HOT!GATEWAY MX6453 refurb Dual Core LAPTOP: TL-52, 160 GB, 2 GB DDR2,ati 1150 $629@TD

[multpda]

Some of you may have seen this on Tigerdirect.ca newsletters or an the frontpage... I searched and couldn't find another thread but I could be wrong...

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2912723&Sku=G153-MX6453

Tl-52 x2 cpu, 160 GB hard drive, ati 1150 xpress, 2 GB DDR2 533, dula layer burner, 15.4" widescreen for ~$736-750 depending on shipping, all in.

They currently have a hot deal imo on the Gateway MX6453 Notebook. It is on for 629.97 plus tax and shipping. I guess the only real downside is that it is a refurb, but I have bought many refurbs b4 and have not run into trouble. So if you absolutely don't want a refurb look elsewhere but I think this beats the 640m deal from Dell... which was for 650 I believe.

Anyways any thoughts from you guys. I put my order in today. I was going to wait for back to school but I seriously doubt even in August or Sept will you be able to find these kind of specs for so cheap!



MX6453 Notebook Specifications
Part Number: 1013913R Gateway MX6453 Notebook


Feature Description
Processor AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-52
Operates at 1.6 GHz | 256 KB ×2 L2 Cache
HyperTransport™ technology at up to 1600 MHz
LCD Screen 15.4-inch Ultrabright™ WXGA TFT (1280 × 800)
Chipset ATI RS485M
Memory 2048 MB 533 MHz DDR2 (2 × 1024)
Expandable to 2 GB
Total Slots: 2 DDR2 Slots | Available Slots: 0 DDR2 Slots
Video ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 Graphics with up to 128 MB of Shared Video Memory
Audio High Definition 2 Channel Audio
Hard Drive 160 GB 5400 RPM PATA hard drive
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW Multi-Format Double Layer (up to 8.5 GB)
Write maximum: 8X DVD +/-R, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 2X DVD-R DL, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 24X CD-R and 16X CD-RW
Read maximum: 24X CD-R/RW/ROM, 8X DVD-R/RW/ROM, 4X DVD+/-R DL, RAM

Media Reader 4-in-1 Digital Media Manager
Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, Memory Stick-Pro, and Multimedia card (MMC)
Modem 56K ITU V.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network Integrated 802.11g Wireless LAN
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Interfaces 4 - USB 2.0 Ports
1 - VGA External Connector
1 - S-Video Connector
1 - IEEE 1394 port
1 - RJ11
1 - RJ45
Microphone In
Headphone / Audio Out
1 - Kensington Lock Slot
1 - AC Adapter Connector

Pointing Device Integrated Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll Zone
PCMCIA 1 - Type I or Type II; Card Bus
Battery 6-cell Lithium-ion
Dimensions 1.31 to 1.40-inches H × 14.09-inches W × 10.39-inches D
Weight 6.32 pounds

[multpda]

any thoughts?

[Taft]

Hot price, but a notebook is one of the diciest items to buy refurb - especially sight unseen from a retailer like Tiger Direct. I would much prefer to try it out in store before committing. If yours is like new though it's a terriffic deal.

[Vinman]

Refurb + Notebook = No Sale

[philelmo]

please don't buy refurb from TD... my laptop broke down pretty quickly...

[AllWheelDrift]

I bought a refurb eMachines laptop from TD several years ago. It looked brand new and it's still going strong. The only problem I had was a HD crash, but it wasn't the HD that came with the machine, rather a Samsung drive I'd installed to upgrade it.

My sister has an off-lease Thinkpad purchased from TD. It looked heavily used when she got it and it's quite beat-up now but it's still working fine.

Maybe we're just lucky.

[agepag]

please don't buy refurb from TD... my laptop broke down pretty quickly...

What broke? I am in the market for a laptop, nothing to crazy and this looks like its in my price range.

[philelmo]

i bought emachines refurb laptop from TD
the LED lights near the keypad went out within months..
the harddrive (fujitsu) failed within 1.5 years, i still haven't got around to fix it
the CD/dvd burner failed in 1 year....

it's been a nightmare... my new dell laptop is going strong, no fails, bought around the same time

[multpda]

I bought an AMD 64 bit 3200+, 512 ddr, Geforce 6150, 160 GB, dual layer dvd burner for 280 I think about a year ago from tigerdirect and I have had no problems...

When I placed my order over the phone the CSR also said that extended warranty can be purchased any time during the 90 day warranty, so use it for less than 3 months and if you feel suspicious that something may fail go ahead and get the warranty which will replace ur machine if something goes wrong...

I was just looking for the best deal possible and this fit the bill. Some have mentioned that it would be wise to inspect the laptop very carefully and note any problems and maybe get an exchange within the 90 day period.


WACA 1 Year Replacement after Mfg. Warranty Ends $146.99
WACA 2 Year Replacement after Mfg. Warranty Ends $224.99
No Extended Service Plan Selected

Does anyone actually have this laptop? I should be getting mine in a few days so I will be sure to comment on it then but some feedback from the wise would be great!

