HOT Turion X2 12.1" Notebook $699

J

jmag034

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
332
http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/s...0051&langId=-1&productId=155620&cmArea=SEARCH




* Specifications

Processor AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 1.6 GHz Mobile Dual Core
Cache L2 256 KB
Memory (RAM) 1 GB (512 MB x 2) / 2 GB (max)
Memory Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive 100 GB - Serial ATA - 5400 rpm
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVDñRW, Integrated
Display 12.1" TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Operating System Mircosoft Windows XP Media Center Edition w/ Service Pack 2
Battery Type 6 cell lithium ion 2.5hrs
Network Card Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Modem Speed/Type 56 Kbps
Audio Sound Card
Video Graphics nVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 integrated graphics Up to 256 MB shared
Dimensions 11.7"W x 8.4 "Dx 1.3"H
Warranty 1 year warranty
 
sweet deal for a 12.1. wierd though the top shows 80gb and 512ddr and at the bottom specificiations it says 100gb and 1gb. anyone asked them about this?
 
i thought adveratecs broke under their own weight... was i misled...?
 
I have an older Averatec 3150 and it is still kickin'. The case is starting to crack around the display from opening and closing it, but other than that it's held up pretty well. I'd buy another one personally.
 
I'd be sketched out buying that, look at the specs up top: they're way different.

* AMD Turion 64 X2 Tl-50 (1.6GHz) Dual Core Mobile Processor
* 512MB DDR2 memory
* 80GB Hard Drive
* DVD +/-RW
* 12.1" WXGA LCD Display
* Weight 4.08lbs
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional
* 1 year warranty
 
Staples probably goofed on the first specs. This is the same model I bought at officemax's black friday sale. It's running great right now, sweet little laptop. Turion x2, 1gb ram, and 100gb hdd.
 
I also got this from black friday. Pretty good laptop for the price. Very good quality (better than Dells I had from work).
 
Does this laptop have issues with the keyboard? Such as when typing certain letters, it doesn't register?
 
hows the battery life one these laptops?

and how well does the 6100 graphics run games? ie like CS:S and WoW (my latest addiction)
 
I work at Staples, and it really does have a 100GB disk and a gig of RAM.
 
OOS now. unless you can get another store to match it. I know CC carries it.
 
I picked up one of these on Black Friday.

1) If you don't know what you're talking about, don't say stupid things like "they break under their own weight." The build is a pretty good quality build. Screen is a beauty and the keys have a nice feel to them. I have pretty large hands so that's important for me.

2) It's incredibly light. 4 pounds is less than just about every text book I had last semester. I used to laugh at the idea of an ultraportable, but I take it all back!

3) It comes with a 100GB HD and mine came with ONE 1gb stick of ram. My understanding is that some have 2 512 sticks, but all of the BF ones had 1 1gb stick.

4) Battery life. When you first get it, run the battery optimizer and the fan calibration tools in the BIOS. Battery lasts almost 3 hours.

5) After you make your recovery DVD, get rid of all of their preinstalled software. Phoenix crap that you have to buy after 30 days.

Overall, for $540 (599 + 10% off for signing up for their credit card (which I later cancelled)), I'd give the lappy a 8 out of 10.

The cons are that it comes with NO CDs/DVDs of any type and Averatec has pathetic customer service. Also, the Vista Upgrade is for the 32 bit version and the company hasn't fixed their website yet.
 
How does the 6100 integrated compare to my current 64 meg 9600? Is it at least in the same neighborhood?
 
my friend has a comp with similar specs that runs wow just fine. i mean as long as you don't try to max everything out you should be fine. assuming you can get the laptop
 
Narius said:
will it run wow without lag?
Click to expand...

Run what?

I have a Averatec 3200 and it runs great. I bought it for school 2 years ago and it is still running strong. My wife now uses for her business. Mine can't play games very well because it only has an Intel graphic chip, but otherwise it run smooth.

If you want a lightweight small laptop then this is the one you want. I think it is well built.

-marc
 
What the heck's going on w/ the site?



Anyway, I saw this notebook at Staples and it seems lighter than an XPS1210! They're both limited to 10/100...no gigE, but for almost half the Dell, I may bite. So it only comes w/ 32bit premium tho?

EDIT: Link for Vista update gives me "Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit CD/DVD" Anyone know what the upgrade cost would be to 64-bit? Ultimate?
 
Damn this thing! It's soooo close to being what I need. The touchpad boils from heat along w/ the front edge in as far as the width of the pad. Also the screen's got some ferocious backlight bleed along the bottom.

I suppose I'll play around w/ it for a little while longer and see how it goes...

So anyone have this notebook? Is the heat/display normal?
 
yes a 6100 can run wow and css, not at high settings obvisouly, but you can play them
 
Jodiuh said:
Damn this thing! It's soooo close to being what I need. The touchpad boils from heat along w/ the front edge in as far as the width of the pad. Also the screen's got some ferocious backlight bleed along the bottom.

