Samsung Series 5 NP530U4C-A01US 14-Inch Ultrabook (Light Titan)

I read the reviews from the previous model and compared it with some other laptops and based on the reviews and problems thereof I decided to buy this one.

The Good:

1. Laptop Visually looks nice overall

2. Webcam works well

3. Laptop doesn't heat up too much

4. I haven't heard or am bothered by the fan

5. Ram is good. Videos, and multiple programs play well.

6. Laptop works well.

The Neutral:

1. Touchpad is not in the center of the laptop. I suppose this is a new thing and common in modern ultrabooks but still unappealing; After working with a Giant Touchpad from an Apple MacBook Pro this is somewhat of a letdown. HOwever, it does work fine and the location is chosen off center because the location of the home row keys to aid in using the thumbs to browse with mouse. Overall Aesthetically center would be nice but practically with the layout of the keyboard and length of the laptop it would not be practical. So neutral there.

The Mediocre:

1. Laptop is filled with 3rd party Bloatware. This isn't too bad, though I spent a couple hours removing much of it.

2. Most Samsung programs are junk. A program to transfer files between Samsung PCs? Bah, not necessary. I kept a few of them, Samsung Easy Settings and Fast Boot are worth keeping.

3. NVidea Control Panel is Installed, but this laptop uses Intel Graphics 4000. No Graphics Card = Software has nothing to do = Waste of space.

4. Laptop sleeps often. I have to click several times to get it to wake up. Somewhat annoying but passable.

5. Can't open Laptop with one hand. The laptop is good in that it stays well-closed. Just opening it takes too hands due to the lightweight laptop itself. Not too bad, just somewhat unideal; I suppose it comes with the ultrabook territory.

Anyway, overall the pluses far outweigh the mediocre parts and I advise this laptop. It works, is quiet, doesn't overheat, and can handle the standard programs and applications you would want to use with it.

I have had the laptop for four days now and my overall impression is that I like it very much. I did have an initial problem with the wireless adapter. It would drop connection randomly, sometimes after working for hours, other times after only a few minutes. My only option was to reboot to reestablish the connection. I got on the Intel web site and looked for support on the Intel adapter. it is an Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235. The Intel web site has an app that will analyze your computer and it found an updated driver. Once I installed the new driver I have not had any problems with the wireless adapter.

Computer performance is very good. It boots up quickly and restart from sleep is very fast. The touch pad works very smoothly, however the buttons are small and if your thumb hangs over onto the touch pad (mine does sometime), the touch pad doesn't work. The keys on the keyboard are sized and spaced correctly. However, they are very shallow which takes a little getting used to.

The computer is compact and very lightweight at just under 4 pounds. Even though the screen is smaller than my old laptop (16 inch Toshiba), it is very readable. I haven't ran the battery down fully, but I estimate the battery charge to last around five hours in performance mode. Power saver mode would obviously improve on that.

At this point I would not hesitate to recommend this computer.

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UPDATED: after several days of working well, the connection drops are back. I don't understand how this can happen: it should either work or not, I would have thought. I will probably return it if I can't solve it another way.

UPDATED AGAIN: I returned it, got a replacement. I couldn't be more happy. Works just great. No problems. Terrific package and great performing computer. I did try out a similar featured Toshiba (R935) but the build quality and keyboard were really much worse, so the Samsung is a keeper (for now).

I selected this laptop because it was basically an ultrabook with an optical drive. Moreover it has a VGA port, two USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port, HDMI, huge hard drive (but not 7200 rpm). So incredibly versatile all in one package, and with the SSD as well, it boots up and resumes super fast. Almost like a Macbook :)

The negative reviews about the wireless problem gave me pause, but I bought the laptop anyway, and sure enough it dropped wireless connections like crazy. OK, I thought, I'll go on Samsung's website, then Intel's and get the latest driver for the Intel Centrino Advanced N6235 wireless adaptor. The version installed in my laptop when it arrived was 15.0 and on the Samsung web site was a version 15.0.0.75. On the Intel website, I could find 15.1.1, in the obvious place, and by searching on Google, I was able to find 15.2. This was in the right place on the Intel website, but under Windows 7, not Windows 7 (64 bit). The link for the Windows 7 drivers for this adaptor contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. You can also install the Intel/PROSET program that can analyze your wireless behavior and provide diagnostics. But it did not help me yet.

None worked or solved the problem.

I was nearly on the point of returning it, when a friendly technician suggested that I first uninstall the driver already there, and then install the latest version. In other words, installing a new driver does not first uninstall the old, dysfunctional driver, and bits of that get left behind and mess with the new driver. So I uninstalled the old driver first (go to Device Manager and look at the properties of the wireless adaptor for the button that does the uninstall), installed 15.2, and that did the trick. Now the wireless is stable and works well. (BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNED AND WAS ULTIMATELY SOLVED BY GETTING A REPLACEMENT: I THINK IT WAS A HARDWARE ERROR ON THE INTEL WIFI CHIP, AS THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CHIP FROM USERS WITH OTHER MAKES OF COMPUTER).

