Discount Alienware AM11X-2894CSB 11.6-Inch Laptop (Cosmic Black)

Customer Ratings:

I have been looking at this item for quite a while and finally pulled the trigger. My concerns with the speed of the processor on the Core 2 rather than i5 and i7 and the high price were my only reason not to buy. After reading about the battery hit taken on this with the faster processors and the price dropping about $100 so that the price difference with the i7 become quite large, I decided to go with the Core 2 and I am glad I did.

First off, the screen is glossy and only of average brightness but the viewing angles and the ability to turn the contrast all the way up and still see a good picture a plus. Second, there is no bluetooth but there are so many tiny dongles these days it isn't a huge issue for your mouse or headphones just use of one the three usb ports. Third, the reason to buy this is for gaming and I am happy to say I was able to load all my games on the spacious 320gb hard drive with room to spare and they are all playable anywhere from medium to ultra settings. I play almost exclusively real-time strategy titles such as StarCraft II and the Command and Conquer titles. They all run really good.

The build quality is phenomenal on this thing. It is fun to just look at and admire. Being able to change the lighting in five zones and in various ways makes night computing perfect. The small keyboard is a little tougher to type on than a chic-lit style on a netbook but the razor sharp backlighting makes it work out fine after a little practice. Touch typing works great. The wrist area does not show fingerprints, the mouse has a great texture and really soft press buttons but I use an external mouse.

My first unit did not work the second day. It went black screen on me and Amazon shipped me a replacement the very next day that has been perfect. I also went into the bios on the second one and enabled turbo mode and it works no blue screens.

I spent all day loading up my gaming titles and look forward to playing on the go and around the house a lot more now. I was also pleased that 1080p YouTube worked flawlessly and my programs seem snappy. So far, so good, enjoying it. The kids love it too and like to change the keyboard to pink for the girls and incredible hulk green for the boys.

A fun toy, I hope to enjoy for a long time, and recommend.

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Dell's m11x is a wonderful, fast gaming laptop with one FATAL flaw: it has a design defect; the screen hinges separate from the chassis with normal use. This defect has occurred in a LOT of computers. Close to 100 are listed on one fan website alone. So far, Dell has not acknowledged this defect, nor have they affected reasonable solutions like extending the warranty on the hinges and tasking an engineer to design a permanent fix. Let me state this again; this is a design defect on the part of Dell and not the fault of the users. Check out the fan forums on Notebookreview or other websites if you need more feedback. This is a great little computer but Dell needs to own up to their design mistake.

Best Deals for Alienware AM11X-2894CSB 11.6-Inch Laptop (Cosmic Black)

Alienware m11x is most powerful 11.6" laptop in the market comparing with all other 11.6"/12.1" netbooks/laptops.

I would give this laptop 5 stars if I write this review in the begining of 2010 because it comes with Intel C2D SU7300 (Performance closer to Intel C2D T5670) and Nvidia GT335m (Performance closer to ATI5730) provding good enough computing power plus graphic engine to play all current PC games at least mid graphic setting.

Why do I only give 3 stars for it after half year?

Because Alienware m11x has the 2nd generation and current amazon price is higher.

The 2nd generation comes with i5 or i7 processors instead of original C2D SU7300, and Dell normally proivde discount coupon to the customer.

I purchased my i5-520um, Nvidia GT335, 4GB Ram, 160GB HDD, and Bluetooth m11x per "$920 + tax" after 100 off coupon from Dell.

Let's compare with another similar model Lenovo U160, which is also 11.6"/12.1" laptop with i5/i7, but its selling price is $1000+ without any GPU. As you already knew, Alienware gives you i5/i7 with GPU (Nvidia GT335m) and better cost.

Beside powerful specs, m11x is easier 11.6" laptop for you to upgrade memory, hard drive, and wifi card. It's the reason I choose 2.5" 160GB hard drive. You can easy get a 2.5" 500GB hard drive in between $50 to $60 to replace the 160GB one without paying Dell like $100. You can check youtube, and find out how easy that you can change those components inside Alienware m11x and how hard for you to change componetns within other 12.1" laptop/netbook hard drive such as ASUS EEE PC 12" series. Alienware did a great job providing user easier way to upgrade the system.

Well, we know that price is higher than EEE PC and other 12.1"/11.6" netbook, but it's a i5/i7/C2D LAPTOP (NOT A NETBOOK) with Nvidia GT335m and up to 8 hours battery life making a unbeatable conditions for user.

