HP Pavilion dv7-4165dx AMD Phenom II Triple-Core N850(2.2GHz) 17.3" 4GB Memory 640GB Blu Ray Combo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 Mfr Refurbished Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this from another vendor as 'refurbished' for a similar price to amazon's.
Screen: huge, glossy, lovely. 1600x900 17.3"
Keyboard: interestingly different than most. I don't know the name of what this tech is called. The keys are not butted up against each other but separated, flatter, straight/individual. I like it a lot and I bet it's great for people with big fingers (or poor typing) who might normally hit more than one key. I'm not fond of the arrow key approach (it shrinks up/down to fit together between left/right) but I'll adapt. Has number pad. Bummer though, the numlock key has no light on it nor on the dash so you have no idea if it's on or not. However, the wireless and the 'mute' alt-function buttons have tiny lights as does the left caps lock. Black keys, typical of nearly all laptops nowdays, which since I use my laptop at night in the dark--and use a diff keyboard during my job hours so my brain-patterns are always 'adapting'--drives me crazy. There are little glow in the dark stickers you can get for keyboards to help with this.
Dash controls: nothing but power button and touch pad, however, media controls are built into function keys with ALT usage.
Touch pad: upside: large, smooth, defined edge. downside: pain in the butt to try and click. Not reasonable for constant use. The alternate 'tap' function so far is incredibly inconsistent. I may need more time/practice. A whole lot of it apparently. That is quite bothersome. Previous reviews I read elsewhere griped about this also. I don't think it's enough to weigh against the merits of the machine which are many--I'd still buy it--but if you don't mind mice (USB) because you mostly use it on a flat surface, you might want to get one. Definitely be sure you go into control panel and mess with your settings. It does have the various options for scroll, zoom in, zoom out, and 3-finger launch which is neat.
Ports: all the standards, USB on both sides, multi-option media card reader. Power cord on right side, sticks out the normal amount for laptops (alas). Standard wireless for this day and age. 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Guts: has a pretty decent processor, 4G RAM (the main reason I got this). If you do advanced gaming or 3D animation you'd want something with a lot more speed and RAM, but I do basic graphics and database work and it's fine for all that. Hard drive is large (640G). Go get 'minitool partition wizard' from cnet (free) and you can split it into a few drive letters for more practical storage/scanning/searching/defragging. (Note: if MPW it won't let you create a partition due to 'no MBR keys', change the non-C 'primary' drives this HP has in place to 'logical' (right-click to do that), then it will.)
Peripherals: has mic, internal speakers, webcam. These don't seem special to me but I'm no expert on that. The optical drive is CD/DVD, Blue-Ray and Light-Scribe which is about as much as you can ask.
The case is actually lovely, metallic silver with fine lines of engraving. The back of the lid has the round HP logo that is lit up. I guess so either you can tell it's on when it's closed or just because it looks neat.
Power: typical AC plus a battery said to be much longer life than normal -- and this despite the huge bright screen. I have not yet had cause to test this to verify it though. 9-Cell 93WHr Lithium-Ion Battery
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
Other software: well it's a typical fairly low-end laptop. So you mostly have a bunch of crappy bloatware that wants registration and you should uninstall it and use quality open source based software instead, if clicking a link to uninstall (control panel is where you do that) or install something (once you download an install file to your hard drive) doesn't seem too challenging. Use MS IE to go get free Firefox and Chrome then close IE. Use one of those to go to CNet and get free Avast (an Anti Viral program). Reboot. Uninstall the junk you don't want. Install all the windows updates critically needed. Install the various free software you might want. (I recommend: OpenOffice suite for all the microsoft-like programs, free. 7Zip or WinZip utility. Music Monkey or Jet Audio free jukebox. FileZilla free FTP. When possible stick to download dotcom and cnet dotcom for s/w because they will make sure it is 'clean'.) Textpad is not a free editor but is 'nagware' and is a good customizable colorcode editor if you write code or do much in text. This PC does however come with some decent software free such as two Corel graphic/video programs and Roxio. (I prefer PhotoShop but I can't afford it so I only have it if I steal it. PSP is a good program though. I haven't seen the photo version but the graphics version actually has a photoshop-style interface option.) The microsoft office stuff this machine says it comes with is just to suck you into $. So try OpenOffice which is just as good. Or just use google docs if you're not too demanding and like the idea of being able to get to your stuff from any computer anywhere.
Warranty: mine came with 90 days and I bought an extra year, I'm not sure what amazon's options are.
I think this is a really good computer for the price. I have had every brand of basic laptop (the