Overall, this laptop is just great. I'm glad that I was able to solve the problem, and find it a perfect lightweight all-in-one laptop.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Series 5 NP530U4C-A01US 14-Inch Ultrabook (Light Titan) Here

This is an initial review after only a few days of use, but I figured I should review now while a lot of the troubleshooting issues are fresh in my mind. Many of the negative reviews on here are justified, because the computer as shipped did not have full functionality. I ordered a usedlike new model from Amazon warehouse deals (Windows 7 version), so this review may not be applicable to all new models shipped. However, if you have similar issues with your new model, the fixes suggested in this review should work.

First, the good:

-sleek

-light-weight

-fairly fast for most common uses like internet browsing, watching streaming movies, microsoft Office Applications, etc.

-quiet key board (but not back-lit as many have pointed out)

-Large track pad (I consider this a plus, but if you tend to type with your wrists resting below the keyboard rather than hovering above it, then you may have issues with you wrists moving the mouse or clicking it which several other reviewers have complained about)

The Mediocre:

-The screen resolution and size make it somewhat inappropriate for graphic design applications. It is a matte screen rather than a glossy screen. While that may sound great, one of the consequences is that the screen must be positioned exactly perpendicular to the viewer or else the colors will fade or darken when the screen is viewed at an angle.

-I don't think any gamers would gravitate to this PC given the specs and the screen size, but just to quell any possible suspicion no, it's not ideal for gamers.

The Bad, or the Trouble shooting fixes:

-The touchpad worked when it arrived, however it did not have multi-touch enabled (two finger scrolling, zoom in/out), nor was there a way in the control setting to enable multi-touch. This took a while to fix, but my pain is your gain. If you google Samsung series 5 trackpad driver, and go to the link from the Samsung official website, then you can download and install a new driver. Then go to Control Panel> Hardware and Sound > Mouse Properties > TouchPad > Options and modify settings for multitouch as desired. Actually, try to go there first if you have that issue, and if you can't get there then update the driver.

-Not all of the function keys worked. This was another software issue, and so fairly easy to fix. If you go to the start menu and go to the Samsung folder, you may find a program called SW Update. If you don't find that program, you can download it from the Samsung Website. That program has a lot of the necessary updates (as well as some bloatware that you may want to avoid). Updating "Easy Settings" software made all the Function keys fully functional. Also, it's not a bad idea to update anything else that looks essential, like "System BIOS", Windows Patches, and other drivers.

-Wonky WiFi I just experienced this once. The WiFi was turned off after starting up the PC, and turning it on wasn't working. Samsung has this "Quick boot" and "Fast Start" software installed, which is supposed to make start up faster. I turned that off, thinking that these processes may be cutting too many corners, and the WiFi worked again upon restart. Using typical Windows "Sleep" mode for quick shut down and start up is fast enough for me anyway. I can't say for certain that "Fast Start" is the problem, but the WiFi has been fine since turning it off.

I'm pretty happy with this purchase now that everything seems to be running smoothly. I'll update if anything changes. I will say that if I had paid the full new price of ~$900 for this laptop, I would probably not be as happy dealing with these issues and may have given it a lower rating, but for $500 on a refurbished unit, I expected it to some extent.

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I decided on the Samsung Series 5 after about 3 months of research and watching prices rise and fall on Amazon. Since I travel internationally and needed a new computer for my job, I wanted something light but fast and functional. I started looking at true Ultrabooks but decided I could sacrifice a little thinness and a solid state drive for more storage, a CDROM drive, and VGA connection. As a teacher, I use the VGA connection and CDROM frequently, so I wasn't interested in carrying a dongle around with me everywhere. In summary, this Samsung has everything I was looking for.

I've had this computer for about three weeks and I've had no problems with it. I owned a four year old Dell previously so the new i5 processor was surprisingly fast for me. Boot-up takes almost no time at all and the computer is able to multitask with ease. It runs the new Diablo III without any problems. The fan is quiet and rarely comes on. I can get about 4 hours of battery with constant internet use. The construction feels solid and I like the brushed metal body and matte screen. I haven't had any problems with the touch pad and the keyboard is different from my old Dell so it's taking some time to get used to the much shallower keys. It's also very light compared to my old Dell and I can easily carry it around with me without becoming uncomfortable.

I recommend this Samsung for anyone looking for something fast, functional, and light without wanting to sacrifice storage or a CDROM drive.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14" Core i5 500GB Notebook

Great little laptop that does most things well. It's not going to be a good gaming laptop due to the relatively underpowered integrated Intel 3D graphics, somewhat slow HDD, and small screen, but for general web surfing, streaming video playback, "light" gaming (i.e. Flash games), non-intensive photo editing (Photoshop Elements), and drawing in Inkscape (if you can stand the small screen), it's more than adequate.

I purchased my unit at 0ffi¢e Depot during the Black Friday sale week. In the course of my research, I found this identical unit was available direct from Lenovo's website during the summer for a price under 450 with various coupons.

