Showing posts with label power notebooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power notebooks. Show all posts
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Review of 13.3" MacBook Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive
i was unhappy when i got this item from the seller i got it from they it 4gbs of ram and 500gb hard drive and a 10 hour battery but when i it only had 2gbs of ram 250gb hard drive and up to 3hours on the battery so make sure check the seller and all the specs but it did work
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Reviews of ASUS A550CA-EB51 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dark Gray)
List Price: $519.00
Sale Price: $499.99
Today's Bonus: 4% Off
This is the worst laptop I know, I feel not comfortable with this laptop and refund it mediately. I picked up ASUS K55N-DB81 as well later. ASUS K55N-DB81 is cheaper, higher system, longer battery life. I can use it in my college. One more time, my advice is DO NOT buy this laptop. You can see my new laptop here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COR29XI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00COR29XI&linkCode=as2&tag=best-refer-20
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Its not as good as I expected. I have the same problem as another customer where the spacebar doesn't register sometimes. The battery life isn't very long so it has to stay plugged in for most of the time. The Startup is also a little slow. So overall rating, not impressed. Gonna return It and buy a different computer.Best Deals for ASUS A550CA-EB51 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dark Gray)
I ordered a new laptop, but they sent me a refurbished laptop with pre-used problems. The space bar had to be pressed hard on the right side to work and on the second day I had it, the mouse wouldn't move and the screen would freeze up repeatedly! I had to turn it off then back on to make it work, but it would eventually happen again. Lastly, it kept overheating to the point where I thought it was going to catch fire. This laptop was horrible! I would not recommend this to anyone!Honest reviews on ASUS A550CA-EB51 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dark Gray)
It's a fast computer, I love windows 8 personality because it's like been working with a tablet. Not heavy computer and very good size for students.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for ASUS A550CA-EB51 15.6-Inch Laptop (Dark Gray)
The laptop works really good and it has a very good performance, the prize is low compared with all that you can have with this laptop.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Review of Alienware ALW14-1869sLV 14-Inch Laptop (Silver)
bought this laptop a couple of days ago, it is just as other Alienwares... I mean, they are heavy, with amazing lights and perfect for games... the only thing I'm not satisfied is that C disc can't be divided, which really annoys me a lot...
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the Alienware hsa problem with its lights, it sometimes only work half of them and the indicator light doesn't work as same as the other lights, I don't konw if this is the hardware problem or the software problem, I'm so annoyed with this, and I don't have time to repair it, I don't know why does the new laptop has such as this problem, is this new laptop? I'm so doubt it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Sunday, September 14, 2014
Buy Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p 59375625 15" i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz 8GB 250GB SSD
This product originally before hard drive modifications was already impressive, but with Computer Upgrade King SSD upgrade, boot ups are blazing fast. Games like Bioshock Infinite run at high-ultra settings.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Buy MSI G Series GT70 2OD-019US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
List Price: $2,499.99
Sale Price: $2,379.99
Today's Bonus: 5% Off
I'm not gonna get all fancy about this review. I wanted to add this because someone gave it a one star when this deserves nothing lower then a 5. If you want to game, this is your machine. Seriously, SuperRAID, Steelseries keyboard, Killer Network, 24gb ram, 1tb hdd, 4gb NVidia GPU, New Haswell, and MSI...need I say more. Ok maybe, how about Matrix display allowing 3 external screens used all at once. Read my comment to the 1 star review if you want more info. Or, just buy it.
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My intention was to replace the 1 TB HDD that comes with this model with my Vertex 2 solid-state drive that I used in the Alienware I previously had. Hah.The design of the MSI GT70 requires you to pull off the entire cover if you want to replace the hard drive. Or access RAM. This necessarily involves destroying the sticker that invalidates your warranty. Yes, in order to replace a hard drive or a RAM stick on this laptop, you have to void your warranty.
Second, the laptop didn't seem to play well with my Vertex 2 SSD. It works fine as an external drive in an USB enclosure, but when installed internally, it often wasn't available when Windows booted. When it was available, it kept going offline it disappeared from both File Explorer and Device Manager on a whim, and didn't reactivate until a reboot. I had to order a new SSD, a Samsung 840 Pro, to see if that will work better.
Third, the laptop crashes about 2 out of 3 times when it boots. I'm using the original Windows 8 installation that came installed on the laptop as delivered; the only change I've made was to apply Windows updates. Literally, two out of three times, the laptop will either freeze or blue screen when booting sometimes with MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION, sometimes with CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT. This is with my SSD, or without. I have to keep trying to reboot until it works, and I'm never quite sure it'll run this time.
Fourth, the Page Up and Home key are one key, so you have to press Fn + PgUp to access Home. Likewise, the Page Down and End keys are one key, so you have to press Fn + PgDn to access End. This was a genius choice by some incompetent keyboard designer that needs to be fired. Imagine how this works with text editing. Want to press Ctrl + Home to get to the start of the text? You better get used to Ctrl + Fn + PgUp. Want to press End to get to the end of the line? You better get used to Fn + PgDn.
Fifth, the BIOS on this laptop is intended for Windows 8, and it's hard to install Windows 7 on it. Several BIOS options need to be changed, and then, the Windows 7 installer complains that a DVD driver is missing. I resorted to using the Windows 8 that came installed.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Alienware ALW17-3744sLV 17-Inch Laptop (Silver) Reviews
List Price: $1,499.00
Sale Price: $1,464.78
Today's Bonus: 2% Off
I've had my Alienware 17 for a couple weeks now, and I'm absolutely in love with it! I use it primarily to run League of Legends. It's currently running LoL on the highest possible quality settings across the board, and runs at a constant 60 FPS. It's extremely smooth, and I've had zero problems with it so far.
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I does everything as promised and is beautiful to look at as well as use. It is well designed. Windows 8 is taking some getting used to but I think in the end I will like it just fine. I comes beautifully packaged in a black box with egg crate lining. The feel of the keys? Fabulous. Ability to multitask? Oh yeah. Do I understand everything it can do yet. Nope, but I will.Best Deals for Alienware ALW17-3744sLV 17-Inch Laptop (Silver)
Freaking awesome friends are jealous smooth and nice viewing angles. No fan and play high demanding games on high with no lag. Thanks dell and amazon for this amazing laptop for highschool!'
Honest reviews on Alienware ALW17-3744sLV 17-Inch Laptop (Silver)
This is the best laptop i ever have, i buy my new alienware 17 from another online store, but i'm very happy with my new laptop,Dell send my laptop with a wrong brick and the next day i receive an email tell me the error i didn't figure it out. Send me the new power brick with no extra cost. I'm very satisfied with the customer sevice i have in dell , a much better than msi or other brands like asus.
I know there are nice laptops out there. Or similar with similiar price range or 200usd cheaper. But the customer service is alot of diference. I have owned 2 alienware sistems , my old laptop m17x r2 and this new beauty , and the only time i need customer service and they contact me first via email. i'm very pleaced with dell's service. One of the best out there.
And the laptop u have only 3 choices, msi, asus or alienware. The 3 with similar hardware and same price range.. But the quality of this laptop worth the 200usd u paid more for this laptop.
My laptop alienware 17 with i7 4700 with nvidia 780M
Friday, June 27, 2014
HP ENVY dv7t-7200 Quad Edition 17.3" Laptop - 3rd generation Intel Review
Lack of Service from the seller. Laptop arrived damaged and when I contacted the seller he said I would be issued a partial refund of the money I paid. I tried all possible to obtain a refund. The seller lied and no replacement of replacement. I gave this seller 1000.00, however I only received 750.00. This seller was stealing from me and did not practice good customer service. A full refund or a replacement should of been offered. Neither was provided. The problem that laptop had was the CD tray did not open and was stuck. I am a computer technician and I explained that I was knowledgeable in all aspects of a computer. Be careful, this seller does not stand his products. The box it came in was not HP's box. It arrived in a plain box with no indication if was sold by an authorized dealer. Be careful since you are not guaranteed service for a computer which is damaged.
I have the backlit model and it's great if I'm sitting in bed at night with the lights out. Also, the computer boots up really fast. In less than a minute, you can begin working. So different from my desktop which loads and loads and loads. It takes forever before you can open a browser.
This replaces my Dell laptop which I had for a few years. It had an intel i5 processor. From a few months after I got it, the screen began to flicker and go grey and I would have to reboot it. So far, after two months of use, I have had not one issue with this laptop.
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Well it's been two months since my HP ENVY dv7 has arrived. I have used it everyday and I LOVE it. At first I thought that Windows 8 would be difficult to get used to but this is not the case. The first thing you notice that is different about this laptop is that it uses fingerprint technology to log onto all of your sites. You just swipe your forefinger over the reader and you are logged on instantaneously. This is a great convenience and time saver. (Sometimes it does take two or three repeated swipes if your finger is not placed just right over the reader. No big deal.)I have the backlit model and it's great if I'm sitting in bed at night with the lights out. Also, the computer boots up really fast. In less than a minute, you can begin working. So different from my desktop which loads and loads and loads. It takes forever before you can open a browser.
This replaces my Dell laptop which I had for a few years. It had an intel i5 processor. From a few months after I got it, the screen began to flicker and go grey and I would have to reboot it. So far, after two months of use, I have had not one issue with this laptop.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Reviews of HP Pavilion g7-1317cl Notebook PC 4GB, 640GB HD, 17.3"
This is a nice computer for the money. Works great,very fast shipping, seller easy to do business with,battery life seems a lot longer then my old computer, Thanks
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Lenovo ThinkPad W530 24382LU 15.6" LED Notebook - Intel - Core i7 Review
I researched for some time which workstation class 15" laptop could replace my desktop as a portable workstation. After looking at Dells, Sangar, Toshiba, etc. I chose the Lenovo W530. I had a very good experience with a Lenovo G570 I purchased earlier for another employee and it gave me good expectations for this unit. The price and feature ratio on the W530 was very hard to beat. I really wanted the Nvidia Quadro 2K card for CAD work and few offered it or something similar as most are focused on gaming. I'm not gamer, I wanted this for my work/home computer as 75% of my work entails CAD/CAM along with IT support.
