Jump to content

Black November Laptop


fortytwo

Recommended Posts

My HP Envy laptop is in it’s 3rd year, which is “near time to consider replacement” zone given that Moore’s law has pushed it to a near technical dinosaur. Watching the “Black November” ads this one caught my attention. It’s one of the few I’ve found that has, for me a must have, a Ultra HD resolution, 15+ inch touch screen. Processor and Graphics processor are not the latest/greatest – about one cycle behind. Not a gaming machine, but I’m not a gamer. Battery & SSD could be bigger. Costco has it at $899. ASUS K501 model. Think the UX is unique to Costco as it doesn’t bring up any comps. I’m too cheap to buy Skylake but these Specs look decent. Comments; Cautions?

 

Processor & Memory:

  • Intel® Core™ i7-6500U Processor 2.5GHz
  • 16GB DDR3L System Memory
  • Drives:
  • 256GB Solid State Drive
  • NO OPTICAL DRIVE

Operating System:

  • Microsoft® Windows 10

Communications:

  • Wireless-AC WLAN + Bluetooth 4.0
  • Integrated Webcam

Graphics & Video:

  • 15.6" 4K Ultra HD (3820 x 2160) Display
  • 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX950M Graphics

Keyboard:

  • Backlit Keyboard

Ports & Slots:

  • 2x USB 3.0
  • 2x USB 2.0
  • 1x HDMI
  • 1x Combination Headphone / Microphone Jack
  • 1x SD Card Slot
  • 1x RJ-45
  • Power Supply:
  • 3-Cell (Up to 5-hour) Battery

Additional Information:

  • Dimensions: 15.0" x 10.0" x 0.9”
  • Approximate Weight: 4.4lbs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From a spec check it looks pretty awesome. Not having owned or tested one, all I can say is ASUS makes some great hardware. I love my Windows Transformer from ASUS. I just bought a new Surface Pro 3 from a company going out of biz and liquidating ten of them. He's local and I get mine Friday. It's the i5, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM. but for $500.00 sealed and new. Why? Same reason you chose the ASUS. My ASUS T200 just has the 1200X 800 resolution or some such. It looks great until I use my SH's Venue with full HD, and then go turn on my 4k 2160 27" touch desktop display.

 

I agree, resolution matters!

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i7 is awesome. along with the ssd. altho i have dealt with plenty of asus. it;'s either there motherboard or disk drive that fails quick.

but its a ssd so maybe that could change that game. g/l with it.

2000 Itasca Horizon DP (Got Total During Irma). 

Vice President of Charlotte County Defenders LE MC

http://charlotte.defenderslemc.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TheDuke: Did the Toshiba come with two drive slots, since it sounds like you have a 256GB SSD, 1 TB hard drive and DVD for your $799?

 

Hmm, that is a good deal. I need at least a 512GB SSD, 256 would be tight for me. (I have a 500 GB SSD in my current laptop and have about 100 GB free, since I do video editing and keep 3 years of photos on the machine.)

2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now.
Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat)
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys, click on this Black Friday Crucial SSD sale. The Crucial BX 100 is slightly faster than the MX100 according to what I read. I bought the dang 256 one for 76 bucks a few months ago. Click here to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-BX100-500GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B00RQA6M5Y/ref=sr_1_2/186-9070613-6357841?ie=UTF8&qid=1448604877&sr=8-2&keywords=crucial+bx+100

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know I will check. I talked him down from $700. I will see him again on Sunday and will ask.

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope, no more, he will have some good deals on Surface Pro 4's at some point he told me yesterday late by text.

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More options have popped up. As of yesterday, Costco now has a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 - similar specs to the ASUS except it's spec'ed as a 1TB hybrid drive and the I-7 and Graphics processors are one notch higher. Price is $100 more at $999. Sale price through 1/3/16 or as long as supplies last. Only a few reviewers, but the niggles are touch screen and keyboard related, plus one was disappointed it didn't have an SSD. However, two reviewers said the hybrid drive was actually a 1TB HD and a 120 SSD combo instead of a traditional HD with onboard cache. If that's true it's a lot of plus's for $100. Only way to be sure of the SSD is to buy one though.

 

Tonight's Costco ad had a Toshiba Satellite S55T with specs like the ASUS, except a standard 1TB HD but also $100 more than the ASUS at $999. I did get a chance to try the keyboards of the Dell and Toshiba at Costco today. Toshiba keyboard had a much better feel, to me, but the Dell was workable. The Costco ad says the offer expires 11/30 so it is either a misprint or a bad ad.

 

At this point I'm going to procrastinate and see what additional reviews, or deals, show up. The ASUS expires 12/20; the Dell 1/3/16, and the Toshiba ???. If the Dell hybrid drive is actually a 120GB SSD - 1TB HD combo it looks like an awesome deal (to naturally be replaced by an even better deal just after I pull the trigger).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wes,

Those systems all sound good. Everything's obsolete when it goes into production because the engineers are putting the finishing touches on the new models by then. You get to use a newer system longer by jumping in when you want to. Having to because we waited too long is too stressful. Enjoy!

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RV, ain't it great to waffle over over which I-7 UHD screen 1 TB drive 16 GB laptop to buy for less than a thou? Once paid $500 for a 160KB floppy drive and $100 to upgrade a 16KB memory card to a 32KB card to keep an open slot! My first "portable (30 #)" PC cost over $2,000 and had an 8088 4mhz processor, a black & white screen, and 2 floppys.

 

And Jack now thinks a Pro 4 is too expensive. Well I do too. Expectations sure have changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amen Wes,

I agree! Just a month ago I bought a couple of 256GB SSDs for $79.99 each and today saw that Newegg had a 480GB Adata SSD for $109.99!!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211985 I had to pay 1000 bucks in 1993 if I wanted to upgrade my AST notebook's RAM from 256MB to 512. I'm on my new surface typing away on the onscreen keyboard. I love this thing.

 

Today we were watching the new TV and my absolutely right.wife was sitting on the floor in front and I realized that the people on the screen were her size up to much bigger! Our thin new 4k is s big or close to the view screen on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise! This screen was science fiction just 15 years ago.

 

I also remember having a Sony 27" Trinitron monitor receiver that cost as much as this 65" tech marvel. At the time just as exciting to get.

 

I buy used or wholesale remember? If he got the deal I did he'd get this one too. This i5 model is no slouch.

 

But you're absotively right.

RV/Derek
http://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.
Retired AF 1971-1998


When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius

 

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...