Dell Latitude E4300 Intel Core 2 Duo 2400 MHz 160Gig Serial ATA HDD 4096mb DDR2 DVD/CDRW Wireless W
HP Pavilion dv5-2134us AMD Dual Core 2.2 4gb 500gb DVDRW Webcam WiFi
The mouse buttons are incorporated into the mouse pad. this takes a while to get used to, but I eventually got it. My most frustrating problem is that I'll point to something with the mouse, and when I click, the arrow suddenly appears somewhere else on the screen and will click on other things. I'm just hanging on to it until I finish school. I'm broke and it gets the job done.Picked this Laptop for a College. As soon as i got it from the UPS guy an opened it I noticed that the touchpad was off of the laptop its self. NOT cool. I'll most likely be returning this for a refund.
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This thing is hot, and not in a good way. Even performing simple tasks, this thing gets burning hot. Its a laptop, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near my lap. As I write this review, I have one google chrome window open, with the CPU under a 5% load, and its hitting 160 Degrees F. And that temperature would soar after running a game, or multiple applications. And the battery life suffers terribly. I will literally only get about an hour of battery life out of it before it shuts off. I was really hoping to use this in college, but it would die on me before I get through a single class. Not too long ago, HP batteries were recalled because of these very problems, yet this one was somehow not included in that recall.As for its components, the video card is weak, so its definitely not for gamers, since you can't upgrade it either. I can run DayZ (Arma 2) on very low settings, and that's about the best it'll do. It can't render HD videos off the internet very fast either. The sound is great though, i've used music studio software on it (FL Studio) with no problems. The processor is decent, and I can run multiple applications (music software, itunes, internet explorer, anti-virus, etc) with no hiccups.
I've had it for about two years now, and its always felt solidly constructed, but this week one of the clips covering the hinge connecting the screen to the laptop decided to just fall off. That, combined with the insane overheating issue prompted me to write this review warning anyone else from getting this laptop.
Its really only good for basic to moderate tasks, and even then you'll want to keep it on a nice flat hard surface so that it doesn't get too hot. So don't expect to use it as an actual laptop much. Definitely no watching movies on the car or plane. I keep mine on my desk with a cooling fan, using an external monitor. And it still gets way too hot...I should note that its never actually shut down due to overheating, but that may just be a bug, because i've become a little too familiar with the smell of burning laptop.
Would I buy this again? No.
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Compaq Presario CQ60-410US 15.6-Inch Laptop
Let's take a quick look at the specs:
CPU The 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 is based off the same basic core as the Core2 Duo, except there is just one core and some features are not enabled (such as "SpeedStep" which is a power saving feature that slows your clock speed down when you unplug). The Celeron sits just below the "Pentium" line in terms of performance in most but not all instances. The dual-core Pentium typically has two slower cores so anytime you multi-task your real world experience is better (i.e. your web browser doesn't slow down when the anti-virus scan kicks in), however if you are just doing one thing (like playing a game) the higher clock speed of the 2.2GHz Celeron 900 will help. Because it doesn't have SpeedStep it will drain your battery faster when not plugged in. Home users who will have it plugged in most of the time probably won't care about this. I should note it is much more powerful than the "Atom" processor found in smaller netbooks (easily twice the performance) but much more power hungry.
Display This 15.6" display has the same resolution as more expensive notebooks (1366x768) but it's not quite as bright. Unless you need to use it outdoors the difference isn't a big deal. It's a good display for this price.
RAM 2GB is enough for light home use. Don't expect to do heavy gaming but light gaming will be fine.
HDD 160GB seems small now days but most home users use less 50GB. As long as you are not a heavy gamer or expect to edit a lot of video this is plenty.
Graphics The Intel 4500M graphics CPU is the newest from Intel and is a big improvement over their previous graphics parts. This is the same graphics chip you will find in most $1000 notebooks. Once again it's not for the heavy gamer but it perfect for most home users and better than most entry level notebooks.
Wireless This supports the most common standards "B" and "G" but doesn't support the newest "N". You can still connect to "N" wireless networks but you will run at the slower "G" speed. Most users won't notice the difference.