The one feature I REALLY wish it had was a 10 keypad and the Ctrl & Fn keys reversed in position. The G570 has a 10 key in a nice chicklet style keyboard with the Ctrl & Fn keys in the correct position. Why Lenovo can't give this keyboard style in a high end laptop is beyond me. At least the included keyboard is very nice to type on, except for occasionally hitting the little red navigation nub above the B key. I could get along without that nav button just fine. It works, but I don't make great use of it and it interferes with typing more than it helps with navigation. Luckily I mostly use the unit with a USB full sized keyboard and mouse.
The other aspect of the W530 I am not very fond of is the Intel LAN/WiFi cards. This is for 2 reasons. First, I have found the Intel WiFi cards to be the least compatible with routers of all the WiFi cards I've used in laptops. I have had the same experience with Sony VAIO laptops using the Centrino cards, they are very finicky to connect. I had to reconfigure my FiOS router at home to get it to connect and most of the time you need to turn off the Ivp6 feature in the card settings or it won't connect. I have never had this problem with Atheros, Nvidia, or other WiFi cards. It is also not readily recognized by many Linux Distros, a fair sized negative in my book. Second, I do NOT like Intel's PXE boot agent which interferes with accessing the BIOS menu. After the Lenovo Tech support agent failed to help me get around it, and much trial and error on my part, I found out if you simply hold down the F1 key for an extended period it will eventually go past the irritating PXE boot agent menu and into the BIOS settings. I cannot find a way to turn this feature off and I have zero need for it. Since it's built into the on-board BIOS Intel's bootutil program won't control it, I tried that option and it doesn't work with on-board PXE. My beef is more with Intel than Lenovo.
The Webcam is pathetic, seriously. For a high end laptop the Webcam is not even in in the ball park for this decade, it's nearly useless. I tried to skype with it twice, gave up, installed my Logitech 9000, and things rocked, super clear, no lag etc., the way it should be. Do not plan to use the Webcam, just forget it's there. The built-in microphone isn't much better. It works but the audio quality is poor, my skype recipients told me I sounded like I was in a barrel. I just switched to the microphone on the Logitech and bingo, audio quality was right there.
The Speakers are pretty decent for audio playback, movies etc.
Other than the above issues I have been quite happy with the unit. I bought it with the 4GB of RAM option with the plan to upgrade it to 16GB. I was stoked to find out they ship it with the 4GB in the hard to access primary RAM position under the keyboard and the 2 slots for extra RAM on the bottom empty. I was able to plug in the 2 x 8GB sticks I bought and end up with 20GB on board in a matter of minutes, very nice. I have no complaints on the speed of the unit.
The Nvidia Quadro 2K (2GB) card has been so so. It's compatible with my CAM/CAM software but not nearly as fast as I'd hoped it would be running packages that use surfaces. You can use Nvidia's software to configure which GPU runs your applications, either the Intel HD 4000 or the Quadro, or let it choose automatically. You can also configure details of the Quadro. In many instances I find the HD 4000 GPU just as fast which doesn't speak highly for the Quadro card. This isn't a reflection on Lenovo but rather Nvidia. After some research on the card I found they really choked it in terms of the RAM R/W speed. If this feature is a big part of the buying decision (as it was with me) do some research on the card's performance first. This is my one disappointment.
I have been using the system with Lenovo's MiniDock Plus Series 3 and it works great, love it. I run a twin screen setup off the docking station plus the built in screen for a total of 3 screens and it works very smoothly. I have also used the VGA out port for a single extra monitor which works fine. The Win 7 Pro OS is very good about remembering your settings for different monitor setups. I think the docking station approach is completely worth the extra couple hundred dollars, plus you get a second power supply, that's hard to beat. Speaking of power supplies, the 170w supply is a beast. It pumps out the power but sure is a brick to carry around. I'm thinking of getting the smaller 90w unit just to keep in my carrying case and leave the other two 170w bricks at home and work.
I have the 9 cell battery and the life is pretty good if you set it up to optimize battery life. I've gotten 4-5 hrs of run time from it which is pretty dang good for a high powered laptop. The 9 cell battery does stick out the back an extra inch or so. If you want a flush fitting battery you need the 6 cell which would also make it slightly lighter to carry. If you carry it around a lot I'd suggest the 6 cell and 90w power supply, the two would shave off more than a pound from the combo I think.
I have not had any problems with the unit and it's been rock solid in operation. I'm pleased with the 1920 x 1080 HD display. I recently replaced the 500GB HDD with a Seagate 750GB hybrid drive to improve speed and capacity. I cloned the new drive using the Apricorn USB 3.0 SATA kit and it worked flawlessly. The new drive booted up like it had been in there the whole time. I was able to resize the primary partition during the cloning to give me a sizable second partition for my data files. I set the fully configured OEM drive aside as a backup. The HDD bay is easy to access but be careful of the screws holding the caddy on the drive, they are ultra tight and I think have some thread lock compound on them. The first time you remove them have a good fitting screw driver and be very careful or you'll strip the heads of the screws. Once you get them out it's no longer an issue.
To recap, overall I'm very pleased with the laptop and would recommend it. It has a VERY solid build feel and an excellent array of ports. The ultrabay is nice for swapping in other drive options. I had to buy a mini display port to HDMI adapter cable to connect to a big screen TV but it works fine. You'll most likely find that cable in the MAC stuff, it's common for them. If I had a choice I would not get the Intel net cards but you may not have the option. They do work once you tweak the settings. If you can't connect to WiFi try turning off the Ivp6 option first. If you come face to face with the stupid PXE boot agent menu hold down the F1 key for a long time, it will get you past it and into the BIOS setup.
Final note to Lenovo, offer an updated keyboard with a 10 keypad and the Ctrl & Fn keys reversed, ie just like the keyboard in your G570, you know how to do it. And PUT IN A REAL WEBCAM!!!! Professionals use WebEx, Skype, etc for business video calls more and more, it's an essential tool for remote communications. My wife's $350 ASUS netbook has a far superior webcam in it.
If Lenovo fixed the keyboard layout and gave it a state of the art webcam/microphone I'd rate it 5 stars.
I hope this helps somebody considering this laptop.
I was excited to get my new ThinkPad W530, but it was nonfunctional out of the box--something wrong with the communications sequence, from the motherboard to the antenna which makes any kind of internet connection not an option. Lenovo tech support had me reload the OS, replace the hard drive, re-reload the OS (from media this time), use an ethernet connection (luckily I have one!) to run the dreaded Windows updates, run hardware diagnostics, and more. All to no effect. A decent company (and you know they're out there!) would have had me ship them the machine for repair and shipped a new one for me the same day and fixed up the defective one for sale later on.
A month later, I'm finally in the queue for a repair which will take a week or so. I have to deal with the repair process, evaluate the repaired machine, and had to argue with staff to ensure that I was still eligible to return the thing if I don't like the way it works when I get it back.
Lenovo Customer Support, particularly on the sales side, is grossly inefficient. None of the people you talk to when calling them with issues has real authority to help you. This can be very frustrating if you are an individual or a small business. Tech support is competent but not well linked to sales side in the event you need to return product, so techs lean to having customer make repairs on their end instead of asking you to send them the unit to repair at their leisure while providing the customer with a functioning machine.
Do not purchase from Lenovo unless you have strong internal hardware support staff and a dedicated person to manage communications with Lenovo...or just really need a particular feature on their machines. If you have issues with CS, press to speak with supervising staff and express concern with their process. Currently, staff are reluctant to let you go to supervisors, probably due to internal regulations that penalize sales staff for putting customers first. Perhaps they can improve.
First of all, I was deciding between this and the M6400, but decided to go with Lenovo due to talking to a sales agent and getting assurance that it would ship before would. What he failed to mention was the delay that would be caused by customs, and the fact that it also ended up shipping 2 days after the stipulated date that he assured me of. 48 hours is a long time when you have deadlines every day in the actual working world.
But that's just overeager sales people, right? So secondly, when I finally checked my order status, I was shocked to discover that the configuration I had listed no RAID whatsoever. I had to look up the product manual to discover that there were some W530 models that actually did not have the RAID mboards in them, and after going back and forth between Lenovo sales/tech phone support (thanks for redirecting me everywhere and not actually answering my question, by the way Lenovo), I ended up getting a solid answer from the user forums: that there ARE no RAID models available at the moment, and not for a few months at least.
I'd like to point out that at NO POINT in the ordering process was this mentioned, anywhere. And on the main product page, it mentions that it supports RAID. If not for the fact that I needed it urgently and had no time to go through the process of cancelling the order and going with a instead, I would never have gone through with this purchase.
So anyway, I finally get the laptop, set about stripping out all the existing software and going with a fresh install of Win 7. And then I get BSODs whenever the AC is unplugged, which took me yet another 4 hours to diagnose before I discovered that the BIOS wasn't updated. After flashing it, now the ExpressCard slot no longer works (thankfully that's not a critical problem, since it just means I lose one USB port). The customer support tech I contacted had the gall to tell me that I had too much RAM that was causing the problem!
Additionally, if you do end up choosing to go with a W530, do yourself a favour, and get the full HD screen (I got the 1600x900 because I hate having screens with anything higher than 90DPI). The lower-end screens have absolutely b ad colour gamut and viewing angles (completely out of whack white point and blue gamma). It's worth mentioning that this is the first ever screen I have actually had to use a colour calibrator to correct gamma, instead of eyeballing it like I usually do. It's that b ad. And I've calibrated Phillips screens before.
