Customer Reviews

Averatec AV3250HX-01 12.1" Laptop (AMD Athlon XP-M 2200+, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I purchased this notebook due to four main features:
AMD processor
Weight/size
Cost
Comes with a CD backup of Windows XP (Compaq & HP systems often don't)

I had been shopping for a notebook for some time, but to purchase one with the features I wanted ( 80G hard drive, DVD/CD burner, wireless card, 512MB RAM) the cost was going to be double this price. At first I thought the 12" screen would be too small, but it is fine. I now prefer it to the 15.4" lcds.
Yes, the system runs a bit hot, but that is an inherent trait of AMD processors. It also is very fast... just a side effect of the warmth...
The best part is that the hard drive is not loaded to bloating with useless software. This system basically comes with Windows XP SP2, MS Works, Norton Antivirus (which I removed for Panda AV)
and Power DVD. I had at first considered removing Power DVD and adding Nero but Power DVD is very easy to use and basic.
I'm glad I purchased this system.
UPDATE: I somehow managed to lose one of the little rubber feet on the bottom in my lightweight portable travels. One quick call to Averatec and an explanation, and a new set was mailed out promptly to my home! I'm still extremely glad I purchased this laptop. As with **any** computer, it takes the knowledge to d'load drivers, tweak the bios, and maintenance one to keep it running properly!

I bought this notebook a little over 2 weeks ago and has been great. The DVD +/- burner comes in handy quite a bit, something I haven't seen in lower priced notebooks. The screen is small but very very crisp and its far from bothersome. It could do with some legacy support (No Serial or Parallel) but more then makes up for it with the 3 USB 2.0 ports. It's very fast for such a small notebook and so far I have not had heat problems as other people have said, though it does get a bit warm when playing games. Overall this is a great notebook especially for traveling, the built-in 801.11g comes in handy. Averatec says it gets upwards of three hours, the most I've gotten is about 2.5 doing things such as browsing the net via Wi-Fi, word processing, chatting etc. I'd expect a little under 2 hours watching a DVD. The very large 80GB drive is also a plus. Its also very compatible various Linux distro's for any users out their. Tested on Knoppix, Debian, Fedora Core 2, and of course Windows XP Pro.

-Jameson

I bought this notebook a month ago. It's tiny and lightweight, which is great when traveling. When I am not traveling, which is most of the time, it's a little too small. The monitor is 12.1", but with LCD prices dropping, I guess I'll buy one soon. The keyboard is too small for comfort, but I bought the Logitech Wireless Desktop from Amazon for 29.99. The USB ports and all other ports are one the side, which is a little messier than having them all in the back. The fan was a little noisy, but I calibrated it, and now it's fine. It runs extremely well, and I guess all in all, I am very happpy with my purchase. The price is great with this much memory, HD space, and a DVD-RW. I give it 4 stars.

I bought this machine almost 2 months back. I was looking at buying a lightweight and portable notebook. The notebooks from the more well known brands were quite expensive - typically $1700 plus. And then I saw this Averatec 3250HX-01 at CompUSA. I was impressed with the specs - and especially the 8O GB HDD and DVD burner.

But the Athlon processor was a turn-off. I have always used the latest Intel processors in my machine and I just was not sure about the AMD Athlon processor. A lot of research led me to the conclusion that while the Athlon XP-M 2200+ processor may not rank with the best but it is more than adequate for the job.

Also, Averatec was a brand new to me. Had never heard of them before. They are a Korean company - part of a larger group. Checked with CompUSA, Circuit City, and OfficeMax (Best Buy did not carry the machine then) staff and I heard positive comments from them.

Bottomline, the machine had all the the specs I wanted but the one drawback was the Athlon processor. I'd have liked a stronger Intel processor. Although the brand was new but everybody had positive comments and at sub-$1000 this was the only lightweight and portable notebook I could get. So I bought it.

The machine has lived up to my expectations overall. I have only 3 issues with Averatec on this machine:

1. The 3 USB ports are placed on the right side of the machine. This is an awkward position - which means that my DSL wire crawls all over my table and my wireless mouse stick sticks out outwardly and I have to take care not to hit it when moving the mouse. Also since the USB ports are so close together I cannot use the third port (usually the middle one) when the other two are being used. I have to buy a USB hub.

2. The battery lasts for around 2 hours. Could have done with a longer lasting battery.

3. Beyond 1 hour of usage the machine gets warm, beyond 2 hours it gets hot. And beyond three hours it is very hot at the bottom. Although, the top part gets only mild warm at the hottest of times. I have now used it for as much as 8-10 hours continously a few times, and have had no problems in response times. But I believe its best not to get too hot - so I'm now limiting my conitnous usage to not more than 3 hours.