And just really quick, my list of negatives with this unit (which may not be negatives to you, depending...) and rational behind my 4-star rating:

no option for a lighted keyboard or keyboard downlight

no option for higher resolution screen

no numeric keypad, not even in the traditional laptop sense of pressing Fn+NumLock to switch the right side of the alpha-keyboard into numeric mode (this is a feature I used occasionally).

no option for a BluRay drive

no USB 3.0 -not that I have a need for this yet, but it's a standard feature on many competing laptops

I liked this laptop so much, I purchased two E420 units (identical 1141-A24 models) and gave one to my dad, who has been using a well-worn IBM T-43 ThinkPad I handed down to him. I had a chance to compare the old school workhorse side-by-side with the E420 and made the following general observations:

The anti-reflective qualities of the matte-finish screens is comparable, but the E420 is brighter by a wide margin

The T43 had an "old school" 4:3 aspect ratio, vs. the wide screen 16:9 of the E420. This results in a narrower but taller screen for the older computer, but with a denser resolution (1400x1050) and more "room" vertically on the desktop. For most web surfing, photo editing and drawing, this older 4:3 is still the preferable aspect ratio.

The E420 is about ¾" wider than the T43, despite the T43 having a "bigger" 14.1-inch screen (this, again due to the aspect ratio)

Whereas the T43 had a parallel port, modem, PCMCIA slot and a PS2 Mouse Port, the E420 boasts an SD card reader, Bluetooth 3.0, 4 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, eSATA, and a 34mm ExpressCard port. Similar features include fingerprint reader, TouchPoint controller, VGA-out, DVD-RW, and an Ethernet port.

Build quality still leans in favor of the old T43, but the E420 is no slouch. The T43 was nearly around ¾ pound heavier, but the body was slightly thinner and the screen more rigid. The E420 body feels "hollow" because it's just not as densely packed, and probably doesn't have the substantial metal subframe of the T43. However, the E420 is far and away stiffer and more rigid than my 2-year old Lenovo value-line G530, which has a flexy screen and feels "squishy" (like the bottom is pressing in) when I grip it.

The E420 has a larger touchpad and a keyboard that's closer to a real PC keyboard, not the "chiclet" style keys with minimal movement that the T43 features.

The E420's Boot time is 35 seconds to the logon screen, and with a quick finger swipe over the fingerprint reader (this one works quickly and reliably!), it's fully booted and ready to use in under a minute. The Windows Experience Index registers at 5.7, singling out the hard disc as the bottleneck in the system speed, followed by the RAM read/write speeds. So a fast SSD would only marginally improve the overall WEI score, and couldn't make too much of an improvement to the boot times.

The screen bright screen is great in the window-lit room I primarily use, and viewing angles are very good side-to-side. There is a sweet spot in the tilt that inverts quickly if not adjusted just so. Yet I find it acceptable for close-in viewing. Sound quality is decent, though not audiophile quality -nothing worse than your average clock radio.

Lenovo has placed most of the system functions (screen brightness, volume, web cam on/off, etc.) to the top-row function keys, then went one step further: they made the function key require a two-key press to activate (for example, instead of hitting F5 to refresh or F11 for full screen, I now have to press Fn-F5 or Fn-F11), but the auxiliary commands are now single-key press (press JUST F5 for the web cam). It's a little something to get used to, and it's a situation where a keyboard backlight would have been appreciated in darker settings to help me find my way.

All ports to the sides of the body, with the exception of the RJ45 jack. Thank goodness, no audio ports sticking out of the front edge. If you opt for the optional 9-cell battery, it would protrude out the rear by about an inch. And no more confusing the headphone port for the mic port: this computer uses a single integrated "smart" port, though I suppose it requires a new single plug (or USB) headset for my Skype calls.

I am using this laptop successfully with HP's Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse, which requires Windows 7 + an up-to-date network chipset, and doesn't require any port-sucking USB dongles.

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

A rundown of the included Lenovo software, most of which is optional to keep installed and/or use:

A quick boot utility that speeds boot times

An auto-lock feature that, if no inputs are sensed after a user-determined amount of time, turns on the web cam and looks for a face. If none is detected, it password locks the laptop.

An orientation sensing utility that allows the user to turn the unit sideways to read PDFs and other documents, automatically rotating those docs to fit the portrait view.

A recovery utility to burn a recovery disc from the hard drive's recovery partition.

The fingerprint reader software, which on this unit works reliably, usually on the first swipe, and is quick.

Last thing worth mentioning: if you want a number pad and can stand an extra ~1½ in width, a version of the 15.5-inch E520 model has exactly the same spec (actually, with a faster 2430M processor) for almost exactly the same price. You'll get the num pad, but you'll still be stuck with the stock 1366x768 resolution, with no 1600x900 option available on Lenovo's website).

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

Compared to my 3 year old Acer 5515 this is a rocketship.

As configured the WEI is 5.9, the HDD and memory are the bottlenecks.

Keyboard is amazing, the touchpad is also great. The trackpoint, thaat is new to me and I am still working on it.

Startup from fully off to any webpage is less than 1 minute.

From sleep it is just seconds.

The ThinkVantage Utilities are nice, makes updating very easy.

I will be increasing the memory to max, and am considering a SSD for future installation.

I dont replace computers that often, every 2 to 3 years, I fully expect this to last that long.

I would, and have, reccomend this to anyone.

Buy Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14" Core i5 500GB Notebook Now

Was able to find this particular configuration at a brick and mortar store with a much cheaper price than offered here. The laptop has a clean look. It's not the keyboard I know and love from my work T400, but the nubbin is right where it should be and I love it! Good battery, good WiFi, quiet fan, and great start-up time. Good little machine that easily out performs my wife's bigger and supposedly better spec'd HP from last year.

If you can find the Core i5 model, go for it.

