Toshiba Satellite C855-S5134
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
By rob
I bought this computer to replace my previous laptop which was stolen. I was looking for a budget friendly one and after looking over and over again I found this great laptop.
For an entry-level computer, it's pretty decent but has some flaws that some people may found a deal breaker.
PROS:
-Big Screen
-Easy set up
-Wide full keyboard
-The 6Gb of RAM really can be noticed
CONS
-Keyboard may be unresponsive at sometimes but, not a deal breaker for me.
-Since it uses Windows 8, you need an Outlook.com/Hotmail.com account to log in. You'll be using the same password for your email and for your computer.
I personally like the computer a lot for its speed and performance. I find it as an inexpensive option for people looking for a computer for basic tasks like word processing, surfing the web, videochatting, etc.
Windows 8 is not as bad once you get used to it. You don't get the red X to close the programs; now, you drag the top of the window to the lower left corner and the program will close. I got used to it after 2-3 hours of using it + watching a tutorial on YouTube.
If you are looking for a budget friendly laptop this is the one.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
By E. White
I did a lot of research before purchasing this computer, and I feel I made a good choice. I don't understand why Windows 8 is getting so many bad reviews. It was obviously made for touch screen but can function just as well with a touch pad the same way, just not as cool. For the money this does what I need, pretty much anything. I only paid $350 for this one and seen 2 weeks later it was $50 more, as were the rest of the Toshiba C850 series that Amazon.com had. So I got lucky on buying it when I did. For as much extras as it has, the one thing it's missing is a built in prop so the base isn't flat against the surface causing heat... Also the touchpad is extremely textured and rough feeling, but I never use touchpads anyway I mostly use a wireless mouse. I'm actually building a docking station so I can use my TV as a monitor and wireless mouse / keyboard so I can sit back and be comfortable with a nice display. Even though the standard display on the laptop itself is amazing clear, I have bad eyes and need the words to be much larger when browsing or whatever. This PC is a monster machine. It has like a 3 second boot up time and loads everything instantly. I've been using it for a month now and haven't had a stall or anything. Even with Windows 8, my old programs work too, it has backwards compatibility drivers to run almost any program made for any version of Windows, even XP / Vista. Also works on games, like Sim City 4.
I was going to get the new Sim City but I think I'll wait until their servers can handle it lol.
Hope my review helps someone.
OH PS: BEWARE OF SUPER SAVER SHIPPING!
I had a 24" HDTV in an order a few days after I ordered this laptop, and they ended up shipping them together... They took a huge Amazon.com box, put the TV box in, and the Toshiba box in loose on the TV box. The Toshiba box had damage from sliding around during shipping inside the huge Amazon.com box... The Amazon.com box was literally falling apart... I debated sending the laptop back, but talked to customer service and they told me if it seems damaged during use within 30 days I could exchange or return it, and I'm typing from it now lol, I decided it's a keeper, so it's durable too.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
By ttecaines
This is a very solid product for a good price.
Just as a warning you will need to install 3rd party apps to make windows 8 usable and figuring out how to make the keyboard use function keys by default was difficult, but other than that it is great.
Mobile Gaming SupremacyDell's XPSTM M1730 is a mobile gaming stud. With exclusives like AGEIA® PhysXTM Accelerator and the latest next-gen NVIDIA® SLI® technology, the M1730 features an awe-inspiring design and cooler-than-thou features like a built-in stats tracker and 16-color, programmable LightFXTM lighting.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
By ProjectJLN
This notebook is more like a desktop that folds, let's just lead with that. It is HEAVY, and designed more for gamers than for people who will be on the go for most of the time. That said, it was (and is) a powerful machine, with enough processing power and memory to get even fairly heavy-duty programs running well. I have installed Windows 7 on my model, and would recommend both the OS and the computer to anyone looking for a gaming laptop. In addition to the impressive hardware specs, I have to say that mine was durable as well; even though I dropped it twice, and once it got pulled off a couch because my brother tripped on the power cord, it survived without a problem and Dell replaced the cosmetically damaged components for me. To sum up, I think this is a great computer at what it does; powerful, cool-looking, and durable.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
By The magic turtle
This laptop is amazing, its a 2007 computer that is able to run 2013 games at lowish specs. I got mine for around 300 dollars. The seller that is asking for that ridicules price should be ashamed.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
By jjmcwill
I signed in just because someone might buy this garbage. Nothing about this pc is worth 2 grand. I would pay 150-200 tops. The specs are completely outdated. You can go to walmart and buy a 300 dollar laptop with better specs than this. Unbelievable.
Shop the Windows Store for the full selection of Windows 8 PCs
104 of 106 people found the following review helpful.