Build quality, despite what most people think, is actually not-so-good. The keyboard panel sags, the general material used (with the exception of the screen housing, which is actually quite well-built) is crappy plastic all over and the new keyboard rubber dome feel is not as crisp as other manufacturers' (Acer/Asus actually has better feel)
Also, the lack of a numpad. I knew I was already going to miss it, but it boggles the mind as to why Lenovo chose this new layout, presumably to fit in larger drivers for the speakers, which are massive. Unfortunately, I think it's a poor compromise (who the hell mixes on laptop speakers anyway?) since the speakers don't sound that good at higher levels, and have b ad response through the mid-range of tones. I always use an external sound card and monitors for my audio, anyway, so it's not a huge issue for me. No Caps Lock/Num Lock indicators, however, which means you have to rely on a OSD display, which takes up RAM and CPU, along with GPU draws to screen. So, pretty annoying.
So...the good points. The general aesthetic is actually alright, the matte finish is welcome, and the arrangement of ports (with the exception of zero USB ports on the right side) is alright. The RAM slot positioning and HDD slots are well thought-out, making upgrades accessible and less frustrating (but to be fair, almost every manufacturer has caught onto this these days)
In summary, however, with all these problems of reliability, fraudulent sales, and absolutely useless tech support, there is no way I could recommend this to anyone, or any Lenovo product for that matter, considering this is the way a professional product is being marketed and supported. I am terribly disappointed that in a already small market for workstations, Lenovo has chosen to blatantly disregard its offering, I suspect, in favour of its probably more profitable consumer lines.
Just remember: we're the ones making the actual entertainment media for those products.
The one feature I REALLY wish it had was a 10 keypad and the Ctrl & Fn keys reversed in position. The G570 has a 10 key in a nice chicklet style keyboard with the Ctrl & Fn keys in the correct position. Why Lenovo can't give this keyboard style in a high end laptop is beyond me. At least the included keyboard is very nice to type on, except for occasionally hitting the little red navigation nub above the B key. I could get along without that nav button just fine. It works, but I don't make great use of it and it interferes with typing more than it helps with navigation. Luckily I mostly use the unit with a USB full sized keyboard and mouse.
The other aspect of the W530 I am not very fond of is the Intel LAN/WiFi cards. This is for 2 reasons. First, I have found the Intel WiFi cards to be the least compatible with routers of all the WiFi cards I've used in laptops. I have had the same experience with Sony VAIO laptops using the Centrino cards, they are very finicky to connect. I had to reconfigure my FiOS router at home to get it to connect and most of the time you need to turn off the Ivp6 feature in the card settings or it won't connect. I have never had this problem with Atheros, Nvidia, or other WiFi cards. It is also not readily recognized by many Linux Distros, a fair sized negative in my book. Second, I do NOT like Intel's PXE boot agent which interferes with accessing the BIOS menu. After the Lenovo Tech support agent failed to help me get around it, and much trial and error on my part, I found out if you simply hold down the F1 key for an extended period it will eventually go past the irritating PXE boot agent menu and into the BIOS settings. I cannot find a way to turn this feature off and I have zero need for it. Since it's built into the on-board BIOS Intel's bootutil program won't control it, I tried that option and it doesn't work with on-board PXE. My beef is more with Intel than Lenovo.
The Webcam is pathetic, seriously. For a high end laptop the Webcam is not even in in the ball park for this decade, it's nearly useless. I tried to skype with it twice, gave up, installed my Logitech 9000, and things rocked, super clear, no lag etc., the way it should be. Do not plan to use the Webcam, just forget it's there. The built-in microphone isn't much better. It works but the audio quality is poor, my skype recipients told me I sounded like I was in a barrel. I just switched to the microphone on the Logitech and bingo, audio quality was right there.
The Speakers are pretty decent for audio playback, movies etc.
Other than the above issues I have been quite happy with the unit. I bought it with the 4GB of RAM option with the plan to upgrade it to 16GB. I was stoked to find out they ship it with the 4GB in the hard to access primary RAM position under the keyboard and the 2 slots for extra RAM on the bottom empty. I was able to plug in the 2 x 8GB sticks I bought and end up with 20GB on board in a matter of minutes, very nice. I have no complaints on the speed of the unit.
The Nvidia Quadro 2K (2GB) card has been so so. It's compatible with my CAM/CAM software but not nearly as fast as I'd hoped it would be running packages that use surfaces. You can use Nvidia's software to configure which GPU runs your applications, either the Intel HD 4000 or the Quadro, or let it choose automatically. You can also configure details of the Quadro. In many instances I find the HD 4000 GPU just as fast which doesn't speak highly for the Quadro card. This isn't a reflection on Lenovo but rather Nvidia. After some research on the card I found they really choked it in terms of the RAM R/W speed. If this feature is a big part of the buying decision (as it was with me) do some research on the card's performance first. This is my one disappointment.
I have been using the system with Lenovo's MiniDock Plus Series 3 and it works great, love it. I run a twin screen setup off the docking station plus the built in screen for a total of 3 screens and it works very smoothly. I have also used the VGA out port for a single extra monitor which works fine. The Win 7 Pro OS is very good about remembering your settings for different monitor setups. I think the docking station approach is completely worth the extra couple hundred dollars, plus you get a second power supply, that's hard to beat. Speaking of power supplies, the 170w supply is a beast. It pumps out the power but sure is a brick to carry around. I'm thinking of getting the smaller 90w unit just to keep in my carrying case and leave the other two 170w bricks at home and work.
I have the 9 cell battery and the life is pretty good if you set it up to optimize battery life. I've gotten 4-5 hrs of run time from it which is pretty dang good for a high powered laptop. The 9 cell battery does stick out the back an extra inch or so. If you want a flush fitting battery you need the 6 cell which would also make it slightly lighter to carry. If you carry it around a lot I'd suggest the 6 cell and 90w power supply, the two would shave off more than a pound from the combo I think.
I have not had any problems with the unit and it's been rock solid in operation. I'm pleased with the 1920 x 1080 HD display. I recently replaced the 500GB HDD with a Seagate 750GB hybrid drive to improve speed and capacity. I cloned the new drive using the Apricorn USB 3.0 SATA kit and it worked flawlessly. The new drive booted up like it had been in there the whole time. I was able to resize the primary partition during the cloning to give me a sizable second partition for my data files. I set the fully configured OEM drive aside as a backup. The HDD bay is easy to access but be careful of the screws holding the caddy on the drive, they are ultra tight and I think have some thread lock compound on them. The first time you remove them have a good fitting screw driver and be very careful or you'll strip the heads of the screws. Once you get them out it's no longer an issue.
To recap, overall I'm very pleased with the laptop and would recommend it. It has a VERY solid build feel and an excellent array of ports. The ultrabay is nice for swapping in other drive options. I had to buy a mini display port to HDMI adapter cable to connect to a big screen TV but it works fine. You'll most likely find that cable in the MAC stuff, it's common for them. If I had a choice I would not get the Intel net cards but you may not have the option. They do work once you tweak the settings. If you can't connect to WiFi try turning off the Ivp6 option first. If you come face to face with the stupid PXE boot agent menu hold down the F1 key for a long time, it will get you past it and into the BIOS setup.
Final note to Lenovo, offer an updated keyboard with a 10 keypad and the Ctrl & Fn keys reversed, ie just like the keyboard in your G570, you know how to do it. And PUT IN A REAL WEBCAM!!!! Professionals use WebEx, Skype, etc for business video calls more and more, it's an essential tool for remote communications. My wife's $350 ASUS netbook has a far superior webcam in it.
If Lenovo fixed the keyboard layout and gave it a state of the art webcam/microphone I'd rate it 5 stars.
I hope this helps somebody considering this laptop.
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I bought a W530 with a Pantone color callibrator from Lenovo Direct, and went through an awful experience with Lenovo's customer service department. The color callibrator in my machine didn't work, right out of the box. I've used Lenovo laptops exclusively for the last ten years, and have really enjoyed them. I've had everything from the 12 inch mini to the 15.6 workstation. They've been fast, tough, and reliable. But of the eight Lenovo laptops I've bought for myself and my family, I've had two that have been defective right out of the box, and my son received a lemon, too. Each time, we've been run through the time-consuming and frustrating process of working through Lenovo customer service to get a replacement. Long waits on hold, shut down, reboot, retest, finally send the machine into engineering, etc. This last time with the W530, almost six weeks passed between the time I first called Lenovo and the time I received a replacement computer that worked. My replacement W530 is humming along fine, and it is clearly the fastest, most powerful computer I've ever owned. The callibrated, high resolution screen is fabulous. It's been a month and it hasn't crashed or even hiccuped once. The machine I now have is a five star, but my experience with Lenovo support and the sketchy three out of eight lemon rate makes me downgrade to a three star at best, and I have to wonder how many lemons Lenovo lets out. I tried posting a review describing my unpleasant experience on Lenovo Direct, and .... big surprise, it isn't posted. So I'm posting it here at good old Amazon to let you all know. I think my new W530 is a terrific machine, but I sure have received a lot of lemons.Best Deals for Lenovo ThinkPad W530 24382LU 15.6" LED Notebook - Intel - Core i7
This is an interesting product with useful features, from the ability to use expresscards to add connectivity and functionality to a lovely LCD screen. Review the features list carefully, and proceed if you need those features and can't find them elsewhere (expresscard slots, for instance, are increasingly hard to find).I was excited to get my new ThinkPad W530, but it was nonfunctional out of the box--something wrong with the communications sequence, from the motherboard to the antenna which makes any kind of internet connection not an option. Lenovo tech support had me reload the OS, replace the hard drive, re-reload the OS (from media this time), use an ethernet connection (luckily I have one!) to run the dreaded Windows updates, run hardware diagnostics, and more. All to no effect. A decent company (and you know they're out there!) would have had me ship them the machine for repair and shipped a new one for me the same day and fixed up the defective one for sale later on.
A month later, I'm finally in the queue for a repair which will take a week or so. I have to deal with the repair process, evaluate the repaired machine, and had to argue with staff to ensure that I was still eligible to return the thing if I don't like the way it works when I get it back.
