ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

This is a review of the Asus laptop, not Windows 8. I'm a retired computer professional and I've had over a dozen different laptops over the years, from economy models to the top-of-the-line (so I have a large frame of reference). I'm really pleased with this laptop -it's a great value and I really don't need any more power or features for what I do these days. I use it mostly for web browsing, Office apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Photoshop, iTunes management of a huge music library, and email. I'm "on my computer" over 8 hours a day. For those purposes, this laptop is serving me well at a great price. I looked at a lot of others in the same price range and decided on this one for these reasons: a good processor (I don't think I saw any faster ones in this price range), 500GB disk drive (I really don't need more space and I have larger external USB drives if I ever do), a decent integrated graphics adapter, 3 USB ports including USB 3.0, an HDMI port, VGA output for non-digital TVs and monitors (not found on many current laptops but it's still useful), DVD burner, a pretty long battery life, and a 1-year warranty on accidental drops and spills.

When I first started using the laptop, I was very impressed by the feel and the action of the keyboard and the brightness and clarity of the 15.6" screen. I was also pleased that it wasn't pre-loaded with a bunch of free-trial crap software (all I got rid of was the 30-day(?) free-trial McAfee anti-virus, which I replaced with AVG free edition). I added 4GB of Kingston memory for a total of 8GB RAM and so far I have no complaints about performance. (

Some buyers may want to know that the disk drive is formatted with C and D partitions, 186 GB and 258 GB in size, respectively. That's smart, but I wonder if non-technical users will ever even access and use the large D partition since all user files (My Documents, etc.), by default, are put on the C partition. On the D drive, I put all my music files, my thousands of digital photos, and other large data collections which I don't need to frequently access via the convenient user folders (My Documents, My Pictures, etc.). I think there's an additional recovery partition, but it doesn't appear in the file manager.

I have only a couple complaints. The left/right buttons at the bottom of the touchpad take a lot of pressure to make them click (probably intentional to avoid accidental clicking) and I don't like the feel of their action. I thought maybe I'd stop using a mouse and switch to using the touchpad only, but the feel of those buttons caused me to go back to my mouse within a few hours of use. The other complaint is that there's no LED indicator when Caps Lock or Numeric Lock is enabled on the keyboard, but that's a pretty minor issue. (UPDATE: I just discovered there *are* LEDs for Caps and Numeric lock -they are small green LEDs on the front left edge, next to some other LEDs like the disk activity LED).

So, I'm very pleased with this laptop and I think it's a tremendous value in its price range. No regrets on this purchase! Windows 8 is a different story and I'm not crazy about it, but I'm learning to adjust. I would prefer to have Windows 7 which was the best Windows OS to date. Windows 8 is not nearly as bad as many reviewers would have you believe. By creating my user account as a 'local user', ignoring the Start Screen that looks like a smart phone and only using the Windows desktop, it's very much like using Windows 7. You just have to find where they hid some things like the Start Menu (use Windows key + X combination). And so far, all the software I have (some of which is pretty old, like Office 2003), has installed without compatibility problems. I almost paid much more to get a laptop with Windows 7 instead of 8, based on all the negative comments, but I'm glad I didn't do that. The negative comments are overblown.

I did a lot of research before finally purchasing this laptop by ASUS. The biggest selling points for me were as follows:

ASUS 1 year "360 Notebook Warranty" including 1 year of Accidental Damage/Handling and a Limited 1 year manufacturer warranty.

The AMD A8 4500M APU is super speedy. If you're purchasing a laptop beware that the A6 4400 has a 1MB L2 cache while the A8 has a BIG 4MB L2 cache. While the dual core is rated at a higher frequency the quad core is capable of handling multiple data loads simultaneously much more efficiently.

The Radeon 7640G has 512mb dedicated memory and is capable to pull from the system resources. While this machine CANNOT run games at the highest settings it does an excellent job of being able to run MOST games at low-med settings with high FPS.

4gb ram upgradeable to 16gb.

Pros: Low Price point, 1 year ADH warranty, fast quad core cpu, 4mb L2 cache, fast HDD, fast boot option, instant on resume function2 second wake-up from sleep mode.

Cons: Poor viewing angles on screen, plastic shell/case,

Buy ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

I doubted this laptop would perform that well given its $399 price tag. Incredibly I continue to be blown away by its superb performance, it has quickly become my favorite (of six) computers to use! Even though it's comprised of plastic, it's light weight and superior performance leave me wanting little. Even with 3D games, the performance continues to astound me given the low price I paid.

I bought a 16GB memory upgrade for $85 a week later and it has solidly placed this laptop at the top of my techy toys list. I am dumbfounded by the sheer performance of this low cost laptop.

Pros: low price, above average performance, memory up-gradable to 16GB and out performs my MacBook that cost $1300.

Cons: Made of plastic and does not have superman powers..

Read Best Reviews of ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here

I'm using this laptop mostly for internet browsing, work, and gaming. It does it all, more than I expected after a few weeks of owning it.

This laptop is fast. It's fast booting up, shutting down, loading programs, buffering videos, downloading, etc. Never had a problem. All the features: IceCool palm rests, SuperBatt Tech, InstantOn, and 5% AutoBackup work great. The InstantOn is my favorite, my other laptops and desktops are nowhere near as fast booting up and shutting off. The laptop will boot up to the start screen as long as it takes for you to sip a cup of coffee.

Win8 gets getting used to, many people like to complain about changes, but I have no major complaints. The only complaint I have is I was disappointed that there's no Microsoft Office installed. When I had to do work I was prompted to buy a CD key, not what I expected.

What I love the most is the gaming power of this laptop. You wouldn't expect much from an entry level priced laptop, but I'm playing Shogun 2 Total War on medium smoothly. With that being said, I'm already starting to fill up my hard drive downloading Steam games!

Want ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?

I'm re-writing this review to include a tutorial on how to fix up the laptop without voiding the warrantee. I'm upping it to 4 stars now that I've fixed it. The hardware is great, the software can be fixed.

Pros:

Great Hardware

Fast Processor

Big Video specs

Built in tutorial for windows 8

Comes with 50 GB cloud storage for 3 years

Cons:

Windows 8

The trackpad is awful (tutorial below reduces annoyance)

The wireless will drop out (tutorial below fixes)

Packed with bloatware (you can uninstall it)

Webcam sucks (mic is great though)

Small HD space

Performance expectations:

You will be able to play most games at max settings if the game was released prior to 2010. You will be able to play most new releases up to current day at reduced graphics settings. Applications will run at a reasonably high speed.

Hard Drive(s)

The laptop comes with two small 5400 RPM hard drives (C and D). The OS is installed to C, and D is empty. If you install your programs to drive D, you will get significant performance gains because your motherboard can process twin data streams at 100% capacity. YOU MUST DO THIS TO MAKE GAMES AND APPLICATIONS RUN SMOOTHLY.

Trackpad fix:

The built in drivers for the trackpad add "smoothing" effects and whatnot that make the trackpad even harder to use. They do not provide basic functions like turning off the trackpad.

Fix it:

1. Plug in a USB mouse

2. Download the Synaptics driver platform for mouse, windows 8 option.

3. Using the USB mouse, uninstall the trackpad drivers.

a. right click on the bottom left corner of desktop

b. in the context menu, select "device manager"

c. in the device manager, right click on the trackpad's controller, it is under "Mice and other pointing devices"

d. select "properties" from the drop down menu

e. select the "driver" tab

f. select "uninstall" and follow the on-screen instructions

4. Install the new synaptics drivers

5. You now have better mouse handling, and you can right-click the trackpad icon in the desktop tray, go to the "Device Settings" tab, and disable the trackpad.

6. Install touch-freeze

This will "stun" the mouse while you are typing, which will prevent accidental clicks from messing up your typing.

Wireless fix:

The built in drivers disable the wireless card on a regular basis in order to conserve power. You will need to replace the aetheros drivers with the most up-to-date drivers, and disable some features in the Realtek PCIe driver context menu.

1. Download the Aetheros drivers

download link:

site:

2. This package will install just fine. Follow the on-screen instructions.

3. Reboot.

4. Go to the device manager, select "network adapters," and right click "Qualcomm Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter"

5. Select "properties"

6. Select the "Power Management" tab

7. uncheck the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

8. Click "OK"

9. Go back to the device manager

10. Right click and slect properties on "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller"

11. Go to the "advanced" tab

12. Modify the following Properties

Energy Efficient Ethernet> Disabled

Green Ethernet> Disabled

13. Go to the "Power Management" tab

14. unchcheck "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

15. click "OK"

16. Enjoy stable internet.

Windows 8 Fix:

If you miss the traditional Windows layout, you can install a third party start button. I recommend this one:

Save 10% Off

Read More >>

Sony VAIO(R) SVS13A25PXB 13.3" Premium Notebook PC - Black

Good computer. Windows 8 comes preloaded which is a pain. More trouble than it's worth with a non touch screen computer. The computer it's self is very fast. Ergonomics are good. Keyboard is still a good usable size. Don't love the mouse pad, but easy fix with a blue tooth mouse. Screen is average although the graphics when on my standard 1080 p monitor are above average. There is a light sensor that automatically sets screen brightness. I had to disable it because the screen would constantly flicker brighter and darker.

