Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 15.6-Inch Laptop (Grey Metal) - Windows 8 - 500 GB Hard Drive - 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM

I've been using a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge for the last two years for work and love it. So I bought my wife the Ideapad z580 the other day. For the money you can't get better specs. Intel core i5 processor, 8gb Ram, 750gb hardrive were included in a $499 deal at Staples. The other laptops of similar spec were at least $100 more and then some. The feel and handle of the z580 are great. But there are some key problems with this computer that have caused us to return it in favor of something else.

1. The track pad doesn't have separate buttons, they are integrated. I don't care one way or the other, but they have to work. The buttons seemed to work only half of the time. I soon just started to tap on the pad to select things because the buttons wouldn't do it. I even tried to adjust the sensitivity of them to no avail. It's also super sensitive. If you even remotely touch anything other than your finger to it, the pointer jumps all over. It also seemed to select things when our fingers hovered over the track pad. For me, the track pad has to work well since you use it for everything. If it doesn't it'll make your computer experience a disaster.

2. The network card would lose signal and we would have to reset the connection. This is unacceptable as well.

3. The computer, if left open goes into sleep mode, which is fine, but the problem is that it won't wake up. The only way to wake up the z580 if it goes to sleep with the screen open is to push the power button and restart the computer. There is no fix for this per the user forums about this laptop.

Between the poor track pad, poor internet network card, and a computer that you can't wake up; it made our decision to return it and look for something else pretty easy. those things just make the laptop experience miserable.

Good system for openSuSE Linux, which is a lot faster than 'Bloze 7 or 8. The wifi antenna could stand to be better, and of course, an Intel chipset is "mandatory" IMHO.

Fred

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The screen looks good and it runs well. The keys on keyboard are nice too.

Overall a good computer, especially for the money. I bought this computer for my son. I use a Apple Macbook Air with Windows 7 in boot camp and it is a bit nicer, but not by much. I would enjoy this computer for myself. The Apple is 5 stars, so this is 4 stars. The Apple is tighter feeling and a bit nicer in screen.

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Needed a laptop for school and this laptop did not disappoint!

Pros: Good keyboard layout even for people with big fingers like myself. Great sound from the built-in speakers. Quick boot up times and plenty of RAM for any student and the occasional video game. HDMI-out port for playing movies and Karaoke on the TV. Windows 8 is awesome in my opinion. Just watch an instructional video or two on youtube!

Cons: None that I've found yet!

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Excellent team with good performance and good looks in their finishes. The operating system is very intuitive with a nice home screen.

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Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-4146SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)

It's a very nice computer with nice resolution. At first, I was put off by the fact that it contained Windows 8; however, I gave myself a chance to learn it, and now I think it's great!

I soon got Windows and Dell support for it, and am very satisfied.

Dell has a long reputation of not being able to keep their machines cool. After just 3 months, my computer would overheat to the point of automatically shutting off. I've had to take it apart, pull the heat sink off the CPU, only to find that there was almost no thermal paste, and what was left had the consistency of dried out gum. Also, the heat sink makes an arc, passing from the CPU over the graphics card part of the motherboard. The heat from the CPU just gets passed on to the graphics card, so my GPU is always about 15 to 20 degrees hotter than the CPU, which gets up to 80 degrees with just internet browsing! Horrible design.

Also, the battery dies after 2 months. What's the point of having a laptop that you have to haul around the power cord or else it dies after 5 minutes?

Dell lies about battery life. They said it would last 6 hours light use, 4-5 hours moderate use, and 3 hours with heavy use like gaming. Lie. When I first bought it, it lasted 1 hour with heavy use and 2.5 hours with light use. Then, like I said, the battery completely died after 2 months.

Never buy a dell, period. This is not a one off situation. Search the internet about dell overheating and dell skimping on hardware. You'll find lots of results.

Also do a search on how horrible their customer service is.

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I received a Dell Inspiron i15 5521 which is not a comparable retail value. Because I had gone through 2 exchanges previously, and needed my laptop, I kept it, and amazon did compensate me for the difference in value. The laptop (5521) has similar specs to the 4146, and has performed well. It has a Windows 8 rating around 6 (out of 10). I was able to install office, and photoshop and it didn't seem to hang when using both simultaneously. I was not able to install a game, it errored out when attempting to start it (attempted 10+ times even with a different product key, and just a no go). Doesn't really matter since my purpose for this laptop is for school and personal business. Not much bloatware, install of OS and initial set up went well, as did my removal of McAfee and installation of Norton.

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I've been doing research on this product, and I've been trying to locate the Touch Screen one, like on dell.com, and this is one that came up, but it doesn't specifically say "touch screen," so does that mean it's not? I'd like to find the touch screen one if I can, this is the link on the website: Thank you!

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Don't buy any computer with the Windows 8 operating system installed. It was made for tablet-type products and is a complete, utter disaster for laptop and desktop applications. I am a long-time heavy user of Windows products and, ironically, believe Windows 7 one of the best operating systems anywhere. Windows 8 is more than frustrating, it is infuriating. And don't think you can buy a computer with Windows 8 then just have Windows 7 installed as several close friends say this doesn't always work. Your best bet is to buy a computer with Windows 7 already installed or go to Apple.

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Sony VAIO E Series SVE17137CXB 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

There are many things to like about this computer. They include a nicely lit keyboard, great high definition screen and speed that will be more than adequate for most tasks with the possible exception of gaming. Then there is Sony technical support which is as good as it gets. The Blu ray DVD is a nice feature to have as well. The only thing I could not get used to was the touchpad which lacks the usual two press down portions in the front. There is probably a name for them but I am not as computer savy as I would like to be. Unfortunately my computer showed an issue that could be either hardware or software related. For no particular reason, I got several messages that read " driver_irql_not_less_or_equal...." with no blue screen of death. After a short while the computer resumed working without additional efforts on my part. I called Sony and got through to tech support promptly. Using a remote program the tech checked hardware and concluded it must be software related. So I did a reset to original factory settings. Shortly after this (within minutes) the warning reappeared. I called Sony and a tech support visit to my home was initiated. I think Sony should be commended for its efforts. Since I had the computer for only 20 days I contacted Amazon and as expected Amazon came to my rescue with a speedy return label. Why did I opt to return the computer that I really liked? Many electronics companies reserve the right to replace a defective device with a refurbished one and with regard to this policy Vizio immediately comes to my mind. I don't know if Sony subscribes to this policy but I was not about to take a chance that the computer could not be repaired especially when Amazon was gracious enough to allow a return. Although I have three Vizio televisions I would not be happy if a refurbished one was substituted for mine because I take good care of my electronics and I don't know anything about the history of the refurbished one. So, flame me if you wish but that's how I feel. If you can return a recently purchased defective item, I say you're better off. Since the hardware checked out, I have my own theory that there is a glitch in Windows 8 as it was installed and that this will eventually be corrected with an update. However, that is just a supposition on my part. I found Windows 8 to be somewhat cumbersome but workable. And this review should not be about the operating system but rather about the computer anyway. I still consider myself a Sony fanboy and I would not hesitate to buy Sony in the future. Stuff happens. It's nice to have Amazon there when it does.

Addendum: The press down portions of the keypad referred to above are called simply enough, mouse buttons. This computer lacks them. It is supposed to be an innovation but calling it an innovation is like calling Windows 8 an inovation over Windows 7. I much prefer mouse buttons to one smooth keypad that lacks them.

Love it. It fulfilled everything I needed it for. Most especially for school because that was my main concern when I was ordering the laptop. Any other thing was just an addition.

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I just received my computer yesterday. I've been using computers for 30 years. I have to tell you that Windows 8 is probably one of the worst operating systems I've ever experienced. People complain about Vista but at least there's something familiar about it. My old laptop was a Vista PC and I was okay with it. For whatever reason I thought it was a good idea to jump Windows 7 and get the newest and best out there. I regret that decision. Windows 8 is so unfriendly and unfamiliar.

And that's a shame because this is actually a nice PC. It's fast, it has the power, it's pretty. I like the backlit keyboard, I've never had that before. I which I could find volume controls on the keyboard like my old PC. Maybe it does have those but I can't find them if it does. But all that aside there's really only one issue I have with the Sony part of the laptop. It's with the mouse touchpad. It's SUPER sensitive. I'll be moving the mouse and suddenly something gets activated. Also, there's no mouse buttons. Let me rephrase that .. they are there, but not in a dedicated space. Clicking accurately is a major problem. And then sometimes I want to click and I have to do it several times to get it to register the click. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to add an actual mouse to be able to use this laptop properly.