Currently, DELL Price is $949 for i5 alienware m11x (2GB Ram + 160GB Hard drive) before all upgrades and discount coupon. For C2D SU7300 m11x (2GB Ram + 160GB Hard drive) starts from $799. That isn't a final cost because Dell keeps providing discount coupons very offen.

I would say current Amazon posted Alienware SU7300, 4GM Ram, and 320GB hard driver making a good combination, but $999 is too high (You can m11x i5 version as $999). If they can cost down SU7300 m11x in between $849 and $899, it will be very worth to buy it.

If you have budget more than $800 for a thin, light, and powerful gaming laptop. It will be the best choice.

Honest reviews on Alienware AM11X-2894CSB 11.6-Inch Laptop (Cosmic Black)

This thing is perfect for me. Its light, compact, long battery life, and has the GPU needed to play my games on medium settings. I sometimes have to carry alot of other gear so the compactness and light weight is very nice. I have used the ASUS G73 series (they make great desktop replacment systems and are very powerful) but those are WAY to big and heavy for my intended use. I wont get into the lights issue as that has already been covered in other reviews.

I did ALOT of research before this purchase. I really wanted the R2 version with the i7 processor and optimus. However I went to several forums and there are many problems with the i5/i7, optimus, and DX10 when it comes to games like Civ V. The R1 has manually switching (FN+F6) and drivers that work really well with DX10. I really like the manually switching to save battery life when doing mundane tasks that dont need the 335M GPU. I also downloaded the updated BIOS (A05) and all the other drivers from the dell website and they all work fine.

I played the Civ V demo with everything on medium with textures and water on high at max resolution and it was very smooth. Company of Heroes online (the best RTS EVER made, its free and its even better than SC2!) plays perfectly on this machine. It also came with Portal for free on Steam, and it plays flawlessly with everything on high. I dont play very many FPS on PC because I have a 360 and PS3 and thats what all of my friends have. I also have a custom gaming desktop rig that I built my self using MSI parts so if I want to do some heavy PC gaming at home I use that.

After I updated the BIOS I was able to overclock the CPU to 1.6 according to CPUZ (great program). The overclocked Core Duo is comparable to an i3 when it comes to speed, the i5/i7 really isnt that much faster, and the battery life takes a big hit too. Some games run better on the R1 and a few R2 users have even traded in their systems to go back to the R1.

The R2 version from will cost you around $1200 out the door with the same specs (except the processor and bluetooth) as this one on amazon. The R1 comes in cosmic black vs the R2 soft touch stealth black. You cant really go wrong the R1 or R2 but there is a well documented hinge issue on both machines if you look on other forums such as . I guess I got a good one because the screen does NOT touch the keyboard on mine. Also the screen is really glossy. I dont use this outdoors so it is not an issue for me but it could be a deal breaker for others.

So if you need a light, extremely portable laptop, and want to play some Company of Heroes, SC2, or Civ V on the move, get the M11x. If you want a big, super powerful, heavy, low battery life destop replacement then look elsewhere.

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Update:

Now after owning for about 15 months, during which its never been dropped or compromised, I've had 4 critical issues. The hinge broke twice (replaced twice, each time requiring 5 hours of my time), the mother board fried once, and more recently the battery is again having a connection problem that causes the laptop to shut off on its own when on battery power. Called and was told to replace the battery (at my expense, even though I had a four warranty a faulty battery is considered a peripheral and it not covered). Not exaggerating, I'm put in 30 hours on the phone or troubleshooting b/c of Dell's poor workmanship/engineering. I'm just going to sell this junk on ebay and get another computer. please pass on the "new" Dell owned alienware. It's cheaper, looks pretty, has great specs, but it's junk.

I'd had this for about 8 months. The honeymoon is over for this computer and Alienware in general:

1) The hinge is broken due to an engineering problem (google "m11x hinge"). I've been waiting for them to fix it/address it for weeks to months now. I've spent many unnecessary hours waiting to talk to CS or getting no useful help from Customer Service. I was hung up on twice by the their service team.

2) the computer shuts off on its own (even after turning off the accelerator). I spent hours trying to fix it with their service team. the technician they sent said he was confused and could not help me and to 'call back' to open another service issue.

3) even when purchasing the thing, it was close to a 3 hour process over the phone.

