ASUS D450CA-AH21 14-Inch Laptop (Black)
D450CA-AH21; Black; No Touch Screen; 14.0″ HD (1366×768), glossy; Intel Pentium 2117U (1.8GHz); Mobile Intel HM70 Express Chipsets; 4GB DDR3L (1600MHz); 1x Socket (one slot installed w/ 4GB) for expansion up to 8GB; Intel UMA ; 320GB 5400RPM; DL DVDRW/CD-RW; Windows 8 (64bit); 802.11BGN; HD Camera; No Bluetooth; Chiclet; 37WHrs, 2600mAh,4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion Battery pack; 1YR International/1YR Accidental Damage/30-Day Zero Bright Dot/2-way FREE shipping/24-7 tech support
Product Features
- Intel Pentium 2117U 1.8 GHz
- 4 GB DDR3
- 320 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
- 14.0-Inch Screen
- Windows 8
MISLEADING REVIEWS DISCLAIMER This review was published when the laptop was priced at 299.MISLEADING REVIEWSI review items (over 160 to date). It’s disturbing to see two “reviews” that have nothing to do with the product. This deal popped up from dealnews.com and I was very close to closing the window based on the “horrible” rating. That is clearly unfair. Someone justifying the product gave it a mediocre review and the other person gave the product two stars and didn’t even receive or test the product.MY REVIEW IS TO BALANCE THAT OUT AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.If you are looking for a cheap laptop this one certainly meets the spec.Pros:Dealnews.com ranks this as the best priced Pentium laptop of the year (as of 12/2/2013).Asus is a solid and reliable brand. Customer service is stellar (if you do read the original review you can see that Asus directly contacted the reviewer to state that this is a valid product)4.2lbs – On the lighter side of the inexpensive laptop spectrum1366x768 screen resolution is standard. The screen should look as good as any in the $200-$600 price range.HD Camera – Mom will like that for skype. This means I get to actually see my nephew and not the pixelated mess that I’ve been dealing with :)Intel Pentium 2117U – Ivy bridge 1.8 GHz is nothing to frown about. It’s a generation behind (Haswell being the latest and greatest) but is a solid performer none the less. It is on the lower end of the Ivy bridge spectrum which almost makes me want to put it in the “expected” category, however after months of research I still feel that this is a processor that should go in a slightly more expensive computer ($400-$500 range)..aka you’re getting more bang for your buck. Keep in mind that this is a Pentium. In my experience that means all the difference. (see note 1 for an explanation of this processor straight from Intel)Expected:Ram – 4GB is standard. I like my laptops running with 8gbHard Drive – 320GB is also standard for this price pointCons:”HD Cam” – Yes it’s in the pro section but I couldn’t find the resolution of the webcam. I’d like to know that going in, however it’s not a dealbreakerSummary:I am an avid fan of Asus owning both the new Nexus 7 (yes they make that) as well as a small inexpensive portable that I purchased two years ago. I ran a far less powerful Asus model through the ringer with the demand that I placed on it in both Google earth and Microsoft excel (I am a project manager for an LED company that pins light locations on google earth. Thousands of GPS coordinates put quite a demand on the CPU). I couldn’t be prouder of how it stood up. It slips right in my briefcase alongside my new Yoga Pro 2 (YP2 = 1,200 my old Asus $250). I still use it for the dirty work (we also install in manufacturing plants).I wanted to just balance out the star rating best that I could but decided to share some of my experience with Asus as a brand as well as the spec breakdown of the laptop. With a premium (Pentium) 1.8ghz processor and standard Ram this computer should run great for daily use. Don’t expect it to be your workhorse but something to use for web surfing and some light work. The reason I found myself here was because I am looking to help my mom purchase a laptop. After writing this and researching I feel like I might be purchasing one soon. Updates to follow if I do!Do some spec research before choosing, but please pay no mind to the two original reviews that are posted here.** Note 1 – Intel Pentium 2117U processor defined (notebookcheck.com)-The Intel Pentium 2117U is an Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) dual core processor for entry-level laptops. It is based on the Ivy Bridge architecture but many of the features like Turbo Boost, Virtualization VT-d, HyperThreading, AES or Trusted Execution are deactivated. The Pentium 2117U integrates a graphics card called Intel HD Graphics that is based on the HD Graphics 2500.The performance of the Pentium 2117U is slightly above a similar clocked Sandy Bridge Pentium CPU. Therefore, the performance is just slightly below the 2.0 GHz Pentium B940.Find my review unhelpful? Please let me know why in the comments field. This is my first unowned product review based solely out of need. I do have plenty of experience in computers and would be happy to answer any questions that you have. I pride myself in writing helpful customer reviews for the Amazon Community.Thank you!
Great laptop for everyday tasks This is not a fancy laptop by any means. But it works very well for everyday tasks such as surfing the web, checking e-mail, organizing photos and YouTube. This is a Windows 8 laptop without a touch screen. It does not matter to me since it is connected to a 22″ led monitor and used as a desktop. I installed Classic Shell on the laptop and it works like Windows 7. I have two ASUS Windows 8 laptops (the other one is ASUS VivoBook X202E-DH31T-SL 11.6-Inch Touchscreen) and log on with my live.com account. Windows 8 syncs the user settings between the two laptops.The laptop has only two USB ports. I purchased AmazonBasics USB 2.0 4-Port Ultra Mini Hub so I can connect the mouse, keyboard and other USB accessories. The product description did not mention it; the laptop has an HDMI and a VGA port. The newer laptops generally only have the HDMI port. My older Viewsonic led monitor does not have an HDMI port so the VGA port is good to have. It comes with an optical drive. I know, I know, we are not supposed to use DVD’s anymore. But I happen to have old DVD’s around and having a built-in optical drive is a plus. When shopping for a value laptop, make sure to look for at least 4 GB of memory; anything less is not sufficient for today’s computing needs.I purchased this laptop on Black Friday Deals Week for a great price. The five star rating is taking into consideration of performance, value and customer service. I generally do not need tech support unless the product is defective. But I notice ASUS replies to the negative ratings. It shows to me that they care about customer experience. In summary, this is not a cutting edge laptop with the latest bells and whistles. But it is a well priced laptop great for everyday tasks.
Happy with my Asus Laptop Purchase I picked up this laptop on Black Friday Deals Week. After using it for about a week, I am very happy with my purchase. For some of the people doubting stuff about it, it does have a HDMI port and a optical disc drive. The screen is vibrant and clear, the speakers sound great, the touchpad/mouse is sensitive and responsive, and the keys have a nice feel to them. I am glad I picked this laptop up on the Black Fridays Deals Week.