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Just as the title says my motherboard died after about 4 months of owning this laptop. Lenovo had me ship the laptop out for repair, and took 4 weeks to finally ship it back. They refused to be flexible with delivery and tried to ship it while I was on vacation. Instead of leaving it for a family member to pick up later, Lenovo refused to change the shipping options and had it shipped back to themselves. After contacting Lenovo support again I won't expect to be able to try this whole shipping disaster again for another 2 weeks. From new to completely dead in 4 months is simply not OK. Six weeks turn-around time on a completely dead laptop is simply not OK. Since IBM stopped manufacturing Lenovo, quality has gone severely downhill.

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Update June 2012: The computer died for a THIRD time... same problem... even though it had been used twice since arriving from being repaired. Lenovo kept claiming it only had been repaired once (and sometimes never) and that a replacement wasn't an option. They also kept claiming that my year-long warranty expired (after only eight months... several weeks of which they had the laptop in their facilities) and made me pay for an extended warranty to receive any service even though I provided a receipt and registered it when I bought it. After weeks of waiting and submitting proof that I had the computer repaired before for the same problem, they relented in sending a new computer... though it took so long they sent a different model.

Update March 2012: The computer did suddenly die again exactly as it did before in early January. After going through weeks of trouble trying to get it fixed, it was finally fixed again. I had to escalate the problem to get it repaired however. It wasn't easy. I've actually had to replace the computer since this one is gone more than with me and I need to get work done.

Update November 2011: Lenovo did finally fix and ship the laptop back to me three weeks earlier than the 'earliest' possible date, but it was still gone for weeks. In order to push the repair through to this earlier time I had to call nearly daily (waiting on hold for an average of 30 minutes each time) as well as send numerous e-mails. They didn't automatically do anything to speed up the process and I'm not sure if the computer will suddenly die again at any minute, so I still recommend looking at a Toshiba instead.

Update October 2011: The motherboard suddenly and completely died while safely resting in its bag (to the point I can't recover data without taking the machine apart and collecting the hard drive, which voids the warranty). Lenovo has been quick to get a repair box out, but after quoting two days and promising six, they now won't tell me when I will see it back. I've demoted the rating because a dead motherboard after less than two months is really sad, especially because I've been ultra-careful with it and it happened while it was turned off and unplugged between uses. Having a repair on a new laptop take several weeks longer than I've owned it is unacceptable.

-

Original Review in September 2011:

This is a great sturdy and agile laptop for the price. It includes features not easily found such as a non-glossy screen and fingerprint reader. The hard drive while smaller than others in the same price range is much faster, which is more important when you are multitasking. It is not extremely heavy and the screen is big enough to get things done while remaining portable. A big glossy screen may be great for watching movies, but this laptop wins if you are just trying to get work done.

I have been using this computer to run word processors, engineering applications, and browse the web all at the same time without trouble. I have also installed a Linux partition and it runs dual boot easily.

The computer does have extra features for when you are not working. The fingerprint reader works great and is very convenient. The webcam and mic work well and I thought the speakers were louder and clearer than other laptops I looked at in the same price range.

Reading other reviews I wondered about the wifi. I've found the wifi works great for me in all kinds of places (home, school, restaurants... secure and open) and I've had no issues all at in Windows. If you load Linux, you need to make sure to turn on the wifi and get the settings correct.

That being said, there are minor issues (that I didn't feel were big enough to rate lower based on my usage). One is that the huge touchpad is great and aligned well, but it interferes with the keyboard and you must change your settings to turn it off while you type. Another is that there are no hard drive lights it would have been nice if the read dot of "Think Pad" on the keyboard did this rather than just stay on. The battery didn't hold a charge well at first, but a few full discharges and recharges fixed that. The DVD-combo drive is extremely loud and I definitely wouldn't be able to enjoy playing a video with it because it would be impossible to hear. However for the few times I use these drives, it isn't a huge deal. The power cord to the transformer comes out easily unless you plug it in REALLY tight. Lastly, the function key is placed where I expect to find the left "Ctrl" key, which is annoying when I'm trying to use shortcuts to copy and paste. I'm probably going to change the keyboard layout (in the operating systems) soon in order to deal with this.

Pros:

Non-glossy screen for working in well-it areas

Windows starts up super fast and has great features for students and professionals

Fingerprint reader works great

Speakers are clear and loud

Fast spinning hard drive

Sturdy construction

Good size for carrying around in a backpack

Cons:

No hard drive working light

DVD drive is very loud

Function key is placed where the Control key should be

Points to keep in mind:

Wifi needs to be tweaked in Linux (works great in Windows out-of-the-box)

Touchpad settings much be adjusted to avoid problems when you type

Battery must be cycled when new to hold a charge well

You need to plug the cord into the transformer REALLY well for them to stay connected

Overall, I recommend this laptop for anyone looking for a computer mostly for serious work. If you will be playing videos (especially from a DVD), then this probably isn't what you are looking for.

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Sony VAIO VGN-CS215J/R 14.1-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB

First off let me say I have had a inspiron 8600 Dell for at least 8yrs and its still alive and kicking and still has all my life's files on it (pics, movies, word docs, music etc..) all within a 60gb harddrive. I did however run into a system problem with the cpu beeping and shutting down the computer a couple times which lead me to research into a new laptop.