At the end of the day, I wish I got a Windows 7 PC. I do like some of the things I've seen so far but it's just not a user friendly laptop because of Windows 8. Maybe I'll feel differently over time here, but I don't know. I really don't like it.

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I hated it because it comes with Windows 8 which doesn't have the Start button but a useless metro interface. I love it because after tweaking for a while, finally find some shortcuts to make it work. Perfect.

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LOVE the size of the screen for watching videos and gaming....LOVE IT!!! The ease of operating around the new laptop is awesome!

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ASUS G55VW-DH71 2.40-3.40GHz i7-3630QM 16GB 1TB 7200RPM 2GB NVIDIA GTX 660M DVD RW

This machine is a great options for any gamer, in my case I requested it with 16 gb ram which could be upgraded till 32 gb. W8 is great just need to spend some time to be familiarized. Its dual and quiet fan cooler system keep it really like an ice, even when you are playing for long time.

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HP 2000-2b10NR 15.6-Inch Laptop

I was a little bit nervous purchasing this laptop considering the specs listed on amazon's site are different. The top of the page says the computer has Windows NT operating system and the bottom said Windows 8. I took a chance and ordered the computer and I LOVE it.

Its very fast and picture quality is amazing. I love that it has an HDMI output. My only computer only had VGA. The difference in streaming video on the computer and onto the tv is amazing.

Windows 8 is taking a little while to get used to. I was using Windows 7 previously but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

The laptop is light weight, sleek and the keyboard feels good on your hands. Overall I def recommend this product. I think everyone will love it!

recieved my computer in only 2 business days. and love it so far. I dont really like windows 8 but the computer is great

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this is a wonderful laptop. it is my first and the instructions were easy to set it up. i love it.

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I recommend this laptop.

Used exclusively for work to demonstrate videos and photos to customers... play internet radio. It's fast enough with adequate memory and speed for what I use it for. Arrived on time (Prime is worth getting if you use Amazon a lot pay over $80 in shipping a year).

This is my 2nd HP and the other (HP G6) is still doing fine (8GB RAM)... I upgraded to 8GB RAM through Crucial [dot ]com and it runs over 12 hours a day and has been doing so since Fall of 2011. This model (4GB RAM) is capable of 8GB RAM for even better performance. Note that this comes with Windows 8 and I think runs better than my G6 where I upgraded from Win 7.

Get these 2 modules:

Crucial CT3695417

or Kingston or Corsair... all available from Amazon.com

Open the access area... battery compartment or entire bottom of the laptop, locate where the RAM slot is, remove the existing module by pressing down on the retaining clips, remove the module, get the new module and line up the notch in the row of metal pins at the bottom of your module with the key in the SODIMM slot on your motherboard. (If the notch doesn't line up right away, flip your module around and try it the other way. It doesn't matter which side of your module has the black chips or the stickers on it. The important thing is to line up the notch.)

Hold the module at a 45-degree angle to the slot and slide it into place. No more than 1/16" of the gold contacts should be showing when the module is properly seated in the slot.

MODULE:

FEATURE: DDR3 PC3-10600, DDR3 PC3-12800

SPECS FOR RAM: NON-ECC * DDR3-1333 * 1.35V * 512Meg x 64

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I have been working with hp is the maximum, i like very mucho, because your case and componentes are the quality

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Avatar Android Laptop 13.3" display White AVRA-138A1

This notebook gets a bad rep from folks who don't understand what they're buying and/or aren't familiar with the Android OS.

I came into the purchase (from another site, not Amazon unfortunately) with full knowledge that Android was a whole new world for me to get accustomed to. I was previously a Mac user, but had plenty of Windows experience (unavoidable if you grew up in the '90s/aughties) and used a Mac PowerPC G5 at home. That Mac G5 was disconnected from internet duties from about 2007-2012, and when reconnected, needed a new OS...so I installed Linux MintPPC, and had a generally positive experience once I got over the learning curve of installing Linux on a PowerPC. So since Android is an offshoot of Linux, I figured I'd give this notebook a spin.

I'm a freelance writer outside my full-time day job, so I wanted this primarily to write on Wordpress. Once I figured out I should definitely download the Wordpress App from the Google Play Store, it worked like a charm. Trying to do Wordpress entries via the available browsers (either the generic Android "Browser" app or via Google's Chrome app...haven't tried any others yet) was tedious and frustrating.

Browsing in-general can be tedious and frustrating sometimes. If you're moving within a given webpage, you're probably going to get decent speed, but moving from one web URL to the next can be slow and generates a lot of "Chrome is not responding. Would you like to close it?" messages. I usually select "Wait," and almost as soon as I click it, the logjam breaks loose for whatever reason. Someone suggested I try Opera for Android, which I think I'll try soon.

Otherwise, this machine came loaded with Kingsoft Office, which is handy for general writing and note-taking duties and can also handle spreadsheets-but I mostly use Google Drive since Google documents don't use any space from my Drive account allotment, and I can access them on any internet-connected machine including my old Mac desktop. Cloud computing has its advantages, it turns out.

I plan to try using this laptop to stream YouTube videos and possibly Netflix (if I can get the proper app for it) to our living room TV. When viewing video on the YouTube app, even 1080 HD streams smoothly in full-screen mode. This is the kind of work Allwinner SOCs-the guts of these machines-were made for.

So overall I give it four out of five stars. I wasn't expecting a great gaming machine (it isn't...mostly because it doesn't have touchscreen or gyro capabilities) or a perfect web-browsing machine (it isn't, for reasons outlined above), but as a productivity enhancer that I can use while on the go, it fits the bill as well as any full-fledged laptop costing four or five times as much, and its small form factor-just slightly larger than an early MacBook Air-makes it supremely portable.

One last thing: The company-Avatar-is incredible to work with. My power supply crapped out on me after a couple months of ownership, and they expeditiously arranged for an RMA and sent me a new one. They also gave me instructions (and a link!) on how to wipe the Android OS and start from scratch when I inquired about possibly installing a more conventional Linux distro on the machine. All I had to do was ask. That was pretty cool of them. I'm currently looking at buying a compact desktop PC from them that comes loaded with Ubuntu 12.10 because I like the service they've given me so far, and the value in my estimation is unbeatable.

I bought this product for my dad for Christmas. I was trying to show him how to use the internet but it closes the browser every time you try to use it. It seems like it's on a timer to close the browser and I don't know how to change it. The manual sent with the book does not discuss this, it may be an easy fix but I don't know how to change it. There are no other reviews or information online, therefore, currenlty it's unless.

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This is a fine purchase for someone that is on a budget and is looking for email and enternet however out of the box not very user friendly unless u are a smartphone user and know your way around ICS. After finding the Google app store(would have been nice to see this app on the desktop on first boot along with a welcome tutorial for the launcher they use) I was surprised to see many apps unavailable to this device in the google play store. no chrome?? I highly recommend sideloading chrome because the default browser isn't compatible with some websites. The os seems to overload and throw up insert app name is not responding,wait,report or close boxes perhaps ICS is to much or soon there will be a software update?

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Acer All-in-One DQ.VFRAA.001;VZ2650G-UG645X 20-Inch Laptop

I ordered this on a Monday and got it on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It was easy to set up and the graphics and screen quality are phenomenal. It is a great computer for a great price.

Touchscreen is excellent with this computer. I've heard people complain about windows 8, but if you are used to a tablet its no problem. Screen resolution is excellent. I've watch movies or video in full HD through Netflix and Youtube and they look fantastic. I like that it has both HDMI in and an HDMI out. I have my PS3 hooked up to the HDMI in. There is a button on the side you can switch from PC to HDMI in. Using it for my PS3 it looks excellent. My main issues is that the sound from the speakers honestly sucks. But I had a set of Logitech speakers with a subwoofer so it wasn't an issue for me. If you are buying this computer you will want to add better speakers. The other issue is that 4gb of memory is not enough. I've already run into the issue of being told memory is low and I need to close a program. I plan to add another 4gb of memory.

