Why I would not buy this computer again (MSI X320)

[FuturDreamz]

The only reason that I bought this computer was being discontinued so it was $447 with a sticker error making me able to purchase it for $347, and even then because I'm a poor 17 yo kid i took a loan from my mom and paid it off after four months. I would never buy this computer again, and never from Micro-Star International again because i was burned.
The first mistake is this: Before purchasing this computer I researched it and read from multiple sources, including MSI, that the factory battery will last 8 hours on a charge. That is bullshit or unrealistic. I get almost four hours if I'm lucky doing basic web browsing.
The second mistake is that I've found that it has the GMA 500 graphics chip which is supposed to be awesome because it is DirextX 10.1 and OpenGL 2.0 compatible according to all spec sites. The drivers are crap. the Maximum is DirectX 9 and OpenGL 1.1. Apparently Microsoft is pressuring all video chip makers to build better drivers and Intel is supposed to be pushing out better drivers in the next three month, but I doubt it.
The third, and by which I got burned the most by, mistake is that I believed that I could rely on the Windows 7 Upgrade kit which is the only reason i bought a Vista computer. The Day after I bought this computer I registered (Nov 5) for my upgrade program online and sent off a letter with my POP, a $15 cheque, and a copy of my reciept because the online form wasn't showing it as uploaded. Nothing happened, not even my cheque being cashed in. after calling whenever I had the chance and MSI is actually OPEN (they do not tell you when they are open and just put you on hold literally forever), finally they told ne that ALL cheques were cashed in a week ago (i'm, not even going into why they didn't cash them in as soon as they got the cheques). that was two weeks ago, and still no change in my bank account. the Upgrade program expires on the 31st, and I have such low beliefs that I will get my kit that I am resorting to asking for prayers on FaceBook.
The fourth is, preparing for My windows 7 kit to come in, I wiped my Vista partition and the OEM recovery partition (which refused to work after I put XP on the vista partition) and installed an unactivated copy of Home Premium. Now I no longer expect to get my kit, and my trial expires in 44 days, I wish to put vista back on it but to save $1 Manufactures choose to waste space on your HDD by not including recovery discs. Now since i have no access to discs (all other vista computers in the house had recovery partitions too), I am forced to bittorrent vista illegally in order to have a legiminately activated OS on my computer after 44 days. Fortunately there are uploaded copies with no keys, but I think I'm still not allowed to post links to these. However, the only way I found to download this disk is via bittorent, which my ISP throttles to almost nothing.

Before this computer I used an iMac and If i had the money I would've bought a new MacBook, and if I didn't have the money I would've bought a used MacKook off kijiji or eBay. I somehow managed to become indifferent to the OS or the manufacturer, but I don't think I personally can consider another non-Apple computer if I have to deal with this crap.

 

[FuturDreamz]

As it turns out, my cheque was incorrectly written but they failed to notify me. Now I have to send a new cheque via Xpresspost ($15) if I wish to get my voucher in time to register on Microsoft's website.

 

[Orpheous]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with your pc.
Unfortunately, as with most things, you do get what you pay for with pc's.
The good news is though, you're in the right forum to get great advice on what to buy should you decide to replace it in the future. Perhaps you could even consider building your own? There's nothing like the satisfaction of building a computer and knowing that you planned and worked towards every little speed increase that it has over the last one
In the meantime, while you are waiting for your upgrade to arrive, you might like to check out this tutorial:
Activation Trial Period - Extend Up to 120 Days
It should give you enough time to keep using W7 until your discs arrive

 

[FuturDreamz]

Thanks.
because had this computer already has Windows 7 installed and the new GMA500 drivers were already out, then I would have never had a major problem with this laptop.

 

[bobkn]

I see that the X320 is a Netbook, rather than a traditional notebook.

I suppose that it lacks an optical drive, which explains why it may not have come with a utility to burn restore disks. A similar story would have applied to a restore DVD: useless without an external optical drive, or access to another PC to transfer it to a USB flash drive. That's not to defend MSI. I dislike the recovery partition business, and I'm disappointed that Microsoft continues to permit the practice. (If the disk dies, so does the recovery partition. Big problem.)

You should be able to use the Vista license key from the sticker on the machine to activate a re-install, rather than relying on a cracked version from the torrents. That supposes that you know someone who can provide installation media. (The Microsoft DVDs aren't copy protected, so a chum could provide your very own copy.)

Could you have had a family member with a credit card order the Win7 upgrade for you? Just curious.

The graphics drivers may be less than wonderful, but I hope that they're serviceable. I'm not familiar with the capabilities of an Atom netbook, but I can't imagine that it's a gaming machine.

I don't know whether buying an old Mac notebook from eBay would be wise. I have one on hand that was apparently sold without any of the niceties, like an OS installation disk. (Non-techies don't differentiate between buying a used PC and buying a used refrigerator.) It worked when it was sold, but it won't boot into the OS any more. I was supposed to try to get it working, but I found that I couldn't get it to respond to the keyboard. I can't recommend buying repair parts for a machine that can be replaced by a working unit for a couple of hundred dollars. No warranty or other form of recovery is available, of course. It may have net negative value, depending on how much a recycler would charge.

 

[FuturDreamz]

Yeah I have absoluterly no access to Vista disks, which was why I downloaded an ISO which I believe to be a direct from OEM media rip. It had a key in the download notes, but I'm pretty sure it's invalid by now.

MSI Canada does not allow you to pay by card unfortunately.

The graphics in the GMA are decent, and it is able to run Aero with some effects disabled. Problem is, Intel's drivers are not taking advantage of almost anything in the gpu. so if proper drivers are pushed out I'm guessing that this thing may actually be a decent low-to-midrange gaming system

For a Mac i'm really just guessing at the reliability. but I'm pretty sure I can get a decent system for cheap, because for $400 you can get an iMac that has better specs than the one my mom bought brand new for $2000, and that one is still pretty decent with a Intel Core Duo and dedicated graphics.

 

[FuturDreamz]

*update*
My Upgrade kit just came in today. Activation went without a hitch.

 

[Frostmourne]

*update*
My Upgrade kit just came in today. Activation went without a hitch.

Wouldn't it have been easier to build a laptop with grunt?

 

[FuturDreamz]

Probably, but it's so much faster to dig trough the bargain bin.

 

[Frostmourne]

Probably, but it's so much faster to dig trough the bargain bin.

And this is the result.

 

[FuturDreamz]

you get what you pay for.
I filed a complaint with the BBB about the 500 and if I'm VERY (VERY VERY) lucky I should receive a similar computer with Nvidia or ATI graphics.