All in all a good value.

The hardware is great, but you need get used to Windows 8.

This computer is very fast, light. Really worth its price!

Buy Sony VAIO(R) SVS13A25PXB 13.3" Premium Notebook PC - Black Now

She is a great computer with a lot more power that the tiny ultrabooks.

What I do not like is really the sound. Not yet they have found no solution for him.

For the rest, for normal tasks a lot of RAM, Hard Disk SSD, and super video plate, although I will always use the HD4000 as it is in these hybrid equipment.

The cabinet fashion repeats with my predecessor VPC-SA4FGX/BI.

A little expensive for me, since I live in Argentina, and I have spent around 1870 dollars(final in my office), but to my 50 years, I prepare some gifts, since life is very short to save money.

I have just found a more cost-reducing offer that he is and in 17,3"incredible! "Sony Vaio SVE1712BCXB 17.3" 2.80GHz i7-3840QM 16GB 500GB SSD AMD 7650M FullHD Windows 8 BD-ROM"

Thanks Amazon! Amazing....Joe

Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO(R) SVS13A25PXB 13.3" Premium Notebook PC - Black Here

Read More >>

Hp 15.6" 2000-2b89wm Laptop Pc with Intel Core I3-2328m Processor and Windows 8

I bought this laptop for personal use. Some of the best features include light weight, latest OS, and best value for money. It is easy to carry around and retains battery for more than 7 hrs after charging it fully. Money best invested.

thanks I received my product in Venezuela, although I have not used yet because I have not configured the Spanish I think everything is fine, the keyboard model might be a little dated but that is overshadowed by comparing it with the aesthetic of the other parts team as well as its configuration. I am very happy with the team, I feel very complete in terms of price and value

Buy Hp 15.6" 2000-2b89wm Laptop Pc with Intel Core I3-2328m Processor and Windows 8 Now

I am not happy with 2 things.

1. There was a rattling noise coming from the DVD Rom when you switch on the machine. I think it is unusual for a brand new Lap top. Is it only with my machine? Any advise?

2. The black color key board and faint-white letters are quite difficult for eyes in the night. No back-light. Is that how this machine comes ?

Read Best Reviews of Hp 15.6" 2000-2b89wm Laptop Pc with Intel Core I3-2328m Processor and Windows 8 Here

Read More >>

ASUS X75A-DS31 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

I like the 17.3 inch screen, it works great, and the price was right. I'm so glad I didn't get a laptop with a small 15 inch screen. Battery charges fast. There wasn't a lot of bloatware to remove. Asus has a nice smart gestures utility to suppress any Windows 8 gestures that become annoying. It is fast enough for my purposes and Asus has 24/7 support and 1 year warranty, plus 1 year accidental warranty. I didn't really want Windows 8, but that's what you're gonna get. After 3 weeks intensive training, I now am comfortable with Windows 8. The laptop has really fast wake-up from sleep (they are not kidding when they say 2 seconds). However, it runs warmer than I had expected when the charger is plugged in. On the negative side, there isn't a free period of Windows 8 support for complicated issues from either Asus or Microsoft due to being an OEM copy of Windows. That's probably typical. However, Microsoft will help with minor things free of charge.

I'm not sure why one of the reviews says the computer is slow I was impressed with the performance. The computer was marked down and included a $100 Amazon gift card for a net sell of $330. Nice display, no glare. With free 2-day Prime shipping, easy set up I am happily surprised!

Buy ASUS X75A-DS31 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

Fast! Lightweight! Bright Screen!! Also have had zero issues with the laptop or the software Very satisfied Would definitely purchase again. A great laptop for the price !! :)

Read Best Reviews of ASUS X75A-DS31 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Here

I was so used to windows 7 that i really searched every where for it but this laptop only came with windows 8 but ill figure it out it is very user friendly and there are tons of youtube videos that are helpful

Want ASUS X75A-DS31 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?

Best bang for the buck if your looking for a back to school or general use laptop. Asus puts out some high quality and affordable technology products. This one is another winner from Asus. Very pleased.

Save 11% Off

Read More >>

Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5509 Laptop Computer with 15.6-inch HD Display, 4GB RAM, 320GB Drive, Doub

Purchased for just under $300 at a local retailer. Bought to perform (primarily) web-based tasks (skype, radio, blog, surf, etc...).

System works fine full-featured with decent CPU and memory. Minor complaints for mouse buttons (feels like I need a hammer to assist with clicking (not really but takes some effort to left/right click)) and the amount of Toshiba (junk) software pre-installed (which was easy enough to remove, along with Office 2010 Starter).

Overall, worked out of the box and easy enough to customize generally very happy (especially considering the price).

How do you rate this product. very How do you rate this product. also How do you rate this product

Buy Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5509 Laptop Computer with 15.6-inch HD Display, 4GB RAM, 320GB Drive, Doub Now

I am a fairly technical person. Bought the laptop due to great price and my wife only needs to do simple non intensive stuff for her schoolwork (as a teacher)powerpoints, word-processing, youtube videos that she downloads to imbed in powerpoints to make her lessons more interestingvery basic stuff.

The amount of configuration changes required to make this machine work is ridiculous23 years working with and on computers and this has been the most frustrating out of the box item ever purchased. I'm returning it tomorrow.

Read Best Reviews of Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5509 Laptop Computer with 15.6-inch HD Display, 4GB RAM, 320GB Drive, Doub Here

Read More >>

Sony VAIO VPC-EA47FX/B 14-Inch Widescreen Entertainment Laptop (Black)

I got this laptop for my birthday and I have to say I am very satisfied with my purchase. With 640GB of HDD and Intel Core i3 processor this model wont slow down on you. This model has a nice glossy black finish with little grey squares to style it off, the touch pad is also very good, you won't get lost where your finger is thanks to the texture style. Keyboard is also very comfortable to type, with raised keys and nice space between, I have no trouble typing in the dark. This model also comes loaded with Blu-ray ROM Drive, even though its not full HD still I can tell the difference between standard DVD quality compared to the Blu-ray. (inserted TRON: Legacy DVD and Blu-ray). The added VAIO Gate is also very neat, I can add all my icons to VAIO Gate and don't have to deal with crowded desktop to look at. There are just too many things you can do with this notebook that it will take me all night to write, (connect with PS3, wireless Display one button to launch WEB, Media, and assist).

I will recommend this notebook to any students looking to work on video editing and add music, video, photos to your media with plenty of space left. Oh and watch Blu-ray on the go.

Read More >>

HP Pavilion DV6T-7000 Quad 2.30-3.30GHz i7-3610QM 8GB 1TB 5400RPM HDD 15.6" FullHD 1080P Blu-Ray ROM

The computer is a work of art. Never gets hot, unless playing Crysis 2. While playing crysis 2 this computer can easily perform 4-5 tasks while playing and switch screens in around 1-2 seconds using hardcore graphics. Now Skype, Chrome, WMP, and Starcraft 2 are an easy cake playing on Extreme graphics. The computer is light weighted and the HP logo lighted on the back is awesome. beats Audio is great for my guitar rig 5 and creating some beats on CUBASE 6.5. This computer is everything I expected. The only bad thing to say about it is the incorporated mouse buttons wich they make a weird noise when pressed. everything else is working on perfect conditions. So good so far!.

Yay first customer review ever (probably because this was the most expensive thing I have bought on Amazon)

Laptop came a day early, so great delivery from the company. I'm no computer guru but here are my thoughts:

PROS:

-Very fast startup/shutdown

-Stays relatively cool (gets a little hot when playing graphic intensive games)

-Around 5.7 pounds (rather lightweight for its specs/size)

-Keyboard is comfortable to use esp. with backlight

-Powerful graphics card (Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 run smoothly with maxed out settings after a bit of startup lag)

-Fast processing (switching and opening many windows/games is very quick)

CONS:

-Fan can get pretty loud and hot esp. when gaming (well i guess its expected for a laptop)

-Battery life is less than 2 hours for gaming

-Mousepad might feel a little cheap and has a little annoying noise when you press it

-Bloatware (though not as much as some comps)

-Powerbrick might be inconvenient

-Beats audio is relatively good, but does not reach expectations (use headphones for better experience)

Overall, the pros outweigh the cons by a boatload, as the cons are just a few annoying tidbits I found. Not an absolutely perfect laptop, but for the price, I recommend to everyone, especially gamers.

Buy HP Pavilion DV6T-7000 Quad 2.30-3.30GHz i7-3610QM 8GB 1TB 5400RPM HDD 15.6" FullHD 1080P Blu-Ray ROM Now

This Beauty comes with latest Intel 3rd Gen Core i7 Series processor along with a nVIDIA discrete Graphics adapter simply giving you a boost right when you need it most.It is perfect for your daily tasks as well as gaming.It have nice metallic flat finish with lining on the surface and looks very nice.I recommend it to every one.

Read Best Reviews of HP Pavilion DV6T-7000 Quad 2.30-3.30GHz i7-3610QM 8GB 1TB 5400RPM HDD 15.6" FullHD 1080P Blu-Ray ROM Here

I bought my Pavillion dv6 in april and the BEATS audio has never worked right. The volume level fluctuates when playing music...doesn't matter what program is used...they all do it....Itunes, Zune and Windows Media. It also doesn't matter if the laptop speakers are used or headphones or external speakers. HP tech support told me my laptop needed to be repaired. There are several threads on the HP online forum discussing this very issue and it's happening on all different HP models. The root cause is the driver used for the BEATS audio. HP says they're going to fix the driver but I'm not holding my breath. Make sure you check this out before buying!!!!