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So I've owned this computer for about a week now and I ave a had a flawlessly smooth experience getting accustomed to windows 8 alond with the touchscreen capabilities. This machine is a powerhorse and seems very responsive. Ive noticed absolutely no lag. overall im happy with my purchase and definitely recommend to anyone willing to give windows 8 a try. you wont regret it :]

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I have had this unit for two months and it works great! One of the reasons I picked this unit was because it had an HDMI-out port to support a second monitor. So far, everything is working well with this computer.

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Great screen size. Very clear. Most of difficulties being experienced is my inexperience with Windows 8. Big learning curve coming from Windows XP

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Gateway 15.6" i3-370M 2.40 GHz Notebook | NV55C49u

not really that good. battery dies within 20 minutes. overheats when watching movies, playing games, etc. Sometimes it freezes when music is playing and it won't work correctly until the music is turned off. Webcam sucks. It's slow. it makes funny noises. i got this laptop because it was the cheapest one at bestbuy, and I needed a laptop. If I were you, even though it's cheap for a laptop, i'd definitely do research, it's definitely worth paying more for a laptop that's actually gonna last longer than the 90 day Norton trial it comes when you first get it.

Some battery problems but everything is functional. Sometime it overheats when playing games. Very fast procesessing time and a nice Wi fi internet card

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Dell XPS XPS15-1579sLV 15-Inch Laptop

I bought this since I heard rave reviews about this being one of the best designed and performing gaming laptops. Even though its not explicitly labeled "Gaming" doesn't mean that it isn't!! This has truly performed all my other laptops and ultrabooks I have ever owned.

What I love:

-Quad Core Processor performs outstanding

-32gb SSD Drive (I installed Windows 8 on this and it boots incredibly fast!!)

-Nvidia graphics (try playing Assassins Creed 3 on this, its amazing)

-Design is incredible, looks incredibly slick

-Thing despite it being a 15" screen size

-Battery Life is Superb, this laptop has lasted me over 7-8 hours watching movies (because of the dual graphics card that maximize efficieny)

-2 Integrated speakers provide solid audio quality which seemed to by lacking on my other ultrabooks

-Bluetooth 4.0

-Sd Card Reader, HDMI, & Blu-Ray DVD reader tie this all together!!

-Price Is Incredible compared to my friends Macbook Pro 15" that costs $500-$800 more

What I don't like:

-I've been told that it looks like a "Wanna-Be Mac" (even though this outperforms my friends Macbook Pro which costed much much more)

Overall 5/5 Stars

There aren't many laptops on the market that can offer the ergonomics and build quality of this new XPS 15. I wanted an Ultrabook like feel/battery life, but with a larger 1080 screen and disc drive. I have never before been impressed by a Dell product, but they have clearly stepped up their game and this fit the bill perfectly.

I have been using this computer for about a month now, and I honestly have 0 complaints. While this is the most basic XPS 15 offered, it still gives excellent performance. The i5 on this particular model is only dual core, but I have had no problems gaming or with any other task I have given it. Coming from a quad core AMD on my previous laptop, this processor hands down performs better, not to mention, I can usually squeeze a good 4+ hours of use out of the battery.

The screen is brilliant and the fact that it is 1080p makes the 15" screen feel like a 20" screen when carrying out everyday tasks. If you're looking for something sleek and solid with an HD screen like--dare I say--a MacBook, look no further. Perhaps I was being picky but in looking through just about every Windows laptop currently available, this was the only one of its kind. Compare the price of this to that of a similar MacBook Pro and the XPS 15 is a clear winner. I have to agree with the other reviewer that said this laptop is worth every penny.

One thing to note is that the hard drive seems to be more of an HDD/SSD hybrid drive. From what I can tell, you cannot access the 32gb SSD portion independently from the HDD portion. It will act as a single 500gb drive, but the 32gb SSD gives it some sort of "cache" that improves performance and boot time.

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Yes, a RGB screen. But it probably means nothing to people who are not nerds. Beside, you get what you paid for. DELL has started order from the major Chinese supplier of Apple, so there should be no quality issue at all. Mine works great so far.

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It is great laptop, mine came with some bad wifi issue but that was resolved by Dell quickly.

The look and feel of this laptop is very good and when you will hold such a kind of laptop, you would never want to go for something below level from this Laptop.

You will not find any information about this laptop with value as XPS15-1579sLV as that value is amazon internal, which was confirmed by Dell to me.

To get more appropriate value, look for DELL XPS 15 L521X. By searching this you can find all the information that you need.

Great value of the price and functionality wise too.

The Screen 1080p quality is really amazing and boot time is 3 seconds, that is true 3 seconds from the time you press power on button to see Windows 8 screen.

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I am extreemly impressed not only does it have beautiful graphics but super fast. I really recommend it, learning Windows 8 is a real trip. Amazon got it here ahead of schedule my compliments to the organization.

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HP g4-2320dx Pavilion 14" Laptop/ AMD A6-4400M/ AMD Radeon HD 7520G discrete-class graphics/ 4GB Me

I absolutely love this computer.

I'm a very techy person and this is everything I was looking for at the price I could afford.

I've owned numerous HP products ranging from cameras to laptops, etc.

HP is a great company with great products.

This laptop more than exceeded my expectations considering how cheap it is. It runs games good enough, has a very nice feel to the keyboard (wish it had a backlight but I'm okay with it for how much this thing costs). It is the perfect size to take anywhere, battery life more than exceeded my expectations as well. The screen on this laptop looks excellent as well! I highly suggest installing Windows 7 on this, I did. Windows 8 just feels awkward on PC without a touchscreen. Definitely install Windows 7 on yours!!! This will be a good, reliable laptop for on the go use; I got it to use for college.

Overall, I would highly recommend this laptop if you're not trying to spend over $400 for a new, portable laptop! Not too big, not too small, it feels just right!

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This is a sweet machine. Great sound. Great graphics. Great design. Lousy Operating System...but that isn't a big deal just switch the UEFI BIOS to Legacy and reload it with Windows 7. Perfect. The drivers and apps are all on HP's site (use the g4-2149SE Windows 7 drivers and search for the Youcam, Roxio Burn and DVD Play apps).

Enjoy!

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I love my New computer! Windows 8 took a little bit of getting used to but I love it now! Overall its a great computer with everything you need for college!

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My old laptop suddenly crashed after just a few years (Sony Vaio). This one was cheaper, lighter, and faster. Good graphics card, turns on quickly. Space key doesn't work as well as all the other keys but I think it was meant to be a little different to push. The arrow keys for up and down are half the sizemakes some games I play a little difficult. Overall, a great working laptop that I highly recommend for the price.

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HP Pavilion g6-1d18dx Laptop Computer / 15.6-inch HD Display Screen / AMD Dual-Core A4-3305M Accele

The price is great but you get Garbage. Within 1 week of buying I see that the keys on the keyboard stops working. You will hit a J and it thinks you are trying to do F2 or screen swap. The only way to get out of this is to log off and log back in. The hot keys at the top of the keyboard are swapped. So F5 does not do refresh. I have never been able to successfully connect wirelessly with my printer. Now after about 2 years, entire folders disappear. What do I mean by that? Well you can go to Windows Explorer (file manager) and you can go to your My documents folders and you can see your "Kids" folder (as an example) but if you write a word document and then go to save it, the "kids" folder within your My documents folder cannot be seen. So what I have to do is save it to my desktop and then move it manually to the kids folder. This also means that for the most part if I want to send an email with an attachment I need to save to the file to my desktop to ensure I will be able to find the file to attach to the email for sending. I bought this laptop brand new and before this I had a Compaq Presario CQ60 that went bad a few short years after buying brand new. I am really starting to think I should avoid all HP laptops all together.

I actually received this as a gift. I am actually quite impressed with the laptop. It isn't speedy at first, but that's to be expected of any computer. The AMD A4 is actually sufficient for this notebook and arguably, it feels speedy. The display is great. 1366x768 so it's 720p HD(if you round, of course). Windows 7, of course, is great. I plan on adding a Seagate Momentus XT, and upgrading the memory to 8 GB(that's the max that's allowed). I also plan on adding Windows 8 once it comes out. But for now, this laptop is just great!!

