$799 Vizio CT15-A5 15.6" Ultrabook: i7, 4GB, 256GB SSD, 1080p IPS

Seen this price a few times on the MS store, pretty decent bang for the buck. Reviews are mixed though. Won't elaborate on them here, check the Vizio forums.

Link: Microsoft Store
Reviews: Amazon

DISPLAY | 15.6 in Full HD LED (1920 x 1080)
PROCESSOR | Intel Core i7-3517U 1.90 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.00 GHz
MEMORY | 4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz
HARD DRIVE SIZE | 256 GB SSD
OPERATING SYSTEM | Windows 8
PC TYPE | Ultrabook
OPTICAL DRIVE | None
MEDIA DRIVE | None
AUDIO | SRS Premium Sound HD
VIDEO | Intel HD Graphics 4000 with shared graphics memory
PORTS | 2 USB 3.0 • HDMI • Headphone output/Microphone input combo
BATTERY | 52Wh (up to 7 hours)*
CAMERA | 1.3 MP HD webcam
WIRELESS | 802.11a/b/g/n
BLUETOOTH | Yes
DIMENSIONS | 14.92 x 9.90 x 0.68 in (378.97 x 251.46 x 17.27 mm)
WEIGHT | 3.89 lbs (1.76 kg)
COLOR | Silver

 

I'd be awful suspicious of a walmart brand ultrabook. a good 256GB SSD is about $200 of that, the screen another $200, battery at least $50, processor would be around $200, windows license $50, memory $15, that doesn't leave a whole lot for build quality and design.

I had similar thinking when I bought my first emachines with dual core Athlon and Radeon graphics back in the day when they had those laptops. Boy what a mistake that was. Best buy warranty fixes it 3 times and on the 4th time replaces it. I got 3 free upgrades over the course of 2 years, with it being gone for 2 weeks+ a total of 11 times - so 6 months of that 2 years, my laptop was in the repair depot. And that didn't include the 2 replacements.


My advice is be very critical of the negative reviews, why were they bad, is there any chronic symptoms or it is just bad build overall. If you can get a good free warranty, go for it. My problem was emachines stuffed a ferrari motor (Athlon dual core) into a civic chassis (emachines laptop). Hopefully it's not the same with an i7 in a visio...


Samsung makes some great ultrabooks in that price range, Series 5 Ultrabooks & Notebooks: Everyday Laptop for Work or Play | Samsung look at the ultrabooks in specific.

And best of luck

 

It's a very good laptop and I know people who have them. It has a full HD IPS display. It is $400 off it's normal price and of course it is a vizio which keeps people away. It has a shallow kb like lots of ultrabooks and it isn't backlit which is a big drawback but for the price it can't be beat.

 

Nice. Vizio is looking to scoop up the inexpensive thin and light segment. They are supposed to come out with an AMD Trinity notebook soon too. Looking forward to that. I have a Vizio TV and it is actually very nice. Although for $800 that's a bit steep for only a ULV CPU.

 

The CPU is soldered in, right? Man, that laptop is EXACTLY what I need, besides the CPU might be weak down the road.

 

It's Vizio, which as far as I know isn't owned by Walmart. Bought my Vizio TV from target and I love it.

And that's assuming they pay prices similar to us, which I guarantee you they don't .

Thinking of getting one Qing? I think you're correct that the cpu is soldered though..

 

Vizio is a great young company. They keep their prices down by not partaking in the saturate and awe marketing campaigns many so called "high end" companies rely on.

 

I would totally get this, it sounds completely perfect for my needs and it is at a great price for what you get. But I really don't want to buy another laptop with a soldered-in CPU like the one I am using now. However at this price, I haven't found anything else like it.

 

Make sure not to buy a Haswell based system then, the word is that they're all going to be soldered. Frankly, it won't be long before socketed processors are gone forever.

 

No, that's Broadwell.

 

Dont know what the heck you're talking about. I recently ditched my 15" Macbook Pro for this Vizio laptop and have been loving it. Now I'll be the first to admit that this isnt the PERFECT machine, but its pretty damn near close. The screen, performance from the i7 and SSD, and wonderful trackpad make these an awesome machine to use on a daily basis. I commute on a train about 4 hours a day, and spend another 8 hours at a computer while in the office. Ive been spending close to 12 hours a day using nothing but this Vizio and I must say, Its been fantastic. I cant get enough of this screen. Do I wish it had 8gb of ram, sure (although, 4gb hasnt proved to be a constraint so far), and sure I wish it had a bettter backlit keyboard. Although the keyboard isnt bad once youve gotten used to it.

you can stay on the sidelines because the laptop is branded 'Vizio" and not something else. But for $799, im glad I jumped in.