PROS:
*OS For the short time I used Windows 8, it worked fine. I just didn't like it.
*Speed The quad-core i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM allow it to run high-performance software.
*Keyboard It feels very nice when typing for long periods of time.
*Hard Drive 1 terabyte (1000 GB) gives you lots of space to work with.
*Webcam As long as you have enough lighting, the webcam looks good.
CONS:
*Wireless Card This thing has an old Realtek; If you use Windows, it is slow. If you use Linux (like me) you have bigger problems. Realtek doesn't have up-to-date drivers for the Linux kernel. I had to buy a Panda Ultra Wifi (b/g/n) 150Mbps Wireless-N 2.4GHz USB Adapter Windows XP/Vista/7/8, Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8, Ubuntu 12.04 TLS, Fedora 17 and Puppy 5.3.3 Compatible in order to access the internet.
*Touchpad Using this thing for long periods of time is horrible.
*Battery Life It only lasts about 3 hours.
OTHER:
*Speakers The built-in speakers are mediocre.
*Graphics The Intel graphics chipset is average.
*Screen It looks fine unless you're looking from an angle.
This was a good buy for $600, but I don't know if I would buy it again for $750.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I'm not a techie, but an experienced user; no benchmark results here.The lid on the laptop has no catch securing it to the body, so even walking around the house carrying the PC at my side as I would a book, I can feel the lid chattering against the body. The keyboard works well, but that too vibrates and makes a fair amount of noise as you're typing. It doesn't affect typing, and I'm sure it can't be heard from across the room, it just makes more noise than I would expect from a keyboard. I work with numbers so I like the 10 key setup built into the keyboard. The overall build quality feels really cheap; when you pick up the laptop there are a number of creaks as the plastic parts flex and the battery shifts slightly. I would be very concerned traveling with it unless it was enclosed in a snug sleeve (to keep the lid from chattering)and then packed into another case with plenty of padding.
The trackpad is pretty bad. Extremely sensitive at times, oblivious at others. Coupled with the mysterious swipes and functions recognized by Windows 8, you can have a REALLY exciting time at the keyboard watching things come and go on the screen. I use the laptop mostly with a bluetooth mouse and wired keyboard. When I work out of the house I'll be bringing my mouse.
The display is very good, very bright and readable except in bright light, where the glossy finish makes things difficult.
I've had the machine a couple of weeks, cycling the battery to check its life several times, and the battery lasts about two hours.
It's fairly large, at about 15X9. The good news is the large screen. The bad news is the bulk. Choose your poison.
The speed is there. Obviously subjective, but you don't have to wait long for start-up, restarts (a little over 1 minute for my machine, now with 12GB RAM), whatever. It comes with 8GB RAM (2x4). At least one of the 4GBers has to be pulled to increase the RAM.
Windows 8 is OK from the user perspective. Not great or horrible (sounds like a lot of other Windows versions!). Once you get used to it and can navigate through the screens intended for touch-screen use, it only (!) adds a couple of clicks to get to the desktop. You really have to wonder at the design, though, if it has to be adapted to keyboard use.
In spite of what reads as a slightly negative review, I'd buy the machine again. The value provided by the combination of processor speed, RAM, hard drive and price are tough to beat. Both the machine and the operating system occasionally feel like sand in my shorts, but for the price I can live with it.
5/14/13 update
Windows 8: There's no excuse. Same problems. Unless you power the PC down daily or restart daily, something won't work. I guess my biggest problem is getting used to the elegance and easy functionality of my iPad and iPhone, then expecting something similar from the PC. Maybe it's time to spring for an Apple. Sigh...
Best Deals for Toshiba Satellite S855-S5168 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Blue Brushed
not to say I've experienced zero problems. Out of a batch of 5 of these I bought I had one quick HD failure while under warranty but they are consistently more hardy than my experience with HP / Compaq etc etc in this price rangeHonest reviews on Toshiba Satellite S855-S5168 15.6-Inch Laptop (Ice Blue Brushed
I loved my new Toshiba when I bought it last December...so fast, the keyboard sweet to use......then the hard drive died. Not completely. Just sometimes...resulting in crashes...
After having some trouble getting the data off the hard drive (not Toshiba's problem) ... I saw another one, for the same price, with 50% more memory.
So I sucked it up, and bought that. In April. Took another month or so for me to put it in use ... and then a bit more to get everything I wanted installed. Last Sunday, Sept 22...it started making a HORRIBLE noise. I suppose it's the fan.
Call up to get a replacement part on Monday. I can't. The people Toshiba has me order through ($50 please -other brand laptop fans: $15) can't access the Toshiba website. It's DOWN for at LEAST two days.
Finally called on Friday, Sept 27. There are no fans in stock. When they do get in stock -5-10 business days before I can get it.
(You wanna know why I don't ship it out under the warrantee I DO have with this machine??? Imagine waiting for my machine to come back to me...blah.)
Two laptops, less than 12 months...not able to be used.
(My 4 1/2 year old "bottom of the line" Acer, however, continues to run like a champ.)
Needless to say... As much as I love the speed, the sexy keyboard, and all...I will not be buying another Toshiba. I had such high hopes.
No comments:
Post a Comment