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PS3 Wireless Keypad Review

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(More customer reviews)The following are my conclusions and observations following several hours of testing. It is possible that I missed a feature or two but I am quite confident that I was able to test all the major ones.
The setup and first impressions:
-------------------------------
I don't know why, I imagined a bigger device. I am pleased to note that the keypad is a lot thinner than I imagined - about half an inch thick and pretty light.
It fits nicely on top of any standard PS3 controller thanks to a clamp that, once it clicks in, it makes the keypad appear as if it was part of the controller's body. The three controller buttons that it covers: PS3, Select and Start are present on the pad at their expected locations but they only work when the keypad is attached to the controller. All other buttons work regardless of the keypad being attached or detached.
The keyboard is okay but it's better suited for larger hands (or long thumbs). As a Blackberry user, I find this keyboard less comfortable than that of a classic Blackberry - but I've been using Blackberies for almost 10 years already so I may be a little bit spoiled or maybe biased toward their ergonomics.
As far as workmanship is concerned, my impression is one of a well-built, durable device. It integrates well, visually and functionally with the PS3 controllers.
The setup:
----------
After a couple of hours of charging through the USB port (cable not included), the keypad is ready to use. Once the On/Off switch is set to On, all that's needed is for the keypad to be connected to the PS3 through a USB cable and the pairing is done automatically.The workings:
-------------
The keypad operates in two modes: as a keyboard or, interestingly, as a touch pad.
In keyboard mode, you get a QWERTY keyboard with well separated, round little keys. The letters, numeric and punctuation keys are where you would expect them to be but the special keys are not exactly at their familiar places and some of the less essential ones (PgUp, PgDn, End, Home and the function keys) are missing. Special characters can be entered with the help of 2 modifier keys (the Blue and the Orange).
Three special keys allow you to enable the touch pad mode or quickly jump to your PS3 message box or friends list icons - I did not find the last 2 very useful.
Until you make yourself familiar with some of the less obvious key combinations it's a good idea to save the instructions pamphlet (a 17"x11" folded sheet) found in the package.
The touch pad mode is very interesting in that, after pressing the 'touch pad key', the keyboard is disabled and a section of the keyboard emulates a laptop's touch pad and the 2 cursor keys emulate mouse buttons and you can interact with your environment as if you were using a mouse.
I am a 'knob' person as far as mouse emulation is concerned but, based on my testing, the touch pad mode, while interesting and innovative, is not very well implemented. For example, while in Browser mode, it does not allow you to scroll down your browser window, something that is easily and intuitively accomplished with the R3/L3 analog sticks. The cursor, when controlled with the touch pad was jumpy, either moving from one corner of the window to another or, sometimes, not moving at all. The good news is that all the controller buttons, including the sticks, are fully functional all the time so, people like me, won't have to use the touch pad.
Brief evaluation:
-----------------
+ Bluetooth device, does not require dongles or wires
+ Replaces a full-size keyboard, well suited for entering passwords or brief messages
+ Perfectly integrated, physically and functionally with the PS3 controller - generally, it does not interfere with game play
+ Rechargeable battery
+ According to Sony (not tested by me) it can be paired with other Bluetooth devices (don't lose that manual)
- Adds weight to the controller
- Some of the special keys are placed at unfamiliar locations
- Keys 'real estate' wasted by assigning 2 keys to jump to the message box and the friends list
- Touch pad does not work very well
- Small hands may find it a bit uncomfortable
Before I started writing this review, I thought I was going to award this keypad 3 stars but, once I listed the pros and the cons I see that the negatives are relatively minor. The major disappointment is the touch pad but it's not something that I am going to miss because I am already happy with the R3/L3. 3.5 stars should be the fair score but I am rounding it up to 4 because my overall impression is positive.
With HOME now a reality, this is likely to become an increasingly useful add-on.

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The Wireless Keypad for the Sony PlayStation 3 turns your regular controller into a texting device with mouse input capabilities, while still maintaining full gameplay functionality. This Blue tooth device attaches to any DualShock 3 or SixAxis wireless controller and enables effortless Internet browsing, emailing and instant messaging on the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Home.
QWERTY Keypad Mimics Smartphones Adding the wireless keypad turns your regular wireless controller into a easy-to-hold, multifunctional device. Mimicking the QWERTY keypad on smartphones, this device is also designed for fast, thumbs-only typing. The unique touchpad feature allows for convenient scrolling and mouse for the PlayStation 3 on-screen display. When you touchpad is pressed, you can not use the keys for character input, but you can slide your finger on this area to select something on screen.
Blue tooth 2.0, Short Cut Keys, and More Dedicated short-cut keys provide time-saving instant access to Message Box and other online communication applications on the PlayStation Network. This device charges by connecting it directly to the PlayStation 3 system using a standard USB cable. It is important to note that this device features Blue tooth 2.0, with an operating range of up to 33 feet, and it comes equipped with a rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery (Capacity: 610mAh).
By integrating all these features into a sleek and elegant design you can further enhance your online interactivity on the PlayStation 3 system.

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TOSHIBA Qosmio X505 Notebook EXTREME (Intel Core i7 EXTREME second gen i7-2920XM Quad Processor - 2.50GHz with TURBO BOOST to 3.50GHz, 8 GB RAM, 64GB SSD and 1 TB Hard Drive 1064 GB total, BLU-RAY drive, harman/kardon AUDIO, 18.4-inch WIDESCREEN HD display, Windows 7 64-bit) DESKTOP REPLACEMENT Laptop PC Review

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(More customer reviews)The unit has a brilliant display and excellent performance. The solid state hard drive is a bit small and you need to be careful when installing applications. Be sure to send everything to the D: drive (spinning disk).
The keyboard is the worst I've ever used, and I've used many. I type-o constantly on this thing. The keys are too close together and have really bad feedback.
The hot buttons for mute, volume, power-save, media player, etc. are on the left-hand side of the keyboard instead of above it. Whoever made this decision should just plain be flat out fired. You can't type on this unit without constantly hitting one of these soft keys and causing the unit to beep and perform some function that you didn't intent. There's plenty of space above the keyboard where it would have been conveniently out of the way, yet easily accessible. This is the most annoying problem with using this laptop.
Bottom line: unless display size is your priority, the ergonomics of this laptop should be avoided. Go elsewhere.

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Dell XPS 17 Laptop, i7-2630QM, 6GB DDR3 Memory, 17.3in FHD WLED AG (1920x1080) Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus, 500GB 7200 RPM HD, Tray Load CD/DVD Burner, Windows 7 Home Premium Review

