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Good laptop. Sounds is great. Fan can be loud at times as described but nothing you won't here from another laptop. Not a fan of the touchpad. It can be sensitive so change the settings, but also the right and left click are way at the edge of laptop. Great quality image. Runs great. Starts up super quick. Very efficient power saving. Quick sync of anything that you connect. Not saying you couldn't find better, but if you've been looking and you are hurting your head from the back and forth, this purchase is worth it. Good quality, nice look too.
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So I was kind of wary when I chose this laptop. I saw a lot of reviews that said, "Loud fan!" or "gets dirty easily" or "windows 8 is dumb" and things like that. Really, if it weren't for those reviews, this would probably have a 5-star rating. First of all, I don't hear the fan. Second, you can probably just wash your hands before using it. The touchpad: I personally like it. I don't see why people complained about the size. You can actually left-click anywhere on the pad by pushing down. To right-click you have to go into the right-bottom corner. (I also found out about a month later that you can right-click by tapping two fingers! Think of all the time you can save!) I'm not a big fan yet of Windows 8, but I downloaded a 3rd party "Start button," so now it's ok. But that's not a problem with the actual laptop. The sound on this thing is fantastic. It's fast too. The other complaints can pretty much be done away by customizing it a little bit. Final analysis: don't get scared away by user errors or off-topic reviews. This is a good computer.Best Deals for Toshiba Satellite S55-A5257 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Silver in Brushed
I'm using this laptop as an on-stage soft synth host (I'm a keyboard player). The criteria I needed to hit:1) Powerful CPU to run multiple plug-ins
2) Backlit keyboard so I can see things in the dark
3) A battery in case the power goes out for some reason
4) Enough RAM (8GB), with the potential to go 16GB if I need it for some reason.
5) Enough disk (500GB+) that's fast enough for my purposes. This model has a 750GB drive.
6) A screen with enough pixels
7) USB 2 for connecting adapters, MIDI, etc.
8) Ability to boot from an external drive in case the one onboard stops working for some reason
9) All at a reasonable price point
Nice to have was a DVD drive, which this model has, so I can read CDs/DVDs or burn them.
What I didn't need -
1) Bluetooth
2) 1920x1080 display
3) Ultra light weight
4) Touch screen
5) SSD
6) Discrete graphics card
Basically, lots of horsepower and no luxuries, which this laptop delivers in spades. Note that this is a VERY different requirement than for a gamer, student, etc. I actually prefer bigger pixels with lower resolution so that I can see the software running more easily.
Quad core / hyperthreaded CPU is at the top end and equivalent to high end desktops of a year or so ago. So far the i7-4700MQ has been great.
BTW, another handy feature is the ability to hit F12 to put it in airplane mode DPC latency can cause audio pops and clicks, usually with WiFi drivers in Windows 8. F12 immediately turns off wireless, and DPC Monitor comes up as being suitable for streaming audio.
There were a few of the usual bloatware programs which I removed. I clone my HD periodically so I don't have to worry about incremental backups, etc.
Build quality is sufficient, although not up to the top-end standards, but I'm not planning to bang it around. I'm running Start8 so don't care about the new dashboard, and given onstage use the noise of the fans is irrelevant (and they're not noisy in my opinion). Even when running Prime95 to see how 100% CPU load copes it was in line with any other system I've used.
For the price I paid on Amazon this was a steal, and hopefully should give me at least several years of use.
Honest reviews on Toshiba Satellite S55-A5257 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Silver in Brushed
This is a great laptop for a fair price. $600+ and you get a very fast computer that has a really nice feel to it. 8gb of ram make it run really fast, and you can always upgrade to 16 if you want it to run smoother.Pros:
-Build quality, looks nice in the brushed aluminum
-Back-lit keyboard
-Very light and thin
-4th generation i7 quad-core processor,8gb ram (expandable)
-Decent battery life (5-7 hours depending on use)
-2 usb 3.0 ports (very fast)
-Good speakers
-Size is just perfect for transporting around be it school, work, etc
-600gb of hard drive space is more than enough space but you can always upgrade that as well
Cons:
-The mouse pad is not so great, takes time getting used to
-Screen is decent
-Keyboard is a dust magnet
-Fan is loud if you're in a room that is absolutey silent, otherwise it's not even noticeable
-Windows 8 can be annoying sometimes, especially for someone who is not computer savvy but it works.
All in all this computer is great, I've had it for over a month and no problems yet. If you get a lemon just make sure to contact Amazon. Their return policy is great. I also suggest buying a soft pouch to carry this in. The computer is very light and thin so an impact might damage it.
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This is a very nice laptop. VERY nice.My second Toshiba Satellite (first was about 15 years ago or so). Tile keyboard (backlit) is nice and doesn't feel too much like I am pecking on Chicklets. Spankin' fast with the Core i7-4700MQ processor! 1366x768 display is the correct resolution for a 15.6" display [100 DPI]. Win 8 ... I won't go there, and what are you supposed to do, anyway? 8 GB RAM is plenty. Also has both VGA and HDMI outputs.
There is only so much that can be packed into a notebook. I wish that the USB 2 port had been placed on the right and the two USB 3.0 ports would have been on the left... that way, external drives with their larger cables wouldn't interfere with my mouse as much and the mouse receiver, if it were on the right side instead, would be barely noticeable. The front-side SD card reader is mounted where the front face curves to become the base of the case and is a tad tricky to push in/eject if you have clumsy fingers like mine. I need to lift the front up a half inch to make that operation easier. Perhaps I'll just get used to that.
This CPU has built in video of the earlier 4000 series graphics, not the new Iris graphics. Lots of reviews don't give it really high marks. My prior computer was an Intel quad core with a discrete nVidia GT-120 graphics card. I'm no gamer -the only 3D app that I use is Google Earth and this new cpu/gpu renders it 100% absolutely smoothly, so good enough for me.
I am running a second 1920x1200 monitor via VGA port and the video is fine for both.
The Harman/Kardon speakers sound great!
On the bottom there is a access lid for memory, but not for the hard drive. The whole bottom of the case must be removed to swap out the hard drive... that is no big deal once you determine that to get it off (after taking out the screws, of course) you have to gently pry at the hinges until it pops free. I have already upgraded this with a Samsung 840 EVO series 1TB SSD and WOW! Boot time dropped from 32-35 seconds to 5-8 seconds! Applications launch like a rocket! The only way to go!
I can't comment on battery life as I pretty much use this on a desk [internal battery, BTW]. That said, there is a nifty "airport mode" key that shuts off wireless. If you don't have a wireless connection, pressing that convenient button will extend your battery life a little more.
This laptop replaced my Intel Q8200 quad core 8GB/640GB desktop that (sniff, sniff) bit the dust. I wouldn't think of going back to a desktop now as fast as this notebook was before I upgraded the HD and especially now that I have.
Slightly different port placement would have given this very nice laptop 5 stars.
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