem as well. Even when I'm typing very carefully the mouse will jump around to other text boxes. This is a big problem when filling out any kind of form on the internet as well as typing a Word document. I've opted for a external mouse and have disabled the touchpad altogether.

I don't believe today's laptops are made to last, but I do think you can find a better one that will work as expected for a reasonable amount of time. I would not choose this model/brand again.

****UPDATE*****

I sent this laptop back within the 1-year warranty to be repaired by ASUS. It worked normally for 1/2 a day, and went right back to the previous issues of crashing. I truly believe their fix was merely to re-format the computer only. I could have done that myself. I declined to send it back again because I do not believe they'll resolve the issue nor do I have the time. ASUS has not updated ANY of the drivers the computer needs to function properly. I guess ASUS ripped me off. $700 out of my pockets for a bad product.

Honest reviews on ASUS UL80Vt- A2 14-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Silver)

This is the third ASUS we've added to our stable and am very happy with what we've received from the company. You get a very high quality laptop without paying the premium that others charge.

a) Build Quality 10/10 -was very nervous about the build quality given some of the previous reviews. ASUS LISTENED. This is better than the Sony VAIO (bought less than a year ago) that we just recycled, the Dell I have from work and the HP that we bought a few months ago. Everything is tight.

b) Keyboard 9/10 -I actually care about how the keyboard feels when typing as I learned how to type of a manual, then selectric many years ago. This keyboard is almost on par with what you can get from Lenovo. And, no, there is no flex that I can feel at this point. I save 10/10 for Lenovo

c) Screen 10/10 -One of the most clear screens that I've seen. Have watched HD movies and also have manipulated images using Adobe Photoshop. Cannot be beat.

d) Video Card 9/10 -Hybrid Nvidia/Intel MHD is awesome. Cutting to the intel chip with battery is seamless and you really cannot tell that you're in powersaving mode. Only reason why not a 10/10 is because the Nvidia chip only has 512Meg on the GBU... Should be 1 Gig.

e) Case -10/10 -as stated in build quality... this looks awesome. Had to really work to figure out which panel was aluminum and which was plastic.

f) Hard Drive -5/10. I was a bit surprised that the HDD was only a 5400 rpm drive. I immediately created an image, replaced with a 7200 rpm drive and reloaded. I have found the 7200 doesn't seem to hurt battery life and does improve performance a bit. Given the prices of HDD's today, there should be no reason for not having a 7200 rpm.

g) RAM -DDR3. Need I say more?

h) CPU -Intel. Need I say more?

i) Battery life 10/10. I have done quite a bit with numerous laptops to try to extend battery life. I don't like having to drag around power cords when visiting clients. I am able to get almost 8 hours in battery saving mode.

j) Bloatware -ASUS seems to be increasing the amount of bloatware they install on their laptops. I just unloaded everything that said ASUS and the laptop still works very well... Some of the 'smart keys' don't work, but that doesn't bother me. The trade off between quick boots and flicking keys to change power modes is worth it to me.

I wouldn't look much further if you're looking for a laptop that can be lugged around all day. The secret for a 14" screen is the laptop isn't much bigger than a 13.3" case, but feels as if you're looking at a much larger screen.

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I received my silver asus ul80vt laptop today, and I absolutely love it! This is my first review, but I thought it was necessary because it was such a great deal! In the price range, (I bought it for around $750) this was top of the line. The battery life is incredible, it was delivered in excellent condition, and best of all it's lightweight! The screen is, in my opinion, of great quality. The viewing angles are not nearly as bad as some of the reviews I read, and the color is awesome! Also, it's the perfect size. It's small, but big enough so that you don't have to squint! It's about the size of a hard back textbook, but much thinner. The processor is great, and the hard drive is adequate. Internet connection works great, and the camera is a lot better quality than I was expecting. I was expecting to have trouble with the trackpad, but so far it seems normal to me. The only thing I noticed is that I tend to move the mouse with the base of my hand while typing on occasion, but that's nothing major. I have heard that asus makes the motherboards for mac computers, and while I considered splurging for a macbook pro, I couldn't justify the cost difference. I could buy TWO of these for the price of a mac and it has more features!

Reviews of IBM Thinkpad T60 14.1" Laptop (Intel Core Duo 1.8Ghz, 80GB Hard

Customer Ratings:

I ordered this laptop for Christmas for my nephew and he is having a lot on fund with it. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

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So I got a computer with no hard drive, a dead battery, no operating systems and overall this price of junk is going to cost more then a new lap top just to fix. I wish I could return it

Best Deals for IBM Thinkpad T60 14.1" Laptop (Intel Core Duo 1.8Ghz, 80GB Hard

Everything arrived in their desired time1

Everything arrived in their desired time

Everything arrived in their desired time

Everything arrived in their desired time

Honest reviews on IBM Thinkpad T60 14.1" Laptop (Intel Core Duo 1.8Ghz, 80GB Hard

I just received my laptop an it's a piece of junk.. I plugged it in an turned it on an there's no start up menu it just keeps reading the same words over an over again.. I will never buy used again