Want HP Pavilion DV6T-7000 Quad 2.30-3.30GHz i7-3610QM 8GB 1TB 5400RPM HDD 15.6" FullHD 1080P Blu-Ray ROM Discount?

Everything anyone could want in a laptop. It has great graphics, its fast, has a 1T. hard drive, 8 GB memory, plays blueray disks and much more. I have run it for days and it never gets hot. This machine can easily replace my 6 core AMD desktop and run software about 50% faster.

Ken

WebmasterHP Pavilion dv6t-7000 Quad Edition (dv6tqe) 15.6" Laptop -3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor (IVY BRIDGE) / 8GB DDR3 System Memory / 750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive / Blu-ray player / Beats Audio / midnight black metal finish

Read More >>

HP ProBook 4530s 15.6" Notebook (2.30 GHz Intel Core i3-2350M, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R

I picked up one of these HP Probooks after seeing my girlfriends, which was provided by her employer. The pictures don't do this machine any justice. This notebook features solid contruction and a nice sleek brushed aluminum finish. I am in the gaming pc profession and needed a reliable notebook for after office tasks. The HP Probook has been a great product so far. I removed the stock hard drive and replaced it with a 128gb Samsung solid state drive with transfer kit (Norton Ghost). As expected the performance increase is simply remarkable. With the SSD installed, you would think i purchased a top of the line Core i7 series notebook. With the SSD purchased here from Amazon ($149) my total investment was $648. If you are handy with computers this model has incredible potential for performance and the looks to match. Bravo job HP!

The only con I see is the amount of bloatware that HP installs at the factory. It took me about 4 hours to remove the optional non necessary programs but for the price, it is still worth it. Also, even without the SSD upgrade, this machine is still very capable in its stock configuration. It is expandible from 4GB of RAM up to 8GB. There are no fingerprint readers or other security devices built in. The HP software suite offers a trial version of Norton Security, I removed that immediately and installed the always free "Microsoft Security Essentials" which I find quite adequate (plus i'm cheap).

If you are interested, here is the SSD I used that includes Norton Ghost so you can backup the existing hard drive and transfer it to the new SSD. Very easy to use.

Samsung 830 Series MZ-7PC128N/AM 128 GB 2.5 Inch SATA III MLC Internal SSD Laptop Kit with Norton Ghost 15

*********************

Updated Review

*********************

So after about 2 months with this device I still have zero complaints. HP is certainly not the same company it used to be 10 years ago. The Probook and Elitebook line is considered a business class device. What this means is as opposed to light home use (social media, email and web browsing) this device is designed for extensive daily use, as one would expect from a business computer. They are bit more solid in the construction than other HP models. I still beleive this is most likely the best possible notebook computer available today (Aug 2012) for under $500. Although many of you will use this notebook for home use. It is really a great device for business or school use. Another reviewer had commented about the screen being a bit thin and flimsy for their taste. I would have to respectfully disagree. This model does have a reletively thin screen, however the bezel that holds the screen is quite adequate. I was considering a [much more expensive] Sony model before purchasing this HP Probook. The Sony model had a wonderful thin screen but when you moved it... it felt extremely fragile. This particular screen has a nice 1/2 inch bezel to provide a solid feel even though the screen is nicely thinned. I think in comparison to other like model notebooks this Probook seems above par. There are certainly a slew of higher spec notebooks available today, however for the investment this i3 dual core (hyperthreaded quad core) sets the bar for others to follow. I am completely impressed with HP in this line of notebooks. Consider the price for the quality of the entire product, this is a hands down winner.

P.S. please don't post negative reviews for a product because USPS kicked the box down the street. Obviously you should return any product for an exchange if there is any damage. Also, I personally only purchase from Amazon directly OR a merchant that is "Fulfilled by Amazon" meaning it is shipped from an Amazon warehouse and not somebody's garage. Off the soapbox now...

I bought this surprisingly inexpensive little powerhouse about a year ago. I did upgrade the memory to 8GB and I got an external hard drive for backups, but this little puppy still hums along quite nicely. I am a computational chemist and having multiple processors has proven handy as I can run small computational jobs on two or three processors and still surf the web or play video with no noticeable performance lags.

I have actually been disappointed by HP before. In particular, I found their pavillion line to be be under powered crap that breaks quite easily (for some reason, this was the only brand/model my parents would buy me as a teen and in college), so I was pretty skeptical about buying another HP product. I reasoned that since this was supposedly a business laptop, corporate customers wouldn't repeatedly buy the same crap they peddle to home users. That, the fact that this notebook got a lot of great reviews on another major online vendor convinced me and the relatively low price convinced me. I have been happier with this computer than any other I've owned except for one which I put together myself.

Buy HP ProBook 4530s 15.6" Notebook (2.30 GHz Intel Core i3-2350M, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R Now

I'm going to start by saying that in the past I never thought much

of HP computers and have purchased a few over the years. Pulled the

trigger on this one mainly because of the rave reviews on Tonymac forums

as I was interested in running osx on it along side windows 7.

I've had this about 24 hours now but was on it all night last night so here

are some of my immediate thoughts. Like the title says, excellent for

the money. Keyboard is full size and love the numeric pad on the right.

The brushed aluminum is an extremely nice touch and looks amazing.

As soon as I plugged it in I wiped the hard drive clean and installed Mac OSX

and Windows 7 to dual boot which it does very nicely. Powers up quickly.

The 4GB seems like plenty for most people. Machine performs really snappy

I like it alot. It's not too heavy so traveling with it daily or longer

would not be a problem. One major thing I noticed is that it runs very cool.

I've had three other laptops over the years and they all ran so hot that you

couldn't keep them on your lap. I've also seen more than my share of clients

machines come in with burned up processors, boards, and hard drives from the

excessive heat. Don't think you're gonna see that with these new processors

they run super cool. Now for the cons. The screen is thin. I have

already seen one in existence with pressure damage. The battery latches

are flimsy and I would suggest being really gentle if you remove the battery

to avoid snapping something. Same with the rear access cover. Thin and flimsy.

I ordered a sleeve to put the laptop in so that other stuff in my briefcase

doesn't damage the laptop banging off it. All in all I'd say this is a great

choice for someone who needs a work and play machine in one and at this price

it's a no brainer.

Read Best Reviews of HP ProBook 4530s 15.6" Notebook (2.30 GHz Intel Core i3-2350M, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R Here

I've been a HP fan for awhile. Our household has over multiple HP machines running (2 laptops and 3 PC). I decided to purchase the HP ProBook for its durability and quality.

Although the i3 processor isn't going to win any performance contest, it is suitable for most applications including Adobe Photoshop CS5, Lightroom and even video editing.

I was excited to make this purchase. However, had to return it for unexpected disappointment Loud and Constant FAN noise.

I have 2 pavilion laptops that is over 4-5yrs old and runs quietly til this day, thus made the same assumption when purchasing this probook.

Upon first day of usage, the fan would kick only after 10minute of use. And for those doubting, I have chill AC running at our house at 68 degrees...so I know it was not any kind of environmental heat causing the fan to kick in constantly.

I let it run for 2-3hrs with basic web browsing (checking emails, youtube) but was disappointed to hear and even feel the FAN turn on and stay on for 80% of the time.

I gave it second and third chance to cool down and try again next day. Same result.

Then another disappointment kicked in when I ran the DVD in the DVD writer. I simply put in a DVD movie and let it run.

The spinning motor noise and the fan noise made it unbearable to watch any movie on the laptop.

I was fairly disappointed with the experience and had no choice than to return it.

I will hope this has nothing to do with the whole HP computer business fiasco where they are cutting back on quality parts in order to make ends meet.

Either way, HP may have lost a customer... I may have to convert to another brand following as HP quality is now questionable.

Want HP ProBook 4530s 15.6" Notebook (2.30 GHz Intel Core i3-2350M, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R Discount?

Laptop's Purpose I bought this lap top to do homework and take notes while in class. I also planned to surf the web pretty much on a daily basis. I might want to occasionally play a game or two.

Does it meet my expectations? Yes, laptop meets my expectations. It even exceeds them. The battery life on this is phenomenal. One thing I did immediately is put more RAM in the laptop. It might even be a bit of overkill. The 4GB that comes on the computer would be enough to handle pretty much anything you throw at this thing, aside from resource heavy games. You'll never run something like Skyrim or Battlefield on this laptop, but that's not a downside because you wouldn't purchase it for that reason. That being said, I'll breakdown what I think of this laptop piece by piece.

Overall Feel / Look of the Laptop: 5/5 The brushed aluminum look is one of my favorite looks. It doesn't show smudges or finger prints very easily. It's a good quality finish. I haven't seen any chipping or cracking anywhere on the exterior. Also, there is nothing flimsy about this laptop. It feels like a solid, high quality machine.