Lenovo Customer Support, particularly on the sales side, is grossly inefficient. None of the people you talk to when calling them with issues has real authority to help you. This can be very frustrating if you are an individual or a small business. Tech support is competent but not well linked to sales side in the event you need to return product, so techs lean to having customer make repairs on their end instead of asking you to send them the unit to repair at their leisure while providing the customer with a functioning machine.
Do not purchase from Lenovo unless you have strong internal hardware support staff and a dedicated person to manage communications with Lenovo...or just really need a particular feature on their machines. If you have issues with CS, press to speak with supervising staff and express concern with their process. Currently, staff are reluctant to let you go to supervisors, probably due to internal regulations that penalize sales staff for putting customers first. Perhaps they can improve.
Honest reviews on Lenovo ThinkPad W530 24382LU 15.6" LED Notebook - Intel - Core i7
I recently made this purchase via the official Lenovo store due to my old laptop's battery giving out and have had nothing but grief throughout the entire process.First of all, I was deciding between this and the M6400, but decided to go with Lenovo due to talking to a sales agent and getting assurance that it would ship before would. What he failed to mention was the delay that would be caused by customs, and the fact that it also ended up shipping 2 days after the stipulated date that he assured me of. 48 hours is a long time when you have deadlines every day in the actual working world.
But that's just overeager sales people, right? So secondly, when I finally checked my order status, I was shocked to discover that the configuration I had listed no RAID whatsoever. I had to look up the product manual to discover that there were some W530 models that actually did not have the RAID mboards in them, and after going back and forth between Lenovo sales/tech phone support (thanks for redirecting me everywhere and not actually answering my question, by the way Lenovo), I ended up getting a solid answer from the user forums: that there ARE no RAID models available at the moment, and not for a few months at least.
I'd like to point out that at NO POINT in the ordering process was this mentioned, anywhere. And on the main product page, it mentions that it supports RAID. If not for the fact that I needed it urgently and had no time to go through the process of cancelling the order and going with a instead, I would never have gone through with this purchase.
So anyway, I finally get the laptop, set about stripping out all the existing software and going with a fresh install of Win 7. And then I get BSODs whenever the AC is unplugged, which took me yet another 4 hours to diagnose before I discovered that the BIOS wasn't updated. After flashing it, now the ExpressCard slot no longer works (thankfully that's not a critical problem, since it just means I lose one USB port). The customer support tech I contacted had the gall to tell me that I had too much RAM that was causing the problem!
Additionally, if you do end up choosing to go with a W530, do yourself a favour, and get the full HD screen (I got the 1600x900 because I hate having screens with anything higher than 90DPI). The lower-end screens have absolutely b ad colour gamut and viewing angles (completely out of whack white point and blue gamma). It's worth mentioning that this is the first ever screen I have actually had to use a colour calibrator to correct gamma, instead of eyeballing it like I usually do. It's that b ad. And I've calibrated Phillips screens before.
Build quality, despite what most people think, is actually not-so-good. The keyboard panel sags, the general material used (with the exception of the screen housing, which is actually quite well-built) is crappy plastic all over and the new keyboard rubber dome feel is not as crisp as other manufacturers' (Acer/Asus actually has better feel)
Also, the lack of a numpad. I knew I was already going to miss it, but it boggles the mind as to why Lenovo chose this new layout, presumably to fit in larger drivers for the speakers, which are massive. Unfortunately, I think it's a poor compromise (who the hell mixes on laptop speakers anyway?) since the speakers don't sound that good at higher levels, and have b ad response through the mid-range of tones. I always use an external sound card and monitors for my audio, anyway, so it's not a huge issue for me. No Caps Lock/Num Lock indicators, however, which means you have to rely on a OSD display, which takes up RAM and CPU, along with GPU draws to screen. So, pretty annoying.
So...the good points. The general aesthetic is actually alright, the matte finish is welcome, and the arrangement of ports (with the exception of zero USB ports on the right side) is alright. The RAM slot positioning and HDD slots are well thought-out, making upgrades accessible and less frustrating (but to be fair, almost every manufacturer has caught onto this these days)
In summary, however, with all these problems of reliability, fraudulent sales, and absolutely useless tech support, there is no way I could recommend this to anyone, or any Lenovo product for that matter, considering this is the way a professional product is being marketed and supported. I am terribly disappointed that in a already small market for workstations, Lenovo has chosen to blatantly disregard its offering, I suspect, in favour of its probably more profitable consumer lines.
Just remember: we're the ones making the actual entertainment media for those products.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lenovo ThinkPad W530 24382LU 15.6" LED Notebook - Intel - Core i7
The hardware is great, everything you would expect from Lenovo in a workstation grade laptop. However, you may spend an entire day chasing drivers and loading the color calibration software yourself. When mine arrived, it barely functioned and had no wireless, discrete graphics, optical drive, or wireless monitor capabilities and the device manager was full of exclamation points. I had to load the X-rite software myself and run the first color calibration routine, something Lenovo claimed they would do at the factory. Once you actually get the laptop up and running with the right drivers, it works great, but I wouldn't recommend this to someone who need a machine that works right out of the box.Saturday, May 17, 2014
HP dm4-3090se (14.0-Inch Screen) Laptop Reviews
Favorable:
* Sharp, anti-glare screen
* Hybrid hard drive speeds up boot times noticeably
* Unique red-backlit keyboard
* Impressive battery life, given the specs
* Beats Audio provides better-than-average sound
Unfavorable:
* Premium HP Envy lineup is only $150 more
* Lid is a fingerprint haven
* Terrible speaker placement
* Tight USB ports
* On/Off Wi-Fi button easily pressed by accident
Introduction:
As a college student, my main justifications for selling off my previous computer was for better portability and battery life. Lugging my thick, weighty Dell around campus wasn't very fun, and although it got the job done, I ultimately decided a different laptop would serve my current needs much better. My initial goal was to end up with a thin and light or possibly an ultraportable. A Toshiba Portege r835 or Asus Zenbook perhaps. So, how in the world did I end up with the HP dm4-3090se? The short answer: The formerly mentioned machines simply didn't have the features I longed for. The longer, more descriptive answer: I can't wrap it all into one sentence, but keep reading and I promise I'll tell you!
Specifications:
I'll keep this section short and sweet since Amazon has the specs readily available on this webpage. This computer came with an i5-2450M @ 2.5 GHz and Turbo Boost Technology of up to 3.1 GHz. 500GB 7200RPM Hard drive with a 20GB mSATA drive*. 6GB of RAM. 14-inch anti-glare (matte) screen with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 900. Red-backlit keyboard, no number pad included. 3 USB Ports ( Two 3.0 and One 2.0), HDMI Port, Ethernet Port, Card Reader, Beats Audio with Subwoofer. In other words, this laptop is loaded.
*HP has recently increased the mSATA capacity from 20GB to 32GB. My machine came with a 32GB.
Unboxing and Initial Impressions:
I bought this laptop off Amazon and it arrived a couple of days later by UPS. Upon opening the box, I was greeted with the power cord, battery, setup instructions, a packet featuring advertisements for HP's many accessories and Norton Anti-Virus, and the laptop itself nicely placed in a cloth sleeve. There is some widespread confusion about whether there is a Beats Audio headphone included and I can say with certainty that there are no headphones, of any kind, included with this computer. It would have been nice, but HP isn't feeling quite that generous.
I pressed the power button, located in the top, left corner, expecting a somewhat slow boot time. Any brand new Windows-based computer has to go through the dreaded "Preparing Windows for first time use" screen before use. From my experience, this can take up to three minutes! So it goes without saying that I was completely taken aback at how fast the setup was. I can't give you a specific time length, but it was asking what I wanted to name the computer in well under a minute. And thanks to the hybrid hard drive, boot up times are always between 10-15 seconds.
Design and Features:
As this is the Beats Audio Special Edition of the current dm4 lineup, the user is graced with a nearly all black finish. A major plus, for me anyways, is the matte black covering most areas. This cuts down the reflections and annoying glares that come being outside in the sunlight or in a classroom full of florescent lights. The top lid is all black, save the now iconic Beats symbol placed in the very center. Open the notebook up and you are greeted with even more black. In fact, the keyboard, trackpad, and palm rests are graced in a mute, matte black finish . It makes for one very cool-looking laptop, to say the least.
The screen is gorgeous! The first thing everyone should know, is that this is a matte screen. Simply put, the horrendous reflections brought on by glossy screens are a thing of the past! I know glossy has had its fair share of user backlash, and it still stumps me as to why computer manufacturers continue to put these screens on the majority of machines. This screen also features a resolution of 1600x900, also a rarity in the 14-inch laptop world. Text will be smaller, but less pixilated and much sharper.
The next thing I went for was the keyboard. It has a red-backlight! Keep in mind, this feature can be turned off or on by pressing F5. Some users may be turned off by the color, and I admit that it probably isn't for everyone. It isn't blinding bright, but at the same time it isn't particularly mute. For me, it is just right. And to top it off, typing is a breeze!
The Beats Audio provides a very loud and clear sound. I primarily listen to hip-hop and R&B and noticed right off the bat how natural the sound was. There is a subwoofer as well, lending a hand on the low end. Given this combination, music sounds full and without noticeable distortion. It's a shame, however, that HP placed the speakers on the very front, at an angle. This often muffles the sound, especially if you have the notebook in your lap or on the bed.
Drawbacks:
First off, there is no dedicated graphics card, only the industry standard Intel HD 3000. This particular con varies on severity, depending on intended use. The causal user probably won't notice the difference, but for you gamers and video editors out there, consider a different laptop.
The lid cover, and even the keys, attract fingerprints heavily. Being black, fingerprints tend to show up more than usual.
The USB ports are quite tight. Attempting to inject and deject my USB flash drive was a job in itself. It took two hands, one to hold the computer in place, the other to pull the device from the port.
The Wi-Fi switch is in a terrible location. The F12 key serves as an automatic on/off switch of your wireless card and accidentally pressing it during a download or Skype conversation can have tumultuous effects on one's sanity.
