Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I spent way too much time researching laptops that would fit my budget and meet my needs. This little beauty is what I went with - ok, beauty isn't the right word, so let's go with work horse. To help others going through the rigorous process of researching a new laptop, I thought I'd write this review. I needed a fast computer, a full-size keyboard with an integrated 10-key, and significant processing power. I did not need a gaming rig or media center. What this computer is: First of all, it's a snappy workhorse. The Kaby Lake i7 processor is really powerful, and with a quick upgrade to 16 gb of RAM, this becomes a multi-tasking beast. I fall loosely into the power-user category as I work with big data and some CAD work, so I needed processing power and RAM. Before anyone is scared off by the idea of adding a stick of RAM, I literally spent more time googling an instructional video on YouTube than I did installing the RAM (TL/DR: three screws, a few snaps, plug and play, ready to go). Also, the SSD is fantastically quick - it boots as fast as my Surface Pro's NVMe PCIe SSD, and the read/write times are blazing quick. Another plus, this has great battery life for a desk-top replacement laptop. The first full charge lasted over eight hours, even with intermittent heavy downloading (MS Office, Security Software, CAD programs, etc.) Now that it's set up, I keep it on battery saver and have no problems at all with a full-day charge, and I haven't noticed any lag or processing impact. I've already noted that the RAM is super easy to upgrade, but it also has an extra HDD space, so if you do need that TB of HDD space, it's a plug-and-play easy set up. The key board itself feels great to type on, and, one final positive, this has plenty of ports, including an old school VGA port and a disc reader. What this computer is not: This is not a coffee-shop notebook. It's not pretty, it's not chromed out, and it's not particularly light (I'd say a good 6 lbs.). No offense to Lenovo-purists, but the dark gray/black keyboard, casing, and bezel looks cheap. The outer shell has a nice "brushed" finish, but it's still plastic. In short, it looks like a budget laptop; however, that was not at all important to me, and even though some may snub their nose at "plastic" casing, it is still sturdy and well manufactured. Second, the screen is a good 1080p TN panel display; however, it's not IPS and you will notice the difference between it and an IPS panel (if you've gotten used to IPS). The colors will not "pop" and be as bright as an IPS screen, and the viewing angles are traditional (the straight on view). I don't want to scare anyone away - the screen is still good, but it won't be as gorgeous as a 4K or UHD IPS screen; however, as an unexpected positive, TN Panels consume a lot less energy, so you do get a battery-life dividend. Other than maybe a Black Friday bargain buster or a last gen clearance sale, I don't think you will find a better computer for this price point. I highly recommend after a week of solid use.