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(More customer reviews)I got the latest XPS 17 aka L702x last month to replace an HP Pavilion dv6. The specifications are,
CPU: i7-2630QM
DRAM: 6GB DDR3-1333
Screen: 17.3in FHD 3D
GPU: GeForce GT555M 1GB
Hard Drive: 640GB
Optical Drive: Blu-ray burner
Battery: 9-cell
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium.
My first impression is that the XPS is huge compared to the HP, even though the screen is just 1 inch bigger. The weight is also substantially greater. The 9-cell battery protrudes from the bottom, making it even harder to fit into tight space. Although the 9-cell is supposed to extend the battery life, I get just under 3 hours in mixed usage. So, the XPS is a desk-top replacement through and through. If mobility is an important consideration, the XPS 15 can be had with the same CPU and screen resolution, and will be a much better choice.
In terms of computing power, the XPS does not disappoint. The i7-2630QM is capable of 8 threads simultaneously, and I have not experienced any slow-down so far due to CPU overload. The GT555M can run all the latest 3D games if the graphics is set to low quality, but it gets really hot and loud, not to mention the quick battery drain. For gaming, a good desk-top remains the best option. The XPS comes with a pair of 3D glass, but I have not had the urge to try it out either for movie, because of the lack of interesting media, or for games, due to the heat and noise the GPU generates. I intend to use the computer for numerical work, and the CPU, the memory system and the hard drives are the key components.
6GB of memory and a 5400-rpm drive do not match well with the high-performing 2630QM, and I had planned to upgrade them right after the purchase. Once the machine arrives and gets its belly opened up, however, I am shocked to find just 2 SODIMM slots. Dell is advertising "up to 16GB RAM" in 4GBx4 configuration, and this is clearly not the case. After some exhaustive research, I finally find the explanation in an obscure Dell customer forum. It turns out that, to save literally a few pennies, Dell has used two different motherboards in the same model: one with 4 SODIMM slots and 3GB of GDDR RAM, the other with 2 SODIMM slots and 1GB of GDDR RAM. I had noticed and got puzzled by the $170 price difference when one stepped up from the GT555M 1GB to the GT555M 3GB. This kind of explains Dell's thought process in the pricing hierarchy. Still, I am upset that Dell fails to explain any of this on its website because there are customers like myself who do not care about the graphic RAM but do want to have the potential to upgrade to 16GB of system memory. I had paid $300 extra compared to HP dv7 for Dell exactly because XPS was supposed to be a premium brand without too much corner-cutting, but I under-estimated Dell's capacity for taking advantage of their customers. In the end, I can only replace the 2GB SODIMM with a 4GB module. The swap costs me $30 after the old SODIMM is sold on ebay, still much less than what Dell would have charged me to upgrade to 8GB memory in the factory.
Upgrading the hard drives, on the other hand, is something that the designers of XPS obviously take into account. The XPS comes with 2 drive bays, with the 640GB drive occupying the first one only. I have a new Crucial RealSSD C300 - Solid state drive - 64 GB - internal - 2.5" - SATA-600 ready and just have to move the 640GB drive to the second slot before replacing the SSD in the primary drive bay. Unfortunately, these drive bays are covered with aluminum shields that are attached to the motherboard with tiny screws. I strip one of the screw heads by using a driver a little too large. This necessitates some drilling followed by the application of a screw extractor. The whole process is extremely scary because of the danger of breaking the motherboard, and should be avoided if at all possible. In the end, I have to say that installing the SSD is quite straightforward if I had not had the accident with the screw. Once the hardware is in place, I reinstall the OS with the DVD which had cost me $19 extra, and wipe the 640GB drive to use for data. All the drivers are either included in a free DVD or can be downloaded from Dell's support site easily. The applications such as PowerDVD, however, are nowhere to be found. I have to call Dell support line and have the DVDs shipped to me, but they are at least free of charge. All together, the pre-installed softwares including the OS take up 30GB, leaving 29GB of usable space ("64GB" drives really have only 59GB of usable space in another case of misleading vendor advertisement.) on the SSD for other applications.
Once the upgrades are done, I am very happy with the performance of the machine. The SSD really makes a big difference. Windows 7 boots up at under 15 seconds and shuts down in 10. For this alone, I am willing to endure the bulk of the XPS 17 for the dual drive bays. Overall, however, I am somewhat less happy with Dell than HP for three reasons:
1. The HP dv6 just seemed more tightly put together;
2. I did not experienced misleading feature descriptions with HP;
3. I miss the fingerprint scanner on the HP notebook.


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Sony Blu-Ray Disk Remote for Sony Playstation 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)I did not think I needed yet another remote control because I thought the six-axis had everything it needed for movie playing on the PS3 and, yet, I bought one. There were 2 initial reasons:
- my wife was missing a 'magic wand' shaped remote for playing movies
- Amazon had it at a great price in one of them lightning deals
I ended up using it myself and, in fact, using it for more than just movie playing - see below.
But, let's do a quick inventory of features:
= It's blue-tooth enabled and, therefore, it's not taking any ports on your PS3. This is probably important for anyone who has a "2-USB ports console".
= It's wand-shaped, allowing the non-gamers to control their movie-watching activities while holding a familiar-shaped device in their hand.
= It maps ALL the six-axis buttons and performs everything a six-axis would do, except for the joystick features of R3 and L3 (but you do have the push-down or 'click' abilities for them).
= Includes additional buttons that the movie-only users would expect on a remote such as:
+ a number pad
+ eject
+ red, green, blue, yellow buttons
+ play, stop, pause
+ slow(step), scan(left/right), prev/next
+ display, top menu, pop up menu, return
+ subtitles, angle, audio
= 2 AA battery powered (still with the original Sony batteries after 4 months of use)
What is interesting about this remote is that you can use it for much more than movie-playing. Given that it has all the six-axis buttons, guess what? You can use it, and I do use it to:
- surf the web
- play music
- shop at the PSN store
- play certain games such as Sudoku
- turn the PS3 on/off when your six-axis controllers are in the charger and I am playing GT5 that is using a racing wheel
And, yes, you CAN turn the PS3 on and off with this remote. Turning it on is easy - you simply press the PlayStation button and the PS3 turns itself on. To turn it off, you either go as far to the left on the X-bar and all the way up and press Enter (the turn-off PlayStation icon will be highlighted) or you simply hold the PlayStation button pressed for a few seconds and then select 'yes' and press the X button a couple of times.
Overall: I am happy with this peripheral. Yes, it's one more remote control but it's a pretty good one, for the reasons I stated above.