Battery The six cell Lithium Ion is a decent battery for this price (and the same battery you find in more expensive notebooks). You will get about 2 hours of battery life 3 if you turn off the wireless. This is much better than the 4 cell that is still offered in some entry level notebooks.
Build quality As mentioned earlier in order to hit a low price point the material quality is lower than more expensive notebooks. The hinges on these low cost notebooks are notorious failure points. Don't pick this up by the screen or your notebook will break within a year or two. However Compaqs overall are well designed and are generally better entry level computers than Gateways or Dells.
So if you are planning on using this mostly around the house and expect you will be plugged in most of the time this laptop will do everything you need and won't break the bank. As long as you aren't too rough with it you shouldn't have any problems. If your twin thirteen year old boys are going to use it, you might be in trouble. If you need to multitask (or just hate it when your computer slows down for a virus scan) look for a dual core CPU notebook.I found this laptop on sale at Office Depot on 15 August 2009 with a base price of $ minus $ instant rebate minus $ by mail. Final price of $ is a pretty good deal for this machine. This is my first Compaq/HP laptop, so I can't speak to longevity but after a week so far, so good. A couple of observations:
* Like most laptops (at least on the budget end) there is a fair amount of bloatware that should be removed for best performance and to free disk space.
* This is my first laptop that features a numeric keypad, very convenient!
* I haven't used the LiteScribe drive, but was surprised to find it on this value priced machine.
Performance is as expected with 2gb of RAM and a 2.2 ghz processor. Very adequate for web, MS Office and typical functions. Runs EVE Online satisfactorily.
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I purchased this laptop for my parents who use it for online bill pay, surfing the web, Facebook and the like. We got a great price here at Amazon.com and couldn't be happier with the laptop. I purchased based on cost and was a little nervous based on the mixed reviews, but the laptop has exceeded my expectations. I especially like the extended keyboard with full numeric key pad -a nice feature that I have not seen on any other laptop.This is not a top-of-the line tricked out computer, but if you're looking for an internet surfing/bill pay device you should be very pleased.
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I bought this laptop because it was cheap($350) and I figured the quality would be decent because it was an HP/Compaq. My poor rating is based on several factors 1. The initial quality of the laptop, and 2. Dealing with HP's tech support. Within the 1st 6 months of owning this pc, I began having problems with my power adaptor. The cable wasn't fitting snugly into the side port, so the battery wasn't charging. I called HP and they gave me instructions on sending the laptop to their repair facility. They informed me that the process would take more than a week, so I wasn't too happy about that, but it had to be done. I sent off the laptop, they "fixed" it and sent it back.Upon powering up my laptop, I quickly realized that they did not fix the problem. I still had the same issue, and they must have either not fixed it and sent it back, or did not test their repair. So, I called again, went through the same process and sent it back. On the 2nd attempt, the issue was "fixed", but I am still having intermittent problems. HP had my laptop for almost 3 weeks, and I am still not happy with their results. I use this computer for work and can no longer afford to keep sending it off and waiting for 7-10 for them to try and fix the issue.
I called a friend who works for HP and she told me that the "Compaq" label is used on cheap computers that are usually sold to Asian markets. The only thing I was happy with regarding this laptop is the price, but in retrospect, I would have rather paid a little more and bought a different brand. I will never buy anything from HP again!As everyone else says, it was a good price, I bought this laptop from Office Depot online, they only give you 14 days to return it, and after 18 days of light use..BAM!! the hard drive went!!! I called HP and they were a great help, very good, fast and friendly service , the next day I received a new hard drive in the mail and a set of new recovery cd's. They sent me instructions on how to install it myself and it was very easy. The wireless conection is very fast. I am happy with it (considering...)