What Makes This Laptop Worth the Purchase (Conclusion):
See, I promised if you kept reading I would tell you why I chose the dm4-3090se! The current going price of this laptop is around $830, and if you are still reading this review, you obviously want to be as informed as possible before making such a purchase. I don't blame you. After hours of debating, I ultimately chose this machine for the following reasons:
* The i5 Sandy Bridge Processor. Dual core @ 2.5 GHz
* 6GB Random Access Memory (RAM)
* The screen. A matte finish and 1600x900 resolution. This was the deciding factor in my purchase.
* Hybrid Hard Drive
* Red-backlit keyboard
* Beats Audio
* USB 3.0
* HDMI
Laptops with comparable specs are normally in the "premium" category and beyond the $1000 price point, such as the HP Envy line. Granted, for only $150 more you can have an Envy with an all metal finish and a slot-loading optical drive. But you also get a standard resolution (1366x768) glossy screen and an added pound of weight to carry. So for me, the screen was what set this laptop apart from the competition. People often overlook this pivotal feature, assuming all laptops are glossy and reflective with a single resolution. But the screen is what you will be looking at, possibly for hours, and if you aren't happy with the screen, how can you be truly happy with the laptop?
Savvy shoppers tend to be weary of HP and the company's shaky reputation. This will unfortunately deter many prospective buyers who would be perfectly happy with this computer if they gave it a chance. Initial usage is impressive, with the few complaints being quite trivial. If the previously mentioned specifications fits your needs, I urge you to seriously consider this laptop. It is truly unlike any other notebook currently on the market and is a true miracle for the anti-glare, pro-matte screen consumer.
EDIT:
For readers obsessed with numbers, here is the most recent Windows Experience Index:
Processor 7.0
Memory (RAM) 7.4
Graphics 5.9
Gaming Graphics 6.3
Primary Hard Disk 5.9
EDIT: After reading comments by Zvika and OJMH, I installed Intel's Rapid Storage Technology driver, restarted the computer, and was able to see the true capacity of my mSATA drive. It is in fact 32GB! I have edited this review to reflect that. I don't know what drive is 20GB under the System Properties menu, but like Reinaldo mentioned, the mSATA is not visible by this method. So I believe this drive works as a cache, which is the true reason for such a fast start-up. Either way, this systems performance is more than adequate and I am still happy with it! Thanks to Reinaldo, OJMH, and Zvika for the clarification.
I haven't found anything yet that I do not like about it. It is lightweight (about 4 punds) with a 14 inch screen(kind of small, but if you make the fonts a bit bigger it is not bad). It came with a thin little sleeve that I probably won't ever use.
Setup was easy. Just follow a series of prompts and voila! The registration was complete, I was connected to wifi, my fingerprints were taken, and I set up user accounts/passwords. The screen was nice and bright upon login and the colors where vivid, and it booted up swiftly. I am not a big gamer, but the graphics look just fine to me. I don't think there is alot of junk on it that I do not want and will need to delete.
It processes nice and fast and I was able to do multiple tasks at once with no delay. I am tranfering all of my files from my old computer with Carbonite and that is taking forever (more than 12 hours so far), but I think that is to be expected with such a large tranfser from the "cloud". The good thing about this is that you can still use the computer while the process is taking place.
I have downloaded and transfered my itunes purchases to it easily and listened to some songs. The volume goes up nice and loud (very different than my old Dell)and you can customize the audio. I played around with it and got it customized to my preferences and am pleased with the sound.
It comes with a starter version of Word and Excel 2010. I am not sure as to what extent you can use these because I bought the Office Professional software with everything (Word and Excel plus powerpoint and others). I bought through my company at a discounted price, but you can buy and download online for around $120 I think.
I really like the fingerprint reader that you can use to remember your passwords for online websites. It's a pain to remember them all, but this will do it for you! It was easy to set up and to use. The first time you log into a website it will ask you if you want the reader to remember the password. Click yes and that's it! Next time you want to log in you just swipe your finger across the sensor(from top to bottom towards your body).
I also really like the backlit keyboard. It types really well, feels nice to type on, and should not get dirt under the keys due to it's design. The keyboard was not initially lit up, and I looked forever under control panel trying to figure out how to turn it on before I finally googled it. There is actually a key on the keyboard that will turn it off and on...it has three little boxes and a flash looking icon above the first one. It is somewhere around the 3 or 4 key (I am not on this computer typing this review). There is not a seperate number keyboard on the right hand side like my old one had, and that I may sort of miss.
It was easy to customize various features like backgrounds, sounds, clicker and touch pad options, sleep options, etc. Also easy to customize your web browser and favorites, etc. The computer features some sort of cooling device that keeps it from overheating. I can not comment yet as to battery life because I have had to keep it plugged in for my Carbonite transfer.
I briefly tried the webcam, and it is okay. Nothing spectacular in my opinion, but I also don't video chat much. The picture was nice and clear.
I bought the Square Trade Warranty through Amazon and have been pleased so far with the ease of setting that up. Both the computer and the warranty are cheaper on Amazon than the HP website so I saved a ton of money! For the price and performance of my new computer, so far I am thrilled! Plus, with Amazon you can return it within 30 days if you don't like it! I called Square trade and you can also get a refund for the warranty if you return it.
For an average user that uses laptops for web browsing, word processing/creating documents, social media, etc. this computer is great. It has met my expectations and I look forward to having some fun with it!
UPDATE: I finally have all files on my computer and have found in a few instances there has been a lag, but nothing way serious. The backlit keyboard key is the functon 5 key. Also, the function 12 key turns on and off your capabilities to use the internet so if you loose your internet and are seriously confused like I was, this key was probably hit on accident. My computer did not come with any paperwork or a users manual, so I am figuring all these little things out on my own.
I started researching the capablity this computer has to display wirelessly on the tv and you have to buy an adapter Netgear PUSH2TV HD PTV2000 which is 90 bucks here on Amazon so I may hold off on that for a bit. Reviews seems to be mixed, but if it works would be way cool.
I also thought I read something about it being able to play Bluray movies, but when I tried it would not work :( Normal dvds worked just fine though.
I installed a free trial of Paintshop Pro x4 from the Corel website and think I wil purchase the full version for photo editing. I am a beginner at it, but this program seems to be user friendly and intuitive.
UPDATE: So I am stil loving my computer...I have had to call HP customer support because for some reason my fingerprint reader stopped working. At first I was annoyed because the rep was foreign (although I could understand him okay) and there is just a lack of communication when dealng with outsourced technical communications in general (or so my history has proved). Also, the script type of communication I get when working with outsourced companies aggravates me as well. Kinda felt at first like it was ME being an idiot and not the computer. Yes, I have restared my computer. The light's not blinking at all...I KNOW IT"S NOT WORKING!!!
Once the couple of routine steps were completed and they reached the same conclusion I had a long time ago (the reader is not working), I was a bit more impressed with the service. He did not seem to be reading straight from a script which I have encountered in the past. I allowed him remote access to the computer and he uninstalled the reader and then re-installed it and it worked! Something I probably could have done myself with less hassles, but like I said I am not all that tech savy and don't want to mess anything up. Afterwards, I was forwarded to a supervisor to rate my experience and to make sure my problem was solved. I felt for sure I would try to be sold on some warranty or give them more money, but no! It was really in fact just a quality service check which only took a minute and I was happy to oblidge.
I use this machine mainly for Microsoft Office (which you much buy separately), for Adobe files and for the internet, but in my job I am often required to have numerous spreadsheets, word documents and power point presentations open at the same time, as well as some challenging Adobe documents. This computer can handle those jobs and have numerous browsers open in say IE and Chrome and Opera simultaneously (I am forced to use my multiple screen desktop for some jobs though, of course). But considering the abilities of this laptop I feel I have a full office in a 4 pound package. The power of the I5 processor and the speed of the hard drive and SSD is evident.
The screen resolution of this laptop is nothing short of amazing. I've watched Hulu on this machine and wow! I swear it looks like a 3D picture. The screen is readable in most light situations including sunlight (though it's a little more difficult in the brightest sunlight). I also really like the way you can adjust the brightness of the screen very easily through the F2 and F3 keys.
Other points: The lighted keyboard is great. It's amazing how much easier it is to use this keyboard than those on prior laptops. The computer also never heats up and that makes a huge difference when using it for long times. Bootup time seems almost instant. The speakers are outstanding. Unlike some other reviewers I did not find a problem with the touch pad. The fingerprint security system works perfectly for me. And finally, the battery life makes it seem like you can use this computer for indefinite periods without recharging. And another feature I did not anticipate is that it recharges so quickly.
My only complaint, and it's minor, is that one of the flaps on the bottom has a slight imperfection. It "almost" fits but does not totally snap into place. It's minor enough that I don't think it worthy of bringing the rating down from five stars. This machine has a lot going for it.
I'm glad I did the research before buying and I'm very happy with my choice. I looked at CNET, at reviews here, at specs, took a look at numerous other machines and from what I saw the price to performance beats anything else out there.