I suppose I'll play around w/ it for a little while longer and see how it goes...

So anyone have this notebook? Is the heat/display normal?
Click to expand...
No that's not normal. When plastic is boiling that's pretty much a few hundred degrees. Normally I don't like to handle plastic in a plasma like state, but when it reforms into a solid, you promptly march it back to the store and ask for one that doesn't reach 400 degrees.

As for bleeding, none that I have noticed.
 
Haha, it does get hotter than anything else on the notebook tho. And it extends a good few inches past the touchpad on either side. Basically, it's a wrist warmer now. :( Staples doesn't have anymore and I can't find any in the area either...

EDIT: It didn't feel anywhere near as smooth as the C2D in my desktop. Can't say I'm surprised...

 
The area to the right of the touchpad should get a bit warm, as that's the area on the opposite side of the cpu heatsink and fan.

If you have 'ferocious' backlight bleeding that won't go away, return it.

And if you're expecting a turion to perform like a C2D from a desktop.... well nothing I can tell you there. But you bought the wrong lappy.

For myself, it was hard to pass up a dual core $550 laptop that came with a gig of ram.
 
The area to the right of the touchpad is the HDD and gets barely warm. The area below the touchpad has the wifi card and what looks to be the NB. It gets crazy hot and very uncomfortable. The CPU HSF and exhaust barely even ran. It typically hit between 40C and 50C depending on what was going on.

And I'm not expecting the Turion to perform like a C2D. I merely stated how much smoother the C2D really is.

For $550, it's a remarkable deal. I paid $750 after tax and stillt think it's a good deal. There's another store close by that has 3, but even if the touchpad's fine...I'll probably hold out for a C2D model. Sure will miss that sexy gunmetal gray tho!

EDIT: The lack of true home/end/pg up/pg down keys saddened me as well. Tho that may be a 12" thing. :(
 
We're agreed there. The keyboard layout is the greatest flaw.

I really wish that they hadn't screwed it up so badly.
 
I just got 2 of these same laptops at Sams Club for $560 last week. Go there if your a member :) So far they are working great.
 
Yikes! My Sam's Club will sell me a display unit for $650. The LCD's cracked in 3 different spots and looks like the king of Tie Dye. :D

The XPS1210 has a standard keyboard layout and a C2D, but weighs a touch more, still doesn't have GigE, AND costs nearly $600 more. Another Staples has a pair in stock. I'm debating about whether or not to see how their touchpads are...
 
Update...

Haha, sorry about confusion. I went to another Staples and bought the last 2 in the Valley (Phoenix) AFAIK. Here's a listing of the problems encountered.

#1:
+CPU hit 67C while running Orthos large FFT (dual instances of Prime 95 stress test)
+Hitachi HDD (audible, warm, but quick)
+Solid LCD panel cover

-Crazy hot touchpad
-Serious Backlight bleed

#2:
+It turns on

-Crazy hot touchpad
-CPU hit 84C while running Orthos large FFT (dual instances of Prime 95 stress test)
-Very creaky LCD panel cover
-Samsung HDD (quiet, hot, and slower than the Hitachis)
-Some backlight bleed

#3
+CPU hit 65C while running Orthos large FFT (dual instances of Prime 95 stress test)
+Hitachi HDD (audible, warm, but quick)

-Warm/hot touchpad
-Creaky LCD panel cover
-Some backlight bleed

I still hate the lack of real page down/up/home/end keys, but this one will spend a week with me before I make my decision. Nothing else comes close under $1200.
 
I've got a 3715 and its a good little work machine. I just use it for word processing/web research/browsing and I couldn't be happier for the $. My friend paid more than twice as much for a Dell and while it certainly has its advantages, its just a question of a cost/benefit analysis (instead of just a laptop, I also built a new desktop with dual-19" lcds).
 
I think Jodiuh wound up returning all 3 or something.

Something to keep in mind with laptops, don't expect them to be desktops. Thin ultra portables that are inexpensive, are going to run like thin ultraportables that are inexpensive.

Reading around, they will be hot, because they don't have lots of airflow on the inside. 5400 rpm HD aren't insanely fast, but they get the job done. The gpu isn't exactly an X1950, but then again, in this case, the lappies only cost $550-800 depending on when you bought it.

Lastly, about Averatec, they don't have customer support. So if you didn't stress test your lappy when you first got it... then you screwed up. Good luck getting them to fix a problem.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with my lappy. Even with it's odd keyboard.
 
I don't have any complains about this laptop.

I don't understand why some claims there is heat issue. The touch pad portion does run warm to the touch. But that's it, just warm to the touch. It doesn't burn.

I have a Dell Latitude 610 from work. I don't even use that anymore. That thing really BURNS.
 
I did return all 3. They all burnt my fingertips. And the touchpad was MUCH hotter than the HDD or CPU.

I wasn't expecting to game or encode on these things, just web browsing, docs, pics, music, etc. But even firefox lit the poor guy's up.
 
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