Now the review. It came down to (after months of research on Core 2 Duo's) the Sony Vaio (which the GF wanted for the fact that it came in white), and my pick again after research the Toshiba Satellite special edition which when compared to the Vaio only differs with the graphics card and bluetooth.

I opted for the Sony Vaio (which by the way is cheaper at your local...Fill in the blank major electronic store). I will say its partly due to the GF's white preference, but don't stop reading here and think its all due to that i did want good, no great specs and not want to buy another computer for at least another 5yrs.

I read many mixed reviews, and i personally got nervous. I wanted a great computer and always have been an XP person. So vista and only having a Dell made this a big purchase. Well i couldn't be happier. The computer is fast as hell, especially through Ethernet (haven't had the time yet to go get a N wireless router which i am excited about) and Vista is surprisingly fun to use. Searching for files etc. is really the only difference I have encountered. I love the 3D window scroll, and I love the new Windows Media experience with MSN live everything (TV, Music, Movies).

People have spoke about bloatware, I don't think there was alot on here to be honest. I am currently using Vaio care, and windows live one (for virus protection). I am also using the preview version of office 2007. Other than that i don't see much on here that's a problem or runs the computer slower. I have disabled the updates after i did all of them so that helps too. The battery isn't bad. On the Vaio power scheme i have it set to balanced and it lasts around 2hrs and 11mins. You can however set the power to max batter which helps it extend to 3hrs, or you can set it to max performance which speeds the computer itself up to max tasks, and windows being opened. I've had at least 10 windows up before and no lag what so ever using balanced power.

The webcam is really cool and makes me laugh at the Mac users who paid $12+ for basically the same computer. The software included can do all kinds of fun things with your image as well as let you record videos.

The keyboard is slick and very easy to type. Easier than my Dell which i find was alot more clacky than this. The touch pad is generic and the touch media controls well i haven't had much use for them but as i have played around with them although cool and different can be sensitive especially the volume (i use the icon to change the volume). The speakers are good, sometimes programs made for dolby make them sound incredible while other at times sound low (it might have to do with the program and dolby compatibility.)

Overall I am very please, everything that i need to do (internet, work with office docs, and pics & music) it does very well. There are some features i have yet to explore but this is a very solid computer and worth the money. Don't waste your time with those watered down netbooks or low priced asus computers with no specs to them. Get a laptop that has what you need in it and more, it will save you the trouble later on.

I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 because of the lower end graphics card (which hasn't been a problem just wish for future things it had the better card) and lack of HDMI (has vga instead). Other than that its a solid notebook that makes a great replacement to my old Dell.

I spent MONTHS researching HP, Dell, Macs, etc. trying to find the perfect laptop. I am heading to college in the fall and really need something easy to use, but also advanced enough that it has all the features I will be needing. I heard negative comments for each of those brands, ranging from horrifically loud fan to a glare that prevents outdoor use to way to pricey for the product, respectively. Consequently, I had NO idea what to do. Then someone suggested looking into Sony and THANK GOD I DID!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS LAPTOP!! It's a perfect size, red is the perfect color (I had my doubts about it being too red, but it really is gorgeous), it works fantastically, the keyboard flows so well, it's fast, it's efficient, it was relatively cheap compared to others...it's perfect!!! Overall I would suggest this product to anyone!!!

Buy Sony VAIO VGN-CS215J/R 14.1-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Now

Made purchase back in February 2009 and very much liking this little Sony, so far. This has fast processing with the 64 Bit T6400 Duo Core 2, 4 GB RAM, and better than average graphics for on board Intel graphics. I'm not a gamer, so can't say in that regard, but for news clips, movies, music video, and MLB live/real-time feed, the graphics provide a good TV quality images on cable ISP. The included useful Sony software makes the purchase all the more attractive. I installed MS Office Small Business 2007 with no problems. A nice machine that has proven to be all I wanted for a travel computer. Would definitely recommend.

Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO VGN-CS215J/R 14.1-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Here

this one's a great laptop and was bought after much deliberation and research. let me put this in one word "Great". i have had this laptop for a month now and its been performing awesome.

Looksit looks pretty (for people who love pink this is a god send)

Sleek and fast no wonder cuz it has a 4 GB RAM hence at 824 this is a bargain (when i bought it this was around 950 ).i have always worked on XP so the new Vista takes a little time getting used to. but its good and different. the laptop on its own is amazingly fast and the keyboard is fun to work with. it has increased my typing speed :)

will keep you guys posted on how well its functioning after another month or so of use.

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I bought this computer in August for college..initially, I loved it. The appearance is perfect; however, the quality is poor. Approximately two months after purchasing, my screen would randomly turn black and my computer wouldn't turn back on. After speaking with customer service several times, we finally fixed this problem. Recently, I took my laptop back to the Geek Squad at Best Buy to tell them about the terribly loud noises that it makes. They kept my laptop for a week, then said that they heard the "jet engine sound" it was making, but that it was normal. I'm sorry, but if my roommate can hear my computer roaring from across the room then it shouldn't be normal. The noises are incredibly annoying and I find it hard to concentrate on what I'm doing...also, I have to restart often. I definitely would not recommend this computer. I have had it for 7 months, and have had problems for the past 5.