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HP Pavilion DV6-7000 15.6" 1080p Anti-Glare Quad HYBRID SSD series, 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridg

took a week to receive the computer. This is my 10th laptop. Not new to computers. I run a business and dont have time for things that dont work. Amazon has been hit or miss. This was a miss. After 2 hrs of charging the battery i press the on button to find the fan kicks on...a few lights flash...and it shuts off! over and over again....Now i dont have the computer I need for my business, my $$ is tied up until it is refunded....and i still have to go out and get a computer. A WASTE OF TIME!!!!!

ONE WEEK LATER: ADDENDUM: 5 stars for computer, 5 stars customer service

One day after writing the first review I received an email from Will at Eluktronics. He told me that the RAM cards were defective from HP and a new set would be on its way in 2 days. He explained how to remove one of the two cards to see if one card would allow computer to workIT DID!! So I was able to use the computer for a presentation and taxes over the weekend. On Monday the RAM cards were in the mail. With just a screwdriver to gain access to the bottom cover I was able to easily remove and replace the RAM cards. Left computer on for 24 hrs and ran it through some tests like having movie, internet radio, and 6 other screens open with downloads at the same time. Amazing lap top! When downloading 16 gig thumbdrive the computer was so fast that I could hardly believe it really transfered all the info. This lap top does not overheat as other high end HPs have in past.

With medical charting a part of my work life Im now able to shave off an hour each night with a fast and yet simple computer. I really like the finger swipe feature that allows me to enter into various screens quickly...

this more than makes up for the dismal start on this laptop.

Cant say enough about the excellent customer service. Im not sure if Will is alone or has a room full of people helping customers....all I can say is that he should write a book about true customer service!! It is a lost art these days!!

FOLLOW-UP 5-25-2013

This IS the best computer I have had to date. I recently went back to use my old (2 yr old) laptop to help my daughter with schoolwork and was frustrated with the slow speed. This new computer is very fast. I estimate an extra 1 hr free each day because the HP is so fast, doesn't crash, and allows me to use a finger swipe to log into all of the different web sites I use on a daily basis. I had another HP 2 yrs ago that didn't shut down and ran all night eventually overheating! I could see a visible wave to the keyboard from the heat. this NEW HP has a better fan and the computer has not become alarmingly hot. I like this HP so much that if it just lasts one yr Id be happy.

I did my research before purchasing this laptop. I am pleased to say that I have received this laptop and it has exceeded my expectations in quality and ease of use! It shipped quickly and was delivered in perfect condition and I am glad I used Amazon interest free financing on the product!!!

Buy HP Pavilion DV6-7000 15.6" 1080p Anti-Glare Quad HYBRID SSD series, 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridg Now

Arrived earlier than expected. I like the weight and functionality. Like all laptops there is essentially no documentation on the keyboard functions so when you hit the magic key sequence that activates a function, have fun trying to figure out what you did. Most of the time you can find the answers when you goggle the question.

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Sony VAIO Z Series SVZ1311EGXX (SVZ1311EGXX)

i get the item and everything is ok

it is good and as i expect

original sony as at sony store

I've been using the VAIO Z for 4 years now and they continue to impress me. I have to do a lot of programming, modeling/simulation, and statistics on my system and it performs extremely well. I change out every two years due to the critical need to stay with the best and lightest system to support travel and customer demos. On the previous two systems, I had to swap out the hard drive for more capacity in SSD form (first system had disk and second system had 120Gb). No changes had to be made with the current 1311. The portable blueray player was included in the package, so it acts as a nice docking station. I seldom use the drive, so I don't take it on trips. The extra power cord is convenient so that I can have my bag ready without disconnecting the portable blueray. The only downside I am aware of is that the portable does not support Win8. Everything else is running smoothly just like the previous 2.

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Be careful when buying something from pcRUSH Outlet

I bought this product from pcRUSH Outlet.

The delivery was made in the address of my brother in law, in New Jersey.

My wife went to visit her brother and she would bring to Brazil the equipment purchased.

But the pcRUSH sent me a defective product and return it to the pcRUSH, They wanted to charge me a fee of 15% of the purchase amount, ie 15% of $ 2,852.39 = $ 427.85

We all get angry.

My brother in law called pcRUSH, and made the complaint. After that, pcRUSH agreed to make a exception and waive the 15% restocking fee.

At this moment, I had lost any confidence in the equipment sent by pcRUSH. If the built-in touch pad (mouse) was not working, I wondered what else might not work.

I had decided to buy other equipment directly from SONY store.

My wife and her brother were in a large SONY store in Manhattan, and for happiness of all, The SONY store offered us a better alternative that solved the problem.

Below is my message sent to Catherine, Customer Care pcRUSH:

Catherine

Charge 15% to return a defective product that you sent me, it is really absurd.

The bad attendance of the pcRUSH, forced me to spend time and money.

My wife and my brother in law were 2 times a SONY store in Manhattan, to solve a problem caused by pcRUSH.

The SONY took the defective product, which I had lost any confidence in it and, obviously, my wife had to shell out another $ 500 that was the difference in buying a new laptop, top of the line.

Who did me a favor was the SONY.

The pcRUSH only brought trouble and unnecessary spending.

Good luck,

Carlos.

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HP ENVY 17-2280NR Notebook PC - Gray

Let me lead off by saying I'm a devoted fan of HP's laptops and desktops. I use equipment from just about every manufacturer and always seem to come back to HP (speaking solely of Windows OS machines, my choice for Linux and Apple of course would be different). So I was really excited to be able to get this Envy 17 at a really good price.

For the dollar, it's loaded with an impressive array of hardware (RAID Array 0 HDs, slot BluRay, true HD display), the extra battery was a bonus, and the ability to upgrade RAM from 6GB to 16GB was sweet.

Turned on and was wow'd (in a good way) by the 1900x1080 display. Played a little with it and was then wow'd (in a bad way) by the laptop locking up. No problem I thought, just the Envy finishing initial OS installation reboot and drive on.

But no, the system would lock up continually (and usually in the middle of some disc/RAM intensive operation) and completely. A bit frustrating, but such a sweet laptop. Maybe a little system maintenance would fix the problem. So on to some Level 1 tech fixes reseat/swap RAM, reinstall system, clean out bloatware, check BIOS settings, etc. In the end, nothing I did could rid the system of the dreaded lock-up. Could be the RAID setup, could be a million things. But I wasn't interested in paying for a laptop that was going to spend more time in the repair shop or in the post than in my hands. So I did a system restore back to the original OEM setup, packed up the box, and submitted for a return back to Amazon.

Three final thoughts. First, look at reviews of other Envy models (especially the Envy 17-2290NR). You'll note many reviews where owners are having similar problems and returned their laptops to Amazon. So Amazon, if you're reading this, you might want to talk to HP about this. This isn't good for either one of you.

Second, kudos to Amazon for their return policy. I have bought/buy almost exclusively from Amazon (to include computer hardware) and rarely have a problem (this is the first computer I've received that had a DOA issue). I really appreciate Amazon's customer service and easy return policy. As a result, I plan to stick with Amazon for 99.9% of my shopping needs.

Finally, while this Envy 17 experience was a disappointment, I plan to stick with HP. I'm no "fan boy." For example, I thought HP's giving up on the Touchpad and WebOS was stupid, bordering on imbecilic. But occasional stupid things aside, I think that when one takes an objective look at what HP offers and their prices, HP remains an excellent value.

Screen is very nice. Slot loading Blu-ray, back lit keyboard and sound quality are excellent. The graphics adapter crushes most things thrown at it. Coupled with the processor included and there is little this thing cannot do. The power brick is giant but that is to be expected. Little bloatware too. Very satisfied thus far.

UPDATE: Finallly got around to playing some 3D games on Steam. Guess what? The machine will shut down after about 2 minutes every time! The fans are insufficient to cool the processor and it overheats each time. I've tried elevating the machine and removing any speck of dust from the fan assembly to no avail. Do not expect to game on this machine. Thanks Amazon!!

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The keyboard have the function keys changed. It's necessary combine to get the function (inverted). It's like anoyng 'breaking standard'.

However, the most awful is the touchpad. It moves the mouse pointer to ramdom positions on the screen. This makes you click on the wrong area. Even setting up the touchpad for the better settings, this seems to be a 'normal' behavior. Beyond that, the touch sensibility is not good, even tunning the settings. Such CPU, RAM and HD could be included in a better computer. Another fault is the few USB ports.