Lenovo ThinkPad X130e 06222GU 11.6" LED Notebook - AMD E-450 1.65GHz - Matte Black
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HP Pavilion dv6-3010us 15.6-Inch Laptop
Wow, now that I've owned it for a while, I am impressed. This unit is light for a 15.6" lappie and runs cool, I get almost 4 hours on the std battery (6+ hrs on a recently purchased 9 cell!) and it is fast and easy to use. It took a while to get used to the keyboard (HP trying to emulate Apple here...island style with no num pad) and the touchpad is challenging, at least to start (again, the Apple emulation thing....): however, I love how easy it is to turn off the touchpad and, with the built-in bluetooth...something you don't find all of the time in these lappies...it is easy to just add a bluetooth mouse, and away you go. Internet connection is great, with the unit smacking my Dell netbook upside down from any spot in our home....
Typically, HP has their bloatware installed, but that can be easily fixed. As others have reported, the USB ports are a little tight; however, I've had no issues with them at all. I love the new 'champagne' color as it shows no fingerprints at all compared to their previous units. I would have preferred the AC connection to be on the back instead of the right side; however, I can work around this. The speakers sound great for a low-end lappie...might've liked a little more volume on the top end but: what the heck....
The screen is bright and resolution/picture quality is excellent for a low-end lappie. Built-in webcam is OK, however, I would have preferred a higher resolution; however, the built-in bluetooth more than makes up for this as I use the bluetooth more. The AMD dual core proc with premium ATI graphics is a workhorse and does it's job well. A high-end gamer machine? Nope...what do you expect for this price?
Not sure about those who rate this poorly. They must've gotten a bad unit 'cause I'm quite pleased, especially for the price.
Recommended, especially if you can get the price down like I did.Let me start by saying that I have had this computer for about 8 months and that I only paid 450 for it new. That was the reason I bought it, other than I have an old HP laptop that is still kicking (longer than my moms, wifes, and brothers Dell). So I suppose I am partial to HP's. The reason I am writing this review is because in hindsight I wish I would have spent more and got either a better overall computer or at least one without this AMD processor.
The Good:
-Screen is nice bright and crisp
-Lots of ram and features for the money
-Keyboard is pretty good but does feel a little flimsy(has not broke yet so it must be ok)
-Solid hinges: have not loosened over time
-Windows7 Is a huge upgrade from my old HP that still had xp
The bad:
-Battery only lasts about 2 hours unplugged(sometimes less)..on the good side, the charge still holds the same as new
-Cooling fan: Gets ridiculously loud(always has)...it sounds like its going to get up and fly off the desk. I know its to cool the processor but should it really get that hot? ...maybe that is why the battery life is pretty short
-Start up time: I know it is not an Apple but why can you start them in literally 2 seconds and be on the internet and this takes 2 minutes(come on Microsoft).
The Really Bad:
-Touch Pad: Absolute garbage. It does things if you are typing and your fingers are merely close to it...It is so obnoxious when typing because it will all of a sudden move your cursor to some random spot in your paper so now you are typing into the middle of your paper, and have to erase and then go back. IT DOES THIS ALL THE TIME. If I had known about this, I would have not bought this PC.
On a good note, you can disable the touchpad. I bought a wireless mouse to overcome this and it is now fine. (Microsoft 4000:first battery lasted 5 months and I never even turned it off!)
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So I looked at the negative reviews and I must disagree. I work on several computers every day and you must adjust to each keyboard so to blame the "extra keys on the left" for mistakes are user error. My system has been flawless so far, had it since October 10. I have done 2 bios updates and as long as you don't screw with it when updating they work just fine. Now to the track pad yes it is a little sanative but with use you can master it. I almost always use an usb mouse with this system and that solves it all.All in all a nice system for a decent price have recommended it to several people who are satisfied with theirs too!
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i have had it for a month with no issues. i it has no problems. who knows what it may devlop in the future, but as far as laptops go it works great and is fast.No hardware issues no software issues. I read some of the bad reviews, if they are true well i thinks theirs a case of bad luck. But my machine works the way it should, fast and has not let me down with any issuesWant HP Pavilion dv6-3010us 15.6-Inch Laptop Discount?
