MSI X340-021US Slim 13.4-Inch Laptop – Black
- Energy-efficient 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 Processor
- 2 GB RAM (max)
- 320 GB SATA Hard Drive
- Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 (64-bit version), 4-cell lithium-ion battery
- Intel GMA 4500MHD Graphics, 13.4-inch HD widescreen LCD
Product Description
MSI notebook has set out to make another monumental landmark in the industry with pure passion and the determination for fashion and quality, making its way toward the very finest in notebook computer designs with the X-Slim series.The X340 has ingeniously applied fashionable curves in its design which successfully abandoned the cold and lifeless vibe of the traditional notebook computers. The material is gentler to the touch compared the metal, and the paint finish is glazed and UV processed, added with the perfect ratio as a total package, creating the most simplistic yet modern styling, fitting for the most contemporary trend anywhere.With all these unique features, it proves that the X340 is not only a fashionable and appealing notebook computer; it also set very high marks for the entire industry.These great reasons are why the X340 should be highly recommended to all of the contemporary metropolitans anywhere.Amazon.com Product Description
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MSI X340-021US Slim 13.4-Inch Laptop – Black
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5 comments
Book buyer on December 13, 2009 at 2:08 am
Looks great for the price conscious but it is not a MB Air look alike other than slimness. MSI makes decent but plasticky cheap looking laptops. Plus it runs Vista on the slow proc and a max of 2 GB ram. Ugh. I want 4 GB minimum for Vista and i prefer 6 GB. Might be nice with Linux if you have to settle for cheap hardware. Windows 7 is more bearable on 2 GB but not much. XP is archaic even though it runs well on minimal hardware like this.
Deimos on December 13, 2009 at 2:26 am
This is very over priced. For MSI to rake in 700 dollars for this 15 year old spec laptop is crazy. Sure it runs Vista but so does Eee PC 1000H. The idea of charging this premium for such a dated spec laptop is laughable. I can buy a full size fully functional, top spec laptop or pc for this price by pretty much any brand, and pay an extra 200 dollars to get a top quality macbook. This thing is very cheap looking, feels cheap, seems very flimsey and doesen’t hold it’s own very well with performance. These netbooks are a rip off if priced over 350$ because thats all their worth….hell you can still buy a modern laptop better than this MSI for 300$.
|/|4rk 7w41n on December 13, 2009 at 5:17 am
This has been a fine machine for men now that my MacIntosh computer is no longer working. I thought the screen and mouse were different than the Apple, so I was not totally surprised that this machine is made by Microsoft. Well, I guess it is like my new Kia which is actually better than my old Honda, and that really surprised me. I took my son’s advice in both matters and for the time being he appears to be right as usual. I limit his advice to technical matters, though. His taste in just about everything else from music to clothing could stand improvement. I’ll give both Arnold and this machine five stars, though.
Ilana on December 13, 2009 at 7:52 am
Question…..why does it show that is has Windows Vista on it? What a disappointment! Where is the new Windows 7?
Kent Devillafranca on December 13, 2009 at 9:43 am
First off, a thank you to Joon for the Linux-centric review. I never would’ve bought this laptop otherwise, since my very first action was to install Ubuntu (9.04, “Jaunty”) on it. Here’s a more detailed listing of the Linux situation for anyone else who’s interested:
-Wireless works.
-Sound works.
-Compiz works
-The display is detected and runs at the correct resolution, but sometimes when it boots it thinks there’s a TV attached, and goes to 1024×768. Hit the external monitor button (Fn-F2) once or twice and you’re back to full resolution. (I haven’t had this problem in a while, maybe it stopped?)
-Suspend and resume works.
-Hibernate works, but when it’s going into hibernation the screen looks as though text is going by very quickly and the system is trying to cover it up unsuccessfully (there’s a half-line of quickly changing text at the top of the screen, black everywhere else). Also, when waking from hibernation, it sometimes wakes in text mode, and I have to hit Ctrl-Alt-F7 to get to the desktop.
-Bluetooth works, I think. The system recognizes that it has a Bluetooth adapter, but I’ve never used it.
-The webcam works… but not in my preferred webcam app. For some reason Cheese can’t use the webcam, but other programs (luvcview) can.
-The front mic doesn’t work, but you can plug a mic into the adapter on the side
-Boots quickly (faster than Vista, at least), even with my entire home directory encrypted
For the machine itself, the keyboard (as others have said) is a bit bouncy in the middle, but I don’t mind it that much. If it ever starts really annoying me, I plan to just open the computer up and wedge something underneath the center of the keyboard.
All in all, a good machine with some quirks that don’t affect me much. 4/5 stars.
UPDATE: Installed 9.10 (Karmic) on it, and all the graphics-related problems are gone. The webcam is also gone, though (driver issues, which should be fixed in the next release). I never intended to use the webcam, so it’s no great loss.
I also replaced the hard drive with a solid-state drive. Voids the hell out of the warranty, but TOTALLY WORTH IT. If you want to do it, though, you definitely need the disassembly manual from the MSI users’ forum.