Read Best Reviews of HP ENVY 17-2280NR Notebook PC - Gray Here

I purchasd this from Amazon because the benefit in price was such that I could deck it out with third party poducts and still save a bundle over purching the configration I really wanted directly from HP. I have other laptops and a desktop, so I was in no hurry to get this unit fixed. The HP warranty is out, but I have a 3 year third prty extension in case the unti ges back and ca fix the software myself. This review is witten one year after the purchase.

There were some surprises.

1. The unit has two drives in a RAID 0 configuration. RAID 0 puts data striped across the 2 drives so when you read large files you can be reading different pieces of the file simutaneusly from both drives. But, RAID 0 has your data on both drives and if you ever have a failure, you loose ALL your data even though you have 2 drives. RAID 0 is also more difficult to backup. Windows backup of RAID 0 identifies the backup size as that the partition which is spread over the 2 physical hard drives, in this case 1 Terabyte. Thus a restore requires that a 1 terabyte partion be available and that the data is fully backed up. Third party software must be procured e.g., Easus partion Manager, (takes a geek to operate, so no typical user should purchase this laptop unless they have a geek friend.

You an use Easus (or the like) to shrink the 1 TB partiton to more managable size. Windows disk management will notallow sufficient shrinkage.

2. The 2 drives are controlled by special Intel hardware and software (Intel Rapid Storage) part of which is hiden in the BIOS and not seen by the OS. In my opinion this gains a bit of performance at the cost of simplicity and data securty. It is not easy to remove this feature and is undocumented feature as provided by HP, but there s some help in forums. I have spent aproximately 12 hours reconfguring my drives including several hours on the phnone with HP and watching the system doing backups and restores. Afterthis, I am currently exactly where I started, but I now understand the details of the processes involved. I intend to removeIntel Rapid Storage and install RAID 1 (mirroring) on the 2 drives with a system volume (C drive) on each physical drive and a D vlume on the second drive mirrored on the first physical drive. The performance should be equal or better than RAID 0 with benefits oneasy backup and recovery. I will likely use windows to do th raid.

3. Undocumented lack of features. I was told by HP that this laptop WILL NOT support solid state drives because the entire run of this production was made eliminating features to save money. Presumably there are other missing features.

4. No docmentation specific to this unit. Using the HP Owner software (which is actually quite good) for the HP ENVY 17-2280NR Notebook takes you to the documentation for the standard model. HP support could not find any documentation for this one off model.

On the good side, this unit has plenty of power and HP had revolutionized their support where they are actually trying to reflect the best interests of the customer. The screen is beautiful and the hardware is solid. It does not overheat. During the learning process to undo RAID 0, I was able to talk to some of their HP's best support people. Unfortunatley, it does not help when the engineers are directed by HP Product management to release a product without adequate documentation. Support cannot adequately support undocumented features for which they have not received training.

Update 2012 12 19

I have just backedup my data and via Easus Partition Manager shrunk my main partition (C drive) to 70GB and then backed up to external drive with Windows backup (system image). 30 minutes of work, several hours cmputer run time. ready to remove rRAID and Intel Rapid Storage Technlogy management of drives and then restore from external hard drive via bootable recovery disk. I can then mirror and configure cache n second drive to boost performance and provide data security.

Update 2012 12 21

I am unable to restore the system image I madeusing windows after shrinking the C drive so that the restore would fit on one drive. I found out that the internals of the sytem image folder do not contain ".vhd" files for the actual system image but instead contain backup sets. Restoe aparently can't work with themand gives me a error saying it can't restore to the target. My guess is that this has something to do with the Intel Rapid Storage manage and my not having enabled ACHD driver before doing the system image and breaking the RAID 0 array with the firmware which destroyed the data. But bottom line is that I no longer care and am re-installing and accepting the data loss. I have now re-installed via HP Recovery disks. Now comes the long task of reconfiguring windows so it is usable, removing the bloatware, and re-installing all the many third party products.

Bottom line is do not put Intel pseudo raid 1 on a 2 drive laptop unless you are into S&M Pain or have a real good backup & restore method.

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I didn't buy the notebook from Amazon but I am posting this because I am a very happy Amazon users and buyers need to be aware that when you are buying an HP ENVY you are at the mercy of your luck. I am writing this while my hubby is driving all the way back to FRY'S ELECTRONICS to return the worthlessMAC PRO look alike.

We just bought it couple of hours ago and when I registered the screen started blinking and I couldn't do any trouble shooting after a few restartswe gave up on the damn thing.

Waste of a star...

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420 1141-CTO 14" LED Laptop / Intel Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz / Windows 7 Home Pre

This review is specifically for an E420 1141-A24 purchased from 0FF1CE DEP0T. It's worth mentioning three things up front:

(1) My configuration is nearly identical to the base specs listed here, except that my processor is a slightly slower i5 2410M

(2) I purchased mine as an advertised sale of 530 plus taxes.

(3) I found that Lenovo made a similarly spec'd configuration available for 444 with discounts/coupons back in July/August, the details of which archived on the Fat Wallet forums.

This is my third laptop in about three years, but my first to come equipped with most of the features I wanted. For reference, my first laptop was a well used T-43 Thinkpad off Craigslist with a dead battery and no real features worth mentioning, other than great Thinkpad quality and a matte (non-glare) screen that I didn't know I valued until I lost it.

I replaced the T-43 with a new, bargain priced Lenovo G530 (Core 2 Duo) which had absolutely no features, lousy battery life, and a mirror-like glossy screen that stunk in many lighting conditions (an all too common feature with just about every laptop I looked at). My experience with the discount G530 computer allowed me to create my "must have" list of features:

HC SD CARD READER for easy uploading of images from my digital camera

BLUETOOTH for tethering to my cell phone via the Tether app

HDMI OUT for connection to my TV for watching shows off of HULU, CBS, NBC and ABC websites

MATTE SCREEN because I simply couldn't stand the reflections I had to deal with on the glossy screen

GOOD BATTERY LIFE because my G530 could handle about an hour of video playback on low brightness before dying

LESS THAN 14" in width (actual width, not the screen measurement) to maintain portability

Some things I wanted but compromised on:

SSD drive, which I can actually install for less $$ than the added cost of most laptops that ship with one

Backlit keyboard, because I do a little computing in the dark

BluRay drive, which simply would have been nice (I rarely use my DVD drive as it is)

Numeric Keypad, which I came to realize simply wasn't an option until I moved up to a 15" screen size

Hi Rez screen

This laptop didn't wow me like the (beautiful) pricey 1370-do11ar SONY SA series, which has an inch smaller (13.3") high res (1600x900) screen, but came with the SSD, keyboard backlight and BluRay. Toshiba has a matte-screen Protege in the 850 range, and HP has a high-res EliteBook 8650 that costs nearly twice the Sony's price for similar spec. In the end, it came down to the great build quality and trouble-free track record of Lenovo, plus with the low cost I was able to justify purchasing a 2nd unit to give to my Pops, who's been suffering with my old Thinkpad T-series for the past year or so.

Build quality isn't quite on par with the seemingly cast-iron T43 built by IBM, but is certainly a step above the entry level G530 it's replacing. The hinges seem solid, the screen is fairly rigid, the feel of the keyboard and touchpad is spot on, and as a whole, the unit feels sturdy yet reasonably light.

Boot time is acceptable at 35s to logon screen, and 55s to desktop / ready to go. Windows Experience Index clocks at 5.7, with the hard drive write speeds being the dog, followed by the slow integrated Intel graphics and RAM speeds (5.9).

The screen is bright enough in the brightly lit windowed room I primarily work in, and the matte finish basically eliminates any problems with reflections. Viewing angles are very good side-to-side, but there is a sweet spot in the tilt that inverts quickly if not adjusted just so. Yet I find it acceptable for close-in viewing. Sound quality is decent, though not audiophile quality -i.e. loud enough, but a bit tinny and lacking in bass. It's no worse than your average clock radio, and clearly listening to video streaming services isn't a problem.

I'm simply thrilled with the built-in Bluetooth, SD reader, and HDMI-out. Previously, I was using various USB attachments for each of these regularly-used features, which simply complicated my usage and increased the amount of gear I had to carry around and keep track of.

