Averatec any good?

Hi, I found this kicking offer for Averatec Notebook PC (AV3250HX80) - $900 for XP-M processor, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB hard drive plus DVD+/-RW/CD-RW. And since the rebate expires tomorrow i bought it without too much research. The reviews I read so far assured me this is a sweet computer for my needs (college student always on the go!)BUT what worries me is the life of the machine. In some of the reviews i read once the laptop crashed for one reason or the other, the Averatec tech support was beyond useless... plus the Windows XP it comes with apparently is not the Microsoft approved edition, so any problem with that and you have to go buy yourself one off the market...
Now my question. SHould i get the $200/2 yrs warranty from the store (Circuit City)?Is it worth it? Should i even take the risk with a laptop that has a somewhat high probability of crashing on me with no help from the manufacturer? (haven't taken it out of the box yet... but the temptation...)

I guess what i want to know is the reputation of this company! never heard of it before! What do you think?

lots of thanks

 

okay so i read the thread about the extended warranty! so you can scratch off that question....

 

I think Averatec is the best value brand out there. If you need portability at a low cost, feel good about the 3250.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

I don't know if i'd go as far as "the best brand out there"...but as an Averatec owner, i wouldn't give it back for twice the price!!

It's been a flawless performer, and with the money I saved i was able to upgrade the memory and DVD drive to a really sweet burner, and STILL come out cheeper than ANY popular brands.

If it fits your requirements and budget...go for it! You will be pleasantly supprised!

 

good enough for me to buy a second one after I gave my daughter the first. I really liked the portability of the 12.1 screen. And if it seems too small sometimes you can bury your face in it. I carried mine all over the world. (NZ, HI, CA, PI) Mine came with standalone windows disk, I think they might be including a ghost image now. But it looks like they have been putting W2K and XP Pro on these. BTW they are including the official windows sticker and oem number on the computer.

 

My next laptop will be another Averatec. Don't know what else to say about that.

 

I've had a 6100 series for a week and absolutely love it. It runs Unreal Tournament 2k4, Quake 3, Warcraft 3 and so on without a hitch, even on the highest settings at 1280 800 resolution. Windows 2d performance and general system speed and stability has been amazing. The only downfall is its somewhat short battery life (~70 min), but I have yet required to use the laptop in an area where no outlet was near by. I felt I took a chance buying the laptop from Staples (Infact, it was the last averatec 6100 series model in a Staples in my city) But it was well worth it. I couldn't be more pleased.