I have had this computer for a few years now and I am about ready to throw it at a wall!!!!It has overheating problems like crazy because the "brilliant" engineers at HP put the heatsync for the cpu right in front of the fan so it collects dust there and causes the laptop to get very hot and overheat! By hot I mean singing to the skin! It is so hot that an dual-fan cooling mat won't even keep it from overheating!
The overheating has also greatly affected the battery life limiting it to 5 minutes! It is practically a desktop!
The trackpad is also very annoying and I greatly prefer to use a wireless mouse.
Another downside is that if you do a fresh install of say Windows Ultimate, nothing works! NOTHING! You have to somehow get all of the drivers from HP's website and install them on your laptop!
Then we come to the processor itself! An AMD Turion II processor... I do not have a clue what I was thinking buying this! It can't do half of what I'd like it to! I have now grown to distrust and hate most of all HP products!
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Acer Aspire AS5750-6414 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
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Computer is fairly fast and not too much extra bloatware.Overall construction is middle of the road to inexpensive. I am comparing this to a work laptop, Dell precision which is 3x the cost, so some of this is to be expected.
The case has a bit of flex to it. Keys have taken some getting use to, I would suggest reviewing it in person before purchasing.
Overall, fits my needs as a low cost family PC. Low level Office items, e-mail, some kid games,etc...
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This computer is an awesome computer. It took some time getting use to the location of the power button because it is easy to bump while moving it around. So far I have had great luck with it, I use it for school and all my personal information.Want Acer Aspire AS5750-6414 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?
EXCELENTE PRODUCTO VOLVERIA A COMPRAR UNA ACER INSPIRE ES DE LAS MEJORSE ES IMPRESCINDIBLE LA CALIDA DEL PRODUCTO GRACIAS GRACIASHP ProBook 4720s XT949UT Notebook PC (Intel Core i7-620M 2.66GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 17.3
So, that's my short version of this laptop. O, also like the finish on the outside over the slick black of my older 4510s that shows every fingerprint.
PS>i bought an open box one and was worried a bit but see no issues with it.
HP Pavilion Chromebook 14-c010us 14-Inch Laptop (Black)
As for the computer itself...
In relation to a Unibody mac, there is no comparison. The HP Chromebook feels cheaper. The keyboard isn't as comfortable, nor is it backlit. The trackpad can be a little jittery, and the buttons just don't have the same solid feel. But, and here is a huge but, at $330, there just isn't any way it could compare to a $1500 computer. Looking at it for what it is, it feels pretty OK. The screen is bright and clear, and the 14" size is just a whole lot better than 11". For what it is, everything seems to be made pretty well. It feels solid for plastic (no squishy feeling where you rest your hands while typing). And, even though it is heavy for a Chromebook, it is still really light. Most importantly it is fast. Really fast. It boots almost instantly. I think it takes longer for me to type my password than it does for the operating system to go from off to ready to go.
As I try more things, I will update this review. As a first impression, I would call myself impressed.
*edit 1:
So, my first computer was a lemon. As it turned out, it would not charge when the power was off. I have not heard of anyone else having this problem, so I don't think it is a general issue...and I can see why QC would not have caught it. The only reason I am adding anything here is because I had a terrible experience with HP's technical support. The main problem is that they are just not set up to handle Chrome OS. Eventually I got to a point where I realized they were trying to use windows troubleshooting steps on my chrome machine (figured that out when they kept asking me to go to "control panel" or use "run")...so I took it back to the store where I bought it and exchanged the defective computer for a new one, which works great.
But, moving on from that, I have to say that the trauma of this whole situation was not really that traumatic at all. If it had been a windows machine or even a mac, I would be cursing the day's worth of work that was left for me to get back up and running. Instead, I powerwashed my computer (chrome's way of saying erased all the user data) before returning it, and when I got the new one, I put in my email info and it was back right where I left off. No reinstalling this and that or recovering via time-machine. It only took me about twenty seconds longer than a standard startup. Needless to say, that made me very happy.