4) the computer feels 'junky'. The parts (side panels), hinge, stoppers, etc are made of a cheaper plastics, glues, and have already noticeably begun to fall apart. All stoppers on teh bottom computer have come off, and one of the top stoppers that rests between the keyboard and screen has popped off.

As context, I had, cared for, and used a Dell XPS for 5 years straight with no issues due to my mishandling of the product. This is a clearly sub-quality product.

Buy another computer, and I would advise not an Alienware. It is really not worth it.

Discount Sony VAIO VGN-FW510F/H 16.4-Inch Gray Laptop (Windows 7 Home

Customer Ratings:

Pros:

Good specs for a mid-grade notebook

Comforable & quiet keyboard

Upward facing speakers

HDMI output

Aesthetically pleasing

Cons:

LCD is dark even at full brightness

Fan comes on intermitently every 4-5 mins

Heavy (6.9 pounds)

Low battery life (~2.5hrs on light usage)

Review:

I bought this at Bestbuy the weekend of Black Friday ($649.99). It's rare to find a mid-grade notebook that has dedicated graphics, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, GigE & 802.11n connectivity, and a 1600x900 display. Even at MSRP, the specs are pretty good for the price. The keyboard is very quiet and comfortable to type on. The touchpad is a decent size but the 2 buttons are hard to click (I generally use the touchpad tap gestures). The max volume on the speakers are pretty good and they actually face up. Many lower end notebooks have them facing down going away from your ear and also gets muffled if you put it on your bed. The HDMI is great for connecting to an external display. Unfortunately, the integrated glossy 1600x900 xbrite-eco display looks pretty bad. Even on max brightness, the LCD is not very bright. The viewing angles are bad. Normal sized text is hard to read unless you're looking at the LCD straight-on. This is my first experience with extended usage on a Sony xbrite-eco display and I'm a bit disappointed. I haven't used a TN-panel in 3 years, so I am a bit spoiled on monitors. I'm also very conscious of computer noise. The fan comes on and off frequently and cannot be controlled by 3rd party software (This is true of all Sony Vaios). I checked this out using HWMonitor. The PC idles around 50C. When the CPU gets stressed to 59C, the fan starts spinning and cooling the CPU down until 51C, then stops. This is a regular pattern that occurs maybe every 4-5 mins, but on the other hand, many notebook cooling systems are the same way. The good thing is this never becomes one of those lap-scorchers. This thing is quite heavy at 6.9 pounds. The big LCD and dedicated graphics add weight and also trim down the 4400mAH battery's life. I get 2.5hrs on light usage. I think this could have used a bigger battery, but I think Sony didn't want to have to market a 7 pound+ computer. There is still pre-installed garbage software that you'll want to uninstall but it's not as bad as it used to be. This is currently my main computer and I usually have it "docked" to my external S-IPS Dell monitor, external keyboard/mouse, and constantly charged, so I don't feel the effect of the dull LCD, weight, or battery life.

Overall, I still really like the computer. To get similar specs elsewhere, you'd have to spend $1000+. It looks very sleek and has the Sony "Vaio" branding if you're into that. With a 16"+ laptop, weight and lowered battery life are a given. The hardware is very good other than the LCD and the cooling sytem is a little bit below average in my opinion. I'd say if this looks good on paper to you, head down to a brick and mortar to check out the LCD brightness, viewing angles, and weight before making your decision.

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I have never dealt with such poor service in my entire life as I dealt with for my Sony Vaio VGN-FW. Less than six months after purchasing the computer the network connection stopped working. After two hours of dealing with Sony tech support they finally sent a technician, who replaced the network card but still didn't solve the problem. The next step was to send the computer to the Sony fix-it center where it was to be "assessed" and "processed". Then, I got the news according to Sony the switch to the wireless card was broken in the off position, it was somehow "my fault", and it would cost $700 to replace. This was a complete and utterly false and shameful assertion on their point, especially since the only time that the wireless switch had ever been used was when the Sony tech had toggled it in her diagnostics. After two days and considerable agony dealing with the customer service center I was finally able to get Sony to agree to replace the network card with no cost. All told the experience cost me two full days of my life and a month without my computer all to get what I should've had all along . . . a working laptop. I bought a Sony due to their reputation as a top-notch brand, but I will never make that mistake again they were deceitful in how they approached the issue and they made every attempt to screw me along the way.