The keyboard on this laptop is excellent. The keys have actual, visible up and down movement (hard to believe after all the chiclet style keyboards I demoed). Spacing is only a tiny bit cramped; it's really quite good for my large fingers.

Unlike my previous Thinkpads, Lenovo moved most of the functions to the function keys, then went one step further: they made the function key require a two-key press to activate (for example, instead of hitting F5 to refresh or F11 for full screen, I now have to press Fn-F5 or Fn-F11), but the auxiliary commands are now single-key press (volume, mute, screen brightness, Play/FFWD/RWD, web cam on/off). It's a little something to get used to, and a keyboard backlight would have been appreciated in darker settings to help me out. (This function can be disabled in BIOS.) Alas...

The computer has moved all ports to the sides of the body -so no more headphone plug sticking out from under my space bar. One USB, the DVD tray and the power connector are on the right; all others are on the left. The rear is reserved for an RJ45 network connection as well as an optional 9-cell battery, which would stick out the rear of the computer about an inch (without increasing its thickness). And no more confusing the headphone port for the mic port: this computer uses a single integrated "smart" port, though I suppose it requires a new single plug (or USB) headset for my Skype calls.

Lenovo even threw in a TrackPoint (eraser-head button between the G & H keys for navigation), and a finger print reader that works fairly reliably and quickly from the log-on screen.

The computer comes a little bit bloated with Lenovo's software, most of which is good, some of which is unnecessary. Fortunately, my biggest headache, Norton Anti-Virus, was easily removable via ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. The others you'll have to pick through depending on what Lenovo features you'll find valuable. Lenovo even saw fit to ship this unit with Google Chrome installed, which manages to make an appearance before Microsoft's Internet Explorer has a chance to pop up. However, in my case, it was Chrome v12 (current version is 15), and it wouldn't automatically upgrade itself. I had to uninstall Chrome and download a clean version of the current software.

It's also worth noting that this PC doesn't come with a recovery DVD. Lenovo traditionally makes these available by mail for a modest price (auctions sites and Craigs1ist are less expensive options), but it does include the standard recovery partition on the HDD that allows the creation of a recovery DVD, should you want to swap out a hard drive right away.

For a computer I use daily for web surfing, video watching, some light Inkscape drawing, Photoshop Elements editing, and lightweight gaming, the E420 fits the bill in terms of price, value/quality, and speed/functionality. It's by no means cutting edge, it certainly isn't the best looking nor the smallest/lightest of the bunch, but it's designed to be carried around and used in any number of tasks with a minimum of headache. Five to six hour battery life is to be expected (unless under heavy video playback), and 9 hours are achievable with an upgrade to the extended 9-cell battery.

I've had quite a few laptops before but Lenovo does outstanding job. It is got everything I need,performance is great mine has I5 2430m 500gb hdd it is a speede little machine . I did rate performance and it gave me next results:processor 7.0,ram 5.9,grafics 4,7,gaming grafics 6.2,hard dr 5.9 it is outstanding performance for the little think pad aspesially whe you paid for it 600$. Battery life is around 6 hrs +_ depends what you do with it. It's got HDMI which is great. Cooling is great I hat to do some video adding for 5 hrs straight and machine was as coole as ever. I do like the design nothing extra very solid. I am very pleased with this machine!

Buy Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420 1141-CTO 14" LED Laptop / Intel Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz / Windows 7 Home Pre Now

The motherboard failed after 13 months -one month after warranty. First, the keyboard and trackpad began behaving erratically. Replacing the keyboard didn't solve the issue. Then, the laptop refused to power on just a few short weeks later. I found the following thread on the Lenovo forum around this time.Many other units died even before the expiration of the warranty and so didn't the replacement parts! People were without their computer for weeks.

The Thinkpad Edge doesn't come with Thinkpad quality.

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I bought this item for my school and it works well! I love the blazing fastness when it first turns on/off or when I put it to sleep mode. The HD webcam is pretty good in good light and in low light. It would help if there were backlit keys. The trackpad is pretty good. I'm trying to get used to it still. I actually love the keyboard! The feeling is great! The lit up "i" on the thinkpad logo is pretty cool. I think it's useful. This isn't a great laptop for media stuff obviously but it works well enough for me! The laptop is pretty light with the battery. I prefer to just leave my adapter plugged in to my laptop and take my battery out to save some battery life. Everything else works fine! I'm actually thinking about extended the amount of ram from 4gb to 8gb (the max amount of ram you can have).

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So this is a pretty straightforward review. The system is great on paper, and it runs wonderfully, but I work at a computer repair shop and have seen THREE of these come in over the past year, all of which have been between one and two months outside of their one-year warranty period, and they simply won't power on.

Replacing the internal power board, in all three of these cases, has not resolved the issue.

Simply stated, the motherboard -the core piece of this system with all of the important (read: expensive) components on it fails as soon as the system is outside of its warranty. I've seen this on several models of the 1141 series.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS SYSTEM!!!

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Gateway NE56R41u 15.6" Intel B960 Pentium Processor 2.2GHz 4GB DDR3 SDRam 500GB Hard Drive Windows

I purchased this laptop from Wal-Mart -but had exactly the same issues as rjhouse describes in his review. After a half hour or so of useless troubleshooting with Gateway support, I resolved to return it to the store and get a roughly-equivalent laptop from HP for $20 more.

But before doing so, I used Device Manager to "Update Driver" on the "Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter." which swapped out the Broadcom driver for one supplied by Microsoft. I have not had a problem since -it has been working 100% great, not a single drop, and network performance has been fine.

I kept the laptop and haven't looked back. This laptop is pretty decent for the money. Performs well, good amount of storage, reasonably low price. Knowing what I know now about how to get the networking to work properly, I'd buy one again if I were in the market again.

I won't give it 5 stars though -it's not all roses -there are a few things I find annoying or unsatisfactory:

Audio isn't loud enough

The touchpad button is one long bar that acts as 2 buttons, depending on which end of it you press -but this renders the center of the button unusable and the button is progressively harder to press the closer to the center you get. So you pretty much have to press the very ends of the bar.

The touchpad is offset to the left. I guess this makes sense as it's more like a full-size keyboard since they fit a full numeric pad onto this one -but since it isn't centered with the screen, it takes some getting used to.

No caps-lock/numlock/scroll-lock lights (somewhat resolved using keyboard-leds.com app). But I think many laptops are like this nowadays.

First of all, what happened to the cow boxes....?

This is my first gateway computer and a replacement for a Toshiba satellite that i purchased with no research whatsoever bedsides being inexpensive and having a number keypad.

First impressionsNot a bad computer at all! 3 USB slots and a HDMI so thats an upgrade for me. Windows 8 is kind of funky and I don't like it one bit but that has nothing to do with the computer itself. the screen is clear and large enough and the camera works good enough for video chat

bad stuffspeakers suck,

great buy for the price!

edit*** a few weeks later

speakers are stil low quality but you get used to it. I wish there was a caps lock and number lock indicator light but I guess I can use my eyes as i type.

I am happy with the battery life and I think this computer s a keeper.

No as far as Microsoft goes..........grrrrrr making Office super expensive and a horrible interface.

But the computer is good once chrome takes over :)

Buy Gateway NE56R41u 15.6" Intel B960 Pentium Processor 2.2GHz 4GB DDR3 SDRam 500GB Hard Drive Windows Now

I know this is a cheap laptop, but it would have been nice to use it for more than three months (light business and very little web use) before it crapped out. Just a few weeks after I bought it, I had to restore it. Then it worked decent for a month or so before I started getting hard drive failure warnings, and now it's kaput. Luckily, they're replacing the hard drive and all I have to pay is shipping, but I shouldn't be sending off this item so soon.

I don't recommend buying this.

UPDATE: I spent twenty-five bucks for shipping with insurance to have the hard drive replaced. The laptop arrived in the mail today, and after spending hours moving my files back to the laptop & reinstalling programs, I'm getting a blue screen telling me the PC ran into a problem and has to restart. I've contacted Gateway support and requested a refund.

Read Best Reviews of Gateway NE56R41u 15.6" Intel B960 Pentium Processor 2.2GHz 4GB DDR3 SDRam 500GB Hard Drive Windows Here

Bought this in a store, not from Amazon, but feel obligated to warn others about this laptop. First of all I was really bothered that this didn't come with Microsoft Office or the like, as did the last laptop I bought. I guess that is the way now, making you pay for the additional software...lame. Upon attempting to use the disk drive for the first time it was not properly installed....spent a good chunk of time with tech support, which we were able to fix it, but not off to a good start. Now after only a couple months, the mouse is freezing up all the time; I've had at least one occasion where it wouldn't start without removing the battery and returning it before it would power up. Couple times it's frozen completely and I need to manually shut down. Also, as most people find, Windows 8 is a disaster to navigate, so confusing, impossible to find basic stuff, open two folders at the same time, etc... not a good operating system.

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This is a very nice laptop. Still learning windows 8 so not able to give 5 stars.. Laptop does get hot fast but this has not been a problem with the workings of the computer. nice job

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ASUS U31SD-A1 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Silver)

It took me a long time to find a laptop that met all of my criterion; good battery life, screen smaller than 14", discrete video, no optical drive, small form factor, but the U31SD fits the bill. The only other laptop that comes close that I can find is the Macbook Air, but until that gets refreshed, you are spending hundreds more on a laptop that is still using a core2duo, albeit in a much smaller case. Under light use I have easily hit 10 hrs of battery, and have even come close to five with intermittent gaming. I replaced the stock hard drive with an intel ssd, so it screams through boot-up and most applications. Despite somewhat negative reviews on Notebookcheck, the GT 520m has had no problem playing one or two year old games such as Left4Dead2 and Burnout Paradise at the native resolution with medium detail. The only knock against this laptop thus far is the case which, while by no means bad, is not as sleek as an 800 dollar laptop could be--the aluminum plates are just tacked on to a plastic body and have a rough edge in some areas. Also, Asus' naming scheme is a nightmare, and navigating their laptop section if you don't know the exact model you are looking for is laughably bad. Otherwise, a great laptop that suits my needs perfectly.

I spent around two or three weeks searching for specs and reading reviews in order to find a perfect laptop. My very first laptop was a Acer Extensa 5220 with Vista and only 2 GBs of RAM a nightmare in terms of portability and a terrible performer. So I really needed something I could rely on. In particular I was looking for a laptop ...

* that was portable (~ 2 kg).

* that was silent and cool.

* with a second generation i3 processor (for efficiency and power savings).

* with a discrete graphics card so I could run some of the newer games at least at medium settings.

* with a good looking case.

* ... with a great battery life! (7 hours or more)

Overall I have been very pleased. I found what I was looking for and maybe because I had an extremely crappy laptop I am more pleased than I should be, but for my needs it has been perfect. I have been especially happy with the battery life. It's really nice to have that kind of mobility, and it charges quite fast (expect 2½ hours to fully charge). It performs well enough though I haven't played any games newer than BF2 and Medieval 2.

The reason I give it 4 out of 5 is that it doesn't have a USB 3.0 port (though I understand the XA-1 has 3.0, but it's not available Denmark, yet) and the keyboard while excellent for typing shorter messages and navigating the system, fails utterly to support genuine typing comfortability. This has mostly to do with the vague-but-okay feedback, the slight flex in the keyboard and the sometimes associated strenuousness of typing input. Expect an error rate beyond average. It's not horrible, but I know could be much better and this is (the) one area where my previous vacuum cleaner... erh, laptop actually did a good job.

In all other respects it's just a really nice laptop. In retrospect I might have preferred to get the U36SD to get USB 3.0 and a slightly more powerful machine, but that would have meant another $200 or so.

Buy ASUS U31SD-A1 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Silver) Now

I purchased this as a lightweight alternative to my current notebook. The battery life is 7+ hours consistently, and that is while watching video, or doing 3d modeling with in Maya or Max.

The GPU performance is on par with what you'd expect. It's an entry level card, but manages to handle all of my modeling needs. It plays games well too, but don't expect to have max settings on titles like BFBC2, or Mass Effect 2.

Overall, I'd highly recommend it if you are looking for a lightweight, powerful machine.

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Ever since I got this laptop I've been having so much problems with it. I really enjoy the lightness of this 13.3" Asus laptop but every time I turn it on, the screen flickers. The speakers are really bad because It lets out this really loud high pitch noise. In order to stop the noise, I have to keep shifting my laptop and the screen. If it really doesn't stop then I have to mute my laptop. Also, the speakers would often echo. I bought it four months ago and I was hoping for these problems to stop but it ended up getting worst. The quality of this laptop is not worth the price.

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I wanted a good (I mean, with good specs), Light and with a long battery life. This babe has everything. It`s well worth it, I use it at college at all times and it`s even lighter than most of my books that I need to carry.

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HP Pavilion dv4t 14.1" Laptop

I bought a HP dv4t a bit over a year ago and it has already started to fall apart. the software runs fine, but this laptop tends to get really hot, even if i am just watching a movie. i cannot even play any games on it due to this overheating issue. i even bought a laptop cooler and it still gets too hot. Also, this laptop remains at my home and i am really careful about it. But something is already loose inside and the keyboard is dipping on the right side. When i open the screen, it gives this crackle and this worries me. For this price, i recommend getting some other brand that is more sturdy and wont fall apart after a year.

I bought the laptop 13 months ago and after 2 months, the battery was unable to hold a charge anymore so it was no longer portable. HP claims that the 1 year warranty covers everything EXCEPT batteries and it will cost $150 to replace. Now, 13 months later, the screen is DEAD and wont project. HP claims my warranty expired 2 weeks ago and it will cost $482 to replace (which 80% what I payed for the laptop to begin with...not including replacing the battery for $150). Did I mention that the replacement battery no longer holds a charge anymore? when I unplug it, it only lasts 6 minutes!! Avoid at ALL costs!! It is a money pit and HP won't stand by their products at ALL unless you pay crazy amounts of money. Please learn from my mistake!

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Excellent and capable laptop. Had to install XP as vista Home was a bit sluggish out of the box. This was a gift for my wife. It's heavy but the 17" screen is worth it. It fell on the floor few time (kids !!!) and still functions like a work horse. I think it will run great on windows 7.

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It came to our home 3days before commitment date. Fast and reliable... Great Job!

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HP Pavilion dm1-3020us Entertainment Laptop - Black

I love my new laptop! I have no complaints about it. It is everything I expected and does the work well. Prior to purchasing this, I did my research though; I knew what to expect. Physically, it looks great. The only minor downer is that I wish the keyboard was lit or something (but those are just small details, relatively speaking). The battery life is awesome; it easily lasts 7 hrs of continuous use. I read a review somewhere about the screen resolution not being the best, but it looks great to me. Clear enough (including webcam). Another thing I like is that it does not heat up as much as other laptops. The size is also great. After browsing netbooks (which I didn't really want but felt limited to because of my budget as a student), and browsing laptops, I am extremely satisfied with the choice I made; I do not feel limited in any way! HP made a great combination of netbook and laptop a reality!!!

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love this notebook/netbook! What an incredible machine! If you are looking for something portable and powerful, then consider this notebook.

UPDATE (8/19/12): Windows 8 RP (Release Preview) works out of the box. Windows 8 on dm1-3020us is much faster than Windows 7. I am using W8 RP on it and enjoying its performance.

1. OVERALL QUALITY: The notebook has high quality and solid feel to it. Compare to other notebooks/netbooks, the plastic is strong and it does not flex. It doesn't feel cheap. Very impressive. It is also stylish and thin. The whole notebook is flushed (top & bottom) there is no obtrusive element. It also comes with "HP Protect Smart" when your notebook is accidentally dropped, the hard drive is protected because of the design inside. DM1-3020us also stays cool on your lap. It is just warm (never hot!).

2. SCREEN: The screen is bright enough I use one lower than brightest setting. The resolution is incredible 1366 x 768 in 11.6" screen! You will not miss anything. The downside is that all the fonts are small. Although you could customize the text to be larger, it is not recommended. Also I prefer matte finish over glossy, but dm1-3020us comes with glossy finish, and I do not mind. But if you MUST have matte finish, then consider other netbooks.

3. BATTERY LIFE: I am not a gamer and I do not watch online movies or TV shows. I use it for word processing and browsing the web, check emails. With Wi-Fi on all the time and screen brightness one setting lower than the brightest, I used it for 7 hours!

