****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I want to preface this review by saying that I do not require much out of a laptop outside of durability and reliable performance. I’m not a very demanding user—I don’t run a ton of demanding programs, and I don’t multitask much. My day to day use mainly consists of using Microsoft Office for my job, sending e-mails, streaming, and research. I do some light gaming, but I’m generally more of a console kind of gal so I haven’t tried to play anything too demanding on this machine yet. I don’t imagine this would be a fantastic heavy-duty gaming laptop, but I don’t think you’d typically expect that from this price range.For my needs, this laptop has been mostly what I paid for. It took a while to set-up, but otherwise it is fast and responsive. I do think that, for the price, I might have liked an SSD instead of a HDD, but I knew what I was getting when I bought this machine. I do love that it has a backlit keyboard and an optical drive—two features that are hard to find together at this price range.When I purchased this laptop the reviews were much higher, and I’ve noticed that a handful of users have had issues with speed. The only issues with performance that I have had with this laptop have been directly related to windows updates. About a week after I got this laptop it ran an update that slowed it to a crawl. Fortunately, it sorted itself out after the next restart but it was alarming. More recently, a windows updated messed with my projector display options. It would not let me duplicate the image on my screen, which happens to be an option I use a lot. That issue also resolved itself after a few restarts, but it did happen right before a presentation and it was very annoying. These problems aren’t new to Windows users, as updates are infamous for derailing computer performance.The battery life is pretty much exactly as advertised. I use this laptop for presentations often, and I’ve been able to go for four hours before needing to charge it, which I think is adequate considering I’m running presentation programs. I don’t travel a lot anyway, so I don’t personally need a longer battery life.I do have some complaints, one about the shipping of this item and a few about the machine itself.The metallic finish is nice. It doesn’t leave fingerprints and it’s easy to clean. However, it does feel a bit cheap for the price. I was expecting something a little more solid. I haven’t had any problems with scratches or cracks yet, but I do feel like this laptop’s body might not hold up to the test of time. But I’ll just have to wait and see.Speaking of cleaning, the screen is a bit of a pain to clean. It attracts a lot of dust, and I have to clean it often. I’ve yet to find a good cleaner that doesn’t streak on this screen. It doesn’t affect visibility, but at an angle it looks pretty bad. I can’t recall ever having had a computer screen that required this much cleaning.I also feel like, when running demanding programs, this laptop gets a little too hot. I always monitor it, and it’s never crashed on me, but I don’t think the vent is the best so I would caution users who try to push this machine too much and to invest in additional ventilation.Regarding shipping, it took too long for this machine to arrive. I ordered it on December 28th and it didn’t show up until January 15th. I deliberately selected a faster shipping option when I ordered this because I knew that I needed a machine for work, but it got stuck in limbo for a while. It claimed to have shipped almost immediately, but it didn’t actually track as leaving the states until over a week later. I don’t know if it got hung up by bad weather or what, but when you pay for better shipping you expect better shipping. The box also had a hole in it, but the machine was undamaged.Overall, this laptop suits my needs. I had been without a laptop for a while before I bought this one, and I had been using an old hand me down for my work needs and that thing was incredibly slow and inefficient. In comparison, this machine runs like a dream.However, I do think for the price I probably could have found something a little bit better if I had looked hard enough. I was in a bit of a time crunch, and I live in a place that can be hard to find shipping for items such as these, so I had to take what I could find when I found it.If you’re like me and you’re an average user who occasionally needs to run something more demanding, this laptop is more than adequate.6 weeks on this machine; the unit runs 18-20 per day, so far it hasn't skipped a beat. Will get back with any issues. Beware, there was a significant price swing ($143.00) from "Appalachian Store" the 3rd party company I purchased this laptop (a Christmas present for my wife). This vendor dropped the price on this unit $143.00 within a two-week period. I was going to buy a matching new laptop for myself (today) but since Appalachian Store over-charged me an additional $143.00, I'm buying my new laptop from another party.The product is very convenient. The price is good for the specs. the design is good. The device is fast and reliable. The only drawback is that it crashed a couple of times while doing ordinary jobs. I have not done tough jobs like 3D modeling so I am not sure how it will perform then. The overall value for money is very good.For the model and configuration I was expecting a jet but got only a good plane. 8th generetion i7 does not give what you would expect. The computer is just OK even with a GeForce 940MX.This is far and away the slowest computer I've ever owned. It takes forever to boot up; then moves slow. In addition, when if finally does load, it will not show the wallpaper I ask it to rather I get a blue screen. Some of this may be a result of Windows 10, not sure. All I know is I would NOT recommend this computer to anyone. I bought it because I was looking for a relatively fast computer for day trading and lite gaming. Slow, slow, slow.It’s a remarkable laptop For a reasonable priceI bought this laptop to replace the one that I had. It is suppose to be faster and more efficient. However, It was very slow compared to the laptop I have now, that I've had for 6 years now. Also it won't load my school website on any browser. Which is a big issue because you kind of need your school website when you're a student.My work is easy with this laptop!