Screen Size:
first of dm4 is 14'' not all that noticable difference tho (I think 14'' is plenty of screen and wanted something smaller that would fit well into my backpack)
Screen Res:
The dm4 has 1600x900 antiglare led screen is really nice. After watching nba on league pass on this screen, I dont think I would go back to the lower resolution. It looks almost as good as my 1080p tv. The colors seem a bit washed out due to the antiglare screen but you might be able to adjust it, you get use to it. (could of done without the plastic around the screen though, one of the only downfalls with this laptop)
The envy 14 has a lower res screen but the display is just like on the macbook pro with the all glass screen (this looks better from an athstetics standpoint but I like my hd res better)
Wieght:
This laptop is about 4.5 lbs. which is about a pound lighter than the envy 14 (again better to carry for school)
Keyboard:
exactly the same red backlight keyboard (pretty sharp and unique if you ask me...love it)
Fingerprint reader:
nice to have and cool that you dont have to type in your id's and passwords over and over but not necessarily needed
processor
This computer has a 2nd gen i5 while the envy 14 has a first gen i7 (i didnt really need a 4 cores for web browsing and microsoft office but some people may like the extra power)
battery life:
Iv been getting around 6 hours (feels like more, I hardly charge my computer) while my friends envy 14 gets about 2 hours
hard drive:
I love the hybrid hard dirve. This thing soft boots out of sleep mode in a couple seconds and turns on from off in about 20-30 id say...plenty quick (520gb is plenty gb for me)
ram/memory:
6gb has been plenty for me. (i had 5 tabs open on google chrome while running excel, word, and powerpoint and it was plenty fast) I also stream nba league pass on nba.com which also has a nice picture with no lag
graphics card:
def adv envy 14 here. I know the dm4 has an entry level card but honestly i will never notice the difference (I use my xbox for games not my laptop)
sound:
At first I thought the speakers were just pretty good but once my friend adjusted them these are the best laptop speakers iv ever heard (but this is to be expected in the beats by dre edition laptop)
pros:
a lot of laptop for only $825
fast boot time
sound
high screen res
lightwieght
good battery life
cons:
fingerprint magnet
plastic around screen
I would def buy again and def recommend this laptop for someone like me who likes black and red and uses a laptop for internet and microsoft office for school rather than gaming. This laptop will def turn heads.
I was between this laptop and a Dell XPS x14z ($823 versus $899 at the time of my purchase). Now that I received it and took a look at the details I'm very happy I picked this one. Yes, the XPS comes with more RAM and a bigger hard drive plus nvidia graphics and also spot a backlit keyboard, but this has it own charm.
The laptop comes with this mSATA unit as a cache using Smart Response Technology (SRT) in a RAID with the 500gb drive. It works pretty well. Very fast boot time and overall fast response of the system. The mSATA drive doesn't show on Windows since it exclusive for the cache.
I was lucky enough to get one of 32gb instead of 20gb. Now, a review from a very respected laptop website states that the mSATA is NOT user-accessible, this is wrong. The mSATA is right next to the RAM memory slots. Looks pretty easy to replace, but I have no idea on compatibility with others mSATA drives.
What's interesting is that it's possible to turn off the SRT SSD cache, leaving the mSATA drive as standalone. I already did this and it works wonderful. This allows you to have an SSD drive and a normal high capacity drive all in this 14 inch laptop.
After installing Windows and basic programs on the SSD, I have 5gb left. Now Windows boot up time is just 22 seconds, that's from the moment I press the power button to the desktop completely loaded.
The laptop comes with 6gb of RAM, mine has a 4gb DIMM and a 2gb DIMM, if you are looking to take it to 8gb then you will only need to replace the 2gb one.
Windows Experience Index after using the mSATA SSD as an standalone drive:
Processor --> 7.0
Memory (RAM) --> 7.3
Graphics --> 5.9
Gaming Graphics --> 6.2
Primary Hard Disk --> 7.6 (Yay!)
To close it up
Pros:
Hybrid hard drive using SRT technology
Possibility of turning off the SRT and having the benefict of a SSD drive and the big storage space of a normal HDD drive
Anti-glare screen with a great resolution
No ports on the back
Red-backlit keyboard
Runs very cool
Cons:
Touch pad could be better
Lid is a fingerprint magnet
Basic Intel graphics
You can get the HP Envy line for about $200 more, or the Dell for less than $100 more, but you won't get this high resolution screen and won't get the hybrid drive option, which in my opinion are the high point of this laptop and the ones that makes it unique.
Highly recommended.
* Sharp, anti-glare screen
* Hybrid hard drive speeds up boot times noticeably
* Unique red-backlit keyboard
* Impressive battery life, given the specs
* Beats Audio provides better-than-average sound
Unfavorable:
* Premium HP Envy lineup is only $150 more
* Lid is a fingerprint haven
* Terrible speaker placement
* Tight USB ports
* On/Off Wi-Fi button easily pressed by accident
Introduction:
As a college student, my main justifications for selling off my previous computer was for better portability and battery life. Lugging my thick, weighty Dell around campus wasn't very fun, and although it got the job done, I ultimately decided a different laptop would serve my current needs much better. My initial goal was to end up with a thin and light or possibly an ultraportable. A Toshiba Portege r835 or Asus Zenbook perhaps. So, how in the world did I end up with the HP dm4-3090se? The short answer: The formerly mentioned machines simply didn't have the features I longed for. The longer, more descriptive answer: I can't wrap it all into one sentence, but keep reading and I promise I'll tell you!
Specifications:
I'll keep this section short and sweet since Amazon has the specs readily available on this webpage. This computer came with an i5-2450M @ 2.5 GHz and Turbo Boost Technology of up to 3.1 GHz. 500GB 7200RPM Hard drive with a 20GB mSATA drive*. 6GB of RAM. 14-inch anti-glare (matte) screen with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 900. Red-backlit keyboard, no number pad included. 3 USB Ports ( Two 3.0 and One 2.0), HDMI Port, Ethernet Port, Card Reader, Beats Audio with Subwoofer. In other words, this laptop is loaded.
*HP has recently increased the mSATA capacity from 20GB to 32GB. My machine came with a 32GB.
Unboxing and Initial Impressions:
I bought this laptop off Amazon and it arrived a couple of days later by UPS. Upon opening the box, I was greeted with the power cord, battery, setup instructions, a packet featuring advertisements for HP's many accessories and Norton Anti-Virus, and the laptop itself nicely placed in a cloth sleeve. There is some widespread confusion about whether there is a Beats Audio headphone included and I can say with certainty that there are no headphones, of any kind, included with this computer. It would have been nice, but HP isn't feeling quite that generous.
I pressed the power button, located in the top, left corner, expecting a somewhat slow boot time. Any brand new Windows-based computer has to go through the dreaded "Preparing Windows for first time use" screen before use. From my experience, this can take up to three minutes! So it goes without saying that I was completely taken aback at how fast the setup was. I can't give you a specific time length, but it was asking what I wanted to name the computer in well under a minute. And thanks to the hybrid hard drive, boot up times are always between 10-15 seconds.
Design and Features:
As this is the Beats Audio Special Edition of the current dm4 lineup, the user is graced with a nearly all black finish. A major plus, for me anyways, is the matte black covering most areas. This cuts down the reflections and annoying glares that come being outside in the sunlight or in a classroom full of florescent lights. The top lid is all black, save the now iconic Beats symbol placed in the very center. Open the notebook up and you are greeted with even more black. In fact, the keyboard, trackpad, and palm rests are graced in a mute, matte black finish . It makes for one very cool-looking laptop, to say the least.
The screen is gorgeous! The first thing everyone should know, is that this is a matte screen. Simply put, the horrendous reflections brought on by glossy screens are a thing of the past! I know glossy has had its fair share of user backlash, and it still stumps me as to why computer manufacturers continue to put these screens on the majority of machines. This screen also features a resolution of 1600x900, also a rarity in the 14-inch laptop world. Text will be smaller, but less pixilated and much sharper.
The next thing I went for was the keyboard. It has a red-backlight! Keep in mind, this feature can be turned off or on by pressing F5. Some users may be turned off by the color, and I admit that it probably isn't for everyone. It isn't blinding bright, but at the same time it isn't particularly mute. For me, it is just right. And to top it off, typing is a breeze!
The Beats Audio provides a very loud and clear sound. I primarily listen to hip-hop and R&B and noticed right off the bat how natural the sound was. There is a subwoofer as well, lending a hand on the low end. Given this combination, music sounds full and without noticeable distortion. It's a shame, however, that HP placed the speakers on the very front, at an angle. This often muffles the sound, especially if you have the notebook in your lap or on the bed.
Drawbacks:
First off, there is no dedicated graphics card, only the industry standard Intel HD 3000. This particular con varies on severity, depending on intended use. The causal user probably won't notice the difference, but for you gamers and video editors out there, consider a different laptop.
The lid cover, and even the keys, attract fingerprints heavily. Being black, fingerprints tend to show up more than usual.
The USB ports are quite tight. Attempting to inject and deject my USB flash drive was a job in itself. It took two hands, one to hold the computer in place, the other to pull the device from the port.
The Wi-Fi switch is in a terrible location. The F12 key serves as an automatic on/off switch of your wireless card and accidentally pressing it during a download or Skype conversation can have tumultuous effects on one's sanity.
What Makes This Laptop Worth the Purchase (Conclusion):
See, I promised if you kept reading I would tell you why I chose the dm4-3090se! The current going price of this laptop is around $830, and if you are still reading this review, you obviously want to be as informed as possible before making such a purchase. I don't blame you. After hours of debating, I ultimately chose this machine for the following reasons:
* The i5 Sandy Bridge Processor. Dual core @ 2.5 GHz
* 6GB Random Access Memory (RAM)
* The screen. A matte finish and 1600x900 resolution. This was the deciding factor in my purchase.
* Hybrid Hard Drive
* Red-backlit keyboard
* Beats Audio
* USB 3.0
* HDMI
Laptops with comparable specs are normally in the "premium" category and beyond the $1000 price point, such as the HP Envy line. Granted, for only $150 more you can have an Envy with an all metal finish and a slot-loading optical drive. But you also get a standard resolution (1366x768) glossy screen and an added pound of weight to carry. So for me, the screen was what set this laptop apart from the competition. People often overlook this pivotal feature, assuming all laptops are glossy and reflective with a single resolution. But the screen is what you will be looking at, possibly for hours, and if you aren't happy with the screen, how can you be truly happy with the laptop?
Savvy shoppers tend to be weary of HP and the company's shaky reputation. This will unfortunately deter many prospective buyers who would be perfectly happy with this computer if they gave it a chance. Initial usage is impressive, with the few complaints being quite trivial. If the previously mentioned specifications fits your needs, I urge you to seriously consider this laptop. It is truly unlike any other notebook currently on the market and is a true miracle for the anti-glare, pro-matte screen consumer.
