$419 at (Not) Best Buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus---15.6%26%2334%3B-Refurbished-Laptop---4GB-Memory---500GB-Hard-Drive---Matte-Dark-Brown-Suit/5863129.p?id=1218697295344&skuId=5863129

Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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Asus 15.6" Dual-Core i5 Laptop
$399.99 + $5 Standard Shipping
Condition: Refurbished

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Processor Benchmark if thats the kind of thing that excites you.

Here is a bigger chart

Really not digging the 4-cell battery...

Finally! Intel Processors! yay

Looking for a laptop for my retired parents, who want something that can manage basic web stuff.

So this seems fine, but the one thing they are keen to start doing is videochat with family located across the country. Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with? Or is it adequate, or even better since a 0.3MP outgoing video feed requires much less uplink bandwidth? (They have a basic cable modem from Comcast.) Advice appreciated.

bls1 wrote:Looking for a laptop for my retired parents, who want something that can manage basic web stuff.

So this seems fine, but the one thing they are keen to start doing is videochat with family located across the country. Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with? Or is it adequate, or even better since a 0.3MP outgoing video feed requires much less uplink bandwidth? (They have a basic cable modem from Comcast.) Advice appreciated.

.3MP cameras are a joke. Usually when you see a video on youtube that was recorded with a 1MP (or less) camera there will always be a comment accompanying it that reads: "Was this recorded with a potato?"

Here is a great webcam It doesn't suck up bandwith and your family will actually be able to recognize your folks. As an added bonus, It qualifies for free super saver shipping and is under 20 bucks.
I used it for a few years before upgrading to an HD cam that I can't use to full potential because I'm on wireless.

Also Also, That camera should automatically adjust to stream the best quality your internet can handle.

I just bought an i3 machine for my mom that has the same chassis. Be advised: the onboard speakers are laughably terrible, far worse than average. The chassis also feels cheap and plasticy, and the machine ships with a load of bloatware.

I purchased the Asus K52F-BBR9 15.6” HD LED Laptop with WiMAX in June of last year and it ran great until the Seagate 500Gb HD failed one night. I replaced it with a WB Blue 1TB drive and am still very happy (except for the loss of some ASUS specific drivers).

Second gen i5 with an OK price, although I don't know how well Asus refurbs tend to hold up (never had one). Screen isn't great, and nothing too special overall, but not bad either.

What I find hilarious is the side profile photo. They've tapered the front of the laptop way down to try to give it the appearance of being "thin" but it's so exaggerated that it seems to almost have the opposite effect. Don't be surprised if the other laptops start to laugh and call it names.

OK, I just bought an IBM T43, for 25 dollars INCLUDING shipping. When I finish it, it will be almost comparable to this, but will leave about 300 dollars in my pocket. Sorry, no camera. No 4 GB of memory. (Only 2GB.)

But, it will have W7 pro premium, and I'll have the remaining $300.

It will also be a bulletproof IBM.

steve

skou wrote:OK, I just bought an IBM T43, for 25 dollars INCLUDING shipping. When I finish it, it will be almost comparable to this

Um, wasn't a T43 Pentium-M based? Those topped out at 2.26GHz as I recall, so for comparison purposes:

http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+M+2.26GHz

Versus

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2450M+%40+2.50GHz

So if by almost comparable you mean nearly the same clock speed but, oh, something around only 15% of the actual performance, then sure. There's a reason it was $25. Can't argue with having extra cash if a 4-generations-older CPU is fast enough to meet your needs though.

skou wrote:OK, I just bought an IBM T43, for 25 dollars INCLUDING shipping. When I finish it, it will be almost comparable to this, but will leave about 300 dollars in my pocket. Sorry, no camera. No 4 GB of memory. (Only 2GB.)

But, it will have W7 pro premium, and I'll have the remaining $300.

It will also be a bulletproof IBM.

steve

Really not getting the point of this post....

Not bad deal for this processor id say. Just think the way to go is SSD drives. Just not enough lappys with them on the market just yet.

newjerseymax wrote:Not bad deal for this processor id say. Just think the way to go is SSD drives. Just not enough lappys with them on the market just yet.

It's a refurb anyway though, so just toss the 500GB drive into a USB drive enclosure and drop in a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD (or whatever SSD you prefer, but those are plenty fast, reliable and have been on sale (new) recently for $89 shipped, or $169 for the 256GB). 128GB is plenty for the OS and a bunch of applications if you keep any necessary large data elsewhere.
Of course there are lots of other laptop models in a similar price range that you could easily do the same with.

bls1 wrote:Looking for a laptop for my retired parents, who want something that can manage basic web stuff.