By dissed
**update 8/21**
this computer screams...no junk..nothing! i took things a step further (i guess i was bored) the other week and completely formatted the laptop with a fresh copy of windows 8 via usb.
this gets really kinda techie so if your not up to the task just skim over this part of the review.
from Microsoft's terms of service. "May I make a backup copy? Yes, you may make a single copy of the software for backup purposes.."
do the following at your own risk.
with some google searching...you will need to download the official .iso format of windows 8 file named: en_windows_8_x64_dvd_915440.iso and make sure it matches the id sum: 1CE53AD5F60419CF04A715CF3233F247E48BEEC4. (official version)
after thats downloaded then google: Windows7-USB-DVD-tool (don't worry it works with win 8 too)
run the program and select the .iso and make your bootable usb of windows 8. (i used a 4gb sandisk thumb drive)
copy all the files off the same thumb drive and reformat the drive to a fat32. why? samsung boot cant read NTFS format.
then put all the boot files you took off back on the newly formatted thumb drive.
unplug the usb drive.
reboot your pc. repeat pressing f2 during boot to enter bios.
change under advanced tab fast bios mode to disabled.
change usb charge in sleep mode to enabled.
save settings and reboot. put in the win8 usb in the 2.0 usb slot (right side) and boot to bios again by repeatedly pressing f2.
go to boot tab change your boot order to the usb instead of the hard drive to top of list. save and exit.
win 8 install screen will boot. select the install a fresh copy option. delete all partitions. install win8. you will not need a win 8 key. you own win 8 and the key is imbeded in the samsung bios system. there will be no option to put a key in.
when booted in windows 8 and you have a big smile that your computer is completely clean...do a google search and download the sw update software. re download all software/drivers via samsungs software.
everything work like a charm now. fresh and clean windows 8.
i also recommend start 8 software. i prefer a desktop experience and having a start button like win7.
afterwards, go back into bios and reverse your settings to the defaults, what they were before you changed them.
enjoy friends!
**update 6/26**
just a quick heads up!
do not bother updating to the new intel driver released 6/4/13 for wifi.
i tried it for a couple days and the wifi issues came right back again.
just stay on the microsoft wifi driver and you will be fine.
**update 6/19**
after a month this computer is still a beast. after reading the long thread and discussion about putting in a SSD, and it being too difficult i figured i would give a shot at installing one. (remember now i have no tech experience). well let me tell you it was retarded easy...and i did it in 20 minutes. and man this thing screams!!!
so you want to upgrade the ssd? do it. its easy. and don't worry the back comes off super easy and no it wont snap if you pull carefully.
steps you ask? don't mind if i do. :)
(before proceeding with this please order some nitrile latex free gloves and a micro philips screwdriver)
*order the samsung 840 ssd with the data transfer cable kit. (to clone your current hard drive)
*install data migration tool off samsung website and clone hard drive. (it took about 45 min)
*shut down computer, flip over computer, unscrew ALL back screws.
*start at front computer corner (left or right, doesn't matter) with a credit card pop up the edge.
*take that same card and push it down the crack on the whole front side of computer.(it will pop all the clips out, don't worry it wont break)
*do the same on both sides pulling the cover back. only thing now that should be connected is the back corner hinge things.
*push the back plate forward off the hinges and the enire backplate will come off.
*unscrew harddrive mount screws.
*unscrew hard drive holder screws.
*replace hard drive with ssd.
*reverse all your steps and re-boot.
this thing boots in 3 seconds now completely and opens all programs instantly.
ill post a few pics under user pics. enjoy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ive had this laptop for a few days so far so i will update this review as time goes on.
the good:
1920x1080p resolution w/touch on a ultra book style laptop.
dedicated GPU plus integrated.(good for those who play a game now and then)
back-lit keyboard
the touchbad: i love it, works almost as well as a mac...no joke.
amazing speakers...no joke very good for a laptop.
solid built laptop with premium feel.
decently thin with what i think is a perfect size screen/keyboard
aluminum body.
small power brick.
5ghz wireless support.
decent battery life.
2 video outs (hdmi/vga for dual monitor support)
core i7/8gb ram
the bad:
no solid state hard drive (you can notice it slows loading speeds down a tad)
no matte screen :( screen will have smudges especially touching with your finger.
aluminum body does leave smudges, but not that bad.
the plastic in-between the keys on the keyboard is GLOSSY! so dumb. it gets all greasy looking in-between keys. the picture they have showing it on here it looks matte but believe me its not...not a huge deal but whatever.
fn lock key, adjustable everything, u can even turn the fan noise down or completely off.
THE BIGGEST CON?
Intel 6235 wifi driver. If you on wifi it cuts you off randomly sometimes...and its really annoying, It is not the chip its the DRIVER. was almost a deal breaker but heres the fix:
getting rid of the "intel" driver and reverting to Microsoft driver.
1. Uninstall the Intel Proset wireless software/driver from the computer under control panel uninstall program. (not the blue tooth just the wireless)...after thats done..
2. Open device manager/network adapters
3. double click centrino advanced-n 6235
4.click driver tab
5. It should say driver provider Microsoft / 12/5/2011 / 14.8.8.75
6. click events tab to see if driver service added was (NETwNe64)
that will fix the drop problems.
then fine tune your adapter
1. click tab power management / uncheck allow computer to turn device off to save power
2. click tab advanced / make sure transmit power is set to highest
well i love this thing. its awesome. its slick. its powerful and it will make you very happy.
questions? just ask.
buy it
40 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
By c1oudrs
Ok--all the reviews about this laptop are true. It's great for the money.