EDIT:
For readers obsessed with numbers, here is the most recent Windows Experience Index:
Processor 7.0
Memory (RAM) 7.4
Graphics 5.9
Gaming Graphics 6.3
Primary Hard Disk 5.9
EDIT: After reading comments by Zvika and OJMH, I installed Intel's Rapid Storage Technology driver, restarted the computer, and was able to see the true capacity of my mSATA drive. It is in fact 32GB! I have edited this review to reflect that. I don't know what drive is 20GB under the System Properties menu, but like Reinaldo mentioned, the mSATA is not visible by this method. So I believe this drive works as a cache, which is the true reason for such a fast start-up. Either way, this systems performance is more than adequate and I am still happy with it! Thanks to Reinaldo, OJMH, and Zvika for the clarification.
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I am not a tech person, so all the numbers and specs don't mean much to me (although I do know it has plenty of storage and a good processor). The ease of use and my preferences are what I know and what I can comment on. I have only had this computer a day, but here are my inital feelings about this product. I could not find reviews anywhere on this particular stock model so was really sort of blind going into the purchase.I haven't found anything yet that I do not like about it. It is lightweight (about 4 punds) with a 14 inch screen(kind of small, but if you make the fonts a bit bigger it is not bad). It came with a thin little sleeve that I probably won't ever use.
Setup was easy. Just follow a series of prompts and voila! The registration was complete, I was connected to wifi, my fingerprints were taken, and I set up user accounts/passwords. The screen was nice and bright upon login and the colors where vivid, and it booted up swiftly. I am not a big gamer, but the graphics look just fine to me. I don't think there is alot of junk on it that I do not want and will need to delete.
It processes nice and fast and I was able to do multiple tasks at once with no delay. I am tranfering all of my files from my old computer with Carbonite and that is taking forever (more than 12 hours so far), but I think that is to be expected with such a large tranfser from the "cloud". The good thing about this is that you can still use the computer while the process is taking place.
I have downloaded and transfered my itunes purchases to it easily and listened to some songs. The volume goes up nice and loud (very different than my old Dell)and you can customize the audio. I played around with it and got it customized to my preferences and am pleased with the sound.
It comes with a starter version of Word and Excel 2010. I am not sure as to what extent you can use these because I bought the Office Professional software with everything (Word and Excel plus powerpoint and others). I bought through my company at a discounted price, but you can buy and download online for around $120 I think.
I really like the fingerprint reader that you can use to remember your passwords for online websites. It's a pain to remember them all, but this will do it for you! It was easy to set up and to use. The first time you log into a website it will ask you if you want the reader to remember the password. Click yes and that's it! Next time you want to log in you just swipe your finger across the sensor(from top to bottom towards your body).
I also really like the backlit keyboard. It types really well, feels nice to type on, and should not get dirt under the keys due to it's design. The keyboard was not initially lit up, and I looked forever under control panel trying to figure out how to turn it on before I finally googled it. There is actually a key on the keyboard that will turn it off and on...it has three little boxes and a flash looking icon above the first one. It is somewhere around the 3 or 4 key (I am not on this computer typing this review). There is not a seperate number keyboard on the right hand side like my old one had, and that I may sort of miss.
It was easy to customize various features like backgrounds, sounds, clicker and touch pad options, sleep options, etc. Also easy to customize your web browser and favorites, etc. The computer features some sort of cooling device that keeps it from overheating. I can not comment yet as to battery life because I have had to keep it plugged in for my Carbonite transfer.
I briefly tried the webcam, and it is okay. Nothing spectacular in my opinion, but I also don't video chat much. The picture was nice and clear.
I bought the Square Trade Warranty through Amazon and have been pleased so far with the ease of setting that up. Both the computer and the warranty are cheaper on Amazon than the HP website so I saved a ton of money! For the price and performance of my new computer, so far I am thrilled! Plus, with Amazon you can return it within 30 days if you don't like it! I called Square trade and you can also get a refund for the warranty if you return it.
For an average user that uses laptops for web browsing, word processing/creating documents, social media, etc. this computer is great. It has met my expectations and I look forward to having some fun with it!
UPDATE: I finally have all files on my computer and have found in a few instances there has been a lag, but nothing way serious. The backlit keyboard key is the functon 5 key. Also, the function 12 key turns on and off your capabilities to use the internet so if you loose your internet and are seriously confused like I was, this key was probably hit on accident. My computer did not come with any paperwork or a users manual, so I am figuring all these little things out on my own.
I started researching the capablity this computer has to display wirelessly on the tv and you have to buy an adapter Netgear PUSH2TV HD PTV2000 which is 90 bucks here on Amazon so I may hold off on that for a bit. Reviews seems to be mixed, but if it works would be way cool.
I also thought I read something about it being able to play Bluray movies, but when I tried it would not work :( Normal dvds worked just fine though.
I installed a free trial of Paintshop Pro x4 from the Corel website and think I wil purchase the full version for photo editing. I am a beginner at it, but this program seems to be user friendly and intuitive.
UPDATE: So I am stil loving my computer...I have had to call HP customer support because for some reason my fingerprint reader stopped working. At first I was annoyed because the rep was foreign (although I could understand him okay) and there is just a lack of communication when dealng with outsourced technical communications in general (or so my history has proved). Also, the script type of communication I get when working with outsourced companies aggravates me as well. Kinda felt at first like it was ME being an idiot and not the computer. Yes, I have restared my computer. The light's not blinking at all...I KNOW IT"S NOT WORKING!!!
Once the couple of routine steps were completed and they reached the same conclusion I had a long time ago (the reader is not working), I was a bit more impressed with the service. He did not seem to be reading straight from a script which I have encountered in the past. I allowed him remote access to the computer and he uninstalled the reader and then re-installed it and it worked! Something I probably could have done myself with less hassles, but like I said I am not all that tech savy and don't want to mess anything up. Afterwards, I was forwarded to a supervisor to rate my experience and to make sure my problem was solved. I felt for sure I would try to be sold on some warranty or give them more money, but no! It was really in fact just a quality service check which only took a minute and I was happy to oblidge.
Best Deals for HP dm4-3090se (14.0-Inch Screen) Laptop
I've had this laptop for over a week now and each day I find something new to appreciate about it. It's about as close to perfect as any computer I've had, and I've had quite a few.I use this machine mainly for Microsoft Office (which you much buy separately), for Adobe files and for the internet, but in my job I am often required to have numerous spreadsheets, word documents and power point presentations open at the same time, as well as some challenging Adobe documents. This computer can handle those jobs and have numerous browsers open in say IE and Chrome and Opera simultaneously (I am forced to use my multiple screen desktop for some jobs though, of course). But considering the abilities of this laptop I feel I have a full office in a 4 pound package. The power of the I5 processor and the speed of the hard drive and SSD is evident.
The screen resolution of this laptop is nothing short of amazing. I've watched Hulu on this machine and wow! I swear it looks like a 3D picture. The screen is readable in most light situations including sunlight (though it's a little more difficult in the brightest sunlight). I also really like the way you can adjust the brightness of the screen very easily through the F2 and F3 keys.
Other points: The lighted keyboard is great. It's amazing how much easier it is to use this keyboard than those on prior laptops. The computer also never heats up and that makes a huge difference when using it for long times. Bootup time seems almost instant. The speakers are outstanding. Unlike some other reviewers I did not find a problem with the touch pad. The fingerprint security system works perfectly for me. And finally, the battery life makes it seem like you can use this computer for indefinite periods without recharging. And another feature I did not anticipate is that it recharges so quickly.
My only complaint, and it's minor, is that one of the flaps on the bottom has a slight imperfection. It "almost" fits but does not totally snap into place. It's minor enough that I don't think it worthy of bringing the rating down from five stars. This machine has a lot going for it.
I'm glad I did the research before buying and I'm very happy with my choice. I looked at CNET, at reviews here, at specs, took a look at numerous other machines and from what I saw the price to performance beats anything else out there.
Honest reviews on HP dm4-3090se (14.0-Inch Screen) Laptop
love my hp dm4-3090se. This laptop def turns heads at school when I pull it admist the sea of macbooks that every has. I did a lot of research on laptops and narrowed my choices to this or the envy 14 beats addition (which my friend has) he came over the other day and we compared the two laptops side by side and I def made the right choice for my needsScreen Size:
first of dm4 is 14'' not all that noticable difference tho (I think 14'' is plenty of screen and wanted something smaller that would fit well into my backpack)
Screen Res:
The dm4 has 1600x900 antiglare led screen is really nice. After watching nba on league pass on this screen, I dont think I would go back to the lower resolution. It looks almost as good as my 1080p tv. The colors seem a bit washed out due to the antiglare screen but you might be able to adjust it, you get use to it. (could of done without the plastic around the screen though, one of the only downfalls with this laptop)
The envy 14 has a lower res screen but the display is just like on the macbook pro with the all glass screen (this looks better from an athstetics standpoint but I like my hd res better)
Wieght:
This laptop is about 4.5 lbs. which is about a pound lighter than the envy 14 (again better to carry for school)
Keyboard:
exactly the same red backlight keyboard (pretty sharp and unique if you ask me...love it)
Fingerprint reader:
nice to have and cool that you dont have to type in your id's and passwords over and over but not necessarily needed
processor
This computer has a 2nd gen i5 while the envy 14 has a first gen i7 (i didnt really need a 4 cores for web browsing and microsoft office but some people may like the extra power)
battery life:
Iv been getting around 6 hours (feels like more, I hardly charge my computer) while my friends envy 14 gets about 2 hours
hard drive:
I love the hybrid hard dirve. This thing soft boots out of sleep mode in a couple seconds and turns on from off in about 20-30 id say...plenty quick (520gb is plenty gb for me)
ram/memory:
6gb has been plenty for me. (i had 5 tabs open on google chrome while running excel, word, and powerpoint and it was plenty fast) I also stream nba league pass on nba.com which also has a nice picture with no lag
graphics card:
def adv envy 14 here. I know the dm4 has an entry level card but honestly i will never notice the difference (I use my xbox for games not my laptop)
sound:
At first I thought the speakers were just pretty good but once my friend adjusted them these are the best laptop speakers iv ever heard (but this is to be expected in the beats by dre edition laptop)
pros:
a lot of laptop for only $825
fast boot time
sound
high screen res
lightwieght
good battery life
cons:
fingerprint magnet
plastic around screen
I would def buy again and def recommend this laptop for someone like me who likes black and red and uses a laptop for internet and microsoft office for school rather than gaming. This laptop will def turn heads.