So this seems fine, but the one thing they are keen to start doing is videochat with family located across the country. Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with? Or is it adequate, or even better since a 0.3MP outgoing video feed requires much less uplink bandwidth? (They have a basic cable modem from Comcast.) Advice appreciated.

.3 camera is actually beyond a joke. You might as well give them a cellphone. I would recommend looking at Walmart online they have some cheap ones with a better camera and basic needs for a cheaper price.

I can't attest to this particular laptop, but I do own an Asus and use it as my primary computer. I have had mine for 2 years with no issues, which for a lower-end laptop and 10 hours plus of use a day, I'd say they're reliable machines.

Never liked the ASUS laptops. Heavy, screen glare and speakers that sound like the scratchy little internal speaker inside a desktop. My Cheap DELL's volume blows it away.

Can you add more memory easily ?
How about swapping the hard drive for a larger one ?

STAY AWAY!! I had one of these or a similar one and it was a DOG. I am by no means an expert on anything, but I have been in IT for 15 years so I know a bit more than the average user. Within 2 weeks of usage, it slowed to a crawl and was unusable. I blew the entire drive away, re-partitioned and reloaded a clean Win 7 Pro and within a few more weeks it was once again unusable. Freezing, BSOD, 3 minute start ups, I tweaked and tuned the hell out of it, but to no avail. This found it's way to the recycle center in record time. Wouldn't buy another ASUS for ANY price. Oh, and talk about bloatware, it was everywhere. It took me days to locate and remove it all. Do yourself a favor, and just stay away.

The speakers on my Asus are worthless. The volume sucks (way too low even on max). I wouldn't buy another ASUS unless I could play around with it and listen to some stuff and see if the speakers were as bad as mine.

Not a great deal. Can get dedicated graphics with an a6 for this price and do light gaming ( d3 on high). If you don't care about gaming, not sure why the i5 advantage would matter.

Have had a few Asus laptops - the quality is almost always in line with their suggested retail price

I bought this laptop a few months ago for 400 - plays d3, sc2 on high, bf3 on medium.

http://dealnews.com/Acer-Aspire-AMD-Quad-1.5-GHz-16-LED-Laptop-for-400-after-rebate-9-s-h/602834.html

I have one of these to serve as my home DVR through windows media center. It was recommended by CableCutterGuys as a cheap laptop for a media center, but only if you don't need the built in speakers. I don't. Anyway, mine's on all the time and no problems.

Asus products have seemed to diverge into creating a high end and a lower end product line, when in the past most of their stuff was higher quality. It seems like they dropped the price and the quality on some of their stuff so they could compete with HP, Acer, etc easier on the budget level stuff. This laptop has a lot of nice stuff going for it with the exception of the Intel-HD graphics and the 4 cell battery- this is definitely something from their budget line. The price is very average for a refurb and about $60 too high for a woot refurb. So basically this is how I feel:


**NOT IMPRESSED**

1366x768??!? This offends me for some reason!

*grumblegrumblegrumble*

I'll give Asus a negative review:

I have owned 2 Asus laptops and 3 Asus motherboards. I haven't had any significant issues with the motherboards. I have however had issues with the monitors on both of my laptops. The issue was the same on both. Something with how they lay the video cable connecting the monitor to the graphic cards isn't secure enough. I had the issue arise while under warranty one time. Calling their customer service isn't exactly pleasant. After 3 calls in for the same issue they followed through and sent me my RMA # and a packaging slip. The last representative was friendly and paid for my shipping when I explained the frustrations I faced with the previous two reps.

The non-cable portions of the laptops work fine. My oldest is going on 4 years now. I have to disassemble the top half of the laptop every couple months to reseat the video cable. This last time I wrapped it in electrical tape because the wire enamel was wearing off. I just told my wife to stop closing the laptop. That seems to avoid re-creating the problem. On a positive note, I was pleasantly surprised to find both laptops use samsung monitors.

More data needed.

WiDi WiMax supported?

SATA3 controller and HD supported?

USB 3.0 support is nice!

Aren't most similarly priced laptops 0.3 mpxl cams? And why are peeps complaining about bloatware. Name one branded and not special ordered notebook that doesn't come with bloatware!

bls1 wrote:Looking for a laptop for my retired parents, who want something that can manage basic web stuff.

So this seems fine, but the one thing they are keen to start doing is videochat with family located across the country. Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with? Or is it adequate, or even better since a 0.3MP outgoing video feed requires much less uplink bandwidth? (They have a basic cable modem from Comcast.) Advice appreciated.