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Motorola Bluetooth Active Headphones S9 - Headset ( behind-the-neck ) - wireless - Bluetooth Review

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(More customer reviews)My ipod nano's wired headphones annoy me when I exercise, so I wanted to find a wireless alternative. I was a little hesitant about buying these headphones and the ipod adaptor because of some negative reviews, but after using them I was happy to find that I have had no problems. In fact, these work great. The headphones fit comfortably in my ear and are easy to take on and off. The sound quality is better than my ipod headphones and is actually quite good. The touch sensitive controls for volume etc. take a little getting used to, but with a little practice they are easy to operate.I am a runner and have used these headphones both on the treadmill in the gym as well as outdoors, including very windy days. I have not experienced any loss of signal once the bluetooth connection has been established--and I have run literally hundreds of miles with this headset. It is a real pleasure to listen to my ipod without wires dangling all over me.
Please note that the bluetooth connection between the headphones and the ipod does not take place instantly. Turn the headphones on and wait for the solid blue light to come on that indicates that the headphones are in bluetooth mode. Then (1) turn on the ipod, (2) insert the adaptor (Note: inserting the adaptor before turning on the ipod did not permit a bluetooth connection to be established), (3) select the first song, and (4) hit the play button on the ipod. There is usually a delay of 10-40 seconds before the headphones make a bluetooth connection with the ipod. Not a big deal. I just restart the song from the beginning.
Making a bluetooth connection with my Samsung u-740 cell phone was a snap, and answering calls on the headphones was easy. I had no problem with sound quality.
Before purchasing these headphones and adaptor, you should keep some things in mind.
First, in order to insert the adaptor into the opening on the bottom of the ipod, either your ipod must be out of the case or you need a case that will give access. I use the latest Contour clear case, which does not permit a completely snug fit(due to two small plastic tabs around the earphone hole; you can remove these if you want), but snug enough so that a bluetooth connection can be established and the adaptor is in tight enough so that I don't worry about it falling out, and in fact it hasn't happened even when I run over rough terrain in the park. I bought an armband intended for the ipod shuffle, and use the belt clip on my Contour case to clip my ipod and inserted adaptor to the armband when I run. Everything is nice and secure.
Second, if you wear glasses, it works best to put the headphones on first and the glasses on second. The glasses won't fit quite as snugly as they normally do, but for exercise it will be fine. I found that if I put my sunglasses on first, the headphones did not fit as snugly in my ears, with a resulting loss in sound. The same thing applies if you wear a headband or bandana--put the headphones on first.
Third, since the headphones are curved in the back, if you wear anything with a collar that sticks up in the back, the collar will push against the headphones, which will come slightly out of their position in your ears. So wearing the headphones with a ski jacket won't work very well. With a thinner collar, you will occasionally have to reposition the headphones as the collar pushes against them. Also, if you wear a ski hat to run, you will not be able to pull it down over your ears.

Fourth, because of the back of the neck design, you will not be able to use these headphones comfortably to lay on your back (like on a blanket at the beach, a couch in your den, a chaise lounge by the pool) or to sit in a reclining position with your head back (like in a car or airplane).
Fifth, because the bluetooth adaptor goes into the socket that is used for charging, there is no way to use the adaptor and charge your ipod at the same time, as you can do using earbuds. Therefore for a long car or plane ride you are better off using your earbuds or some other headset.
So don't throw away your ipod earbuds or over-the-ear headsets, but do enjoy this unit in those situations where the limitations I described above don't matter.
All in all I am very satisfied with this product. If you are looking for a wireless solution, albeit not a perfect one, this is it.Update Nov. 10, 2008: I have now been using this product for one year and have been very satisfied with its performance. However, I am now on my third pair.
Shortly before Labor Day, the battery did not seem to be holding a charge, and I got a replacement set of headphones. I see from other reviews that other people have also had some battery issues, though I have no idea how widespread that is.
I started going to a new gym this fall, and it tends to very humid where the treadmills are. A couple of nights ago I was drenched in sweat and so were the headphones. The volume control stopped working (it was stuck on the highest volume) and there was static coming out of one of the earbuds. Fortunately it was not too late to get another free replacement from the store where I purchased them.
I note that all electronic items can be "zapped" by moisture unless they are specifically designed to be water resistant. It appears that these headphones are not. It never was an issue for me until I started running indoors at my new gym. Now that I know about the problem, I will just wipe them periodically before the sweat really builds up.


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HP Pavilion dv7-4153cl 17.3" Notebook PC (Refurb) Review

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(More customer reviews)My keyboard seems to have a mind of it's own. Sometimes when I type a word that begins with "p", it thinks I want to print. When I type the letter "t", it opens a new tab. Screen size changes randomly. I called HP. I was one the phone with them for over an hour. Issue was not resolved. I dread calling them again, but I will have to do that before I go crazy.

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ASUS N71JQ-X1 17.3-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Dark Brown) Review

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(More customer reviews)ASUS N71JQ-X1 17.3-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Dark Brown)
The reviews prior to this one say what a great laptop this is but that it lacked a Blu-Ray player. The description must have been off when most people first ordered this, and I would be upset if I had thought I was getting blu-ray player, but didn't. That being said, and I knew what I was getting. Let me be clear; this is an AMAZING value for what you're getting...even without Blu-Ray. Think about it; you're getting an Intel Core i7 laptop, with a 1GB ATI discrete graphics card, 17 inch, high def screen, and a 500GB hard-drive...oh and 4GB of Kingston RAM...all for under $1200 (as of this writing)? Are you kidding me?
I love this laptop, and I was a lifelong HP guy, until my screen died after 2 years of use...the build quality on this is incredible, the screen is beautiful, and as for Blu-Ray...meh. Everything's going disc-less digital anyway. A few years from now, and everything will be download only anyway.
Don't let the other reviews fool you, this is THE value in laptops, from one of the most well-decorated manufacturers of the last few years. Check out some sites on the net, do your research, and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion I did...this is the laptop to own.
Good luck and happy hunting.
ADDITIONAL INFO (Posted 3/22/2010) after using this laptop for the past few days, I can safely say that this was a great bargain. It's faster and more responsive than my previous HP that cost 3x as much. Also, it came with DDR3 1333 RAM instead of the advertised 1066. Nice little bonus. Point being, if you buy this laptop, I doubt you'd ever regret it.