The software that comes with the machine is OK - although I have not used it much. I am using other software which I have installed on this machine.

The after-sales support is OK. But I am basing this on just one experience. I got thru to the representative after 5 minutes of wait and he was able to guide me.

My net take is this. Buy this machine if you are working on a tight budget and want good specs in a 12.1" machine. Brand conscious people need to look elsewhere.

The pros:
- Incredibly lightweight and small. It's small enough that I can fit it into my (admittedly large) purse.
- Large amount of memory and storage for the price.
- 3 USB hubs.
- Doesn't run terribly hot.
- Does what I want it to do, and does it well. I surf the internet, play PC games, and interface with various peripherals (MP3 players, cameras, etc.).
- Runs relatively quietly if you don't place it on a soft surface (which could reduce the laptop's ability to vent heat).

The cons:
- Necessary repairs may take a long time if parts have to be ordered in. I spilled liquid in my laptop in late January. It took three months for Averatec to deliver most of the required parts to the authorized repair facility, and a full five and a half months for the motherboard to arrive. What's more, the DVD-R was a different model, and it arrived with no faceplate (the old faceplate didn't fit).
- The case around the screen is plastic with a metal finish. It cracked at the lower corners of the screen very quickly.
- The battery lasts for much less time than the company claims. I don't run the computer on battery power, so this is not a problem for me.
- The brightness of the screen varies depending on how the AC adaptor is plugged into the computer. If you jiggle the plug a bit, the screen will darken and lighten.
- The screen gives everything a slight blue shade. This would make the laptop useless for image manipulation.
- Volume levels are low. Again, this is not a problem for me, since I usually turn the volume down anyway.

Had it since December 2004 and it is still going strong. Can't believe a light, attractive laptop is so inexpensive. I've recommended to multiple friends and they've always thanked me afterwards.

One warning: Make sure that you download the newest drivers from the Averatec website when you first get connected to the internet. The latest drivers solve some battery management/overheating problems that early reviewers have mentioned. Since downloading the drivers it works like a charm.

I bought this computer for a longer business trip. At home I use an Apple iBook G4 but for the trip I needed a Windows machine. Don't worry, I will not be pitching MacOS X against Windows XP, I just will compare the hardware design of two laptops which cost about the same (US$900) and are similar size (both have 12.1" XGA screens).

1. The biggest contrast between the two is in battery life, the AV3250 lasts a little more than 2 hours (maybe 2.5) under normal use (not playing a DVD, just typing etc.), the iBook almost 4 (both have Li-Ion batteries). Note, that Averatech claims up to 3.5 h and Apple up to 6. If the iBook is not running you can press an external button on the battery and 4 LEDs will tell you how much is left in the battery, the AV leaves you guessing.

2. Secondly, I always thought the iBook gets hot, but only until I felt how hot the AV3250 gets. You can burn your skin. And related: the cooling vents (at least the intake) on the AV3200 series are on the bottom, so if you put this laptop onto your knees or a soft surface you will most likely block them. Soon the fan will kick in at a noise level that will urge you to improve the cooling situation. In contrast the iBook has the vents on the sides and when you open it the screen prevents you from blocking them. I have hardly ever heard the fan.

What else? Both come with modem, wireless and ethernet built-in (the iBook has a nifty uplink sense, so you do not need a crossover cable when connecting two computers directly), both can drive external displays (for the iBook that requires a widely available patch), both have stereo speakers (sorry, but the ones in the iBook sound quite a bit better), the iBook has a microphone built in, the AV has a microphone jack in the front. The AV has 3 USB ports, the iBook has 2 but also a IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port. The AV has a PC card slot, the iBook does not, but since networking is built-in, what would one possibly put in there? And did I mention that the AV fan is very noisy?

Another little detail: The iBook power supply lets you wrap the cable around it thanks to 2 fold-out hooks, for the AV power supply I had to get a strap to tame the cable.

And last not least, the edge of the trackpad on my AV rubs against the screen when it is closed and leaves a 1.5" long mark. Apparently the screen is harder than the plastic housing because the mark can be wiped off, albeit with some effort.

I am not trying to say that the iBook is a perfect laptop, it is Apple's low end laptop after all. But in comparison it is almost amazing how much more thinking went into its design, things you easily take for granted if you have one and you may not miss if you never used a better designed laptop.
Then, if you rarely depend on battery power and keep the AV on a table, preferably without closing the lid (and maybe some external speakers), it proabaly will serve you well.