On another note, I have done the optional ram upgrade that caused me to choose this machine over the samsung, and here is a warning. Even if you are a computer DIYer, don't try this one. I consider myself pretty handy, having built a few desktop computers and even a laptop, but I was not able to do the ram upgrade. You need the proper tools to get the HP case apart and the ram is located all the way at the bottom so you literally have to take the whole computer apart to get to the extra ram slot. Leave it to the pros. or let the 2 gigs suffice, it probably wasn't really necessary to do the upgrade anyway. I really wish they would offer a 4 gig pre-installed option...
*edit 2
So this edit is more about chrome OS than it is about the computer itself, which has been working flawlessly. I have run into a few more issues that have yet to be resolved for chrome OS. Apparently Java is not supported. This hasn't been the biggest issue, but it is frustrating to not be able to use some websites...and if you think 'I am not a super user, I wouldn't have that problem'...that isn't really the case. Some pretty basic websites like the webcam feed for our puppy's daycare uses Java...I wouldn't call this a deal breaker, but it is something to be aware of...I received my HP Chromebook today. I have been disgusted with Windows 7 operating system now for sometime. When my desktop was new it took about a minute to boot up, after constant Windows updates it now takes 8 to 10 minutes to boot up (plus the web locks up if it decides to update while I am in the middle of something even after turning off updates). I read reviews of Google Chrome OS and decided to try a Chromebook computer. I looked at Samsung and Acer laptops and with old eyes I wanted a larger screen so I chose the HP with a 14 inch screen. Set up could not have been simpler. I went thru the installation and set up in about a minute. I was using Google Chrome on my desktop so all the bookmarks and all else was transferred to the HP Chromebook without a hitch. It boots up in seconds and I am online in a matter of seconds. It also has Google Docs and Google Sheets (word processing and spreadsheet basic) that is very user much like Windows Office. If the performance continues,(I expect it will) I could not be more pleased. Windows needs to figure out a better OS or Google OS will take over completely as far as computer systems go. I am 100% pleased with this system as I did not want a tablet. If in the near future some one comes out with a desktop Chromebook I will buy one. For web surfing and emails, basic word processing and spreadsheet this can not be beat. I would recommend a Chromebook to anyone who wants the above mentioned usage in a computer system.
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I received this HP product Friday and have only used it for a few hours. This is my first laptop so I can't compare it to other similar products. First impression: solid construction, nice screen, good keyboard, good sounding speakers (at least to my ears). The speakers are upward-facing as opposed to speakers on the bottom on many similar products. Surfing without a mouse is a new experience for me, but the more I use this product, the easier it gets. A negative for many is two hours less battery reserve than the Samsung, but I wanted the larger screen and decided I could live with this shortcoming.Gamers who need JAVA and others who need JAVA for certain programs should not buy this product. I don't miss it as I removed it from my desktop recently due to security concerns. The main negative for me is that I don't like using web mail; I much prefer Thunderbird.
This product excels at surfing the Web and watching videos including HD videos and if you have been using the Chrome browser on another computer, all of your settings are carried over for a smooth transition.
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HP CHROMEBOOK DIES UPON INITIAL UPDATE! Ordered "new" HP Pavilion Chromebook as gift for wife. Even paid extra charge for "Overnight Delivery"!Received Unit (packaging showed no damage), unit itself looked OK and seemed to be in good working order upon unpacking. Installed battery and unit auto started upon opening lid. Wife proceeded to sign in to Google Account as directed, then setup Chrome Browser and watched a couple of YouTubes (total time approximately one hour). Primarily to just checkout the unit, which seemed to be a nice laptop, up to that point! Powered unit off as directed (to run initial update) and restarted. Upon which it ran the first initial update and then proceeded to die!!!
Turned unit off (holding down button for over twenty seconds, to clear any settings). Then removed and replaced battery also disconnected/reconnected power cord each several times and tried to restart. All attempts failed, unit is DEAD/NO POWER!!!
Intended as a gift, but won't bring much happiness or productivity this weekend! Hope Amazon, doesn't attempt to send refurbished replacement, as that will be unacceptable!!!