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HP G72-B66US 17.3-Inch, Intel i3-370M, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, Intel HD graphic, Webcam Review

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(More customer reviews)I Purchased this for my wife at Staples and she loves it. We paid only $479 and you will not find anything near this Laptop even close to that price. It offers so much, an updated I3-Core 370 processor, 500 GB HDD, 4 GB Memory and more. Compare it to anything else and it is a no brainer. I have noticed that all of the local stores have it now as a promo with these fetures and they fluxuate each week in price from $599 down to $499 depending on the store ad's. Look at your circulers people. Dont get fooled by the other G72's out there for over $600 that have the the low end processors and less HDD and Memory (Walmart etc. for the low end slower model) This is a great deal. My only complaint is the new G72s and G62s have adopted the new mouse pad which takes a little getting used to, but believe me you get used to it within a week. Very Happy with this. Check it out. You will love it. Staples, Office Depot, PC Richards all offer it and every week, they alternate from $599 and lower but each store will allow the price of the other one if you bring in the circular. I am a PC fanatic and grabbed this deal. Happy Holidays and enjoy!!!!! KJ

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Sony SCPH-98046 Blu-Ray Remote Control - Remote control - Bluetooth Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I did not think I needed yet another remote control because I thought the six-axis had everything it needed for movie playing on the PS3 and, yet, I bought one. There were 2 initial reasons:
- my wife was missing a 'magic wand' shaped remote for playing movies
- Amazon had it at a great price in one of them lightning deals
I ended up using it myself and, in fact, using it for more than just movie playing - see below.
But, let's do a quick inventory of features:
= It's blue-tooth enabled and, therefore, it's not taking any ports on your PS3. This is probably important for anyone who has a "2-USB ports console".
= It's wand-shaped, allowing the non-gamers to control their movie-watching activities while holding a familiar-shaped device in their hand.
= It maps ALL the six-axis buttons and performs everything a six-axis would do, except for the joystick features of R3 and L3 (but you do have the push-down or 'click' abilities for them).
= Includes additional buttons that the movie-only users would expect on a remote such as:
+ a number pad
+ eject
+ red, green, blue, yellow buttons
+ play, stop, pause
+ slow(step), scan(left/right), prev/next
+ display, top menu, pop up menu, return
+ subtitles, angle, audio
= 2 AA battery powered (still with the original Sony batteries after 4 months of use)
What is interesting about this remote is that you can use it for much more than movie-playing. Given that it has all the six-axis buttons, guess what? You can use it, and I do use it to:
- surf the web
- play music
- shop at the PSN store
- play certain games such as Sudoku
- turn the PS3 on/off when your six-axis controllers are in the charger and I am playing GT5 that is using a racing wheel
And, yes, you CAN turn the PS3 on and off with this remote. Turning it on is easy - you simply press the PlayStation button and the PS3 turns itself on. To turn it off, you either go as far to the left on the X-bar and all the way up and press Enter (the turn-off PlayStation icon will be highlighted) or you simply hold the PlayStation button pressed for a few seconds and then select 'yes' and press the X button a couple of times.
Overall: I am happy with this peripheral. Yes, it's one more remote control but it's a pretty good one, for the reasons I stated above.

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Samsung PN59D6500 59-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma HDTV (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)To preface, this tv is a replacement for the UN55B8000 LED I had that malfunctioned. So this review should provide a good perspective for those debating between LED and Plasma like I was.
Overall, the PN59D6500 is an excellent tv. It displays an amazing picture with deep blacks and beautiful colors. It just has a few issues which keep it from being perfect.
Picture: The picture is great, especially for my primary usage which is bluray movie watching. In a dark environment watching a bluray movie I don't think any other tv out there can touch it. It's like being in a state-of-the-art movie theatre but better. The image is just so deep and rich. Really awesome. For this environment, it's no contest superior to the LED.
During the daytime, it's a different story. I would say that the picture is very very good, but it's just not as bright as an LED. The whites on it are dull in comparison and you just don't get that pop that is easy to see at any Best Buy when you have a plasma next to an LED. So for this reason, if your primary interests are day time tv watching or sports, you may want to consider the LED. Not to say this tv isn't still great during the day. I watched some hockey on ESPN and the ice still looks plenty bright and white.
Gaming: I have to give the edge to the Plasma here. Again it's not quite as bright as LED but it just presents a superior image with richer color. I thought God of War 3 looked great on the LED but on plasma it's just incredible. Feels like you're playing the movie 300 or something.
3D Movies: I think the 3D on this tv is a great added feature. Now that they are giving away the glasses for free, everyone should be excited about it. However, it's an added feature, for me, not a reason to buy this tv. The reason for this is that while watching a 3D movie is awesome, it's not perfect technology. The sense of depth is awesome, but the image is too dim and there is noticeable flickering. I see this as something that will be cool to watch for those special big budget fx films (Avatar, Tron) but definitely not going to take the place of standard 2D viewing. I tried the 3d on Sony TV and it had equivalent amount of flickering. LG 3d doesn't have as much flickering but the picture is not nearly as good.
3D Gaming: Also very cool but the technology is not up to par here. This isn't the tv's fault. PS3 is just not ready to deliver the goods here yet. In order for it to process 3D it has to cut the game's resolution in half. The difference is very noticeable, especially on a giant screen like this. Playing Killzone 3 3D, which is the flagship 3D title, the sense of depth totally enhances the game experience. The first time you line up your sight and feel like your target is yards away is really something. It's only afterward you notice that the graphics look like crap. The half resolution makes everything in the picture look jaggy, pixelated, and slightly shimmery. Almost like you're suddenly playing a Wii game. Again, it's still fun to try but I look more forward to seeing the 3D that PS4 can do.
Buzzing: The number one complaint of plasmas, particularly samsungs, is that they have an issue with buzzing noise. Supposedly that was fixed on 2011 models. Well, it's still there, slightly. But it's faint. And only when the screen is completely black or mostly dark (like movie credits or night scenes). When this happens you notice the rise of a high pitched buzz. It's not very loud, not as loud as the ps3 fan. But it's high pitched so it cuts through everything else. Because it doesn't happen most of the time and it's not very loud, I have decided to live with the issue and usually will forget about it. A minor annoyance.
Of course, that brings me to why I got this tv in the first place which is that the UN55B8000 I had had the well known problem of flashlighting in the corners. This caused a terrible black level and screen unevenness. Samsung Service was diligent and very professional about addressing my problem. On the 3rd service call they brought me a whole new panel. The new panel had the same problem but even worse. I was surprised when they called me and said they would give me a full refund. So nice job to Samsung service dept.
I never got a useable LED tv so if you do decide to go that way, make sure you get one with no flashlighting.
Overall, I definitely recommend the plasma over the LED. It just has a better picture, especially for watching bluray movies. If you don't care about that and mainly watch daytime television and sports, you may want to consider the brighter picture of the LED.

