Pros: - Comes with Windows 7 installed with the option to upgrade to Windows 8 if you want. - Great for basic functions (net browsing, word processing, etc.) - Good looking display considering the lower resolution (1366 x 768) - Upgradable Memory - 4 USB ports (two of them are USB 3.0) - HDMI out works very well

Cons: - The track pad isn't the best. It only works about 60% of the time for me. According to other reviews I've seen, the track pad seems to widespread issue. I use a wireless USB mouse, so this wasn't a major probelm for me, but it is a negative - The battery life, while not terrible, isn't going to impress anyone - I wish the speakers were just a bit louder - Not a good choice for gaming. I have a gaming desktop, so I've never felt the need to test this laptop's gaming chops - I would have liked designated volume buttons, but that's more of a personal preference though

Overall Review: I added an extra 4GB of memory for fairly cheap, and it made quite a difference. My boot-up takes about 30 seconds. I still get a lot of email questions about this, so I'll make sure to emphasize on this: My machine came with Windows 7 installed. It also came with a disc that allows you to upgrade to Windows 8 only if you choose to (for some reason.) I still run Windows 7 out of preference