Weight: 4/5 This laptop weighs a little more than I had anticipated. However, if I would have read the description like I should have, I would have known the exact weight. It just feels heavier than it looks.

Size: 5/5 No oddities here. The size allows for a full keyboard and number pad, as well as a bright clean screen. It doesn't expand too much off the screen, which is a plus because it can fit in cases with more ease.

Inputs: 4/5 The keyboard is a bit fickle. There are some built in shortcuts on this laptop that I don't quite understand fully. For example, I have noticed when I'm typing a paper and I type anything that ends in "ound" it goes to save the document, which is just odd. The keyboard itself is well made with responsive buttons and they are spaced enough that even a sausage fingered neck beard like myself can type without a whole bunch of screw ups. The touchpad works just fine, however I use an auxiliary mouse on a day-to-day basis. Webcam works fine, offers a good picture. Microphone is actually really good, I can pick up a lecture crisp and clear even if I'm typing on the laptop and in the back or middle of the room.

Upgradeability: 5/5 I upgraded the ram with a couple of clicks. It is very easy to get into the hard drive bay if you were to ever want to swap out a SSD in the laptop. Windows 8 installed and runs just fine on this laptop.

Hardware: 5/5 The processor is a good processor for mobile computing. The wireless works really great and can pick up a signal within a pretty large range. Sound is great through on board speakers. Screen is bold and bright. Everything seems really well built. The ram is speedy. The hard drive is roomy and quick. There is a SD slot and plenty of USB ports. The disk drive is solid and has a pretty high read/write rate.

Overall, I would recommend this laptop to anyone who's budget it would fit in. Sure there are better laptops, but they are more expensive. But if you can afford this, I would say this is the best in the price rage.

Read More >>

Toshiba - Satellite L755-S5216 Laptop / Intel Pentium Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB DDR3 Memory /

i did get a bad hard drive after 1 month. which took about 2-3 weeks to fix. it did not come with a recovery disk and i did not create one, so i had to order it from toshiba for $25 and wait 1 week to get it. best buy did change the hard drive for free, offered to install window 7 from the recovery disk, and gave me a lowner laptop you actually pay for it, but have an extended period to returm it so unless something happens to it, u do get your money back i did.

other than that this laptop is 5-star/great very quite, does not heat up, excellent track pad, screen, fast boot, somewhat light ... and cheap ...

i am comparing it to a previous hp dv4 with win vista. that laptop was solid built (dropped it few times, ... never had any hardware issue for 2 years) but did not run smoothly had many issues like noisy fan, heat, badly located track pad which made typing realy hard, needed frequent reboots and slow to reboot ...

Worked ok for a week or two, then started acting kinda strange. 2 months later, no boot. I will send it in for repair, sell it and buy something else. I also bought from people in blue shirts, and it was a bad buy. I will never buy another toshiba product. Although their customer service is good, I have found that manufactures with bad products tend to have really good service.

Buy Toshiba - Satellite L755-S5216 Laptop / Intel Pentium Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB DDR3 Memory / Now

My Mom purchased this laptop for me from Best Buy after my 8-year old desktop desktop. Fortunately, the Geek Squad were able to transfer all the info from my hard drive to the laptop. That was a relief because I have thousands of songs and thousands of pictures that I was so worried about losing.

It does last about 4 hours when not plugged up. I guess that's good for a laptop; I'm just not used to it. However, I love the speed. The keyboard took some getting used to, but I think I have it mastered. The touchpad mouse was also a new experience, but it's become second nature. If it becomes too difficult, you can always purchase a physical mouse. The separate number keypad was also a plus.

It also comes with a built-in microphone and web camera. I like being able to change the settings so it powers on as soon as I lift up the screen. I do wish that the speakers would get louder when I want someone else to hear something. However, it's adequate for when I'm alone. If you're at all saavy with a computer, this computer isn't difficult to figure out. On a long trip, I would suggest purchasing a compatible car charger.

Overall, it's an awesome computer!

Read Best Reviews of Toshiba - Satellite L755-S5216 Laptop / Intel Pentium Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB DDR3 Memory / Here

I did not buy from Amazon but it was less than $400 at a local brick and mortar with blue shirts. Thought this laptop was a terrific deal.

After a little over 2 weeks, it wouldn't boot up. Just a black screen. Called Toshiba to send it for repairs. The local store only had a 2 week return policy, which sucks too. (Never buying anything from them again.) Toshiba's option was 1) wait a couple of days for a free UPS box, shipping back is free too, or 2) go to a UPS store today to send but I have to pay $15 shipping. I decided to wait for the free box.

Packed everything, filled out the form, sent it via 2nd day UPS. It took over a month to repair and get it back. You can get the repair status online.

Got it back, booted up fine now. But after 30 seconds, "problem with system cooling, shut down immediately and send in for repair." WTF??? Called tech support and asked to send me another box. It's on its way back to repair again. Probably another month til I get it back.

When it worked, I liked it. Nice screen, big keyboard. I didn't like the trackpad as it was too small and can't tell where the edge is. Battery life was pretty good, over 4 hours.

Did I get a lemon or did I get what I paid for?

Want Toshiba - Satellite L755-S5216 Laptop / Intel Pentium Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB DDR3 Memory / Discount?

Read More >>

HP Envy dv6-7220us 15.6-Inch Laptop

Quick summary First PC I got had problems. Did get another one and it seems to be fine so far. I have left the review below since it is an honest account of what I went through with the first one.

I have been buying PCs since the early 1980s and this is BY FAR the WORST out of box experience I have had. The PC had 5 hours of critical updates from HP and Microsoft that did not go through correctly. 18 hours later still getting errors on the PC, from HP and Windows. I have called HP customer support three times so far, have reformatted PC with customer support on the line and still am having problems.

The HP support has been horrific. The HP support is from India and once you get to a live person the support is subpar. My main HP tech support person was down right rude and HE TOLD ME THE FOLLOWING THINGS which were horrific to hear from an IT guy (and totally false by the way):

(1) do not to make Windows critical updates since they cause problems on the HP PCs

(2) HP simple pass which is an advertised security feature did not work well

(3) I should ignore all the red ! and yellow warning triangles on my pc

He basically just wanted me off the line and to live with a problem PC! The support person also had me install some software from him that hijacked internet explore and had my computer go nuts with virus warnings and I got several viruses too!..this is when I agreed to reformat my PC...the India HP tech had limited knowledge of the PC itself and refused to answer any questions on Windows 8 even when we were sitting on the phone waiting for the computer to reboot or do updates.

After reformatting the hard drive and another 5 hours of doing HP and windows updates I am still getting errors. I had already installed my last copy of MS office on this pc and am very upset at the prospect of having to buy another copy of Office out of my pocket. Ship this PC back and go out and purchase another PC. So far I have been on the phone with HP for 14 hours. HP support is the worse... My HP support person also made me deactivate a lot of the Windows 8 features on the second installation and when I protested he told me he would not support any Windows issues and I could turn them on later. When the updates were done I asked how to turn on those Windows 8 features and he told me he didn't know and that wasn't his job.

UPDATE...escalating with HP support...now they are telling me that since this 8AM Saturday they cannot do anything till Monday and they will have someone call me back then to help me return my PC and get a new one then. This is unacceptable to me because this means 2 more days without a PC than if I was helped now.

UPDATE (2 hours later) still escalating.... Now HP is telling me to pack the PC up, drive to fed ex and once they have the PC back (I purchased this from HP directly) they will ship another one to me AND then I need to either call Microsoft and ask them if they can transfer my license to a new PC OR I need to buy another copy of Microsoft office. This means I won't have a new PC for 5 + days and then I need to start the installation procedure all over again.

UPDATE (3 hours later) packing up my PC. Fedex will pick up package Monday and I will get new PC Wed. Hope this one works!

Seriously???? That much escalation to get OK service???? Looks like it will take a week to resolve the issue and get a new PC. That is a lot of down time and a lot of non productive time for me to fix their problem.

From what I saw of the PC when it was working..

1) the sound system is nice...clear and loud enough to play music on without external speakers. I played some support videos online and had the sound on one of the lowest settings and it was plenty loud. Played a few songs and the sound quality is better than any other PC I have had.

2) The webcam was also HD and the quality was nice.

3) I think I will like Windows 8 once I get used to it. There is a learning curve on this but it has some nice features.

4) Have talked to several friends who have HP and they told me their HP assist never worked well and constantly has problems with updates.

5) This is my first HP...may be my last...their PCs may be OK but their customer support is HORRIBLE!

Update:

Got the new replacement PC Wed (yesterday). Software updates process of HP and MS software took 4+ hours but went smoothly. The installation of my other programs was pain free. Still installing my files but all seems well. Still very impressed with the sound system on the PC and know I will be enjoying that once my mp3s are installed.

HP support group called me and sent me an email Monday AM and gave me a case # and a direct number to contact them if I have any more troubles. They were very nice and made me feel that my problem was a fluke and I now had good support if it wasn't. Right now it looks like their was a glitch in the software update of my first PC which threw off everything. The second issue was that I got a bad tech from their Indian support group he needs some more training on both customer service and the PC. The final issue for me is that by the time I started escalating it was Saturday morning and the US support was closed at that time.

What I should have done was to send back my first PC the second the issues started and got a new PC and escalated with HP about the fact that I had already installed MS office on the bad PC.