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Dell Inspiron i14RN-1227BK 14-Inch Laptop (Diamond Black)

At this price, this machine is a steal. It has the capability of a full-fledged computer and the convenience of an extremely portable laptop. At just over 5 lbs. it's certainly heavier than a tablet, a Macbook Air or an ultrabook, but then again it has all the advantages of a "real" computer. Responsiveness is outstanding since Windows 7 is a great OS, certainly when compared to Vista. Even compared to Apple's OS X, Windows 7 performs quite well, although it is of course much more "labor intensive", which is another way of saying that it's not quite as user friendly. On the plus side, it provides what is possibly the most widely used software platform in the world. All in all you can't go wrong with this device if you are looking for something that provides heavy lifting computing power as compared to a tablet or even an ultrabook.

Before choosing this laptop I researched the other options in amazon and other websites and I believe this one has the best value for the price.

A few things to note on it's favor:

Did not come dead on arrival (DOA).

Windows Installation was fast.

Can run entertainment apps / casual and social gaming perfectly.

I love the idea of being able to use different covers (I have not tried it yet).

The trackpad's surface is one of the best I have used so far.

The battery holds it's charge as described and intended.

The internal speakers have great power, enough to watch a video in a medium-size living room without plugging other speakers.

Wireless adapter is pretty strong, it can list-down wireless points that my desktop adapter can't.

Some downsides:

Comes with the already-known Bloatware, simply uninstall all those pesky useless programs/games/antivirus.

After modifying the mouse / trackpad settings I got a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) STOP Error: 0x000009f DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (This problem occurs because of a race condition between two bus resets.). However, after I updated Windows 7 everything seems to be in order now.

It's glossy, expect a lot of fingerprints on it.

Multi-gesture trackpad feature doesn't work 100%, it seems not to be so accurate.

The Trackpad can get warm when running process-extensive software or features but not to a point it is uncomfortable.

I have yet to find anything that ruins my experience, reason why I scored the laptop a 5. I will update this review in case it's necessary and let you know.

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I was in the market for a small laptop for school. Because the computer would be traveling as much as I do I didn't want to spent a lot nor did I want a overly large machine. I was contemplating on a net book before I came across this.

For the price you can't beat it. The Intel core i3 2.30GHz processor with 6G ram make it fast enough for just about everything you would possibly need it to do. The 446GB hard drive is large enough for most folks, just don't try to store your entire movie collection on there.

The reviews that I did read questioned a few things. One was over the graphic quality of the monitor. I found no issue with it. I'm sure for someone involved in editing photos or animation this laptop wouldn't do it, but for less than $500 your not going to get those sort of capabilities.

There are some bad reviews out there over the battery. Battery performance is based on how long the computer will hold power under the most ideal of circumstances. Heavy use, such as movie watching and gaming, and the use of outside peripherals will reduce your battery life. Even using the built in wi-fi antenna will reduce your battery life. This holds true for all laptops I have used over the years. Sony, Avertec, Toshiba, and HP were no exception. This is my first Dell computer.

There are only two issues that I have with the computer and they are minor. The first one is its lack of software. It does come with ms-office starter. Word on it has a lot of the functionality of it removed so for a student you will need to get another word processing program or update your starter edition. (openoffice.org has one downloadable for free. It also doesn't come with copies of the software so you will need 3 recordable dvds in order to make your backups.

The other issue is the cover. This laptop is party of the Dell Inspiron series with the switchable covers. While I like the black and won't get another cover for it I have no idea how to remove it and the documentation in the box gave no explanation on this.

I am extremely satisfied with this machine and have no regrets in purchasing it

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Bought one of these a few weeks ago to use for a sports club I administer. Needed a simple machine to do basic taskse-mail, web browsing, word processor....and to run a sports meet software. Great machine for these basis tasks. Price point is super, cheaper than many tablets or even in some cases a cell phone, and much more capable. Tested WiFi in an area where most cell phones and computers have trouble with weak signal, and this works great. Runs cool, battery life even with the basic battery is good, and weight is light enough to make it easily used on a...laptop. HDMI output is great, I hooked this up to my projector with no issues. Connectivity options for USB, HDMI, eSATA great for this price range. Overall this is a great price on a premium brand laptop with super solid features.

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I am delighted with this purchase. I use it for business about 12 hours every day of the week. Staples had these on sale for $449 and was giving a $100 Visa card rebate with every purchase, so I could not resist the sub $400 price.

Pros: The PC is fast and reliable. Boot time and wake up time is *much* faster than my old Compaq Vista. Win7 is a much faster and user-friendly OS than Vista or XP. 6 Gig of memory on this laptop ensures the applications run smoothly and seamlessly with many windows open at once. The laptop is relatively small and light yet has pretty much all the features of a powerful desktop. Keypad feels very nicely when you are typing. The trackpad has some neat new features and is very adjustable. Machine automatically shuts off the trackpad when you plug in a mouse.

Cons: Battery only lasts 3 hrs if you are using the machine. It says 6 hrs when you mouse over the battery icon when fully charged. Also the ports are not labeled on the edges of the typing surface of the machine so you have to crane your neck to find the locations of the USB ports or the power jack if you are trying to connect something.

