Is the W500 still worth it?

[jdevenberg]

So for $515 at the Microsoft Store online, you can get the Iconia W500, the keyboard dock, and an upgrade to full Windows 8. That is curently the cheapest way to get into Winows 8 (or RT) with a full keyboard. It's not a bad tablet. It's got a 1280x800 display, 32 GB SSD, 6 hour battery (not the greatest, but not terrible), dual core AMD processor, 2 GB RAM. Its only real downsides are that it is fat (16mm) and heavy (2.14 lbs). Even so, it seems to be a lot of kit for not a lot of dough. What do you all think? Is this a good budget option for someone who needs the full Winodws experience vs. only RT? Personally, I don't think that the W510 is enough better to justify its price.

 

[stephen_az]

FWIW, that processor is (from my perspective) low end for a netbook. Actually, it is the processor in the netbook at my office that no one ever wants to touch because it takes longer to load Windows 7 and then any Office app than a 3+ year old HP laptop. The battery life is also a joke. Yes, it has a long life rating from Acer but it is nowhere near that in any real world use. If the battery life is half what they claim for this tablet people will be fortunate. Just my opinion but this is a classic example of you getting what you pay for. BTW, Staples has a good intro price on the Samsung Series 5 Windows 8 tablet - much more of a machine and designed for Windows 8.

 

[gsquared]

I got a used one for $200. Certainly not worth $500. One other downside. Its Wi-Fi only.

 

[jdevenberg]

I got a used one for $200. Certainly not worth $500. One other downside. Its Wi-Fi only.

I wouldn't call that a downside. Only 14% of people use A cellular data connection in their tablet even though 33% have it built in.

 

[zeke009]

$500 might a little steep given the new products hitting the shelves, but it's still a great tablet in my opinion. The resolution is not Win8 Spec, resolution is 1280x800. Not the 1366 width required for some Win8 features (split screen).

I upgraded the drive in mine, that Sandisk drive is pitiful!
Sandisk 32GB ATTO Bench32 speeds:
Write: 30643
Read 154866

Kingston 64GB ATTO Bench32 speeds:
Write: 256262
Read: 273355

If you can find one for the price gsquared noted, go for it! Win8 RTM runs really good on this device. Keep in mind the hardware and specs of the new Win8 tablets though, battery life isn't as good as the new tablets.

 

[gsquared]

$500 might a little steep given the new products hitting the shelves, but it's still a great tablet in my opinion. The resolution is not Win8 Spec, resolution is 1280x800. Not the 1366 width required for some Win8 features (split screen).

I upgraded the drive in mine, that Sandisk drive is pitiful!
Sandisk 32GB ATTO Bench32 speeds:
Write: 30643
Read 154866

Kingston 64GB ATTO Bench32 speeds:
Write: 256262
Read: 273355

If you can find one for the price gsquared noted, go for it! Win8 RTM runs really good on this device. Keep in mind the hardware and specs of the new Win8 tablets though, battery life isn't as good as the new tablets.

Been doing some research into upgrading the mSATA. It's certainly worthwhile. Seems like the mSATA III Drives will also work. I'm going to give it a try. I'll let you know the success.

 

[gsquared]

Update to my last post.

I just upgraded the 32 GB Scandisk mSATA SATA ?? to a 128 GB Crucial mSATA SATA III drive. Getting the back cover off was a little tricky until you get the hang of it. Getting to the BIOS after the upgrade was also a little tricky but got it eventually.

The device had no issues recognizing the new drive. Partitioning was also no issue. The OS installation program even created the small System (hibernation) partition on its own. I created an OS / App partition and a second (data) partition.

Given I purchased a Win 8 Pro upgrade I had to reload Win 7 first then loaded up Win 8. No issues here.

I didn't get any specific read / write speeds but the Windows Experience Index (WEI) hard drive score went from 5.7 to 8.1. The overall score remained at 2.7 due to the processor. The other scores (RAM, Video, etc) are all in the 5 range I believe.

Boot time to the Win 8 login screen is now about 5 seconds.

Got the Bluetooth and G-Sensor drivers installed. Acer just updated these drivers on 11/1/2012. and the device is purring like a kitten...