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3D Technology Checklist
This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist below to ensure you have everything you need. 3D viewing requires:

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HP ENVY 17-2090NR Notebook - Silver Review

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(More customer reviews)I have owned this unit since 6/2/11, even though I bought it somewhere else. This system is a true desktop replacement with the latest 2nd generation Sandy Bridge i7 quad-core cpu. 8GB RAM & dual 750GB hard drives (configured as one 1.5TB drive).
I'm not much of a gamer but do play occasionally. Driving games look especially good using the TriDef 3D software to launch the game. The system ships with one pair of active shutter 3D glasses. The 3D effects in games and movies is fun but I find it tiring to wear the 3D glasses for prolonged periods of time.
Applications perform blazingly fast. I use CorelDraw X3 a lot and performance on the Envy is perfect. I use Womble MPEG Video Wizard DVD for video editing and Handbrake to convert video files to portable format for my DroidX. The Envy processes everything much faster than my old Thinkpad.
I did update the drivers and BIOS the day I got the system. I had read about issues regarding cpu throttling and knew the BIOS update would fix the issue.
I have no real complaints with this system. Sure it is heavy and the battery life is not that great (it comes with two batteries though) but then again, I didn't buy this to haul around with me everywhere I go. I have a netbook which fills that role.
If you are looking for a very fast system in a semi-portable form factor then it is hard to beat the HP Envy. You definitely get your money's worth.

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HP Envy 17-2000 17-2090nr LV045UA 17.3" LED Notebook - Core i7 i7-2630QM 2GHz - Carbon Relic LV045UA#ABA Laptops & Notebooks

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Toshiba Satellite P775-S7236 17.3-Inch LED Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought my Toshiba at a NEX (Navy Exchange) and I am not too impressed by this laptop. It comes with a butt load of Toshiba software that doesn't have any documentation. I had to delete a lot of the Toshiba software, because I don't want or need it. My laptop still takes a long time to boot. In addition, Toshiba still use BIOS, they haven't upgraded to UEFI. If you're thinking about buying this Toshiba laptop, do some more research; you can find a better machine. Toshiba Satellite P775-S7236 17.3-Inch LED Laptop (Black)

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Part of a new family of Toshiba premium laptops, the Satellite P775 incorporates essential features for multitasking and multimedia--including latest generation of Intel multi-core processors. This all-purpose, eco-smart machine's stunning 17.3-inch LED-backlit display is easy on the battery and provides 720p native high-definition resolution.
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HP Pavilion dv7-6195us Entertainment Notebook PC (Silver) Review

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(More customer reviews)With 8GB of memory, a quad core i7-2630QM processor, and a sleek 17.3 inch HD LED display unit, this is fast laptop at a value price. Out of the box, I had this up and running in a few minutes, and thankfully there was only a small amount of "bloatware" to remove.
The display unit on this laptop is bright and detailed at 1600 by 900 dpi. Videos and pictures are shown with beautiful detail. I tested the unit with a DVD movie, but not with a Blu-ray video. It ran fine with full motion, showing nice detail and natural colors. There was not any blurring around the edges of images that you sometimes see in older laptops.
This laptop is sleek looking in steel gray, and is reasonably lightweight and thin looking. The advertised battery life is "up to 10.25 hours," which was about twice the amount of time that I actually got. Still, this is allot longer than the two hours or so that I was getting with my previous computer.
For comparison purposes, the Windows Experience Index is: processor, 7.4; memory, 7.6; graphics, 6.6; gaming graphics, 6.6; and primary hard disk, 5.9. With dual drives, it is possible to swap out the boot drive for a smallish solid state drive and significantly speed up the primary hard disk. But for the moment, short of buying an expensive "gaming machine," this is a smartly engineered and fast laptop for its price.