Update one month later:

HP contacted me several times to make sure I was happy which I thought was very nice. These calls came from someone in the US and not India. Thank goodness... I may get another HP after all. The PC is working fine. Am enjoying the sound system (which is very good for a laptop sound system) and windows 8. No other issues.

I can't resist writing a very pre-emptive review because I have great feeling about this PC. First of all, I had a Lenovo core i7 ideapad crap out after just 18 months since manufacture. The 2630QM processor was a bit consumptive and I am absolutely paranoid the chipset may have had a bit of a ticking timebomb in its workings. While I respect Lenovo's ThinkPad brand, clearly there are some to be avoided or scrutinized in the lower tiers.

So in the market was I, and after researching my target price range I had decided on the AMD A8 or AMD A-10 line, if I was lucky. After all, I have some esteem for the AMD products as I find them to function better than the sum of their parts. Plus, I could also blame Intel in large part for my prior PC woes in the chipset vicinity. The HP Envy Dv6 with AMD A8-4500M was quite compelling in my search for products, but I had my reservations not finding the A-10 version. I shopped a lot online but didn't buy.. still waiting for the right deal.

So off I went for some family time, but on my way I happened to pass a Staples and couldn't resist stopping in to see if anything called me. Well, in fact, they have some phenomenal deals and no-nonsense powerful PCs. Indeed they had the dv6 Envy A8-4500M model which I tried extensively. However their best deal was a $500 core i5 Envy at $150 cheaper.

Needless to say I was forced to buy Intel again, but I can't regret it much. The computer is blazing fast. However what I really want to emphasize in this review is the excellent build quality. The mostly aluminum case is rigid and the chicklet keys have a fantastic feel. The cooling fan pushes out nothing but cold air and the Beats Speakers are definitely a bump up in laptop speaker output. Trackpad seems like great quality also.

There is one MAJOR drawback ... the screen viewing angles are weak with dark tones, and the resolution is .. by todays standards.. quite BLAH or even BLEH. However with brighter tones (like this web page) the angles are quite good. And it is blindingly bright. Connectivity excellent w Bluetooth and USB 3,0.

Overall, the intel internals are nothing to scoff at. However, there is NO reason not to strongly consider the dv6-7210us which is quite a competent overall system which is capable of a higher windows experience index number with a few small modifications (this PC will be GPU restricted for a lower overall score). So this review is mainly to APPLAUD hp for doing what other PC manufactures haven't done basically ever: make a computer with a good CPU near the top of the line (AMD A8 also) in an excellent form factor with no major bottlenecks in quality anywhere. Ok, the screen isn't amazing, but everything has it's price and as the one factor I can see separating this from a $2200 mac pro, I could care less. I can still give a 5*.

Also, Bravo! to Staples for carrying far better PC's than any other big box retailer I've come across (best buy, walmart and friends, Costco). Almost all of their PCs were desirable and they even had the blazing fast Core i7 Toshiba for $630 all holiday season!

It took a brutal bludgeoning of market share by Mac and tablets, and a massive blow to share price, but on a price to performance AND build quality ratio this machine is something you've been waiting for.

Buy HP Envy dv6-7220us 15.6-Inch Laptop Now

I had an awful experience when I first purchased the computer. It came with corrupted files. There was an icon on it to fix the problem. I made the mistake of following the instructions and wound up buying a service contract to repair the computer. I know Amazon will take back the computer with no questions but by the time I realized that it was too late. I wasted over $250 because of my own stupidity. A couple of days later Amazon reminded me that I had 15 days to send the computer back. I did so and got a replacement. I am generally pleased with the the dv6-722us. I had the same computer with Windows 7. My wife loved it so I gave it to her and bought the new one with Windows 8. To me the Windows 8 operating system is not an improvement. It takes a little getting used to but it is not difficult to learn. Overall this has been a good purchase. If I had not had the terrible experience with the first computer it would been an excellent purchase. Word to the wise, if it doesn't look right to begin with, put it back in the box immediately and send it back.

Read Best Reviews of HP Envy dv6-7220us 15.6-Inch Laptop Here

Have had 2 computers shipped and both had mechanical defects, one of which the mouse button did not work and the other a problem with garbled speakers. Trying one more time...obviously not much quality control going on at hp these days..

Want HP Envy dv6-7220us 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?

Great computer for out family!! Use it daily for social media and work. World highly recommend this computer to everyone.

Save 10% Off

Read More >>

Samsung NP-RV520-A01US 15.6-Inch Laptop

Exactly what I was looking for, and it was very affordable. HDMI and VGA output, 3 USB ports, easily adjustable screen brightness and volume. The full keypad is nice, but I don't use it very much. I mostly stream and watch saved movies, and the hardware and software setup is perfect for that. 4+ hours battery life during casual use, but battery life is variable based on screen brightness. I don't have any complaints about buying the i3 setup instead of the i5 or i7, it's worked flawlessly so far.

the notebook was purchased for my girl friend and she like the notebook. however, i hate it!!! the placement of the built in mic is located on the keyboard. because the mic is located on the keyboard, the internal fan and other internal noise can be heard when you are using skype (or other voip app). i also have a hard time understanding her because she is usually typing or doing something while chatting. because her hands are on the keyboard it covers the mic which make her voice sound droned out and when she is typing it creates additional noise. so if you are planning to use skype or some other equivalent software even a few times, i suggest you avoid this notebook. you might not notice anything but the person on the other end will hate it!

Buy Samsung NP-RV520-A01US 15.6-Inch Laptop Now

when you type on this keyboard the cursor randomly move to other parts of the text. u always have to use backspace

Read Best Reviews of Samsung NP-RV520-A01US 15.6-Inch Laptop Here

This is the first laptop I've owned and I love it. Not to say that there aren't some things I don't like but overall I enjoy using this notebook. So first off...

THE GOOD:

Quick, not too much bloatware, and beautiful vivid picture quality. I mainly use my laptop for going online, checking emails, going on social medias, watching movies, TV shows and clips online, occasional typing and gaming (very casual and very rare gaming), uploading and downloading pictures etc., lots of music downloading and such. I'm able to accomplish these things with satisfaction...which is saying a lot because I have a tendency to be impatient with computers + internet. :)

THE NOT SO GOOD:

The screen is glossy which can pick up glare, but that's pretty much the same with just about any laptop nowadays. The arrow keys...I uploaded a picture about this. The arrow keys are jammed onto the keyboard instead of separated out. It's very easy to click on these keys accidentally. Sometimes MY laptop runs hot (but I tend to run it long hours too). Mostly the left side heats up because that's where the vent is. Easily fixed by getting a cooling fan/pad. Averages about 3.5 hours on a complete charge. That's not bad...but kind of wish it was longer (not that I travel or anything, I could easily keep it plugged up).

SUGGESTION:

If you're a technophile, then no I wouldn't suggest this laptop. For those who want a solid option for a decent price and aren't too nit-picky about every little detail, I would suggest getting it. It may not be able to flawlessly run some MMORPG game, but it'll get the work done and it's a great choice. I don't know about the mic and Skype because I don't use those.

MORE TIPS/SUGGESTIONS(SERIOUSLY THIS IS IT):

Just so you know, Windows Media Player (I think it's version 12 or something) still kind of sucks. You can watch movies on it and do your music thing but sometimes it'll completely mess up the song titles, artist, etc. You may have to manually go in and fix your music. I didn't want anyone blaming the laptop for that.

Also, I'd suggest getting an external hard drive to do backups. You can get a blank DVD disc but it takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R....and a day. And for me it still had problems and wouldn't finish backing up (this is literally doing a backup on the laptop right out of the box with no music, pics or ANYTHING on it). I've read elsewhere that others have this problem with WINDOWS 7 (not the laptop). Amazon may hate me for doing this, but I got a Toshiba 500GB hard drive for $80 at Walmart, which is pretty cheap. It had very good reviews as well. It still takes a while to backup files but not nearly as long as with the disc and very easy to do. Okkkayy, I'm done now.

Want Samsung NP-RV520-A01US 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?

Read More >>

Lenovo ThinkPad T500 2055 - Core 2 Duo P8600

I have owned this laptop for about 2 years. It was a corporate lease from my company. I hated to let it go. I never had any problems with this laptop, and the keyboard was awesome!

The only thing I want to complain about is the USB ports. They used to on two sides of the laptop. Now 3 usb ports are all on the left side and the next to each other. It is not good for using more than one USBs at the same time.

Overall I love this laptop. I wish lenovo did not change the keyboard.

