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!

No Touchscreen

Looks like bestbuy had it for $450 at one point, plus in-store pick up! Amazon has it for $550 http://www.amazon.com/Asus-K55A-15-6-Laptop-Wireless-N/dp/B00A087QX6

ChicagoJack wrote:No Touchscreen

It's sort of a requirement now if it comes with windows 8!

I'm not a huge fan of Asus computers, so read this review RED STAPLER!

http://www.handingchao.com/review-on-asus-k55a-hi5103d-15-6-inch-laptop/

Touchscreen on the Surface PRO (not RT) will cost around $1,000.

Plus the 128GB storage really is about 82GB.

This is $399 w/ 500 HDD.

Different machines for different purposes. Not a bad deal, depending on the buyer and their use case.

Dual Cores are kind of dying out, though this machine would probably be fine for basic student/work use. Internetting and documents and all that. $400 (refurbished) is a pretty decent price. Personally I would spend maybe another $150 and get a new one with quad core.

Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

ThunderThighs wrote:Hey all, just thought I'd let you know that lichme, a wooter, is taking over the project of posting all the PLUS deals. I'm thrilled that someone in the community is doing this. Check out his awesome stuff by clicking the link in my signature.

Nifty! Way to go, Lichme!

Lemme get this straight:
1. Refurb (aka USED,broken,fixed)
2. lousy 1366x768 rez
3. non-SSD drive
4. VGA webcam
5. 5.5 lbs
6. no touchscreen & comes with Win8
7. over $250

woot poops on the floor

Woot, My wish list. Please take microsoft 8 off the machine and sell it for $175.00 less. Guess I will have to wait till MOOFI.

conanthelibrarian wrote:Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

after 5 years on MacBook pros, windows 8 (with touch screen) has brought me back. I can't imagine buying a computer without a touch screen now. I can't stress enough that win8 is built for the touch screen. I wouldn't recommend it without that feature, although this is a pretty good deal and likely worth it.

Windows 8 is made with touch screens in mind. Smoother work flow and other built in features. I can't see myself spending money on a win 8 system without touch. I will be getting one when a good deal comes along. By then service pack 1 will have worked out alot of bugs. Oh yeah it will NOT be a RT Windows 8 either. Limits most normal software. And is one of the big mistakes of Microsoft again.

Personally, I don't think you have a clue! My laptop is a Dell XPS running a 2.93 core 2 duo extreme. My quad core desktop cannot keep up with this machine.Dual Cores are kind of dying out, though this machine would probably be fine for basic student/work use. Internetting and documents and all that. $400 (refurbished) is a pretty decent price. Personally I would spend maybe another $150 and get a new one with quad core.[/quote]

Dual cores are fine for most things. This one has a 2.5ghz dual core in it. Witch is fine it wont slow you down as bad as the video card in the machine. That is where alot of horsepower comes from for doing a lot more with your computer. I have a quad i7 and a utility show me that even under heavy use only half the cores are maxed and the others hardily ever move.

mb9023 wrote:Dual Cores are kind of dying out, though this machine would probably be fine for basic student/work use. Internetting and documents and all that. $400 (refurbished) is a pretty decent price. Personally I would spend maybe another $150 and get a new one with quad core.

sellbuyer92 wrote:I'm not a huge fan of Asus computers, so read this review RED STAPLER!

http://www.handingchao.com/review-on-asus-k55a-hi5103d-15-6-inch-laptop/

That was no review. That was just a rundown of the specs.

Since this doesn't have a touchscreen, the first thing you should do is get rid of Metro. You can do that with either Start8 or RetroUI for $5. Then it'll pretty much be Win7 with a few improvements (copy/move, task manager), so you don't need to worry that it's Win8.

Still 768 vertical is so, so, cramped. I guess for $399 it's okay, but here's another tip: put the taskbar on the side or you'll lose another 10%. So claustrophobic!

ChicagoJack wrote:No Touchscreen

At this price point you want a touch screen, are you on crack?

