Home > Consumer Reviews > Averatec 3150P Laptop (AMD Athlon XP-M 1600+ 256MB RAM, 30GB Hard Drive, DVD+CD-RW Combo)

I bought this system in December, and so far it has proven very reliable. The USB ports (3) are quite helpful when multitasking, and it can connect to the internet in a variety of helpful ways. I have yet to try the wireless 802.11b, but up to now, the LAN port has proven the fastest. The RAM needs one upgrade to be fully helpful, and to get full processor power, disable a lot of programs that slow down operation.

I got this laptop open-box on clearance at office depot for under $800 about 10 months ago; it was probably the best $800 I've ever spent. I have always been a strong advocate against laptops, they are not very upgradeable and they are generally incredibly expensive. When I was forced to buy one due to my school situation, I decided to get a mid-level laptop: something that was not too slow, but was under $1000.

When I got the averatec notebook, the first thing that jumped out at me was the size and weight. Several of my friends have laptops that never leave their desks because they weigh 10lbs. At 4.3lbs, about the size of a piece of paper, and just over 1 inch thick, this notebook goes with me everywhere. The battery doesn't last as long as my firend's centrino notebook, but I've never had it die on me in class. (It gets about 2 hours under normal use, up to 3 or more under light use).

It has everything you need, usb 2.0, cd-rw, dvd and built in wireless (incredibly handy), and nothing you don't, like serial or parallel ports, which take up space and I haven't seen one used in years. The screen only runs at 1024x768 resolution, but on a 12.1 inch monitor, it looks fantastic.

Another thing I am incredibly satisfied with is the fact it comes standard with Windows XP Pro. Home edition has many problems, and is far less secure. Professional Edition usually only comes with expensive notebooks, to see it on a sub-900 dollar notebook made me very happy.

I have a couple issues, however. The keyboard is a bit cramped; the backspace key is too small and hard to find when touch-typing. The shift key is too small and right by the up arrow, so you often hit the up arrow when trying to hit shift with your right hand. Also, if you press down on the lid with the laptop closed, it clicks the mouse button, so its good to have it off or in hibernate when transporting it (a good idea for any laptop). And finally, it gets hot. The bottom is poorly designed, and if you put it on a soft surface (i.e. your lap) it will clog the vents and get pretty hot pretty fast. I have heard that Best Buy stopped carrying it for just that reason. As long as you keep it on hard flat surfaces as much as possible, the heat is not too bad, and will not cause any permanent damage.

Most of the issues are solved in the next version of this notebook (which also features a faster processor and more/better ram). Overall, this is a fantastic deal for under $900, I highly recommend it. There is no reason to spend $1700 on a laptop when it will be outdated in 3 years and there is no way to upgrade it. Better to spend half as much on something solid that will stick with you and just do the basic things you need.

I bought an Averatec in March of 2004. Eight months later (November 2004) the left hinge broke. Since the laptop was still under warranty you'd think they'd fix it. Instead, I got a lot of runaround from Averatec about how it was "physical damage" and therefore 'out of warranty'. They would not admit that it was poorly designed. It cost $130 to get it fixed. Ten months later (September 2005) the exact same thing happened. The left hinge broke. This time they tell me I need a new hard drive, a new wireless card, and a new fan (all of which were working perfectly before it went to Avaratec) for $295.

Averatec's products are not merely inexpensive they are CHEAP. Any savings are lost to bogus repair costs.

i paid 4 for dis 'round a month ago ,it took nearly 3 weeks before i received it. when i finally could open the box ,i found severe scraches on both the outer covering and the screen,seems it's 'bout crack anytime. i assumed it was a returned one,and just can't stop wonderin' how could they just gimme a thing like da?

this is the best lap top i've had. i need to get a new one, and i am definitely going with an averatec. this model's problems have been corrected with the next series: better phone jack opening, better casing, better connections for the screen to the bottom. Yes, it does get hot - but I bought a 30 dollar lap top cooler, and it has worked wonderfully.