Averatech Quality

Great board..... Anyone care to offer some first hand info regarding general quality of the Averatech products. The prices seem to be very competitive but I am mainly concerned with reliability and customer service. Also, have had some bad experiences with AMD processors on desktops - anything different with them in notebook applications or should I stick to Intel?

 

Sorry to hear about bad AMD Desktop experience, but I wouldn't say that is normal all the desktops I build and my friends build have AMD processors, and none of us have had processor related problems. It is more likely that you had a problem with your computer and assumed it was the processor, when there are many more likely factors involved. Memory, hard drive, motherboard, and such.

zx5000 :: 2.4M :: 512 DDR :: 40gb 4200 RPM HD :: 15.4" :: Radeon 9600 Mobilty M10 :: Aquamark3 21,862

 

Yes, lots of possible causes for bad performance. It just seemed that most of the problems were associated with amd & amd mb's and most everything that I worked with that was Intel based was much more stable. I have not used an amd cpu for a number of years so maybe things have changed. But that is not the main thrust of the original post. What I am most interested in is info regarding Averatech notebooks, their quality and support.

 

I can't comment first hand on customer service but I know a couple of people that bought Averatec and are very happy from the bang for the buck perspective and have not had problems with the machines. Online reviews seem to emphasize that the notebook overall design is just decent, while the included specs are nice (for instance thin and light with 802.11g for $1000) for the price...but I don't think you can totally expect service will be on par with Dell or IBM. I might be wrong.

 

Thanks for the reply. The only negitive I've run across on the web is some comments regarding the keyboard & placement of keys. As for a comparison of service to that of Dell.... well, lets just say I have two dell machines and the couple of times I called them it was a very long wait time and a bit difficult to get the information I wanted. Averatech looks like a lot of notebook for the $ compared to the rest of the pack. Now if only I can find some of those rebates that were around.

 

I would suggest you find a local averatec and test out the keyboard. If you can use that it should be a great deal. I couldn't stand the keyboard, since I'm always writing papers and programing, but perhaps you will like it, as many others do.

zx5000 :: 2.4M :: 512 DDR :: 40gb 4200 RPM HD :: 15.4" :: Radeon 9600 Mobilty M10 :: Aquamark3 21,862

 

I have checked around the local outlets - Circuit City, Best Buy, Office Max, Staples and Comp USA. Seems all of them are out of stock on the 5110's but some do have a 3220H1. Either these have become quite popular or the company is not making many yet. I will have a look at what is around & make it a point of checking out the keyboard. Do all the models use the same layout? Now if only they included a serial port- my GPS box uses a serial interface.

 

The Sam's Club stores in Cincy have a ton of 5110's. Maybe try your local store?

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

 

I will try to get to Sams later this week. CCity sales person never heard of the brand & the local Office Max did not have any computers of any type/brand in the store.

 

Well, finally got a chance to do a 'hands on' on a AV3225HS at Sams Club. Although I am more interested in the 5110HX my local Sams did not have one in stock. I believe the same type of materials & etc runs thru both models so physical construction should be about the same. The 3225 looked very nice with clean lines and although the keyboard is a bit strange I don't think it's a show stopper. One thing I did note about the keyboard that I did not like and concerns me quite a bit was the fact that the entire keyboard seemed to 'float'. When pressing individual keys the surround keys flexed. I think they could use a more substantial substrate under the keys. All in all, not too bad for the price.

As for price, my local Sams had the AV3225HS tagged at $949.83. It's interesting in that Sams on line shows the 5110H for $998.83! Another interesting point is that Sams online shows thier 3 year warranty costing $79.03 and my in store ad and the store manager quotes the same warranty at $57.95. When questioned, the manager said I could buy on line, bring in the sales slip & she would give me a $20 gift card! Isn't that nice?. On a final note, they have an HP 5568CL notebook which looked real appealing at $1049 but that should be another post & more research.

 

So far I've found my 3220 to be of very high quality. I haven't noticed the keypad flex mentioned, unlike my VAIO GRT series that seems to flex a lot. As for strong points, the processor and albeit 256 RAM seem fast enough to do basic powerpoint, a CDRW/DVDROM, a nice toggle for the internal wireless (802.11g), a nice touchpad with scroll bars, and capability that seems to be similar to my VAIO (P4 2.8). Weaknesses are perhaps (but keep in mind this is an ultraportable)a small keyboard that has a small backspace key (that isn't too hard to get used to), 1 PCMCIA space, the speakers aren't that great, 1 RAM slot that can only be upgraded to 512, the CDRW buzzes a bit when running, and a case finish that isn't terribly difficult to scratch. Overall, however, very happy and bought it through Best Buy (which is running the same deal now): $950-$50-$150=$750! May buy 512 RAM in the future.

 

Does anybody know how long the battery lasts on these notebooks??


Thank You,

Janet

 

I have my doubts regarding this company...I could not find a replacement
cpu(axms1600gxs3c). When I contacted the company they told me to send the unit to them and they would repair it. This is totally unacceptable for most businesss people. I mean a cpu is nothing to pop in. You can't get theses cpus unless you buy a 50 lot.

The technical support was very UNHELPFUL. They wouldn't even tell me what cpus were compatible in there laptop so i could find an alternative solution. They just told me to SEND IT IN.

I would not recommend this company to anyone. Nonexistent tech support on hardware issues. If you buy an averatech and it has a hardware issue. Be prepared to send it in.

Toshiba or Acer for example are companies which I can usually find replacement parts for the next day or at most 2 business days.

 

You may have a difficult time swapping out the processor from your laptop given the fact it is soldered into the motherboard. If your processor is bad, Averatec will probably need to change out the entire board and replace. I'm not sure you can find these from anyone other than Averatec. What happened to your processor? Note that your processor reflects you have the 3150 model.

 

I have an Averatec 3150 with the built in wireless b and I have to say, overall I am very impressed. Having used Compac's in the past, this model is by far superior. I do have an issue with the DVD Drive, as it freezes when I try to play any DVD movie. It will play CD's and burn ok, but the movies confuse it. I contacted customer service and was suprised to actually talk to someone. Of course, as stated above this post, their recommendation was to send it in. Have not done that yet, but I am getting close! Anyone else had this problem?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by secretaryrick

 

Kinda off topic, but I just ordered a 3220H1, has anybody out there had any experiance using Mandrake on these little buggers. As that is my OS of choice. I'm not really geting anything much from their tech support, and I dont feel like resorting to a long distance out of the country phone call. Hopefully it is Mandrake compatable as I would much prefer to use it over XP as microsoft is the devil[} ], and XP is as stable and secure as a nuns ass after an indian curry[V].