Yeah, I have picked up a few of these models for family members in the past few months, and added 8GB more ram an SSD and IPS displays to each of them, and are into them at about $600-650 a piece.
Edit: The batteries in these say they are 2500mAh on the website, but mine all came with 3700mAh batteries in them. They also aren't the easiest to upgrade, but not the worst.