I am surprised at the negative reviews of this little lap top. It is attractive and more importantly worked out of the box. After booting, I went immediately to Windows update and downloaded 61 updates and all loaded successfully. This little beast
then recognized my other system computers and downloaded music and software for various printers. I have been able to load and run older versions of Microsoft Office, Dragon Naturally Speaking,download video and music from the Teaching Company and and Amazon as well as update Skype..... The keyboard is perfect for my rather
weak touch, but not overly sensitive. Multiple open programs work quickly. I was expecting that an i3 would be slower and have hesitancy with all that I threw at it
but it just churned on. I have not tested the HDMI port yet but will update the review later.
One reviewer mentioned that the Windows 8 update would be problematic, but I don't think so. I see also that the links for the 15 dollar rebate AND the Windows 8 upgrade for 14.99 have been restored and I was able to register this computer at Dell Advantage.. no problem.
The service tag is present both on the box AND below the battery. A manual of the computer's specs can be easily downloaded at DELL.
I really do see more rapid data transfer with the USB 3 ports. There are four USB ports not three and the aforementioned HDMI.
This is my sixth or seventh Dell computer in the last several years. While they all have some battle-scars (mostly due to my travel and bad habits) and a few naggling problems; they all can still function.This computer is the least priced with the most power and ease. The sound is a bit weak and tinny but is easily remedied with a stereo connection.
Thus, I would rate this computer an outstanding value, working well out of the box
and exceeding expectations. I am uncertain if the Windows 8 upgrade will be a benefit or an aggravation as this computer segued into our home network Windows 7 premium with ease and perhaps unnecessary updates are just that!
I sympathize with those that received a problematic or DOA computer. Last year the same happened to me with another internet vendor (Tiger.....)and it really has taken a lot of time and effort to deal with it.
My opinion would be to give this laptop a try: Amazon will always back up their warranty and it would not be difficult to ship a defective unit back.
Good Luck!
Update: I just tested the unit with respect to the HDMI port functionality. I went online and streamed a lecture I had downloaded from the Teaching Company. I then projected via the HDMI port of the 15 R 5110 to a Sony internet TV. The laptop performed extremely well in both connecting to the WIFI and streaming in real time and the HDMI port to the TV via a generic Amazon HDMI cable. There were no buffering issues, hesitations or drop outs and the quality of the picture was excellent. I had to fiddle with the Sony TV controls a bit to get the audio to come thru, but when it did it was excellent. The quality was equivalent to the AV output I get from my Blue ray disc player playing ordinary DVDs. No complaints. I hope this is helpful for all of those who have doubts about this little i3 laptop. I am not a gamer but laptop is a good companion and appears to be very reliable to specs. It does not run hot. I posted a review of the generic 15 R 5110 from May 2011 in the comment(3) section of this review. I hope this helps.
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