Best Deals for Sony VAIO VGN-FW510F/H 16.4-Inch Gray Laptop (Windows 7 Home

I recently bought the FW 501F and it is a great laptop for home and study projects, solidly built and with superb performance and capacity for gaming and browsing. If you do not mind the lack of BD player, this laptop is a winner, but amazon's prices for the same product are way above than Best Buy ($200+ difference). I already own a sony laptop FW 270J and they are excellent products. I would recommend this sony to anyone, over almost any other brands.

Honest reviews on Sony VAIO VGN-FW510F/H 16.4-Inch Gray Laptop (Windows 7 Home

I recently purchased this for Christmas for a family member as a gift. The Sony VAIO VGN-FW510F/H 16.4-Inch Gray Laptop is very user friendly. The person using this is not the best with computer technology but Sony makes things very easy to understand and all the functions are obvious and easy. Windows 7 is very nice, intuitive and connected with printers and other peripherals very easily. I think for under $800 this laptop is a great buy. 16.4 "makes it easy to read for the entire family, and yet it is not cumbersome at all. I like this much better than the 14 or 15" models I looked at in the stores.

Battery life is not bad, but less than the stats stated here. I'd say 90 min is reasonable expectation with normal use. No blu-ray drive, but that isn't a big deal to me yet. Otherwise, I can't find much wrong with this laptop, and I would buy again if I needed another one.

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First of all I currently own 4 Sony Vaio Computers:

1. Vaio FW (upgraded to Windows 7 Professional): Just a fantastic combination of performance and build quility. True workhorse. HPs and Dell look dull compared to the sleek and elegant FW.

2. Vaio X (64GB SSD + Verizon broadband): Light as a feather, fantastic design, leaves all other netbooks in the dust, Mac Air looks boring compared to this. Performance is significantly faaster than the air as well. Includes VGA and Full Windows 7 Home Premium (which means it comes with the fantastic Windows Media Center). Includes 14 hour extended battery. Even with the extended battery the X looks sleeker than the Mac Air!

3. Vaio TP: I paid around $2000 for this excellent home theatre PC that does eveything. Again, very sleek and excellent performance.

4. Vaio LT All in one: I paid around $2000 for this, again an excellent all in one, better than an iMac in every way possible. Better audio (includes a built in sub woofer!), Blu Ray player and includes Vista Media Center + HD TV Tuner!

So what's the problem? For both the TP and LT computers which are Vista Sony support refuses to upgrade the graphics drivers to support windows 7. This means I can NEVER upgrade these from Vista to Windows 7. Sony makes great hardware, no question. But when it comes to support they are the worse. So IF you are budget conscious in any way or need your computer to be future proof for more than a couple of years NEVER EVER consider a Sony. This is coming from a big Sony supporter. Unlike Apple who back their hardware, Sony does NO such thing. You're on your own with Sony.

The FW is a great notebook and so far has worked flawlessly for me, but recent history tells me that Sony will probably not support it, now that the F series is out.

Discount Samsung ATIV Book 2 NP270E5E-K03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ash Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $629.99
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

Lightweight, nice keyboard and display is bright and readable. Samsung electronics seem to have good attention to detail and pretty much trouble free.

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Great price and great computer. Fast, neat. Very nice configuration. Nice RAM memory. Makes thing easier to do. Price was ok too.

Best Deals for Samsung ATIV Book 2 NP270E5E-K03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ash Black)

Samsung has long been a favorite of mine, along with Dell, but the ATIV Book 2 has put Samsung in the lead for good. It boots up in seconds and is ready to do a good days work or play. I did install word (work and my writing require it), but other than that I was working on it within 8 minutes. (I'm slow, LOL)

The screen is amazing and the picture quality is as well. This is one of the best laptops I have ever used and will buy another one when this one gets to old. This is ideal for the anyone who wants a light weight laptop to carry with them!!

Honest reviews on Samsung ATIV Book 2 NP270E5E-K03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ash Black)

I love this unit! I changed from a Dell which I am sick of! This is so much easier to use and Samsung has some of their own features that make it worth every penny. On the down side, it has a feature on the touch pad that you can change screens by sliding your finger from the outside edge. I find this to be a pain as another screen will pop up if I go to far over from the center of the touch pad. the only other thing I would have REALLY liked is a back lit keyboard! I can deal with the touch pad issue but the Non-Backlit keyboard is the only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star rating.

I would still HIGHLY recommend this unit and the Samsung brand! Outstanding product and quality made! Really worth it!

