After some relatively inexpensive upgrades, this is an excellent laptop. The slate grey is mean and sleek, the aesthetic is Macbook-informed, and the screen estate is generous.
Recommended upgrades:
Note that for these you'll have to pry open the laptop casing and install components yourself. The slots into which you'll shove these parts should already be empty, as this laptop seems to have been built to accommodate mods. Getting this down-and-dirty with a new machine fresh out the box may seem risky if you aren't very tech literate, but it's nothing a few carefully watched YouTube tutorials can't solve. I watched probably every relevant (and some irrelevant) tutorial(s) out there just to be safe, and Tech Minimalist had the most helpful videos.
1) As many have pointed out, the included 1TB HDD is unacceptably slow for our century if you're using it use a boot drive. The solution is to order an aftermarket SSD. It can be as small as 128gb, though I sprung for a bit more space and got this 250gb one for just under $70:
Crucial MX500 250GB 3D NAND SATA M.2 Type 2280SS Internal SSD - CT250MX500SSD4
It works. The difference is night and day. Watch some YouTube tutorials on how to configure that as your boot drive, download Macrium Reflect, boot into BIOS (if you've never done this before, be warned: it feels really cool), etc. But does that mean the HDD is superfluous? No, you just use it as a storage shed from now on. It does come in handy.
2) the stock 8gb RAM is more than I'd ever had in a laptop, but I decided that if I was going to break open a new laptop anyway I might as well make the most of it and get insane. So I ordered an additional 8gb stick to make this a 16gb-RAM situation. And with the amount of memory that even Chrome alone sucks up (something like 40% with 15-20 tabs open), I'd say spring for it if you have the money. This was a bit over $80 and it works like a dream:
Crucial 8GB Single DDR4 2400 MT/S (PC4-19200) SR x8 SODIMM 260-Pin Memory - CT8G4SFS824A
If you don't have the money lying around, 8gb is still great (especially for the price), but.... 16gb is the real yerba mate / NZT / MDT-48 experience. Nothing EVER lags, unless I'm trying to open an 80gb dataset or something ludicrous, which event hen just takes about 5 seconds. If you can afford the investment, make it.
Note: If you've never installed a memory stick, just know that, at least on this computer, when you push it into the slot, it'll take some pressure, and it has to click in. You might feel like you're about to break something, but it's all part of the installation. You insert it sidelong at an approximately 45 degree angle, then push it down over these metallic levers that support the stick at perimeter points and seem rigid, but trust me, they'll give. Once it clicks, you're in. Watch those YouTube tutorials though.
After tax, that's a little over $800 for specs that in a new Macbook would cost three times as much.
Cons:
The keyboard isn't backlit, and it is kind of weak. You get used to it, but it's not top quality. Others have called it "flex", but that conveys an exaggerated impression. It's just a kind of lame keyboard, but I suppose that's the kind of corner-cutting that made this good deal possible. Nothing's perfect.
The power button is part of the keyboard. Kind of strange, but I never hit it accidentally and I'm clumsy, so you'll be all right.
Windows is abominable, but that is an unvarying reality of this price range. Feel free to experiment with a Linux flavor if certain things get too frustrating.
This is truly a sleeper laptop for the rest of us, handsome and functional with roomy upgrade potential.
PS: there's something of a community around this laptop. So many people have it that it's quite easy to find relevant tutorials online.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz core_i5_family |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 3.4 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 1000 GB HDD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 8 GB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 5 Hours |