FWIW, refurbished doesn't always mean that it was broken. A friend of mine used to work in corporate sales at Dell. She said that most of the machines on their refurb site were returns from customers who had received a machine with the wrong options or had just changed their mind. Since they were still returns from customers, they couldn't sell them as new.

I luv my Win 8 but then again I have the hardware to make it work.

It is a touchscreen in mind OS but I can easily dash my mouse around to do what it needs to do. Plus all those lovely apps in the store to play with. I'm having fun playing the piano and playing Adera. Plus all the free music on the xbox music and easier access to emails with just 1 click.

Goodbye Win7

Almost had me... but no HDMI.


[MOD: Specs say one HDMI]

steelerboy26 wrote:Almost had me... but no HDMI.

look at Specs

kwsheffield wrote:FWIW, refurbished doesn't always mean that it was broken. A friend of mine used to work in corporate sales at Dell. She said that most of the machines on their refurb site were returns from customers who had received a machine with the wrong options or had just changed their mind. Since they were still returns from customers, they couldn't sell them as new.

I agree. Many companies will lease laptops and workstations and then return them for new models at the end of these leases. These machines are then refurbished and resold as they can't be sold as "new".

stevesds wrote:Lemme get this straight:
1. Refurb (aka USED,broken,fixed)
2. lousy 1366x768 rez
3. non-SSD drive
4. VGA webcam
5. 5.5 lbs
6. no touchscreen & comes with Win8
7. over $250

woot poops on the floor

If you can find a machine with higher resolution, an i5 or better, a touchscreen, and an SSD at this price point, please share with the rest of us.

Very few applications actually take advantage of the i7. Unless you have a specific use in mind that uses quad core. Consider i7 and i5 the same. This is a fast i5 for a mobile system. It also comes with the HD 4000 graphics which at the native resolution of this monitor will actually play PC games. The resolution, while not being the best, is good enough considering the screen size at least for movie and gaming viewing. The only thing I would be concerned of would be having a small desktop space to work it. This is a fairly powerful laptop for a reasonable price.

Windows 8 is not just for touch screens. I use W8 on my gaming desktop PC and it works very well, slightly better than W7 did.

mb9023 wrote:Dual Cores are kind of dying out, though this machine would probably be fine for basic student/work use. Internetting and documents and all that. $400 (refurbished) is a pretty decent price. Personally I would spend maybe another $150 and get a new one with quad core.

Those extra cores would still sit idle for the tasks you mentioned and you'd be out $150.

(FWIW, for a non-gaming, entry-level system like this one, I'd submit that the $150 would likely be better spent on a solid-state drive for noticeable everyday speed gains.)

Here's a link to the benchmarks for perspective:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

And a link to this specific i5:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3210M+%40+2.50GHz

Also note the i7-840QM (4 cores, powerhouse from 2010) scored a 3539. This i5 scores a 3836. Heck, the i3-3120M scores above that old powerhouse i7.

The i5 in this machine is no slouch.

The vast majority of people considering a laptop at this price point aren't going to often be encoding, rendering, editing video, or gaming heavily (especially with integrated graphics), and they will be more than pleased with this i5's performance.

Here's a link to PC Mag explaining the difference:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404675,00.asp

And a quote from the link:

So, long story short: Core i5 is made for mainstream users who care about performance, and Core i7 is made for enthusiasts and high-end users. If you follow this mantra, you're likely going to find the system you're looking for.

This is a good deal at this price, and Asus generally has good build quality and reliability. I'd have no problem buying this or recommending it to a non-gamer.

The warranty is short so I'd probably also suggest Squaretrade, but since you've got 30 days after your purchase I'd wait until a 30% off coupon code came out and buy an extended warranty directly from them. In my experience Squaretrade would just send you a check for the amount of this laptop if something went wrong. They generally don't seem to waste time and money for $400-$500 laptops. YMMV of course.

steelerboy26 wrote:Almost had me... but no HDMI.


[MOD: Specs say one HDMI]

There you go, now you can buy one !

We have two of these in our household - they were obtained from Best Buy at $400 each new after extremely aggressive Black Friday shopping (I had to travel a bit to pick one up). For a solid basic machine, this woot offering is a good price. We've been happy with them. I boot up to the Win 8 start screen, then open the "desktop" app and stay there the whole time I work

conanthelibrarian wrote:Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

I bought this same laptop for my daughter for Christmas. After spending a few hours on it trying to get used to windows 8 I decided it was time to buy me a Mac. The touch pad is very sensitive to the heat of the palm of my hands so Win8 keeps popping up the app screen in the middle of typing. Very frustrating. Win8 has other quirks and tries to hide the old functionality of prior windows versions. Win 8 also put its hot spots in the corners where programs tend to put their close buttons or other functions. Sorry woot, Win8 is what kills this deal. Otherwise not a bad laptop.

conanthelibrarian wrote:Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

Just get Classic Shell for free:

http://www.classicshell.net/gallery/Start-Menu

or buy Start8 for $5:

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

and you'll hardly know the difference (except for it being much faster).

oldtaku wrote:Since this doesn't have a touchscreen, the first thing you should do is get rid of Metro. You can do that with either Start8 or RetroUI for $5. Then it'll pretty much be Win7 with a few improvements (copy/move, task manager), so you don't need to worry that it's Win8.

Still 768 vertical is so, so, cramped. I guess for $399 it's okay, but here's another tip: put the taskbar on the side or you'll lose another 10%. So claustrophobic!

which is better, retro UI or start8?

I have this laptop, only difference is mine came with Windows 7. I LOVE it, granted only really use it for basic stuff. It is light, runs VERY cool, very quiet. Battery life has been very good too, the laptop will float around the house for a week or so with light use before I have to plug it in. I had to use the Asus customer support for a technical question at one point, and must say was a pleasant experience compared to most.

Who refurbished the Asus in todays Woot?

ThunderThighs wrote:Hey all, just thought I'd let you know that lichme, a wooter, is taking over the project of posting all the PLUS deals. I'm thrilled that someone in the community is doing this. Check out his awesome stuff by clicking the link in my signature.

Thanks for the feedback!

ThunderThighs
Does this laptop qualify for downgrade rights to Windows 7?
http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/downgrade_rights.aspx#fbid=rkk3Jok6faj


FYI the i5 is dual core but runs multithread so it runs like a 4 core.

ChicagoJack wrote:No Touchscreen

This is NOT a tablet. Besides, who needs peanut butter smears on their display.

conanthelibrarian wrote:Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

Just install Classic Shell and you'll have an upgraded Win7 experience. The Metro interface is OK if you just want to check your social networks, read the news, or catch up on sports scores.

i just bought a acer aspire v5 floor model for $399 at best buy with touchscreen but that was a rare find retail was $550 but its only a intel i3 but i love it

conanthelibrarian wrote:Does anyone care to speak about the usability of Windows 8? I would like a new computer but new things scare me! haha

I just got an Asus A55A. It looks identical to this one in the pictures. Identical. I have an i3 with a 750 gig hard drive running Windows 8. So here's my thoughts on my new Windows 8 machine:
1. It seems very fast for my needs. I don't use it for gaming though.
2. 400 gigs of my hard drive is partitioned into a D drive named DATA, straight from the factory. Almost all of that space is free, so out of my 750 gig hard drive, only about 240 gigs is actually available for my use. So far this is my only complaint about Windows 8 machine. IF anyone here can explain the need for a 400 gig D drive on my machine, I'd be grateful. I asked Asus also and am waiting for a reply.
3. I don't have a touch screen, but I use a wireless mouse and have no trouble. I have an iPad and touch screen is fine for that, but I don't miss the touch screen on my laptop. If I wanted a touch screen laptop, I'd get the Surface machine.