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Very good considering specifications, the only problem is that this model doens't have USB 3.0 =/, however I recommend it.

Buy Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)

Customer Ratings:

I'm not sure where the above bad reviews came from, but I find it hard to believe that anyone had such a bad experience with the same system that I bought from Amazon. Looks like most of the reviews are for computers bought from someone else or even directly from Dell, and the guy that bought 3 in the last year and had all of them crash within a month after the warranty expired????? well that doesn't make since.... they all come with a 1 yr warranty, and if he bought three within the last year, then they would still be under warranty..... but I digress,,, and here is my review:

I bought the Inspiron i1545 that is sold on Amazon.com and it has more than met my expectations. I figured that a $619 laptop would be the low end of the spectrum when looking for performance, but this has all the componants of the "high end", as far as RAM and Hard disc. Win 7 makes it easy and has very fast start up and shut down times. It runs very effeciently when I have multiple windows open and I'm gettting close to 8 hours between charges (so far). I did a ton of research for computers before making this purchase, and even went to places like Best Buy so I could get a better feel for what the computer looks and feels like. This Inspiron has all the qualities I was looking for: Sleek, light weight, incredibly clear screen, and responsive keys. Add that together with the 4GB of RAM, 500GB of Hard disc, and I love the "Dell Dock" that allows me to put all my icons in one place, which keeps my desktop clean and professional looking.

My opinion is that you cannot go wrong with this system. You certainly get more for your money!

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I have purchased three from this company in the past year -we have twins in college and each needed one -then one for personal/home use.

Within a month after each warranty expired, the hard drive died. Nothing could be done but order a replacement which first requires a $49 diagnostic fee....before they can even tell you what the part is that is needed and how much that will cost.

They cannot replace items lost on the drive --so be sure to have your own external hard drive or system for back up. They are no help.

This happened three times!! Three different laptops!! All with simple use at home and university. Each just AFTER the warranty expired -and they are in India -and make no adjustments to "policy" -and have the most effective system of blocking customers from access to attaining help.

Never, ever again. Burned THREE times -with THREE different laptops. Never, never again.

Best Deals for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)

My wife and I have been loyal Dell customers over 10 years and four machines. All our previous machines have performed well and we have never had much reason to call customer service for anything. The few times we did (years and years ago) were reasonably pleasant experiences, though. My impression of Dell has always been that they are a solid company that produces solid products.

Not now.

This laptop, which is my wife's, has been nothing but a nightmare from day one. Pathetic battery life, hardware and software issues, trackpad problems, cursor jumping around, intermittent wireless problems, a shoddily-made machine with flimsy screen hinges that easily break.

Dell's customer service has been the absolute worst experience I have ever had with any company in my entire life. I started out trying to return the unit, but quickly found out that they count the number of days that you have had the computer as starting on the day you order the unit, not the day you receive it, so I was two days past the last day I could return the unit. After being transferred back and forth between two different departments who each thought the other department was supposed to help me, I finally found someone who understood the issue and said he would work on getting special approval to return the unit and then call me back. He also sent me an email. He never called back, never responded to emails, never answered the phone, never returned calls. Anyone else I talked to acted like they knew nothing and told me I could not return the unit. Then I tried to appeal to their business sense, by trying to exchange the unit for a higher model (figuring that if they saw I wanted to pay them more money, they would forgive the 2-day thing).

It took me two more weeks of calling every day to find a guy in their corporate customer service group who (even though he shouldn't have even helped me) agreed that what I wanted to do made good business sense and would help the company hold onto a loyal customer. It took him two more weeks to get what he told me was internal approval for the return (their system only allowed them to process it as a return, not a repair or replacement). He even CC'd me on the email where the manager approved the return and gave him instructions on how to process it. I was told I would receive a return code and instructions on how to return the unit for credit. A week went by--nothing. I called and emailed the guy over and over. No response. I finally got someone else who's email address was on the approval email to respond, who explained that the person who approved the return was in one of two different departments who had to approve the return. He said what everyone else always told me--that he would personally take responsibility for resolving my case. He gave me a phone number that was supposedly his direct number and an email. Never heard from him again. The phone number went to a generic mailbox.

After months of getting the runaround and taking every my lunch hour every day to sit on the phone while eating a sandwich, I simply gave up and decided it just wasn't worth it for a $560 laptop. We are already shopping for a replacement after 7 months of owning this thing. Guess who we won't be buying it from.

