Refurbished Dell E6430 Core I5-2.6 3rd G

Received quickly (3 days and free shipping to the store). Very well packed. Included AC power adapter. This computer was a refurbished unit. And having done computer parts replacements and repairs for the past 7 years, I can tell that this unit was refurbished and they did it properly. And it should be, because they guarantee it! They even include a direct line to a tech help support number to call in case you have problems. This might seem insignificant but it is a nice piece of insurance. Compared to many places who can only offer an RMA and offer to send you another one when they get the malfunctioning one back. You might think that for $295 you would get little more than a fast chrome book, but equipped with the Intel 3rd generation I5 processor, clocking in at a respectable 2.6ghz, combined with the 120GB SSD and Rapid Start (tm) this is a surprisingly peppy little machine. It rounds out nicely with the 8GB of RAM and a full Windows 7 license. The display is a pretty low res 1366x768 by modern standards, but for the 14" diagonal screen is perfectly fine for desktop office applications and browsing the internet. This would be a sub-par computer for gaming, and if that is what you are looking to have, save up some money and buy a computer with a memory stacked graphics card and computer with a higher resolution screen (I'd really suggested going 15" or bigger if you insist on a laptop). This one would be a waste of money to dump a graphics card into. As most larger models as this, it is equipped with a CD/DVD player. Though antiquated tech, this is handy for watching those old DVDs you have or grabbing something from RedBox. The speakers are located on the front edge of the chassis, and the sound quality is surprisingly clear and moderately loud. I find myself using it for Pandora and Youtube a lot more than my old computer because of this. The only negatives I have are; #1 The battery life with the 6 cell battery isn't great. I use it plugged in 90% of the time, so this really isn't a problem. But if I go mobile, I won't get more than a couple hours out of it. I will probably upgrade the battery to the 9 cell eventually. #2 negative is that some of these Latitudes came equipped with backlit keyboards, and this one doesn't have that. But it was an afterthought and to upgrade it to a backlit keyboard will probably be under $30. Overall, I give this computer a big thumbs-up, with the understanding that it more than meets the requirements for its intended uses: word docs, spread-sheets, googling stuff, visiting forums and the occasional movie watching. That's all I got to say.