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Boost productivity and store more files with 8GB of memory and a large 1TB dual hard drive on the HP Pavilion dv7-6195us Entertainment Notebook PC. Watch your favorite Blu-ray DVDs, power up with Intel Turbo Boost Technology and hear what you've been missing with Beats Audio. Plus, HP Cool Sense technology helps you stay comfortable by directing heat away from your lap. This HP laptop also has an integrated fingerprint reader so you can access your online accounts securely with the swipe of a finger. Edit and view slideshows on the large 17.3-inch diagonal high-definition LED display, stream content to your HD TV with Intel Wireless Display and video chat in low-light environments using the integrated webcam. Browse the web wirelessly using built-in Wi-Fi. HP Protect Smart Hard Drive Protection helps prevent data loss. The HP Pavilion dv7-6195us Entertainment Notebook PC looks good, too, with the brushed aluminum finish in steel gray. Transfer photos from a memory card directly to your HP laptop using the digital media reader and back up your files on discs using the DVD burner. With a battery life of up to 10.25 hours, work and play on the go without plugging in your notebook. And at 6.72 lbs, the dv7 delivers the power of a desktop PC in a portable solution.

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Sony VAIO VPC-F223FX/B Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this laptop a couple days ago and was very thrilled after weeks of research between other comparable laptops in the same field (Samsung RF711-S02 and ASUS N73SV-A3 to name the main contenders).
The laptop looked great right out of the box. Sony did a swell job designing this laptop. The keyboard is to die for with its chiclet buttons and good use of backlighting. Sound is good for the most part, but can't say I care for it much since I mainly use headphones with my computers. The screen and all of its 1080p 16.4" glory is amazing to look at. The VAIO comes with some bloatware consisting of a Norton trial, many Sony VAIO apps, and a MS office trial. Typical bloatware that one should expect. Battery life was around 2-3 hours. Really depends on what you're doing (My times consist of some web surfing and video files). Expect much lower times with gaming and other intensive apps. If you wish to take advantage of the true aspect ratio of the screen I would suggest putting the magnification percentage to 100%. The VAIO came preset at 125% which gives you less screen real estate. The VAIO is powerful with the equipped engine under the hood. The i7 2.00Gz and NVIDIA 540M are a force to be reckoned with. The VAIO does only come with 4GB of DDR3 ram though,something I planned to upgrade to 8GB, but be warned that the VAIO comes with 2x2GB sticks. Also the 640GB is spacious, but slow with its speed clocking in at 5400RPM.
So I would easily give this laptop a 5 out of 5, but it had one major flaw I could not over look. After all driver updates and MS updates the laptop exhibited a tendency to randomly lag on video and sound. No matter what output I used (HDMI, Built-in speakers and headphone jack). Sound would distort while listening to pandora. Video and sound would distort at random intervals while using Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, Windows media player and media player classic. I searched online and it seemed that I was alone on this so I ordered a replacement from Amazon and surely enough Amazon came through with overnight shipping on a new one that same day (I have 30 days to return my other one with collateral on my MasterCard.)
So I receive my replacement laptop and hope for the best. I open it up and the first thing I do is play some videos VIA Windows Media Player. Not even a minute in and the video once again lags and the sound distorts. I nodded my head in shame. Just to be sure I updated everything and tried again to no avail. I tried Pandora and Netflix with no luck either. I even went as far as to partition the drive and install a fresh Windows 7 64bit on the new partition hoping to maybe isolate a possible software issue. Same problem arose. I'm a big fan of Sony and their products, but this turned me off from any future laptops from them. Amazon's end was superb in terms of support, but the end product falls on Sony's lap. Perhaps I just happened to have gotten 2 faulty machines back to back by pure luck, but the odds of that happening are very rare for a laptop in the $1000+ range.
I looked around forums a couple days later and found that some people experience a problem with random lag in games while others have no problems at all. The people with no problems seemed to have bought theirs from places other then Amazon and Newegg (They carry the same models). Other retail outlets carry the same laptop, but the model numbers differ. So I assume that perhaps Sony is shipping some faulty laptops to certain outlets. I will end up returning my replacement for a full refund and maybe wait for the problem to get fixed. If not I will end up going with the Samsung RF711-S03 when it is released.Edit:
About 2 days into my replacement it has stopped exhibiting the previously mentioned flaw. I've decided to use the VAIO as my main PC for a week and put it under some heavy use to see if it acts up. If not I will end up keeping it and buying a 3-year Square-trade warranty to be safe. After using the VAIO for a couple days, without the hic-ups it had before, I can safely say it is amazing. Runs like a champ with no problems thus far. I will write back in a couple days to address the final state of which it's at and determine if I'll revise my rating.
Edit 2:
After having it for a week and a half I can safely say that the laptop has stopped with the hiccups. Very strange to be honest, but now that the laptop is back to normal I can safely say that it is a beast of a laptop. Revising my rating to 4 of 5 stars. Would be a 5, but due to the difficulties it displayed at first it lost a star. I will be buying the square-trade 3 year warranty just in case though.

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Built with the multimedia enthusiast in mind, the Sony VAIO F22 Series 16.4-Inch Laptop provides optimal performance and a full high-definition display for movies and games. The laptop's Intel Core i7 processor offers eight-way multitasking for the most demanding applications, while a 16.4-inch full HD widescreen display delivers rich color and contrast from almost any angle. Other features include a Blu-ray Disc player and Dolby Home Theater v3 surround sound. A backlit keyboard makes it easy to play and work with the lights turned down.
Intel Core i7 Processor for Smart PerformanceThe Sony VAIO F22 Series 16.4-Inch Laptop features a 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor that offers superior performance for the most demanding applications. This quad-core processor features eight-way multitasking capability and additional L3 cache for improved computer performance, along with adaptive performance and visual capabilities.

Built-in Intel Turbo Boost Technology automatically speeds up your processor when you need extra performance, while Intel Hyper-Threading Technology allows each core to work on two tasks simultaneously, letting you move between applications quickly and smoothly.

The laptop comes equipped with a standard lithium-ion battery that offers up to five hours of battery life.

Rich Color and Contrast from Any AngleMeasuring 16.4 inches, with a cinema-style aspect ratio of 16:9, this laptop's 1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution, full high-definition widescreen display allows you to view video games and movies in sharp detail, with rich color and contrast, from virtually any angle. Thanks to an anti-glare coating, distracting reflections are minimized.