However, there are some design considerations to keep in mind. 1rst--the battery is buried in the unit. So you won't be able to swap out the battery (or take the battery out). 2nd--unlike some other laptops (ASUS comes to mind)...this Samsung laptop comes out of sleep & hibernation via the power button... hitting any key won't do it; you HAVE to use the power button. 3rd--if you hold down the power button for 5-20 seconds, it doesn't necessarily reboot.
This combination opens the door to a catastrophic failure. If you get stuck in sleep mode...how will you reboot the computer into post? That's what happened to me after the first morning with this laptop. If holding down the power button doesn't work to reboot out of sleep mode, then SOP is to take out the battery--except you can't with this unit. Engineering woopsie. There is a little pin hole in the back that is supposed to disengage the battery but my suspicion is that it doesn't fully do so. Likewise it might be pretty hard to total drain the battery. So your stuck in sleep mode.
After the first day with my new laptop I had what amounted to a brick blinking 'sleep mode'. I called Samsung customer support--the guy was real nice but he couldn't get the laptop out of sleep mode any more than I could.
Thank goodness I bought with Amazon. I was able to return this Samsung unit with no problems and I bought another brand with better engineering.
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
By TheGarbageEater
Pros: Nice design, solid feeling keyboard, touchscreen, good specs
Cons: WiFi Drop-outs, Auto back-lit Keyboard, Heating/Fan Issue (on first laptop), minor smudging, no SSD
May 14th 2013
Received this laptop today and almost immediately noticed it had a fan and heating issue. Alot of heat keeps being produced at minimal cpu usage (only surfing the internet) so the fan, located right underneath the screen by the hinge, keeps kicking into an abnormally high rpm to cool down the system. The system continually becomes very hot and the top of the keyboard, possibly thanks to the fan location, becomes hot to the touch as well. This includes the 3 or 4 top rows of keys, making it extremely uncomfortable to use for even brief typing periods. Also putting the computer into the lower performance mode with the F11 Fn doesnt do much to fix this heating issue.
In short this means it is a very loud and extremely hot system most of the time... which needless to say completely ruins the computer.
I contacted Samsung about the issue and after about a good 45 minutes they suggested i send the laptop in for repair. I am awaiting a replacement laptop from amazon at the moment, will update to see if same issue occurs or if it's just an isolated defect.
During the periods of time when it is not behaving this way however i am pleased with the laptop (although keep in mind ive only had it for a few hours now). The keyboard is surprisingly very comfortable, the touchscreen works well, and the overall mechanical build is of high quality. The screen has almost no wobble but has some reflection to it like any device. The 1080p graphics on it are a surprising huge step up from the 720p of my 4 year old laptop too.
The matte finish of the case unfortunately allows for minor smudging, which might bother some especially if moving from a silver finish like myself, but isnt a major annoyance. The few times i tested the JBL speakers i was impressed. They are certainly nice especially compared to your typical laptop speakers.
Apart from these minor things and the heating issue I had the Ativ book 6 is a first rate computer by my standards.
5/16/13:
Received replacement laptop yesterday and was suffering from same heating/fan issue initially for a bit even after the initialization and all the updates were completed. Today however the fan has been low and heat minimal unlike the initial laptop. Ran the replacement laptop at max cpu usage and experienced the same heat as what the initial laptop experienced at 3% usage, fan wasnt interchanging btwn rpms though which is another good sign for this one. Also confirms something was terribly wrong with the first unit. Additionally putting it into low power mode with F11 puts the fan to a whisper even quieter than the 'low' rpm it has been at today (had no effect one defective unit fyi).
To be more specific than before the defective computer became very hot where the fan blows causing the keyboard keys to become hot and uncomfortable. Fan would not run at a consistent rpm for a long duration but rather interchanged between medium and high, along with a rare low, when simply browsing the internet. Running the photoshop app alongside certainly made it worse. Plugging the battery charger in also causes the fan to increase rpm and vice versa independent of the charge on the battery too on both computers.
5/27/13:
Had this replacement computer for awhile now and was experiencing frequency wifi drop-outs and connectivity issues. After uninstalling the intel driver and reverting to the windows one (as described by dissed in the review below) I have not experienced any issues! Had to change power settings as well so that the computer wouldnt turn off the wifi to save power.
Another issue is that the computer automatically turns on the keyboard back-lighting during low light conditions. The reason this is an issue is that you are unable to turn this off and unable to control the brightness level.
Certainty had alot of headaches with the defect unit and wifi issues, these things aside this laptop runs great!
So in quick summary computer initially has lots of wifi issues/drop-outs and is prone to become a bit hot/noisy under heavy loads. Unable to turn off keyboard back-lighting during the night and smudging is pretty common on the casing (but not too bad). Battery life was about 4.5 hours in my case which is alright considering the i7 and graphics card inside this laptop. Lastly had to make a few setting changes due to alot of automated things that dont make any sense (like putting the computer into sleep mode after 1min idle on battery and disconnecting wifi adapter after 5min). Meaning that someone who isnt great with computers might want to avoid all this hassle.
