Medion MD95154 15" Notebook PC (Intel Celeron M 330, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Drive)

Rating:
Summary: Top of the line!
Review: I own a very similar model that was sold at ALDI foods and the only difference I can see between the two models is the processor. The support department is actually in the US (TX based) and are open 24hrs and alway very helpful. I have owned nothing but Medion computers since the first time I saw them and they are great. Did I mention that the support staff is US based that is definatly a plus for me!

Rating:
Summary: Questionable support you'll get in the U.S.
Review: I saw a similar model at J&R Computer World in Manhattan not long ago. The machine looked pretty stylish and solid, if a little too bulky. At that time I didn't pay attention to the DVD burner in the machine.

Now I wonder whether this model "MD95154" has a dual-format DVD burner, or just "plus" or "minus". (FYI, DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW are two totally incompatible sets of DVD recordable/rewritable formats; a DVD+R drive, for example, cannot burn DVD-R discs.) Amazon's descriptions are full of contradictions, and I cannot find this model on MedionUSA's website. Medion is reportedly a sizeable company in Germany, but their U.S. website is very minimalist.

This raises the question of whether Medion will have adequate after-sales support. If your notebook has problems, will there be people who can answer your questions and help you through? I did raise this question with a J&R salesguy but he sidestepped it. So I guess you'll be shooting craps if you get this machine.

Rating:
Summary: Cheapest DVD burner for the price.
Review: I was looking for a laptop with decent features for around $600. Most of the laptops at retail store include tax with can go up to $100. Dell has decent laptops too but to configure with the features you want it is clearly $800 or more. So for Amazon without tax and with gift card promotion I jump on the deal. This laptop has DVD +/-RW burner. It is made by LG Electronics and rated at 4X. I upgraded the firmware to make it region free. All the other features are pretty much standard. The screen is very bright and 15". The RAM is made by Hynix which is name brand (Huyndai).The hard drive is a bit small. I bought an extra 256MB RAM for $20 and put it in. Amazon failed to mention that this notebook has an Ethernet port also. This notebook is made in China as most laptops. The feel is very solid. Four USB ports should be enough for most users.
All in all I get an Epson C86, USB cable and this laptop for $545 after all rebates which I think is a fantastic deal. Look around and you will see a notebook with DVD burner cost around $1000.
Pluses:
Very low price
Solid features
DVD burner to buy against obsolesence

Minuses
Poor documentation on Amazon website and on the box itself.
Medion is a little known brand
Small hard drive.
Newer Celerons just come out with 1MB cache.
Not sure about support.

Rating:
Summary: it is best laptop for the price
Review: The price is around 700 for such laptop.
I think it was the best.
i have used HP, dell emachines, toshiba on the same price level.
I think this one is better. It is lighter. It has dvdrw. The cpu is the same level with others.
If you do not have enough money for a 1500-2000 IBM laptop. This is a pretty good choice.
I recommend it.
:)