Blu-ray Disc Movies and Games in High DefinitionThe F22 Series laptop contains a Blu-ray Disc player that enables you to enjoy movies and video games in full, 1080p high definition. In addition, the player offers the convenience of full read/write capabilities for DVDs and CDs.

The laptop also combines Dolby Home Theater v3 with S-Force Front Surround 3D technology for cinema-style surround sound that's true to the original source--ideal for listening to music, watching movies, or playing games. NVIDIA GeForce graphics with 1 GB of dedicated RAM delivers optimal graphics performance and responsive game play.

Robust Wireless ConnectivityThe Sony VAIO comes equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, so you can connect easily to your wireless Internet network. It also contains Bluetooth technology for cordless connections to your smartphone and other compatible mobile devices.

In addition, this laptop features Remote Keyboard, which is pre-installed software that lets you wirelessly play online games, surf the web, or enter text on your PlayStation 3 video game console from the laptop.

Windows 7 and Office Starter 2010The F22 Series laptop comes pre-installed with Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium as well as Microsoft Office Starter 2010, which includes limited versions of Word and Excel.

Product and Warranty InformationThe laptop measures 1.7 by 15.69 by 10.69 inches (H x W x D) and weighs 6.85 pounds including the battery. It has a 640 GB SATA hard drive.

The Sony VAIO F22 Series 16.4-Inch Laptop is backed by a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the BoxLaptop, standard lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and power cord.

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Samsung SSG-P3100M Megamind 3D Starter Kit - Black (Compatible with 2011 3D TVs) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this starter kit when I purchased the new Samsung UN55D7000 T.V., for the most part the glasses work very well. They are relatively light and are for the most part comfortable to wear ( I do have a problem with them causing some discomfort if I wear them high on my nose where they should be, have to drop them down a bit ). I also purchased last years starter kit ( model # SSG-P2100T ) after buying the LN55C750 LCD tv which I returned due to unacceptable flaws, and the glasses in that kit are pretty much identical to this years kit. The one thing I dislike about this kit compared to the kit of last year is that this years kit does not come with protective pouches for the glasses like the other kit I purchased, which is the only reason I took a star off the rating IMO you spend this much money on glasses you don't want them to get scrached up. Other then that I recommend this starter kit.
Pros: light wieght, comfortable for the most part, comes with 5 3D movies ( first 3 Shreks were not filmed in 3D but converted to 3D not a pro but not the fault of Samsung either )
Cons: Kit does not come with protective pouches and glasses arent rechargable.
Hope this review helps !

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3D Samsung Starter Kit Samsung's new 3D Active Glasses are the gateway to Samsung 3D entertainment. Impressive both in how they function and in what they allow you to experience, the technology works as follows: When you put them on and look at the screen, the technology first blocks the left and then the right lens. It happens faster than the blink of an eye – so your eye won't notice it. But when images are shown to each eye separately this "staggered" effect achieves far more lifelike 3D images.

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MSI GT683R-242US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black ) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This laptop is fantastic. It's a full blown desktop replacement powerhouse of a laptop, yet its still small enough to carry around. If you are reading this you probably already know that the video card and processor are among the best available right now, the impressive part about that is that the laptop is managing over 3 hours of battery life without even lowering the brightness of the screen. The hard drives in raid are notably faster then a solo laptop drive. They are not as snappy as an SSD, but the transfer rate is very good. USB 3.0 is great, I've sustained 180mb a second copying onto the laptop from my external drive, but typically average about 140. The webcam is nice and clear, the wifi is only 150megabits in wireless N mode but that's plenty for me, it holds a great signal and is usually at full speed from my router (you have to enable wide channels in the driver to get it to go over 72mbps). It's nice having a full keyboard, though it is taking some getting used to. The touch sensitive buttons are nice, and the extra features of the turbo mode, full fan button, eco mode, and lighting options are nice.
The audio on this laptop is probably the best sound from a laptop I've ever heard. I was very unimpressed at first, after reading reviews on how good it was supposed to be.....then I turned it up. Unlike a normal laptop where sound starts sounding worse as you turn it up, this laptop it just gets better. You never get distortion, and you can certainly tell there is a subwoofer. You don't hear bass like you would a real sound system, but you have solid mids in all of your music so everything sounds complete. The LEDs dancing the the sound looks sweet, but the sound has to be all the way up for them to react properly, and only the ones of the side of the screen react to the music, the others just blink and are kind of annoying in the "music mode".
I got the 12gb model for 1400 something, I couldn't be any happier. The build of this laptop isn't as professional looking as a dell, but the quality is similar. If this laptop proves to be reliable, I will only buy MSI from now on. Most of the main brands won't even let you spec out a laptop this nice, and if they do it costs 2x as much!
The only cons I can think of are
- fan never turns off, isn't loud at idle but is audible and the 2630 idles at about 50c in my warm bedroom
- no display port
- esata port doesn't work as a usb 3.0 port as well

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Product Description Amazon.com Product Description MSI GT683R GAMING LAPTOP- Power by NVIDIA GeForce GTX560M
Intense gaming at blistering fast speeds, introducing the new MSI Gaming Series! The all-new MSI GT683R packs a powerful punch with the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 quad-core processor and NVIDIA's high performance DirectX 11- capable GeForce® GTX500M-series graphics processor. Now you can experience advanced tessellation and faster graphics rendering with your DirectX 11 gaming. Supercharge your game play with MSI TDE, a built-in Overclocking feature, instantly giving you extreme power with just a push of a button.
Key Features
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Processor
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit
15.6" Full HD Display (16:9; 1920 x 1080)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560M discrete graphics (DDR5 1.5GB VRAM)
Accelerated performance with MSI TDE Technology
MSI Cooler Boost Technology
Dynaudio Premium Sound Speakers
THX TruStudio PRO™ provides excellent surround sound effect
1TB hard drive with Raid 0
12GB DDR3 system memory

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