After spending the first two years of law school lugging around an incredibly heavy (~8 lb.) laptop and too many ridiculously heavy case books, I started looking for a lighter alternative. I stumbled upon the Averatec and tried it because I was impressed by the specs and the price. I could buy three Averatecs for the price of one Sony Vaio.

I LOVE this computer. It is light and the perfect size to tuck into any briefcase or bag. I have gotten as much as 4 hours from a fully charged battery, and have gone two days without plugging it back in by putting it in sleep mode.

It does have some drawbacks. The speakers are pretty bad, but since I only use them to play "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies for my daughter, I can live with them. Lectures and tutorials sound fine on them.

It also does get pretty hot, but my techno-nerd husband has instilled in me the habit of always setting my notebook on a book or wooden tray (never directly on my lap or a pillow), so the fan can work pretty efficiently. I have never burned myself on this computer.

There are a few rub marks on the inside plastic around the screen, but they are really easy to remove with a pencil eraser.

I am thrilled with my purchase and have used it every day for nearly a year. It is exactly what I wanted and cost much less than I expected. I plan to continue using it when I practice, perhaps with a universal docking station. I LOVE this computer!

After five months the LCD stared leaking from the upper right hand corner. Averatec customer service indicated that if it was an LCD problem it probably would not be covered under warranty, to be determined by repair facility. Sure enough repair facility, Fremontek in Fremont CA. charged me $355.00 dollars to repair and return. It took 8 weeks to get a refurbished computer returned. Repair facility has no toll free number, I spent 5 hours on hold waiting for customer service and they don't return calls.

Don't get an ultra light if you need more of a machine, ok?

Mine is over a year old now. I paid $800 and I can't kill it. I wish it would die so I could justify another ultralight but...

The dvd/cd drive still runs great, compare that to my $2500 17" 2.8HT Toshiba luggable's drive that died in a few months and is too expensive to replace, Averatec's just keeps on spinning.

The battery only lasts a little over 2 hours, but I've treated it badly and only a few times have done the "recommended" full purge - which they nicely have as an option in the power-up menu, so it's just my laziness ... yet still over two hours down from the original "up to 3" after all this time is pretty amazing. Again to compare to the toshiba, that machine's battery was routinely purged yet is now long dead and will never again recharge.

The screen came with no bad pixels and there are none now. If it had had even one I was going to ship it right back. You have to buy from sites/stores that let you do this no matter what kind of laptop you're buying. Read the fine print, pixle problem returns have to be supported or no price is good enough. Duh ;-)

I was sure I'd have killed the screen with all of my tossing it around and smashing it into my backpacks and messenger bags but nooooooo :) (Years ago I had a Compaq that became an instant brick when the screen cracked by a 3 foot fall in a padded case. That taught me to ALWAYS buy screen replacement warranties)

Seems to me after all of my machines that the more you baby a laptop the more fragile it becomes. I treat this one like a second class citizen and it acts like the little engine that could.

It doesn't have a great viewing angle, you have to be nearly straight on for the colors to be the same across the screen ... but it's a 12" screen so how far away and off-center are you expecting to sit?

The keys are tiny. I originally tested it in a store and said "I think I can get used to that" but for a long time used a wireless full size keyboard instead. Lately I've started using it to do coding while sitting on the bed and guess what, the more I use it, the better my fingers have found the right keys after all.

It is not a gaming machine. It plays dvds and streaming video media very well but has no 3d rendering abilities to speak of.

That said, I've been using it for development of web sites and "real Win32 projects" using Visual Studio 2005 with debugging on in XPPro's IIS5 and SQLServer2005-Express and that Hog of a combination runs about as fast on little "Avery" as on my 2.8HT. Gotta say, that's impressive. (I did up the RAM to 1gb with a $50 PC2700 chip)

It does get hot, hot enough to actually cause my pinky knuckle to turn red and hurt a little near the end of a battery-limited session. You know what? Live with it, this is how many notebooks are ... I had an expensive company Dell that literally smoked its motherboard while I was working with it. The Averatec gets hot but keeps on turning on. Maybe the battery life is a good thing, if it lived to 5 hours maybe the MB would have melted long ago.

It's very light, it's very small and it's inexpensive for its class.

If you get it and after a week of banging on it hard you hate it, get your money back but if you open it and see no dead pixels and you find it does what you need an UltraLight to be then what's the fuss at the price?

And if you, like me, get over a year out of it then you're ahead of the game for a notebook purchase from any vendor.