Save 1% Off

Read More >>

Toshiba Black Satellite 15.6" C655D-S5202 Dual Core 2GB RAM 250GB Hard Drive DVDRW Laptop

I purchased this Laptop in August from a major retailer and paid about $275 brand new. Its a good laptop for performing basic websurfing tasks and viewing pictures and videos. Nothing special no bells and whistles and not much to shout about. At a price of $275 this is to be expected...you get what you pay for and I knew this when I bought it. However keep in mind that the RAM, even though it comes stock at 2GB, is upgradeable up to 8GB. And RAM is honestly not that expensive or difficult to upgrade and boosts your memory, speed, and performance for less than $50 if your computer savvy or know a friend who is. You can also upgrade the graphics for less than $100 depending on if you really want a gaming machine or just to view a couple videos and the occasional game now and then. You can also upgrade the processor, but I would recommend a professional repair technician to handle changing out the CPU but upgrading from the stock 1 GHz Dual Core to a triple or quad core 2.5 GHz or greater would be worth it for the power and performance you could get, but thats up to you. Depending on what you are looking for, you can upgrade this laptop for alot less than buying a top notch performance system, and get at least equivelent performance. This is why I purchased this laptop to begin with...I plan on making those upgrades in the near future. Only issue Ive had is the LCD screen got a snowy red haze that showed up against certain colors, and found out that it was the screen itself going bad. But an LCD screen costs about $60 for the part, and I got a high gloss anti-glare finish replacement screen which shows color contrast better and shows up better in high light environments...so im happy and problem solved. Its a good starting point laptop to upgrade or for a kid starting out.

This is my second laptop, but not in a row...I was convinced by the price, the RAM and the memory capacity, I been using it for almost 2 weeks and until now I don't have any problem with this laptop...the only thing is that run very slow with some games, in special for WoW, this is definitely a student laptop or just for internet users.....I still recommend it

Buy Toshiba Black Satellite 15.6" C655D-S5202 Dual Core 2GB RAM 250GB Hard Drive DVDRW Laptop Now

The Toshiba came with some software that I could apply to my network. I am using this laptop only as a media center and it was so easy to incorperate in my network. I recommand anything Toshiba. I have purchased their tv.s before and have never had any issues with their equipment.

Read Best Reviews of Toshiba Black Satellite 15.6" C655D-S5202 Dual Core 2GB RAM 250GB Hard Drive DVDRW Laptop Here

As a reseller, I always look for the best and with great pricing. Would have liked a 500G HDrive but for the money, you can't do any better. Toshiba makes QUALITY computers and this is another example of their committment to the public.

Want Toshiba Black Satellite 15.6" C655D-S5202 Dual Core 2GB RAM 250GB Hard Drive DVDRW Laptop Discount?

I buy this toshiba an trust me I really do love it only problem is window stop coming up sad

Read More >>

Acer Aspire V3-771G-9809 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

I will keep it brief and simple. I was hesitant at first when I got this laptop but I got it at a great deal.

It's huge, so get a big laptop backpack to lug it. Yet it is not heavy. Just long. May not fit in standard 17" business bags.

Features not always mentioned. It has 2 hard drive bays. Comes with a 1 tb drive, but supports sata III Solid state drives at the same time. Pop in a solid state, and you will be extremely happy.

It has 2 GPU's. the HD 4000 and the Nvidia 650m. Do NOT go by benchmark sites. I have done by own benchmarks, and clearly most of the previous that did early reviews, did so without setting the benchmark programs into the NVidia list, so they in fact benchmarked the HD4000 gpu, not the 650m. Most of todays models with this mobile chip have both from various manufactures, the HD4000 is meant to save power consumption, the GT650m for high end gaming.

The screen is clear. THe only gripe is the resolution is not full 1080p (without a tweak) Close however. Some games may not have this res, so you will have to use a tweak, or if you play via HDMI, it will support full higher 1080p out to a HDTV.

Has a lot of Acer soft you may not need, uninstall or disable if that is the case.

I plays Battlefield 3 at highest levels, buttery smooth.

Wifi is sensitive and reliable.

Plays the Final Fantasy XIV ALpha nice an smooth at high settings.

Got mine today.. Just an amazing product from ACER.. Nice alluminium finish.. cool glossy looks (one drawback here is fingerprint & dust can be noticed easily)but a totally bundled package and POWERFUL machine. You get looks and performance both.

1 17.3 inch Screen

2 Intel i7 3632QM Processor

3 Nvidia 650M DDR3 Graphics with Optimus technology (I tested Dishonored, Assassins Creed & CS-Global Offensive the run damn smooth on high details without any lag).. \o/

4 8 GB RAM

5 Windows 8 64 BIT (No gaming issues on windows 8 just perfect)

6 USB 3.0 & Bluetooth 4.0

7 Sound quality is very clean..

8 keypad is awesome (but NO backlit)

No DVD or software disc is included.. but u get microsoft office 30 days trial pack & Mcafee 60 days trial pre installed.. and some of acer applications.

the only reason i give it 4 star and not 5 is coz it dont come with blu-ray rom but instead comes with pioneer DVD/RW and front webcam is just ok kindish, otherwise its classic in its class..

Definately recommended.. ;)

THANKS :)

Buy Acer Aspire V3-771G-9809 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

First I have to tell you that I didn't buy this laptop on Amazon. I would have, had I not found it on a different site during a week long sale on this model. The sale is long over. I did find the reviews on Amazon helpful and wanted to add my own. Having said that, I spent about 2 weeks doing research on laptops because I wanted a desktop replacement that ran specific games reasonably well. Originally I wanted to purchase an Acer V3-571 series but, all other things being equal, a few things changed my mind and made me buy this model. 1) This laptop has an extra hard drive slot that I can use for a 256gb SSD 2) An extra USB 3.0 port 3) Better screen resolution.

Pros:

i7 processor will not become obsolete for a couple of years at least.

That extra slot for an SSD (I haven't got around to installing it yet).

The GT 650m graphics card isn't the top of the line but it is very good (more on this later, see gaming).

The internal fan is very good. It pumps out a ton of heat which means the insides are cool. I have been using it for gaming and haven't felt the top or bottom of the unit become warm let alone hot. Initially I was concerned about this because I read a few reviews about this laptop becoming hot but I'm thinking it could have been a problem with those individual units because mine does not have this problem at all. I bought a nice cooling pad but it's just sitting in it's box.

The price. Even at the non sale price I'm looking at now this thing is a bargain for the performance you're getting. Yes it has a few things that I would like to be different but I'm not willing to spend $2,000 for perfection.

Cons:

OK first thing, I read reviews about the short battery life. People claimed sub 2 hours. They must have been talking about writing documents or sending email because if you are gaming off the battery you're looking at 45 minutes on a full charge.

Not the fastest hard drive but if you plan on upgrading to SSD and using the 1TB hard drive for songs or videos it won't matter.

Big. But you already know that. This thing really should be used as a portable desktop. Be sure to bring the power supply with you.

I read reviews about the glossy finish on the unit... Holy fingerprints Batman! I knew it was going to be bad but I wasn't prepared for the reality lol. Have a chamois handy, you'll need it.

Gaming:

I think many of you, like me, want to do some gaming. Here is my experience.

World of Warcraft on ultra settings 40-60 FPS, this will drop in raids. High settings 80+ FPS and no problem handling raids.

Guild Wars 2 high settings 40-60 FPS. If you do PvP with a ton of people around you it will have to be set to mostly med with a few high settings. Then expect 30-60 FPS depending on how cluttered the screen is.

Planetside 2 Absolutely smooth on high settings. I did get some stutters in heavy action but I had other programs running in the background.

Hope that gives you guys some ideas for gaming performance. Make sure to set the GT 650m card as the default for your games because the HD4000 in the machine will run them but not nearly as well.

Bottom Line: For what I paid for this thing I am extremely happy and I think you will be too.

Read Best Reviews of Acer Aspire V3-771G-9809 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Here

I read all of the reviews specifically on this laptop on Amazon and Newegg and both places had people having problems with the wifi connection dropping randomly. I called Acer support for help, and while the man I talked to was hard to understand, he helped me update my wireless lan drivers through the website. It was so simple! I don't know why people are hating on this laptop so much when the issue could be resolved so easily.

I can see why some people don't like Windows 8. Most of the apps don't make sense because of the lack of a touch screen on this laptop. Other than the fact that the start button is missing, the user interface is nice. I realize that I hardly used the start button anyway. You can still get to the command and search functions by pressing windows button + X. It's not that hard to get used to!

Pros:

I love that the keyboard keys all have a little bit of space in between them, the arrow keys are independent of the shift button (I've had a laptop that had the shift button right next to the up arrow button on another laptop and it was terrible, this laptop however, does not have this problem), and that there is a number keypad. The speakers are located above the keyboard and the sound quality is wonderful. The battery life is excellent. I've played 2 long games of League of Legends before having to plug it back in. That's about 2 hours of gaming, which exceeded my expectations. I also play Diablo III and various Steam games on this laptop and it runs everything with ease.

Cons:

Sometimes when I pick up the laptop, I accidentally open the CD drive because the eject button is sort of on the underside of the opening. The caps lock button has no light indicator.

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. This is a high quality laptop for an affordable price. I'm glad I gave it a chance despite of what I knew about the wifi problems.

Want Acer Aspire V3-771G-9809 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?

This is a great laptop with very good performance for the price. I use it more as a portable desktop, so I won't comment on battery life as I usually have it plugged in. The only reason I won't give it 5 stars is the Windows 8 operating system is horrible on a device like this. I could understand its usefulness if there was a touch screen, but still I'm not a fan of Windows 8. I attempted to call Acer to see if I could downgrade to Windows 7, but they told me that it was not supported. I also called Microsoft to see if they would allow the downgrade, but they too denied me. I ended up moving a previous Windows 7 license to this machine and have had no problems (though Acer warned me that it may violate my warranty).

Save 5% Off

Read More >>

Edge E520 15.6" 500GB 4GB

I bought this business laptop for my personal use two weeks ago. I'm so impressed with its performance. Typing is really fun on this laptop! It takes a bit of time to get used to the keyboard as my older keyboards are quite different than Lenovo's.

The red pointer in the middle of the keyboard is extremely helpful! I don't think I will ever use the regular mouse-pad.

This laptop comes with a Intel i5 processor, 500 GB of hard disk and 4 GB of Memory; perfect specifications for my daily use.

What I really liked about this laptop also is how quiet it is! You hear no noise at all. The fan seems totally mute! The laptop does not get hot at all even after many many hours of usage!

Lenovo is surely a great company who knows how to manufacture laptops that will last for long times. Their ThinkPad line of laptops in my opinion is the best.

If you are looking to buy a laptop with a decent price, I recommend this one.

This is the one! I spent a lot of time researching a replacement for my 4 year old 17" Toshiba Satellite. I was impressed with a colleague's ThinkPad that I used a couple weeks ago and decided to look for a Lenovo rather than what would have been my third Toshiba. What made this particular E520 stand out was its Intel Core i5 processor and low price. There are many E520s with the Core i3 processor and also many E525s with AMD's Fusion processor for slightly lower prices, but they are both entry level entry level processors. I probably don't need the extra processing capability of the i5 but it is nice to know that it is there and I always try to buy things that are slightly better than middle of the road.

The 4GB of RAM is plenty, but a 4GB upgrade was only about $20.00, so I went ahead and ordered to max out the system. Windows 7 Professional, Bluetooth, and the fingerprint reader are nice extras that you won't likely elsewhere for the sub-$600 price tag.

Amazon Marketplace's partner Abe's of Maine exceeded my expectations by promptly shipping my order, I received it one day ahead of Amazon's earliest delivery estimate.

Buy Edge E520 15.6" 500GB 4GB Now

Being a self-taught techie I have used, abused and destroyed many top shelf quality products. I currently work in very unforgiving and hostile environments, with heat, dirt, dust, moisture and more mosquitos than I know what to do with. Over the years I have had the top of the line laptops such as Asus Pro, HP Elitebook, Panasonic Toughbook and the infamous Getac. All were great laptops, most were milspec but eventually they all had issues. Cheap parts would break prematurely, Hard Drives burn out, optical drives quit working. Last year I wound up down range with my Panisonic tough book and started having major issues. On my next trip through the states I ordered a Lenovo W520. This was a lot heavier than expected with the 120w charger and large long lasting battery pack, but a year later is near indestructible. It has been to the mountains in the cold, deserts in summer and on planes, trains and automobiles. The most taxing of which are the family road tirps where the kids in the back seat are using it for a movie player. When my wife needed a new laptop I didn't hesitate and shop around trying to get the best deal I could, I when straight for Lenovo again. This time I settled on the less rugged E520 series. Amazingly I stumbled upon the best price I could and bought hers for aroud $550 from Amazon. The seller had it shipped and delivered in 56hrs and my wife was back on line and skyping with me by the end of the week. This machine is not the best on the market but for the price it is a very good value. Thus far it has survived a toddler juice incident that her old HP or Ideabook would have taken like Fukushima meltdown. My personal W520 has drains in the keyboard for these, the E520 does not but has some technology that helps in these situations.

Though Lenovo is not the best on the market I feel they are one of the top line manufactures. If you are looking for a very well built machine that is tough and can take abuse look no further.

Read Best Reviews of Edge E520 15.6" 500GB 4GB Here

Laptop is okay for it's price. But I want to write about the warranty lenovo provides.

After 10 months of use, mouse pad started behaving differently. So I created case with Lenovo as my Laptop was still covered under warranty. My case was pending with billing department for review (Though I never got the call for this). When I called them up after 8 days, they said that they found substance inside the laptop; hence it's not covered under warranty. And biggest joke that repair cost will be 900 dollars.

My first reaction was that I got it for 500 dollars and they want me to pay 900 dollars for repair. What on earth this makes sense !!

I had also sent the new keypad in the box and requested them to replace my old keypad with new one as some of the keys had come out. That also they were not ready to do. ALL or NOTHING.

Okay.. Then I requested, do not repait my laptop; Just swap the keypad. BUT NO. They Cannot. ALL or NOTHING.

Pissed off and asked them to send my laptop back unrepaired.

DO NOT Suggest LENOVO to anyone for it's sheer unwillingness to help Customers !!

Never experienced such bad support in my life yet .....

Want Edge E520 15.6" 500GB 4GB Discount?

Lenovo Thinkpad E520 that were manufactured in the last quarter of 2011 have a faulty EEPROM chip. This means eventually the laptop won't start up. Lenovo has recognized there is a problem, but will not replace the faulty chip if the laptop is out of warranty. My E520 was two months out of warranty when it quit working. Lenovo informed me I will have to pay them to replace the chip that was faulty in the first place. Beware!!

Read More >>

MSI Computer Corp. GT60 0NE-403US;9S7-16F311-403 15.6-Inch Laptop

GT60-ONE

Just a little backround, I build my own computers and also do so for my friends and family, probably about 20 or so over the years. I am not a professional, nor do i claim to be any type of expert, however i do have a decent amount of insight and knowledge in modern PCs. I also do a lot of research on the components i buy.

First let me start with the Cons, so you know upfront what you are dealing with.

This laptop is quite large and heavy for a 15/16 inch laptop, which is to be expected for a gaming laptop. The laptop is about the size of most normal 17" laptops. It is about 15 3/8"W x 10 7/16"D x 1 9/16 in the front to 2 1/8"H -this includes the feet in the rear. Whether you deem this "portable" is based on personal preference and uses. For me, being basically a portable Desktop that i can take to other locations, it is definetly portable and i dont mind carrying this around. (I have a tablet and a phone to use for light web surfing/social/media applications/checking scores etc)

The power brick is also quite large but yet a little slim at 6 3/4"x 3 1/4" x 1 9/16". You should basically expect to use most 17" laptop bags/carrying cases/backpacks.

Turbo Fan setting is loud, I would liken it to tower style fan (home fan, not desktop tower) on high setting loud. However while the noise level gets up there, it isnt irratating loud and has very little whine to it IMO. Seems like a great feature to use while alone and using headphones as the cooling boost is nice. Of course this can be turned on/off very easily

Windows 8.... still havn't found a reason to like it, it feels a bit more clunky to use than Windows 7. I am debating installing windows 7 back onto this computer.

No SSD, for the price it is debatable whether this is a negative, I installed my own SSD on the side so i can have a boot 250GB ssd and use the 750GB as a disk drive. Performance does suffer compared to any SSD laptop, so for the price i would definetly recommend an SSD.

There is shiny plastic around the screen, which sometimes can be annoying if it gets hit with the right light angle.

So with all of that said, here is what you get.

For basically $1900 -$2000 w/Mail in rebate (price of SSD included) you get:

GTX680M probably the reason most of you are looking at this laptop, It is also the 4GB version. This thing performs. Dont expect 680 Desktop performance, but for something you can carry around, you play most games at Ultra, or high and get great FPS. My 3Dmark 11 (No Overclocking) scores are about 6200 or 3000 or so less compared to my Ivy I7 GTX670 4GBVRAM Desktop. Keep in mind my desktop graphics car alone is probably 1/3 the size of this entire computer!

Optimus I get between 2 1/2 Hours to 3 1/2 hours off the plug depending what am doing. Keep in mind though that performance is throttled down when off the plug, so dont expect full performance off the plug. To me this is exceptional for a gaming laptop with desktop performance.

I7 3630QM slight upgrade from standard I7 Ivy QM, probably not much difference, but nice upgrade.

12GB Ram dont need to put extra ram in which saves some $.

15.6" 1080P Matte HD screen This screen is really really nice. Comapred to my desktop screens which are samsung LED's of last year, the screen on my laptop is noticibly better. It is bright, and clear, and most importantly has no glare (switching from an Alienware this is a huge difference). It is not one of those 95% NTSC High Gamut screens, however it also does not need color calibration programs which can be tricky to operate in some games and look off without proper calibration software, and also all of these screens cost extra on top if you buy Clevo Chassis Laptops.

Steel Series Keyboard this is one of those preferences, but i like the keyboard, it has a nice feel to it, and the backlight and customization are nice. Keys aren't quite full mechanical, but also not close to mushy like a lot of other laptops, a little firmer than my alienware which i liked for gaming. The keys have to me a 3/4 satisfying click of a mechanical keyboard id say, which is pretty darn good for a laptop keyboard.

Blu-Ray Burner! Pretty awesome to have a blu-ray burner not that i would burn any movies or anything. I think all nice laptops these days should come standard with atleast a blu-ray player. It is definetly a plus to be able to watch blu-rays on this nice of screen on the road without having to carry an extra drive. Also Blu-ray Disk rewrittables anyone?

Dynaudio Speakers I can say that these are without a doubt the best speakers I have personally heard on a laptop. The sound quality is really impressive for laptop speakers. The sub isnt that powerful, but the overall sound quality is really exceptional. I'm not an audiophile, but I have a decently trained ear. A lot of people try and compare these to their 5.1 or 7.1 home speakers saying how its not that good, but there is no comparison IMO because i am not going to carry a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system or even a 2.1 speaker system around with me ever.

Killer 1202 Fast Dual band 2xMIMO wifi card, and also has bluetooth. Very impressed with the speed of the Killer Wifi cards overall.

750GB 7200RPM HD + (should add) SSD IMO this isnt too bad a deal. just add in your own ssd and use the 750gb as a disk drive since it is atleast 7200 rpm.

Has a nice combination of ports, no DVI, but it has HDMI, displayport, and VGA, USB2/3, esata ports. Also I like that the Ethernet port is on the back, I didnt like that my Alienware had the Ethernet on the side.

Cooling works well, laptop stays cool even during gaming. I havn't run any prime test because this thing performs perfectly for what I wanted to do out of the box minus the SSD and probably windows 8.

Build Quality Brushed Aluminum Wrist area and back cover, lots of plastic everywhere else. Doesnt bother me other than fingerprints, however I have not met too many laptops that are not fingerprint magnets! Overall Build Quality is good, not macbook level, but until macbooks can fit a 680M and/or even come close to the price with that card, I think this is your best bet if you want a GTX680M Gaming Laptop.

So In Summary,

Here were my guidlines

Must have:

Intel I7 Ivy Bridge

GTX680M-4GB or AMD 7970M (680M prefered due to speed and optimus if included)

1080P Screen nice looking hopefully:)

Killer 1202

Like design (Obviously preference)

Let me start out by saying I wanted the Asus G75 or G55. I like the design, and i actually buy Asus over MSI unless price is more of a concern.

Here is too me what is wrong with each of the computers and why I did not buy them.

Asus G55/G75 Weak Video cards, great design, but 660m-675M just doesnt cut it for me, especially for the same or more $.

Alienware IMO comparable to Apple Build quality. All these people who rag on alienware, they probably are just haters or just repeating things they heard. They are actually not overpriced anymore, and have the best warrenty/service and build quality of the gaming manufactuers IMO. But their prices are still too high for certain configurations and they do overcharge for add ons. Their best deal was for a 7970M, however while the 7970M is comparible, the Enduro issues and the fact you have to add on the 1080P screen just made this laptop too expensive for the configuration (considering how well priced the GT60ONE is). Oh and they charge Tax which adds on.

IbuyPower Best hardware for price, build quality and brand is questionable still. Very intriguing, however Not looking to burn 2K on a brand i dont really knowthey used to be mostly a pc building operation.

Samsung Nice build premium price, 675MX which is about 30 percent slower than the 680M.

Clevo Brands more expensive for same build, custom build time. I was set to get a sager or mythlogic, however the better speakers, better 720P webcam, better keyboard, mic not being on the keyboard all drove me to the MSI. Basically for what i paid overall, I am spending $200-$300 less for the MSI that has better speakers, about the same build quality, a better keyboard, better warrenty, 2HDD bays instead of 1, and I can buy it from Amazon!

Overall I am very pleased, It is a Great computer. Still trying to get used to windows 8. What really set this over the top for me is the speakers. I watch a lot of movies/netflix when I am on trips along with gaming. These speakers do not disappoint. Oh an Very little bloatware!

I own the MSI GX660R so I have enjoyed that enough to purchase another MSI Gaming Laptop.

Build Quality and Stuff:

I recently purchased this computer from another reseller and so far I have had zero complaints. I own the 15.6" variant so I could fit it into most laptop bags. The build quality is very good. It feels solid throughout. The body is mostly brushed black aluminum and the keyboard feels very sturdy,(more than the GX660R, mostly plastic body). It has a Steel Series brand keyboard which is an attempt to make it like a mechanical keyboard for laptops. They did a good job too because typing on this computer is a joy for me. The GX660R would flex a bit, but not this keyboard. It also lights up just like you see in the picture. It is fully customizable in color so you can make it what you want. It can light up in different modes as well. The sound system on this computer is the best I have ever heard for a laptop. Its not some low budget sound system I hear in most other machines. My build uses the stock screen and I must say that screen is amazing. The clarity is just brilliant. I wanted to get the 95% color gamut but couldn't justify it as I would mostly be using an external monitor (ASUS VE278Q). The laptop screen blows the doors off my external monitor though. The touchpad is nice as well. Although I rarely use it, it gets the job done. Built-in webcam is clear. Hinges on this computer feel solid. I have had zero issues with my previous MSI so I only expect improvement from here on out.

Performance:

This machine is currently able to run every game I have thrown at it. That isn't saying much in my opinion. What matters is that I can run mostly every game at the highest graphical settings in the native resolution of 1920 x 1080. Now that is saying something. The frame rates on this computer are sometimes choppy though depending on the game. Maybe I can get some feedback from someone who has encountered this problem and resolved it. I am currently playing Borderlands 2 and I get mostly 50fps but there are some instances where the frames drop to close to 16. I believe this to be a driver issue and here is why(Nvidia 310.90 Driver at the time of writing). If I stand still in that spot of low frames, the frames slowly ramp back up to the 50ish range (waiting 5 seconds or so). As I move around after the frames rise, they stay high and don't drop again until I arrive somewhere else completely new. Its like the video card doesn't know I need that power now, not in 5 seconds. I also am experimenting with the Nvidia Optimizer in hopes that this issue would be resolved, but no luck yet. I also signed up for the GeForce Experience but this appears to be in closed beta and I have not gotten an invite yet. I have also been playing WoW MoP, Saints Row 3, and BF3. All of these games pretty much run flawlessly and stay around 40-60fps.

I almost didn't buy this computer because I wanted to wait for the Haswell chip sets that I heard are coming out next but I think they were backed up to 2014 or something? Either way this machine makes me happy. I use it for everything, work and play. No regrets after 3 weeks of ownership. This machine is awesome.

My system is customized. It has all stock parts except:

I only have 1 hard drive, Samsung 840 SSD 500gb (updated firmware)

16GB DDR3 1600 MHz SDRAM, 4 x 4GB SODIMM

IC Diamond Thermal Paste on cpu and gpu

BIOS Ver. E16F3IMS.50U

Bluray Reader in place or writer

3DMark 11 Score P6071 Video Benchmark

Buy MSI Computer Corp. GT60 0NE-403US;9S7-16F311-403 15.6-Inch Laptop Now

I've had this laptop for just over a week. I installed an SSD in the second drive bay and had a pretty annoying experience completing a clean install my Windows 8 Pro license, but that is not MSI's fault in any way. I ended up having to install Windows 7 and then "upgrade" to Windows 8 in order to get my install to work.

Now for the good:

This thing performs as expected based on other reviews and the hardware included. It handles everything I've thrown at it thus far with ease (Total War: Shogun 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Borderlands 2) on high/max settings. It gets a bit warm in the upper left hand area of the keyboard under heavy load, but not disturbingly so. The speakers are very nice for a laptop. The potential volume output is great. The multi-touch pad is acceptable but nothing special (as in don't expect Apple touch pad like response, but you can 2 finger scroll and swipe in from the sides).

The not so good:

The build quality appears to be pretty bad. My unit has a few apparent problems. The plastic panel to the left of the power button pops out and will not stay in place. The backspace key is finicky and has to be hit just right to consistently respond. The keyboard itself doesn't seem to be fitted properly. There is a noticeable bulge/warp to it around the o/p/bracket keys. I'm probably going to need to make a warranty claim on it, but I'm concerned they will deny it because I "tampered" with the laptop by installing the SSD. I'll update on that later, if there is anything to report.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the performance of this thing, but am disappointed with the build quality. When I spend this kind of money on a laptop, I want to feel completely satisfied with my purchase. In this case, that cannot truthfully be said. If MSI stands behind the product and gets these issues taken care of, I will be a very content/happy customer!

Read Best Reviews of MSI Computer Corp. GT60 0NE-403US;9S7-16F311-403 15.6-Inch Laptop Here

I agree with many of the reviews you'll find here. Its hard to find a more loaded laptop at this price. I looked at alternatives and this was the best value for the money.

I'd give this laptop a 5 except for MSI's customer service. After having the laptop for 2 months, the hard drive is failing. I reconfigured my system to boot Windows 7 from a SSD and I use the 750 gig that came with the laptop for data. I couldn't save any files, got errors from Windows 7, the chkdsk program loaded on startup, and the drive failed the smart test. I called MSI and they wanted me to first rule out a software problem by reinstalling Windows 8 on the hard drive. They wouldn't just send me a new drive to swap out. They wanted me to send the laptop to them so they could do the work.

That's crazy. My laptop is confugured how I like it. It actually ended up being less trouble to buy a new hard drive for $72 then reinstall operating systems and send in my computer to them so they can realize that the problem is the hard drive and install a new one. Not very customer oriented.

Want MSI Computer Corp. GT60 0NE-403US;9S7-16F311-403 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?

Don't think you'll be able to find a computer packing this much power for the price. If you're a gamer, you'll love it. It can be a little on the heavy side and the AC adapter is a brick but I'm satisfied with the purchase. I wish that it had a volume control on the side instead of having to use the function keys. Speaking of the keyboard, it is very tactile and the color changes are awesome.

Save 5% Off

Read More >>