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This is a more tech savvy review.I was between this laptop and a Dell XPS x14z ($823 versus $899 at the time of my purchase). Now that I received it and took a look at the details I'm very happy I picked this one. Yes, the XPS comes with more RAM and a bigger hard drive plus nvidia graphics and also spot a backlit keyboard, but this has it own charm.
The laptop comes with this mSATA unit as a cache using Smart Response Technology (SRT) in a RAID with the 500gb drive. It works pretty well. Very fast boot time and overall fast response of the system. The mSATA drive doesn't show on Windows since it exclusive for the cache.
I was lucky enough to get one of 32gb instead of 20gb. Now, a review from a very respected laptop website states that the mSATA is NOT user-accessible, this is wrong. The mSATA is right next to the RAM memory slots. Looks pretty easy to replace, but I have no idea on compatibility with others mSATA drives.
What's interesting is that it's possible to turn off the SRT SSD cache, leaving the mSATA drive as standalone. I already did this and it works wonderful. This allows you to have an SSD drive and a normal high capacity drive all in this 14 inch laptop.
After installing Windows and basic programs on the SSD, I have 5gb left. Now Windows boot up time is just 22 seconds, that's from the moment I press the power button to the desktop completely loaded.
The laptop comes with 6gb of RAM, mine has a 4gb DIMM and a 2gb DIMM, if you are looking to take it to 8gb then you will only need to replace the 2gb one.
Windows Experience Index after using the mSATA SSD as an standalone drive:
Processor --> 7.0
Memory (RAM) --> 7.3
Graphics --> 5.9
Gaming Graphics --> 6.2
Primary Hard Disk --> 7.6 (Yay!)
To close it up
Pros:
Hybrid hard drive using SRT technology
Possibility of turning off the SRT and having the benefict of a SSD drive and the big storage space of a normal HDD drive
Anti-glare screen with a great resolution
No ports on the back
Red-backlit keyboard
Runs very cool
Cons:
Touch pad could be better
Lid is a fingerprint magnet
Basic Intel graphics
You can get the HP Envy line for about $200 more, or the Dell for less than $100 more, but you won't get this high resolution screen and won't get the hybrid drive option, which in my opinion are the high point of this laptop and the ones that makes it unique.
Highly recommended.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
HP G62-220US 15.6-Inch Laptop Reviews
I had done quite a bit of research before deciding to purchase this laptop. It was ranked the Highest in Consumer reports, and all the reviews looked good...
After 2 weeks, the hard disk crashed and had to be replaced.. Needless to say, I was quite upset, since everything I had just installed on the computer, and all the data were lost...
HP Support was better than I expected, because their service usually leaves a lot to be desired.... The only problem was that they shipped a blank hard drive with no recovery disks.. After 2 shipments I had what I needed, so I installed the drive and got the system back up and running...
Not what I would expect from a "so called" top of the line product.
why HP didn't build a fan to keep the hardware cooled?
this laptop has great performance, if youre not into gaming... on the times that this laptop stays under the 75 degrees, once i start a simple game like unreal tournament 1999 GOTY, it heats up in terms of seconds, also with andry birds for pc, thats just crazy, considering that i bought it a cooler master chill par with 2 6" fans located at the hotest points of tthe machine...
it gets so hot that typing gets anoying so im gona end my review here... think about other options, if i had the money i would trade this for a newer model or even a toshiba... ( my dream is a macbook pro BTW those stays under the 37 degrees... just to compare.. )
Caps lock button too big. Shift key too small. Wish it had a seperate number pad. The coulmn of buttons on the left is a pain in the but, I keep hitting the DVD button by mistake.
The touch pad works well and is hidden but the buttons are too far apart and hard to click.
My first windows 7 experience but so far I like it alot. Screen picture qualtiy is great.
Recommended but would have looked at the key board a bit more closely.
After 2 weeks, the hard disk crashed and had to be replaced.. Needless to say, I was quite upset, since everything I had just installed on the computer, and all the data were lost...
HP Support was better than I expected, because their service usually leaves a lot to be desired.... The only problem was that they shipped a blank hard drive with no recovery disks.. After 2 shipments I had what I needed, so I installed the drive and got the system back up and running...
Not what I would expect from a "so called" top of the line product.
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My only problem with this laptop is that it shuts down in the middle of productivity because it gets too hot. My question is,why HP didn't build a fan to keep the hardware cooled?
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i love this laptop, a powerful processor, 4GB of RAM expabdable, a good hard drive... but this thing gets insanely hot in a very short period if time... i have 6 months with it, and now i think i need to replace the therm gel on mi processor, it boots up and in a period of 10 minutes it gets up to 94 degrees Celsius. that right ther is unacceptable... also when it goes to hibernate and then it boots up it freezes, or lost conection and has to be rebooted for it to react...this laptop has great performance, if youre not into gaming... on the times that this laptop stays under the 75 degrees, once i start a simple game like unreal tournament 1999 GOTY, it heats up in terms of seconds, also with andry birds for pc, thats just crazy, considering that i bought it a cooler master chill par with 2 6" fans located at the hotest points of tthe machine...
it gets so hot that typing gets anoying so im gona end my review here... think about other options, if i had the money i would trade this for a newer model or even a toshiba... ( my dream is a macbook pro BTW those stays under the 37 degrees... just to compare.. )
Honest reviews on HP G62-220US 15.6-Inch Laptop
A fine product. It served my business very well and my partner has privatised it after discovering it great qualities.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP G62-220US 15.6-Inch Laptop
Just replaced my desktop after it crashed yet again. Set up was very easy and took less than four hours to copy over all my files and install everything. Keyboard is awkward and taks some getting used too. Really wanted illumiunated keys and was disappointed to learn this did not have it but I forgot to look.Caps lock button too big. Shift key too small. Wish it had a seperate number pad. The coulmn of buttons on the left is a pain in the but, I keep hitting the DVD button by mistake.
The touch pad works well and is hidden but the buttons are too far apart and hard to click.
My first windows 7 experience but so far I like it alot. Screen picture qualtiy is great.
Recommended but would have looked at the key board a bit more closely.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Buy HP Pavilion 15z-e000 15.6" Laptop PC in Flyer Red; (A6-5200
Pretty but under the hood she is fast and sleek. the chiller for the drive is really cold like a deep freeze. my last computer was a notebook and it kept over heating. this won't happen. Lots of speed and storage for a below average price. I am really impressed and I have had it for 2 months now!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Discount Dell Inspiron i14z-6001sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook
List Price: $877.00
Sale Price: $719.99
Today's Bonus: 18% Off
The sound goes in & out intermittently, regardless of the program(s) being used and there's a constant static sound that is audible all the time. They have replaced the speakers twice, the motherboard, the mic & camera and things still work horribly
Even with 40+hours online & phone with software tech support, has not helped the situation and dell initially refused to authorize a replacement even though they themslves cannot find a solution. After much wailing & gnashing of teeth and more than a month + of conversations, a new laptop was just sent.
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I am fourteen and my first laptop broke and i desperately needed one for school so my mom and I decided on this one. This laptop is extremely durable for an ultrabook and backpack light. Here are some pros and cons:Pros:
awesome sound quality (rather loud and clear)
very light for what it can do
amazing battery life (1-2 school days)
wakes in a "flash" not as fast as they said when you have a lock on it but still really fast
well built
Cons:
slight keyboard warp
cover material picks up fingerprints
very slight separation on the top screen corners
slow auto wifi connect
overall i would buy this
(from dell.com though it's cheaper)
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I was worried when I bought this laptop, because a lot of reviewers noted the problem of booting the second time; the first time after setup. I really like the design, so I took a chance.Unfortunately, mine wouldn't boot after the initial setup, either. I called tech support. They answered the phone quickly, on Christmas Day, no less. It took 5 minutes to fix the problem. Here's what they had me do.
I unplugged from the power cord and (didn't have to shut down since the computer was already shut down). I held the power button down. That's it! Ok, I held it for about 35 seconds, and that fixed it.
Lets review, I held the power button down for 35 seconds. Done.
While I held the button, the power did come on, but it almost immediately went off again. I just kept holding the button. After this, I pushed the power button quickly, as I normally would, and the computer booted normally, and has ever since.
Done.
Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron i14z-6001sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook
I took this computer (from a different retailer) due to some pros, mainly a lightweight laptop with a built-in DVD player/burner, which was important to me.The screen was not bad, even though I would love to see better quality and resolution (IPS 900p).
The deal breaker that made this unacceptable to me is the lack of Page up, Page down, Home & End keys. I keep using those on a daily basis, and now they're all hidden under another key and can only be used with the combination of the FN key. I was unable to use it.
And it's not that there is no more room, it's not a tiny 11" ultra-portable, there is more than enough room! It's beyond me why the Dell took such an approach.
Add to that just 2 USB ports, and a few more minor cons, I just returned it and exchanged it for an Acer.
Too bad, because it could have been my dream laptop.
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It meets my expectations. It's fast, light and cheap.I use it for working and studying. It's a great notebook.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Review of Acer - Aspire 15.6" Touch-screen Laptop - 4gb Memory - 500gb Hard
List Price: $849.99
Sale Price: $464.99
Today's Bonus: 45% Off
I've been saving for my own laptop for a while, so I did a lot of debating before I purchased this one. Now that I have it I know I made the perfect decision! I'm on it all the time and I haven't had any issues with it at all. In addition, it just looks really nice. Overall, the price was definitely worth it and I am thrilled with my purchase!exactly like in the picture, great job guys. at first i was sceptic but now no more, the item is great and arrive in perfect condition
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