[multpda]

oh I was going to ask if the electronics warranties that lots of credit cards have apply to refurb items, do you get extra protection with the credit card that you use?

[mpolo]

I was just looking for the best deal possible and this fit the bill. Some have mentioned that it would be wise to inspect the laptop very carefully and note any problems and maybe get an exchange within the 90 day period.



I was interested in this laptop as well. Is there any program/site that anyone can recommend that will put it through a good stress test to make sure it's not a lemon?

[multpda]

that's a good idea, stress test it and if it survives 3 months ok it should be ok, unless you have very bad luck...

my bro has had his emachines 3 years now and it still works great. Exactly how much wear and tear is there in notebooks? the laser in the optical drive can crap out and a hard drive can fail. I am more concerned about mobo and cpu!!!

Why don't you just leave it on for 3 months downloading torrents and rendering video in H.264 which will put the processor on max... or you could run some kind of 3D Mark application on loop?

I use the computer a few hours a day anyways and i will probably leave it on overnight for my "downloads" :lol: Stress testing the mx6453 will consist of my regular computer usage which borders on addiction...

[mattyg]

Orthos stress test is a great one for dual core. It will stress cpu and ram. Just choose the blend test.
http://sp2004.fre3.com/beta/beta2.htm

[multpda]

Looks like Dell is shaping up for their Santa Rosa lineup

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/06/dell-reportedly-set-to-release-new-inspiron-vostro-laptops/

http://notebookitalia.it/dell-inspiron-1520-1720-1521-1721-e-vostro-1500-e-1700-tutti-i-nuovi-notebook-consumer-di.html


I still don't think we'll see a price like this gateway till August, so basically I can use it for 2 months and a bit till prices are around that range!!!

[Bunny5]

Some of you may have seen this on Tigerdirect.ca newsletters or an the frontpage... I searched and couldn't find another thread but I could be wrong...

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2912723&Sku=G153-MX6453

Tl-52 x2 cpu, 160 GB hard drive, ati 1150 xpress, 2 GB DDR2 533, dula layer burner, 15.4" widescreen for ~$736-750 depending on shipping, all in.

They currently have a hot deal imo on the Gateway MX6453 Notebook. It is on for 629.97 plus tax and shipping. I guess the only real downside is that it is a refurb, but I have bought many refurbs b4 and have not run into trouble. So if you absolutely don't want a refurb look elsewhere but I think this beats the 640m deal from Dell... which was for 650 I believe.

Anyways any thoughts from you guys. I put my order in today. I was going to wait for back to school but I seriously doubt even in August or Sept will you be able to find these kind of specs for so cheap!



MX6453 Notebook Specifications
Part Number: 1013913R Gateway MX6453 Notebook


Feature Description
Processor AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-52
Operates at 1.6 GHz | 256 KB ×2 L2 Cache
HyperTransport™ technology at up to 1600 MHz
LCD Screen 15.4-inch Ultrabright™ WXGA TFT (1280 × 800)
Chipset ATI RS485M
Memory 2048 MB 533 MHz DDR2 (2 × 1024)
Expandable to 2 GB
Total Slots: 2 DDR2 Slots | Available Slots: 0 DDR2 Slots
Video ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 Graphics with up to 128 MB of Shared Video Memory
Audio High Definition 2 Channel Audio
Hard Drive 160 GB 5400 RPM PATA hard drive
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW Multi-Format Double Layer (up to 8.5 GB)
Write maximum: 8X DVD +/-R, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 2X DVD-R DL, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 24X CD-R and 16X CD-RW
Read maximum: 24X CD-R/RW/ROM, 8X DVD-R/RW/ROM, 4X DVD+/-R DL, RAM

Media Reader 4-in-1 Digital Media Manager
Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, Memory Stick-Pro, and Multimedia card (MMC)
Modem 56K ITU V.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network Integrated 802.11g Wireless LAN
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Interfaces 4 - USB 2.0 Ports
1 - VGA External Connector
1 - S-Video Connector
1 - IEEE 1394 port
1 - RJ11
1 - RJ45
Microphone In
Headphone / Audio Out
1 - Kensington Lock Slot
1 - AC Adapter Connector

Pointing Device Integrated Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll Zone
PCMCIA 1 - Type I or Type II; Card Bus
Battery 6-cell Lithium-ion
Dimensions 1.31 to 1.40-inches H × 14.09-inches W × 10.39-inches D
Weight 6.32 pounds

Excellent computer. I got mine 3 months ago from td for 799. Worth every penny. Lappy is solid. Much more so than acer or HP. Those use cheap plastic and feel like a toy in comparison. Mine was also a REFURB but what I received was brand new. Still had the new smell and not one scratch. Not all refurbs are returned. Anyway this computer kick A$$. I love that it come with windows xp instead of vista. It is more than capablale of running vista but I don't want that crap. This computer has unbelievable wifi range to boot. I pickup signal from down the street that I don't even see on my desktop or handheld. Laptop is fast, light and has a nice screen. Graphics are ok, not for gaming but quite good for movies. The only drawback I see so far as it gets quite hot if you have it on your lap.