PS. Did a search in Google Groups-Chromebook and seems this has happened repeatedly to other new HP Chromebook purchasers! CHROMEBOOK, great concept, now if it just worked it'd be an Awesome little laptop!!! (Will update review later, based on final outcome)
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The Chromebook is not a laptop computer, and comparing them will be unfair to Chromebook. It will not download programs or software. Therefore, it is NOT for hardcore gamers, even for the moderate ones. This is not for heavy office use or for wild creative activities like Photoshop and the like. It cannot even let you print because you wouldn't be able to download the driver software to run your printer. The Chromebook does one thing very well open up the internet at high speed for your enjoyment without having to download software, updates, and the like.If you want something like a tablet, but with a keyboard, full size, instant on, and blazing speed on the Net, then Chromebook is your machine. If your objective is to surf the net, send and receive e-mails, and watch streaming movies, then this is your toy to enjoy! (HP's video quality is significantly better than what is offered by Samsung or Acer.) If you do your homework ahead of purchase, you likely will not regret your investment. Enjoy!
HP Compaq TC4400 12.1" Tablet PC
The build quality is excellent. I dare say that it is right up there with the ThinkPad's of its time (and today's standards), if not better than some of them.
It runs cool and quiet.
There are plenty of ports and expandability options, especially for a 12.5" laptop.
There's an ambient light sensor on this machine, which is absolutely awesome.
Mind you, I have been using ThinkPad's since I was in High School (I am now in College) and have had nothing but good luck with them. Their build quality is rock-solid, the machines are reasonably priced (depending on what model-line you choose), and they will essentially last forever if you don't go out of your way to try and kill them. After using the TC4400 for a few days, I can safely say that I can carry the same confidence in this laptop as I did in my others. However, there are some giant downsides to this machine as well as with anything technological. These include:
1) Slow out-of-the-box performance. After all, it was designed and manufactured around the year 2006 where "performance" in those days would be mocked today. My configuration came with 1GB of RAM; a 60GB Hard Drive; Windows Vista Business (32-Bit); and a dual-core Intel Centrino Duo processor (though, it is actually pretty good).
2) The power slider, the wireless button, and the "Info" button are ALL located on the left-hand side of the laptop. There are times when I go to use this machine in slate mode and I have either kicked myself off of my wireless network; opened up an array of quick-launch menus; or have just sent the machine into hibernation. Frustrating.
3) Lastly; I also have this really strange problem where, every time I connect or disconnect the charger that came with this machine, Windows gives me this message that says: "Safe To Disconnect Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet." I have no idea why connecting/disconnecting my laptop's charger would do that.
Though, aside from these small downsides, the TC4400 is a really capable machine. Especially if you take the time to upgrade it, which I decided to do some time ago. I bumped the machine from the old specifications up to 4GB of RAM; 120GB Solid State Drive; and Windows 7 Professional (32-Bit (this processor doesn't support 64-Bit)). It now flies thorough tasks and startup and shutdown (it literally takes only three seconds to shutdown) sequences!
Overall, if you're looking for a machine that can be plenty capable especially if you are willing to spend a few extra dollars and hours to upgrade it from its factory settings and specifications you'll want to take a serious look at the TC4400. I did, and I am very pleased with the results.
Sony VAIO VPC-EH13FX/B Laptop (Black)
Certified Pre-Owned Aluminum PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz, 2048 MB of RAM, 120 GB internal drive, internal
HP Pavilion dv7t dv7tqe Quad Edition, 2nd Gen. Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM, 2GB ATI 6770M GDDR5 gra
Alienware M14x R2 AM14XR2-7223BK 14.0-Inch Laptop (Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish)
I picked this laptop mainly for it weight and size. Most gaming laptop exceeds 9 pounds this one weighs in at under 7 lbs. with the battery and charger included. Be aware that most sellers list weighs on their laptops without the battery installed or charger included.
Hardware:
Size is 13.25 x 9.5 x 1.5 and the charger is 6 x 3 x 1. (inches)
The M14x R2 included a 750 GB hard drive even though the listing on Amazon stated a 500. It is a 7200 RPM which is faster than the normal 5400 RPM that most laptops have.
The 1366 X 768 resolution 14 inch monitor is clear and sharp. You can run either the integrated graphics (Intel 4000) or the 650m NVidia depending on the application. When using a 14 inch monitor you will not see much difference by going up to a higher resolution. If you want to check out the difference there are several YouTube's that run side by side comparisons to the 768 and 900 resolutions. Really the 1366 X 768 is a sweet spot for 14' monitors. You can always connect it to an external monitor and run it at higher resolutions but for portability the 14 is a good carry size.
The sound on this laptop is best that I have ever found. Uses a Creative labs Soundblaster TRX. I am really impressed with the sound quality from the laptop speakers. With headphones it is even better.
The laptop contains very strong Wi-Fi card. This Wi-Fi picks up signals from down the block that none of my other laptops will and on campus my signal strength is much stronger than before.
Software:
The laptop comes with very little bloat ware. It came with Steam preinstalled, trial version of Office 2013, CyberLink Media Essentials, Creative labs software(for sound card control panel), McAfee antivirus 30 trial, and with Alienware applications that allow you to control the color screens on the keyboard and case. There are 7 zones of lighting and each can be different, set to pulse or morph modes, and can be activated by an application. For example I can have the 2 front case lights pulse red for incoming email or change the colors of the keyboards lights depending on which game I am playing. They can also be turn off.
Windows 8 is installed but it will boot into the desktop after you logon allowing you to skip the normal and very annoying Win 8 Metro screen startup screen. It would have been better in my opinion for a gaming laptop to have Windows 7 installed. I can understand the sales reasons behind installing the newest OS but Win 8 does not play as nice with games as Win 7. The only problems I have encountered in playing games are all traced back to Win 8. I am aware of this from having worked with both operating systems and dealing with my students and their problems. (I teach a class that uses gaming toolsets and creations of game modules). Hopefully these will be corrected in the service packs.
Gaming Benchmarks:
Games I have played in testing: Borderland 2, Metro 2033, Tomb Raider (new release), Skyrim, Bioware Infinite, and Fallout 3 New Vegas. All games played at medium to high resolutions. All these games average 39fps to 60fps. Infinite benchmark tested at high setting with average of 54fps, Tomb Raider benchmark tested using game installed setting and got 39.7fps. At custom setting in Tomb Raider I got up to 45fps easily.
Cons:
Very short battery life as expected with any gaming laptop. The battery is an internal design. You cannot switch out or remove the battery. In running Borderlands 2 in Very High mode I got 63 minutes of play before the 10% battery warning came on. If you run applications that use the integrated graphics only you can get over 2 hours of operations.
The hinges on the lid are more center based instead of being set to the outer edge. They are set 3 inches in from the outer edge. This makes it weaker than other styles. You should never pick up or move your laptop from the lid and always open and close it from the top center. The most common case breakage on laptops is the hinges. I don't see this as a real problem for me since I treat my computers with reasonable care.
There are no easy access panels to swap out hard drives or memory. You have to take the case apart.
Some may think the fan is loud at full loads. It is louder than a normal laptop but not for a gaming laptop. I have an XPS and an Asus M55 which are both louder at similar loads.
Conclusion:
High quality hardware that runs modern games at reasonable and very playable speeds. This laptop is a little high in price for a 14 inch but very portable at this size and weight. If you don't mind a few extra pounds and a larger format then go for the 15 inch Asus or MSI gaming computer for around the same price but with lower specs in some areas such as the processor, hard drives, and video. Don't be misled that larger numbers in video cards mean better performance. A 650m will outperform a 730m in many areas and a 750 takes an enormous power brick to run it. In my opinion, at this time the 650m is one of the best all-around mobile video cards on the market and pair with the 3630Q i7 CPU and a 750GB hard drive make this a solid laptop in this price range.
(Refurbished) Dell Latitude D630 14.1" Laptop PC - Silver Notebook Computer - 120 GB Hard Drive - 2
Still a good buy remember to set up a reboot or system restore point.Works great no problems arrived on time.in good condition,plug in and use.I would reccomend this item
I like the XP system.Great product and great price. The product was shipped as promised and arrived on time. The only thing I would advise to buyers is that Microsoft open office does not have Microsoft word and etc you have to get this separate. All together this was a great purchase.