How technologically literate are these folks? If they are just "consuming content" a tablet might be a better choice?

Chiclet keyboards. Just say no.

Meh.

dvdchris wrote:Chiclet keyboards. Just say no.

These are great keyboards if you don't really know how to type like me.I could see where a real typist might have issue though.

Can you get a dock for this thing? My search turned up nothing at ASUS website or Worst Buy (where they also have it for sale as a refurb for $20 more).

I'm thinking I'd want a laptop that I can easily plunk down on a dock to connect to my *real* ergo keyboard and widescreen monitor and gigabit hardwired ethernet (and power) when I don't want to use it around the house.

is this quick enough for streaming movies?

russwjohns wrote:And why are peeps complaining about bloatware. Name one branded and not special ordered notebook that doesn't come with bloatware!

WiDi WiMax supported?

I hate bloatware. I heard the new Vizios laptops come without bloatware. If so, that would be a HUGE selling point worth lots of $, at least to me.

Surprised it does not have WiDi, seems to have all the requirements. But if they do not list it, then you have to assume it does not have it.

http://bestlinkelectronics.com/HP DV6-3217cl Dual Core notebook pc Laptop Brand New - dv63217cl

brand new hp with 1year waranty

this is better deal i think

No feedback to my earlier questions? In for one anyway for my brother to use in his business.

Chiclet keyboards. Just wish they would have a bigger home key dot on the F and J keys so I'd know I had my fingers in place. I like my older Dell Latitude D830's KB.

btw... there's a similar equipped Lenovo on sale at Fry's for an extra $40 without usb 3.0 for those inclined to pay more.

bestlinkelectronicsdotcom wrote:http://bestlinkelectronics.com/HP DV6-3217cl Dual Core notebook pc Laptop Brand New - dv63217cl

brand new hp with 1year waranty

this is better deal i think

Am not sure what the OTD price is on that but no intel i5 processor (uses AMD Anthlon II Dual-Core P360 2.30GHz processor), no USB 3.0 support port, BUT does have a Blu-ray ROM player. Same screen rez. Weight spec seems off - 3 lbs? Doubtful. Says SRP is $700 but I wouldn't pay anywhere near that.

This ASUS offering seems to be one of the best Price/Performance deals since the Walmart E-Machines intel dual-core Spring offering 2 years ago.

alderson21 wrote:Can you get a dock for this thing? My search turned up nothing at ASUS website or Worst Buy (where they also have it for sale as a refurb for $20 more).

I'm thinking I'd want a laptop that I can easily plunk down on a dock to connect to my *real* ergo keyboard and widescreen monitor and gigabit hardwired ethernet (and power) when I don't want to use it around the house.

I don't think it supports a dedicated dock (although I didn't do much research on this specific model).
In general, mid to lower end consumer laptops (and even some higher end ones) simply do not have docking connectors, unless you want one of those 1ame USB "docks" that sends the video across USB (with predictably poor results; highly NOT recommended).

If you really want a dock, pick a business-class laptop (for example most Dell Precision, any HP EliteBook, most Lenovo ThinkPad W/L/T series, etc). You'll pay more though (however the better build quality is often worth it).

If you simply want to use an inexpensive laptop like this with an external keyboard, monitor, etc, just use the built-in ports (HDMI/USB/RJ45). Sure, it's a couple more cables to plug/unplug when you want to take it somewhere else, but you'll be much happier with how it works than something like this piece of junk:
http://commercial.asus.com/product/detail/49/*

*Link included for reference purposes only. Don't buy one of those. You've been warned.

If it says ASUS on it, don't buy it. I bought a 6 core system from them here on Woot. NOTHING but headaches. It never worked from day 1. I sent it back at least 4 times before I could GE one that would even BOOT UP! Stay away from these. Check out the comments at www.asus-sucks.com to hear some of the horror stories.

bls1 wrote:Looking for a laptop for my retired parents, who want something that can manage basic web stuff.

So this seems fine, but the one thing they are keen to start doing is videochat with family located across the country. Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with? Or is it adequate, or even better since a 0.3MP outgoing video feed requires much less uplink bandwidth? (They have a basic cable modem from Comcast.) Advice appreciated.

If you go the tablet route, this Acer A500 for $229 is a great deal on a very good tablet. It has a front facing (chat) 2MP and a rear facing 5MP camera. It has a full size USB, it's upgradeable to ice cream sandwich via manufacturer update. http://www.redtag.com/

Don't let the webcam be a deterrent on this laptop- webcams are cheap and after market ones are a lot more configurable. Here is one for less than $20 (shipped)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826193057