I got this computer to replace an emachines i had an extended warranty on. I got this baby and a projector with screen and mount and it cost me $50 after my credit.

Everyone likes to crap on TD but I must say I have dealt with them on numerous occasions and have had nothing but posititve experiences.

[multpda]

Wow, I am glad to hear your positive experiences. Most refurbs I have gotten seemed new as well! How long did it take for yours to arrive once shipped?

I can't wait to share my impressions with rfd, I am quite frankly surprised more ppl haven't jumped on this bandwagon. Are most people afraid of refurbs because of personal experience or simply because of hearing a few stories from others. I liken it to the gambling stories, you only hear the winners and never the losers, except here it is the opposite and you only hear the complaints and never the praises, save for the last post. If I get a similar lappy I can't wait to get mine!!!

Thanks again,
Matt

[multpda]

oh Bunny5 a few more questions:

How's the screen, is it pretty bright or too dim?

How are the speakers? From the pics it looks like they are on the front so even if the lid is closed you can hear them.

What's your battery life like? I have heard ~2 hours, and do you know where to get a 9 or 12 cell battery for cheap?

Did you opt for that vista upgrade dvd? if you have it I would gladly take it off your hands, I have beta tested vista and yes it is a lemon in some ways, but I am a sucker for gui and it really does improve on organization and some of the bundled apps are great too... I guess there are just some bugs (down to 500) last time I heard that need to be worked out probably in a service pack, any idea when that will come?

[Bunny5]

Well i find the screen bright enough for me. It does show whitish blue light when starting up on a black screen (not a factor after startup). The protective shield in front makes it a bit to much glare in daylight if you are using in the car but if you adjust the angle you should be fine.

The battery is the downfall of this unit. It only last 2 hours as others have stated. Less if you are doing intense works with the hard drive or dvd (many times It went out in 1 1/2hrs while installing software of dvd drive). I think there are longer batteries available that I have seen on ebay but I don't know if I entirely trust them to work as they are not approved by gateway. I would just get another 6volt. The wrong amperage could fry your computer. You can find 6volt's on ebay for less that 70 dollars if you look.

The speakers are quite good for a laptop. Much better than my old emachines. Don;t expect to hear them from the backseat of a car on the hwy if it is in the front, but if you are at home or in an office they are good.

Delivery for me took about 10 days.

Again I am sure you'll like it. The big hard drive comes in quite handy. You will want to unload the extra crapware that come with all new computers ie aol, mcafee, office trial version etc. Once you do that you'll find the speed very good.

Sorry ,no I wasn't offered vista upgrade with mine. They gave me a free printer and 50 rebate from hp instead. I am sure this baby can run it though especially with the 2 gb of ram. Vista needs at least 1.5gb or it runs like crap.

Oh one last thing. Make sure you increase the shared video ram to 512mb. It comes set at 256. The extra alotment well help improve performance in games.

[Bunny5]

Sorry I forgot to mention. Update the videodriver to xpress 1150 on gateway's site.

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=20944&dscr=ATI%20Radeon%20XPRESS%201150%20Series%20Video %20Driver&uid=161849867

For some reason the computer thinks it has a 200m card when you get it. You should get better performance with the new driver.

good luck

[mpolo]

Could only find it for pick up at the Mississauga location.

Haven't started playing with it, but I wanted to say that it is a factory refurbished model... (For those who don't trust TD refurbs)...

[multpda]

mpolo, what are your first impressions? Is it a nice design and size/weight too?

[mpolo]

mpolo, what are your first impressions? Is it a nice design and size/weight too?

Ok, I got it up and working last night and here are my impressions:

Functionally:

So far perfect. I blew away the HDD and reinstalled a fresh OS, to get away from the pre-installed crap. I haven't done the load test yet, but everything looks to be fine.

Cosmetically. The exterior is perfect, I did notice a very small dark spot on the monitor, this bothers me slightly, so I'll call up TD today to see what I can do about it.

On your question about size/weight, it is very light compared to my work 15" laptop (HP/Compaq) and I like the look of it. The only think I didn't like about the layout is the weird placement of the insert/delete/home/end keys, where they wrap around the top corner. I'm guessing this the same for all gateways?

So, a mixed review I guess. Since this is a laptop for my wife, I'm not too upset about the screen....

[soapstone69]

Hi, I bought one of these (in store) and wished I had bought another for a backup or to sell on eBay. Amazing quality for a refurbished laptop, but looking at it nobody could tell it was, it looks and functions like a brand new laptop without the high price. The functions including the operation to turn on and off things like wireless is so much better on these laptops, you need to actually press 'fcn' and then the selected key to operate that function, unlike alot of other laptops that can turn on or off a function by accidentily pressing 1 button either on the front of the laptop on on the keyboard area. A perfect example is my buddy has an Acer laptop that has the on / off button for the wireless function on the front of his laptop, so when you are using the laptop, several times he will turn it off accidentily just by moving the laptop as it may hit his stomach or desk. Highly recommended, for budget minded consumers looking for a high quality product even if it does say refurbished (refurbished means every product has been tested and certified where any brand new laptop may be tested, but not always) :razz: