Asus Essentio CM5570-AP006 Refurbished Desktop- Black Review

In June 09, I bought 2 of these identical units new, so I'm very familiar with them. They've held up great, I am very satisfied with their performance. I wanted to buy another one but they were sold out. When I saw this refurbished unit available, for $150 less than what I paid new, I took a chance. Unfortunately I've had nothing but problems from the moment I unpacked the unit. I expected the scuffs and scratches, but my issues were far worse.

Immediately after unpacking, one of the CD drive covers fell off. Granted, they are flimsy to begin with, but in this case, one of the hinges was broken and crudely rigged. Plus, the spring was missing. Nothing was holding it on. It had obviously been set in place and left that way during packing.

One of the antennae was missing for the wireless card. My other new units came with two.

The video card was missing 3 out of the 4 posts which allow cables to be screwed in and fastened securely. Without them, a typical bulky DVI/VGA cable slips out of alignment easily.

Many of the screws which attach the panels to the case were completely loose. Not a big deal, but it had clearly been reassembled with no care.

Worst of all, the video card was defective. It was immediately apparent. The signal went in and out, serious display driver error messages appeared frequently, and strange artifacts and blocks of color flickered across edges of windows and icons. I reseated the card, tried a different monitor, and had the same issues.

I was able to restore the system from scratch and update the OS and drivers, including the video drivers, but the problem persisted. Now I'm repacking it and sending it back. This unit had not been refurbished, it had been rigged. I'm very disappointed in the lack of quality control, this unit should never have passed even the most basic inspection.

----- UPDATE 2/4/10 -----

I received my replacement computer and was scared to open the box! My fears were confirmed when I saw the flap over the frontside USB ports hanging open. Stuck open actually, it was misaligned and I knew it would break if I tried to force it closed. Also, the computer wouldn't turn on! Unbelievable, they sent a "refurbished" unit and it was DOA!

I removed the side panel and faceplate, after disconnecting the activity lamp. I was able to repair the flap with needlenose pliers. While poking around inside, I noticed the SATA cable was loose where it connected to the hard drive, and pushed it in properly. I suspected the DOA problem was due to an issue with the button and not the internals. I fiddled with it, rerouting some wires and snapping the pieces out and back in, etc. Eventually, something I did fixed it. The button makes good contact and the mechanism behind it is lined up properly. Everything works great now! Should I demand a paycheck from Asus for refurbishing their computer for them?

I'm glad to have a good functioning computer at a nice price, but because I had to deal with these inexcusable issues, the 1-star rating remains.

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Product Description:
The Asus Essentio CM5570-AP006 Refurbished Desktop PC is powerful, beautifully designed desktop chassis ready for all your entertainment pursuits. Powered by an 2.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor and 6 GB of DDR2 memory, the Asus Essentio leaves its opponents in the dust. This saves you power and money. The Asus Essentio CM5570-AP006 has a minimalist, tilted chassis design which allows air to flow upwards into the computer. A 750 GB Hard Drive provides enough storage for all your applications, digital media, pictures, music and more. The Asus Essentio CM5570-AP006 Refurbished Desktop PC has 8 Channel HD Audio support as well as tons of Asus technology and innovations.

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