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)

After seeing some of the other reviews I thought I would add my two cents worth, as it may help out some of you who are looking to purchase an Inspiron 1545.

I've owned this laptop now for a little over a week and I am very happy with the experience so far. I am very knowledgeable about computers, and currently run several machines running Windows 7, Windows Home Server, Mac OSX, and Ubuntu. I have also worked in IT support in the past, so diagnosing and upgrading PCs is something I'm very comfortable with.

Quick Pros and Cons List:

PROS:

+ Windows 7 (it really is a nice and stable OS)

+ Intel dual-core T4400 processor (works well for most users, easy on battery life)

+ 4GB of RAM (helpful for running programs simultaneously, such as Office, Photoshop, Media Center, etc)

+ 320GB hard drive (plenty of storage for most users)

+ Integrated 1.3MP Creative Labs Live! webcam

+ 7-in-1 media card reader (almost a necessity today)

+ Easily upgradeable (discussed below)

CONS:

T4400 is a dual-core processor, not as powerful as a Core 2 Duo, or the current Core i3 (1545R)

Memory is slower 800MHz speed, not current 1066MHz (1545R)

Wireless (wifi) card is A/B/G, but not N-spec

While the webcam is 1.3MP, it isn't of the highest quality but it's okay

VGA-out included, not HDMI-out like on the newer 1545R

Bluetooth not included (though upgradeable)

High gloss surfaces do attract fingerprints (not a big negative)

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I've owned many Dells, and this is the third computer I've purchased from Dell this year... not because something was wrong, but they've had good deals on desktops and laptops this year. This is the first entry level laptop that I have purchased from Dell, and overall I am happy with the design, layout, and quality of the build. The high gloss plastic areas on the palmrest and LCD bezel are obvious fingerprint magnets, but not as bad as an iPhone or iPod. They keyboard is laid out well, with good distance between the keys and a nice feel when typing. The keyboard includes dedicated buttons on the right hand side for Home, Page Up/Down, End, and the four arrow keys.

The hard drive, a Seagate Momentus 5400.6 has decent storage space at 320GB, though it is slower at 5400RPM with an 8MB cache. After formatting, you have about 300GB of usable storage. The memory for this machine is 4GB, though the motherboard can support up to 8GB. The memory speed is 800MHz, which is fine, but is slower than the current 1066MHz memory available. It would have been nice if Dell included an HDMI video port, but instead chose VGA. The HDMI comes standard on the new 1545R with the Core i3 processor. The LCD is crisp and bright, with decent viewing angles. The native resolution of 1366x768 is good, though a little compact, but makes viewing 720p video very nice. The AC adapter is the slim variety... the only issue is that the power plug into the computer fits a little loosely though probably on purpose to prevent damage to the laptop if the cable is snagged by a passerby.

UPGRADEABILITY:

The nicest aspect of this laptop is that if you find that you need more speed, hard drive space, memory, faster wifi, or even bluetooth all of these components can be easily upgraded. Reading the service directions at Dell, you can see that taking apart the Inspiron 1545 is easy and straight forward. By removing the keyboard, you can easily add the bluetooth module and cable, which together go for about $25 on eBay. By removing the bottom cover, you can replace the memory, wifi card, and processor with little difficulty. An Intel 5100 N spec wifi card goes for about $12 on eBay. You can also add memory if need be up to 8GB is supported. The processor can also be replaced, though make sure that the processor you choose is supported by the laptop's bios. The 1545 supports Intel Socket P (478-pin Micro FCPGA) processors; with the bios specifically supporting the Celeron 900, Dual-Core T4200, T4300, T4400, and the Core 2 Duo T6400, T6500, T6600, P7350, P7450, P8600, and P8700. The faster processors, like the P8700 include more onboard cache, faster processor speed, faster bus speeds, and virtualization. Replacement processors like those mentioned can be found on eBay for around $20-150. The hard drive can also be easily upgraded I installed a new Western Digital 64GB SSD, which took about 60 seconds to install. The hard drive slot is on the right hand side, and comes out with the removal of two screws. I installed the new wifi in about 60 seconds, adding bluetooth took about two minutes. It doesn't take a lot of know-how to upgrade these components just a screwdriver and a quick read of the manual.

