Pros: AMD's A6-3420 APU <<<<< this this this Amazing warranty from ASUS Keyboard is nice by my standards USB 3.0 :) For users who haven't been introduced to AMD's new line of microprocessors, take a minute to learn more about their new line of APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit). Basically, the APU is a combination of a CPU and a dedicated GPU etched into the same microprocessor. The APU is a great solution if you're looking for a low-budget system, and want to play some casual games (like minecraft, league of legends, wow, running emulators). Although I haven't tried running more demanding games like Skyrim, or BF3 yet, I'm confident that they would be playable on medium-low settings (will update/add another review to confirm or deny this). If you read other reviews which decry that the APU runs very low FPS, it's because they are't properly taking advantage of it. Do a google search about the program k10stat. I am currently using it and it is a godsend.

Cons: At first glance, you might see this as a con, but I found the silver lining and it turns out to be more of a huge border. 1. Memory I purchased the model with 3gb of ram installed for 359.99 (August 2012). While this is perfectly acceptable for everyday use, an 8 gb stick would help a lot more. The reason why this might not be a con, however, is that upgrading from a 3gb stick to an 8gb stick is such an easy upgrade, and will cost you $40 or less (which will still put you at a lower price point than a laptop similar to this one). 2. HDD Bad: 5400rpm is slow Silver lining: 5400rpm saves a lot of battery life. Like above, I may upgrade to a SSD once I come up with the money. I've read reviews of other owners who have done this and they are giddy about how peppy this laptop becomes.

Overall Review: I've read some complains about the casing, but honestly, despite being a hard plastic, it's pretty solid. Some users have complained about the track-pad, but I haven't had a single issue with it. As a poor college student who needs a laptop for school, this is turning out to be the perfect one. It is fast enough for games that I like to play during my downtime, but it's cheap enough that I can actually afford to buy it. It's hard to stress enough how great the A6-3420 APU is for this reason. For an intel-based system, you'd be looking at around 500-600 for similar performance. It's debatable whether or not my listen "cons" are actually cons. I see it as an opportunity to upgrade as I go, which means I can keep saving up and making the laptop better. Some customers don't like that philosophy, so to each his own.