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Lenovo Ideapad V570 1066XF1 Notebook i5-2430M Dual 3.0GHz 6GB 750GB 4G-WiMAX Win7HP-64 1066AJU Webc

I purchased this directly from Lenovo as a refurbished item through their outlet website about 3 months ago. I was able to get it for a decent price and it didn't have any signs of previous use. I'm posting this here because I figure it would have a much broader audience than other places.

Build Quality:

I'm very impressed with the build quality. The keyboard is the standard apple/sony chiclet style. It's solid and the keys have a good amount of travel. It would be nice if it was back-lit, but I'm not surprised it's missing at this price point. The screen hinge is solid yet moves easily. The screen doesn't wobble when you're using and stays where you set it to. Overall the chassis is solid also. It doesn't flex or feel cheap when you need to pick it up or carry it around. The palm rest and keyboard surround have a nice finish that keeps smudges from being an annoyance. I haven't noticed any hotspots, though I don't do alot of intense gaming or video. The fan is generally quiet even when going at full blast. The exhaust is on the left side and can be kinda warm. If it's cold it can keep your hand toasty:) For the current round of i5 laptops the weight is average or less. Overall, I would say this is an extremely well built laptop. Lenovo knows how to put together a solid reliable machine.

input/output Quality (screen, speakers, touchpad, etc.):

The screen is a slight gripe, but not a deal breaker. The resolution is standard at 1366x768. The screen is bright and doesn't seem to have any major color reproduction issues as long as you're looking at it straight on. The viewing angles are kinda horrible. If you want to watch a movie with someone you have to have it far away for 2 people to fit in the sweet spot.

One thing that is actually horrible are the speakers. You have to keep the sound low if you don't want to hear any distortion. I've tried using them, but have given up. Really though it's not that big of a deal. When I'm at home, I just plug in a set of speakers. When I'm out and about I plug in headphones.

The touchpad is pretty good build wise, but the multi-touch software is hit or miss. When trying to use the 2 finger scroll when in a web browser it would half the time think i was doing a pinch to zoom.

The reason I got this particular model is that it had USB 3. I have an external harddrive that I used to transfer files over to this computer and with USB 3, it took half the time. Also an added bonus was that the HDMI port doubles as an extra USB port(giving you 4 in total). I haven't used the HDMI port yet, but when I do I'll add an update about that. Also included is an eSATA port(I'm sure this would be a peppy way to transfer files, but USB 3 works well enough).

A surprise was the built-in WiMax modem (which let you're computer be a wireless hotspot!). I didn't know about that when I ordered it, and I'm not sure if I'm going to sign up for it. It seems odd that it came with WiMax, but no bluetooth though. I think I would've preferred to have that instead.

So overall it's pretty good, but a little bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the screen.

Software & OS:

Not too long after I got this I switched over to Ubuntu. I just generally like Ubunutu because it runs light, restarts pretty quick and keeps everything simple, with out being overbearing like OS X. I still boot into Windows 7 though to get my civilization V fix though. There was a ton of stuff pre-loaded on here, but not all of it is bloatware. A lot of the official Lenovo software is security related including stuff to run the fingerprint scanner, one that asks for your password when you plug a USB drive. Battery saver which keeps you from charging the battery all the way to improve the lifespan of it. And finally a hard Drive saver which will lock the drive if you (Gawd forbid) end up dropping the computer. There is stuff to uninstall, but didn't take too much time to get rid of.

Ubuntu was a pain to setup because of the standard wifi issues that seem to always be there, but once that's taken care of it's been perfect.

Overall:

This is the Honda Accord of laptops. This laptop is an amazing deal and well worth the money. Is this a high end gaming machine? No, it's a mid-level, everyday machine. It will play Netflix with ease and run mid level games with out breaking a sweat. It's classy in a subdued way, solid, reliable and feels like I'll be holding on to this for a long time.

I bought this notebook/laptop under $500 USD as a quick tool for a short IT project. Being accustomed to high-end enterprise-class notebooks (fast, lightweight, solid build), this seemed risky, but at that price and spec, add a warranty/service plan just in case, how could one resist? (Disposable

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Lenovo G585, AMD E2-2000 with Radeon HD 7340, 15.6" Screen Display, Notebook with 4GB Memory, 320GB

Software: The Lenovo 'solution center' is one of the largest problems. It consumes so much in the way of resources. Kill it if it starts up. Windows 8? If you're a programmer who wants to look at all the optional stuff it probably looks great, which is probably why it ended up being what it is. If you're a user it's frustratingly cumbersome to use with too much crap you have to work through and more difficult to navigate to just about anything. I'll never update my XP computers if I have the choice. I'm going to see about switching this computer over to an open source OS. It can't be any worse and I don't care for mac.

Hardware: the computer is flimsy to a fault. It's designed to only be used in an ideal setting. If you use it on your lap or if it's slightly off flat any torsion on the computer will cause things to happen. That also doesn't bode well for the future durability of the product. The keyboard is very uncomfortable. too short to rest your hand on, too long not to. My conclusion is that Lenovo has turned to crap since the Chinese bought IBM.

me gusta esta pc es rápida y la tarjeta de video va de maravilla en realidad es un producto de excelente calidad

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ASUS G51VX-RX05 15.6-Inch Laptop

I own one of these I bought from BestBuy back in Sept and I love it. Best laptop ever. I've played just about every game on max details and this laptop takes everything without a problem.

I love it.

I recived this ASUS G51VX-RX05 in the mail today. So far i am very impressed with this product.

Visually very appealing. White top with side and logo LED's.

Functionality-

The keyboard is very flat feeling with not much depth. The keys have a squishy feeling, while seemed to be placed in the right spots. have hit the wrong key a few times (specificaly the backspace key)

The reason i only gave this laptop a 4 star is that i orderd a new laptop but recived a Refurbished one instead.

On that note it came with two recovery disks and a driver disk.

everything was in new condition just missing the original box.

Im very happy with this purchanse but beware you will not be getting a "NEW" Laptop.

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Just under two years ago, I purchased an ASUS G51. As sharp as it is, I've had trouble with it, with ASUS Customer Service, and with the two-year warranty.

At the end of the first year, I called ASUS as the unit was overheating and powering down. The rep instructed me to go to the store and "Get a cooling pad and place it under the unit." Finally, a couple months (and a couple calls) later I told them something had to be done. The rep set up an RMA and I sent it in for repair. Why didn't the first rep do this?

More recently, I called regarding the power-cord cracking where it attaches to the power-supply. The first technician told me the notebook had a two year warranty but the power supply had only a one year warranty. What?! The second tech said that the first technician was wrong. He said that it was covered under the two-year warranty. Then he said that I would have to send it in (at my expense) and they would examine it to see if they would replace it.

This is not the way Dell cared for these matters. Dell would send me a replacement and a pre-paid return slip for my old one. In fact, the last time this happened with Dell, they said, "Keep your old power supply. We'll send you a new one free." I gave this information to the ASUS rep. She was unmoved. I explained that Dell had replaced power-supplies for my Dell notebooks, and paid for the return shipping on the broken one. She informed me that not every company is the same.

She's right. Not every company is the same.

And when it comes to Customer Service / Warranty Service, this experience has taught me all I need to know about ASUS.

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I game a lot, and this is an excellent PC. Plays everything I can think of on ultra settings with nary a stutter. After reading the notebookcheck.com stats, I was expecting a lot less, but after six months I have yet to see anything even remotely approaching poor performance. Crysis, Crysis 2, Mafia 2, Two Worlds 2, Starcraft 2; everything runs smooth as butter. My next upgrade will definitely be an ASUS machine.

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If you are looking to buy an all round quality laptop, highly capable of gaming, than i would definatly suggest the ASUS G51VX-RX05. If you go shopping at best buy, or even online your going to be baffled by all of these rediculously expensive gaming laptops featuring the i7, and the GTX 460....which is great!! dont get me wrong.......if you have $1500 to spend on a laptop :( which a lot of us dont

I had purchased this laptop from amazon about 6 months ago, and i will say, for the price, i am more than satisfied. It can tear to peices nearly any modern game on its native resolution, with the exception of Crysis, and Metro 2033 on its highest settings.

The laptop comes with Windows vista pre-installed on it, along with a ton of useful features and applications such as facial recognition, ASUS quick boot, fancy start(something like that) and a lot more. I never really got a chance to utilize any of these features because the first thing i did was install win7....i guess for every gain theres a loss, right?

The processor in this bad boy is amazing. No, its not an i7, but it can definatly run your games or any other applications seamlessly without a problem. And if need be you can upgrade to the Q1900(intel core 2 quad, 2.6ghz,12mb L2 Cache), which goes for about $225 on ebay, but the performance boost is well worth the price you pay, you'll be right up there with the i3's, and i5's.

The video card is the heart and soul of any gaming computer, or notebook...and this one has a heart of gold.

Under the hood is an nVidia GTX 260M, which features 1gb of DDR3 Video RAM...more than enough to handle even the most GPU taxing CAD software, or games.

Now that DDR3 RAM is on the market, a lot of people tend to underestimate the power of DDR2...which is kind of sad actually. This laptop has 4gb of DDR2 RAM running at 1066mhz, which is rediculous for any DDR2 RAM, desktop and notebook.

Now that we have the more important things out of the way, there is always the matter of aesthetics. The laptop definatly has a unique look of its own(i get a lot of compliments) ....in fact you'll be hard-pressed to find one with as many exterior LED's, and designs. One of my favorite things about this laptop is the illuminated keyboard, its so helpful at night when your just laying in bed and you need to type an essay, or your at a LAN party, and your in a more dim environment.

So if your looking for a good laptop, even for todays standards, just not for todays price....than this is the way to go.....6 stars amazon!!!!!!!

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Lenovo Edge E531 15.6" i3 2GB 320GB Notebooks

Great product. I also ordered 16 gig of RAM from Crucial to max it out. Love the Edge 531. It flies thru Photoshop! My only complaint is the display is lacking. Particularly for photo editing. However that being said, I'm ordering a 24" monitor which remedies that problem. I've been an HP person for years but after a week of intense research decided this was e best bang for the buck. So far I'd say I made the right decision....

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HP DV6-7200 15.6" i7-3630qm Quad Core Extreme Performance Gaming Laptop with 256GB SSD Hard Drive;

This is a very good laptop. Great graphics. Can view clear picture from multiple angles. Meets my needs in a number of ways with the solid state drive and blu-ray disk. Wish Microsoft include image backup with windows 8, but that isn't the reseller's issue. This product is great. 2 year warranty will be nice too, just in case.

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