CONCLUSION:

It's a good laptop for the price, which can be upgraded into a better computer easily and cheaply... all you have to do is read the manual, which is straightforward. I usually keep computers for about a year or two, and by next year I'll probably be ready to sell this at a decent price and use the proceeds to get another Inspiron but it will have been worth it for sure. In my opinion, for the price, quality, and support, you can't go wrong with a Dell.

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I have purchased two of these now.

The one I bought at Best Buy lasted 5 days before having hardware failure. I returned it.

I bought the second one at Staples. It lasted 3 hours before giving an error saying, "No hard drive detected."

Don't buy this laptop!

Buy Toshiba Tecra A8-S8513 - Core 2 Duo T5600 / 1.83 GHz - Centrino Duo

Customer Ratings:

Preface This weighs about 6 1/3 pounds or so Not 11 Pounds as Amazon Has Erroneously Noted. To be honest, I never intended to spend this amount on a laptop but I am very very happy with this. What happened to me was, I originally bought a refurbished Toshiba A105 Satellite 1.66 Core 2 Duo, XP, from a very good computer seller for $799 before tax & really liked it but there were major problems with the Hard Drive which was all screwed up. I thus returned the A105 and then bought the brand new faster Tecra A8-S8513, mainly because it has XP and I didn't want to deal with Vista. I also upgraded the RAM from 1GB to 2.5 GB. All told I spent $500 plus more then the $799 I originally budgeted for because I had to use the stores credit on the refurbished notebook with problems & wanted a New Core 2 Duo with XP. The good news is I'm very happy with this as its very fast, super sturdy & built like a tank, the sound of the fan & hard drive is the lowest I've ever heard on a laptop (the refurbished A105 was way too loud), works great with the built in wireless card, is very easy to use, is relatively

light at 6oz or so. So what I'm trying to say is, if you have the money for this & want a laptop with XP, buy it and add another gig of RAM to it & you'll be very happy. My only negative is that the USB ports are in the back instead of the side like the A-105.

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Bought it for a friend (with her money). She's had it exactly 2 years now and nothing major to report. Software got cluttered, but I sorted that by removing some unnecessary startups and reloaded the problem apps. Then it was soaring again.

Lately though she said it freezes occasionally. Don't know what's wrong yet.

ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $315.97
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

Really tried to love this laptop...and I honestly did for the first hour. It was beautiful, light, and sleek. Then, an hour in, I decided to start using the browser to search for something and lo and behold, allmywordstypedoutasthus...basically, I found out that if I wanted a space between my words, I had to press right into the middle of the spacebar. I had to press 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch from either end in before the spacebar finally registered and a space appears. I'm a pretty fast typer...on slow days, I probably type around 75wpm, other times it'd be around 100wpm. By simply having this malfunctioning spacebar, however, my typing speed goes down to around 40wpm...which is really quite annoying because I basically can't type as freely or comfortably as I'd like. If you're already a slow typer, or don't think you'll use the spacebar much for chatting/writing essays/etc. then you should probably be fine. I really loved this laptop before finding out this. But unfortunately, a spacebar that doesn't register when you press slightly off from the middle does not mesh well with me...or back to the store it'll go...what a pity. Also, from what I've seen online, it's not that I got a lemon or whatever...apparently all laptops from asus has this problem...so be careful if you want to order from Asus...

Another thing that sort of annoyed me, but wasn't really a huge deal, is that the plug is connected to the adapter box thingy...which is odd because when you plug in your laptop, if your outlet has any other available ones, your laptop plug may end up having to cover it. Also, the charger wire is relatively short. Overall, the keyboard is also pretty thin and you could sort of see the keyboard surface shake each time you type...didn't matter a huge deal for me though.

The laptop does run pretty quietly...or at least it did for the 3-5 hours I played on it before I decided that I just can't 'suck it up' for 3 years using a bad spacebar.

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I bought this laptop from Best Buy, the 320GB version for $249 and let me tell you, that is a steal! I don't have any of the space bar problems that other reviewers were complaining about. Here are the pros and the cons:

Pros:

-Price is fantastic

-Screen is very bright and it makes everything look really good

-Great laptop for browsing the web and basic document editing

-Keyboard is extremely spacious and helps me with my accuracy

-Roomy display at 15.6 inches

-I currently own 5 laptops and this is the only one I can put on my lap for hours at a time because it never runs hot. That's because it has a low power processor and Asus has a good cooling system.

Cons:

-Web cam is low quality because of low megapixels but I rarely use it

-I don't think the RAM memory is expandable but I'm still researching this

I would buy this computer again.