Toshiba PSMPBU-00R01R I5-460m 2.53/4gb/500gb/dvd-sm
Have re-evaluated my decision a few times since and still think it was the right choice.
Pros:
good power (i5 64-bit)
great graphics
excellent sound from internal speakers
nice keyboard
light
Cons:
The widescreen makes using some programs (ex: MS Word, IE) rather difficult because only a small portion of the useable page is displayed making an external monitor important.
There are a few items I've tried to install with a CD(ex: modem,mouse, PowerDirector ) that locked up the machine. Fortunately there was an on-line install available for each. Don't know if this is a problem with the drive or a 64-bit incompatiblity issue. Other programs have installed without issue using the CD.
I upgraded from 4-gig or ram to 8-gig without any issue.
Toshiba Bulletin Board keeps sending messages for updates with instructions that are a little beyond my technical comfort zone. But I suppose that's my problem and not theirs.
Overall good machine.
Buy Toshiba PSMPBU-00R01R I5-460m 2.53/4gb/500gb/dvd-sm Now
If you are lucky enough to have gotten this laptop at Best Buy while on sale at $699 congratulations you did good! The laptop is so fantastic I am a bit scared I will jinx it by writing the review. The sound quality of the laptop is unreal! That has always been my biggest complaint about laptops but the Harman/Kardon speakers are so fabulous I don't know how I have survived without them! The laptop is also quite fast, cool looking, small but not so small it feels like a netbook, has a nice keyboard and touch pad among so many other things.Read Best Reviews of Toshiba PSMPBU-00R01R I5-460m 2.53/4gb/500gb/dvd-sm Here
I wanted a laptop with amazing sound quality on the go and a nice keyboard/touchpad experience for library word processing and internet use in bed. This laptop exceeds all those neeeds to perfection. Well almost, the keyboard would be amazing if it was backlit, because of the smooth chiclet style (which i am not used to yet) it can be difficult in the dark to find the function and number keys. Fortunately when you hold down the function (FN) button it shows an on screen display of what each f1-12 does which is helpful. Still a backlit keyboard would be briliatn howver it would make its biggest flaw worse. The battery life on this device is dreadful lasting 3 hours on average use with wifi and fairly bright screen and goes to about 2 1/2 hours when brightness and speakers pumped up with wifi. It probably tops out at 4 hours if put brightness down all the way and dont use the speakers.Harmon Kardon speakers are AMAZING which makes this a keeper if music is a must. I am gonna take this outside and blast the speakers out and buy a 9cell battery/12 cell to up the battery life.
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This laptop is actually a very good laptop. I use it in the car (I'm in telecomm sales) and the 14-inch screen is the perfect size for my line of work.I did two things, which addressed two issues, and were relatively inexpensive. First, for $99 I upgraded the RAM to 8 Gb. It flies now! And secondly, I purchased a 12-cell Toshiba battery, so it has great life now, too.
So unless you have an Apple (which I am a big fan of their products) this one, for a "road warrior" using Windows, is perfect. The I5 processor is Intel's flagship processor, and the 64-bit Windows 7 OS works like a charm.
Pair it up with a Microsoft Arc Touch mouse (which folds completely flat) like I did and you've got a combination that is hard to beat for the money. BluRay, Harmon Kardon speakers, I5 processor; a lot of great features in a compact little package that works great when set up like mine.
Oh yea Consumer Reports rated it the #1 14" PC laptop, too, which happened after I purchased mine. So I got lucky when I made the choice I did. Enough said there.
The price has probably came down from when I bought mine earlier this year, so take the savings and tweak it like I did and you'll absolutely love it.
Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-3415SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)
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Dell Inspiron 15R is the first laptop for my wife. She likes it. However using Windows 8 was not so easy compare to Windows XP.Read Best Reviews of Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-3415SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver) Here