4. KEYBOARD: This is quality full-sized keyboard. It is "Chiclet" styled keyboard. The keys are big enough for my thick fingers can comfortably type. And each key is spaced from each other generously. The keyboard does not flex when you press down. It is rock solid. However, each alphabet letter is positioned at the center of the key and not at the left corner. This might be a problem for those who use 2nd language keyboard transparent stickers.

5. TOUCHPAD: while others are not thrilled with the touchpad, I did not see any difference between the touchpad of Asus 1000HA and dm1. Since I use mini wireless mouse, this is not a problem. But when I did use the touchpad, it was fine for basic function. But pinch in & out needed work. However, I like the fact that you could disable the touchpad with two taps.

6. PERFORMANCE: It boots up fast and all the programs respond quickly. The AMD Vision chip is marvelous. Much, much faster than netbooks of Intel Atom processor class in the same price range. It rivals the speed of i3 chip of my other work notebook.

7. SIZE & WEIGHT: It is about 8.4" x 11.5" and about 1" thick. It is thinner than Asus eeePC 1000HA, but 1" larger due to the screen size. But it weighs just 3.4 lbs. It is small and light enough to carry it anywhere.

8. SOFTWARE: My dm1-3020us came with FREE MS Office 2010 Home and Student DVD (OEM)! I just had to activate the Office preinstalled. Other programs ("Bloatware" or 3rd party softwares) included, but you could easily remove them. BUT it is not wise to uninstall "HP Support Assistant" program it has very helpful "HP CoolSense" program that quiets the fan noise automatically. Other HP Media programs, you could select which to keep and which to uninstall depending on your need.

FEW NOTES:

[1] Upgrade your BIOS from f.3 to f.12 by visiting HP website.

[2] 3GB RAM is plenty for casual Office work, email, online TV viewing, and web browsing.

[3] Update to Windows 7 SP1.

FOR LINUX Users:

[1] I was able to install SnowLinux 11.04 (variation of Ubuntu 11.04). But WiFi & Touchpad do not work out of the box. You need to manually install WiFi driver (RT5390) and install touchpad driver from Synaptic Package Manager.

(UPDATE: Ubuntu 11.10 & Kubuntu 11.10 work out of the box including the Wi-Fi).

[2] dm1-3020us comes with 4 primary partitions, so you need to delete one partition to install Linux distro of your choice. I deleted (D:) partition.

[3] All in all, if you could install WiFi, then it is a great! I am dualbooting Windows 7 with SnowLinux 11.04 and I am enjoying the notebook immensely!

All in all, I am very happy with this notebook. HP did an excellent job! In short, dm1-3020us has the portability of a netbook, but the power of a notebook with longer battery life! Highly recommended.

Buy HP Pavilion dm1-3020us Entertainment Laptop - Black Now

Well I needed a new laptop since late 2010, but wanted to wait as long as possible for the new AMD FUSION (Vision) APU chip that is designed specifically for this class of "notbook" computers (netbook with mainstream notebook power). If you have read any reviews on the internet, they pretty much align with my experiences and expectations. The only difference on my system is the 8gb RAM upgrade, which brought my price just above $600. I'm fine with that as I tend to load alot of programs at once and could be useful for future Windows upgrade.

Good:

-Excellent HD video playback; high resolution screen (note: I prefer a 12.1 screen, but 11.6 is acceptable; I don't know how people can tolerate 10 inch screens)

-Enough RAM and HDD space to meet your needs

-High quality audio output for such a compact machine

-Great battery life (lives up to 6.5 hours of normal use)

-Lukewarm heat on the bottom. It's so nice to actually have it on my lap without a damn laptop table.

-Lightweight, nice style design

Cons:

-CPU speed (1.6 ghz) slow for mainstream games, but more than sufficient for business users (i.e. Productivity tools).

-No optical drive, but you can get a decent one for $40 online. HP sells optional external drive with Blu Ray capability but it's $130 extra

-HP bloatware (you can uninstall of course)

-Fan is not loud, but noticeable if in a quiet room without ambient sound. (I'll take that over a hot bottom any day)

-Touchpad is probably the worst experience. Don't care for it, so I try to use a mini-mouse when possible

If HP offered a 12.1 inch version, then this unit is a MUST-BUY if you are in the market for a ultra portable and ultra affordable netbook.

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I purchased this amazing little laptop last month. So far it's performed beyond my expectations. The dualcore 1.6-GHz AMD E-350 CPU is fast. While surfing the web, I get about 6 hours 20 minutes with medium brightness. Speaking of which, the 11.6" LED screen is particularly good. I'm impressed with the brightness and resolution of such a small screen. Speakers are excellent. Sound is crisp and clear. The hard drive is better than most laptops in this price range because its 7200RPM.

I upgraded to 8GB RAM for ~$80. It was extremely easy. The bottom of the laptop has a snap on cover that you can remove and have access to the RAM, HDD, etc. Upgrading to a SSD would be extremely easy. I also bought an external Blu-ray player that is bus powered with a single USB cable. Tested out Inception on Blu-ray and it performed flawlessly.

Common concerns:

-> Touchpad When you double-tap the top left corner of the touchpad, a small orange light comes on in its place indicating that the touchpad has been turned off, so one can type without constantly hitting it. Double-tap again to enable it.

-> Keyboard While the keyboard does not have dedicated PgUp or PgDn keys, all you have to do is hold FN and the up or down arrow keys. The left and right keys also function as Home and End buttons when you hold FN.

-> Bloatware HP bloatware is very easy to get rid of and at the same time you can keep your essential HP stuff. When you start the laptop, go to the Bios and hit recovery. You should have a "Minimized Image Recovery" option from the recovery menu. This will do a clean install of Windows with NO bloatware and only the required HP components and drivers. Works like a charm, and your laptop will be faster!

Overall, I say this laptop is a must buy if you're looking for an ultraportable.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I am actually reviewing from this laptop. My first impression was wow this little thing looks cool. After unpacking things, I followed the insert that says Start Here. The battery is small and is contoured to look like the back flip part of the laptop and installs easily. It did add a bit of weight to the back but its still lighter than other laptops.

I started the laptop up and made it thru most of the Windows 7 configurations but at the end of the settings could not get online. I didn't see anything telling me to press the F12 button to turn on the wireless and Bluetooth. There's a little light that turned from orange to a bluish white showing the wireless was now running.

Once I got the wireless thing fixed, I was able to update and download additional thing I like on my computers. The machine seems to run fairly fast for such a small PC. Certain things like installing MS Office made the internal fans rev up like a jet engine and blow out hot air. There's supposed to be a setting that you can let the pc know if its on a desk or lap to help control the heat and hot fan but I've been unsuccessful in finding this.

The laptop has a lot of mini led lights on the top and sides letting you know what's on or the status like power, HD, wireless, sound on/off, battery charging/complete. The main power button on the top left corner is actually very bright and lights up your room in the dark.

One of the 3 USB plugs is near the very front left side which can be a bit of a pain because if its on your lap gets in the way. The others are on the right in the middle which I found in a better spot that didn't interfere with things. There's an HDMI, and a media card slot which are a nice addition to this small laptop.

The keyboard is on the small side but not terribly small. I did find myself hitting the wrong keys because I feel that the spaces between the keys is a little too much and they could have made the actual keys a little bigger. They are flat keys just like the Apple keyboards. I see a trend in most laptops these days using this style.

The track pad gave me some issues as I felt the click buttons didn't work very well. It was easier to just double tap to select/click rather than the buttons.

The 11.6 inch display is bright and was pretty clear and was better than I expected. I don't think this is meant to work on all day only because you strain your eyes after a while.

One of my dislikes and the reason I gave it 4 stars is that the AC plug is a little short. The AC pack gets pretty hot so be careful where you place it.

There is tons of bloatware on the machine. There are two book readers, games and the usual HP program for every little thing possible. I've deleted most of them right off the bat. I really wish that when setting things up you get the option to install or not install the programs.

My conclusion is yes this is a small pc with no cd drive but it is fairly powerful and does a great job at handling strong programs and games. I do think its a little pricey for its size but it does have a big HD and lots of ram as well as a few other features you won't find on similar laptops this size.

Pros:

Size

Clear screen

320gb HD

3gb Ram

Portability

Features (Bluetooth, media reader, HDMI, 3 USB etc.)

Cons:

No disc drive

Track pad buttons

Can get warm at times

AC plug not long enough

One USB plug too close to front of pc

Price

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