Laptop Review - Toshiba arrived!

[Kerry F]

Well, I have bought and returned three laptops.  The Samsung, then a Dell Inspiron and then an Acer Aspire.  I actually wish I kept the Samsung for the price I paid and the audio quality and nice keyboard.  Just didn't like the number pad and being off center with the touch pad.  The Acer I bought online showed it 15.6 inches with NO NUMBER PAD, but when it came, it had a number pad.  I didn't even turn it on.

I just spent an hour at Best Buy looking at all the laptops and testing the audio with the sound recorder.  The best were:  Toshiba Satellites, Lenovo IdeaBook and then the Dell XPS was really good.   Best Buy had nothing with Windows 7.   The Lenovs only have one plug for headset/microphone.  You can't plug in both at the same time without using a USB port.

So I went back to Tiger Direct and bought this 14.4 inch Toshiba Satellite.   It's more than I wanted to pay, but I think I will be happy with it.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.as...

[Freddie Reppond]

Are you happy with the audio quality on the Toshiba?  I've overlooked Toshiba before but am seriously leaning toward a Toshiba Portege, based on good things people here have said about it.  I need to buy a new laptop before the end of the year. 

[Janiece Young]

The Samsung has good audio.  I have the previous generation of the one Kerry bought and it's good.

[Janet]

That looks like a nice computer, Kerry.  Most ultrabooks have less memory and smaller hard drives.  That one is loaded.  It should be fast.  The Toshibas do have great audio.  That one has the same speakers and sound that I have.  I'm very happy with mine.  I hope this is THE one for you.  :)

[Janiece Young]

Barb, what do you think of Windows 8?  I have a Sony that I take to jobs and it is a good computer.  The audio quality is good.

[Janiece Young]

Barb, I see you are in New Jersey.  Did you make it through Hurricane Sandy okay?

[Kerry F]

This one has three USB ports, two 2.0 and one 3.0.  I will receive it tomorrow.

I actually bought a different one on Amazon for $499 with Windows 7.  It has 4 gigs of RAM and a smaller hard drive and an i3 processor instead of i5.  But I don't need the more expensive model.  True, no CD drive, but can get one for $50 to plug into the USB port.

[Kerry F]

This Toshiba ultrabook is AWESOME!  Great, great sound, lightweight, 3 USB ports.  Windows 7.

Toshiba Satellite U845-S402 14.0-Inch Ultrabook (Sky Silver)

[Mary Jo Cochran]

You can buy a CD drive to plug in for $7.00 off Amazon.  I did two years ago for my Dell 680(?).   The USB CD was $7.00 (did I say that?)  I thought for sure it would be a piece of junk.  But it works.

[Kerry F]

I just bought an LG external CD/DVD drive at Best Buy.  $40.  Very slim, too.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

What I don't like about the Toshiba I have is the fan is so loud and it overheats.  I have to have a fan under it so it doesn't overheat and I can hear it.  The Samsung is super quiet and I never use a fan under it.  That makes a huge difference to me.  I put my Toshiba in a drawer.  That was my third Toshiba and I didn't think I'd ever do that.  At least I have it as a backup.

[Kerry F]

Well, I'm just going to use it at home anyway, not on jobs.  But from the little I've had it turned on, I think the fan is pretty quiet.  And are any of the Toshibas you have Ultrabooks?  Maybe they're quieter.  I'll let you know.

[Laura Renke]

My old Toshiba had a loud fan, but my new Toshiba Ultrabook I only hear the fan kick on sometimes when I'm watching videos online, not when I'm using it on reporting jobs.  I went with a SSD instead of a HDD this time, so maybe that's the difference, or maybe Toshiba's just figured out the overheating problem and corrected it.  My new Toshiba has amazing audio using only its built-in mike, three USB ports, and separate microphone and headphone jacks, plus it only weighs 2.5 lbs.  The battery life is great too.