Best Deals for ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC

I had to buy a windows machine for business school and since I recently spent an enormous amount of money on an Apple iMac, i decided to go budget for a laptop. I saw this machine at best buy, it was light, fit in my bag, and appeared to do the trick so I bought it. Everything was going great until I got home and unwrapped it and found that the space bar doesn't work fresh out of the box. I then went online and did some research and it seems to be a common problem. Disappointing but not the end of the world. I'm going to return it and probably get a toshiba for a few extra bucks.

Honest reviews on ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC

I have owned this laptop for three weeks. I repeat THREE weeks. In the middle of working from home, the thing up and shut itself off. I thought maybe it overheated, so I felt around the laptopit was cool. I turned it back on and it worked for about an hour more, but would not take a charge. I called Asus support. They almost had me do a complete recovery because it wouldn't charge. In the middle of the refresh that they then asked me to complete, it shut off and won't turn back on. They think it's the charger, so they recommended that I pay to mail them the charger and then wait over a week to get a new one back because they wanted to "service" it. Otherwise, they recommended that I purchase a $40 charger from them. So far, I have lost a day's worth of work, but if I can't get it back on, it'll be closer to a week's worth. I would NOT recommend, and Asus support is very poor.

Best Dell Inspiron Mini 910 Intel Atom - 1.6 8GB 1GB 8.9" 1000 Intel GMA Deals

Customer Ratings:

I ordered one of these from Dell sight unseen. I ordered the Ubuntu Linux version customized with an 8gb SSD, 1gb of RAM, no Bluetooth and no Webcam. it's a great little computer. I mostly got it for checking email, surfing the web and making Skype calls while I'm traveling. Small size and light weight were the main features I was looking for. The Mini 9 is half the size and weight of my full size laptop.

I chose Dell over Asus and Acer because I think Dell makes better quality products. The Asus eeePC looks kind of cheaply made. I didn't order the Acer, because I've had hardware problems with Acers in the past and Acer tech support pissed me off. The HP netbooks look good, but I've been a bid Dell fan for years. Dell is also the only manufacturer that ships netbook computers with Ubuntu, the most popular Linux operating system. I am switching to Linux because Microsoft pissed me off with Windows Vista. I switched to Ubuntu Linux on my full size old Dell laptop as well.

So here is my review. This little computer is very solid and well built. I think it will last for years, like the other Dell products I've owned in the past. The battery life is good. It's rated at 4 hrs, but other reviewers claim 3 1/2 hours. That's still pretty good. The card reader slot is a nice feature. I picked up a 4gb SD card from Amazon for $10 for extra storage. Some XP users even get a 16gb SD card and move their My Documents folder to it do save hard drive space. The 8.9 inch 1024x600 screen is very sharp. It's a great quality screen, but it is kind of small. Oldsters will need to get out their reading glasses to use it. I think any computer this small would have the same problem though. I would give this computer 5 stars, but the keyboard takes some getting used to. Some of the keys like ' are hard to find and the shift key is small. I find myself hitting the touchpad while typing and it makes the cursor jump all around. Now I use a USB mouse instead of the touchpad. It works a lot better that way. I can live with the small keyboard. It's just a compromise for the small size, weight and portability.

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Computer didn't come with Microsoft internet. Also had a few scratches on the outside. Otherwise it was in fairly desent condition. Felt like I paid to much for it to have scratches and for there not to be any programs on it. I'm having to send to the geek squad and have programs installed in order to use. I originally got this for my 9 year sons birthday and he couldn't even use it. He enjoys netflix and I couldn't install the programs in order to use it. My son was really bummed. It did arrive on time.

Best Deals for Dell Inspiron Mini 910 Intel Atom - 1.6 8GB 1GB 8.9" 1000 Intel GMA

The common problems with these machines

include the SSD failure after only 3 years.

You can bet, dell tech support will cost as much as a replacement SSD (about $50 for 16gb).

Really, a defective product.

We should band together for a class action lawsuite. Dell owes us free

replacement drives.

D

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron Mini 910 Intel Atom - 1.6 8GB 1GB 8.9" 1000 Intel GMA

I ordered my Dell Mini 9 on 9/20/08. The battery has failed and won't charge. I wish I had checked other brands before I ordered this one. The hard drive is small and there is no CD/DVD drive. I purchased an external drive (Targus) and found that I had to purchase software to support the DVD drive. Very disappointed.